Interlude: Journey to the Dungeon City, Zenelaus

Large beads of sweat slid down one after another in an endless stream.

Alicia gasped for breath. “Just how long do those things plan on following us?!”

Shuya panted profusely as he replied. “Ugh, quit complaining and focus on running, Alicia!”

“Remind me, who was the idiot who proposed cutting through Huzak again?!”

“Fine, it was me, but you’re the one who said you’d follow! I did try to stop you!” Shuya argued.

Thinking back on it, the Lost Woods outside Kirsch’s campus was a much more favorable and hospitable place for humans compared to this. There, monsters feared humans and were generally under control. Even though a huge disaster had happened because of the dungeon spawning, the Lost Woods would probably continue to be used as a place for education.

“Shuya, now there’s a purple slime! Wh-What do I do?!”

“Oh, don’t make such a fuss about a mere slime! Fire Arrow!” Shuya took a moment to catch his breath. “Phew, we can probably get some rest with this.”

But what about this forest, in comparison to the one around Kirsch? Plants and vegetation were left to grow wildly without restraint, and a straight path that probably used to be a road had twigs and branches growing out of it. The ground was a mess. Suspicious-looking fruit grew from tree branches, and the cherry on top was...

“You call this resting?!” Alicia shouted with exasperation. “Ah, there’s more! It’s a giant pile of slime monsters!”

“Hey!” Shuya yelped. “Hey, don’t run off and leave me behind!”

With monsters right behind her, Alicia thought about what had led to this point. I made a mistake. The emotions that went through my heart back then were all lies. Shuya seemed so dazzling back then, looking as if he made a big, life-changing decision, and I was a little moved, that’s all. A minor emotion.

All because of that, I jumped right onto the dangerously thin ice of my own volition. I knew that only bad things awaited me if I made this decision, but I made light of it somehow, thinking that cutting across Huzak couldn’t possibly even compare to that incident with the black dragon.

In the end, Alicia was truly no different from Shuya. Her feverish exhilaration from the monster invasion in Kirsch hadn’t died down one bit.

“Shuya, you aren’t useful at all!” Alicia shouted, indignant. “‘Leave it all to me,’ was it?! What was that all about?! Where did your confidence go?!”

And then, all the events that had happened to the two ever since they had entered the country of monsters flashed back in Alicia’s mind.

It was the first day of their entry into the country...though it could barely be called that since Huzak was no longer a country. Since it was the territory of monsters, the border no longer had a clear definition.

Most of the people who would enter Huzak would be adventurers or bandits. With that in mind, it felt like survival training to the two at first and they were very excited about it all. For one, they were mages, and Shuya was even an adventurer to boot. After entering Huzak, they had continued on for a while through a grassy field area with a good view, thinking that monsters wouldn’t find them if the pair hid as they advanced.

Or at least, that was what they thought.

“Shuya, I think you probably know what I’m about to say, but...”

“‘Head back if it’s dangerous,’ right? I know that! You’re such a worrywart, Alicia.”

“Shuya...” Alicia was unimpressed. “Do you know just how many adventurers and soldiers died in these lands?”

“I do,” Shuya insisted. “That’s why I got this, remember?”

The boy with red hair pulled out a scrap of paper. “The types of monsters and their habitats are laid out very precisely on this map. There’s even information about extra dangerous places to avoid so that we can head to the Freedom Union from Huzak safely. Thanks to this, my hidden fortune is depleted, but...I guess I’ll just earn it back in Zenelaus.”

The merchant had gladly sold it to him, saying that obtaining it was worthwhile for him if it could help a student of the mage school.

This map wasn’t all that Shuya had prepared. He also had expensive elixirs, knives painted with poison... Shuya and Alicia had combined all of their money and threw it at the merchants to buy any and all things that seemed useful.

By running away on this journey, I’ll change myself into someone better, compared to a person who couldn’t move an inch during the incident with the black dragon, they both swore.

“The area we’re in still counts as peaceful. The actual scary things will begin when we take our first step into the forest. Make sure to keep vigilant,” Alicia warned.

Huzak hadn’t been as developed as Daryth or Cirquista before it had been taken over. It was a small country where humans made settlements in the forest and lived in harmony with nature. It was an isolated country that didn’t have much military might.

The paths formed complicated patterns like a labyrinth. An outsider probably couldn’t navigate around the area. The map they had was difficult to understand since it had been made by a previous citizen of Huzak, and the two had a hard time deciphering it.

Before the two came here, however, they read the map over and over again. They forced the necessary geography into their brains and did the best they could so that they wouldn’t be lost. Or at least, that was what they thought, but...

Alicia’s train of thought broke down there. For some reason, right before they were about to enter the forest, her traveling companion began to talk to himself out loud again. “Huh...? That path’s a shortcut? Oh, the presence of monsters...is that so?”

Her traveling companion was none other than Shuya Newkern. Back at Kirsch Mage Institute, he was deemed eccentric. Rumors said that he could see someone who didn’t actually exist and that he would whisper to himself out loud sometimes.

“Shuya... Muttering nonsense to yourself like that is creepy, so could you please stop?”

“Huh? Wait, I said that out loud?”

“You did! You mumbled on and on and on!”

“Oops, my bad. I couldn’t help it since I hadn’t heard the voice for a while. But, well, even the map says that entering the forest from here is the shortest path, so... Plus, there are fewer monsters than I expected.”

“How many times do I have to warn you that such naive thoughts would—” Alicia cut herself off. “Hm? I stepped on something.”

By sheer coincidence, she had trampled on the tail of a Black Bear monster, who had been peacefully sleeping like the dead. The now wide-awake Black Bear then chased the two, and they had no choice but to step off their initial path and enter the forest.

The moment they stepped into the forest, they made quite a discovery. There are monsters here. Wait, aren’t there way too many?! They’re everywhere! There weren’t many monsters along the country border, and there was only a vast grassy field with a good view, and yet...

The two had finally realized that they had truly come to a crazy and outlandish place.

And that was just the first day of their journey in Huzak.

During their first evening there, they managed to find a house in the forest by chance. They sprayed a custom-made perfume with a scent that monsters abhorred all over the house. They then decided that they wouldn’t take even one step out of the house for the night. The next morning, they woke even earlier than sunrise, and after confirming that there was no trace of monsters around the house, they took their leave.

According to the map, they would arrive in the Freedom Union if they just made their way across the forest in a straight line. Shuya declared with confidence that they would probably make it out of Huzak in around a week as long as they didn’t come across any major problems. Though Shuya normally didn’t seem reliable on most days, Alicia felt impressed and changed her opinion of him. Of course, she had absolutely no plans of telling him upfront about those thoughts.

“You’re really weird for a noble, just like I thought,” Alicia commented. “For one, you’re registered as an adventurer, and you also try to do unreasonable and reckless things. But in Daryth, doesn’t the social status of your family determine your future? Does this stuff really matter?”

“There isn’t any law dictating that nobles can’t become adventurers,” Shuya pointed out. “But that’s not all. Even if I’m from a baron household, there are many people from a similar social status who climbed up the ladder in the army. Especially when you consider the soldier who was put in charge of the operation to investigate Huzak! He was selected even though he’s rather young.”

“Oh really?” Alicia muttered. “You’re quite knowledgeable about the topic.”

Shuya explained that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of such soldiers, which honestly looked cool in Alicia’s eyes. Just a little.

However, at noon, their journey became slightly more complicated...

They had found a clear spring, and Alicia had taken the opportunity to wash up. It was pleasant, and doing this made Alicia feel as if she were truly free. Using magic might clean her body physically, but it couldn’t scrub off her mental weariness. She probably would never have tasted this sense of liberation if she had returned to Cirquista like she was supposed to have done.

Looking back, this was probably when Shuya had started becoming cocky. Everything had gone well so far and it was going to his head. He started saying that he wanted to defeat monsters as they made their way through the country.

“Didn’t you swear that you wouldn’t do things that were uncalled for?!” Alicia snapped.

“Oh come on, just a little won’t do any harm!”

After they had infiltrated Huzak, they had come across many monster corpses that were probably the work of adventurers or soldiers. Both groups had many opportunities to come to Huzak for various reasons. Adventurers wanted to test out their own power, and soldiers came to monitor the situation of the monsters gathered here. Alicia knew that, because just like Daryth, Cirquista also dispatched troops periodically and tried their best to gauge what went on in here.

At first, Alicia chided Shuya for having such thoughts, saying that he would have countless opportunities to fight with monsters once they reached Zenelaus. However, Shuya was very obviously letting his arrogance get into his head.

Shuya’s insistent grumbling was getting on her nerves, so Alicia gave up and told him to do whatever he wanted.

And Shuya’s next action was a blunder of the highest order.

“Fireball! Fireball!”

“Ugh, is that all you can cast?!” Alicia shouted. “Even goblins have seen through all your tricks by now!”

He had tried to pick a fight with a weak-looking goblin and was immediately discovered by other monsters. He continued casting spells as the two of them ran.

Finally, Shuya’s mana was depleted completely, and the two could only flee. They continued running away for some time.

“You’re an idiot, aren’t you?! Shuya, you’re an idiot!!!” Alicia screamed.

“Alicia, use your spells too!”

“I’m a water mage!” Alicia snapped. “Who’s going to heal you if you get hurt?!”

“...It’s not like we have another option, you know?!” Suddenly, Shuya started mumbling to himself. “Huh? You what?! Huuuh?!?!?!”

“Ugh, stop mumbling to yourself already! Who are you talking to?! It gives me the creeps!”

“No, I’m not talking to myself! I’m having a conversation! Wait, the zombie-type monster is dangerous? Wha— Why’s there a Zombie Soldier here?!” Shuya wailed at the top of his lungs. “We’re gonna make a break for it, Alicia! This way!”

Immediately, Alicia regretted her decision. I shouldn’t have followed him. She tried reasoning with Shuya and said that they should return to Daryth at once, but they realized they no longer knew the way back.

They could only rely on the voice Shuya could seemingly hear from the weird crystal ball he had, and they went along according to its instructions. At this point, Alicia was fed up and just left her fate up to Lady Luck.

“Wait, Shuya! A skeleton! There was a skeleton just now!”

“A skeleton isn’t anything to make a fuss over! This is the infamous Huzak, remember?! It’s a country occupied by monsters! A country that Cirquista and Daryth have tried taking back but failed each and every time! Ah, hey look! There’s a midget worm monster! I think I can defeat that.”

The flora in Huzak was left to grow wildly without the tampering of humans. Alicia spotted the round worm monster in the grass and she breathed an anticlimactic sigh of relief, for it was smaller than she had thought. Shuya closed in on it, peeved that it surprised him, but something fell down from above with a loud bang.

It was a fully grown worm monster. It was huge. Alicia knew that worm-type monsters grew rapidly, but... Isn’t this one way too big?!

By the time Shuya managed to shout her name, Alicia was long gone, having already run away.

Shuya didn’t have the luxury of time to curse her and call her heartless, and he began running as well.

They ran away as fast as they could; to escape, and to survive.

The night sky could be seen through the gaps in the canopy of leaves. From below, the two could spot the moon, whose light was the only ally sustaining them right now. The pair ran in the direction that the dim light seemed to be leading them.

Bugs were chirping all around them. Many times, they spotted pairs of red eyes, probably belonging to monsters, in the darkness. Fear seized and squeezed hard at their hearts. The wheezes they let out seemed louder than they should be.

Just where had they gone wrong?

We were doomed from the beginning, Alicia concluded. In the first place, the idea of cutting across Huzak was a mistake. If we manage to get out of this forest alive, I’m going to have to spell it out for Shuya and make him face the facts, Alicia decided. He’s a fanatic of pretty rocks and the occult. Someone like him could never become as strong as that guy, and I’m going to tell him that!

After all, that other guy has been amazing ever since he was a kid. If anything, he was at the peak of his performance when he was a child, actually. Even though he’s regained some of his former glory lately, those childhood days were definitely when he was best. Well, even though he was just a noble, he was able to become my fiancé...the fiancé of the second princess of a major country like Cirquista. That’s something amazing, I’ll have you know!

There, Alicia’s mind froze for a moment. Wait. On that topic... What’s the situation right now around...that? Is our engagement still in effect?

While such thoughts ran through Alicia’s mind, she turned around...only to find that the gigantic worm monster was right behind her!

This lone giant worm monster had been chasing them for a long time.

“This is the worst! The worst, I say!” Alicia wailed. “I really shouldn’t have followed you here!”

“You’re the one who decided to come with me, Alicia!” Shuya shouted. “In fact, I objected to it many times!”

The fear of death loomed in her heart.

Despair was what she had felt back when the dragon had appeared at Kirsch. At the time, she thought that it was blasphemy that she was going to die right there. She was royalty!

But this was different. She was a runaway. That’s right. Dying after running away from home is absurd! Ridiculous! Plus, compared to that dragon, a worm monster is nothing.

The worm made a high-pitched sound as if it were wheezing and squeezing its own throat out. The heck is with that cry?! Ah. I can’t do this. I’m scared. Not only that, it’s so fast, even though it’s a worm. Aren’t caterpillars meant to be, like, oh, I don’t know, more easygoing or something? They’re meant to be slowpokes that squish under our feet if we aren’t careful. Just because such a thing became big, how can it be that fast?!

“Shuya!” Alicia shouted. “Let’s get out into the open grass field!”

“Bad idea! Master said that in times like this, I shouldn’t go to places I’m not used to!”

“‘Master’? Who is that?!”

“Master Cessan, an adventurer! They taught me all about being an adventurer!”

Huzak was a paradise for monsters, and it truly was filled with them. There was no way humans could survive in this land. I really, really shouldn’t have followed Shuya here! Well, I guess I’m also at fault for being moved by some trivial sentiments, but still! Ugh, it’s all over. Just who is Master Cessan anyways?!

She no longer had enough energy to even shout angrily at him about inconsequential things. I can’t breathe. I might trip and fall at any moment. There’s nothing more that can be done. Alicia wept in her heart. Sorry, father, mother. I was a no-good daughter. I should have just gone back home obediently.

“Shuya, wait.” Alicia slowly came to a stop. “I don’t sense that worm anymore.”

The angry presence that had been hot on their heels had vanished. The worm had stopped and was looking about absentmindedly. Its eyes had changed from red to green, indicating it was no longer agitated despite being brimming with rage moments ago.

Alicia hesitated. “It’s...looking for us?”

Moments later, the worm whined like a puppy, sounding far cuter than it had any right to be. It then shuffled back slowly into the forest. Shuya, who was a few steps farther away than her, also looked dumbstruck.

Hey, what were you doing? Alicia fumed. Help me! Why were you running so far ahead? I’m royalty, so be my shield! This guy... I really can’t count on him!

“Alicia,” Shuya began slowly. “Just now, that was...”

“I’m pretty sure it was hit by a darkness spell. But Shuya, that wasn’t you, right?”

“There’s no way I could use darkness magic.”

While light magic had an aptitude for enhancing one’s physical body, darkness magic was related to the heart. An advanced darkness spell had attacked that worm...a spell that wasn’t seen often in Daryth, and prized light mages like the teachers at Kirsch probably weren’t able to perform. Who in the world...?

Alicia’s thoughts were cut off by the voice of a stranger.

“Huh. So you’re mages.”

However, she couldn’t spot the silhouette of that person anywhere.

Suddenly, a shadow came down from above. A burly man with paint covering his face alighted from a large tree and stood before them.

The man appearing before the two didn’t even give them a name to call him by. He merely said, “If you want to survive, follow me.” He then began walking off the path and into the depths of the forest.

Whenever night fell, fog rolled in over the lands of Huzak. There were also ferocious and cunning monsters that only became active at night. Moving around in the darkness with limited vision was not preferable. Yet this mysterious man lit a campfire brazenly and without fear.

“You guys were pretty unlucky,” the man remarked. “That thing was abnormally relentless. That aside, aren’t you going to eat?”

Isn’t he worried that the smoke and light might attract monsters? the pair thought. However, the man began cooking with practiced ease. The way he went about it all was very bold considering where they were, and the pair of students could only watch him with wide eyes. To the two, even the sound of leaves shaking had been enough to make their fear of monsters creep back up into their hearts.

“Hm? Ah, I see... I do need a fire to make good food, but...I’m also inviting them, you see. I’m advertising my presence to those monsters,” he explained.

He continued. “This meat is from a bird that I caught this morning. It’s good,” he insisted.

The darkness of the night revealed how weak the two students were. Yet, this man laughed, as if there wasn’t anything to be afraid of. Shuya and Alicia stared at the man from the side as he gnawed on the meat, his face lit by the flames. He didn’t look as if he was all talk either.

This strong man, who had saved them from the worm, was the first human they met in Huzak.

He paused, feeling their gazes. “You’re not gonna eat?”

This was when the pair, who had thrown away their luggage and ran all this way, finally remembered something. The fact that they were very, very hungry.

The heat of the fire slowly melted away their extreme tension.

“So, lemme continue. Even if you can use magic, Huzak is too dangerous for two kids. Are you guys reckless or just plain stupid? Or are you suicidal? In the depths of the forest, there are swarms of ogres and even a village ruled by an Orc King. Near White Castle, there are demons, a werewolf clan...you name it. Not only that, but there’s even a griffin monitoring the entirety of Huzak from the skies.” Here, the man paused. “Oh. You two didn’t even notice the griffin, huh.”

Shuya looked up and confirmed with his own eyes that, just as the man said, such a being was in fact lingering in the skies. He shuddered, too shaken to even reply. On top of that, a village ruled by an Orc King? The pair couldn’t even imagine how many hundreds of orcs there must be. Once again, they were faced with the realization that they had come to a land filled with monsters.

The man said it was a miracle that the two were able to even survive a few days in Huzak with their power, or lack thereof. “Surely you didn’t come to Huzak because you heard the rumors? Though you two don’t seem like the type.”

“What rumors?” Shuya asked.

The man paused. “On your way here, you probably came across a few human corpses. Monsters have become a lot more active than before. Not only that, but a dragon woke up recently and the monsters of Huzak suffered heavy losses as a result. They’re on edge. For someone to enter Huzak in these times like it’s some field trip...is absolutely insane.”

Goosebumps rose on the pair’s skin. That’s right, they thought. Thinking back, they had seen many human bodies on their way here.

Alicia murmured, “There were even Cirquistan soldiers.”

“Daryth is the main country dispatching soldiers here, but there have been soldiers from many nations. They probably came to investigate why the monsters have become more active. However, they all died. Even scout squads with military training have fallen like insignificant bugs. That’s how things work here. So, how about you two? From the looks of it, you’re mages, but if you’re struggling against such trivial monsters like you did earlier, you’re walking to your own deaths here. Well, that’s why I got curious, though. Why in the world did you two come to Huzak?”

“We...” Shuya trailed off before continuing. “Um, we thought it might be a shortcut to Zenelaus, and...”

The man took a long moment before he replied, “A shortcut?”

It must have been an answer that really went beyond his expectations, for the man started laughing loudly. “Don’t tell me that you wanted to cut through Huzak so that you can get to the Freedom Union from Daryth? I have no words. You aren’t sane. You’re knuckleheads.”

“Now that I know better, I think I was stupid,” Shuya admitted. “I looked down on this place.”

Thinking back with a clear mind, even Shuya knew how much of a moron he had been. Those monsters living outside Kirsch were nothing like the real deal at all.

The two had dealt with monsters that had strayed into human settlements, but right now, their roles were reversed. Shuya had voluntarily chosen to enter the monsters’ own territory. This wasn’t even anything like a dungeon.

But at the time, he had thought that this was the optimal choice. It had seemed like a shortcut on his way to getting stronger. Now under the cover of night, his head cooled. He knew he had been conceited. I’m not a person who is strong... Not strong enough to protect others, as Slowe Denning does.

“Alicia, sorry for dragging you into this...” Shuya muttered weakly.

“There’s no need for you to get worked up about that,” Alicia replied. “I was the one who decided to follow you.”

The man stared at the two with great interest in his eyes, making the pair feel somewhat embarrassed.

“Um... What is your name?” Shuya asked.

His answer was short and clipped. “I don’t intend to give it to you.”

“Uh... Are you by yourself?” Shuya asked again. From what he could see, the man didn’t seem to have any companions.

“I am a solo adventurer. I accepted a special quest from the Adventurers’ Guild. My goal...” the man paused before continuing, “...is to destroy the orc village. If that thing expands into a massive settlement, at this rate, it would probably become a threat to neighboring countries.”

“Um, where would that happen to be?” Shuya took out his map. “We actually have a map, and...”

“Let me see that.” The man snatched the paper forcefully out of Shuya’s hands. However, after one glance at the paper, his gaze alternated between the two youths with exasperation in his eyes. “You... Did you actually believe in this kind of sham?”

“Huh?” Shuya let out. “But they said that it’s the most accurate map at the moment!”

The man listed off one inaccuracy after another. “It’s true that orcs tend to distribute themselves into communities, but the orcs gathered in Huzak are different. Right now, they are all assembled in one place called Collins Village. Likewise, the demons are only around White Castle and nowhere else. I already killed the fenrirs... I didn’t finish off the griffin, but I have crushed the gremlin nest. As for the ogres... True, they hang around White Castle, but the one ruling over them is actually a cerberus.”

He continued, “Did you two seriously believe this kind of ambiguous information without questioning it at all? You two are utterly hopeless fools. This was probably accurate a few months ago, but the state of affairs in this country changes constantly. This thing is trash right now.”

After this declaration, the man tore the map into pieces and tossed it away.

“Hey!” Alicia yelped. “How much do you think that cost us?!”

“I’ll bring you two to the border between Huzak and the Freedom Union. With that, you shouldn’t have any problems.”

“Wait, really?!” Shuya said, excited.

“Shuya!” Alicia shouted with a chiding tone before pausing and turning to the man. “Hold up! I am glad you saved us, and it would help us a lot if you brought us near the border, but we cannot trust a person who is unable to even state their name.”

“A reasonable reaction,” the man said. “However, do you really have a choice? Returning to Daryth from here is impossible for you two. You couldn’t even deal with a mere worm.”

“That’s...” Alicia trailed off.

“You two may be fools, but you are courageous fools. On top of that, you even happen to have luck on your side since you were saved by me. It would be a waste to forsake you. That’s all.”

With that, the man went silent. Alicia had been taught to keep her distance from darkness mages, and her mood visibly soured. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a choice.

“Get some proper rest today,” the man ordered. “I will keep watch for you.”

If one were to infiltrate Huzak, no matter how powerful they were, they needed to lay low so monsters wouldn’t find them. Shuya had thought that was the standard practice here. The norm.

“Black Golems aren’t a threat at all during the day. They can only unleash their full power at night. Shuya, you’re an adventurer and you don’t know such common knowledge? In the case of golems—”

You... What? Shuya thought in a stupor. Wait, he...teleported onto the body of the golem just now? From there, how did he...? Why did the golem stop moving? Shuya didn’t know what was happening. It was all a mystery to him. Is this what Professor Loco Moco meant in class about the difference that actual combat experience makes?

The man continued his sentence. “—just like this, if you pierce the core in its skull, it will die. They’re horrifically strong, but they’re like a slowcoach with little intelligence. There’s no need to use magic on something like that. Shuya, your actions are too wasteful. Think before you act.”

On the first day that Shuya and Alicia had infiltrated Huzak, they had immediately used magic to keep any monsters that found them at bay. They would finish off the ones they could defeat, and they would even use magic to aid their escape. That was because Shuya thought magic was their only method of offense. Due to that, they couldn’t move around very well on the second day, perhaps due to fatigue from using too many spells.

However, this man did not use magic and instead used a single spear to take out monsters. He deftly stabbed the weak spot of the golem and destroyed its core in one strike. When Shuya saw that, he was surprised, but fear overtook that shock. He had witnessed a one-sided slaughter.

“As you can see, all kinds of monsters live in Huzak. Most of them are misfit weaklings that took refuge here after running away from the battles in the north. Even then, you could say that this country is sort of like a dungeon. Do you understand now, Shuya? Thoughtlessly casting spells means that you’re a less than halfway decent mage. Only rely on magic when you truly need it so you can always preserve as much power as possible. If you find yourself in a battlefield filled with enemies that require you to continuously fire off spells, then know that you’re out of your depth.”

This man wouldn’t reveal his name or his status to the two. But...he’s way too amazing. Alicia said that he’s suspicious, but this man is nuts! I’ve met many adventurers that I respect, but I’ve never met such a peculiar person before.

And not only that, but it looked like monsters were the ones running away when they saw the man. He seemed to have absolute confidence in himself, as if he were declaring that no monster in these lands could match up to him. However, that confidence was well-founded and stunned Shuya into silence.

Once Shuya spotted the monster hovering in the skies, he nearly collapsed to the ground in surprise. It was a griffin, a predator of the skies and a high-class monster. They were known for being very intelligent, and their aerial assaults were extremely dangerous and almost impossible to avoid.

However, the monster only watched Shuya and the others, and it didn’t seem to plan on attacking. The man said that he had nearly finished it off once, but it had managed to escape. With a smile, he had remarked, “That’s probably why this griffin is doing that in the skies, looking for an opening to kill me.”

Even after that, the man pulverized one monster after another. Golems, centaurs...all sorts of monsters that Shuya thought he never wanted to chance upon, monsters that Shuya would immediately run from if he ever sensed their presence.

A basilisk, which seemed as if it could easily constrict a giant tree trunk with its body, stood still before them. Shuya and Alicia froze, as if they were prey being stared down by their natural predator. Meanwhile, in the darkness, the basilisk and the man met each other’s gaze. The monster then turned and slowly slithered away.

What in the world? What the hell is going on? Shuya thought numbly.

“Did you see that, Shuya? That was a basilisk, said to have the ability to kill humans with its gaze alone. Lowly monsters in Huzak don’t measure up to the real thing. I think you probably see what I mean now.”

Shuya was at a loss for words. The heck? I have no idea what you mean at all.

However, Shuya admired the man. There was no way he wouldn’t. After all, Shuya sought power, which was why he had headed towards Zenelaus in the first place.

He thought that following this man might be a faster route to growing stronger instead of training in the Dungeon City. However, the man wouldn’t teach him anything.

“You want to be my disciple? Shuya, that’s nonsense,” he replied, refusing to even humor the idea.

However, along the way, the man did teach him some things, and those were tidbits of knowledge necessary for an adventurer.

The man’s spells attacked the monsters faster than Shuya’s magic could, and the boy realized he had never seen this darkness spell before. However, the spell’s only effect was to slow down the monsters’ escape. It definitely seemed that the man had many more spells up his sleeve.

“Um, do you not have a wand?” Alicia asked.

“I don’t. I’ve actually never used one before.” He paused. “What’s with that face? ...Oh, I see. Over here, that’s the norm, huh? However, the Royal Knights of Daryth don’t possess wands either, right? They use swords with the power of a wand. There’s basically no difference.”

“No difference...? Then, that knife of yours... Don’t tell me, is that made out of magical ore?” Alicia hesitated. “Yeah, that’s probably the case...” She breathed out a long sigh. “Just who are you?”

“I haven’t asked you two about your identities, so we’re even on that front. However, why are you so set on using wands? Many wands for mages are made from wood cut down in the Deurnam Great Forest, which spirits take a liking to, but that’s not very efficient.”

“That is heresy,” Alicia declared. “Wands take the shape they do because they represent the virtue of nobles.”

“I see. Your opinion sounds very much like what people under such a system would say. However, it doesn’t matter, does it? As long as you use magical ore, anything can take the place of a wand.”

“Magical ore isn’t something that normal citizens can procure.” Alicia paused, turning to Shuya. “Why have you gone all quiet, Shuya? There’s no way you could buy any with your family’s social standing... Shuya?”

Shuya had always questioned the necessity of wands. Sure, the consensus was that wands were the trademark of mages, but this man challenged that idea, stating that there wasn’t any problem with his ways.

The Royal Knights of Daryth were outstanding mages who were retrained as knights, becoming the shields that protected the royal family. They were mage knights with swordsticks who took pride in their work. Shuya wanted to become one of them one day, just like everyone else did. Even if he tried to explain it to Alicia, she wouldn’t understand. She’s, well... Technically, she’s regarded as a goody-two-shoes honor student even among the students of Kirsch, after all.

Shuya finally replied with an annoyed tone, “I know. You don’t have to remind me.” He then turned to the man. “But, um... That means that magical ore was used to make the knife you have there, right?”

The man only quirked the corner of his lips slightly, nothing more. It’s probably an affirmative, Shuya thought. But he’s not putting it into words. He’s such a mysterious person. He’s strong, but he has no intentions of telling us anything. He’s even aiming to destroy an Orc King’s village by himself, so there’s no way he’s normal.

“That being said, Shuya, you have talent. Who taught you how to fight? You don’t fight like an adventurer,” the man observed.

Shuya hesitated. “I learned a bit of everything from private tutors.”

“Private tutors? Are there private tutors for combat training in the south?”

“I’m actually a noble,” Shuya confessed. “Daryth’s... Well, my rank on the peerage isn’t very high, though.”

The man’s eyes widened.

Alicia poked Shuya in the back, reminding him that their statuses were supposed to be a secret. So that they wouldn’t be dragged into trouble, Shuya and Alicia had promised each other to falsely claim that they were commoners who could use magic.

If they revealed that they were nobles, people might hold them for ransom. In a well-known case in Cirquista, an adventurer had once saved a member of the royal family in a dungeon and then turned around and demanded a large sum of money from them as a reward.

“A Daryth noble, huh...” The man trailed off. “Oh, you don’t have to worry. I have no interest in that at all.”

Even after knowing Shuya’s status, the man didn’t change his attitude, and Shuya was happy.

The rest of their journey to their destination could only be summed up with one word: smooth.

The man had mentioned that he had lived in Huzak for several months, and that showed in his extreme sensitivity to the presence of monsters. He would observe footprints and signs that marked monsters’ territory and explain them to Shuya. At night, he would keep watch, vigilant. However, at times when he realized that there were dangerous monsters ahead, he would vanish and exterminate them for the pair.

Their previously perilous journey had now come to the point where it transformed into one with reassurance filling half of their hearts. However, whenever the man spotted an orc, he would strengthen his caution.

“It’s an orc! Even someone like me can defeat a mere orc, so I will take care of it!” Shuya exclaimed.

“Don’t make a move on the orcs of Huzak yet,” the man warned.

“Why would it be bad if I attacked one?” Shuya asked at length.

“There’s an orc village I’ve set my sights on. If we ever made a move on an orc from there, they might be alarmed and escape to the north. I want to avoid that. I’ll let the village fatten a little more, then...I’ll take them all out in one fell swoop. It would be helpful if monsters from all over Huzak gathered there, but... It seems that even an oddball variant has shown up. An orc mage, of all things.”

Shuya took a moment before he could reply. “A what?”

“It’s an abnormal specimen who can use magic despite being an orc,” the man answered with a savage grin.

Even Shuya, who admired the man, felt his blood freeze over at the sight.

Meanwhile, Alicia was evidently showing her wariness of him. Just because you’re a darkness mage, I don’t think you have to be so bloodthirsty, you know? She left her thoughts unsaid.

Who in the world is this man? No matter how much Shuya racked his brain, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

“If we continue with our current pace, we’ll reach the border with the Freedom Union by evening the day after tomorrow, or so he said.”

Alicia hesitated. “Right.”

The girl never thought that she would be able to feel safe at night here in Huzak. Even if they were hiding in a residential house, there was still the risk of monsters breaking inside. Right now, however, that man had volunteered to keep watch over their surroundings. Thanks to that, the pair could completely relax and talk with each other. Yet, to Alicia, she couldn’t help but feel as if that man had an unapproachable atmosphere around him.

“Shuya, don’t ever let your guard down in front of him,” she warned.

“Jeez, aren’t you being a little too cautious? He’s saved us again and again,” Shuya complained.

“I mean, that man... Something’s definitely off about him. Sometimes, he talks as if he isn’t someone from the south. Not only that, he’s supposed to be an adventurer, but he doesn’t know much about the dungeons in Zenelaus... And on top of that, using something other than a wand is heresy. He definitely isn’t a decent human being!”

“The Royal Knights use swordsticks, though,” Shuya argued. “Even the Guardian Knight uses the Mystical Sword and not a wand.”

“Both Royal Knights and the Guardian Knight were originally nobles from Daryth. They have received suitable training for their titles. That man wouldn’t say a single word about his real identity at all, and that’s definitely because there’s something shady about him. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re the same, though.”

“I’m in a position where I must,” Alicia retorted. “And him claiming to be an adventurer is suspicious too. Think about this: that man owns a weapon made with magical ore, but he isn’t a famous adventurer, right? That’s ridiculous. Do you know how much that weapon is worth?! It might even be greater than the weapons of the Royal Knights!”

Shuya hesitated. “But there could always be hidden heroes among adventurers. At the very least, that man is strong, and right now, he’s helping us. He probably isn’t a bad person.”

“That’s why I’m so creeped out. Saving us without asking for anything in return... Even if he did it on a whim, he’s going way too far.”

Shuya did not reply.

None of Alicia’s warnings were getting through to him.

He had always questioned whether he could really get stronger by staying at Kirsch. He often bickered with Greatlorde, whose lands neighbored his family’s, and he had fought with the infamous Piggy Duke. Those days had all been great fun, but they hadn’t led to any meaningful increase in power.

Right now, Shuya could mimic this man’s moves, this man’s way of life... To Shuya, that seemed like the obvious recipe for success to reach his goal. However, he could also understand why Alicia was so unsettled, and thus...

“Okay. Then let’s part ways tomorrow morning,” Shuya relented. “Since we’ve come so far, I think we can probably get to the Freedom Union with our own abilities. Would that make you happy?”

Reluctantly, Alicia nodded.

Neither of the two could imagine that the man in question was listening in on every single word of their conversation.

The aloof man sat on a thick branch of a large tree, feeling the cool breeze brush his cheeks. Confirming that the two were fast asleep from the sound of their breathing, the man stopped his spell.

“Darkness magic is much more profound and convenient than you two think. Still...being trusted so wholeheartedly really makes it hard to sustain any ill will against them.”

...Especially Shuya. He already trusts me blindly, and he’s probably sleeping with relief on his face right now. What an irredeemable idiot. A gracious, simple soul being that considerate of others in Huzak, which is overflowing with monsters right now? It’s hard to believe someone like that could even exist.

“The north and the south are like night and day. Even though I was never particularly well-informed, I don’t think I was ever that naive when I was around their age...”

However, he couldn’t bring himself to dislike him. For a boy of noble upbringing, he had great willpower and promise.

That was all the more reason why the man was looking forward to their moment of truth. How would Shuya, who utterly believed the man was an adventurer, react when he revealed his true nature?

If the man were to describe his standing using the comparisons of the Country of Knights... He was an influential person who rivaled even direct descendants of the ducal households.

“Just like how the Great Spirit of Darkness saved my ignorant self, the reason why I saved you was on a whim...” The man trailed off. “Indeed, it is difficult to find a reason.”

The man saw himself in Shuya. This Dustour soldier used to be an assassin whose activities brought him to places all over the north. However, when he was younger, he had done something reckless and was faced with inescapable death. His fate was then changed by the mere whim of a very powerful being. If he had to pick a moment that changed the course of his future, then that exact moment was surely it.

“Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that this is all a one-sided game at this rate...” he muttered.

He couldn’t even count how many times he had dashed through battlefields solo, or the number of times he had cleared dungeons by himself.

The man’s claim to fame was as an assassin in northern society, and his reputation had only increased after he had defeated an elf.

When he had taken down his first goblin, he had felt a sense of accomplishment. His first win against an orc soldier had made him feel like he had improved. His first Ice Golem kill had yielded the height of exhilaration. And when he had bested a stray elf, he had finally become a soldier of the Dustour Empire.

His scars were like medals carved into his body, and together with them, he gradually fell onto the knife’s edge between life and death. However, one day, his life turned upside down.

“Shuya, I’ve given you a chance. If you can realize my identity, my role, and murder me, fate will change. However, that’s all just a fantasy. That kind of one-sided, selfish miracle would never happen for anyone. You haven’t realized a thing about me, and that’s not going to change. That’s just how things work in this cruel world.”

For the life of just one girl, a surprisingly vast fortune had been invested.

However, the man, then much younger, had never questioned it. If the girl was an associate of someone important in the empire, then there were plenty of people who had grudges against her.

The empire’s forceful ways had meant their power was present in every aspect of life. Under this rule, the youth definitely had felt as if he had a bone to pick with it. That was why he would carry out her assassination, and he would draw near her while she was going around secretly.

She had been the perfect picture of defenseless. He hadn’t even felt that his fatal spell was needed.

And then, the girl with an ethereal beauty had forced the youth into submission.

He couldn’t process what had happened, and he had groveled on the ground, searching for an opening to escape. It was that exact moment when he had realized her identity and gave up on everything.

He had realized that he was hopeless. The girl whose life he had targeted...was the infamous Great Spirit of Darkness, Nanatrij.

The man leaped down from the branch and landed nimbly on his feet, calling out towards the darkness. “Even though I’ve shown you so many openings, you still haven’t revealed yourselves. Are you cowards? Come out. I know that you’ve been following me this whole time.”

In the dark mists where light didn’t breach, something squirmed.

Since a few days prior, a group of humans had been chasing the man. Though Shuya and Alicia probably didn’t notice, it was obvious to him. They were likely adventurers from the Freedom Union.

A few silhouettes quietly slipped into view from the fog. Seeing them, the man whispered to himself. “Just like I thought.”

A voice rang out, speech formal and slightly old-fashioned. “With such an identical appearance, you cannot possibly talk your way out of this. You are the warrior who has been razing Huzak in recent times, are you not?”

“Who knows? You might have the wrong person,” the man replied.

“...I shall not ask where you were before you wandered into Huzak. I am an A-class adventurer, and my name is Katana. Be that as it may, under a special quest I received from Zenelaus, I shall now annihilate you.”

“The guild master of Zenelaus... That must be the Eye of the Crimson Lotus. I shouldn’t have expected less from an S-class adventurer, I suppose. They sure have keen eyes. They realized who I am and finally dispatched people with backbone, huh? But hey, one thing. Kids are sleeping over there. Keep it quiet, won’t you?”

Katana paused before barking an order. “Kill him. The Eye of the Crimson Lotus has set magnificent compensation for whoever eliminates this man.”

The adventurer party disappeared without a sound and the clash began. The Dustour soldier, Rooney Blough, unleashed his power against the A-class party from Zenelaus who had come to apprehend him.

However, neither Shuya Newkern nor Alicia Bulla Dia Cirquista could imagine that such a fight was going on outside, not even in their wildest dreams.

“You’re heading on only by yourselves from this point on?” The man paused. “Are you serious, Shuya?”

“Yes. We talked about it last night and we decided on that. We can’t just be a burden to you this whole time. Now we know a little more about how to deal with monsters and how to keep an eye out for danger. We will avoid unnecessary battles and head to the border,” Shuya said.

The man took a long pause before he replied. “I see. Do as you please.”

Shuya had made the declaration that they could make the rest of the journey by themselves since they had come this far.

As they got closer to the border with the Freedom Union, the monsters decreased in number and power. Shuya knew that there was still a risk of them getting into trouble again, but now that they knew how weak they were, they could probably make it through Huzak in a much safer manner than before.

The man continued. “Though...that’s what I want to say, but we haven’t completely left dangerous territory yet. Leave our parting until tomorrow morning.”

The two had become much more robust than when the man had first met them. Seeing that new strength within, his eyes softened slightly.

It was the night before their farewell.

Up until now, they had been lucky enough to find abandoned houses, but that wasn’t the case today. This was the first time they would rest out in the open.

Alicia had used a water spell to briefly cleanse the grime from herself, and she now stared into the campfire. It was the first time she had ever slept on the hard ground. With gloom in her heart, Alicia called out to Shuya as he had suddenly stood up. “Shuya, where are you going?”

“We found those adventurers’ bodies earlier, remember? I’m going to have a funeral for them.”

Now and then, they would come across the corpses of adventurers and soldiers left out in the open at the mercy of the elements. Those were moments that forced the pair to stare at the truth of this world: the survival of the fittest.

Every time, Shuya would use fire magic to cremate the dead. This was a land of monsters, and not one for humans. If the two hadn’t met the man, then they might have ended up like that themselves.

“Alicia, I’m heading off for a bit.” Shuya disappeared into the fog.

While keeping close to the firewood, Alicia waited for Shuya’s return. As for the man, he only talked the bare minimum. Thus, if his admirer was absent, there was only silence. Alicia didn’t trust this man as much as Shuya did.

“You’re right. That guy is too naive.”

Alicia was startled by the sudden voice. “Huh?!”

“I’m saying that he should leave those adventurers with unfamiliar faces alone. They came to Huzak knowing that they might die. And just because I saved his life, he puts too much trust in me. That’s naive too.”

Alicia felt a chill run down her spine. Did he see through my thoughts?

“Confiding in me that he is a noble of Daryth was also foolish...”

The man didn’t seem like he liked talking for the sake of talking, and he didn’t say another word.

In the end, Alicia wasn’t able to trust this man as much as Shuya did. He was likely a terrifyingly strong darkness mage. I really can’t trust him. That was Alicia’s final judgment.

She was thankful that he had saved them. The fact that he was willing to escort them to the border meant that he might actually be quite a kindhearted person. Thus, if the man ever came to Cirquista, she intended to welcome him with relatively grand hospitality befitting his deeds.

However, Alicia was affected by how she had been dragged into the battles of Sepith and No Face, so she thought that she should keep him at arm’s length.

Back then, that guy had saved her, but he wasn’t around now. That was why she had to be more cautious. That reminds me. What’s that guy doing right now? I heard rumors that he has been invited to Daryth’s palace by the queen. If that guy knew I was in Huzak...would he be worried about me?

Alicia started to feel drowsy due to the warmth of the flames, and she thought about the guy who weighed on her mind. Thus, she didn’t immediately realize when Shuya had returned.

“Alicia, get away from that guy.”

Alicia hesitated. “Shuya?”

Looking down on the man sitting on a tree stump, Shuya pulled out a magical parchment for everyone else to see.

The mood up until now turned on its head. Something was off.

“This mentions a special quest to eliminate a human from Dustour who infiltrated Huzak and is murdering soldiers and adventurers! Look, the image is identical to you!” Shuya exclaimed.

The man was slow to reply. “How strange. I was sure I killed all the adventurers who saw my face.”

The special quests designated by the guild master of the Adventurers’ Guild were mostly to exterminate troublesome monsters that appeared in dungeons. However, nations would occasionally request the capture or elimination of criminals of the Adventurers’ Guild, who would then prepare special quests in those cases. The magical parchment in Shuya’s hands didn’t depict a monster; it showed a human’s portrait instead.

Thinking that it might be a trick of the light, Alicia looked at it again, but the face on the parchment was clearly the same as the man nearby, whose face was being lit by the campfire.

Alicia’s whole body stiffened. Her hands shook uncontrollably and her vision went blurry.

Finally, after coming this far, the pair realized exactly who they had been with up until now, and just how dangerous the man who had been protecting them was.

“Realizing this right at the last second... Shuya, you’re unexpectedly unlucky. You know, I brought you all the way here without even telling my name for your own sake. I thought that it would be entertaining if we met on the battlefield again after you grew stronger.”

The man laughed, and it rumbled out into the night of Huzak. He rubbed his chin, and it almost seemed as if he had taken off a mask. “However, what’s the point of asking me now? Everything is likely written on the thing you’re holding!”

While in the middle of his journey to Zenelaus, the anime’s protagonist Shuya Newkern had a fateful encounter with one of his archenemies.