Chapter 1: The White Mage Is Banished

“We’re kicking you from the party, Lloyd.” The words that had come from Allen, the leader of my party, were so sudden that it took me a moment to wrap my head around what he was saying.

It was early in the morning. Allen had woken me up before dragging me to the room we usually used for strategy meetings. As soon as I stepped inside, I found our other party members, seated and scowling at me.

Just what were they mad about? And why meet so early in the morning? Those were the questions on my mind when our conversation began, and those had been the first words out of Allen’s mouth.

I just couldn’t follow. Why? I searched through my memories, but I just couldn’t find a reason.

“Could you tell me why?” I wasn’t about to let myself be banished while I was still in the dark. They had to have some sort of motivation, so I decided to ask Allen what that was.

“Then why don’t you tell me why you think you belong in the Hero’s party?” he said, observing me with a derisive grin.

I was a white mage, an occupation which specialized in support magic. Within the Hero’s party, I dedicated myself to providing combat support just as Allen had ordered. Though—as presumptuous as it may sound—I was pretty sure I had done a good job of that during this past year since our party had been formed. I had no idea what I could have done that warranted being fired.

“I thought I was properly fulfilling my role as a supporter...”

“You’re always just standing around and fumbling behind us! Then you step out of line and give orders like it’s your place to. Honestly? You’re an eyesore.”

As soon as those words came out of Allen’s mouth, our other party members nodded along in agreement. They must have all thought I was an eyesore.

Lulu scowled as she spoke. “It’s an honor to be a member of the Hero’s party. We make far more than what other parties make, but... You’re the worst for thinking you can stick with us even though you don’t have the skills to back that up.”

“Yup, the absolute worst,” added Mia, nodding along.

So that was it. In their eyes, I was being a bother by sticking around in the Hero’s party for fame and fortune despite my lacking skills. But even setting fame and fortune aside, I regretfully couldn’t deny their claims about my skills. The reason was simple: I was just ignorant of my surroundings. Even if I wanted to deny their words, I lacked the proper frame of reference to do so.

My master took me in when I was young, and I had lived deep in the mountains with her ever since. I had learned almost every spell I used from her, but a year ago, certain circumstances had brought me to town. Then, I found a poster advertising that the Hero’s party was looking for new members, took their exam, and was welcomed onto the team. Because of that, I had no idea how I measured up to other white mages. Of course, that was partly because I wasn’t very interested in others, but I also just never had the chance to interact with them either.

So...maybe Lulu and Mia were right, and I really did lack the strength needed to play the support role for the illustrious Hero’s party.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right about that.” Unable to deny their words, I had no choice but to accept them.

“You knew that, and yet you chose to stick around this whole time? I misjudged you, Lloyd.” Those words came from our shieldmaster, Rina, who was glaring at me like I was just some piece of trash.

But that wasn’t all. “You really are quite disagreeable. Truly the worst. Could you please remove yourself from our sights immediately? You are tarnishing Lord Allen’s reputation,” said Sheena, clinging to Allen’s right arm as she spoke. She looked right into his eyes.

“You’re right. He’s a white mage, but he just leaves all the healing to you, our holy maiden. I understand exactly how you feel, Sheena,” he said, patting her on the head.

“Ugh, no fair!”

“Yeah, Sheena! He doesn’t belong to just you!”

Seeing this, Lulu and Mia both grabbed onto Allen’s left arm, not wanting to let Sheena one-up them.

Annoyance crept over me as a saccharine air began to fill the room. I took in my surroundings—bogged down by an atmosphere completely unthinkable for such a serious conversation—in an attempt to grasp my situation. Rina alone had been glaring at me this whole time. She really was diligent.

Could that be because of her upbringing? Rina was the daughter of the nobleman who ruled these lands, and I had heard she had volunteered to join the Hero’s party herself. She had taken the party’s entrance exam out of her love for helping others, which was night and day from me, who had applied with only monetary motivations.

“Well, that’s how it is, Lloyd. Leave your cash and get the hell out,” said Allen as he tapped his desk.

Huh, so they wanted me to leave all the money I had on me behind. Still, I shouldn’t have had any reason to pay them. “Why do I need to leave my money here?”

“Huh?! For all the times you’ve gotten in our way! You’ve held us back for too damn long, and now you’ve gotta pay up for it!” shouted Allen, clearly angry. I had no memories of getting in their way, so I didn’t feel like I had any obligation to pay them back. Still, I got the feeling that Allen wouldn’t let me leave this three-story building that was constructed just for the Hero’s party until I coughed up my cash. Since we were on the second floor, jumping out the window was an option, but that would only create a real reason for me to have to pay up. Not to mention, I definitely didn’t want Allen to use his privileges as Hero to have me arrested.

I guess I had no other choice. “This is all I have right now.” I conjured the wallet I had stored away with magic and placed the contents on the table.

“Let’s take a look...about a hundred twenty thousand gold total. You’ve got quite a bit, huh? This’ll buy us a good meal tonight!” said Allen after cheerfully counting up my coins and storing them in his pocket. “Oh, you can go now. Actually, hurry the hell up and leave. We’ve gotta get ready for our next quest.” He said, ushering me away with his hand.

Everyone’s cold, sharp glares pierced right through me. I didn’t feel very welcome here, so I followed Allen’s orders and quickly left the room. The door latched shut behind me.

“We’ve finally ridden ourselves of that nuisance!” Sheena cheered.

“Yup! You’re the best, Allen!”

“Yeah... You’re really great, Allen,” Rina added.

“Aren’t I? Let’s finish up this quest as quickly as we always do and go out and party!”

From the other side of the door, I could hear the cheerful voices of everyone but Rina.

I sighed. “Did they really hate me that much...?” It was sad. When I had taken their exam, been recognized as the most elite of all the examinees trying out to be their supporter, and welcomed into the party, I was thrilled. I had finally found comrades—at least, that’s what I had thought. Apparently, I was the only one who felt that way.

“What do I do now?” I had no acquaintances in town, much less friends. Basically, I had nowhere to go, and I didn’t have any money either. “If things were going to turn out this way, I should have had Master Merlin teach me some people skills...”

No, I couldn’t have asked her that. She wasn’t interested in anything but her own looks and liquor, and her people skills were so bad she had decided to live deep in the mountains. Asking her would’ve been pointless.

“I guess my first step is to leave.” Loitering around here wouldn’t do me any good, so I packed up my bags and left the building, the whole time regretting I had failed to learn anything but magic.

Chapter 2: An Encounter with an S-Rank Adventurer

After leaving the building belonging to the Hero’s party, I headed for the plaza in the town center of Ishtar, sat down on a bench, and observed the brilliant bronze statue that was there. There was a plaque on its pedestal that read “Merlin.”

“Is that...Master Merlin?” It kind of looked like her, but something was a bit off. The name on the plaque was the same as my master’s, but her face and figure seemed a bit different from the woman I knew—especially when it came to her chest. I was certain hers wasn’t as big as the statue’s.

“Hey! Are you a fan of Lady Merlin’s?”

As I was watching the statue, a stranger approached. I must have been mistaken for a fan since I was staring so hard.

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh, huh...” The girl seemed a bit disappointed. “B-But you still know who she is, right?”

“Well, I guess...” I didn’t just know her, the Merlin in the statue was likely the same Merlin who had taught me magic. Until I came to this town, I had thought Master Merlin was just some debauched mage, but she was apparently famous here. The town was littered with statues of her—ones that exaggerated her chest area.

“This year marks sixteen since she disappeared,” the girl muttered as she stared at the statue.

Huh... If I recalled correctly, it had been roughly sixteen years since Master Merlin had picked me up off the streets as a child. The timeline sounded right, but since I was still an infant when she found me, I didn’t have any memories of that time.

The girl sighed. “I’d love a chance to meet Master Merlin, even just once...” she muttered, watching the statue as if spellbound. There were a lot of people here in Ishtar who wanted to meet Master Merlin—in fact, it was the majority of the people. But I couldn’t understand how anyone could actually want to meet a woman like her at all. When we lived together, she left all the housework to me, and she forced me to participate in her magic research too. One time, she announced she was going to make an antiaging spell, cast magic on me so I wouldn’t have to sleep, and forced me to work with her for a week straight.

I learned a lot from her, but those days were pure hell. I eventually got fed up with it and escaped to this decently sized city. This world was big, and I wanted to live in it free from Master Merlin’s chains.

For some reason, Master Merlin despised crowded places. I highly doubted she’d come here to find me.

“You probably don’t want to meet her, actually,” I muttered quietly enough so those around us couldn’t hear. This girl was likely a fan of Master Merlin’s, and I didn’t want her dreams to end up crushed.

The girl spent a moment gazing at the statue, but then she seemed to suddenly remember something. She looked panicked. “Wait, that’s right! This is no time for standing around!”

“Is something wrong?”

“You see, our party’s white mage fell sick yesterday! There’s a quest we were gonna accept today, but it’s pretty far away, so we’ll need to leave by tomorrow! That’s why I came here looking for a free white mage.”

Considering she mentioned a quest, she was likely an adventurer. I was wondering what she was up to in the middle of the day, but apparently she had been looking for a replacement white mage.

“Well, I’m actually a white mage...”

“Huh? For real?!”

“Y-Yeah...”

“I don’t recognize you. You’re not an adventurer, are you?”

“I’m not. I’m actually free right now...in a way.” I couldn’t find it in me to tell her I was actually unemployed.

But apparently, that was good enough for her. She flashed me a gleeful grin, but...

“Actually, I don’t think I’m good enough to serve as your replacement.” I had just been kicked out of my party for being too weak, and I wasn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. Not to mention, how well you knew your party members was vital when fighting as a party. I didn’t think I could replace their own white mage, especially because I got the feeling the girl before me was pretty strong.

“Y-You’re probably right. This quest is supposed to be pretty hard...”

Yup. If I joined them, I would just be holding them back. “So, I’m sorry. You should try your hand elsewh—”

“Well, whatever! Come with me for a sec!” With that, she grabbed hold of my arm. She was surprisingly strong.

“Huhm?” I was so shocked, a weird gasp escaped my mouth.

“This way!”

“Huh?! Uh, sure?”

***

I was right about where this girl was dragging me to—the Adventurer’s Guild.

“I’m back!” she said as she flung open the door. All the adventurers inside turned to look at us.

“Hey, Yui! That was quick.” Apparently, the female adventurer who had taken me here was named Yui. A man carrying a giant shield approached her.

He was huge; he had to be over 180 centimeters tall. “So there really weren’t any free white mages in town, right?” he asked, sounding defeated.

“Nope! I found one.”

“Yup, of course you wouldn’t be able to— Wait, what?” His mouth was open in shock. “Y-You really found one? There really was a free white mage in town?”

“Yup! That’s why I said I found one.”

I felt the man’s reaction was a little dramatic, but also sensible. A supporter like a white mage could almost never be found alone. White mages specialized in healing and support magic, and while we could use offensive spells, they weren’t very strong. One could defeat a weak monster on his or her own, but at a certain point, defeating a monster alone became impossible. That’s why most white mages joined parties and focused on support. Of course, a white mage could also work as a merchant or farmer, but they couldn’t usually be found spacing out in the center of town in the middle of the day.

“Let me introduce you! He seemed to just be killing time in the plaza, and um... His name is...” Yui glanced at me. That’s right, I had never introduced myself.

“It’s Lloyd, and I am a white mage, but...” Was it really okay for me to be here? Anxiety began to fill my chest. The man with the shield had to be from Yui’s party, and behind him was a man with a bow and a woman with a staff. They had to be party members too, and they all stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.

“Uh, Yui? Let’s just turn down this quest.” The man with the bow stepped forward.

“Huh? Why?! I found us a white mage, didn’t I?”

“Well, I mean... I just don’t think we can take on an A-rank quest without her.”

He was right. Adventuring with party members you didn’t know well could be fatal. It really was best I didn’t join this party. I mean, why did everyone assume I’d be joining them in the first place? I hadn’t said anything about becoming a temporary member at all.

“Hey, I never said I’d—”

“But if we turn down this quest, what’s that client gonna do?! His whole field’s gonna be ruined at this rate!” Yui desperately pleaded with the three. If that were to happen, a lot of people would be in trouble. Still, there was someone feeling pretty troubled right here...

Yui and the others ignored that and continued their conversation without me. “Yui... Without her, we just can’t...”

“He’s right. I don’t think this guy can replace Crumb.”

Crumb... That had to be the name of the usual supporter for this party, the woman who couldn’t participate in this quest.

“I agree. I understand how you feel, Yui, but...let’s give up on this quest,” said the girl carrying the staff, and I could see she was squeezing the handle. The others looked quite pained as well. They all must have really wanted to help this person.

But there was a reason as to why they couldn’t. The more people who failed a quest, the higher its difficulty was rated. If someone were to die, that difficulty would almost certainly rise, and the higher the difficulty, the higher the reward whoever posted the quest had to offer. Worst-case scenario, that person might even have to take the quest down. If that happened, then nobody could take on the quest, and the client would never be saved.

Some might think that in that case, then there’s always the Hero’s party, isn’t there? However, the average person couldn’t submit quests to the Hero’s party without a pretty good reason to.

This party must have known all this, which was exactly why they were hesitant to just accept the quest.

“Hey, can’t you just let another party handle it?” I suggested. I didn’t think there was a reason Yui had to be the one to accept this quest. However...

“We can’t,” answered the girl carrying the staff, her expression gloomy.

“Why not?”

“This quest’s difficulty is not only A, but it must be accepted by a party, not an individual. In other words, being an A-ranked party is the minimum requirement to accept this quest.”

“Which means there’s no one else in this Adventurer’s Guild who can accept it! Taking on a quest with a difficulty higher than your rank comes with a harsh punishment from the guild,” Yui said.

“I didn’t know that.”

At first, I thought they could just borrow an adventurer from another party, but parties could only complete quests with those registered to it, and an adventurer who broke that rule would face heavy consequences. That’s why they had been looking for a free white mage who wasn’t an adventurer, and thus wouldn’t be penalized. I now understood why Yui had invited me here.

The expressions of the other adventurers listening to our conversation grew grim.

Somehow, things were starting to feel really awkward...

Personally, I also wanted to help them if I could, but I just wasn’t good enough. Based on their conversation, Yui and the others had to be rather high-ranked adventurers. It would be too much weight for my shoulders. The right move was to say my goodbyes and leave this place, but as soon as I opened my mouth...

“Wait. As long as his magic is as good as Crumb’s, it should be fine, right?” Yui had directed the question to the other three.

“Well, we might be able to complete this quest in that case, but...”

“That’s gonna be impossible, Yui. There’s no way there’s another white mage in town who’s as good as Crumb. If there was, we would have heard some rumors.”

Crumb had to be an excellent white mage. Even if I tried to cram all the intel I could about this party into my head, there was no way I could serve as her replacement given my skills.

“I really don’t think I can serve as her—”

“Ugh, fine! Whatever!” Yui suddenly shouted over me.

I sighed in relief. So, she was finally going to give up on...

“Lloyd’s magic just has to be as good as Crumb’s, right?! Come on, Lloyd! We’re gonna show Daggers and them what you’ve got!” With that, she took hold of my arm.

“Huh?” I couldn’t help but gasp at the shock.

“You guys too! Hurry up!”

“H-Huh?” the other three reflexively said in unison. They each wore the expression of a pigeon that had just been hit by a slingshot.

Yui dragged me into a forest close to town. Apparently, that was where she wanted to test my skills as a white mage. Not that I had ever agreed to do so...

At first, I had thought her other party members would stop her, but instead they had just muttered, “Well, as long as this will get Yui to give up on the idea,” and followed after her.

Apparently, this girl had never been a very good listener.

I sighed. Why did things have to come to this?

“Well then, Lloyd! You’re a supporter, so show us what you’ve got!” Yui’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me. She clearly had high hopes.

On the other hand, Daggers and the rest had pity in their eyes.

“I mean, even if you want me to, I don’t think I can just...”

On my way here, I had learned that Yui and the others were all S-ranked adventurers. I wasn’t too knowledgeable on the subject, but I was pretty sure that was the highest rank an adventurer could be. Just how was my magic supposed to live up to someone like that?

This sucked.

There was no way I could use magic on that level, which meant there was no way I could live up to Yui’s expectations. But given her high hopes for me, it was hard to admit that.

Once again, I sighed. Really, why did things have to come to this? I was overwhelmed with regret, along with guilt for getting her hopes so high. I was nervous too. Just what high-level skills were they going to ask me to prove?

I gulped.

“Hmm... For now, let’s start with buffs! Oh, but you have to cast them on all of us at once, not one at a time! You can just use whatever buff you want.”

“What?”

And why was I confused? Because what Yui had asked me to do was incredibly simple. Even someone like me could easily cast buffs on multiple people at once. Just what was going on here? What did Yui want from me?

I had no idea, so I looked toward Daggers and the others for guidance.

“Hey. There’s no way a normal white mage could do that,” Daggers mentioned.

Actually, it was pretty simple...

“I mean, look at him! He’s clueless!” said Cross.

“Yui, I think we really should wait for Crumb to come back,” Silica advised.

The three sent me sympathetic looks as if they pitied me, and that only made me more confused. Just what did any of them want from me?

“Um, Lloyd? Is that beyond what you can do?” Yui looked at me with worry.

“No, I can, but...” In one way or another, I was being tested to see if I was worthy of joining a party formed of S-rank adventurers. Normally, they’d ask me to do something hard, right? But what they had asked of me was simple. Almost any white mage could pass such an easy test. Even I could...

No, I had to be wrong. What they wanted was for me to go above and beyond.

“Hey, stop acting tough. You’re only going to give her false hope.” Daggers glared at me.

“He’s right. If you can’t do it, just say so.”

“Yes, that would be best.”

Even Cross the archer and Silica the mage stepped into the conversation.

“Uh...” I didn’t quite follow, but they must have been trying to get me to hurry up.

All right. As soon as I reached that conclusion, I used my storage magic to conjure a staff that was as tall as me.

“Huh?! Hey, what just...?!”

“Anyway, here I go.”

I ignored Yui’s shock and cast buffs on all four of them, five spells in total. The maximum number of buffs I could cast on multiple people at once was six, but since that consumed a lot of MP, I had decided to hold back. I was sure I’d fail this exam anyway, so there was no point in wasting my MP.

There was something all this taught me too.

I sighed. “I’ve really got a long way to go.”

I really was still inexperienced. I had pretty much remained stagnant since joining the Hero’s Party. While I had kept up with my training, I hadn’t actually made any progress.

At this rate, I’d only be holding the others back no matter what party I joined. I really needed to train more...

As those thoughts flashed through my mind, Yui approached. “Um, Lloyd? Where’d you get that staff from? It looked like it just appeared out of thin air.” Her eyes were wide.

“I mean, I just used storage magic...” There wasn’t anything shocking about that, right? But anyway, I wanted them to just let me go free already. “So, how is it? I cast some buffs on you guys.”

“Huh? Already?! But you didn’t even recite an enchantment! My body does feel a bit lighter, though, now that you mention it.” Yui pondered for a moment as she moved around. She was probably trying to confirm she was actually enchanted with my buffs.

“Ah! Wait just a second!” With that, Yui drew the sword at her waist, then swung it at a nearby tree. She severed it cleanly in half. “Huh?! No way...”

Yup, that was all my buffs could do.

“I mean, this is...” she muttered while staring at her blade.

“I cast five buffs on all of you: strength up, magic up, MP consumption down, defense up, and status effect resistance up. I tried to use buffs of different types so you’d be able to distinguish them.”

I thought casting the same buffs multiple times would just make it harder to judge my skills, but...this was bad. I didn’t get the reaction I was expecting. My buff magic must have been so terrible compared to Crumb’s that they were speechless. Someone like me really wasn’t worthy of joining this party. I felt sorry for Yui, but it didn’t seem like there was any way I could help her.

“Well, you saw my skills. I won’t be this party’s white mage, Yui. I’m just not good enough. Sorry for getting your hopes up...”

I didn’t need to hear the results of this exam. I already knew what they would be, so I stored away my staff and turned back toward town.

“Ah! Wait a sec!” Yui firmly grabbed hold of my shoulder. She must have been really angry at me for disappointing her.

“I really do feel sorry, but I think this is partly on you for getting your hopes up without—”

“Hey, Lloyd? Wanna join our party?”

“Huhm?”

It took me a moment to grasp the meaning of her words.

Huh? I feel like she just invited me to join her party, but...

No, that was impossible. There was no way someone like me would be invited into an S-rank party.

That’s right. I must have been hearing things. I must have just been tired.

“Actually, it’d be great if you joined us permanently.”

I take that back. Apparently, I hadn’t been hearing things. But why? I had a hard time believing that the buff magic I had shown them was worthy of such treatment. I guess they were good with just any white mage. But in that case, it would be best for both Yui and me to turn down her offer.

“Yui, someone like me would only hold you guys back. Even if you want me to join, that doesn’t mean that’s what your other party members want too.”

“There’s no way you’d be holding us back with your skills! Anybody would agree if they witnessed what we just did!”

I glanced at Daggers and the others.

“Hey, could you cast those buffs on us again?” As they approached, Daggers requested that I cast my buffs again.

“I mean, I don’t mind, but...” I had no reason to refuse, so I conjured my staff and cast my spells once again. They were the same five as before: strength up, magic up, MP consumption down, defense up, and status effect resistance up. “I’m done.”

“Oh, thanks. Let’s see, then...” Daggers moved away and began to swing around his giant shield while jumping about. Nearby, Cross and Silica were firing test shots.

After a moment, they came back to where we stood. “So? Whaddya think?” asked Yui.

“You’re right. He should join us.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“I do too.”

All of them gave the same response; they were all in favor of me joining their party. Unlike Yui, who didn’t seem to think too deeply about things, I had been expecting the others to be against the idea.

“Hey... Lloyd, was it? What’s a white mage like you doing in a place like this?” asked Daggers, tilting his head curiously.

“Well, actually...” There wasn’t much point in hiding it, so I explained what had led me here. “Until this morning, I was a member of the Hero’s party.”

“Th-Th-The Hero’s Party?! You mean one of the parties led by a Hero?! There’s only four of them in the whole world!” Cross’s eyes shot open. I felt like he was kind of overreacting, but the Hero’s party was famous, and being a member was an honor. Even if you wanted to join, doing so wasn’t easy. Allen hadn’t been as famous as the other Heroes when I had joined, and there just happened to not be any great supporters among the other applicants. But given Allen’s feats now, I could understand that reaction.

But that was all in the past. I was no longer a member of the Hero’s party, but a white mage out of a job and practically homeless—not to mention broke.

“I was kicked out of the party this morning for being too weak...”

“Wait a second. That was too weak? Seriously?” said Cross.

“I’ve never met a white mage as skilled as you before, Lloyd,” muttered Silica.

“I’m pretty sure there are plenty of white mages who are way more skilled than I am.” My support magic wasn’t even as good as Master Merlin’s, and her class focused on offensive magic. If even someone like her was better than me, then there had to be plenty of white mages whose support magic was better than mine all across the continent. “And you already have a white mage, right? Maybe you need me just this one time, but there’s no reason to accept me as an official member.” There was no need for multiple supporters to be in one party, though there might be need for a separate healer. “One supporter should be enough.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but...” Yui’s expression fell. What was it? Had I said something wrong? After another look, I realized that Daggers and the others were wearing similar expressions.

“Did I say something wrong? If that’s the case, I’m s—”

Yui shook her head. “Nope. You’re right. There’s no need for more than one supporter in a single party, but... Well, you see...”

What Yui told me was this: Apparently, they invited me to join their party so that their current white mage, Crumb, could leave. She had always been a bit easily fatigued and sickly, but now those spells were frequent, so Yui and the others wanted her to be able to focus on caring for her little sister. However, Crumb knew that leaving could cause some trouble for the others, so she had no intention of doing so. Thus, they had been searching for a white mage who could take her place so she could leave the party without any lingering regrets, which was when they met me.

“I see. So that’s it.”

“Yup. I’m really sorry for dragging you into all this.” Yui bowed her head. Apparently, my fears that they had been searching for just any white mage had been unfounded. But still...

“This is a tough one.” If possible, I wanted to help them. And eventually—sooner rather than later actually, given my funds—I’d have to find new work anyway. I couldn’t just wander around looking for the perfect job forever. My time was limited, and given that, it was probably best to go where I was needed, no matter the reason. However...

“If you’re okay with me, I’d love to join your party, but...” I muttered. I had some doubts. In fact, that’s all I had. Were they really okay with me? No matter how I spun it, I couldn’t think the answer to that was yes.

“Huh?! Really?! For real?!” Yui, on the other hand, looked overjoyed.

“If you’re fine with having me, that is.”

“Woo-hoo! I can’t believe someone as great as Lloyd is gonna join our party!” She grasped my hands. “I look forward to working with you, Lloyd!”

“Yeah, me too.”

Thus, I was going to join Yui’s party and accompany them on their quest. For now, I still wasn’t an official member, and I had resolved to first see how we worked with each other in combat during this quest before making that decision.

“Anyway, the sun is already setting, so I think it’s about time we head home. We need to give Lloyd a proper welcome, after all,” said Silica.

“No, you don’t need to—”

Yui glared at me. “Don’t say that, Lloyd! Of course we need to throw you a welcome party!”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah, and we’ve gotta hold our strategy meeting too! Anyway, a welcome party is totally necessary, got that?!”

“R-Right.”

In just a short amount of time, I had already learned that Yui wasn’t the type who really listened to others. I got the feeling she wasn’t going to take no for an answer...and I was practically certain of it.

Having realized I lacked the right to refuse, I gave up on turning down their offer and followed after them toward our destination.

Chapter 3: Strategy Meeting

After returning to town, I was immediately dragged to a tavern built of wood. The slightly antiquated look of the building and the faint scent of delicious food melded together to create a wonderful atmosphere.

I can’t wait to see what kind of food they serve...

Yeah, it was no time for frivolous thoughts like that. I mean, I was broke. I had considered sitting this one out since I didn’t have any money, but Yui had offered to pay for my meal and forcibly dragged me here anyway. Not to mention, I couldn’t turn them down once I heard this was going to serve as our strategy meeting for our next quest too.

I sighed. I guess I really didn’t have any choice. I’d just have to pay them back once I had the cash.

The tavern had both bar seats and tables separated by partitions. I followed Yui and the others inside and sat at one of the tables. Then Yui ordered some food and drinks, and it was only just a few minutes until they were placed in front of me.

When our order arrived, Yui took her beer mug into her right hand and extended it forward. “All righty! In celebration of Lloyd joining our party... Cheers!”

“Ch-Cheers!”

Yui chugged her beer in one gulp before letting out a satisfied sigh. “This place’s beer is great! Hey, waiter! Bring me another!” she said, holding up her empty mug and ordering seconds.

I, on the other hand, just stared at my beer.

“Are you not good with liquor, Lloyd?” asked Daggers, realizing I’d yet to drink any.

“Yeah... I suppose you could say that.”

Even I knew I was being vague with my answer. But I had some trauma when it came to liquor, so I made it a habit to stay away. Whenever I saw booze, all I could think about was Master Merlin’s drunk, beet red face.

“If you can’t handle liquor, there’s no need to force yourself. See? I can’t handle it either, so I’m drinking juice instead.” Silica was holding a cup full of juice in her right hand.

“You’re not good with booze either, Silica?”

“I’m not. I can’t handle beer or hard liquor. Oh! Should I order you what I’m having, Lloyd?”

“No... I’m fine. I just have a bit of trauma when it comes to booze. It’s not like I can’t drink at all.”

“I see... Well, remember there’s no need to force yourself, okay?”

Despite those words, I knew I was in no position to be picky, given that they were paying for my meal. It’s not that I disliked the taste of beer or was a lightweight; I just had to think about something else to avoid imagining Master Merlin.

I took a few deep breaths before taking my mug into my hands. Then, I downed the whole glass and let out a sigh.

“A-Are you okay?”

“I’m...fine.”

“Yeah? That’s good, but...let’s get you some juice next.”

“Good idea...”

There wasn’t any point in forcing myself to drink. Not to mention, when I had checked the menu earlier, I saw that juice was cheaper than liquor anyway. I picked up the menu and scanned it over. “Yeah. In that case, I’ll have some orange juice next...”

“Hey, Lloyd! What’s this trauma about? Tell me! Please?” asked Yui, her face red and seeming awfully curious. She had already drunk quite a bit of beer. She looked intoxicated, but she seemed to still be perfectly aware.

“Hey, Yui. It’s best not to ask about those sorts of things,” Silica admonished.

“Huh? Who cares! Why can’t I ask?”

“Ugh! You smell like booze. You’ve drank too much, Yui...” chided Daggers, seeming slightly annoyed that Yui was so thoroughly drunk already. He must have been trying to be considerate of me...probably. Nobody wanted to remember their trauma, not even me. But once that question had been asked, I couldn’t help but remember it even if I didn’t want to.

Two years ago, Master Merlin had gathered a few of her friends and held a party. As I had just turned fifteen, I was old enough to drink, and Master Merlin had forced me to. Until I puked. Actually, she forced me to keep drinking even after I puked.

Master Merlin got drunk fast, but she was a heavy drinker regardless. And when she was drunk, she was really hard to handle. That’s why I would use concealment magic to hide whenever she drank. But during that party, she really wanted me to drink with her. If Master Merlin was trying her best, there was no way my concealment magic could work against her. In the end, she found me, and she forced liquor down my throat until morning.

Just remembering it sent a shiver down my spine. Yeah, there was no doubt about it. “That...was hell.” Those words naturally escaped my lips, heralding in a chilly silence.

“Oh, that’s right! You had a master, right, Lloyd? I’d love to know what they were like...”

“Lloyd’s master, huh? I’m curious too.”

They were obviously trying to change the subject—to save the awkward atmosphere.

“Um... Were they a white mage too?” asked Silica.

“No, she wasn’t. If anything, she was an offensive mage class.”

“Huh? Yet you’re still so skilled with support magic?!”

“Yeah. She’s much more amazing than I am.”

“Huh... I’d love to learn from h—”

“You better not...” As soon as I realized what Silica was trying to say, I reflexively interrupted her. I was also a magic class, so I really understood Silica’s desire to study magic. But learning from Master Merlin was the one thing you needed to avoid at all costs...

“Huh? Why?”

“Because. There are plenty of mages greater than her on this continent. Finding a different teacher is bound to be the better option.”

“Is that really true...?”

“It is. That—studying under my master, I mean—is something to avoid at all costs.”

“U-Understood.” Having been overpowered by my insistence, Silica capitulated. I was relieved to have prevented someone else from becoming one of Master Merlin’s victims. Thank goodness a new casualty wouldn’t suffer under her hands.

Afterward, we had a lively discussion about all sorts of things. We each gave brief introductions, and they all explained their roles within the party. Before I noticed, two hours had passed since we entered the tavern.

“Wow! It’s already so late! We’ve gotta hold our strategy meeting! Um, but I’m not too good with strategy, so take it away, Daggers!”

Daggers sighed. “You’ve really got to get yourself together. You’re technically our leader, after all. But whatever. I’m sure an explanation from Yui wouldn’t have made much sense anyways.”

“Hey! You’re so mean! Are you even listening to me?!” Yui beat Daggers’s shoulder over and over, but he ignored her and took out a piece of paper from his bag.

“All right, let me explain. First, this is the quest posting, and...”

“Sorry, could you wait just a moment?” Daggers was about to start the debriefing, but I interrupted him.

“Hmm? Sure...”

I activated my storage magic and took out a pen and notepad. “All right, continue.”

“You sure are serious...” muttered Daggers, staring at me. “Um... Anyway, I want you to take a look at the posting. This quest involves...”

I listened to Daggers, all the while making note of the most important information. His explanation was surprisingly short but easy to understand, as he made sure to dumb it down to only the most salient points.

“Anyway, that’s the gist. Did you get all that?”

“Yeah. I think I got it down pretty well.” With that, I closed my notepad and stored it away.

Our job was to eradicate the high wolves that had been ravaging farmland owned by the client, Marcus. High wolves were monsters that typically traversed the forest in packs and hunted other monsters for sustenance. They were fearsome foes, as they operated in packs, but a B-rank adventurer party should have been strong enough to face them.

However, the high wolves in this quest had appeared in abnormally high numbers, raising the difficulty to A-rank, and thus making this a quest that could only be accepted by A-rank adventurer parties or higher. However, this town didn’t just lack any A-rank parties, but any A-rank adventurers at all, which was why Yui and the others had accepted this quest.

“A pack of high wolves, huh...?”

Typically, high wolves lived together in the forest in relatively small numbers, twenty at the most. Occasionally, you’d hear talk of them wandering onto farmland, but I had never heard of them ravaging farmland before. Not to mention, based on what the others told me, this farmland only had vegetables, not livestock. However, high wolves were carnivores and didn’t eat vegetables. So just why were they ravaging these fields...?

That wasn’t the only problem. “I get that our job is to defeat these high wolves, but...the quest doesn’t specify exactly how many of them there are,” muttered Yui, holding the job posting in her hands.

She was exactly right, and that was the other problem with this quest. All it specified was that there were an “abnormal number” of these high wolves. In other words, we didn’t know exactly how many foes we’d be facing.

“All we know is that there’s an ‘abnormal number,’ which...” Daggers trailed off.

Cross chimed in. “Yeah. That doesn’t really help much.”

“Perhaps that means there’s too many of them to estimate?” offered Silica.

We all stared at the job posting on the table.

“Well, if there’s a lot of ’em, then it’s your time to shine, Silica! The rest of us can’t defeat a whole horde at once, after all.”

You couldn’t slay multiple monsters at once with a sword or a bow. From that perspective, Yui’s occupation of swordsman and Cross’s occupation of archer weren’t well suited for this quest.

“I suppose so... But ranged magic is quite limited, and it greatly consumes MP. That might be difficult depending on how many of our enemies there are...”

“Yeah, I guess it’ll be hard fighting them all yourself... Do you have any ranged attack spells, Lloyd?” asked Yui.

“Oh, me?”

Hmm... Ranged attack spells...

It’s not like I couldn’t use them, but a white mage couldn’t produce as much power as an offensive class, even if I did use buffs to strengthen my magic and up my power. And if it came to that, then it’d be more effective to focus on supporting Silica and cast buffs on her instead.

“I technically can use them, but... I think we should leave that to Silica.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I was really shocked by your magic, Lloyd, but a white mage really just can’t produce the same power, huh?”

“Yeah. Which is why rather than having me attack with shoddy offensive spells, it’d be better for me to focus on support.” I frankly communicated my thoughts with the others.

“So I’ll have the opportunity to experience your support magic, Lloyd... I’m quite excited!” said Silica, looking at me.

But “excited”? I wasn’t so sure I had the skills to live up to her expectations. I mean, it would probably take everything I had just to not hold them back.

“Don’t set your hopes too high.”

Having such expectations placed on me only added to the pressure, and I really didn’t want to disappoint them by not living up to their hopes.

“Hmm... Y’know, from what I’ve seen, you’ve really gotta have some more self-confidence, Lloyd...” muttered Yui. “Well, I’m sure you’ve got your reasons. And I’d rather have someone humble like Lloyd than someone who lets their skills get to their head, anyway!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Cross, agreeing with Yui.

“Yui, Cross. Let’s set that aside for now and get back to the matter at hand,” chastised Daggers. “Then let me explain the strategy I’ve thought up. First, Yui and I will draw the high wolves’ attention. Then once we’ve gathered them in one place, Silica will fire at them with her magic. How does that sound?”

Cross raised his hand. “Hey, and what am I supposed to do?”

“You protect Silica and Lloyd. Lloyd, you’re in charge of support magic and healing.”

“Got it.” It was a simple plan, but I didn’t have any objections. Plus...

“Well, we can work out the details once we get there. We don’t know anything about the actual number of high wolves we’ll be facing or what the terrain is like... We just don’t have enough intel.”

Daggers was right. The details of this quest really were lacking, which meant we couldn’t decide on anything concrete until we arrived at our destination. Usually, a difficult request like this required some preliminary investigations, but given how far away it was, that seemed to have not been possible.

“Let’s decide the rest once we get there.”

“Yeah...”

“Well, for now, we’ve decided, then!” cheerfully said Yui with a smile. She took her beer mug that was sitting on the table into her hands. “So today...let’s drink until—”

Daggers lifted Yui into the air.

“Hey, what’re you doing?!”

“We’ve got an important job to do tomorrow. We can’t afford to be hungover. Let’s go home.”

“B-But, I still wanna...” Yui tried to protest, but Daggers got out of his seat and walked off with Yui still in hand. He was headed for the register to pay our bill. “I don’t wanna! I haven’t drunk enough yet!”

Daggers sighed. “Enough. We’re going home.”

“I. Don’t. Wanna!!!”

Daggers paid the bill as Yui loudly protested within his grasp. Then, we exited the tavern. Yui was still throwing a violent fit, but Daggers forced her toward their inn.

Yes, Yui was currently being dragged to an inn. The four of them all had separate rooms but were staying at the same place. They all seemed to be in good spirits as I watched them from behind, slightly jealous. If only I had comrades like them...

“Oh, that’s right.” As that thought passed through my mind, I realized something. I had almost forgotten to ask. “Hey, Daggers? Where are we meeting tomorrow?”

“Huh? You’re not staying at the same inn as us? Oh, that’s right. You don’t have any cash right now.”

Yeah, I didn’t, and that was why I couldn’t stay at the same inn. Tonight, I planned on using the camping equipment I had stored away using magic to stay in a safe forest on the outskirts of Ishtar.

If I could remember the signature of their MP, I’d be able to find them tomorrow with detection magic, but I wanted to avoid wasting MP with a quest ahead of us. Searching for a specific person consumed a lot of it.

“Yeah, that’s why...”

“Here. Use this.” Daggers tossed me a pouch with something inside. I caught it, opened it, and found money. He was telling me to use it to spend the night at their inn.

But they had just paid for my meal. I couldn’t accept money for lodging on top of that. “I can’t—”

“Relax. I’m not giving it to you. I’ll be taking those funds out of your share of the reward. You wouldn’t let me just give it to you anyways, right?” he said, grinning. These people really were so kind.

“Yeah, you’re right... I’ll make sure to pay you back with my work.”

I put away the money Daggers had lent me with my storage magic and followed after them.

The Fall of the Hero’s Party ~Prelude~

While Lloyd was being dragged to a forest after meeting Yui, deep inside a cave outside the city of Ishtar was Allen and his Hero’s party. Mere hours after banishing Lloyd, the group had accepted a quest and headed for the cave.

Allen despised Lloyd. In fact, he was likely overjoyed in stealing Lloyd’s money and kicking him out of their party. Having received plenty of funds, Allen was excited to get this quest over with quickly and go out drinking that night, and he was confident they could complete this job in a flash. It was that thinking that had led him to this cave.

But things didn’t go as Allen had planned.

“Agh! What the hell?! Why are they so damn strong?!” yelled Allen as he swung his blade at a golem blocking his path. He had yet to land a fatal blow, and his blade was repelled with a clang.

“I-I have no idea! They’re just so sturdy! They keep repelling my arrows!” Lulu, the party’s archer, fired her bow from a short distance away. However, her arrows could only barely scratch the golems, and none managed to pierce them.

This was bad...

Anxiety spread over them. The panic began to dampen their skills.

“Agh...! Golems were never this strong! Something weird is going on...” Mia cast fire spells—her forte—from beside Lulu. The fire that spurted from her staff engulfed a golem, but this too seemed to lack effect. A slightly scorched golem appeared from behind the flames.

“At this rate... This is bad.” Rina stood before Mia and Lulu, repelling the golems’ attacks with her shield. Each blow was heavy, and a shock ran through Rina’s arms with each attack from the golems. The force had begun to break her shield.

“Damn it... Why?!”

The Hero’s party were covered in wounds and fought on the verge of collapse. Such had been unthinkable until now. If they had the choice, it would have been time to run.

But the Hero’s party couldn’t lose to mere golems. With that thought in mind, Allen and the others held their ground. Golems were a monster that even a C-rank adventurer party could handle—a party led by a Hero just couldn’t lose to them! It was preposterous!

“That’s right! We—I, the Hero—can’t lose to mere golems!” yelled Allen, swinging his blade with all his might. The attack held his everything, and thus, cut deeper into the golem than any that had come before.

“All right!” Their attacks did work, and that alone inspired some relief in Allen.

But that’s when something gray with glowing red eyes appeared from behind the golems. It was a gray wolf even smaller than a high wolf—a regular wolf.

“Huh?! A wolf?!”

It must have been hiding behind the golems. Realizing this, Allen leaped backward and took up a defensive stance. This was no time to be wondering what a wolf was doing here! Not to mention, wolves weren’t very strong anyway. For Allen—for the Hero’s party—they were barely a threat at all.

At least, that’s what they had thought.

Something unpredictably happened. The wolf ran right past Allen.

“Agh! Damn it!”

It ran right behind him and through the golems, headed straight for Rina, who continued to repel attacks despite the sorry state of her shield. It skillfully dashed right between a golem’s legs and leaped into the air, baring its fangs and ready to snap down on Rina’s throat.

“R-Rina!”

Wolves might not have been very strong, but they could still be fatal if they managed to land a clean attack on their target’s vitals.

“Rina, run!” Allen desperately screamed.

That’s when Rina noticed the wolf and quickly tried to take up a defensive position. But it was also why she had been too late.

“Agh...!”

As she had been using her shield to defend against the golems, she couldn’t use it to defend against the wolf. But if she didn’t protect herself, she would die. Even should she suffer a grave injury, Sheena could heal her as long as she lived, and with that in mind, she used her left arm to block the fangs, thinking she simply needed to be careful of where the attack would land and avoid a fatal blow to the large blood vessels running through her wrist. With that in mind, she predicted the wolf’s trajectory and did her best to dodge accordingly.

But that’s when something else unexpected happened. Wolves weren’t supposed to be very strong, but it bit Rina’s left hand clean off.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Blood spurted from what remained of Rina’s left wrist.

Seemingly satisfied, the wolf bolted farther into the cave.

“Damn it! Out of the freakin’ way!” Allen dodged the golems’ attacks as he made his way toward Rina. “Hang in there, Rina!” He picked her up and ran to Sheena. “Sheena! Please!”

“R-Right.” Sheena quickly cast healing magic. Her spells were multiple times stronger than that of typical healing magic, and their tremendous power would be able to heal—rather, regenerate—the limb Rina had lost.

At least, they should have been able to.

“Wh-Why?!” Sheena was so shocked, her voice escaped her. Her magic had certainly been successful at stopping the bleeding, thus saving Rina’s life. However, her left hand had failed to regenerate.

“Wh-What the...” Seeing this, Allen gulped down his spit. Until now, Sheena’s healing magic had always been capable of mending even the gravest of wounds, which is why the rest of them had been able to be a bit reckless in their fights, as they had been just now.

It was the relief of knowing they had Sheena’s healing magic to support them that allowed them to fight like this. But if Sheena could no longer heal their graver wounds, they couldn’t afford any recklessness.

If they lost a limb, it would be gone for good, which would greatly weaken them. Thus...

“Allen... Let’s retreat.”

He cursed under his breath. “You’re...right. There’s nothing else we can do. Everyone! We’re retreating! Can you stand, Rina?”

“Yes, thanks to Sheena.”

After confirming Rina was well enough to escape on her own, they abandoned their bags and bolted like lightning to the exit in undeniable defeat.

“Damn it! Why did it have to come to this...?” muttered Allen as they ran.

It was true that the golems had been unusually strong, but that had not been the reason for their loss. It was that Allen’s body could not move like normal, and that his other party members were slower and weaker than usual. That Sheena’s healing magic had clearly deteriorated.

They did not know why, but something was certainly different. That alone was clear. And as a result, Rina had lost her left hand, and Allen had failed this quest.

As for Rina...she doubtfully could continue to serve as this party’s tank.

“Damn it... Why?!”

A few days later, word that the Hero’s party had failed their quest and come running back to town in tatters had already spread through Ishtar. In time, there was not a soul in all the kingdom who had not heard the news.

Chapter 4: His First Quest

The following morning, I got myself ready and met with Yui and the others outside the inn.

“Mornin’,” Yui said around a sleepy yawn. It would take a few days on foot to reach Marcus’s farmland, and we had to leave early in the morning to get to our campsite in time. We had been up until pretty late last night, so it made sense she’d be sleepy. Since I was used to waking up early, I wasn’t, but Daggers and the others looked just as tired as her.

“Anyway, here! Thanks!” Yui handed me a large bag filled with her belongings, and I stored it away with my storage magic. Since a few days’ worth of supplies were inside, it was quite big and heavy, but that didn’t matter as long as we stored it away with magic. I put away the others’ bags as well.

“Storage magic is really convenient, huh? Just what the heck was the Hero’s party thinking when they banished you?” muttered Yui as she watched me store away the bags.

“I really don’t think this is anything special...” Once you got the hang of it, any class could use storage magic. It was a spell even I could learn, so I was sure Yui and the others would be able to master it with a bit of practice. “Want me to teach you once we get the chance?”

“Huh? I can use it too?!”

“Yeah... I think Cross especially will have an easier time if he learns it. Well, it’ll take some time to increase the mass you can store at once, but...if you’re just trying to learn the spell, that should only take an hour.”

“Yeah, you’re right... I’d be able to carry a ton more arrows, and maybe...” Cross curiously watched me use my storage magic. Among all the spells I knew, this was one of the most convenient. Not to mention, it only cost MP to retrieve items, not store them. There really couldn’t be any downsides to learning the spell...

If I got the chance to continue to adventure with them even once this quest was over, I definitely wanted to teach them.

Once I had finished storing everything away, Yui, the others, and I headed for Marcus’s farm.

***

A few hours later, we arrived at our camping site ahead of schedule. The sun was starting to set, but we still had some time until dark.

“Lloyd, our bags...”

“Oh, right.” I activated my storage magic and retrieved the bags they had me put away. “There’s the tent, the food, cooking equipment, and... I guess this is about it,” I said, checking the gear I retrieved to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.

“You’re a lifesaver, Lloyd! All this stuff gets so heavy.”

“Yeah... It’s easier to travel without having to carry everything.”

Having to carry this much definitely looked like it would weigh you down, especially considering we had a few days’ worth of stuff with us.

“Have you really never met anyone else who could use storage magic?”

“I haven’t. I had certainly heard of it before, but you’re the first person I’ve met who could use it, Lloyd,” said Silica.

Really? I didn’t think it was all that complicated a spell.

“Even if I wanted to learn, there was no one around who knew how, so...”

That made sense. If Silica didn’t know anybody who could use the spell, she couldn’t learn it, so she naturally wouldn’t know how to use it. Not to mention, if she had never gotten to see it in action before, it would be nearly impossible to learn herself.

“I mentioned as much this morning, but would you like me to teach you if we find the time?”

“Yes, that would be wonderful!” answered Silica, sounding quite happy.

“Hey! Lloyd, Silica... You can talk, but let’s get things in order first. Chatting can come later,” chided Daggers.

That’s when we started to prepare everything in silence, and a few dozen minutes later...

“All right! Perfect!”

...we had succeeded in setting up the tent before the sun had fully set.

“All we have to do now is find some branches and other flammable materials...”

“Hey, Daggers! I’ve got something to ask!” shouted Yui.

“What is it?”

“I saw a river earlier! Can I go take a bath? Silica’s coming too!”

“I-I am?!”

“Of course you are!”

“Well, sure, but... We can’t just leave Lloyd here by himself. It’ll be dangerous.”

White mages were a supporter class, not a combatant class. Of course, we could still fight, but we weren’t well suited for it.

“Well, I’ll stay behind, then,” offered Cross.

“Yeah... All right, you’re on guard duty, but don’t push yourself. Contact us if you encounter any monsters,” said Daggers before turning to me. He was silently asking me to activate my storage magic.

I conjured up some flares and handed them to Cross.

“I’ve just gotta shoot these into the air, yeah?”

“Yup... Make sure you don’t fight anything alone.”

“Roger.”

Thus, Yui and Silica headed for the river, while Daggers and I went in search of firewood.

***

Firewood... The only thing around that seemed to fit the bill were twigs. I wandered the forest, looking for anything that might be flammable.

“I guess this would probably catch fire...”

I picked up a thick branch and stored it away with my magic, then repeated the process so I could gather the amount I needed.

Well, to be honest, I had already collected more than Daggers had told me to. What I was looking for now were branches to use after today—ones I could maybe use in an emergency. There were a lot of monsters who feared fire, so we had to keep our campfire burning all night. Not to mention, there was no knowing what might happen.

Of course, there was a limit to what I could put away with my storage magic, but I still had plenty of space, so there was no harm in collecting a bit extra. Having reached that conclusion, I decided to collect as many flammable sticks as time allowed.

I picked up twigs, stored them away, and wandered the forest. Then after a half hour or so, I had arrived at a cliff. Why? Because I had noticed a familiar-looking fruit there. The tree was relatively high up, and falling could leave me injured. But since there was a river beneath, it was probably safe to climb anyway. I scaled the tree to get a look at the fruit from up close, then picked one.

“I was right. This is the fruit that used to grow near Master Merlin’s house.”

It looked and smelled the same as the fruit I knew, so it was probably edible. I decided to try a bite.

“Yup.” The flesh was sweet and full of nutrients. “I’ll pick a few and take them back with me.” I stretched my hand to retrieve one of the fruits. That’s when I heard the branch beneath me start to break. Then, it snapped right off.

“Oops...”

I leaped off the branch in a rush and tried to land on the ground below, but my foot slipped, sending me tumbling over the cliff.

I screwed up.

I continued to fall before crashing into the river with a loud, huge splash.

I came up to the water’s surface and sucked in a breath. “Dang, my clothes are soaked... I’ll have to dry them later.”

I retrieved the fruits that had fallen with me and swam toward shore.

“L-L-L-Lloyd?! Wh-What...are you doing here?!” That was when I heard a familiar voice. I looked toward it to find Yui, who was glaring at me, her face dyed scarlet.

She...was naked. Her sensitive areas alone were covered by her hands. Behind her was Silica, who shared her reaction.

This...was bad.

“Uh... Sorry! I fell off the cliff, and—”

“You...pervert!”

A mighty impact met my cheek. Then, I lost consciousness.

***

“Ugh...” The world gradually came back to me. When did I fall asleep?

My cheek hurt...

I lifted up my heavy body and observed my surroundings.

“Oh! You’re finally awake.”

“Yui...” Behind her was Silica. They were glaring at me. For some reason, they looked mad.

“Hey, what was I...?”

“So, Peeping Tom. What were you doing there? If you’ve got an excuse, I’ll listen, but...do you?”

An excuse? What was she...?

Oh, that’s right.

“Did I...fall off that cliff?” Yui’s words prompted my memories. I had fallen off a cliff while trying to pick some fruits.

I also remembered what they were mad at me for. “Um, I’m sorry... I recognized some fruits, so I tried to pick them, and then... I fell.”

“Hmm...” She didn’t really seem to buy my story. What should I do? “You don’t seem like a peeper, but... Can I see these fruits?”

“Y-Yeah.” Hoping they could at least serve as some evidence in my favor, I conjured up the fruits using my storage magic and placed them in front of her.

“Can you eat these?” She had probably never seen these before. She picked one up to observe it.

That was right. I didn’t think I had ever seen them in Ishtar before. “You should be able to. I tried a bite, and it tasted almost identical to the fruit I know.”

“Hmm...” Yui cautiously bit into it. “It’s sweet!” She must have been hungry, as she gobbled down the rest. “So, it seems like you really were picking fruit... Fine. I’ll believe you, but there better not be a next time!”

“R-Right...”

Well, she believed me, so I was going to be fine, right?

Afterward, I managed to get Silica to forgive me as well, and we all agreed to forget about this incident.

***

When I returned to camp with Yui and Silica, Daggers was already getting things ready, but he had yet to start the fire.

“Oh, Lloyd! That took you a while, huh? And why are Yui and Silica with you...?”

“Sorry! Our bad! We ran into Lloyd on our way back, so we chatted as we walked. That’s why he’s late!”

It was a perfectly natural lie. Considering I was the culprit of this incident, Yui wasn’t in the wrong to lie, but...now I was even more indebted to her.

“Well, that’s fine. I was worried he had run into a strong monster. So? Did you collect any firewood?”

“Yeah...” Using my storage magic, I summoned a bit more firewood than what Daggers had asked me to collect. “Is this enough?”

“Should be fine. Can you light the fire, Silica?”

“Of course.” Silica used magic to light a bundle of thicker branches.

“All right... All that’s left is to decide watch for tonight.” Daggers had already explained to me that watch shifts were done in pairs. Apparently, there was a clear reason for this, and it had become a strict rule of this party. If we fell victim to a surprise attack, it would be hard for one person to handle it alone. With two, one could focus on fighting while the other woke the rest of us, which was why they carried out watches in pairs.

Watch, huh...?

“Oh! Hey, Lloyd! Wanna be shift partners tonight?” As I was vacillating on whether to nominate myself, Yui invited me to take watch duty with her.

“Yeah... If you’ll have me.” I didn’t have a real reason to refuse, so I accepted Yui’s invitation.

Actually, it would be more correct to say that I felt like I couldn’t refuse. This was just a guess, but I got the feeling that Yui hadn’t forgiven me yet. I was sure she wanted to watch me to make sure I wouldn’t try anything while the others were asleep. And with that in mind, I really didn’t have any other options.

“I-I look forward to it...”

“All right! It’s decided, then!”

“Right, then. Lloyd, Yui, good luck tonight.”

Thus, it was decided that Yui and I would be on watch duty tonight.

***

All was dark and the forest was silent as Lloyd and Yui took up watch nearby the tent that held their sleeping comrades, their eyes trained into the darkness and their senses sharpened, ready for any nearby monsters.

“Ugh... No monsters, huh?”

“Yeah, doesn’t seem like it.” Calmly focused and wary of his surroundings, Lloyd seemed rather composed. Yui sensed that he must have been used to these circumstances. But what she really wanted to know was how he could have such a thorough grasp on their situation given that he hadn’t taken even one step from his current spot. Given his seriousness, she doubted he was slacking on the job.

“What’s wrong, Yui?” asked Lloyd, sensing her gaze.

“Nope. It’s nothing.”

“Really? That’s fine but, um, about this watch duty...”

“Oh, right. Thanks for joining me tonight.”

“Y-Yeah...”

Yui’s intention had always been to invite Lloyd to join her, and had been considering what would be the most natural way to extend her invitation. That’s when she noticed Lloyd was about to volunteer himself and found her chance.

Yui had something she desperately wanted to tell Lloyd. No, she needed to tell him.

“Y’know... I’m sorry for forcing you out on this quest.”

“Well, I was out of a job and needed the work anyway...”

That’s right. Considering Lloyd had just been kicked out of the Hero’s party, Yui was sure his emotions had been in disarray, and she slightly regretted forcing him to get involved when he was so vulnerable.

Sensing the gloomy air around her, Lloyd glanced her way. “But why were you so intent on taking on this quest?”

She giggled. “Did I really seem that insistent?”

“Yeah... I had heard a bit about you from Daggers, but even knowing your personality, you just seemed a little too desperate.”

Apparently, Lloyd had picked up on her panic. “Sorry, it’s just... It really reminds me of what happened to my hometown...”

A few years prior during Yui’s youth, a horde of monsters had attacked her village.

She was the only survivor.

Her friends, parents, they all...

Yui alone was rescued by a party of adventurers. But she was barely conscious and unable to remember their faces.

“I see...” That was all Lloyd said. He didn’t push the matter any further.

He really is kind, thought Yui. When she had invited him to join them on this quest, he hadn’t outrightly refused. All he had to do was say it wasn’t his problem, and that would have been it.

But in the end, he had come with them.

“I just can’t ignore a quest once I hear there are monster hordes involved... Not to mention, this is a farm! If we lose those crops, it won’t just be Ishtar that suffers, but a bunch of small towns and villages too.”

Marcus’s farm was huge, and the vegetables he grew weren’t sold to Ishtar alone. Since larger towns had multiple food sources, they would make it through. But the same couldn’t be said for the smaller villages. Multiple would suffer should they lose the crops Marcus’s farm provided.

“Oh, that’s right! What were you gonna say?” Yui suddenly remembered that Lloyd had something he wanted to bring up too.

“Oh, I was just convinced you still thought I was a peeper, and that was why you had wanted me to be on watch duty with you.”

Huh, so that’s why he accepted, thought Yui. Apparently, this whole peeper thing had caused quite a bit of distress for Lloyd.

“Don’t worry about it! That was just an accident, right?”

“Yeah, it was, but...”

“I’m already over it, so it’s fine! Really! I trust you, Lloyd, and I only wanted to be on watch duty with you so I could tell you all that. I wasn’t trying to watch you or anything!”

After Yui had shared what she wanted, she distanced herself from Lloyd so she could focus on watch duty. That’s when, suddenly, Lloyd conjured up his staff and stared deep into the dark forest. Yui had gotten so wrapped up in chatting with Lloyd, it took her an extra moment to draw her sword.

A few seconds later, some giant spiders appeared from the darkness.

“Paularks...”

Paularks were a spider measuring two meters long with six large pitch-black eyes and four grotesque, long legs. They were absolutely disgusting, enough so to induce insanity in arachnophobes.

“They’re ferocious. We’ll have a hard time on our own,” muttered Lloyd, his eyes trained on the paularks.

“Go wake up the others! I’ll buy us some time!” Yui thought it was best that she, a combatant class, stay on the front lines and stall for time.

Lloyd seemed to agree with her assessment, as he nodded. “Yeah, I’ll leave it to...?!”

But the paularks acted unexpectedly. They ignored Yui and Lloyd and walked right by them, as if completely uninterested. Then, they disappeared into the darkness.

Had they run? No, that would be crazy! thought Yui. Thus, she turned in the direction the paularks had run, and once again held up her sword. She had thought there was a chance a monster so strong it had instilled fear in even the paularks was behind them, but for some reason, Lloyd didn’t take up a battle stance and instead lowered his staff.

“We’re fine, Yui.”

“Huh?! But the spiders just...”

“Yeah. But at the very least, there’s no monsters nearby.”

“You can read their movements, Lloyd?”

“No, I don’t know what they’re doing right now. I just know there’s no monsters,” he said, confidently.

Given his conviction, Yui assumed the paularks must have left. Seeing that Lloyd had let down his guard, she lowered her blade.

Maybe he’s got surprisingly good eyesight? wondered Yui. Well, if Lloyd says they’re gone, then they must be!

The paularks’ movements had been inscrutable, but it probably wasn’t anything for them to worry about. At least, that was the conclusion Yui had reached. Instead, she thought it was best to stay vigilant in case there were other monsters nearby, and she worked together with Lloyd to defend their tent until morning.

But the whole time, Lloyd seemed to have something weighing on his mind.

***

A few days had passed since we left Ishtar, and we currently traversed the forest while staying vigilant, making sure to keep up our guards.

“Something’s weird about these woods,” muttered Yui, glancing around her.

“Yeah, you’re right...”

Something was definitely odd. We had already been in the forest for days, but we hadn’t seen any monsters at all. In fact, we hadn’t even had a single encounter. Yes, we had traversed the relatively safe route suggested by the Adventurer’s Guild, but we were still in the middle of a forest. It was weird we hadn’t encountered any monsters after a few days’ journey.

At first, I had thought we were just lucky. But soon, that optimism had morphed into anxiety. This whole place just seemed creepy.

“Is this your doing, Lloyd?” asked Yui, looking skeptical.

“No, it’s not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah... Really.”

I was checking our surroundings with detection magic every so often, but that wouldn’t keep monsters away, as it was just a spell that picks up on the MP signatures of nearby organisms. It had no monster repelling effect.

“H-Huh? Then what the heck is...?”

I tried activating my detection magic once again. But once again, I didn’t pick up on any monsters. Perhaps I needed to expand the scope of the spell? I stretched the range from five kilometers to ten, and was able to pick up on a monster signature exactly that distance away.

“That’s...”

“What is it, Lloyd?”

“A large number of monsters are gathered in one spot farther ahead.” And by “large number,” I didn’t just mean ten or twenty. This horde had even more.

“Huh?! But I don’t see anything!” Yui stood on her tippy toes in an attempt to catch sight of these monsters. But obviously, she couldn’t see them. They were too far away to see with the naked eye. “Are there really monsters up ahead, Lloyd?”

“Yeah... My detection magic picked up on a large horde of monsters ten kilometers ahead.”

“Huh?!” Yui’s mouth was agape.

“Given the distance and direction, that must be exactly where we’re headed...”

“W-Wait a sec! Huh?! You’ve gotta be kidding!” Yui’s voice suddenly grew into a yell.

I didn’t know why she wanted us to wait, but I followed her instructions and stopped my feet. “What is it?”

“What d’ya mean, ‘What is it’?! You said these monsters were ten kilometers ahead, right?”

“Yeah, I did.” Yup, I had, and it was true. Expanding the range of the spell any more would drain my MP, so I wasn’t going to do it now. But when that wasn’t an issue, I could expand the spell even farther.

“Can... Can you really detect things so far away?” timidly asked Yui. Daggers and the others were staring me down too, and they looked serious.

“Yeah, I can. Is that...bad?” I didn’t really understand the question. Why did they look so serious? I couldn’t come up with an answer. I hadn’t done anything strange. “Hey, Yui? Did I do something—?”

Before I could finish my question, Daggers stepped forward, ignoring the shocked look on Yui’s face. “And you know the exact direction?”

“Yeah, I—”

“Hey! Wait a sec! Lloyd’s just being Lloyd, but why aren’t you shocked, Daggers?!”

“I mean, I am, but... This isn’t the time for that. Successfully completing this quest comes first.”

I couldn’t follow at all, but Yui and Daggers seemed to be on the same page. Shocked? About what?

“Anyway, you know where they are, right, Lloyd? Lead the way.”

“R-Right...”

I led Yui and the others to where I detected the large horde of monsters. Once the sight came into view, we were speechless.

“What...is that?” muttered Yui as we gazed at what had to be Marcus’s farm. We were still quite a distance from the field, which meant the high wolves couldn’t spot us. But even from this far out, we could tell what we were witnessing wasn’t natural.

“This really is ‘abnormal’...”

We truly did see an abnormal number of high wolves in the farmland a few hundred meters ahead—there had to be over a thousand. Now I understood why that was the description in the quest posting. Farmlands were usually green, but the high wolves instead made this one look gray.

It was weird.

“How strange...”

“Yeah. How could so many monsters even—?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Huh?!” the others said in unison.

The number wasn’t the important part. Given Yui and the others’ reaction, that’s probably what had shocked them, and it really was surprising. But what had shaken me the most was another mystery—why were there only high wolves, and no other types of monsters?

“From what I could detect with my magic, these were the only monster signatures around.”

“So what?”

“So that’s weird. Where did all the others go?”

Suddenly, the others seemed to understand what I was saying. “Y-You’re right...”

High wolves weren’t particularly strong monsters. There were plenty of beasts in this forest even a whole pack of them couldn’t defeat. Even paularks were stronger—a whole pack of high wolves would struggle to defeat just a few. Therefore, I was certain that the high wolves hadn’t eradicated the other monsters in the forest. For one, high wolves wouldn’t naturally form such a gigantic pack in the first place, and had a battle taken place, there would have been some signs which we hadn’t seen on our way here.

In other words, those monsters must have just disappeared from the forest without a fight. The high wolves, the disappearance of all the other monsters... It was clear something odd was happening in this forest.

“Yui, where’s the farmer?”

“Huh? You mean Marcus? I think he was injured, so he’s staying with his son.”

I cursed under my breath. There might have been some precursor to all this, and if I knew what that was, I might have been able to figure something out. At least, that’s what I had thought, and it was why I had wanted to speak with the farmer. But if he wasn’t here, then we didn’t have that option. I had to figure this out on my own. I scanned the farmland, hoping to discover some hints.

“Hey! What the heck is that?!” shouted Cross, pointing into the distance. He must have found something. Yui and the others stared at the direction of his finger.

“That? What do you mean?”

“Look! Over there! That creepy black stone!”

Apparently, the others couldn’t see what Cross was pointing at even when straining their eyes. Still, it didn’t seem like Cross was lying. From what I could tell, he had a clear view of this stone, so I doubted he was just seeing things. Instead, it was a simple matter of visual acuity. We stood a bit away from the farm, but we could still see it with the naked eye. If Cross had abnormally good eyesight, there was a good chance he could see something that the rest of us couldn’t.

“I guess we can try this...”

I conjured my staff from storage and cast a custom buff on myself. I had created it on the spot, using a basic strengthening buff as the base and fine-tuning it for eyesight. Once I had raised my visual acuity, I once again looked in the direction of Cross’s pointed figure.

I noticed a black stone. It was creepy, just as Cross had said. After a closer look, I noticed it seemed to be emitting some sort of black smog. The stone was only a meter tall.

“Yeah, that really is strange...” I had a hard time thinking that stone was natural.

“Huh?! You can see it too, Lloyd?!” Yui exclaimed.

“Yeah, since I cast a buff on myself.”

“Can you cast it on the rest of us?”

“Of course,” I agreed.

I cast the same spell on the others. Now, they should be able to see the black stone too.

“Yeah, Cross is right. It really is weird...especially that black smoke coming off it. What the heck is that?” Yui asked.

“Magic, I think.”

As I said earlier, detection magic picks up on organisms, but to be more exact, it’s a spell that senses the magic emitted by organisms to locate their position. I hadn’t picked up on it before since the black stone was hidden between the high wolves, but it was emitting magic too, and it didn’t seem human. Instead, it seemed to be the magic of the beastmen. Somehow, the stone had been imbued with a beastman’s MP, and it was likely a beastman who had placed the stone on the farm.

But...why? Suddenly, I remembered something Master Merlin had once told me.

“No way...”

“What is it, Lloyd?” asked Yui, looking curious.

“I can sense a beastman’s magic coming from that stone.”

“A beastman’s? But why...?”

I had once heard from Master Merlin that some beastmen possessed a special type of magic that could manipulate monsters. I didn’t know if that was true, but I could sense the MP of a beastman being emitted by that stone.

I had a bad feeling about this. If that black stone was casting magic, and if a spell capable of controlling monsters truly did exist...then someone had done this on purpose. Could someone have cast magic to gather these high wolves here? But what was their goal?

I pondered this predicament in search of an answer. That’s when my detection magic picked up on more signals—and it wasn’t just one or two. Even more monsters than were in this pack of high wolves had formed a horde, and they were heading straight for us.

What was happening? I hadn’t picked up on a single monster signal on our way here. It was almost as if...

“This is bad...” I didn’t know why, but I knew what. The pack of high wolves, the monsters coming toward us...

“No way...”

I could only think of one possible explanation. We had fallen into a trap.

“What’s wrong?” asked Daggers, hearing my mumbling. They had yet to notice the approaching monsters, which were still ten kilometers away—too far to notice without detection magic or similar spells.

“It looks like we’ve fallen for a trap,” I said, revealing my thinking to Yui and the others.

“A trap?! Us?!”

“Yeah... There’s a horde of monsters coming our way from where we came from.”

“Wait, hold on a second. Really? I mean, why?”

Before us was a pack of high wolves, and marching on us from behind was a horde of monsters.

“Damn it! A horde of what monsters...? I mean, where were they hiding?” Cross asked.

“Sorry. I don’t know myself.”

The monsters were too far away for me to determine their species. But considering the signals seemed to be moving at slightly different speeds and in different ways, I could tell that there was more than one type of monster. At least ten, probably...

This was clearly planned by somebody. If they were sending this new horde of monsters our way, whoever had laid this trap no longer was trying to hide their intentions. But why...?

“Yui, have you done anything to earn a grudge?”

“O-Of course not!”

Yeah. Thought so. And even if she had, I had a hard time thinking it’d be enough to earn this bloodlust. “Sorry, I was just asking.”

“Seriously! Anyway, what do you know about these monsters?”

“The horde coming from behind us consists of multiple species, and they number...easily a few thousand.”

“Huh?! You’ve gotta be kidding!” The blood had rushed from Yui’s face.

If I had guessed correctly, the perpetrator was trying to eliminate us. No, were they trying to lure us out of Ishtar? In any case, they had gathered the high wolves here for a reason. Then, they had manipulated the victim into posting a quest to lure S-rank adventurers here—and they had probably also contrived things so the quest’s difficulty wouldn’t be labeled as S-rank. By ensuring this was an A-rank quest, they ensured our guards would be down. After all, we would have likely prepared a bit more if this quest had been labeled S-rank.

It was easy to gather intel on adventurers in Ishtar. It would only have taken a little investigating to know that Yui and her party were the only adventurers in town who could accept an A-rank quest.

But I had no idea what possible motivations this perpetrator could have.

“In any case, we better retreat, right? With Lloyd’s detection magic, we can probably avoid these monsters pretty easily, and—”

“No, we can’t.”

“Huh?! Why?” Yui suggested that we run, and I had considered the option too. If we hurried back to Ishtar, we’d be able to report this matter, which would be our best option if possible. But in that scenario, if someone on the perpetrator’s side had detection magic they could use to track us, then...

No, considering the timing they had sent the horde after us, it was safe to assume our perpetrator did have such an accomplice. That meant there was a chance we’d be taking this monster horde back to Ishtar with us. If we were forced into a fight near the city, ordinary citizens could end up as casualties.

“There’s no certainty that we’d be able to escape even with my detection magic. If we were detected and the monsters followed after us, the city could end up a victim.”

“You’re right...”

Leading these monsters to Ishtar was something we needed to avoid at all costs, which only left one option.

“Let’s fight, Yui.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We’ve got no choice, so let’s fi— Wait! Huuuuuuh?! Fight?!”

“Yeah. That’s our only way out of this.”

“Well, maybe you’re right, but... How are we supposed to take on so many?”

Yeah, it made sense that even S-rank adventurers would struggle against these numbers, especially for a party with only one offensive mage like Yui’s. They had no way of eliminating both monster hordes at once. Their odds were practically zilch.

But only if they intended on fighting both hordes, that is. Thankfully, there was no need to defeat them all at once.

“Cross, can you hit the stone?”

“Uh, the black one?”

“Yup.”

Cross pondered this for a moment. “I can probably aim, but... Well, I think I can hit it.”

“I see. So you can?”

“Yeah, there’s a chance. But I’m not sure I can break it.”

No matter how good of an archer you were, it’d be hard to break through stone with a normal arrow, even for Lulu, the archer of the Hero’s party. The farther away the target, the more force the arrow would lose. But that just meant I needed to offer my support.

“Cross, can I borrow an arrow?”

“Uh, yeah, sure...”

Cross handed me an arrow, so I cast a buff on it—one slightly different than the type you cast on living organisms. “All right. Done.”

I handed the buffed arrow back to Cross. With that, he’d be able to break the stone even if the arrow lost some force during its trajectory.

“Cross, aim for the stone.”

“G-Got it.” He slowly pulled back his bow and fired the arrow. Despite the wind resistance, it bolted through the air at a startling speed. The moment it pierced the black stone, it shattered.

“Woo-hoo!” shouted Cross, striking a victory pose. I couldn’t believe he had managed to hit his target from so far away on his first shot. He really was an S-rank adventurer. I mean, his skills might have even exceeded Lulu’s. “Hey, Lloyd? What’d you do to my arrow? Somehow, it was even more wicked than usual,” asked Cross, staring at his bow.

“I just buffed your bow and arrows.”

“For real? You can cast buffs on weapons and people at the same time?”

“Of course I can. Any white mage could. It’s really nothing special.”

“I don’t really think that’s true,” he said, looking displeased with my answer.

“Hey, Cross! Look at that!” shouted Yui, her finger pointed at the farm. The high wolves had turned their claws and fangs against each other—just as I had planned. Now that the black stone had shattered, its magic had dissipated. High wolves typically only formed small packs, but they had been manipulated by magic. So, what would happen should that magic disappear? Naturally, they’d begin to fight one another. That should get rid of some of the high wolves for us.

“Wait, Lloyd. Did you know that...?”

“Well, yeah. This won’t completely annihilate them, but they’ll lose some of their numbers, and it doesn’t seem like they’re focused on us at all. Now we can concentrate on taking out the other horde.”

“Wow! I can’t believe you thought all this out!”

So far, everything was going according to plan. But that could soon be about to change. This horde only consisted of a single monster species—one prone to infighting. Not to mention, the black stone casting this magic had been left behind, and Cross had just happened to notice it. That was why we had been able to break the stone and get out of this, but none of that applied to the monsters approaching from behind us. It was even possible that someone was controlling them directly.

“All right, what to do...”

I had kept my detection magic activated, so I could tell the horde was gradually approaching. The closer they came, the better I could sense their MP, so I had started to get a sense of the monster species we would be facing. There were weak monsters like slimes and goblins, but slightly more ferocious beasts like cockatrices as well.

“What an odd group...” Those words naturally escaped me considering this combination would have been unthinkable under normal circumstances.

“So? What do we do?” asked Yui, looking awfully worried. Thankfully, none of the monsters in the horde appeared to be a particular threat—actually, it was probably safe to assume that stronger monsters couldn’t be controlled. All in the horde were species an S-rank adventurer could handle without problem. But given their number, it still wouldn’t be easy.

“Yeah... I want to defeat them if we can, but it’ll be hard given how many there are.”

“Yeah, so what the heck do we do?”

“I’ve got an idea.” I had already put together our general plan of attack. The crux of its success was Silica, our one offensive mage. But depending on the elements she could use, this plan might have to change. “Silica, which elements can you use?”

“I’m capable of using all four basic ones.”

“The four basic elements...” That was fire, water, earth, and wind. The other two elements were ice and lightning, but since we didn’t need them for this plan it was no problem that Silica couldn’t cast those spells. “And how many arrows do you have left, Cross?”

“Well... Including the ones I gave to you, I should have around a hundred. Thanks to your storage magic, I could bring even more than usual with me.”

All right. In that case, my plan would work. “Yui, Daggers, Silica, Cross... I’ve got an idea. Will you hear me out?”

They nodded.

***

Around half an hour later, we caught sight of the giant monster horde marching on us from the direction we had traveled. I hadn’t really thought about it when they just existed as signals, but seeing them in person was petrifying. The gaps between the trees were packed with monsters, and it wasn’t just the ground—some even flew through the sky.

“Th-There’s so many! How many do you think that’s gotta be?” muttered Yui as she watched the horde from our vantage point. The monsters marched on us with tremendous vigor, filling us with fear and panic. But not yet! We had to wait just a moment longer...

“Hey, Lloyd! Is it time?!”

“Not quite.” The horde grew closer. Almost. “Silica! Now!”

“R-Right!” Silica raised her staff on my signal. “Firestorm!” she chanted, directing it toward the monsters.

A conflagration appeared in the forest, creating a dome that engulfed the monsters.

“Wow...” Yui muttered as she watched the flames. “Hey, Lloyd? What’d you do to Silica? Her spell was way better than usual!”

“I just cast a magic up buff and MP consumption down buff.”

“What do you mean, ‘just’...?” Yui looked exasperated. I guess my support magic really did still have a long way to go. But I couldn’t be wasting too much MP right now.

“Silica, are you still good to go?”

“Yes. I think I can handle another five spells or so...”

Silica could cast Firestorm five more times. But considering what came next, she could only really afford to use three of those. “Once you cast the spell another three times, fan the flames with a wind spell. All you need to do is use your magic to create some gusts.”

“R-Right.”

Once I delivered that message to Silica, I approached Cross so we could move on to phase two. He was waiting on a ledge that stood above where Yui and Silica were, and once I got there, I used my storage magic to summon all of his remaining arrows.

Then, I cast buffs on each of them, one by one. Usually, I’d cast all the buffs at once, but I had decided to cast them separately to salvage some MP. It would take longer, but...that wasn’t a problem. I had already calculated accordingly.

“It’s almost time...” I said, looking into the forest once I had finished casting buffs on every arrow. Silica had already finished casting Firestorm and had segued into fanning the flames with wind. A large swath of the forest went up in smoke, partially blinding the airborne monsters.

“Cross! It’s time!”

“Right! Leave it to me!”

I placed my right hand on Cross’s head and activated thought sharing, directly transmitting the locations of the beasts via my detection magic. Now, he would know our foes’ positions even if they were hidden.

“So? Can you see them?”

“Yup! No problems here!” Cross shot down one monster after another.

All right. Perfect.

It would be impossible to individually control each monster in such a giant horde. They were likely moving according to simple orders.

“I guess it’s almost time.” I was quite certain we had already taken out the majority of the monsters on the ground. While a few had likely survived, they wouldn’t pose a problem.

I headed for Silica, who was still fanning the flames. “That’s enough wind magic, Silica! Move on to the next phase!”

“Right! However, I’ve nearly depleted my MP,” she said, seeming quite exhausted. It was clear her MP was nearing empty.

“Right... Got it. I’ll transfer some of my MP over to you. Use it.” I utilized Transfer MP to send ninety percent of my remaining mana to Silica.

I was suddenly hit with a dizzy spell and fell on my butt. I had heavily expended my MP, and it had been a long time since I had last used so much. It was only natural that I was having a bit of a hard time. If I had known this would happen, I would have bought some mana potions while in town. Thinking this was an A-rank quest had me letting my guard down.

“A-Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Anyway, hurry!”

“Right...”

Silica once again extended her staff toward the forest. Then, she took a deep breath before slowly opening her mouth. “Lluvia!”

Clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, pouring down a torrential rain. The flames of the fire were gradually quelled. We had successfully avoided a forest fire.

“I-I’m at my limit...” said Silica. She wobbled, then collapsed on the ground.

Thankfully, Daggers was there to catch her. “Good job. Leave the rest to us.”

“You take a break, Silica! We’ll take out the rest before you know it!”

“Just don’t push yourselves, okay...?”

“That’s kind of rich coming from you right now...”

Once he had confirmed Yui and Silica’s conversation had come to an end, Daggers gently laid her on the ground.

“Still... You’re amazing, Lloyd. I can’t believe you thought up all this,” muttered Yui.

“It’s nothing special. I’m just doing my job as this party’s support.” Giving orders and casting magic while keeping an eye on our backs was just part of a supporter’s job.

“There you go again...” Yui let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, whatever! You leave the rest to us and take a break too, Lloyd!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

But first...

I used my remaining MP to cast buffs on Yui and Daggers. I confirmed with my detection magic that there were only a few dozen monsters left. The ones which survived had to be on the stronger side, but they’d be no problem for Daggers and Yui.

“I’m pooped... I really still have a long way to go...”

From up on my ledge, I watched over the rest of the battle.

***

While Lloyd and friends were locked in their battle, seven hooded figures had gathered around a desk in the basement of a wooden hut on the outskirts of Ishtar.

“Seems like our plan is proceeding smoothly,” gleefully commented one of the figures.

“Even S-rank adventurers can’t hold a candle to those numbers!”

“I doubt even the city’s Hero could defeat a few thousand monsters!”

“Still... I hear the Hero and his party are quite formidable.”

“Preposterous! They lost to mere golems that were only slightly buffed! Don’t you think he’s perhaps a bit too weak compared to the other Heroes?”

“Indeed. That female shieldmaster lost her whole hand after just a slight encounter with a wolf!”

One of the hooded figures chuckled. “What a farce!”

“The rumor that the holy maiden can heal all wounds has got to be a lie! That trifling Hero and his party members... Our plan is sure to prove a success.”

“Yeah... And it’s all thanks to the boss and that girl.”

The hooded figures turned toward a corner of their room, where a girl was chained to the wall. Her body was gaunt, and her clothes were in tatters. She was covered in bruises.

“What great magic! We better keep using it.”

“Indeed. We’ll work her like a slave until she keels over!”

“Exactly! With her, monsters bow at our will!”

One of the hooded figures grinned sinisterly at the staff in his hands, which was adorned with a black stone at its tip. While smaller than the stone they had left in the field, it emitted the same black smoke and same disquieting glow.

“Well, let’s put personal matters aside for now. You all remember what the boss said, right? All of this is essential for His revival! We can afford no mistakes, and we must make this plan a success. This is all for the boss, for the Demon King!” The man’s expression was serious as he spoke, and once those words left his mouth, the others shot into the air.

Then, they vowed the same oath.

“For the Demon King!”

***

“Phew... It’s over!”

Yui and Daggers had returned from eradicating the other monsters. From what I could tell, they didn’t seem to have suffered any major injuries—they were practically unscathed. They really did deserve the title of S-rank adventurer.

I activated my detection magic just to double-check, but there were no monster signals nearby. Relieved to see all of us had made it through fighting the hordes in one piece, I let out a sigh.

But it was too early to relax just yet. I slowly lifted my heavy body back to my feet and glanced at Silica, who was still on the ground. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. I was able to rest for quite a while.” She slowly returned to her feet as well. Her complexion had greatly improved, likely because her MP had recovered too. She seemed ready for the next leg of our journey.

“Now...” I turned toward Ishtar. I had a bad feeling about all this. “Yui. We need to hurry back to town.”

“I mean, I guess we can, but...don’t you need some rest?” she asked, looking worried. She was probably concerned about my condition, and to be honest, I did want to rest. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. If I was right, then...

“The perpetrator behind this likely has his eyes set on Ishtar.”

“Huh?!”

Yui and the others looked shocked. It made sense—they probably had a hard time believing Ishtar was the real target. However, that’s what made the most sense.

I explained my reasoning to the others. “This quest was a trap, meant to send the S-rank adventurers out of town without raising suspicion, and then dispose of us.”

I had no proof, but I had a hard time believing the monster hordes we saw were the only ones being manipulated. If we assumed all the monsters in the forest had fallen under the spell, then what we had seen didn’t account for all of them. They had to be somewhere else.

“B-But... Why would someone do that?”

“I...don’t know.”

Ishtar was a vibrant city, but there were plenty similar in the kingdom. Many knights were stationed there, and its defenses were staunch. They even had a Hero—one of only four in the whole continent. If their goal was to simply hurt the kingdom’s economy, they would have picked an easier target.

“Then, just why did they...?”

I had no idea what whoever had attacked us was after.

“Hey, Lloyd? Ishtar’s got knights and a Hero. It’s not gonna fall so easily.” Cross was right. Ishtar would be hard to topple.

“That’s true, but...”

Allen and the others were in Ishtar. No matter how many monsters besieged the city, they’d still be able to put up a good fight. But even Allen and his party weren’t perfect, and even they made mistakes. Defeat was still possible.

“Let’s hurry, just in case.”

“Yeah, you’re right...”

We got ready for our journey and dashed off toward Ishtar.

***

“Lloyd’s buffs really are amazing...”

“They are! Even just being able to run so fast is wonderful enough, but I can’t believe we’re not even out of breath!”

Yui glanced at me.

“I mean, you might say that, but...” I didn’t remember doing anything all that special. I had just improved a strengthening buff by extricating all the unnecessary bits and fine-tuning it into a spell meant to aid in running. But improving on a spell wasn’t anything all that impressive.

“Hey, Lloyd? I heard from a friend that it takes tons of MP to keep casting buffs for so long.”

“I’ve heard the same. How do you manage it, Lloyd?”

Both Yui and Silica shot me a worried look. Novices or white mage newbies might have a hard time keeping their buffs up, but once you got the hang of it, it was easy to cut back on MP consumption and make improvements to the spells. And even if you never truly got the hang of things, you’d get used to it eventually once you cast enough buffs. Silica’s and Yui’s acquaintances just happened to be newbies. After a few more years, they’d think nothing of it.

On multiple occasions, Master Merlin had abandoned me in the forest, giving me nothing but basic provisions and minimal weaponry. Of course, it was a tall order for a white mage to defeat a monster on his own, and besting a strong monster was near impossible. It took everything in me just to run.

But running alone wasn’t enough to keep the monsters off my tail. I had no choice but to fully utilize my buffs to survive. I cast spells over and over, improving them, and sometimes creating new ones from scratch, and eventually, well... I had naturally learned how to cast continuous buffs for long periods of time and improve upon the basic spells. Thinking back on it now...

“It was great practice...I mean, hell.”

Yeah, infernos and all. There was no glorifying those memories—I could still remember them vividly.

“Hey, Lloyd? What kind of training did she have you do?”

My training? There really was just one word—hell. Still, that was probably normal. Master Merlin was always screaming at me, angrily saying, “How the hell is a white mage supposed to get by if they can’t even do this?!” I was sure all white mages had to traverse the same road.

“Just your average training, I think.”

Yui and Silica exchanged glances. “Lloyd... I don’t think there’s anything normal about what she had you do.”

“Definitely.” The two were in agreement.

Huh. So my training hadn’t even passed the bar of “average.” It was beneath them. They really were S-rank adventurers on a whole other level.

But now that I was a member of their party, I had to be just as skilled as they were. “You’re right. My training really was subpar.”

“Silica... I think he’s misunderstood us. He definitely didn’t get what we were trying to say.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

Yui and Silica stared at me, looking exasperated.

“I see, so my training was so terrible it’s deserving of—”

“Lloyd? Let’s drop this convo. How long will it take for us to reach Ishtar?” asked Daggers, cutting into the conversation. He was right, this was no time to be talking about that. Relying on my memories of our journey here, I estimated our distance to Ishtar to get a base calculation of how long it would take given our current speed. I couldn’t get an exact number, but I had a pretty good estimate.

“Probably...a day, at the least.”

“A day? Well, I guess even that’s a huge improvement...”

It had taken us days to get here, so cutting that down to just one was certainly a job well done. At least, that’s what I thought, but I could sense anxiety in Daggers’s expression. He must have thought it’d take less time to arrive in Ishtar, but this was the full extent of my speed buffs.

“Sorry, this is my limit.”

“Huh? Oh, I wasn’t trying to imply...”

My buffs really were still underdeveloped. Based on what Daggers was saying, it seemed that Crumb’s spells must have been so amazing that mine couldn’t even hold a candle. I really needed to train more...

“Hey, Lloyd? I don’t think your skills are lacking or anything, for the record!” he said.

“Yeah, I really need to train more...”

“Are you even...?”

***

Twenty-four hours later, we were still running through the forest without having caught a wink of sleep. Ishtar was still outside the scope of my detection magic, but we had to be close. We’d probably arrive in another few hours.

“Yui, Daggers, Cross, Silica. We’ll be back in town soon. I’ll return your weapons now so you’ll be ready to fight.” I conjured their weapons from storage and handed them out.

That’s when my detection magic picked up on some signals. “What the...?”

They were still quite a distance aways, so I didn’t know how many there were. But I had detected multiple life signals, and only a few of them. Maybe they were just the dregs of the monster horde. If that was the case, they weren’t anything to worry about, but...

Even so, I had a terrible feeling about all of this.

One of those signals seemed especially odd. Had I sensed it somewhere before...?

This wasn’t the time for stops or detours, but I had a gut feeling I would regret passing this up.

“I guess we should check it out.”

I stopped to change directions, and noticing this, the others stopped too. “What’s wrong, Lloyd?”

“Sorry. Continue on without me.”

“Huh? Why?”

“My detection magic picked up on something. Something...foreboding. I’ll check it out real quick.”

This mana... Could it be...?

“Then I’m coming too!” announced Yui.

“No, I’ll be fine on my—”

“I mean, who knows what’ll happen. You can’t fight alone, right?” Yui looked me in the eyes, her expression serious.

She was right. I couldn’t fight on my own. And if my predictions were right, there was a high likelihood this would devolve into a battle. It’d mean imposing on her, but it was probably best to take Yui with me.

“Yeah, sorry. Could you come with me?”

“Of course!”

“Sorry, Daggers. I’ll be borrowing Yui for a bit. We’ll be back as soon as we can, so go on ahead and—”

“No, we’re coming with you. I’d be worried about you two if something happened,” said Daggers, before looking over his shoulder at Cross and Silica.

“Yeah, I’m with Daggers. We’re coming with you.”

“Yes, I’ll accompany you all as well!”

Apparently, both Cross and Silica were coming with us. That meant four S-rank adventurers, which was definitely reassuring.

“Got it. In that case, follow me. I’ll take you there,” I said before dashing off at full speed.

As we drew near, what I had sensed gradually came into view. There were eight signals in total—neither monster nor human.

“Demons and a beastman?” There were seven of the former, and one of the latter. It was an odd grouping—one that seemed impossible. The presence of a beastman was fine. You’d occasionally catch sight of them in Ishtar, so it was neither rare, nor shocking.

But that wasn’t true of the demons.

The nation of demons was known as the Necromancers’ Kingdom, and its current relationship with the powerful nation that housed Ishtar, the Fuhlen Kingdom, was hostile.

I had only learned of this a year prior when I joined the Hero’s party, but apparently the Necromancers’ Kingdom was an enemy of all three of the major nations of the Fuhlen Kingdom, Forress Empire, and Holy Principality. A long time ago, when a being known as the Demon King ruled the Necromancers’ Kingdom, the nation launched a great war against these three kingdoms in an attempt to claim greater land and rule over the whole continent. While the Demon King was now absent and the demons had largely settled down, their entry into these three nations was still strictly prohibited.

At least, it should have been from what I had heard. According to the knights, there was a harsh security system in place to prevent any demons from entering our territory.

“So we’ve been invaded...”

It was probably safe to assume that the kingdom’s defenses had been breached, which meant other demons had likely slipped in as well. If we didn’t deal with them quickly, they could enter en masse.

“I’ll have to report this to the knights later.”

But first came the situation at hand. If there were demons here, it was hard to think they weren’t related to our current predicament. They were likely the perpetrators.

Not to mention, I sensed the same mana that the black stone was emitting coming from the beastman that was with them. This might give us a hint that would help us solve the mystery of the disappearing monsters and monster hordes.

“Guys... There are demons up ahead.”

“Got it. Demons, huh? Wait! D-Demons? The demons I’m thinking of?!”

“Yeah... There are seven of them, all in the same place.”

“W-Wait! Lloyd...” said Daggers, causing me to halt. “Demons shouldn’t be able to even enter the kingdom. What are they...?”

“I don’t know. But I sense the same magic that came from the black stone as well. I doubt this is unrelated to those monster hordes.”

“Wait, for real?!”

“Unfortunately, Cross, for real.”

I’m sure they didn’t want to believe demons had infiltrated the kingdom if they could. The news had Cross going pale.

“Hey, Lloyd... Do we really gotta go there?” asked Yui, timidly. She probably wanted to stay away if possible, but...

“We do. If I’m right, they’re planning something, and if that’s an attack on Ishtar...that’s plenty of reason for us to check it out.”

The disappearing monsters, the mysterious magic that could manipulate them... Considering how close the demons were to Ishtar, I had a hard time thinking that was the end of it. They likely were plotting something, and everything began to fall into place when assuming that’s why they had remained here. Not that I had any real proof or evidence...

“So what will we do? I’ll let you guys decide.”

“No, let’s go!” insisted Yui.

“Yui...” said Silica, looking worried.

“I mean, these guys might be after Ishtar, right? Well, maybe they aren’t, but we can’t just let them be! We’ve gotta do something!” she said, inciting her party members to action.

It didn’t seem to fully relieve their fears, but...

“Well... I guess you’re right. According to Lloyd, this might help us figure out what’s happening, right?” asked Daggers, seemingly defeated. After a moment’s hesitation, Silica and Cross agreed to the plan as well. Since I had always intended on leaving the decision in their hands, that left us all in agreement.

I transformed our buffs into those meant for combat. Then, we headed for the demons.

***

After a few minutes, a wooden hut came into view. It was terribly dilapidated, so much so it was hard to think anyone lived there. It looked ready to collapse at any moment.

However, the hut was sturdier than it looked. It had been fortified, though the work had been concealed. That had to be the demons’ doing.

“They’re inside. No, below,” I muttered, stopping my feet. Somehow, the demons and beastman seemed to be beneath the ground. So, there was an underground passage. The hut had to be the entrance—and the demons had to have built it.

“So? What do we do?”

“Hmm...”

We couldn’t kill the beastman, nor the demons—especially the former. Even with the latter, we had to keep at least one alive.

“It doesn’t seem like they’ve noticed us...”

“Should we launch a surprise attack?” Daggers was right. Our best bet was defeating them before they realized our presence. However, our foes’ strength remained an unknown variable, along with their battle methods and skills. Plus, we couldn’t ignore the possibility that monster-controlling magic could work on humans too considering brainwashing and other psychological spells had an effect on us. I didn’t want to start a fight if it would leave us disadvantaged.

“So the demons are below us, huh?” muttered Daggers, looking at his feet.

“Yeah... How do we get inside?”

“Right. It would be a tall ask to both sneak inside undetected and carry out a surprise attack.”

Huh? Wait, if they were below us, then...

“We could be bold about this,” I muttered.

Yui just tilted her head, looking confused.

The Fall of the Hero’s Party ~Rift~

“Damn it! They’re all so effing useless!” shouted Allen, scowling as he slammed his fists against his desk.

He was currently in one of the rooms in the building constructed especially for the Hero, and the desk before him was littered with dozens of papers. On them were the details of applicants wishing to join his party, including their names, ages, genders, classes, and what type of magic they could use. Having failed their last quest, Allen had begun to look for new members that could fill the holes—namely, a member to replace Rina, who had left after their last quest, and a supporter with skills that far exceeded Lloyd’s. He had even asked the kingdom to inform him if any promising talent wished to join, and had expectedly awaited their answer.

However...

“What the hell! There’s no shieldmasters as skilled as Rina, and all the supporters aren’t even as strong as that piece of crap, Lloyd! Somebody freakin’ explain this!”

Allen was furious that the applicants lacked the talent he had hoped for. He was a Hero, one of only four in the whole continent! He was sure that if he started looking, he’d easily find skilled new members—but that changed once he started looking. Reality didn’t live up to his expectations. Not only was there no talent, all the applicants were practically useless...

No, at least one of them had to be good enough. But unfortunately, Allen failed to find the capable adventurers he was looking for. Of course, his expectations were high, but there was another reason none of the applicants lived up to that—the fact that he had failed a quest just days prior. Everyone in town had already heard the news that the Hero’s party had failed, and that one of them had suffered a grave injury. Merchants and travelers had further spread the word, and now, the news had even reached the royal capital. Thus, skilled professionals had chosen not to apply. They had given up on Allen.

“Um... What shall we do? I do not see any applicants of real talent,” asked Sheena, carefully watching Allen’s expression.

Mia and Lulu sat in chairs themselves, seeming quite on edge. An awkward atmosphere filled the room.

“Damn it! There’s nothing else we can do. There are a few that could maybe replace Rina. I mean, they won’t be as good as her, but we don’t have a choice. Our only problem is replacing that piece of crap. We’ve gotta at least find someone who can use storage magic...” said Allen as he checked over the list once again. Unfortunately, no one fit the bill. Two spells were the maximum number of buffs any supporter on the list could cast at once.

“What’ll we do? Should we just go without?” asked Mia, seeing Allen’s hesitation.

As she spoke, Allen picked up another piece of paper—the list of shieldmaster applicants. “I guess this one’s the best of the bunch,” said Allen, glowering at the list.

That’s when there was a sudden knock at the door. They all tilted their heads in curiosity.

“Go check it out, Mia.”

“Yeah... Got it.” Mia left the room.

A few seconds later, a band of knights stepped inside, panting and panicked.

“The knight brigade? What the heck do you guys want?”

“We just received word from the knights investigating the forest via detection magic. A giant horde of monsters is marching straight for the city! There are roughly ten thousand of them, and—”

“Huh?! Ten thousand?!” shouted Allen, shooting into the air. Even Sheena and the others looked shocked. “What the hell are we supposed to do about that?” he asked, but the knight brigade only ever had one reason for their visits. Allen gulped.

“Right... This is an emergency request, and we have thus come to ask for your aid, Sir Hero.” The knights all bowed their heads.

“So, an emergency request...” Unlike the typical quests posted by the Adventurer’s Guild, emergency requests were posted by the knight brigade in times of crisis. As a rule, the Hero’s Party was forced to comply. Unless they were visibly suffering grave injuries or were in too poor health otherwise, failure to do so would mean being rid of the title of Hero. Adventurers besides the Hero could participate as well, but under their own prerogative.

Losing the title of Hero... That was the main difference between typical quests and emergency requests.

“Damn it...” Allen technically had the right to refuse, but it would mean losing his title. What would happen next?

Let’s say, for example, that Allen did lose his title of Hero. While that would still remain his class, he’d lose governmental support and be banned from claiming the title, which was something Allen wanted to avoid. Just the name “Hero” was enough to be lionized by the masses and receive a hefty salary.

But Allen had another reason he couldn’t refuse—his image. Not only would he lose his title, he’d be labeled as a failed Hero who turned down a quest and abandoned his city. He’d be shunned by all no matter where he went. And that would only be worse for Allen than the other Heroes considering he had publicly announced his plans of eradicating the demon race. Refusing this emergency request would be seen as running.

“Damn it! Why now...?!” This emergency request came at the most horrendous timing, but he had no just reason to refuse.

“Well then, Sir Hero. We shall be waiting outside while we call upon the citizens to evacuate,” stated the knight brigade before stepping out of the room.

Allen watched them in silence until they were gone. Then, he turned to Sheena. “Hey. What’ll happen if I refuse?”

“The majority of our operational funds and reward money comes from the state—in other words, taxes imposed on the citizens. You will certainly lose your title. And—”

“The people will hate me, and I’ll no longer be a Hero... But if we make up for our earlier loss here, that’ll get erased from the books, yeah?”

“Huh...?” Sheena hadn’t been expecting those words. She couldn’t hide her surprise.

Allen ignored her. “Hey, Sheena. We can, right?”

“Y-Yes... This is an emergency request, and the city hangs in the balance. Success will not just make up for our previous failure, it will position you above the other three Heroes.”

“I see...” Allen’s smile grew twisted.

“Hey, Allen? You’re not...?” asked Lulu, looking quite nervous. She had a bad feeling about this, and it wasn’t just her. Both Sheena and Mia were looking at Allen with expressions tacitly begging for an explanation.

“All right, guys! Let’s get ready. We’re gonna go rout these monsters and prove to the people that I’m the strongest Hero!” announced Allen, before rushing out of the room.

The others watched him with worry.

***

After completing their preparations, Allen and the others stepped outside their building. While Allen’s expression overflowed with confidence, Sheena and the rest instead seemed nervous.

“Have you finished your preparations, Sir Hero?” asked the knight waiting outside.

“Yup, we’re in perfect shape. No problems here.”

“I see. The Adventurer’s Guild has already posted the quest. Unfortunately, all the S-rank adventurers are currently absent. However...”

According to the knight, adventurers had to be E-rank or above to accept this quest. Though apparently, its difficulty was that typically reserved for D-rank and above. Given the risk to the town, many had insisted on aiding in the quest, and after discussions between the knights and the guild’s preceptor, it was decided that E-rank adventurers be allowed to participate as well.

Naturally, greater numbers meant a greater advantage. However...

“So they’re all B-rank or below...”

This news only filled Mia and the others with more worry. Could they truly defeat such a large horde of monsters with the troops available?

Allen didn’t seem to share their worries. “That’s not gonna be a problem. I’m a Hero! No number of small fry is gonna be enough to defeat me!” His expression seemed to scream, As long as you have me, we’ll make it through!

“Y-You’re right! You truly are amazing, Sir Hero! Us knights will do all in our power to support you!” answered the knight with them.

Allen grunted. “Just make sure you don’t hold us back, you hear?” he said, overflowing with confidence. Their previous failure was just bad luck! There was no way they would lose to a horde of monsters! At least, that’s what Allen still thought. He completely lacked the ability to consider the possibility that it had been his own fault, or to reflect seriously on anything. Instead, all he had was baseless confidence that this time, they definitely wouldn’t lose.

“All right! Take us to the other adventurers!”

“Y-Yes, Sir Hero!” shouted the knights before leading the Hero’s party to the Adventurer’s Guild.

***

“Hey, isn’t that the Hero...?”

“He’s gonna accept the emergency request.”

“But will we be okay? Didn’t they just fail? And I heard one of their members was so badly injured she had to leave.”

“No, that’s gotta just be a fluke. I mean, he’s one of only four Heroes on the whole continent. Sir Allen’s gonna save this city.”

The city’s populace had varied reactions to seeing Allen and his party. His previous failure had certainly changed their impression of him, as before, they would have all certainly rejoiced, saying, “Allen’s gonna save the day!”

But...not anymore. They could see some of Ishtar’s citizens packing their bags and leaving the city.

“Damn it! They should just believe in us and wait here. What dumbasses,” muttered Allen as he watched those with bags. Whenever they happened to meet Allen’s eyes, they would avert their gazes and hurry off elsewhere. “Well, whatever. They’ll be convinced I’m the strongest once we’re done with this emergency request.”

No matter what anyone in town had to say, Allen’s hubristic expression remained firm. Mia and the others followed behind, watching his figure with worry.

***

A few minutes after leaving their building, the knights stopped outside a large, wooden structure.

“We’ve arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, Sir Hero.”

“O-Oh, so this is the place. Wow, it’s really run-down, huh?”

Indeed, the building might have looked dilapidated compared to the one Allen called home, but by the Adventurer’s Guild standards, this was on the nicer side.

The knights responded with awkward smiles. “Well, the building certainly has its history...”

“Whatever. I’m sure this is the last time I’ll be here anyway,” said Allen before opening the door. The eyes of all the adventurers inside turned to face him, but he didn’t cower in fear. Instead, he bravely strutted inside. “Hey! Are you the guys accompanying us on this quest?” he asked, looking slightly disappointed.

“Yeah, we are. Is that a problem?” said one of the adventurers, responding with a question of his own.

“No, I already knew you guys were gonna be weak, but you’re even feebler than I imagined. Still, I never had much hope for you adventurers in the first place, so don’t worry,” responded Allen, patting the adventurer on the shoulder...his expression trying to be calming. He was trying to tell them that since he was there, it would all be okay.

“Wh-What?!” The adventurer couldn’t hold back his fury. He took a swing at Allen, but a nearby knight stepped in, preventing his attack.

“D-Damn it...”

Allen sighed. “I see adventurers are stupid too. Well, I’m sure you all can at least make good meat shields...” he said, flashing a derisive grin to the man being forced down on the ground by the knights.

“What the hell is with this guy?”

“Who cares if you’re the Hero! You’re so damn full of yourself...”

The adventurers were staring daggers at Allen, and their harsh words angered him.

“You damn weaklings,” he said, cursing under his breath with a scowl.

The adventurers couldn’t rein in their anger at Allen’s haughty attitude either. They glowered back at him.

A bystanding knight stepped in to stop Allen, fearing where this would go. “U-Um, Sir Hero? We are tight on time. Let us begin our strategy meeting for dealing with these monsters immediately.”

“Yeah... You’re right.” Allen took a seat in a nearby chair. Then he haughtily began to explain his plan. “This is what I’ve thought up. First, the guys who can use magic fire off their strongest spells, the big bangs and booms. Then me, the knights, and the other offensive class adventurers will buy time until the mages can cast their spells again. That’ll be enough to take care of these monsters,” said Allen, clearly seeing no problem with this plan at all.

“Huh?” But the knights, adventurers, and even the other members of his party stood there with mouths agape.

Allen looked at them curiously. He hadn’t expected this reaction. “What? You’ve got a problem?” he asked, glaring at them all.

“Um, I’m a mage, but I can’t use such strong spells...”

“Me neither.”

The adventurers began to express their worries, which was only natural. They were all B-rank or below. Naturally, none were capable of the magic Allen was expecting.

But one voice among them was most surprising. “Hmm... I’m not very confident either,” said Mia, her worry clear from her expression. After their failed quest, she had ventured into the forest alone to test out her spells. Through much trial and error, she had cast spells over and over until she had depleted her mana, but none were as effective as they once were.

Thus, she knew that she would never be capable of her previous feats again and was now weak, though she didn’t know the reason.

“You’re still worried about that, Mia? You just happened to be in a rut back then. It’s nothing to worry about,” Allen said, attempting to cheer her up despite his ignorance.

But Mia shook her head. “No... I tried to cast magic over and over, again and again! But I couldn’t manage a single spell as strong as they used to be,” she said, hanging her head and looking completely defeated.

“What’s gotten into you? Hey, Lulu, Sheena, say something!” Allen urged the others to try to cheer her up, so they frantically tried to offer her words of comfort.

“Allen’s right! It was just a fluke. Don’t worry about it!” said Lulu.

“Indeed. Do not let a single failure weigh too much on your mind.”

Allen was certain that their comforting words would whip Mia back into shape. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to convince her once again. “See? They agree. And I’m here. With me, these monsters are—”

“But Allen... You haven’t trained for a while now. Even after we failed that quest, you just said you were fine and never even tried to train.” The words Mia spoke had the knights and adventurers all looking at Allen.

“N-No, of course I...” She had hit him where it hurts. He tried to think of an excuse in a panic. Regardless of whether they failed that quest, he had wanted his failure to train to remain a secret. “Th-That’s it. You see, I was busy! We needed to find new members. You all understand that, right?” He offered a desperate lie, but Mia didn’t listen. Instead, her face only grew sullener, while the knights’ and adventurers’ grew exasperated. They let out huge sighs.

“I... I can’t do this anymore. You used to try so hard! You used to glow! But not anymore. You’re no longer the Allen I fell in love with!” announced Mia, shaking her arm free of Allen’s and throwing down her staff before bolting out of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“H-Hey! Wait!” Allen outstretched his hand, but all he grabbed was air. “Mia! Let’s talk this out, and—!” He went to chase after her, but a knight held him back. “You bastard! What the hell are you doing?! I’ve gotta go after her!”

“No, what the hell are you doing?”

“Huh?” Allen wasn’t expecting to hear such harsh words from a knight. “What did you just—?”

“Hero or not, if your comrade’s been injured, you need to train to ensure that never happens again!”

“Huh? I’m the Hero! Training is for—”

“Shut up.” The knight glared at Allen, looking absolutely fed up. “To think you would lose a comrade and still just sit on your laurels! You are no Hero. That may be your class, but you have no right to use that name!” he said before shoving Allen.

He slammed into the wall. “Agh! That hurt! What the hell are you doing?!”

“You are far too weak for a Hero. We have no need for you. You’re nothing but a nuisance. Leave here immediately.”

“Huh?! What the hell?! Without me, you guys are—”

“Hey, Allen? Let’s leave.” Lulu stood before him.

“Huh? Why would I...?”

Lulu glanced around them, prompting Allen to do the same.

“Wh-What...?”

All the knights and adventurers were glaring at him, some like they were looking at mere crap. There was no longer a place for Allen within the Adventurer’s Guild.

“What the hell?!” cursed Allen before standing back to his feet. The glares demanded his disappearance, and they pierced his skin. “I don’t give a damn what happens to you guys!”

“You will be no help to us. If anything, you’ll only get in our way.”

“Oh, yeah? Lulu, Sheena, we’re leaving this town. Like I’m gonna deal with these bastards!” Thus, Allen dragged Lulu and Sheena with him out of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“What the hell are we supposed to do now...?”

“The bastards in the Hero’s party ran for it!”

“This horde has ten thousand monsters! We’ll be no match for them...”

Murmurs began to break out from the adventurers. They had all gathered with the intention of defending the town, but they knew well they lacked the strength needed to do so.

So then why had they accepted this quest? That was because of the Hero. Heroes received special quests from the nation and were recognized as capable of defending the people from the threat of monsters. They were supposed to be the strongest forces on the continent, the greatest powers afforded to the kingdom, empire, and principality. One of those very Heroes was going to fight to protect this town! And hearing that from the knights, the adventurers had decided to participate in this quest.

However...

“I mean, was that guy really a Hero?”

“Wasn’t he weak?”

“The rumors say he’s the strongest of them all, but...”

The Hero that had appeared before them was not the man they thought he was. It only caused their anxieties to balloon.

“Hey, knights! This wasn’t what you told us!” One of the adventures begged the knights for an explanation.

“I sincerely apologize... Even we didn’t think the Hero was such a man. The last time we witnessed him in battle, he was incredibly strong, and he worked well with his comrades. His strategies were excellent. Just why...?” The knight that had shoved Allen—who seemed to be the captain of the brigade—lowered his head. A few dozen knights followed in his footsteps.

They hadn’t foreseen these circumstances either. This was not their first encounter with the Hero, and many had witnessed him in battle on multiple occasions. Back then, his party was perfectly coordinated, and he deserved his title without doubt. That was why they were so confused.

“Just what happened to the Hero’s party...?”

That’s when the door to the Adventurer’s Guild swung open. There stood a woman adorned with armor and missing her left hand.

“L-Lady Rina?” asked one of the knights.

“Yes, that’s right. I may not be of much help, but please allow me to aid you in this quest,” she said, bowing her head. Her shield was strapped to her back, illustrating her genuine desire to fight.

“B-But...” The knights glanced at her left arm. The knights and adventurers—rather, everyone in town—knew that she had lost her hand. It was clear that she could no longer fight like she used to. Rina even knew that herself.

“As you all must already think, I can no longer fight like I once could. I may not be able to aid you at all, but...I can at least serve as a wall to protect you. So, please. Let me fight with you,” she said, bowing once again.

The adventurers glanced at each other. “Well, why not let her join?”

“I agree. I’ve heard that Rina is an amazing shieldmaster. I’m sure that she’s plenty strong, even with only one arm.”

The adventurers were in agreement. And the knights...

“We would much appreciate your aid.”

“Yeah... Lady Rina is as strong as a hundred men! I’m sure she’ll be much more help to us than that Hero.”

They were in agreement as well.

Rina once again bowed. “My apologies... I may only stand in your way, but I look forward to fighting by your sides.”

“Yes, us too. But don’t push yourself too hard, okay? If there’s anything you can tell us, please do.”

“Well, perhaps this is a bit sudden, but are you knights familiar with a man named Lloyd?” she asked.

“Lloyd? That’s...the white mage who was recently kicked out of the Hero’s party, yes?”

“Indeed.”

“What about him?” The knights were clearly confused.

“Recently, I realized that it was not the Hero Allen or the holy maiden Sheena who had ensured our continuous success, but the white mage Lloyd.”

“Wh-What do you...?”

Suddenly, the knights remembered that until shortly before the Hero’s party had failed their quest, Lloyd had been with them. They had completely forgotten about him. Supporters never fought on the battlefield and instead lay low near the rear. Unlike healing classes, they provided invisible support. Even among famous parties, it was common to know the names of all members besides the supporter.

“That’s right. It was Lloyd who gave the orders last time...”

“Yes, it was. And thinking back now, it was Lloyd who improved upon Allen’s plans. I’m certain that it was thanks to him that we suffered no failures. His magic improved our own capabilities, and yet I was so rude to him...”

An adventurer raised his hand. “U-Um...”

“Hmm? What?”

“O-Oh, it’s just that a few days ago, the S-rank adventurer Yui brought a white mage named Lloyd here.”

“R-Really?! Where is he now...?”

“A few days prior, he accepted a quest alongside Yui and her party to exterminate high wolves in a faraway farm.” An old man appeared from within the Adventurer’s Guild—Vice Chief Ulgo.

“S-So? When will he be back?”

“Hmm... The farm is a few days’ journey by foot.”

Hearing this, Rina let out a sigh of relief. She had worried that Lloyd was no longer in Ishtar and had left for good. However, if he was gone on a quest, that meant he would return.

“Then he will be returning to town with the S-rank adventurers, yes?”

“Yes, he shall...”

“All right. Perhaps we can make it out of this,” whispered Rina. The knights watched her curiously. “You may object to this idea, but will you hear me out anyway?”

They all offered a silent nod.

Chapter 5: The Mysterious Beastwoman

“L-Lloyd? What are you doing?” Daggers watched me incredulously as I stared at the ground and circled the same spot. Yui and the others shared similar expressions.

“Hey, Lloyd? What are you up to? Weren’t we gonna rush in?”

“Yeah, that’s why I was trying to figure out where to enter from.” I used my detection magic to feel out the place and locate the exact positions of the demons. All right, this seemed like the spot. “Silica, you can use earth magic, right?”

“Yes, I can. But you don’t mean...?”

“Yes, I do. We’re breaking in from here.” Then, we’d immediately launch a surprise attack on the enemies below. “First, get a grasp on our enemies’ positions, then collapse the ground exactly where I tell you. But be careful not to hit the beastman.”

“Why? Aren’t they our enemy?” Cross was right. There was a good chance this beastman was our foe, and that we needed to defeat them. But something was off.

“I’m not sure why, but...my detection magic barely picks up on that signal.”

Detection magic was a spell that searches and senses for MP. Given our proximity, I could tell exactly the nature and strength of a signal’s magic. But what I sensed was far too weak given the beastman’s capabilities. The only explanation I could think of was...

“They’re weakened for some reason.” Had they depleted too much MP? In any case, collapsing the ground could kill them, so we had to adjust the spell’s strength to keep it from doing so. We needed to make sure they remained alive.

“So, have you figured out a plan?”

“Yeah, I’ve already calculated where we should collapse the earth. All that’s left is to put it into action.” Well, then...

“Anyway, I guess it’s time.”

***

“Yes... Our plan is going swimmingly!”

“Bwah hah hah! I’m sure those S-rank adventurers are dead by now!”

“The monsters will soon be attacking the city...”

“And we’ve got another ace up our sleeves too! I can’t believe two of the Four Fiends are aiding us.”

“Yes, let’s hurry up and ruin them!”

The demons’ voices reverberated beneath the ground.

The lips of one demon stretched into an unsettling grin. “Yeah, that sham of a Hero will...”

That’s when the ceiling began to violently shake and clamorously rumble.

“Wh-What?!”

“The ceiling’s shaking!”

“This cavern’s too strong to crumble from an earthquake!”

“Th-Then what do we do?!”

The demons panicked. Dirt began to rain down on them.

“Agh! Damn it!”

The ceiling began to collapse, burying the demons alive and filling the underground space.

“Agh! Wh-What the hell?!” muttered one of the demons as he looked around the room. He was worse for wear, and couldn’t see any of his fellow demons. “Were they buried? Then what about the beastgirl...?!”

All blood rushed from his face as he desperately began to search for the beastwoman. That’s when a man jumped down from above the collapsed ceiling.

“Wh-Who the hell are you?!”

The man silently pulled out a rope.

“Where’d you get that?! Wait, huh?! Hold on! What are you...?!”

Then, he tied up the demon, gagging him to prevent him from chanting any spells.

“Mm-hmm...! Ngh!” With his limbs and mouth bound, the demon was left writhing on the floor. He couldn’t use any magic.

“All right, we’re done here,” I muttered, staring down at the struggling demon. Then, I looked back above. Having tied up the demon and confirmed that he was alone, I ordered Yui and the others—who were waiting above—to come down. As I waited, I held the demon in check.

“That was easier than I expected.” We had targeted the one demon most skilled in magic among the seven, since as long as his mouth was forced shut, he couldn’t cast any spells. At least, that was true as far as I knew...

“I guess even demons need a staff to cast magic.”

I didn’t know a lot about demons, honestly, making this a dangerous gamble that depended on if the guy I had tied up could cast magic while gagged or not.

“You okay, Lloyd?” asked Daggers as he hurried down.

“Yeah, no problems here. All’s going according to plan.”

“I see. And the other demons?”

“I think the other six died immediately, but go and make sure. Oh, and work in pairs.”

There was no knowing what might happen. If one lived, they might be as strong as an S-rank adventurer...or even stronger. It was a real possibility.

“We don’t know how strong these guys are, so be careful.”

“Got it! Let’s go, Daggers!” answered Yui. Then, the two went off in search of demons.

“Cross, Silica! Could you search for the beastman? They shouldn’t be dead. We’ll need their powers, so I want to capture them alive if we can.”

“Got it...”

Cross and Silica dashed off, headed right to where I sent them.

After a short while, Yui and Daggers returned. They didn’t seem to be injured.

“Are you two okay?”

“One was alive, but barely. We finished him off, but he was a goner regardless.”

“I see. Sorry, and thanks.”

“It’s fine! We’re fighters, after all!” said Yui.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I needed to keep my focus on what lay ahead. Our battle wasn’t over quite yet.

“Hey, Lloyd! Hurry here!” Cross’s voice snapped me out of my pondering. He sounded rather panicked.

“Yui, Daggers, can you take this guy? I’m gonna go on ahead to where Cross is.”

“Got it! Leave this guy to us!”

I handed the demon over to Yui and Daggers and rushed to where Cross was. Based on what I heard, there didn’t seem to be a battle, but he had still sounded rather panicked. Just what was...?

“Lloyd, over here!” I saw Cross waving his hand.

“Cross, Silica? What’s...?”

“Lloyd, she’s...” I looked in the direction of Silica’s pointed finger. There was the beastwoman. She was slumped over, her arms chained and her body covered in cuts and bruises. She was awfully gaunt, and her limbs looked feeble enough to snap at any moment.

“This is...”

So that was why the magic signal was so weak. She was here.

“This...doesn’t look good,” I muttered. I heard Silica and Cross gulp.

This was really bad.

***

“Hey, Lloyd? Can we really help her?”

“She seems quite weak, and she’s terribly wounded...”

Cross and Silica were right. The demons had barely kept the beastwoman alive. There were no cuts or bruises near her vitals, probably because they were trying not to kill her. But they hadn’t minded what happened to her as long as she survived. Based on what we could tell about her treatment, that was the extent of the demons’ care.

This was terrible...

At first, I had contemplated keeping all the demons alive and taking them as prisoners to Ishtar, but now I was glad I hadn’t tried to lead such a dangerous group to the city. Innocent civilians could have been hurt.

“Lloyd, who’s...?” Yui asked.

“A beastwoman, huh? Her wounds look terrible,” Daggers observed.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” I said.

I could tell she was weak, and she seemed to have been confined here for more than just a few days given her feebleness. At least a few months must have passed—maybe even a year. But while her injuries were one thing, the emotional and physical damage of such a long period of confinement couldn’t be healed with magic. She was unconscious, but I wasn’t sure her sanity was still intact.

“Hey, Lloyd? We have to help her.”

“Yeah... But healing her comes later. We need to get out of here before it collapses.”

I was dying to heal her wounds, but we had to put that off for now. When we had collapsed the ground above to get inside, it left a wide stretch of earthen canopy above compromised. It could collapse at any moment.

Traversing the underground with the demon and beastwoman in tow was dangerous, as it would take us time to make it outside. The best way to minimize the risk of collapse and make it out of here as fast as possible was...

“Yui, can you cut her chains from the wall?”

“Of course! Iron stands no chance against me!” she said, tossing the demon on the ground before swinging her sword with all her might, severing the chains. She had buffs cast on her, but her strength was still jaw-dropping.

“Silica, can you lift the ground up to the ceiling?”

“Y-Yes! I can!”

“Daggers, I strengthened your shield. Are you good to go?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“All right! Do it, Silica!”

“Right!” Silica took her staff into her hands and began her enchantment. Once she was done, the earth began to swell and slowly rose up to the ceiling. At the same time, Daggers pointed his shield upward and focused his strength to his hips. He used his shield to pierce the dirt, breaking us through to the surface. My plan had worked even better than I had expected. Our escape had depended on teamwork, which meant I could have never managed it on my own.

But our relief lasted only an instant. The force of us breaking through caused the unstable ground to suddenly begin to crumble. There was no knowing how much would fall.

“Crap! We need to get away from here! Yui, can you carry the demon?” We had to keep him alive for now.

“I dunno...but I’ll try!”

“Right. If you can’t handle it, toss him and run for it!”

“All righty! I definitely don’t wanna die alongside this guy!”

I carried the beastwoman on my back, while Yui held the demon. Then, we dashed off, kicking hard into the ground to make our escape. We accelerated in a flash. Fortunately, the beastwoman was disturbingly light, so it was easy enough for me to maneuver.

The sound of collapsing earth chased after us. Apparently, this whole area had been part of the demons’ secret lair, and they had many more rooms than the underground space we had observed. That was a surprise.

The collapsing earth followed right on our tails as we made a desperate dash for safety within the forest. Getting caught up in the cave-in would mean being buried alive. We’d die, and personally, I didn’t want that. With nothing but survival on our minds, we made a full-throttle sprint through the collapsing trees.

***

“Phew... That was close,” muttered Yui, tossing the demon on the ground.

“Sorry. I’m the reason you had the most dangerous job of us all.” I had wanted to be the one to carry the demon if possible, but Yui had been positioned closer, and Daggers had needed to carry his shield. It would have been a difficult job for Silica or Cross as well. Plus, I was pretty confident that no matter how many buffs I cast on myself, I wouldn’t be able to hold a candle to Yui. To ensure the survival of everyone, I had no choice but to leave the job to her.

Though still, I did feel bad about it. “Yui, I’m really sorry,” I said, bowing my head.

“It’s fine! We’re a party, right? It’s only natural that we’d help each other out!”

“But...”

“No ‘buts’! It’s fine! Plus...” Yui glanced at the demon collapsed on the ground and the girl still on my back. “We’ve gotta figure out what to do with these guys.”

The girl—the beastwoman—was probably our first priority. We could leave the demon for later. Given his current state, he couldn’t bite off his tongue, nor could he use magic. Both suicide and escape would be impossible, which meant healing the girl on the brink of death came first.

“Can you heal her, Lloyd?”

“Her wounds, at least.” As long as her sanity remained somewhat intact, she may still be able to recover it slowly, though I wasn’t certain. “In any case, let me at least heal her injuries.” I gently laid her on the ground and cast my magic. “Heal.”

That was a recovery spell, and the healing magic I was the most skilled at. The majority of white mages could likely cast the spell, and since it was so simple, it was easy to improve upon. She had no grave or life-threatening injuries, which meant that rather than casting a grand healing spell that depleted a lot of MP, it would be more effective to cast Heal multiple times.

“Wow... Her wounds are disappearing!”

“Lloyd, was Heal always such an amazing spell?” asked Silica, her eyes wide.

Though I didn’t remember doing anything so awe-inspiring. Yes, I had improved the spell, but I was a supporter. It would have been much more effective to cast a buff on a healing class and have them use the base spell. Not to mention, a supporter class like a white mage depleted twice the amount of MP when casting recovery magic as a healing class. It could hardly be considered efficient, especially if you were using an improved version of the spell. That’s why I had never cast any recovery magic myself while I still belonged to the Hero’s party.

“I’m just a white mage, and it’s a spell even I can use. I did improve it, but that’s nothing impressive.”

“Wait, Lloyd...again? I think messing with spells itself is crazy amazing enough,” muttered Yui.

“She’s right, Lloyd. Adventurers don’t typically fine-tune their spells,” said Silica.

“Really?” But Master Merlin didn’t just improve spells, she invented her own.

“Well, let’s just let him be. After a few days with Lloyd, we already knew he wasn’t too good with common sense,” said Daggers.

“Yeah, you’re right. No need to let it bother us now!”

After healing her wounds, I looked down at the sleeping beastwoman. I had mended her outer wounds and bruises, which were all the injuries I could. But the damage she had accumulated—her exhaustion and weakness—had yet to recover.

“Let’s let her sleep for a little while longer.” Once she woke up, I’d cast Refresh, a mental recovery spell. Though I wasn’t expecting it to help much...

“First, let’s get that demon to cough up some intel. It’s clear they were plotting something.” I picked up my weapon and positioned Silica and Cross to attack him from a distance. The rest of us surrounded him.

The demon panted. “Why the hell are you still alive?!” He glared at us, seemingly awfully shocked to see us still breathing. So these demons really were the perpetrators.

“That doesn’t matter. Tell us what you’re after, and nothing more.”

Daggers held the demon on the ground, while Yui pointed her blade at his neck.

“Eek!”

“Hurry up and spit it out! We’ve got places to be!” shouted Yui.

The demon seemed quite terrified at the sight of her sword. But for just a moment, he let slip a wicked grin. “Well, whatever. You guys won’t make it in time anyway. Once you get to Ishtar, the city will have already fallen...to our giant monster horde!”

“Huh...?!”

“A giant horde of monsters is heading straight for Ishtar! And some of them are buffed, the very type that so easily defeated the Hero and his friends just days ago!”

“Buffed monsters...? You mean you cast strengthening spells on them?”

“Not exactly, but you’ve got the idea. They were created by one of the Four Fiends, someone you weaklings have no chance against! Killing me...solves nothing!” The demon impaled his own throat on Yui’s blade.

“Huh?! Why...?” Yui hurried to retract her blade, but the demon had already died, a smile still on his lips.

“Damn it! He was just trying to waste our time!”

“This is bad. If what he said was true, then...” I immediately activated my detection magic, expanding its scope to search for the monsters. “It is true.”

“Huh?! Then that horde of monsters is already...?” Yui looked at me with an expression of pure terror.

“No, they’re not there quite yet. The hordes’ attacking force are traversing the area a short distance from the city. They number...around ten thousand.”

“Huh?! T-Ten thousand?!”

The demons had gathered all the monsters in the forest.

“Lloyd, we’ve gotta hurry...!”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

I once again picked up the beastwoman on my back. Then, we ran straight for Ishtar.

Chapter 6: The Battle to Defend Ishtar

A few hours had passed since the Hero had left the Adventurer’s Guild. In a cleared swatch of land between the city and the forest, the adventurers and knights prepared for battle. Using shovels and earth magic, they dug into the dirt to create higher ground. Their progress was steady.

“Is this all right?” asked one of the knights to Vice Chief Ulgo, the second-in-command of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“Yes, that shall be fine,” he responded.

A deep moat spread out before the knights. It had been dug in only the direction of the monsters’ impending invasion, measuring three meters deep and four meters wide. It led to a dam, which was still under construction. As this was an emergency, they had received special permission from the nobles ruling this land to use it.

“Um... Will all this truly be enough?”

“Well, it shall certainly buy us some time. The rest relies on how fast Yui and her comrades can get here.”

“I see...” said the knight, looking rather worried. It was a natural reaction. None had opposed Rina’s plan, but they all had their doubts. They were putting their lives in the hands of a stranger, after all.

But they had all decided to remain regardless. They loathed abandoning the city. They wanted to protect the citizens who thought of them so fondly, or their families, or lovers... Those various wishes and hopes had realized their current situation.

“It’s too late to run anyway,” muttered one of the adventurers who watched the forest from the high ground. He could see the monster horde. A hodgepodge of beasts was marching on the city.

“They’re here! It’s the monster horde!”

“Right... Everyone, into position!” yelled one of the knights, making sure he was loud enough for all to hear. Those with heavy shields and swords stood in a line behind the moat. At their back were archers who had already readied their bows, and behind them were mages lying in wait with their staves.

“Archers, fire!” At the knight’s command, a flurry of arrows shot forth from behind. They pierced the monsters on the front lines, delaying the horde’s arrival.

However, not all of the archers were very experienced. While some arrows buried themselves deep into the monsters’ flesh, others only grazed them. Though given their great numbers, almost every arrow had hit a target. At the very least, the knights and adventurers had succeeded in damaging the horde. It was only slight, but they could tell the beasts’ advance had slowed. Some of the monsters even collapsed and stumbled. Their attack certainly had an effect.

The archers repeated their attacks, slowing down the horde further and forcing the beasts out of formation. But it wasn’t enough to stop their advance.

Even so, the knights and adventurers had predicted this and had easily imagined that the archers alone would not be enough to prevent this siege. Once the monsters had begun to close in on the city, the knight commander barked his next orders. “You’re up, shields!”

“Yessir!” The knights and adventurers equipped with large shields used them to create a defensive wall near the moat. Among them was a shieldmaster wielding hers in only one hand—Rina.

“You bastards!”

The knights and adventurers knocked down the monsters leaping over the moat. They fell inside, gradually filling the crevice. The beasts fell one after another, slowly accumulating inside.

“It’s almost time,” muttered a knight watching the moat from his vantage point. It was already half full, and it was no longer possible to see its bottom. No monsters had been killed, and they bumped and writhed against each other inside. One knight watched this scene, trying to judge the right timing.

“All right, magic unit! Fire!”

“Fireball!”

Dozens of fireballs erupted from the magic unit standing behind the archers. They burst through the shield unit, passing over the moat and slamming right into the monsters. Their flaming forms dropped into the moat.

Fireball was a beginner spell that any mage could use. The allure of this spell was its accuracy, combined with a low MP cost. Once a mage grew accustomed to the spell, they could fire it in rapid succession. While beginner, it was a convenient skill that even advanced mages would frequently utilize.

“We’re doing fine, right, Vice Chief Ulgo?!”

“Indeed... All is going according to plan.” He had been watching over the proceedings and sounded quite pleased with their performance. For now, the plan was certainly proving a success. No monster had broken through their defenses, and they had yet to suffer a single casualty.

“How amazing... This really is buying us time.”

The flaming forms of the monsters who had been hit with fireballs toppled into the moat, causing the flames to spread to others. Beasts were being roasted alive one after another, filling the moat with amorphous corpses. Some still exhibited slight movement, but this was no longer the energetic horde it once was. Plus, the monsters who had noticed the flames halted in their tracks.

“Rumi, Ange! You’re up!”

“R-Right!”

“Roger that!”

Two girls positioned beside the moat barked their response. They were B-rank mages, and thus the most elite fighters in this battle.

“Aqua Wave!” As soon as they cast their enchantment, water spurted forth from their staves—not at monsters, but into the moat. It washed away the monster corpses, as well as excess dirt, causing the moat to both widen and deepen. Now, they would repeat that process. That was the plan Rina and Ulgo had devised.

“Now it’s simply a fight against time.”

They had gathered up all the MP recovery potions—mana potions—in town. One half had come from the reserves of the knight brigade, while the other had been provided free of charge by shopkeepers concerned for the city’s safety. Thanks to them, they had a mighty stockpile, though one that was still limited. What would come first? Them running out of mana potions and losing their means of defending the city, or the arrival of Yui and her party? It was a complete toss-up.

Nerves filled the combatants as time marched forward and their potion stockpile depleted at a rapid pace.

“They’re still...not here?” muttered a knight as he examined the pile. Their once abundant stock was already reduced to less than half of what it was, and they had fired a hefty number of their arrows as well. They were running out of both supplies and stamina. The knight wasn’t alone in his fears—all present shared them.

“Damn it! We can’t hold them off for much longer!”

The shield unit on the front lines was worse for wear. Their equipment was rattled, and their bodies covered in wounds. Still, they fought on, even while many were on the verge of collapse.

But the monsters didn’t let up in their siege.

“I’m...at my limit...!” A man in the shield unit collapsed. He was an adventurer who had just climbed to E-rank.

The monsters didn’t ignore the gap. They immediately attempted to break through.

“I won’t let you!” Rina blocked the monster with her shield. It bounced off it, then fell into the moat.

The E-rank panted. “Thanks, Rina.”

“Don’t mention it. You did well for an E-rank adventurer. Rest up.”

“Th-Thank you,” he said, dragging his heavy body off of the battlefield. He had been the first, but the lower-ranked adventurers started to fall one after another, further opening the hole. Their formation gradually collapsed, encumbering the remaining adventurers and knights with an even heavier burden, and thus heavier exhaustion.

“This is bad. At this rate...!”

That’s when a maelstrom of fire swept over the monster horde, reducing them to cinders in a flash—a sudden attack from the opposite direction. They all focused their eyes on its source.

“Th-That’s...” Beyond the adventurer’s pointed finger were Yui and her four comrades, plus the beastwoman carried on Lloyd’s back.

***

Damn it...

I was glad we had made it in time, but I had accidentally forced Silica to suddenly cast a spell—a big one. It must have heavily depleted her MP.

“Silica, are you all right?”

“Yes, I can keep going.” She really was an S-rank adventurer. Her MP exceeded my own. Normally, such a spell would be enough to completely wipe out a mage, but her skills rivaled Mia’s, the mage of the Hero’s party—or perhaps even exceeded them.

“Lloyd, what do we do?”

“Sorry, let me think.”

I couldn’t get a grasp on the situation until we arrived, so I hadn’t thought up a plan. Plus...

“Hey, I’ve been giving the orders, but isn’t that Daggers’s job?” I had just been hired, and I wasn’t an official member of this party. Wasn’t it wrong for me to command them?

“Huh? You’re asking that after all this time? You’re great at giving commands, and you know a lot about monsters. Plus, it was always our supporter, Crumb, who did that job anyway. It was never mine in the first place.”

“Huh...” I was only just realizing how little I knew about everyone. Really, the only thing I did know was that they were great adventurers, and that they were kind...

“Are you really okay with me taking charge?”

“Yeah, of course. No one’s going to object to that, right?” asked Daggers.

“Of course not! We’d have never made it this far without you, Lloyd,” said Yui.

“Yeah, she’s right.”

“I think so too. Please take good care of us!”

I was a bit troubled by those words, but if they trusted me, then I had to do it. I was getting paid, after all. “Got it. First, let’s avoid the monsters and meet up with the knights. I want to get a grasp on the situation.”

“Right. Do we engage with the monsters?”

“Avoid it as much as possible. Intel comes first.”

I had cast too many spells over the past few days, leaving my mana depleted. Silica was likely in the same boat. Plus, Cross had used up a lot of his arrows to fight the high wolves. It’d be bad for us to rush into a fight. First, we needed to recover.

“Yui, Daggers, can you lead the way? We’re going to take the route with the least monsters.”

“All righty! Leave it to me!”

“Got it.”

Daggers and Yui took the helm, their weapons in hand. They routed the monsters that attacked us as we rushed to our destination. We made it near the knights in a flash. A unit of shields stood in a line, keeping the monsters at bay.

“Ack! That was close!” Yui, our line leader, suddenly leaped into the air.

“Yui, what are you—?” Oh. So that was it. Once I made it to where she had jumped, I noticed the giant moat. I hurried to leap as well and cleared the moat. “Huh, so that’s how they were fending off the horde.”

I wouldn’t have been able to make the jump without my buffs. That’s how big it was, and the sides and bottom were damp. Had they used water magic to widen the moat?

“Are you Sir Lloyd and the S-rank adventurers?” asked one of the knights who approached as soon as he realized our presence.

“We are. Can you explain the situation? I want to know our supply reserves, how many are in the fight, and... Where’s Allen?” I glanced around, but didn’t catch sight of the Hero’s party. Were they fighting elsewhere?

“The Hero...is absent. I believe he’s home.”

Home? That had to be the building constructed especially for the Hero and his party. “Why? Isn’t this an emergency request?”

Their participation in emergency requests was compulsory, which was only natural considering the funds and aid they received from the government. What were they doing at a time like this? “What happened? Is there a reason they couldn’t fight?”

“No, there was just a bit of a skirmish at the Adventurer’s Guild...”

“That’s his reason?”

“Y-Yes.”

Fury began to bubble up in my chest. A small skirmish? He had abandoned defending the city because of that? People’s lives were on the line! Was he afraid? No, that couldn’t be it.

But then, why had he even accepted the title of Hero in the first place? Not to mention, Allen had been publicly announcing that he was “the strongest hero” and that “the city was safe as long as I’m here!” He even promised to eradicate the demons. He wasn’t a child, so why...?

“Allen...”

“Sir Lloyd, they are no help to us now. Our only hope is you and the S-rank adventurers.”

I see... Wait. Huh? Why me?

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Both of us stared at each other, looking dumbfounded.

“I heard your skills are quite amazing, Sir Lloyd.”

“No, not at all. I’m just a third-rate white mage. I get having hope in Yui and her party, but...”

What was happening? I didn’t understand him at all. The Hero’s party had abandoned this emergency request, so why have hope in me, whom they had kicked out? I just didn’t get it.

“I was banished from the Hero’s party for being too weak.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

This discussion was going nowhere, and there was no time for that. “Whatever. Let’s talk about this later. What’s the current situation?”

“Um, well...”

The knight explained as follows: Currently, the knights and adventurers were fighting to keep the monsters out of town, but the situation didn’t look very good. They were even more wanting for numbers than supplies. The lower-ranked adventurers had already dropped out of the battle, meaning they had already lost plenty of manpower. At present, they were barely keeping the monsters from invading the city.

“Then, do you still have mana potions and arrows?”

“Yes, we do...”

But still, there were only fifty combatants left standing, and we were fighting ten thousand, about a hundred of them secretly buffed. Could we really win?

“What do we do...?” Learning of the situation only left me more distraught for an answer.

“Sir Lloyd, at this rate, we’ll...”

We faced complete despair.

That’s when the beastwoman on my back suddenly awoke.

***

“Where am I...?” I heard the raspy voice of a woman from my back—my literal back.

“You awake?” I glanced over my shoulder at the beastwoman, who was now conscious.

Thank goodness... She had finally woken up.

“Can you speak?”

“Huh? Oh, y-yes...” She was calmer than I had been expecting. Not only could she speak, she didn’t seem to be suffering from any major psychological damage. “Um... Where are we?” she asked, glancing around.

“We’re in the city of Ishtar, which is inside the kingdom. Are you familiar?”

“Ishtar... Yes, I’ve heard of it before.”

“I see...” If she had only heard of it, that meant she had never visited. I was usually quite ignorant, but I was oddly knowledgeable about this sort of thing. “What were you doing back there?”

“That’s right! What happened to them?!” she asked in a panic after seemingly and suddenly recalling some memories.

“Them? Were there other beastmen with you?” She was the only signal I had picked up on with my detection magic. Was there something I had failed to sense?

“No... The monsters! They were being controlled by magic.”

“Oh, about that...” I glanced at the monster horde.

“How awful...!” Color drained from the beastwoman’s face as she watched the swarm. So, the two really were related.

“Is this your doing?”

“I-It is.”

“What’s your name?”

“Um, it’s Cl... Claire.” She seemed to hesitate for a moment. Had she given me a fake name? Well, if she had a reason to hide her identity, I shouldn’t be pressing her about it. There were more important things.

“Can you control monsters, Claire?”

“I can, but...my mother always told me it was taboo to manipulate them.” So she had been banned from it. I guess that made sense. Not even the Heroes could control monsters, and if used irresponsibly, it could even topple entire cities—like what was happening right now.

“I understand it’s taboo. But we don’t have much time. If we leave things as they are, the monsters will attack the city. Can you change that?”

Claire pondered this for a moment. “If I don’t use my magic, then what will happen to the monsters?”

“All of them will die. That’s the only future I can see waiting for them.”

“B-But...” Though it was exactly because killing them would be impossible that I was trying to rely on her powers. “I’d like to agree to your plan, but as I am now...”

I could tell just from carrying her that she had run out of MP, and that her body was terribly emaciated. She likely couldn’t cast proper magic even if she wanted to.

“What if I replenished your MP and supported your magic?”

“You can do that?”

“Yeah.” My skills were limited, but if it would help her, then...

“I’ll give it a try. I think it might be possible, but without a rather skilled supporter, then...” She glanced at me as she trailed off.

“Well, I’m technically a supporter.”

“Um, would you be willing to try? If we don’t, then...then those poor monsters will be forced into attacking the city,” she said, watching the monsters with doleful eyes. The fact she had called them “those poor monsters” suggested as much, but I could tell she really cared for the beasts.

“Got it. I’ll try. But first...” I glanced back at the knight. “Do you have any mana potions?”

“Yes, we still have some left.”

“Could I have about ten of them?”

“You can, but what do you plan to use them for?” That’s when Yui and the others approached. She put her hand on the knight’s shoulder. “Lady Yui?”

“Don’t worry! Lloyd will figure this out for sure!” she said, urging me to hurry with her hand. “You’ve got a plan, right?”

“Well, it’s got a low chance of success, but I want to at least try it. You guys go and keep the monsters in check. I’ll be undoing your buffs for a bit. Is that all right?”

“Of course! We’re plenty strong without your buffs.” They really were S-rank adventurers... How reassuring.

“Do your best out there,” I said before dashing over to where the mana potions were stored. I secured a few and stowed them away with my storage magic. Then, we climbed up to the high ground where I could get a good look at our surroundings.

“Claire, take this.”

“Right.” Her thin arms trembled as she took the potion. Then, she slowly drank the contents. Once I ensured she had drunk the whole thing, I took the empty bottle from her.

“Let’s do this, then.”

Claire silently nodded back.

I also drank a mana potion before activating my magic, undoing the buffs on Yui and the rest to instead focus on strengthening Claire alone.

“Huh...?!” Her eyes shot wide open.

There was probably no use for physical strength, defense, or status effect annulment buffs here. I drank another mana potion before casting another spell. “I’ve activated mana transfer. I don’t have much left, but use what there is.” I supported Clare’s magic by becoming her mana tank. “Do you think you can do this?”

“Yes... I won’t be able to control all of them, but my words should reach the majority.”

Relief washed over me. I was glad my magic could be of use to her.

“Um...?”

“What is it?”

“Who and what are you, exactly?”

What was I? All I could do was look back at her in confusion. “Nobody suspicious.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. This is my first time experiencing such amazing support magic...” She spoke too quietly to pick up the rest of her sentence. Well, whatever.

“Anyway, please. Drive the monsters back to the forest.”

“Right.”

Claire began to speak in an unfamiliar language. Since I could feel my mana being rapidly depleted, I knew she had to be using magic. So, she could cast this spell without either a staff or enchantment. Wait. Actually, was this the enchantment? It felt a little too long for that, but...

“Wait, this is no time to be marveling at her.” She was depleting mana rapidly. As she was preoccupied with casting the spell, she couldn’t replete her own MP, so I drank a mana potion in her place and transferred my MP to her.

Less than a minute later...

“H-Huh?!”

“The monsters are going back to the forest!”

“What the hell is happening?!”

The battlefield was filled with shouts of surprise. Despite my heavy exhaustion, I cast my eyes below. “The monsters really are retreating...”

And they didn’t seem to have been merely controlled either. Earlier, they looked to be in a trance, but this retreat seemed to come from their own volition.

I laid Claire down on the ground. She was panting and looked rather pained. “Are you all right?”

“I am. You’re amazing, Lloyd. I can’t believe how easily you managed such a feat...”

“No, I’m really nothing special. Anyway, what did you do? The monsters seemed to have left on their own.”

“I talked to the monsters and convinced them to go home.”

Convinced them? Could she chat with monsters? “Can you talk directly with the monsters, Claire?”

“I can. My magic does not just allow me to control them, but connects us together. Talking with them is just one of my powers. I can also force them to comply.”

So, she was connected to the monsters, and that allowed her to talk with them and order them around.

“The spell on them had already weakened, so I simply undid the magic and asked them to leave,” she said, glancing at where the horde had been moments earlier. “Oh... It seems a few are still left.”

A hundred or so monsters had decided to continue their assault—golems.

“They—the golems—intended on attacking the town regardless of my magic.”

Huh. So they must be the buffed monsters that demon mentioned.

“They’re the demons’ trump card.” Their presence seemed to differ from other monsters. I wasn’t sure how exactly they had been strengthened, but it was clear they had been. “Could you wait here, Claire?”

“Sure, Lloyd...”

“I’ll go see Yui and the others. Stay here until I’m back.”

Claire silently nodded.

All right, we still had a mana potion left. I drank the last one and dashed over to the moat where Yui and the others were.

***

I climbed down to the guard tower and rushed over to the moat, where I immediately found the four of them.

“Are you guys all right?”

“Somehow! But we’d have been goners if you hadn’t done something about those monsters, Lloyd!” said Yui. Her expression was one of relief as she returned her sword to its scabbard.

Still, there were a hundred monsters marching on her—though, they weren’t as strong as they had been earlier.

“What?! But there’s only a few left!” The adventurer must have thought a hundred monsters would be a piece of cake. He rushed up to the golem leading the pack and swung his sword downward.

But it was repelled, snapping at the base, and the adventurer was flung backward by the golem’s giant right arm.

“Huh? Are those golems?” asked Yui.

“I think they’re the buffed monsters that demon was talking about.” Seeing that adventurer flying through the air had strengthened that conviction—these were far stronger than the average golem.

“How are we supposed to...?”

“I can’t fight those guys...”

The other adventurers had fallen to their knees, their faces filled with despair.

“What do we do, Lloyd? We’ll be invaded at this rate!”

Given how strong these golems were, if even just one made it into town, it would be a disaster. We absolutely couldn’t let them inside Ishtar.

“Yui... I’m going to cast buffs on all fifty people here.”

“Huh?! You can do that?!” she asked, her eyes wide open in shock.

“Not all at once, and I won’t be able to cast multiple buffs on the same person. But if I divide everyone into groups and cast a single buff on each of them, I can manage,” I said, taking my staff into my hands.

I had mentioned dividing the combatants into groups, and I had gotten a good idea of how to do that from up on the watchtower. First, I cast strength up buffs on those wielding swords and shields on the front lines. Then, I cast similar buffs on the archers, before finally casting a magic up buff on those wielding staves.

Once I had cast the last buff, I was overcome with lethargy. I was panting, and I fell to my knees.

“Y-You okay?!” asked Yui, looking awfully worried.

“Hah... I finished casting buffs on everyone, but... I don’t think I can move anymore. I doubt those buffs will last for long either,” I said, using the last of my strength to touch Yui’s sword and cast a buff on it. “So please... Hurry...”

“Right on it!” she said, dashing off to the front lines. Then, she turned around and let out a dramatic sigh. What was she planning?

“Hey, guys! Lloyd just cast super amazing buffs on all of you! Our enemies are tough, but that doesn’t mean we can lose here!” Everyone’s eyes turned to look at Yui, but she ignored them. “Lloyd’s buffs are like having a hundred-man army! We can all fight! Let’s beat these things!” she shouted, raising her fist high into the air.

“She’s right... My body feels so light!”

“Yeah! Wh-What the heck is this?!”

“So these are Lloyd’s buffs!”

Yui’s encouragement had rallied the adventurers’ and knights’ morale. Her words were embarrassing, and my buffs really weren’t all that strong. I tried to stop her, but I didn’t have the strength to yell. Actually, I didn’t have the strength to even move at all.

“Stop it...”

“To battle!”

“Wooooooh!” On Yui’s signal, they let out a thunderous battle cry as they dashed forward, drowning out my plea.

“Here comes the first!” shouted Yui, swinging her sword downward and cutting off one of the golems’ arms. It let out a scream as it swung the hand it had left.

“Nope! I knew you were gonna attack!” Yui nimbly dodged the fist and immediately cut off the golem’s other arm. Then finally, she severed its large body into two, causing it to collapse. “All right! We can do this!”

The other sword-wielding adventurers weren’t as strong as Yui, but they continued to carve into the golems, while the archers and mages at the back fired at those wounds from a distance.

***

“Wow! Our attacks are working!”

“You’re right! Though we still can’t move like Yui...”

“Are these really buffs? This feels beyond extra strength. I feel like a whole new person...”

The knights and adventurers let out one surprised exclamation after another, and all were about Lloyd’s buffs. They had heard he was a white mage of amazing skill, but no one had heard he was this talented. Their hope began to balloon.

“So it really was all Lloyd’s doing...” Rina muttered upon seeing that the other adventurers and knights had grown strong beyond recognition. She easily deflected a golem’s arm with her big shield using the only hand she had left. Due to her disability, she could no longer fight like she did when she was still with the Hero’s party. However, she was able to exhibit more strength than she ever had since Lloyd had left.

Once again, she viscerally felt how amazing Lloyd truly was—and the regret of what she had told him. “I can’t believe he’s come to save us despite my harsh words...”

Given what she had said, it was only natural he’d despise her. At least, that’s what Rina thought. She had prepared herself for criticism—even physical retaliation. However, Lloyd seemed to lack even a shred of ill will as he cast his buffs on her.

“You’re the worst...”

That’s what she had told Lloyd when they banished him. She could still remember it clearly, and she had regretted it ever since the day she had lost her left hand. “No, I’m the worst.” Those words naturally slipped from her lips.

I’m the worst. But that’s why...

“We need to prove victorious, so I can apologize to Lloyd!”

He had gone out of his way to cast his buffs on her. She couldn’t waste that opportunity. With such emotions in her heart, Rina held up her shield and stomped forward.

And it wasn’t just Rina. Everyone else in the fight fought through their pain with equally strong convictions. The sound of metal striking the golems’ hard bodies—and the cries of the adventurers and knights—filled the battlefield. The golems fell rapidly.

“Last...one!” Yui’s powerful strike cut the last golem in half. It collapsed to the ground, powerlessly and without even having let out a cry. Then, it was still.

Yui cautiously observed her surroundings, her sword still in her hands. There were no longer any golems or other monsters in sight. “Then...did we win?” She checked once again, but still didn’t catch sight of any foes.

That’s right. They had defended the city from the monster horde.

***

“Then... Then we...”

Cheers erupted from the crowd.

“We saved Ishtar!”

“I can’t believe I’m still breathing!”

Some blissfully embraced each other.

“Phew... It’s over.” I watched this scene alone. I checked for any monster signals with my detection magic and found no suspicious signals. I could probably undo my spells.

But just as I made that decision, my vision went dark, and I collapsed on the ground.

Oh... I must have used up too much of my MP.

I gradually lost consciousness.

***

“Ugh...”

I gradually returned to the land of the conscious. Had I been sleeping?

I rubbed my eyes and opened my heavy eyelids. Then, I lifted up my upper body and looked around.

“Where am I?”

I looked outside the window and recognized this place. “Is this...Ishtar?”

Apparently, I was sleeping in a bed. I couldn’t fully remember what happened, but I must have used up all my MP and collapsed. Then, someone must have carried me here to rest.

“That’s right. What happened to Claire?” I looked around once again, but didn’t see her. I tried to get out of bed to make sure she was safe.

That’s when Yui burst into the room. “Ah, Lloyd! You’re awake!”

“Yeah. I just woke up.”

“Thank goodness! Are you feeling all right?” she asked, looking quite worried.

I got out of bed and shook my limbs to test them out. “I think so. Nothing feels off.”

“I see. Really, thank goodness! I was so shocked when you collapsed!” She brought her hand to her chest and sighed.

“Sorry for causing you guys so much trouble.”

“Not at all! We’re really thankful, Lloyd!”

We must have been Daggers and the others. Had I done a good job in Crumb’s place? I really hoped so.

No, but I had ultimately caused so much trouble for them. It was me who needed to be thankful.

“Yui, th—”

“Oh! Wait a sec, Lloyd. And don’t use your detection magic!”

“S-Sure...”

With that, Yui rushed out of the room. Just what was happening?

There really was no reason I shouldn’t use my detection magic, but I decided to follow her instructions anyway. After a few minutes, Yui returned, panting. “S-Sorry...for the wait...”

“No problem. What is it?”

“Oh, I just remembered an errand I had to run.”

“I see.” But you’re clearly out of breath. It must have been urgent.

“But anyway, who cares about that! Follow me, Lloyd!” she said, tugging forcefully on my arm.

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

“Just follow me!”

Apparently, I was at the Adventurer’s Guild. I had only been here once, but this place really had a unique vibe to it. I had been sleeping on the second floor.

I climbed down the stairs to the first floor.

“Hmm?” That’s when I suddenly realized something. This area had been lively and full of people the last time I had come here, but now there was currently nobody in sight. There was evidence that people had been there just moments before, like pending quest postings left on the reception counter, or bags and other belongings that had been thrown on the ground.

“Agh...!” Damn, was Yui strong. I resisted, yet that didn’t affect her at all. It had to partly be due to her class, but she was almost too strong. She must have trained quite a lot.

“Hey, Yui? Where are we going?”

“You’ll know soon enough! Just follow me!” Why did she look so happy? Had the reward for completing this quest been that good?

Resistance seemed futile, so I followed after her. In fact, resisting would only get me hurt.

“All righty! We’re here!” Yui stopped right before the door and let go of my arm. “Open it!”

“Huh? Why me?”

“Well, is anybody else here?”

I looked around. She was right. We were alone.

“Ugh...” What was she going to do to me? I tried to think that over, but I couldn’t find an answer. My only option was to open it, so I did.

I was met with a crowd of adventurers, knights, and citizens of Ishtar. They were all smiling and looking straight at me. Just what the heck was happening...?

I had no idea what had led to all this, so I decided to close the door as if nothing had happened.

“Phew...” I let out a sigh of relief.

“Lloyd! What the heck are you doing?! Why’d you close the door?!” asked Yui, sounding quite panicked. But why be panicked?

I didn’t have a real answer to her question either. “I just, you know...wanted to close it.”

“You just wanted to?” she asked, seemingly exasperated. Still, I didn’t think I had said anything wrong. Anyone would normally be a bit bewildered to open a door to find a giant crowd of people. Closing the door was the right move. Plus, I wasn’t really good at facing crowds. I might have gotten that from Master Merlin.

“Hey, Yui? What’s happening?” Yui was almost certainly the cause of all this, so I decided to ask her.

“You’ll figure it out once you go outside!”

Go outside? Me? Why...?

Now, I wanted nothing more than to not step foot outside that door. Still, I couldn’t just stand around here either. I was still feeling tired and lethargic, so I wanted to hurry back to the inn and get some sleep.

“That’s right.” I suddenly recalled something, so I headed in the opposite direction of the door. Then, I opened the window and put one foot through it.

“Hey! What the heck are you doing?!”

“Well, there’s a crowd outside the door, so I thought I’d exit through the window...” I said, immediately attempting to make my escape. However, Yui grabbed my foot and stopped me. Then, she dragged me back to the door. “Ow...”

“All right! Open it!” she said, glaring at me. She was serious.

I guess I had no choice. “Fine...”

Being all out of options, I slowly pushed the door open. Once again, countless eyes fell on me. I gulped down some spit. “Um...”

What were you even supposed to do in this situation? I’m sure Allen would have gotten through this perfectly. But unfortunately, I had no experience with public speaking, and growing up in the woods meant I wasn’t even used to standing in front of so many people.

“Th-Thanks.” After a lot of pondering, I decided to give them a slight bow. Once I lifted my head back up, I turned to face the people in front of me. Had I done that right?

Nervousness filled my chest.

After a mere moment, a man spoke. “You’re our savior, Lloyd!!!”

“Huh?” I couldn’t understand what he was saying. I looked behind me to beg for assistance, but Yui was gone. Actually, I found her. She was at the very back of the crowd.

Dang it, Yui! So you escaped from the window alone! And you were so insistent I go through the door!

Afterward, I was dragged to the town square as various people declared me to be “Lloyd the Savior.”

***

“How’d I even end up here?” I muttered as I watched the scene before me. A crowd had gathered in the town square, and the chefs of the town were preparing a meal. Barrels of booze had been brought here too. Everyone was eating and drinking—it was a festival, and I was at the center of it all.

Unable to understand my situation, I stood there frozen and alone.

“You drink up too, Lloyd!” said an adventurer, having come to hassle me.

He reeked...

He smelled so much of liquor that I wanted him to just stay away. It reminded me of Master Merlin.

“No, I’m good. I’m not very good with liquor.”

“Really? Well, you’re the star of this party! Have fun!”

“R-Right...”

With that, the man left. So, he also called me the star. Others had said something similar. But what had I done to deserve that title?

As I stood still and pondered that question, someone called out to me from afar. “Oh! Lloyd!”

I looked toward the voice to find Yui. Daggers, Cross, and Silica were behind her. Yui once again had a mug of liquor in her hand.

“So? You having fun?”

“I...don’t know about that.” To be honest, I wasn’t. Not only had I suddenly been dragged to the town square, I was being treated like the star of the show. I could feel people staring at me, and to be honest, it made me pretty uncomfortable. “A bit? I guess?”

“That’s right. You aren’t good with liquor, right?”

That was true, but that wasn’t the only reason I wasn’t having fun. “Well, yes, but...could someone explain what’s...?”

“Oh! Wait a second! I’m gonna go grab what Silica’s having!” said Yui as she dashed off, having not listened to a word I said. She was probably trying to be kind by grabbing me some juice, since I couldn’t drink. I was thankful, but I wished she’d actually listen to me...

Well, whatever. I guess I could ask Daggers and the others instead, as they were still here. “Hey, Daggers? What’s all this for?”

“Huh? You came to this banquet without even knowing that?”

“Well, yeah...”

Daggers let out a dramatic sigh. “Seriously... So Yui didn’t explain anything to you? Though, I guess knowing you, it makes sense why you haven’t realized what this is for,” said Daggers, looking right at me with an exasperated expression. “Listen, Lloyd. You’re the hero who saved this town from the demons. This banquet is meant to celebrate and thank you for saving the city.”

That’s right. Other people were saying the same thing, but I had no memory of ever saving the town. “You’re saying I’m a hero?”

“Yup. You’re this town’s savior.”

I still didn’t quite get it, so Daggers explained in detail. To summarize, I really was a “savior” to this town, and that was apparently because I had protected the city from demons. Yui and the others had explained this was all the demons’ doing to the adventurers, knights, and citizens of this town. Though I had no idea how they could possibly tell that story in a way that made me the hero. Currently, they were throwing a banquet to celebrate protecting the city.

“Huh. So that’s what’s up.”

“Yup. Hey, you really had no idea?”

“Well, yeah.”

Obviously. I hadn’t even imagined this could possibly happen while I was asleep. Plus, Yui and the rest of them were even more responsible in protecting the town. Claire and I had simply supported them, so it felt wrong to call me a “savior.”

“Hey, I didn’t—”

Daggers spoke over me. “Lloyd, you need to have some more confidence in yourself.”

“For sure!” added on Cross.

“I agree. You should think more highly of your efforts,” said Silica.

“More confidence? Me?”

“Yup. I think you’ve got plenty of room for more pride,” said Cross.

“R-Really?”

“Really. So consider yourself the star of the night and go have some fun.”

Self-confidence...? I still thought I had a long way to go.

“Got that? Enjoy yourself!” said Cross, patting me on the shoulder.

Hmm. Well, I guess they were telling me to let loose, which meant I really didn’t have any other options. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll do my best to have some fun tonight, just like you guys are telling me.”

“You’ll do your best...? That’s not what I meant.”

“Lloyd! I got you some juice!” Yui came running back with a cup in her hand.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, Lloyd? Listen to me today, all right?”

Afterward, I decided to try to enjoy this banquet. Actually, maybe I didn’t even have to “try.” I still couldn’t really accept that I was the star of all this, but I surprisingly had fun. I drank and chatted with Yui and the others until morning, and in a flash, the nighttime festival was over.

It had been a while since I had last enjoyed myself this much.

***

From the rooftops, a single man observed Lloyd and his fun.

He wore a black hood and smiled as he gazed upon the sight. “He’s sure having fun! Much more than when he was back there. I better report this to Merlin. I bet it’ll make her happy,” muttered the hooded man before disappearing into the night.

Chapter 7: Those Behind the Scenes

“Phew... I finally made it.”

A wooden home stood alone in the forest, and before it was a single man. He wore a black hood and black attire, giving him quite a suspicious appearance. But he approached the home’s entrance with no apparent qualms.

“She’s really out in the middle of nowhere,” mumbled the man before knocking on the door.

There was no answer, but the lights were on, meaning somebody must have been inside.

“Oh, maybe...” The man grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened the door.

Then a fireball flew straight for his face.

The man leaped backward, but the fireball was faster. It exploded with a bang just a hair away from him, the force of the blast knocking up dirt that danced in the air.

“Phew, that was a close one. I almost died, y’know!” said the man, emerging from the smoke as if nothing had happened at all. His clothes were a tad dirtied, but nothing too major, and he didn’t seem to have suffered any notable injuries either.

He brushed the dirt off his clothes as he stared toward the doorway. There was a woman with a bottle in her hands.

“Hey, I know that voice! You’re Wil! Long time no see!”

Wil sighed. “You always get like this whenever you drink, Merlin,” he said with an exasperated look. Merlin’s face was red, making it clear even from afar that she had been drinking. She was holding a bottle that must have once contained liquor, but it was already empty. And that likely wasn’t all she had to drink—she must have already downed multiple.

“You’re completely fine! I should’ve expected as much from the Phantom Alchemist. How’d you manage that?” asked Merlin, looking quite confused.

Alchemists were a class that dealt with potions—in other words, noncombatants.

Yet, Wil—an alchemist—had managed to protect himself against that blast. It was only natural that she had some questions.

“It’s a trade secret. If I told you how I did it, you’d come up with a work-around. But really, though! That was a close one! What were you gonna do if it was someone else?”

“Aha ha ha! Sorry, it’s just a habit.”

Wil sighed. “This is exactly why Lloyd’s gonna start to hate you someday.”

“Lloyd has nothing to do with this!” He must have hit her where it hurts. Merlin seemed quite rattled.

Wil watched her curiously. “It seems like Lloyd already can’t handle liquor at all thanks to a certain someone.”

“Ugh... About that...”

“Really, I wonder who could have been so terrible to him. Oh, that’s right! That person also—”

“Shut up already!” Merlin launched some more fireballs at Wil. She might have just been drunk, or perhaps she was too rattled to aim correctly, but...

The majority of her fireballs came nowhere close to him. Countless trees were mercilessly toppled by the force of the blasts.

“Hey, Merlin! Rein it in a little! Are you trying to kill me?!”

“Who cares! Lloyd hates me! Damn it! Why do I always...”

“It’s your fault, y’know. Can you not take it out on me, though?”

Despite Wil’s attempts at persuasion, Merlin’s onslaught continued. Though Wil was complaining, he actually seemed to quite enjoy himself.

Merlin’s magic toppled countless trees. Apparently, neither of them were paying attention to their surroundings. That’s when a certain woman appeared.

“Hey! Cut it out, you two!” scolded a blonde-haired woman who had appeared from inside the house.

“Lily! Long time no see!”

“Yes, it has been a while! Wait! Like I said, cut it out already! Can you not see what’s happening around you?!”

Merlin and Wil took a moment to observe their surroundings.

“Yeah, you’re right. Any more of this could be bad.”

“You just noticed that?”

“Aha ha! I lost myself in all the fun,” said Wil, bowing his head. While he apologized, it didn’t sound like he had truly reflected on his actions.

Lily let out a dramatic sigh. “Seriously, you two... Especially you, Merlin! How many times do I—”

“Y-You’re wrong! Wil was bullying me, so I had to!”

“Merlin? If you’re not going to listen to me, I’ll transform all your liquor into water again,” said Lily, beginning to activate some purification magic. She likely intended to use it to carry out that threat.

“Wait, Lily! There’s no need for that! Y-You’re joking, right?”

“I’m a woman who carries out her promises,” said Lily, glaring at Merlin. She kept her mouth shut, but the message that this was not a joke came across loud and clear.

Merlin’s eyes, on the other hand, were pleading, Please! Anything but that!

Wil seemed quite amused.

“Hey, Lily? What are you doing?” That’s when a bespectacled man appeared.

“I just thought I’d give her a little punishment. That’s fine, right?”

The man looked around the forest. Countless trees were downed, and chunks of earth had been blasted through. Anybody could tell at a single glance that this was the result of Merlin’s reckless spell casting. “I see. There does seem to be a need to remonstrate Merlin.”

“Right?”

“Yes, but first...” The bespectacled man glanced at Wil. “If you’re here, that means they’re up to something, yes?”

Wil’s expression grew serious. His vibe completely transformed, making him seem like a completely different person. “Yes... But let’s discuss this inside.”

“Indeed...”

Merlin and the others sat around a table in the living room on the first floor. Their expressions were serious, while Merlin’s alone was that of discontent.

“Have you calmed down, Merlin?”

“Yes, thanks to Lily’s magic!” she answered, glaring at Lily.

Lily, however, ignored her and instead urged Wil to speak.

“So? What are they up to?” asked the bespectacled man, named Toll.

“After abducting the second princess of the empire, they controlled monsters to attack Ishtar. Rather, they were specifically after toppling one of the Heroes, though they failed.”

“I see...” said Toll, breathing a sigh of relief at the news their attempt had ended in failure. However, relief was not all he felt. There was something odd about the woman who had appeared in this tale. “Wait, the second princess, you said? The empire guards her strictly due to her powers. This is the first I’m hearing that she was kidnapped.”

If the second princess had disappeared, it would typically be the talk of the town, and news should have spread to the kingdom, which neighbored the empire. Yet, this was news to Toll, and the others seemed to be equally shocked.

Their eyes all gathered on Wil. It was a silent plea for an explanation. “Oh, you want to know why? That’s because the empire was hiding it. Not only had demons infiltrated their borders, they managed to break through their sturdiest defenses. If word of that spread, they’d lose not just the faith of their neighboring nations, but the trust of their people. Their citizens would be terrified.”

As the second princess possessed a certain magical ability, she typically lived under close watch, and only a small number of the top brass in the empire and very few in the kingdom and principality knew of it. But if she was kidnapped, the culprit must have known as well.

“Indeed... The fact intel on the second princess was leaked is disastrous enough. If the empire was trying to conceal the incident, I can see why I haven’t heard talk of it in town.”

If worse came to worst, they could announce the second princess was battling illness. That would be enough to keep the citizens from questioning her absence, and that was especially true if they employed the help of neighboring nations. As long as no one betrayed them, the incident would remain a secret.

But that begot another question: Why did Wil know this?

“And how do you know all this, Wil?” asked Toll. He found it odd that Wil would be in possession of such clandestine information.

Once again, all eyes were on Wil. “Oh, me? Well... I’m an information broker at the moment, and I got this intel secondhand from a certain noble. I told him I wanted any info on the second princess he might have. Oh, and we can trust this guy, so no worries there. I’ve done my research on him.”

Wil currently wasn’t working as an alchemist, but an information broker who traveled from town to town. Merlin and the others all knew this.

“That’s right... You’re no longer working as an alchemist.”

“Yup. It’s what got me the title of Phantom Alchemist. We match now!” said Wil, grinning.

“Does it really make you that happy?” asked Toll.

“It does! It’s an honor to have something in common with the Legendary Party,” he responded, still smiling. Though it seemed more of a teasing grin than one that came from the heart.

“The ‘Legendary Party’? I don’t recall ever using that name,” muttered Lily, looking quite displeased.

“Wil, you’re derailing the conversation,” said Toll in an attempt to get it back on track.

“You’re right. Let’s get back to the matter at hand. Um... About the second princess, right?”

“Right. I’d like to hear the methodology and circumstances of her kidnapping in more detail.” Toll wanted to hear more and urged Wil to share.

But what he said was beyond what Toll and Lily had imagined. “To be honest, that doesn’t really matter.”

“Huh? What do you...?!” Toll was shocked by Wil’s reply, and tried to urge him to explain his thinking.

“Oh, I know that face! You’re asking why it’s not important.”

“Clearly, the second princess’s kidnapping is the most salient problem we’re facing,” said Toll. Lily and Merlin nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. It is a big problem, but if worse comes to worst, the empire can just bring the situation to light and deploy the Five Commanders. Other nations will help them too. Plus, whoever kidnapped her did so knowing about her powers, so they’re not going to kill her.”

“I-Indeed.”

“Then, just what is the biggest issue at hand? It’s not that. It’s why the demons decided to act now of all times,” said Wil, as if directing the question to Toll and the others.

They picked up on what Wil was laying down and gulped. “No way...”

“I can think of two possibilities: One is the birth of a new Demon King. The second...is the Demon King’s revival.”

As soon as those words had escaped Wil’s mouth, Merlin banged her fist on the table and shot into the air. “But we defeated the Demon King for good! He can’t come back! I-If he could, then why did he have to...?!”

“Calm down, Merlin. That’s only a possibility. We don’t know anything for sure yet.”

“But...”

“Toll’s right, Merlin. I was simply offering explanations. My first suggestion—the birth of a new Demon King—is much more likely.”

Merlin regained her composure and sat back down while clearing her throat. “You’re right. Sorry. Continue.”

After confirming Merlin had calmed down, Wil once again began to speak. “Well thankfully, the Hero of Ishtar was saved thanks to Lloyd.”

“I see... Wait, Lloyd?! He’s in Ishtar?!” Merlin shot back into the air.

“He is. And thanks to him, they were able to put a stop to the demons’ plan.”

Merlin sighed in relief and patted her chest. She had been terribly worried about Lloyd ever since he had suddenly run away. She must have found it reassuring to hear he was still alive. Once she finally came to, she sank back into her seat. “So? How is he? Is he doing all right?” she asked, her eyes trained on the past.

“Yup. He was kicked out of the Hero’s party, but he’s now with a party of S-rank adventurers. Actually, I guess he’s soon about to join them.”

“What?! He was kicked out?! There’s no way! Nobody would ever...”

Merlin had likely wanted to say, “Nobody would ever kick Lloyd out of their party!”

Wil was also well aware of Lloyd’s prowess with support magic. “You’re right. Even though you’re of the Philosopher class, your support magic can just barely outstrip his with the best of my potions—the ones I really toiled for.”

Wil’s potions were on a whole other level than those created by the average alchemist. When both made mana potions, Wil’s would be multiple times as effective. If Wil had “toiled,” those potions had to be quite the marvel.

Merlin sighed. “But that’s why there’s no way he’d...”

Lloyd’s support magic was at least beyond compare to anyone Merlin and the others knew, which was why it was so unbelievable he’d be kicked out of a party.

“Lloyd really is amazing—not that I’ve ever chatted with him myself.” Wil had known Lloyd since he was a boy, but Wil was a stranger to Lloyd. He was only acquainted with Lily and Toll, and he only regarded them as two of Merlin’s very few friends. “But shouldn’t he have a bit more confidence in himself? He’s, y’know, a bit too serious. He’s got the skills, but he can’t recognize it himself. Some people tend to hate that type.”

“Ugh, maybe you’re right...” Merlin had no rebuttal; Wil was right. There were plenty of such people in this world, and that was something Merlin knew painfully well. She had been a member of the “Legendary Party,” and while many called them “heroes,” that earned them the ire of the proper Heroes, as well as the envy of some adventurers. And that tenant only held truer for those who didn’t see their own talents.

“Yeah, you’re right, but...I didn’t want Lloyd to turn out like me. Someone whose overconfidence meant their comrade’s death...” muttered Merlin. Lily’s expression was equally gloomy.

Toll’s, alone, had remained stagnant. He looked straight into the two’s eyes as he adjusted his glasses. “We’ve derailed this discussion again. That’s all in the past. Hanging our heads and mourning his death won’t bring Sybil back. The only thing we can do is protect the future he created. Right?” he asked.

“Right... Being stuck in the past won’t change a thing,” said Merlin.

“It won’t. So let’s keep our thoughts focused on what we can do now,” added Lily. Both she and Merlin wore faint smiles.

“That’s right. So let’s hear Wil out and think of a plan of attack.”

“Hmm... You’re right. We made it out of danger this time, but there’s no guarantee that’ll continue. We’ll be too late if we wait to take action once everything’s all over. We need to fight back.”

***

Croisee was the imperial capital, and the empire one of the three major nations, alongside the kingdom and Holy Principality. The majority of its citizens were beastmen, and over ninety percent of the continent’s beastman population lived there. The most prosperous of its cities was Croisee, and it being where the palace and imperial family were housed, it was surrounded by tall defensive walls both thick and made of stone.

Given that, it should be near impossible for intruders to make it inside, right?

One night in Croisee, a hooded man stood before the only large gate in the city. His hood was pulled down over his face, completely concealing his countenance. Clearly, this man was suspicious.

A gatekeeper had noticed him and approached. “Hey! What are you doing here so late at night?” he asked.

Currently, the second princess was missing, which meant that Croisee’s defenses were even more steeled than usual. While the gatekeepers naturally hadn’t heard of the princess’s kidnapping, the higher-ups had been quite strict with their directions, and it was clear the gatekeepers were on edge.

However, the hooded man ignored the gatekeeper and continued forward, as if he didn’t notice the guard at all.

“This bastard...” Angered that the man hadn’t heard his warning, the gatekeeper grabbed on to his arm. “Did you not hear me tell you to go back—”

“You’re a nuisance. Get out of my way,” said the man, shaking off the gatekeeper’s arm.

The gatekeeper’s anger had reached a breaking point. “You bastard! Don’t think you’ll get away with this! Show me your face! We’ll throw you in the damn dungeons for ignoring the rules like this!” He grabbed on to the man’s hood during this tirade, but the man didn’t panic even when it was pulled off his face. Instead, he simply glared at the gatekeeper, who on the other hand was utterly shocked. “Aaah! Y-You’re... You’re Lord Reveeve, one of the Five Commanders!”

The hooded man must have found this reaction funny given the snort he let out. “Yup, that’s right. I’m in a rush, so I can leave, right?” he asked, still glaring at the gatekeeper. Actually, rather than “ask,” it was more of a demand. He was incredibly intimidating.

“Y-Yes! Of course you can leave, Lord Reveeve! Though, um, please don’t mention this to my superiors...”

The Five Commanders of the empire’s army were the commanders of the strongest military in the continent. Each of them was incredibly mighty, and it was said each could rival a thousand soldiers alone. They also numbered among the few in the empire who were allowed an audience with the emperor.

If others discovered that the gatekeeper had been so rude to such a great man, he’d certainly be punished. If Reveeve reported the incident, the gatekeeper might even be forced to step down from his role, and it was clear from his actions that he was desperate to ensure that didn’t happen.

Reveeve sighed. “Well, whatever. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give you a pass.”

“Th-Thank you so much!” said the gatekeeper with a deep bow. Then, he let this man known as “Reveeve” exit the city.

Reveeve headed straight for the forest. Then, he stopped a short distance away from the city and confirmed he was alone.

“All right, nobody’s here,” he muttered before transforming from a beastman into a demon. He must have undone some kind of disguise magic.

In other words, his true form was that of a demon.

“It’s fine, now. You there?” he said, speaking to what should have been empty air.

That’s when, suddenly, a man dressed in black appeared from nowhere. “I am, and I have humbly been awaiting you,” he said, kneeling before Reveeve with a somewhat guilty expression.

“What is it?” Reveeve found this odd.

“I-It is nothing. Um, about your plan to assassinate the Hero, Lord Grist...”

“Grist” was Reveeve’s alias—or rather, his real name. Grist, one of the Four Fiends of the demon army. There were none who served under his flag who didn’t know his name.

“Yeah, that’s why I summoned you here. So? It all went well, right?” he asked with a jovial grin.

However, the other man had begun to tremble. Fear filled his eyes as his mouth flapped open and closed. Finally, he managed to speak. “A-As difficult as this is to share this with you, your plan...has failed, Lord Grist.”

“Hmm?” The corners of Grist’s lips twitched. “Hey, I misheard you, right? It sounded like you said the plan failed...” Power began to flow into Grist’s clenched fist. He seemed to just barely be holding on to sanity. “Let me ask you again. Did my plan fail?”

“I-It did...”

“Huh... So it did.” Suddenly, Grist burst out laughing. Surprisingly, maybe he wasn’t that mad? At least, that’s what the other man assumed, and it filled him with relief.

The next moment, Grist’s expression fell as he buried his right fist into the man’s chest, causing a flood of crimson blood to spurt into the air. “Wh-Why, Lord Grist...?”

Grist retracted his hand. Having lost the support that was keeping him standing, the man promptly collapsed on the ground. Copious amounts of blood continued to flow from his chest.

“Damn it! You’re all...!” Grist lifted his right foot into the air and positioned it over the other man’s head.

“Wh-What are you...?” The man tried to speak, but Grist cut off his words by slamming his foot into his head.

“Damn it! Do you know how fucking hard I worked?! I embodied a beastman day in and day out and broke my damn back to earn the emperor’s trust!” Grist slammed his foot into the man’s head over and over. Each time, a cracking sound reverberated in the air as blood spurted from the man’s skull. “Damn it! And here I was thinking that if I did this right, I’d be above the other Four Fiends!”

Grist continued to yell “Damn it!” over and over as he pummeled the man’s skull. His plan had proceeded smoothly for the most part. The Hero’s Party was even weaker than they were expecting, and they even managed to seal the second princess’s magic within a stone to manipulate the monsters. They had even successfully lured away the only S-rank party out of Ishtar with a fake quest to eradicate them! Until then, all had been well.

The only thing left was to trample the Hero and people of Ishtar under the monsters’ feet. Then, his plan would have been complete. The reputations of all Heroes would be blemished, and by continuing to chip away at support for the Heroes, the demons would weaken them, making it even easier for the demon army to attack. Grist had been completely devoted to that plan.

And yet, it had failed.

“Damn it! How did this happen?!”

He just couldn’t understand. He had posted his strongest underlings exactly where it was most advantageous. They wouldn’t have made any mistakes!

“Well, whatever.”

Grist decided to stop thinking. It wouldn’t change the fact he had failed, after all. And right now, he didn’t care about failure anyway. Instead...

“Someone threw a wrench in my plan! I’ve got no idea who this bastard is, but I’ll find him...and kill him with my own two hands!” Grist’s eyes overflowed with madness.

The Fall of the Hero’s Party ~Title Revoked~

The night of the banquet, Allen and his party were not in Ishtar’s plaza, but gathered in a room inside the building that had been constructed just for them. In the room was a round table, and around it six chairs. But now, three of those were empty—the ones that once belonged to Mia, Rina, and Lloyd.

“Damn it! Why...?” muttered Allen, looking quite upset. Of course, Mia leaving weighed heavily on him, but that wasn’t the current cause of his displeasure. Once he had exited the Adventurer’s Guild and calmed down, he had finally remembered that this had been an emergency request, which was compulsory for Heroes. But after what Allen had said, they had lost their ability to participate.

This was bad...

That’s when Allen suddenly remembered something. He didn’t have to go back to see them; he only had to wait for the adventurers and knights to come to him. It’d be impossible to defend Ishtar from this giant monster horde without the Hero’s aid. They’d certainly come to him eventually and beg for his help. Then, he’d force the adventurers and knights to apologize for being so rude to him and swoop in to save the day.

At least, that’s what Allen had thought. Lulu and Sheena had thought the same, and so, the three resolved to wait until the adventurers and knights came to plead for their assistance.

But no matter how long they waited, those knights and adventurers never came.

Then, a few hours later—just as the sun was setting in the sky—news that they had succeeded in defending the town began to spread through Ishtar. Despite this being an emergency request—and despite Allen and his party’s absence—Ishtar had been saved.

“Allen... Things aren’t looking good for us, are they?” asked Lulu, looking awfully worried. Sheena remained silent, but it was clear from her expression that she shared Lulu’s concern.

“Nope. They’re not,” said Allen, his expression still as it was.

Lulu grew angry at his lack of panic and raised her voice. “Hey, Allen! Do you not understand what—?!”

“Of course, I understand!” he screamed back, his eyes trained on Lulu. But within them wasn’t panic, but fury. They were bloodshot, his anger clear.

“S-So then what are we gonna do...? We’ll be chased out of the city at this rate.” Lulu was right. They wouldn’t be able to stay in this building. It had been constructed for use by the Hero’s party, but it belonged to the state and was built using taxpayer money. Someone who had lost the title of “Hero” wouldn’t be able to stay there forever.

That didn’t mean they’d suddenly be chased out, but it still was just a matter of time. That must have been why Lulu and Sheena were so on edge.

But not Allen. Instead, he was just furious. “Lulu, Sheena... Let’s get out of here.”

“Huh? We’re leaving?” asked Sheena.

“Yup. Hurry and pack your bags.”

“Allen, I don’t think there’s any need to rush so—” started Lulu.

But she was cut off by Allen slamming his fists on the table. “This town treats that piece of crap Lloyd like he’s some savior! This is his fault! He must have tricked them! But this town’s crazy for falling for his tricks! I’ve got no intention of staying here! We’re leaving tonight!” said Allen before rushing out of the room, probably to pack his bags.

For a moment, all was silent except for the sound of Allen’s fading footsteps. “Um, what do you plan to do, Lulu?” asked Sheena once they were sure Allen was gone.

“Hmm... I think I’ll go with him,” she answered after taking a moment to think.

“Why?”

“I mean, even if I stay here, the people in town aren’t going to be too happy with me. That’s why I think it’s best I stay with him for now. What about you, Sheena?”

“I shall accompany Lord Allen as well.” Apparently, Sheena planned on staying with Allen, though the look in her eyes was not the same that she used to view him with. They seemed to lack confidence as she stared at his now empty seat. Perhaps she felt she was responsible for failing to save Rina and ruining Allen’s reputation, as her healing magic wasn’t as strong as it once was.

“Right! Allen will figure this out somehow! He’s a Hero, after all...” said Lulu, smiling in an attempt to assuage Sheena’s fears. “Then we’ve got to get ready too.”

“Indeed.”

The three packed their bags and secretly left the city.

Side Story: The Fiend Releaseth a “Bolt out of the Blue”

This is a story from when I was still young.

I was lying beneath my bed. Not on it—beneath.

I properly cleaned every single day, so there wasn’t even a speck of dust down here. Still, the floor was hard, and it was terribly cramped. Obviously, sleeping here wasn’t very comfortable, but Master Merlin was so terrifying I had to. I was currently hiding from her.

“All right, Lloyd! We’re doing some research today!” I heard a female voice from far off in the distance. It belonged to Master Merlin.

As soon as I heard it, I bated my breath, though I knew it was pointless. This was the maximum resistance I could offer. Still...

“What are you doing down there, Lloyd?” asked Master Merlin, peering beneath my bed.

That’s right. There was no hiding from a master who could use detection magic.

Damn it. And I was just about to create a spell that could conceal my signal.

“What are you doing down there?”

“I, um, wanted to be somewhere dark...”

“Huh... Well, that’s perfect! I’m planning on doing some magic research in the basement lab today! Light doesn’t make it down there. Isn’t that perfect?”

“Huh? Um... Actually, I suddenly want to bathe in the light of the sun...”

“In that case, let’s go collect some herbs to use in our experiments in the woods, and...”

Nope. It was futile. My words just wouldn’t reach her. Lately, I had been forced to accompany her like this, spending one rigorous day after another. Maybe Master Merlin just didn’t understand the concept of “rest.”

“Master Merlin, have you ever heard the word ‘rest’ before?”

“Yeah, of course I have.”

“And do you remember my schedule for this month?”

“What are you on about? Are you making fun of me? I was the one who made your schedule. Of course, I remember.”

In other words, she did know. Was she some sort of fiend?

My schedule for the month consisted of twenty days of training my support magic and eight days surviving on my own in the mountains. Only the last two of the thirty days were labeled “undetermined.”

Yup. Not a single one was a “day off.”

There was about a fifty percent chance that these “undetermined” days would be days off depending on if Master Merlin was in a good mood or not. But if she were in too good a mood, she’d instead offer to train with me. Those regimens were absolutely spartan.

Thus, I had to be careful about putting her in a good mood. If I let my guard down, I could be flung straight to hell.

I also had chores to do every day. Training typically began at sunrise and only ended at sunset, and since I also had to sleep, I didn’t have a lot of free time. If only I didn’t have those chores...

“This is corrupt...”

“Hmm? What’s wrong? I can heal you with magic if you’re having a tough time.”

“No. Please just let me rest.”

Apparently, Master Merlin wasn’t even aware of the concept of “rest.” Yet she rested every single day...

“This is absurd...”

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

***

Afterward, I was forced to help her research boring beauty(?) magic for hours. Before I realized it, it was already morning. That meant I had to train.

I didn’t have the time to sleep, but I was pretty sure I could at least squeeze in a bath. Thus, I stretched and let out a huge yawn. That’s when I saw Master Merlin approach.

“Lloyd, why don’t you rest today.”

“Huh?!” I couldn’t comprehend what she had just said. Rather, it was like an electric current was running through my body—as if I’d been struck by lightning. I mean, the word “rest” had just left Master Merlin’s mouth. It was unthinkable! Rest?! Master Merlin?!

“Did you catch a cold, master?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then did you hit your head? Or accidentally cast magic on yourself when one of your spells misfired? That could be it. That’s way more believable than the word ‘rest’ coming from you...”

Not to mention, she seemed to be in awfully good spirits. In the end, we couldn’t manage to create the spell she had wanted to, and yet she still seemed quite happy. Naturally, I was terrified. I had no idea what had happened to her, but this was just strange.

“Do you have something up your sleeve?”

“You make me sound so mean! I’m not plotting anything. I just thought you were right, and that maybe you needed some rest,” she said, seeming happier than usual.

This was how she chose to show kindness. I wasn’t her child by blood, but that’s what I was to her, and it was why she was so tough on me. Her inviting me to help with her research had just been her wanting to spend time with me since we hadn’t had the chance in a while.

Though because she wasn’t very straightforward, I hadn’t realized it at the time.

“No, I’ve got training to do!”

“Huh?! Wait, Lloyd! Where are you going?!”

I was terrified back then, and so I dashed full speed ahead to my usual training spot.

Master Merlin was left alone. She sighed. “I’m really not good with this sort of thing, huh...?” she said with a shrug.