Chapter 3: Before the Final Battle

“Sir Piggi-Du! You have such extraordinary spellcasting abilities as well as deep, profound compassion for monsters! You have the makings of an adventurer whose name will go down in history. Why do you insist so stubbornly on rejecting our offer?”

“Uh, no... I am serious, please, please spare me that fate.”

“We will not give up! We saw the amazing things that you’re capable of... Like how you’re able to bring staff members to the Easton Rock Mountain Range even though it’s still under the control of that lich! An average adventurer, no, even a high-ranking adventurer would be insufficient for that task! Moreover, your knowledge...no, your love towards monsters goes so deep that you are able to discuss them with us! With your wisdom, the only person that exceeds you at this point is the Eye of the Crimson Lotus himself! Very few high-ranking adventurers actually take an interest in the differences between monsters, you know! Ah! Sir Piggi-Du! Please wait! Sir Piggi-Duuu...!”

“Pardon me, but my job here was done the moment I brought you back to Zenelaus, so I shall get going now!”

“S-Sir Piggi-Du! Our guild master has a message for you! S-Sir Piggi-Du! Please be at your inn this evening!”

I could still hear the voice of the middle-aged guild staff member as I took off at lightning speed into the streets of Zenelaus.

It was still early in the morning and the sun hadn’t shown its face yet. Even a bustling city like Zenelaus was dead silent at this time of day. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to worry about anyone finding out that I was the rumored Piggi-Du.

Day after day, I set out to the Easton Rock Mountain Range while guarding guild staff members.

Before all this, I had been pretty confident in my prowess as a monster geek, but the real professionals were on a whole other level.

With just one look, these guild staff members were able to analyze a monster’s weak spots and determine their habitats. They could even make a rough estimate of how many of them there were, or even how many had been turned into puppets by the lich. I was in awe of these people.

Something caught my eye as I walked through the city. “Huh! So the guild has even started making flyers like this.”

“In preparation for the decisive battle ahead, the Adventurers’ Guild is recruiting additional support staff to back up our adventurers! If you are interested, please come to one of the guild branch offices!”

If we only sent valiant adventurers forward to defeat the lich, we would be fighting at a disadvantage. Judging by this posting, there were probably enough heroes, but there were relatively few people backstage helping to run the show.

I had made a suggestion to the guild staff members proposing that they could recruit fresh-out-of-the-oven adventurers as support staff. Seemed like it had paid off. If those two brothers were still in this city, they could probably find work as support staff if they saw that flyer.

“Looks like the guild is suddenly getting pumped up about the battle,” I observed. “But the guys there are slave drivers... Well, I guess it is pretty fun, being in the know of the inner workings of the Adventurers’ Guild.”

Some guild staff members were former adventurers, but most of them were amateur fighters who didn’t even know how to wield a weapon. To be frank, escorting these guys to the mountain range under the lich’s rule was exhausting. They wouldn’t stop throwing their ridiculous requests at me, like when one had wanted to study the ecosystem of the lich’s dungeon. I had been really troubled by those.

Not only that, but we took off at night when we wouldn’t attract attention. I had to be extremely attentive to my surroundings as their bodyguard in the dark, and oh boy...

“So far, none of the staff members have sustained injuries. Oh, actually, wasn’t there one guy who tripped over his own feet and hurt himself? But still, good job, me!”

If people find out that I’ve been using my abilities to protect citizens from another country though... Everyone back in House Denning would probably throw a fit. They’re really set in their ways.

House Denning had protected Daryth for generations, and we were the guardians of our country. Now, one of our members, me, was intervening in a battle taking place in a foreign land.

Now that I think about it, this is the first time that I’ve been away from Daryth for so long. As the blackhearted Piggy Duke, I spent my days fooling around in the Denning lands and at Kirsch.

I am now treading a path that is different from everyone else’s in my house.

My brothers are probably all glued to the front lines... In the end, it seems that even after my change of heart, I’m still the same old problem child.

I’m always dragged around by other people’s issues or circumstances, and this time, the world’s future is at stake.

There was a long, incredulous yell. “Isn’t this too expensive?! There’s a limit to how much you can rip me off!”

“L-Lady Alicia! Everyone can hear you...!”

In the middle of my journey back to the inn, I heard some familiar voices. Wait. Don’t tell me that was...

I spotted Alicia trying to haggle prices with a merchant. Wow... Doesn’t she worry at all about what other people will think?

“But Miss Charlotte, these prices are clearly more expensive than yesterday! I thought that if we came early in the morning, they would have lots of fresh food in stock that only just arrived, but then this happened!”

The merchant tried to placate her. “Y-Young miss, Zenelaus is currently limiting traffic between here and Galland City. Despite that, only more and more adventurers are gathering here, so...there’s a shortage of food...”

“Please stop, Lady Alicia... This is really embarrassing...” Charlotte mumbled.

“But this is way too overpriced!”

“M-More importantly, Lady Alicia, are you sure you don’t have to go try and persuade Mister Shuya anymore?”

Alicia hesitated. “It’s fine. That guy doesn’t listen to what we say anyway! I’m fed up with him! We went all the way to the guild to make a request for him to evacuate with us, but he’s still so stubborn! On top of that, Slowe even began saying that he’d remain in Zenelaus if Shuya doesn’t evacuate too!”

I see. Alicia...has already gotten over Shuya. No, it’s probably more accurate to say that she’s trying to avoid thinking about him.

Her friend was planning on being a part of a war. She probably feels overwhelmingly helpless, but she’s putting on false cheerfulness.

But it seems that she’s also worried about me.

“What matters more right now is Slowe! He’s only getting more haggard by the day!”

“I understand. Um, please lower your prices even more! This is too expensive!”

Those two are probably very stressed from all of this, but I can’t evacuate to a neighboring city with them.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to fall asleep at all today...” I mumbled to myself.

...I just can’t run away and leave Shuya behind.

A drawn-out sigh escaped my lips. “I can’t sleep at all...”

It was just before noon. The fight that would decide the fate of the world was just around the corner, and that knowledge was weighing down on me so hard that I couldn’t even swallow down my food.

In contrast, life in Zenelaus was the same as always.

Adventurers chatted with each other on the streets. “Whew, I’m exhausted! Earned some big bucks again today. The zombies are never in short supply, so it’s like it’s raining cash out there.”

“From what I’ve heard, these monsters are way more stupid since they’re being controlled by the lich,” another man remarked.

“In that case, the lich taking over that dungeon might have done us some good. After all, it’s super easy to earn some cash on the city defense quest, even if we slack off a bit.”

From the windows of my room, I could hear the voices of adventurers who had returned from the city outskirts. This hotel...no, this run-down inn faced a back alley, so I often overheard people’s true opinions of things, as they spoke without the pleasantries needed when within earshot of others.

Jeez, these guys... Compared to the zombies in the mountains, the ones wandering about the wilds during the day are nothing but low-tier monsters without free will. Don’t you know that?!

And they’re so loud! I can’t relax and sleep quietly with all this going on. Well, I guess I do prefer this over being forced awake by the voices of adventurers fighting among themselves...

“I suppose we’ll leave the lich to the seasoned adventurers who have been showing up recently, and we can continue to leisurely hunt zombies ourselves. It’s clear that we’re going to win.”

“Even if the worst happens and the high-ranked adventurers can’t deal with it, we already know that the Eye of the Crimson Lotus will definitely make an appearance to fix it all!”

“Right!” The man cackled. “Since their last match ended in a draw, the Eye of the Crimson Lotus probably needs to sweep away all those rumors that his skill is waning. They did say that he struggled against a weird dullahan too, so all the more reason for that.”

The adventurers seemed to be pretty used to rather pressing situations, and they were the perfect picture of calm, but...

Guys, do you really understand what’s at stake here? The fate of the world is counting on this battle! This city is facing a precarious predicament that’s enough to make even me lose my appetite! They’re all completely at ease because they think that the Eye of the Crimson Lotus can defeat the lich, but come on! The real enemy is actually Dreibach Steibelt!

That man is such a dangerous foe that even the Eye of the Crimson Lotus wasn’t able to defeat him in the anime! Well, I’m helping that guild master out from behind the scenes this time, so he should be able to go into the fight fully prepared, so...things are a bit different.

“That’s probably for the best. Hey, Bellarsi, have you heard of the newbie in the Archflare’s adventurer party?”

“Ah, that redhead brat. Shuya, I think? I heard that the Archflare personally approached him, so I’ve been wondering what kind of outrageous guy he is. It turns out he’s not so different from us. What in the world did the Archflare see in that kid?”

“How could we know what goes on in the mind of an almighty, high-ranked adventurer? That aside, I’m really curious about who might defeat the lich and become a new S-class in the end... I suppose our best contender is still probably Snow White. All those A-class adventurers and people who graduated from this city are coming back to Zenelaus in great swarms. Even that Fog Mage came today, did you hear?”

In this city, the zeal to fight the lich only grew hotter and hotter by the day. On the streets of Zenelaus, everyone was gossiping about who might be the next generation of S-class adventurers.

This was all because of an official announcement by the overlord of Zenelaus, the Eye of the Crimson Lotus. It said that he would officially name whoever bested the lich as an S-class adventurer.

“The guild’s even arranging healing potions for novices like us when the final showdown happens. They’re usually cheapskates, so this is very generous for them.”

“Do you think we’ll really fight the lich here in the city like the rumors say? Won’t this city take a beating?”

“It’s better than climbing the mountain to reach the dungeon where that lich has set up camp. That’s hell, you know?”

Just like the Eye of the Crimson Lotus had planned, Zenelaus was steadily making preparations to take out the lich such as setting up traps and strategically stocking magic items and healing potions inside buildings. A guild staff member under the direct command of the Eye of the Crimson Lotus had explained to me that they were receiving aid from wealthy merchants in the Freedom Union.

I knew it was all going to end up for naught though, because Eldred was going to take over Shuya’s body and go on a rampage.

A man’s voice cut in and interrupted the others. “Hey! So this is where you guys were slacking off! Break time was over ages ago!”

“Ah, Leader. What’s the fuss about?”

“Walaki bugs have appeared in the wilds and the guild is going to prepare a special quest ordering their elimination! This is our chance to kill them first and to curry favor with the guild, no, with the Eye of the Crimson Lotus!” the leader shouted.

There was a pause before someone else spoke up. “Leader, we’re a puny adventurer party. Such a powerful man wouldn’t hear us out—”

“Is your head empty?! The Eye of the Crimson Lotus pays attention to the performance of every adventurer in Zenelaus! I’m not kidding, I swear! He praised me a while ago, after all! He said it was wonderful that my training for the newbies was going along well!”

Now, as for Shuya, who seemed to be a small celebrity in the rumor mill of Zenelaus...

Alicia and Charlotte had continued to try and persuade him for days and nights on end. However, the results had been dismal. In fact, his attitude had gotten even worse. He had started to boast and make grand statements, like claiming that he was also contributing to the protection of this city and that the military prowess of the city would diminish if he wasn’t around.

I wanted to scream at him that his existence didn’t make a single difference in the fighting capabilities of Zenelaus. In fact, I had actually tried to march straight into his den and shout that to his face, but the two girls stopped me on the grounds that it would cause another fight. Apparently.

That bastard is probably getting so cocky because he’s been going around with Zylush. I gritted my teeth. Even when he comes across me in the streets, he goes out of his way to completely avoid me.

Inwardly, I heaved a sigh. I’m doing all this for his sake, though. He also seems to have gotten chummy with more adventurers recently, and it doesn’t look like he has any plans to come back to our inn or to evacuate.

I let my exasperation wash over me.

That aside, the wonderful Eye of the Crimson Lotus has been successful in gathering the fighters he needs, which is the only great news.

That guy’s sooo popular though. If everything continues to be smooth sailing, our strategy against the musketeer is probably sound.

All that’s left now is dealing with Shuya. Well, with Eldred, really. A while ago I gave him a small warning, so been there, done that... He probably wouldn’t take over Shuya’s body and go ballistic too quickly, so I should be able to set up a countermeasure before then. But the ideal scenario would be getting Shuya to leave the city in the first place...

“You know... Rather than participating in the final battle, wouldn’t we earn more money escorting evacuees to nearby towns? They say that people would pay a fortune for bodyguards on the day of the showdown.”

“A fortune? Why?”

“Word on the street is that a royal princess from an unknown country is in this city. I dunno if that’s the reason why so much cash is churning around, but I heard that the giant adventurer party, Armed Convoy, is going to show up with all of their members as guards.”

“Fancy that!”

...They’re probably talking about Alicia.

In the room next to mine, Charlotte was currently packing their belongings in preparation for their evacuation to Galland while Alicia was off shopping.

As for the Great Spirit of Wind, they had finally realized the severity of the threat that the lich in the mountain range and the musketeer posed. A while ago, they had asked me in a very, very roundabout way what I was going to do about those enemies.

If Shuya got involved in the upcoming final battle, the future wouldn’t be a pleasant one. And that Great Spirit most definitely had an inkling that something disastrous was about to unfold as well.

“We’re right before the final battle, but...I’m already so tired...” I sighed.

I had been taking over the duties that the Eye of the Crimson Lotus had taken care of in the anime. Unlike the guild master, who knew the Easton Rock Mountain Range like the back of his hand, this was a foreign land to me. Despite that fact, none of the guild staff members had been injured.

I’ve tried really hard, don’t you think? I’ve done enough! Everyone is probably going to praise me. I wonder, just how much effort have I put in? It feels like a lot... Surely I deserve to be showered with compliments that I’m a really good guy. For example, someone like Princess Carina should totally do that... Maybe I should even think about aiming to become her Royal Knight or something...

A voice shattered my segment of escapism. “Master Slowe! May I have a moment?!”

“Hey, Charlotte... What is it? Have you finished packing already? Alicia seemed to have a lot of stuff to pack though...”

“I just remembered something important!”

“Uh... What?”

“You once said that you were going to buy me a wand, didn’t you?!”

I hesitated. “Oh, that...”

“I ended up losing my wand on our return trip from Huzak, so I need a new one!”

Yikes. I had completely forgotten about that.

“You promised, Master Slowe! In the orc village, you swore that you would buy me a new wand!”

“Charlotte, calm down!”

“Come on, let’s go! This is a town of adventurers, so there are a lot of wands for sale in the marketplace! And you don’t have to get me a high-grade wand either!”

“H-Hey! Let go of my arm!”

“I mean, when else could you buy me one if we miss this chance?! Right now, I’m stuck in a situation where a wand is vital! And! When we were in the orc village, you promised, Master Slowe!”

I sputtered. “Well, y-yeah, but...”

“Take a moment and think about it carefully! Soon, Lady Alicia and I are going to leave, and it’ll take a few days to get to safety. What if monsters attack us during that time?!”

I tried to reassure her. “The reputable Armed Convoy is going to escort you guys, so you’ll be perfectly safe. And you’ll have the Great Spirit of Wind with you.”

We had arranged for Charlotte and Alicia to leave Zenelaus the coming evening. They would journey for two days to the neighboring Galland City, cutting across the wilderness.

The wilds were currently an unruly place, but even if all else failed, Charlotte had the Great Spirit by her side. Right now, the Great Spirit in question was in the corner of the room, either sleeping or...passed out...but in any case, she would be fine.

“But anything’s possible! I need a wand so that I can protect Lady Alicia!” Charlotte argued.

“Okay, okay, fine! I see your point, Charlotte, so please, keep it down!”

Charlotte had seemed to overcome some sort of personal mental barrier after her experience in Huzak, and she would probably continue to hone her skills as a mage from now on. However, this was bad timing. We were in the Freedom Union, the land where the war would soon begin.

But I did promise to buy her a wand...

“A waaand!” Charlotte insisted. “Back in the orc village! You promised! Master Slowe!”

All of a sudden, Alicia made her entrance, poking her head around the door. “Miss Charlotte, what are you making a fuss about?! I could even hear you outside. Something about orcs? What’s going on?” It seemed that she had finished her shopping.

I yelped in surprise. “Alicia?! Hey, I told you to never barge in without asking first!”

We had kept our time in the orc village a secret from Alicia.

“I knocked, but you two didn’t hear it because you were making such a racket,” Alicia huffed. “More importantly, have you gotten thinner again? The bags under your eyes are monstrous too. Have you been sleeping properly at all?”

I didn’t know how to reply.

“You haven’t been eating the food I’ve made either.” Alicia frowned.

“Ah... You still can’t eat, Master Slowe?” Charlotte asked worriedly.

“Sorry...” I muttered. “I just don’t have an appetite.”

I couldn’t help it. The fight in Zenelaus would decide the fate of the world.

If the musketeer won, the empire’s involvement in all of this would definitely be exposed. Feigning that it was all the lich’s doing wouldn’t work anymore. The Eye of the Crimson Lotus knew that clearly, and that was the reason why he had gathered so many capable fighters here. He was making full use of his influence to attract powerful warriors.

I evaded the question. “Even someone like me has my own worries. More importantly, why are you here, Alicia? Didn’t you have something you needed to do?”

“The Adventurers’ Guild has announced the makeup of the lich’s army in Easton Rock Mountain Range,” Alicia explained.

Already? Our investigation only just finished today. They’re very fast. I suppose I should have expected nothing less from the guild staff members handpicked by the Eye of the Crimson Lotus.

I had a part in this, so I’m curious about how they summarized the information in the end.

Alicia continued. “But that isn’t all. In preparation for the lich’s attack, they also announced the adventurer parties taking part in the final battle.”

“Miss Alicia...” Charlotte gasped. “You don’t mean...”

“Yes. Shuya’s name was there, listed with that adventurer party...”

“Drill the information on the monsters into your heads!” an adventurer yelled. “Their weaknesses are all written here!”

“Apparently, some brute called Piggi-Du was bringing guild staff members to the Easton Rock Mountain Range so they could get this information. Not only that, but he was able to protect them for days on end with no injuries! Who in the world is he?!”

Adventurers were packed tightly into the spacious plaza before the southern headquarters of the Adventurers’ Guild. This rush of people was caused by the recent announcement that revealed the posts each adventurer party would be stationed at for the battle with the lich.

Participation would count towards a special quest for which the guild would provide an exceptional reward. The rewards for this particular quest were lavish and generous in every way, whether it be money or ranking progression.

“The Adventurers’ Guild is giving out holy water like there’s no tomorrow! Please take some if you are worried about curses!”

“Have you heard the news?! The Archflare exterminated the devil monster that the lich had sent!”

“Outta my way! I can’t see anything!”

“Where are we stationed?! I bet it’s somewhere where we can earn a fortune! Hm, outside... Not bad! At least we don’t have to worry about the battle junkies dragging us into their messes inside the city!”

The adventurer party posts could be roughly split into two categories: one inside Zenelaus and another outside. Those outside would take out the countless zombies present there, and those inside would take on the big bosses of this battle as well as the lich that led them all to the city.

The massive swarm of zombies coming from the Easton Rock Mountain Range always made a beeline for Zenelaus. Thus, positioning adventurers with the most offensive capabilities on the outskirts of the city would usually make sense, but things were different this time.

“Look, brother, we’re inside!” one adventurer shouted. “In fact, we’re right in front of Nemesis! Here, where the lich is going to come!”

“Indeed, brother. The Eye of the Crimson Lotus probably considers us worthy of the title of S-class... However, how did the guild master learn that the lich was going to come right to Nemesis?”

“Who knows?” The adventurer shrugged. “However, his information never fails to be correct. I daresay that he has learned something that led him to that conclusion... For example, the extremely intelligent lich might have its sights set on the hidden treasures of the guild.”

“Look,” a new face whispered, “those two are the infamous Cleaver Brothers. The guild master even reached out to savage people like them?”

All of the most competent adventurers were stationed here in the plaza.

The Eye of the Crimson Lotus would face the Living Dead himself. We expected the lich to try and interfere while that happened, so it was arranged that stout warriors like these high-ranking adventurers would face it.

In other words, none of the adventurers with real skill were stationed outside the city... Unfortunately, this meant that the outskirts would probably become a bloody battlefield with a high death toll in its wake.

“What are you looking at, Slowe? Come on, Shuya’s name is listed over there. He’s outside.”

Alicia grabbed my hand firmly and I finally spotted that guy’s name. First was Zodd and Nalita from Zylush, and then his name followed theirs.

It looks completely out of place there... He doesn’t measure up at all. Zylush is an adventurer party with voracious, skilled fighters. They even have raid experience in that S-rank dungeon, the Demon Prison. No matter how I think about it, those two are in a completely different world from him.

Those two members of Zylush would probably protect him like they did in the anime, but, well... If Shuya had been alone, considering his abilities now, he would have fallen into the embrace of death in an instant.

“Out of all the contenders, who’s the favorite for defeating the lich? The obvious choice is Snow White, right?”

“Archflare is up there also. Ever since he got Flamberge, his reputation has flown off the charts! He’s a favorite of the Eye of the Crimson Lotus too. His party has also been participating in city defense this whole time.”

There were even people dressed up as zombies here, even though the fight was drawing near. The whole city had a festive mood.

I looked towards Alicia and our eyes met. Looks like we’re on the same wavelength... We can’t stand watching all this.

Alicia sighed. “This is why I hate adventurers...”

“Alicia, make sure you and Charlotte leave today. Someone else also mentioned this earlier, but today’s the last day you’ll be able to go and seek refuge in Galland.”

Alicia pursed her lips, staying silent for a moment. “I know, okay?”

Most of the noncombatants had evacuated by now. The only ones left were doctors who were former adventurers, guild staff members, or adventurers who chose to become support staff. Even if Alicia had a wand on hand, she still stuck out like a sore thumb among the crowd left in the city.

As for the reason why Alicia had continued to stay in Zenelaus even after things had progressed to this point... It was all for that guy.

“Hey, Alicia. Please tell me where Shuya is right now.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know that?”

“I want to meet him again and talk, face-to-face.”

...Yeah, you know, I really can’t leave him like that, no matter how many times I think about it.

“Shuya is currently in that place where Zylush often hangs out. That guy’s already a regular patron there.” There was a hint of exasperation in her voice. “Apparently, adventurers who take on the city defense quest earn a lot of money, and he’s been on it every single day, so he’s living the rich man’s life now...”

I would be hard-pressed to categorize Shuya Newkern as a friend. Even in the anime, we had been fully hostile to each other, and I had suffered terribly after Charlotte got intimate with that guy.

But, even despite that...I still wanted him to evacuate because I knew of the tragedy that would unfold after the final battle.

“Hey, who do you think might defeat the lich and become an S-class adventurer?”

“Oh, it’s definitely going to be Snow White, Lady Mariana!”

“Hey y’all, have you heard? Apparently, the fact that a lich took over the dungeon hasn’t spread outside this city at all. The guild’s restricting the flow of information.”

“Who cares?! I wouldn’t want anyone to steal our fun!”

I could sort of see why Shuya had said he liked Zenelaus. This city was filled with freedom. Nobody knew of his past, and he could become his ideal self. In the anime, Shuya had said that he had enjoyed the preparation time building up towards the decisive battle.

“I must say, ever since the Eye of the Crimson Lotus took on the post of guild master, the guild has been much less stingy! They’ll loan out weapons and equipment, and I’ve only heard good things about him. Long live Zenelaus! Long live the Eye of the Crimson Lotus!”

Alicia slowly spoke up again, “I have to say, I’m rather surprised.”

“About what?”

“I mean, I thought you hated Shuya, Slowe.”

“...I do. I utterly despise him.”

“Then why are you trying to save him? You could just leave him to do whatever.”

Back at Kirsch, we had always glared at each other, and I had even recently beat him to a pulp. Us two being buddy-buddy? One would have to be blind to say that we were friends.

He had chosen to cut across Huzak to come to Zenelaus, and he had placed Alicia in great danger in the process. Even when Alicia tried to reason with him, even when Charlotte had said that he should evacuate to the neighboring city, he had rejected it all. To put it mildly, he was acting completely unfit as a Daryth noble. But...

“But he’s a good guy, isn’t he...?”

I had been so offended by him at school because he was so sincere and straightforward, and he had something that I didn’t.

I had probably simply been envious of him. As I’d watched him, I had ended up thinking, Oh, how fun would it be if I were able to live like that?

Just after I spoke up, Alicia whacked me on the back.

“Ow!” I yelped. “What was that for?!”

“Yeah, you’re right. That guy’s an idiot, but he’s also a hopelessly good guy!”

With a brilliant smile, Alicia told me the abundantly obvious truth.

That’s why...I definitely won’t accept that kind of future.

●

“Aaah...” A youth whimpered before letting out a long, wretched howl of despair.

I thought about the future that was portrayed in the anime. This was what Shuya was fated to become, from what I remembered.

There Shuya stood, as one lone figure among the ruins of Zenelaus.

Next to him was the musketeer, who now took on the shape of a human since he had been liberated from his curse.

Dreibach Steibelt pointed his blade at Shuya’s neck.

“Why didn’t you stop me?!” Shuya hollered. “Someone of your caliber should have been able to kill me!”

“You will soon forget all this. If you are the vessel of Eldred, he will likely erase all the memories that would serve as an inconvenience to him.”

“No way in hell would I ever forget what happened!” Shuya spat back at him. “I caused this! I killed everyone! I saw it all! I saw it! But I wasn’t able to stop him! He took over my body! I shouldn’t have trusted Eldred... Damn this power!”

“You are similar to me,” the man observed. “I was enthralled by the lich, and your body was the vessel of a Great Spirit. However, Eldred killed the lich, and he spared me.”

“I’m begging you, please... Please kill me. I deserve to die. All those people in Zenelaus, my comrades, I...” Shuya wailed. “Mister Zodd, Miss Nalita... All of the Archflare’s comrades, I...I killed them!”

Shuya was begging for his death from the bottom of his heart. He stood before his enemy, one of the Three Musketeers, who had the appearance of a dragon knight. The boy’s tears slid down bead after bead as he continued to beseech the man to act.

They stood in the center of the devastated city, right before the crumbling building of Nemesis. The mysterious power Shuya had gained had caused a rampaging inferno, and it had reduced this city to ashes.

Shuya had been conscious the whole time. His eyes were peeled the entire time as he watched himself destroy the city.

...It must have been unimaginable torture.

“A war is going to begin soon, and Lady Nanatrij is the one who will start it. You have a duty. You have strength. That is why I shall not kill you here. Bend the Great Spirit’s power to your own will and control it. And then, please, stop her.”

Shuya whimpered, breaking down. “I’m sorry... I’m sorry... I don’t want this... I hate all of this... Why...”

“Sleep. You will have forgotten all of this by the time you are awake. Your memories will then tell you that I had been the cause of all these evils...” There was a wry note in the man’s voice. “That the Living Dead had been the one to wreck Zenelaus.”

●

I definitely wouldn’t ever let that future happen. And that’s why I...

Opening the door, I made my entrance, and I was greeted by the stench of alcohol jabbing at my nose.

A staff member looked at me and hesitated. “My most sincere apologies, but we are fully booked today.”

“I know. I don’t mind,” I replied.

“Um, a-are you perhaps meeting someone here?”

“No. Please don’t mind me. I shall take my leave immediately once my business is finished here.”

“Ah! E-Excuse me, sir, but Zylush has booked this entire place for their personal use today!”

“I know.”

I was familiar with this pub’s interior. After all, this had been the place those guys went out of their way to bring us to the day Charlotte and I arrived in Zenelaus.

And honestly? The staff member didn’t have to spell it out for me. Outside the pub, there had been a huge poster on display, declaring that this place was booked for a high-ranking adventurer party and their associates today.

“Well, well. Who do we have here? You again? Hey there, little mage bully,” a voice drawled.

I looked around, and I found those guys here, just like back then on that first day. I spotted Zodd first, who was a part of Zylush, the adventurer party led by the Archflare, a high-ranking adventurer. Shuya was also there, sitting at the same table.

They had been enjoying a nice chat about the upcoming battle. Out of the group, the only people I was familiar with were Zodd and Nalita. Which likely means that the other adventurers are acquaintances of Zylush.

An unfamiliar woman chimed in. “Who’s that little one, Zodd?”

“I mentioned him to you before, Lioness, remember? It’s that guy, that Daryth noble who beat Shuya black and blue with magic,” Zodd said with spite.

“Oooh! So this little one was him! Huh...” She looked at me with interest. “Hey, if you’re a noble, don’t you want a bodyguard? I’m quite a skilled one, I promise! Since you’re still here, it means that you’re going to join in on the final battle, right? Or are you going to head to Galland on the escorted trip today?”

Shuya had dragged his feet, but he finally addressed me. “What do you want, Denning?”

“Charlotte and Alicia are going to leave for Galland this evening. Alicia says that she hopes you’ll go with them. They’re still waiting for you outside, even now.”

Up until now, Alicia and Charlotte had tried countless times to urge Shuya to leave. However, they had never been able to make him budge on the matter.

“Hey! He ignored me...” She pouted. “How disappointing.”

“Looks like you were given the cold shoulder, Lioness.” Zodd barked out a laugh. “But hey, you over there. We’ve booked out this place today, and you’re not one of our associates, are you? So get out. Right now.”

It was clear that I was unwelcome. I had beaten Shuya to a pulp right in front of their eyes not too long ago, so I probably had left a bad impression on them. Adventurers were people who didn’t keep a tight leash on their tempers.

I ignored the people who were getting riled up and continued to talk to Shuya. “Shuya, change your mind. Leave with Alicia.”

“How many times do I have to repeat myself, Denning? I am staying in Zenelaus,” Shuya declared.

Zodd let out a laugh at that. “Are you guys hearing this? Hey, Shuya! Is this guy your dad or something?!”

The adventurers all dared to roar with laughter at me. These guys tick me off. Can’t they all disappear into thin air or something?

Perhaps the foulmouthed Zodd realized what I was thinking. He glared daggers at me.

“Staying?” I was incredulous. “What can you do? I sure don’t know. Back then, you were shaking in your boots, and you weren’t able to do anything, remember?”

“Shut your mouth! I’m not the same guy as I was back then!”

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t see the difference. You’ve never even won against me either.”

“You scum!”

“I’m only stating the truth,” I reminded him. “And have you even contacted your family? They’re probably worried sick about you at home.”

I bet that he probably, almost definitely hasn’t contacted them. In the anime, his parents had been stressed to the limit, anxious that he might have been caught up in the battle in Zenelaus and had died somewhere along the way.

“Ha ha!” Zodd’s laugh was not a nice one. “Shuya, this guy really is your dad! Hey, am I wrong?”

I fought down my urge to yell at him.

Shuya was resolute. “Denning, just go back.”

“No, thank you. I promised Alicia that I would drag you out. Come on... Don’t say such nonsense. Let’s go back. Here, stand up.”

Shuya had been sitting on the end of the table, and I grabbed his arm.

“Don’t touch me!” Shuya snapped.

The adventurers before me, including those from Zylush, all had grins plastered on their faces. Unpleasant ones. Especially Zodd, who was laughing his bottom off.

Curse you guys! I’m not just trying to make a scene, you know! And I came here to talk sense into this guy. No matter how much they ridicule me, I can’t back down that easily.

Shuya seemed to be at his wits’ end. “Denning, what is it with you?! Ever since last time, you’ve been acting so... What do you want with me?! We aren’t even friends! Why do you keep buzzing around me like some fly?!”

I was similarly frustrated. “Shuya, do you understand what’s going to happen?! The scale of the battle is going to be on another level compared to the city defense quests you’ve been doing! Just like the Eye of the Crimson Lotus revealed, it won’t just be the lich’s army. Several dungeon masters have come out too!”

Zodd fanned the flames. “Hey, Shuya, don’t lose this time! Right now, you’re our proud comrade and a member of Zylush. If you lose again, our reputation will be in the gutter because of you!”

Perhaps Shuya remembered our previous one-sided battle, and I saw his hand reach towards his wand.

I knew how hardheaded this guy could get. My pleas would never reach his heart... In the end, we weren’t friends or even anything similar to that. Just like how we were in my dream, we had been enemies at Kirsch Mage Institute.

Putting that aside, these adventurers are such a pain in the neck. I gritted my teeth. “All you gawkers, shut your traps! This is between him and me!”

“Interesting, he thinks we’re intruding!” Zodd sneered. “Hey, Mister Oh-So-Noble from the Country of Knights, you’re the one who barged so rudely into our private party at this pub! Well now, what kind of noble reason do you have for that, I wonder? Hey, what are you looking at me like that for? You wanna fight?!”

The tension was so high that it was clear that the other shoe was going to drop at any moment.

I didn’t think that I would get away scot-free after picking a fight with a high-ranking adventurer party. I had known what I was walking into, but there was something even more important that I needed to do.

The moment I had entered this pub, I had already braced myself for the inevitable scenario that all the people in here would turn on me as enemies.

“Do me a favor and just go back. I’m staying and fighting with everyone.”

“Shuya, cut it out already!” I screamed.

“Stop yapping! This is the Freedom Union! You might have been the mightiest of nobles back in Daryth or something, but you’re now in the city of adventurers! And you’re not one, so don’t you dare act so arrogantly!” Zodd spat. “If you stay here any longer, you’re going to sour my wine. I’ll be your opponent.”

“Denning!” Shuya half ordered, half pleaded at me. “Please, just leave!”

Damn it, my stomach is twisting in anger. Yeah, this was why the blackhearted Piggy Duke despised this guy, and I’m now slowly remembering it all!

That dream says it all. He’s overwhelmingly sincere, always walking straight ahead with his head held high. But if he participates in this battle...something terrible is going to happen! Why won’t he believe me?!

The voice in his head is going to toss him headfirst into a pit of misfortune!

“Shuya,” I finally managed after a long stretch of silence. “I’ll make one thing clear. I don’t know where you’re getting your power from, but nothing in this world ever comes without a cost. It’s dangerous.”

Zodd’s voice cut in. “Hey, bring on the drinks! The final battle’s only a few days away! We might die, ya know?! Time to drink more of the stuff while we can!”

I know that I’m forcefully imposing my opinions on him. But there’s a bitter future lying straight ahead in his path. Even if he becomes stronger by borrowing Eldred’s power, he won’t gain happiness.

Back at Kirsch, this guy had managed to make Alicia regain her smile. That’s why I want him to relish in bliss in a peaceful world in turn. Is that too much to ask?

Alicia had been waiting outside and ran up to me as I exited the building. “Slowe, what happened?! It sounded really rowdy in there!”

However, the tense mood inside the pub seemed to be clear enough to those outside, and it seemed that she realized that I had failed in my attempt.

“Shuya said that he’s going to stay with the group of adventurers,” I mumbled.

Alicia bit her lip. “I see. Looks like it was all in vain.”

“Sorry, Alicia. It was impossible for me. That guy is more stubborn than a mule.”

On our way back to the inn, we walked down the streets of Zenelaus, which were buzzing with excitement over the coming battle.

The last time I had argued with Shuya, I had given him a clear warning. However, it seemed that he hadn’t paid it any mind and was relying on Eldred’s power as always.

I had hoped that my words would sink in, even just a little...but from what I had seen so far, I was uneasy.

“It’s all right. Thanks for even trying to talk to him. But you know, I actually had a tiny bit of hope that you’d succeed. If it was Slowe doing the talking, Shuya might actually listen...or so I thought.”

I blinked dumbly. “Huh?”

“Because that guy happened to admire you in some ways.”

“You must be kidding me.”

In response, Alicia shook her head in the negative. She then continued and told me why she thought that way.

Ever since the incident with the black dragon, Shuya had been acting strangely. The students all seemed as if they were in a daze, but Shuya had watched me, and only me, the whole time. According to her, on their way to this city, Shuya once muttered his true feelings, saying that he wanted to become someone like me. Someone strong enough to protect everyone when it mattered.

Alicia had declared that it was a simple matter and that Shuya should just let me train him. Shuya had replied that he’d rather die than do that.

...I’d have to agree. Me? Watching over his spell practice and giving him advice? Not even in a thousand years!

“Jeez, do you know what kind of amazing feat you managed to pull off? You slew that black dragon. You slew a dragon! Shuya wasn’t the only one who started acting weird. Even our upperclassmen and our juniors followed in his wake... The princess and all those other people were fawning over you, so you probably didn’t realize, but Kirsch practically exploded with talk about you.”

It seemed that my dragon-slaying saga had a greater influence than I had thought.

“Even if that’s the case, there are all kinds of ways to accomplish that,” I argued. “Of all things, why is he suddenly trying to join a war against monsters in Zenelaus?”

“Part of it is probably his craving for strength, but I don’t think that’s all.”

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

“That guy wants to feel like he’s needed. Like he matters.”

Ah... Yeah, she’s right. Even in the anime, he said he was really happy when his comrades recognized him, so that makes sense.

“But...it’s definitely strange,” Alicia said.

“What is?”

“He suddenly made progress by leaps and bounds in magic ever since he came to this town. It’s unthinkable... How is he cheating his way through all this...?”

After saying that, her worries about Shuya seemed to all evaporate. She single-mindedly let out all her frustrations and complaints about Shuya, which had been pent up for quite a while.

Still, she observes Shuya so closely... Ah. Oh, right. The only person whom she can call a friend is Shuya. Shuya to her is probably like Charlotte to me... Wait. That might not be quite right.

With adventurers fooling around in the corner of our vision, I walked down the path that led to the way back. They’re all so lively now, but in the anime, Zenelaus was destroyed in the upcoming war. Many of them died in the battle.

“Don’t look so grim, Alicia,” I consoled her. “I’ll protect Shuya, so don’t worry about it.”

In the anime, Alicia regretted leaving Shuya by himself in Zenelaus. If I remember right, she thought that he had died and felt that she should have tried to be more forceful about making him leave.

But this is not the anime. I am here in Zenelaus, after all.

“What’s with that look?” I complained. “You don’t trust me?”

“I do...”

Seriously... Back when I was the blackhearted Piggy Duke, just the sight of me had been enough to make her hostile, and yet...

She hesitated. “So please, I ask you... Please protect that idiot.”

When had I gained so much trust from Alicia, I wonder?

A day had passed since Alicia and Charlotte left Zenelaus.

I was idling around in the streets.

“Back when the guild master had been only an adventurer, nobody had ever been able to keep up with our hero as he explored the lower levels of dungeons! However, he has us now! Even if the power of each individual is insignificant, we will support our guild master as a whole!”

“This will be great fun! I never imagined that so many people would be joining forces!” a voice shouted excitedly.

In other countries, Zenelaus was seen as a city of depraved people who didn’t place any weight on their own lives.

However, that wasn’t true. This was actually a robust city located in the center of a desolate wilderness. Adventurers discovered valuable items here, and those items would spread across the continent with high price tags attached.

In preparation for the lich’s onslaught, the Eye of the Crimson Lotus had made an official announcement that solo adventurers should proactively join or form adventurer parties.

If one took a look at Shuya now, one could see just how much of an effect the adventurer party had had on him. That guy had only recently gotten to know Zylush, but he already seemed to think of them as family. If people assembled adventurer parties and helped each other along, the chances of total annihilation would drop sharply.

In reality, everybody treasured their lives greatly here in Zenelaus.

“I never thought there would be a day when we would fight side by side.”

“Oh, shut up! If it wasn’t on the guild’s orders, nobody would want to fight together with a guy like you!”

“Aw, it’s not half bad, though! Don’t be so shy!”

Now, I thought that I could start to see why Shuya was trying to protect this city, even if he had to risk his own life. He was proud of his identity as an adventurer, including all of those aforementioned aspects bundled inside.

I probably didn’t have the right to order him to quit being one.

I let out a snort.

I hadn’t been affected by the excitement rising in the city, so I rested in my tattered room, passing the time by zoning out.

There was food on the table, which those two had prepared for me. However, I couldn’t even take a single bite. I couldn’t even be bothered to try and dine outside.

“I’ve done everything I could,” I muttered to myself.

I stared through the window and observed the world outside. I could feel the liveliness of the city prickling my skin.

Even though Zenelaus was on the cusp of war, it was the same as always. Brawls, disputes... It seemed that the Archflare’s adventurer party was playing an active part in the defense of the city as usual.

There was a polite knock at the door.

“Oh, I hear you. You can come in whenever,” I said.

The guild staff member wore a uniform with fine fabric which fit him snugly, and one could tell him apart from an adventurer with one look. “I thought I would find you here, Sir Piggi-Du...”

The young man was courteous—a very rare quality to find in the people of this unruly place.

He was a favorite of the Eye of the Crimson Lotus. When I had undergone those investigation trips to the Easton Rock Mountain Range, this youth had been the one managing those scaredy-cat guild staff members.

Maintaining his upright posture, he began to speak. “We have discovered traces of a large-scale battle on the mountain range, as well as numerous monster corpses. Sir Piggi-Du, that was your doing, was it not?”

I paused when I heard that. “Who knows? Someone with too much time on their hands might be the real culprit.”

“Surely you jest. The adventurers of Zenelaus obey the instructions of the guild. However, in this city, the only person of consequence who isn’t bound by our rules is you. So how was it, may I ask? What did you think of those monsters?”

“You’re talking in circles. Get to the point. Why are you here? You have something you want me to do, don’t you?” I asked wryly.

The man paused. “The Eye of the Crimson Lotus has a message for the Dragon Slayer of the Country of Knights.”

There were only seven S-class adventurers in this world. One of them was the overlord of Zenelaus, who had decided that he would take on one of the Three Musketeers, the pride of the Dustour Empire.

The role he wanted me to fulfill was exactly what I had anticipated.

I wasn’t an adventurer. Someone like me interfering directly with Zenelaus might affect morale. It was pretty clear that was the case, seeing the attitude of Zodd and the other adventurers.

Thus, I was to arrange a situation where the Eye of the Crimson Lotus, who had made prior preparations for the showdown, could use his power to its full extent. That was my job. I had never intended to be a player under the spotlight, but... Maybe I’m also getting a little battle-hungry from the excitement in this city.

“And that concludes the guild master’s instructions. I must say, I find it intriguing that you almost look as if you had expected this all along.”

“Well, yeah...” I shrugged. “I feel that he’s too much of a slave driver though.”

“That just shows how much faith he has in you.”

“It sounds so much better when you put it like that,” I said wryly. “In the end, I haven’t seen him in person at all after that one meeting, you know.”

“Our guild master is a very busy man. Even the guild staff members are unable to always precisely know what he is doing at any moment in time... However, we trust him. Are you not similar in this respect, Slowe Denning? Wasn’t that why you chose to head to the mountain range in our guild master’s place, even while being slowed down by such dead weight?”

“It’s a strange feeling,” I admitted. “That man is pretty much a stranger to me, but I still have so much faith in him.”

When I had run into him in the Easton Rock Mountain Range, I had thought that I couldn’t—and shouldn’t—get in the way of his concrete resolve.

I wasn’t an adventurer. I didn’t have the right to participate in the battle coming to Zenelaus.

However, I had also thought that...no matter how many people I antagonized in the process, I still wanted to help him as much as I could. I suppose this is a hero, someone who can move people’s hearts.

“The guild master also...” The man paused, choosing his next words carefully. “Excuse me, the adventurer Graham said the same thing. He mentioned that he saw himself in the Dragon Slayer of the south.”

“Graham...” My eyes widened. “Wait, is that the real name of the Eye of the Crimson Lotus?!”

“Oh dear, my tongue has slipped. His name is one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Adventurers’ Guild. After all, the moment that S-class adventurers accept Sylpheed, they lose their name.”

“Proof of your trust in me, eh? Ha ha, you guys are always good at making people do your bidding. But more importantly, about Charlotte and Alicia...”

“The Armed Convoy is guarding them, so you do not need to spare any worry for them. They have secured a few A-class adventurers, as well as many B-class adventurers, among their midst. And pardon my rudeness, but...wouldn’t it have been better for you to call him? His achievements as an adventurer are also rather impressive—”

“My colleague is going to stay in Galland, and that was my condition for my cooperation.”

“Ah, that’s right, that was the case. My apologies.”

The effects of the battle wouldn’t stop at this city’s limits. It would cause monsters to commence their attack on Galland City as well. But if that guy is there, it’s probably all right.

“I must say though, I’m in awe over how charismatic the Eye of the Crimson Lotus is. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that he practically gathered all the adventurers of the Freedom Union here to fight the lich. He’s quite something.”

“We are surprised as well. To think that he would go so far to fight it... And at the same time, we are very chagrined. It means that we are not at all useful to our guild master...”

“You should just focus on what you can do. And yeah, I’ll take on all of your requests. My post will be...”

Ever since I realized I knew about the future, my life has been filled with nothing but battle after battle. Okay, let me make one thing clear. I only want to live happily with Charlotte, and I don’t want to poke my head into fights if I don’t have to.

However, the battle in Zenelaus is special.

Hey, Shuya, you probably don’t know this, but...

“I see that you wish to be stationed at the space between Zenelaus and the Easton Rock Mountain Range, in what’s basically Ground Zero of the wilds. I hear your request.”

...right now, I’m prioritizing you over Charlotte and Alicia, you hear me?