Chapter 1: An Important Request from the Guild

“So what did you need from us?” I asked, closing the door to the guildmaster’s office behind me and cutting straight to the chase. They had gone out of their way to bring us out of earshot of everyone. It had to be for something important.

“Keina examined the sample from the other day and made a surprising discovery,” the guildmaster said in a grave tone.

“By sample, do you mean that piece of cloth?”

The other day, we’d encountered a demonic being in the Razgor Valley. Ciel had secretly retrieved a piece of their robe, and Keina had been tasked with looking into the bloodstain on the cloth.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That means...it was demon blood after all?”

“Yup! But that wasn’t the only surprising thing,” Keina replied.

She had a deep furrow in her brow, and the guildmaster had a similarly grim frown on his face. We all gulped nervously at the tension in the room.

“Was it that bad?” Kuruta asked.

“Yeah. The blood had black dragon genes in it,” Keina replied.

Kuruta tilted her head in confusion. “Black dragon? Is that a bad thing?”

Rouga and Nino looked equally bewildered.

A black dragon, huh? The name rang a bell, but I couldn’t recall where exactly I had heard it before.

“Black dragons are a royal species in the demon realm,” Keina explained.

“Like a Demon King?!” Kuruta yelped.

“Yup. Only royalty and higher nobility in the demon realm have black dragon blood.”

“Which means that demon in the valley was quite an influential one,” Raiza said, sounding much more serious than usual.

Keina nodded wordlessly. No wonder they hadn’t wanted anyone else to hear this. It was a major incident! The fact that an important figure from the demon realm had shown up in the human realm was enough to make headlines. If anyone found out the trouble they had been plotting, another great war between humans and demons could begin. At worst, it would wipe multiple kingdoms off the map!

“The kingdom, church, and main branch of the guild have been informed of this already,” the guildmaster said.

I nodded. “As they should be. This is a big deal.”

“In addition, the main branch of the guild has sent out two ultra confidential requests.”

“Two?”

“Yes. Both are regarding extremely important matters.” The guildmaster looked at Raiza and me, then cleared his throat and said solemnly, “First, Sieg and Raiza, I’d like the two of you to join Paladin Wayne’s party and deliver something to the demon realm.”

“The demon realm?!” I yelped.

“That’s right. You’ll be crossing the border forest.”

“How troublesome,” Raiza muttered under her breath.

It was way more than just troublesome! The monsters in the border forest got stronger the closer they were to the demon realm. The pact with the demons had prevented humans from setting foot in the forest depths for several hundred years. There was no way of knowing how savage those monsters were now. Just the thought of it was terrifying.

“There’s a path that leads through the forest, but it hasn’t been used for three hundred years,” the guildmaster said.

“Wouldn’t it be overgrown by now?” I asked.

“That’s why this request is for the two of you. You’ll be accompanying Paladin Wayne, an S-rank adventurer.”

“Ooh!”

My eyes sparkled at the mention of an S-rank adventurer. They were the elite of the elite out of the countless adventurers in the world—the dream of every adventurer, the top of the profession. Some nations even treated them like nobility. Some were said to have so much power that they could become a one-man army. I’d been hoping to meet one someday here in the adventurer hub of Rajah, but I’d never imagined I’d be going on a job with one!

“An S-rank adventurer! I can’t wait!”

“Hmph. I’m stronger than any S-rank,” Raiza said.

“Well, that may be true...”

Raiza turned away with a sullen pout. For some reason, she suddenly seemed to be in a bad mood. Did I say something to upset her? I looked over at the others for help, but everyone just shrugged as if it wasn’t their business.

“Good grief. How dim can you be?” Rouga muttered.

“I feel sorry for Raiza,” Nino agreed.

“I think that’s part of his charm,” Kuruta said, complimenting me instead.

Um... So what exactly had I done wrong? I was still confused when the conversation moved on to the next topic.

“So, what’s the other job? Something for the three of us, right?” Kuruta asked.

“That’s right. I’d like the three of you to escort someone,” the guildmaster replied.

“Who is it?” Nino questioned. For some reason, the guildmaster had avoided naming the target, but that hadn’t escaped her notice. No escort mission could begin without knowing who was to be protected, so she asked him directly to clarify.

The guildmaster stroked his chin with a troubled look. “I can’t tell you that yet. The party wishes to hide their visit until the last possible moment.”

“Hey now, how do we protect someone if we don’t know who they are?” Rouga said.

“I know, I know. But I can’t say anything yet. Please wait a little longer.”

“They’re not from the criminal underworld, are they?”

“Of course not! They’re extremely important to this incident. Someone of very, very high status. They would never be part of the underworld!”

It had to be a very impressive person for the guildmaster to be so insistent. Was a king visiting or something? Judging from his reaction, it wasn’t impossible. Kuruta and the others were excitedly discussing who it could be.

“At any rate, they’re both extremely important job requests! I’m sorry to make you split your party, but please do this for us.”

“Got it!”

And so, we accepted the very important requests from the guild.

“The guildmaster sure knows his stuff, assigning the two of us to the job,” Raiza said once we left the office. She had her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face. It was the kind of expression that left me feeling wary...like trouble was brewing.

Meanwhile, in contrast, Kuruta looked terribly grumpy. She immediately stepped between us, pouting fiercely.

“Why do you get to go with Sieg instead of me?! We’re from the same party!”

“You simply lack the strength,” Raiza said.

“Grr! I’m an A-rank adventurer! There’s no need to put it that way!”

“That’s still not enough. Besides, Sieg and I are siblings. We don’t have to be in the same party to be paired together.”

Raiza thumped her chest proudly, taunting Kuruta, whose face twisted with frustration.

“There there, don’t let her get to you. We’ve got an important escort job, remember? We’re plenty amazing as well,” Rouga said.

“That’s right. Cheer up, Kuruta,” Nino added.

“That’s not the point!”

Kuruta was forcefully dragged away by the two of them. She was throwing a tantrum like a child whose toys had been taken away. But she was still an adventurer personally selected by the guildmaster, so sensing that her tantrum would get her nowhere, she quickly calmed down. At least she knew when to give up.

“Guess it can’t be helped. But you better not get any funny ideas!” Kuruta warned Raiza.

“I know. We’re going to the demon realm. I won’t do anything reckless,” Raiza replied.

“Good...”

“What are you two talking about?” I asked.

“You don’t need to know!” Raiza and Kuruta yelled in unison.

These two refused to get along with each other, but they were perfectly synchronized at times like this. I gave them an exasperated look as Raiza changed the subject.

“Let’s call it here for today. It’s already pretty late,” she said.

“Huh? Oh, you’re right.”

I could see that the sun had long since set outside the window. We had spent quite a while talking to the guildmaster and Keina. If I didn’t go back soon, I’d be causing trouble for the innkeeper.

“All right! Things are gonna get busy starting tomorrow!” Rouga said.

“Yeah. You two do your best in the demon realm. Come back safely!” Kuruta said.

“Of course we will,” I answered.

“We’ll keep an eye on Rouga in the meantime,” Nino added.

“Hey! Why am I being treated like a criminal?!”

And so, we went our separate ways to our respective homes and inns. Our upcoming job was a little nerve-racking... On my way back to the inn, I looked up at the moon with an uneasy feeling. Although I’d be with Raiza, our destination was the demon realm.

There was no telling what was waiting ahead of us...

The next day, we went to the hotel where we were meeting up with Wayne. It was the fanciest hotel in Rajah, nearly as extravagant as a palace. There were several pompous carriages parked in front of the entrance, with people dressed for a ball elegantly stepping out of them.

According to the guildmaster, Wayne was staying here. It must have been easy for an S-rank adventurer to afford a place like this. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it cost a million gold a night.

“Wow... What a hotel,” I murmured in awe.

“Don’t stare. You’re not here to be a tourist,” Raiza scolded me.

“But...”

I rarely ever got the chance to stay in a hotel so fancy. The last time was when I’d accompanied my big sister Aeria on a work trip. She had paid my share of the fees back then, but I wouldn’t be able to afford such a place on my current adventurer income. As a result, I felt terribly out of place there.

“Good grief. Your frugal spirit can be a problem too, huh?”

“Me? You’re just too brazen!”

“I stay here pretty often, so I’m used to it,” Raiza said, walking inside like it was just another building. The Swordmaster was a regular at the royal palace, after all.

I nervously followed her through the door.

“Are you Raiza?” a young man asked. He was blond-haired and blue-eyed, and wore a white suit of armor, his arms spread rather dramatically as he approached. He looked to be in his early twenties and carried himself like he was some kind of prince. Was this the guy we were supposed to complete the job with? He was awfully slender for an adventurer.

“Yes, that’s right. Are you Mr. Wayne?” Raiza said cautiously, wary of the unexpected aura he was emitting. Come to think of it, Raiza had never liked dealing with these types of people.

But Wayne didn’t seem to notice her reaction. “That’s right! I am Wayne, the S-rank adventurer who also possesses the title of paladin!” he said.

“I’m Raiza. It’s nice to meet you. This is my br—”

I quickly covered her mouth before she could call me her brother. Only a select few people knew we were related. It wasn’t a secret to be telling someone we were meeting for the first time! I shook my head furiously until she got the point and nodded.

“I meant my buddy, Sieg.”

“You don’t have to share that,” I said.

“Don’t sweat the details. We’re here for a job! Right?”

“Right...”

“Well, whatever! A lovely lady like you must have a secret or two,” Wayne said, snapping his fingers before twirling on the spot like a ballet dancer. He then peered into Raiza’s face and showed off his white teeth with a grin.

“The demon realm might not be the only problem today,” I muttered, looking at the cold expression on my sister’s face.

Interlude: Big Sister Conference #3

While Sieg and Raiza were meeting up with Wayne, their four sisters were gathered at their home in Beogran. The topic of their discussion was, as usual, the fact Noa had yet to come home. Three months had passed since he had run away. Their anxiety had reached a peak, and the air in the room was tense.

“Argh! This is why meatheads can’t be trusted!” Aeria wailed dramatically, holding her head in her hands.

She couldn’t believe that Raiza, who had been entrusted with bringing Noa back, had decided to live where he had moved instead. Not even Aeria could have predicted that. She was pretty sure Noa had always feared Raiza, so Raiza must have managed to patch up their relationship.

“The same goes for you, Ciel. I can’t believe you lost the duel,” she added.

“What else could I have done? Noa had improved far more than I expected. I was caught completely off guard,” Ciel muttered.

“You’re a sage, aren’t you? Do something!”

“Don’t be unreasonable...” Ciel pressed a finger between her brows and sighed tiredly. Aeria didn’t know much about magic, so she was under the impression that a sage could do anything. But naturally, there were things even Ciel couldn’t do. Like bringing her little brother home.

“At any rate, bringing Noa home is our priority,” Ecrecia said.

“Right,” Aeria said thoughtfully. “With Raiza on his side, it’ll be hard to use force. We’ll have to strategize.”

“A strategy... Can you use your influence on the guild?” Ciel asked.

“That would be difficult. The Adventurers Guild is a huge organization that spans the continent. The most I can secure is the guildmaster position in this kingdom.”

“Rajah’s pretty far, after all,” Ciel agreed.

The trading company Aeria led was based in the Winster Kingdom, several borders away from Rajah. There was a branch of Fiore there, but it barely had any power.

“What about you, Fam? Could you pull any strings on your end?” Ciel asked.

“Hm? What are we talking about?” It seemed Fam hadn’t been listening at all to their important discussion. She rubbed her eyes sleepily, an unusual sight for her usual serious demeanor.

“Were you sleeping this whole time, Fam?!” Aeria snapped angrily.

“I’m sorry! I’ve been so busy lately...”

“Did something happen?”

As a saint of the Holy Cross Church, Fam normally lived a strictly regulated life. She went to sleep at sundown and rose with the dawn, as saints were the standard for all disciples of the church. That was Fam’s motto as well—which was why her exhaustion was indicative of a great incident at hand.

“Just a few things regarding the demon that appeared near Rajah,” Fam said.

“Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that,” Ciel said.

“That’s right! Is Noa okay?!” Aeria exclaimed.

The other sisters all looked at Ciel.

“He’s fine. He’s still out there happily adventuring away. I would have told you all up front if anything had happened,” she said.

“That’s true,” Aeria replied.

“Phew...” Ecrecia sighed.

“But I did sense danger around him. I caught a glimpse of a demon,” Ciel continued.

“Really?” Aeria frowned deeply at her words while Ecrecia trembled in her seat. The two had no combat power, so demons were the symbol of fear to them. Just the thought of them was terrifying. Fam, who was in a position that directly fought demons, also furrowed her brow.

“Yes. I’m pretty certain of it,” Ciel said.

“Hmm. We have to move immediately. Even with Raiza around, it could be dangerous,” Aeria remarked.

“Noa’s in danger,” Ecrecia chimed in.

“Um, about that,” Fam interrupted weakly. “I’m actually going to Rajah after this.”

She tried to laugh it off, but her unexpected declaration had her sisters in an uproar. The saint of the Holy Cross Church visiting the realm’s border was a bigger event than a royal tour. It was the greatest proof of something serious happening.

“Half of it was at my request. The original plan was for Archbishop Kras to go, but I said I wanted to. I was worried about Noa.”

“That’s important too! What’s going on over there?” Aeria asked.

“Tell us, Fam,” Ecrecia added.

“I’m curious as well. The glimpse I got of a demonic shadow shouldn’t be this big of a deal. You know something I don’t, isn’t that right?”

The three sisters closed in on Fam and pressed her for information. They all had deep frowns and a glaring sparkle in their eyes that resembled that of a starved beast. Fam broke into a cold sweat under their immense pressure.

“Just between us...” she said quietly, explaining the situation.

The sisters’ faces grew paler and paler as they listened.

“A Demon King?! Noa is in danger! We have to save him!” Aeria shrieked.

“Calm down, Aeria! There’s nothing you can do by rushing out of the house!” Fam said in a panic.

“Noa’s...going to die?” Ecrecia said slowly.

“We have to do something! I’ll teleport there!” Ciel shouted.

The situation quickly spun out of control. The normally calm Aeria immediately made to run out of the room, while Ecrecia fainted on the spot. Ciel was refining her magic energy to cast a questionable greater magic spell, so the house was at risk of being blown apart at any moment. Fam panicked and slammed the table.

“Calm down, everyone! That’s why I’m going there! It’ll be okay!” the saint shouted earnestly at the meeting room that had transformed into a chaotic battlefield.

Chapter 2: Paladin

“I was told you’re quite a famous knight of Winster. Is that true?” Wayne asked Raiza.

In fairness, Raiza was officially there as a knight, but she took a moment to recall that before nodding at Wayne.

“I’m sure you’re quite skilled, but don’t hesitate to rely on me. After all, I’m an S-rank adventurer!” Wayne laughed heartily.

“Okay. Got it,” Raiza replied with an annoyed look.

Satisfied with her answer, Wayne turned to me. “As for you... I heard you’re the rising star rookie or something?”

“No, not at all,” I said.

“Thought so. You’re D-rank, after all.”

“Excuse me?”

That was rather rude. I didn’t think of myself as a rising star or anything, but the way he put it felt offensive. And Raiza seemed to feel strongly about it too.

“Hey, that was uncalled for,” she said in a warning tone.

“There’s no need to fuss over the help. Right?” Wayne said. Two female adventurers stepped forward at his beckoning—seemingly his comrades. They looked quiet and reserved, but it was clear they were experienced. Their worn-out suits of armor were signs of long careers.

“These two are my supports. They help me from the sidelines, ensuring I’m always in my best condition.”

“Supports? Not comrades?” Raiza asked.

“Of course. ‘Comrade’ is a term used for people of equal standing. Sieg there is your support, no?” Wayne looked over at me again, smiling smugly.

The difference between me and my sister was night and day. In that respect, he was indeed right about me being more of an assistant than a comrade. But did he really need to say it so bluntly?

While I was busy standing there speechless over his attitude, a vein bulged in Raiza’s temple. Uh-oh... She was super mad this time!

“Sieg is an important comrade of mine. I won’t allow you to look down on him,” she snapped.

“Oh?”

“And just so you know, he’s probably stronger than you.”

This time, it was Wayne’s turn to look offended. Of course he would—there was no way I was stronger than an S-rank adventurer! It was natural for his pride to be hurt.

I quickly tried to get my sister to retract her statement, but Wayne yelled first, “As if that’s possible! I am an S-rank!”

“Rank is irrelevant to strength,” Raiza said dismissively.

“Prove it!”

“Hey! Raiza!” I cried in a panic.

“Very well! He accepts your challenge!”

Why was she accepting on my behalf?! I shook my head furiously, but it was already too late. Wayne and Raiza were too worked up to listen to anyone else. This wasn’t going to be settled any other way.

“Fortunately, there are a few more days before we depart for the demon realm. Let’s duel in that time and find out exactly who’s stronger than who,” Wayne suggested.

“Very well. What will the duel involve? We can’t afford any battles that could actually wound any of us at this time.”

“I have the perfect method.” Wayne snapped his fingers dramatically.

Could this guy do anything normally? I gave him a look of exasperation, but he continued talking without a care.

“A little west of this town is a place called the Lagdor Plains. Do you know it?”

“I’ve heard of the name. What about it?” Raiza asked.

“There’s a huge outbreak of grass goblins living there, disturbing the local ecosystem. From what I’ve heard, there’re around three hundred.”

“Three hundred? That many goblins normally come with a king.”

Grass goblins were a subspecies of goblin that mainly lived in grasslands. They were blessed with the protection of wind, making them one rank stronger than regular goblins. Three hundred was enough to wipe out a small town. Not to mention the king goblin, which was easily classified as A-rank. They had brought it up as though they were having a casual conversation, but it was actually a major monster.

“It was a job request I originally turned down because of our trip to the demon realm, but I’ve changed my mind. We’ll face the outbreak together and decide the victor based on who defeats more grass goblins!” Wayne declared.

“Sounds good. Simple and to the point, and good for the town to boot!” Raiza said, crossing her arms with a satisfied nod.

Could she stop deciding things without my input?! I tugged at her arm in a fluster, forcing her to turn my way.

“This is too much, sis.”

“Don’t worry. You can handle this, Sieg.”

“You don’t know that!”

“The little brother of the Swordmaster won’t lose to a man like that!” Raiza’s expression turned serious as she released an intimidating air. It was the face of the sister who had trained me back at home!

I shuddered at the chill I hadn’t felt for a while. For some reason, I was suddenly filled with the desperate will to win at all costs.

“All right, I’ll do my best.”

“That’s the spirit!”

And so, the duel with Wayne was decided.

The border forest located west of Rajah split the continent into two halves, but it didn’t run in a straight line from north to south. There were sections of forest that protruded toward the human side of the land, and the Lagdor Plains located northwest of Rajah framed one such section of forest. Since it was right against the border forest, the monsters that appeared there were moderately strong, making it a good hunting ground for intermediate adventurers.

“Whoa! This place is huge!” I said.

Several hours after leaving Rajah, as the morning wind began to warm up, we arrived at a great plain that extended all the way to the horizon. The contrast of endless green against beautiful blue was refreshing to look at.

“What a peaceful view. Are you sure there are grass goblins here?” Raiza asked, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

Indeed, there were no signs of vicious monsters lurking anywhere. The plains looked so peaceful, I just wanted to roll around on the grass and nap.

“There’s no mistaking it. The request was for me personally. The guild would have investigated it properly before contacting me,” Wayne said.

“But...” Raiza started to argue.

“Sir Wayne, I can see something over there!” one of Wayne’s comrades in the lead suddenly shouted. She beckoned us over to the small hill she was standing on to look out on the plain. Judging from her excited reaction, she must have found something amazing.

We quickly hurried to her side, and Raiza whistled. “Wow. Now that’s impressive.”

“It’s a perfect village. There’s even a wall around it,” I said.

“There’s easily over three hundred...or even five hundred,” she added.

A grass goblin settlement had been established in a corner of the plain. The perimeter was surrounded by a log fence, and the rows of huts had grass roofs. It had all been constructed by the goblins and was primitive but fairly large. It could easily be called a village—or even a town. The largest hut at the back actually had a raised floor.

“I’ve never seen a settlement this developed before. What should we do? Should I join the extermination efforts?” Raiza asked, looking at me and Wayne.

This had originally been a match between the two of us with Raiza as the umpire, but with this many goblins to deal with...I had a bad feeling about things. Wayne, however, just shook his head in disappointment.

“Do you think that I, Paladin Wayne, would falter before this trivial number of goblins? When I took out a swarm of wyverns just a year ago?”

“That’s right! Don’t look down on Sir Wayne’s abilities!” the girls with him agreed heatedly. Wayne had called them his supports, but they seemed to trust him quite a lot. I guessed this kind of opponent was no trouble for an S-rank adventurer like him.

“Unless, of course, you insist on having Raiza’s assistance.”

“No, I’m fine. Let’s do this as originally planned,” I said.

“Got it. In that case, I’ll be watching over things from this hill,” Raiza said.

“Please do.”

“Before the hunt, let’s review the rules once more,” Wayne said, looking out over the goblin settlement. He pointed at the entrance and smirked. “Our goal is to exterminate those goblins. Once that is over, we’ll tally who defeated the most enemies. The victor will be decided that way.”

I nodded. “Nice and simple.”

“If you win, I’ll accept you as an official comrade. Do your best.”

“And what if you win?” I asked.

For some reason, Wayne started coughing. Then he shrugged and turned to me like he was talking to a young child. “I am an S-rank adventurer, you know? It’s a given that I’ll win, so I won’t demand anything of you when it happens.”

He grinned, showing off his white teeth. He seemed so certain of his victory that his face was radiating confidence. How annoying. I’d put him in his place! It might not be easy to beat him, but I couldn’t let him look down on me. Besides, my sister had said I could win. I would believe in those words!

“I won’t lose!” I declared.

“Oh?”

“I won’t lose that easily, I mean.”

Wayne burst out laughing. “Good spirit! Let’s have a fair battle!”

He winked at us, then started running down the side of the hill. Once he arrived at the settlement, he made a fierce leaping kick at the gate. His armored body was like a cannonball shooting through the air, and a low booming crash echoed all the way to where we stood.

“He charged in from the front?!” I shouted.

“That’s Sir Wayne for you!” one of his companions cheered.

“Sieg! If you don’t come down soon, I’ll defeat them all!” Wayne said, laughing loudly as he sliced through hordes of goblins.

At this rate, he really would defeat them all! I had to hurry! But I might end up hitting Wayne if I went in from the front with him. I looked around the settlement and noticed an exit by the largest hut at the back. They’d built a back door to the settlement.

“All right, I’ll be over there. Make sure you watch carefully, sis!”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

And with that, I started sprinting for the goblin settlement.

“I have to do my best too. Bring it on!” I yelled, having successfully infiltrated through the back door.

Goblins began gathering with ear-piercing screeches. In no time at all, twenty to thirty were rushing at me. Good!

“Vulcan!”

Flames wrapped around my black sword. The magic blade was my current specialty. I sliced through the horde of goblins and their clubs, burning their green skin with my scorching blade, spraying crimson. Cries of agony could be heard over the sound of tearing flesh and raining blood.

Cut, slice, cut, slice. I turned like a spinning top to the screams of the goblins, dancing in the middle of the horde. Eventually, fear seemed to overcome them, and they started to distance themselves.

One of them turned to screech in a different direction. “Graaaaaah!”

Goblins in slightly different attire emerged from the nearby huts. While regular goblins only wore loincloths, these had leather armor—battered but properly crafted, meaning they had likely been stolen from human adventurers. These goblins were also seasoned veterans with fiercer faces and brawnier bodies.

“High grass goblins, I assume?” I muttered to myself as they charged at me with their broadswords raised.

Whoa, these guys are fast!

I immediately leaped back. Their swords missed me and shattered the ground. Such speed and might were only possible with the blessing of the wind.

“These aren’t normal high goblins!”

My gut told me that underestimating them would lead to disaster. I quickly prepared a light spell to stop their movements. “Sentier!”

My magic energy burst, creating a flash of light that burned their eyes. Blinded by the light, they pressed their hands to their eyes and floundered around. I rushed into the horde again, cutting them down one after another. The brawny high goblins were sliced apart in no time at all.

“All right, next...”

“Gyaaaaaaaaah!”

“Whoa!”

The last remaining goblin let out a terrifying scream. It was more like an explosion than a roar. What is that?! The sound rattled directly in my head, freezing me on the spot. What did this guy plan on doing?

The roaring goblin glared at me, then collapsed as though it had exhausted its life.

“Was it a last-ditch attempt at something?” I wondered, lifting its head. The light was gone from its eyes. Had it been an attack that could only be used on the brink of death? It was more like a mandragora than a goblin.

As I was scratching my head over the odd series of events, a bloodthirsty presence suddenly appeared behind me.

“Agh!”

My body moved on reflex, leaping to the side faster than I could think. A figure of what felt like a mass of wind blew past me with a thunderous sound, eventually hitting the settlement fence and exploding violently. Nearby huts went flying from the shock waves. Hey, that had as much power as an advanced spell!

“Could this be the king?” I muttered, turning around to see the largest goblin yet. Wait, was this guy even a goblin anymore? It was far taller, more muscular, and more ferocious than any goblin I had seen before. Though it wasn’t quite the size of a giant, it towered over me and was far brawnier than the average ogre.

“You disturb nest. You die!”

“It spoke! This has to be the king!”

“You die. I kill you!” the king roared with its whole chest. Wind raged around it, creating a small tornado that formed a mass around the club in its hand.

That must be what just flew past me! The loudly raging wind was like a compressed whirlwind.

“Blow away!” I cried.

The king swung its club to strike the mass of wind like it was a ball. I tried to flee beyond its trajectory, but my body was pulled toward it.

“Gah! It’s sucking me in!”

I barely managed to evade the attack. That was close! A little more and I would have been swept up. I’d have to dodge a lot earlier to be safe!

Just as I was bracing for danger, the king fired a second and third shot in quick succession.

“It won’t let me close! In that case, air slash!”

I evaded the attacks, regained my balance, and sent a slash of air at the king. The wind blade tore through space, closing in on its fat neck...only to be neutralized by the club that was wrapped in wind.

“It can defend too?!” I yelped.

“I strong! Invincible!”

“Don’t get cocky!”

Why had this goblin’s ugly face reminded me of Wayne for a second? It really made me want to win. Motivation flared within me once again. Was there any way of getting past that defensive wind that could suck in anything?

I pushed my mind to the limit, sharpening my senses until time seemed to slow down. “Suck in... Suck in... I know!”

I watched the mass of wind draw in nearby dust and had a great idea. I immediately prepared my magic energy and released a wave of fire!

“Choke on this!” I yelled as crimson flames shot through the air.

The goblin tried to block with wind, but that was the worst choice it could have made. The mass of wind absorbed the flames, turning into a small sun. My flames had been laced with magic energy, making them impossible to extinguish with mere wind.

“Graw?! What this?!” the king yelled.

“One more! Vulcan!”

“Stop!”

I fired another fire spell to fan the flames. The wind absorbed them and expanded, sending sparks spraying everywhere. The mass eventually grew so large that it could no longer be controlled. And as the flames grew out of control, they began to sparkle.

“Graaaaaaaaawww!”

They exploded, creating a burst of light and hot air. The goblin king burned up in no time at all.

“Phew. I somehow managed to defeat it,” I said, wiping my brow as I looked down at the burnt remains of the grass goblin king. Good grief, it had been more formidable than I’d expected. Just then, I remembered the match with Wayne.

“Oh no! I have to defeat more!”

Our match was based on the number of goblins defeated, and a king only counted as one! I had spent too much time on a single opponent!

“Hiyaaah!” I glanced around and rushed toward the remaining goblins I could see. If I didn’t defeat as many as I could, I’d lose to Wayne!

I lifted my sword, ready to slice a goblin in two, when a white shock wave came flying out of nowhere, blasting every last goblin in the group to pieces.

“The prey is mine!” Wayne said, walking over leisurely with a cackle.

Argh! He defeated the rest of them before I could! I held my head in my hands in despair as he approached me cheerfully.

“Looks like this match is mine. But don’t worry; you were facing an S-rank adventurer and paladin, after all!”

“Well...we don’t know for sure yet. Let’s go back to Raiza and hear the total count!”

“Stubborn one, aren’t you? I was like that in my youth too.”

What? He was still in his early twenties. What was he saying? I wanted to say as much but swallowed my words for now. We hardly needed a count to know he had defeated more goblins than I had. Snapping at him would just increase my own wounds.

“Right, let’s go back to the hill! Raiza is eagerly awaiting our return!” he said.

“Okay.”

And with that, we left the destroyed settlement and returned to the hill where Raiza was waiting.

“There was an awfully loud sound just now. Are you okay?” Raiza asked as soon as we returned to the hill. Apparently, she had heard the earlier explosion from here. Wayne’s comrades were also looking at him with concern.

“Don’t worry, the two of us are still full of energy,” he replied.

“Thank goodness! We were so worried for you, Sir Wayne!”

“What? There’s no way I’d be taken out by mere grass goblins! Look!” He opened the magic bag at his waist and the magic stones from the goblins came pouring out. Wow! I’d known it would be a large number, but it was even more amazing to see it! I gulped at the mountain of stones piled before me. It was easily two—no, three—times what I had collected!

His comrades cheered excitedly.

“That’s amazing, Sir Wayne!”

“You defeated so many in such a short time!”

“It’s no surprise for an S-rank to do this much,” he said with a confident grin. His team was already celebrating his victory.

But Raiza stared down at the pile of magic stones with an unimpressed look. She reached out and grabbed a handful to inspect them.

“They’re all tiny. Is every single one a normal stone?” she asked.

“Yes. This match was based on numbers, so it made sense to aim for the normal-ranked monsters, no?”

“But there were higher-ranked species in the settlement, weren’t there? What happened to those?”

“Sieg handled them.”

“Meaning you ignored all the harder monsters and just breezed through the small fry?” Raiza asked with a disgusted look.

Wayne was briefly taken aback by her harsh attitude. He swept his hair back and said, “All’s fair in war.”

“That’s right! Sir Wayne was just the smarter one!”

“Don’t you speak badly of him!”

“Fine. Sieg, show me your magic stones,” Raiza said.

“Okay.” I opened my magic bag and took out the stones inside. There were far fewer than what Wayne had gathered, and our two piles looked like an adult and child next to each other. I turned away from my sister in embarrassment.

“This one is huge!” Raiza had grabbed the largest stone from my pile. It was so big, she could barely hold it in one hand. There was a bluish-white magic energy swirling inside the jade-colored stone.

“Is that a king? No, it’s even bigger!” Wayne exclaimed, his face turning grim. We’d known there were higher-ranked species in the settlement, so why was he so shocked? The blood was draining from his face.

“Is it that amazing? It’s just the king’s stone, right?” I asked.

“Nope. This is an emperor stone, a higher rank than king,” Raiza answered.

“Emperor? I’ve never heard of that before.”

“I’m not surprised. This is only my second time seeing one, though it seems Wayne over here was aware of it.”

She looked at Wayne again. His relaxed attitude from earlier was nowhere to be seen as he nervously started to explain.

“Emperors are the highest goblin rank. Their strength is considered S-rank even for a normal goblin, so for a subspecies like the grass goblin...”

“It’d be impossible for an S-rank adventurer to defeat alone. You’d need at least five fighters,” Raiza concluded.

“Guh! This can’t be! It’s impossible! Sieg is still a D-rank adventurer!”

“That’s why I told you rank has nothing to do with strength.”

Wayne turned bright red at Raiza’s words. His veins bulged in his forehead, giving him quite a terrifying impression. The fact that he had lost to me in ability must have hurt his pride quite a lot. He no longer had a mind to feign composure.

“Regardless, I’ll have you know this match was based on numbers alone! Even an emperor only counts as one!”

“Sure. But do you feel good about that?”

Wayne ground his teeth in frustration. “Enough! The match is over! The settlement has been wiped out, and we’re going home!”

He took his comrades and departed immediately. Uh-oh... I might have angered him more than intended. I hadn’t meant to do that.

I frowned to myself as my sister burst out laughing. “He may have won the match, but he definitely lost the battle!”

Despite the situation, it was a little satisfying to see her celebrate even more than me.

“Anyway, I can’t believe an emperor appeared. Was that the work of a demon too?”

On the way back from the Lagdor Plains, Raiza crossed her arms and muttered to herself with a frown. According to her, goblin emperors only appeared once every few decades. The last one had appeared just a few years ago, and she had been the one to personally travel across borders to defeat it. Come to think of it, there had been a time when she’d been out of the house for a few months.

“We’d better report this to Keina. She might know something,” I suggested.

“Yeah. We should hurry back to the guild. But that man... He was quite hopeless.” Raiza shook her head with a shrug.

There was no need to ask who she was talking about. Her words were awfully sharp too. I guessed she really didn’t like Wayne.

“There’s no need to get that mad,” I said.

“No. An S-rank adventurer should be the standard for all adventurers. But with his attitude...”

“It’s not like he actually did anything bad, right?”

“True, but still...”

I tried to placate my sister, but she refused to cheer up. If anything, the furrow in her brow just grew deeper.

“Come to think of it, he called himself a paladin. That was a surprise,” she said.

“Well, he’s S-rank. I’m sure his skills weren’t a problem.”

“No, you can’t become a paladin on ability alone.”

Raiza sounded rather certain about it. Was she familiar with the topic? I tilted my head in confusion, and she smiled at me.

“Before I became Swordmaster, I thought about becoming a paladin. Fam told me about it at the time.”

“Oh, I see.”

Paladin was a title given to the best knights of the Holy Cross Church. As the face of the church, Fam was well-versed in the requirements. In fact, with her level of authority, she could probably choose paladins herself.

“Yeah. Personality is an important factor in the selection process. Only those with honesty and integrity are considered. It has to be someone who is admired by others.”

“Honesty and integrity...”

“They’re also harshly judged on their day-to-day behavior.”

“Hmm...”

When she put it that way, Wayne did seem a bit too showy. He clearly had some kind of relationship with the women in his party too. The teachings of the Holy Cross Church valued purity above anything else, so having relations with multiple women at once was out of the question.

“Doesn’t it seem a little strange?” Raiza asked.

“I doubt the Holy Cross Church would stand for such fraud, though.”

Corruption came hand in hand with large and old organizations, but thanks to Saint Fam keeping a tight rein on everything, the Holy Cross Church didn’t normally have such problems. My sister was a kind person, but she was strict and unforgiving when it came to those close to her. Memories flashed through my head, making me shudder. Unlike Raiza, Fam was always smiling when she made the most absurd requests. Like no sleeping until I learned to use holy magic.

“No, things have changed a little. I’ve heard the newest bishop has been causing trouble lately,” Raiza said.

“Really? That’s news to me.”

“We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to worry. Fam didn’t want you to stress about her.”

Over such a little thing? Was this really the same person who’d cut me up and told me to heal myself over and over again? I pulled a face, but Raiza continued speaking.

“According to Fam, the church’s internal factions are making rather suspicious movements. They’ve also gotten so zealous with their fundraising, they’ve started giving out status to whoever pays the most.”

“Huh? Does that mean...?”

“It’s just a possibility. I can’t say for sure,” she replied ambiguously.

I could clearly hear what she was implying, but it wasn’t good to doubt a comrade we were about to depart on a hard mission with. We were going to the demon realm—there was no telling what would happen, even with the Swordmaster on our side. We should avoid ruining any trust between us as much as possible.

“Let’s set it aside until the job is over,” I said.

“You’re right. We can sort it out once we’re back from the demon realm.”

Raiza stretched her arms up. She looked a little tired, so I decided to change the topic.

“How are you enjoying life in Rajah, sis?”

“Hm? Oh, I’m settling in well.”

It seemed she found Rajah to be an enjoyable place to live in. Her expression was much brighter than before. I was also quite fond of the town. Perhaps it was due to the nature of adventurers, but everyone was very welcoming of outsiders. There was none of the closed-minded thinking one would generally find in a border town.

“It’s a nice town, isn’t it? I feel like I’ve been living there my whole life already.”

“Hey now, it’s only been a few months.”

“Even so, it feels like a second home to me.”

I smiled at the thought of the people of Rajah. Everyone was so kind, it was like I had lived there for a decade already. But Raiza had other thoughts.

“There are downsides to Rajah too, though,” she said.

“Huh?”

“There are too many temptations. Especially that waterway street!” She leaned in toward me and said in a menacing tone, “You haven’t taken Rouga up on any of his invitations to go there, have you?”

“O-Of course not! I’d never!”

“Really?”

“Really! I wouldn’t lie to you!” I shook my head furiously with a pale face. I’d just wanted to brighten the mood, but I’d ended up digging my own grave with that topic! Now it was too late to undo my actions.

“An emperor, huh?”

“It’s almost certainly the work of a demon.”

The guildmaster and Keina both looked grim upon hearing the news we’d brought them. As predicted, the goblins had something to do with a demon as well.

The guildmaster crossed his arms thoughtfully for a while, then nodded. “All right. It’s a little earlier than expected, but can you depart tomorrow?”

“You mean to the demon realm?” I asked.

“Yes. I’m sorry to send you out immediately after your encounter with the emperor, but...”

It was rather sudden. Wayne had said there were another three days before we were due to leave. I guessed that’s how desperate the situation was right now. Raiza and I were bewildered, but we agreed to the guildmaster’s request. Wayne, however, had objections.

“Hold on a minute! If we’re going to the demon realm, we need sufficient time to make our preparations!”

“The guild will assist with that. If there’s anything you need, let us know.”

“It’s not just supplies! We need our rest as well, isn’t that right?” Wayne said, looking to me for agreement.

I was a little tired from fighting the emperor and using so much magic energy, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t recover from with a good night’s sleep. Considering the situation, it was best to leave as soon as possible. I made eye contact with Raiza, who nodded.

“We don’t mind,” I said.

“Yes, we’re racing against the clock here. The sooner the better,” she added.

“Urk! Fine... Let’s depart tomorrow,” Wayne grudgingly agreed.

Since I was the one who’d defeated the emperor, he couldn’t argue too much. He sulked in clear disapproval while agreeing to the earlier departure, then bowed his head deeply to the guildmaster and turned to look at us. “I guess that’s all for today. Go home and rest well until tomorrow.”

“I will. I’ll go to bed as soon as I get back,” I answered.

“Make sure you’re on time.”

Wayne didn’t even try to hide his displeasure as he left the room. His words were also a little rougher than usual. Did he really want to rest that much? If he was feeling fatigued, he should have just said so.

Raiza and I looked at each other in confusion.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Who knows? We should go rest too. Tomorrow’s a big day.”

“That’s right. Guildmaster, can the guild handle my weapon maintenance?”

“Of course! We’ll get it done overnight!” he agreed happily.

“I’d also like to request armor maintenance,” I added.

After leaving our equipment there, Raiza and I departed for our respective homes and inns to rest.

Late that night, while Sieg and Raiza were asleep, Wayne was drinking by himself in the tavern. As a night owl, he couldn’t sleep at this hour even if he tried. He stared down at his drink with a deep furrow in his brow, clearly in a bad mood.

“Argh! Curse that newbie!”

Sieg was dominating the thoughts of his alcohol-addled mind. Several years had passed since Wayne had been promoted to the role of paladin and become an S-rank adventurer, but he had never been humiliated to this extent. In fact, in his entire life, this was a first for him. It was his first time tasting defeat after growing up as a prodigy. On top of that...

“If he had just refused the guildmaster’s request, I would’ve been able to use the guild’s money for much longer.”

The original deal had been for the guild to pay all his living expenses up until their departure for the demon realm. That included hotel fees, food, and all spending money. It was a privilege reserved for S-rank adventurers, and Wayne made full use of this privilege by staying at the best hotels in town and partying every night. But that had all been ruined by Sieg agreeing to leave tomorrow.

“This feeling won’t settle until I get back at him...”

He considered arranging an “accident” in the middle of the mission, but he still had his pride as an adventurer. Besides, if the guild ever found out, he’d have his license retracted, S-rank or not. And if that happened, he could lose the paladin title he had struggled so much to obtain. He had to avoid that at all costs.

“Maybe I could steal his woman,” he mumbled.

Raiza, the woman who had shown up with Sieg. They were members of the same party, but they seemed closer than that, like childhood friends with a slight age gap or something. If Wayne could steal her from him... He could just picture Sieg’s vexed and resentful face. Thankfully, he had looks, status, and money in his favor. Most women fell for him with a single smile.

He burst out laughing. “Not a bad idea! A great one, in fact!”

The thought of Sieg’s bewilderment had erased his bad mood in an instant. He opened a new wine bottle and raised his glass as though to toast to himself. When he snapped his fingers, his female companions entered the room.

“That cocky newbie won’t know what hit him! Ha ha ha!”

“You’re in bright spirits tonight, Sir Wayne,” they said as he drew each of them into one arm, cackling with carefree laughter. He had no way of knowing how this decision would only bring disaster to his future.

Interlude: The Saint’s Departure

While Sieg and Wayne were out hunting grass goblins, Saint Fam’s send-off party was being held in the Holy Cross Church’s headquarters in the Winster Kingdom. Her trip to Rajah was a secret, so only a select few members of the church had been informed. But she was an important symbol of their faith, and a saint on the move wasn’t an event that could be ignored, so they’d decided to give her a modest send-off anyway.

“I will bring light to the truth and ease the woes of the borderlands,” Fam said to those who had gathered, hands clasped over her chest gracefully.

Everyone applauded her gallant words. Fam was a genius at holy magic—the kind said to appear only once in a hundred years—and had been chosen as saint through a divine revelation. To the Holy Cross Church, her existence was almost on par with their god.

“The saint is serious,” one member of the clergy muttered.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen her that solemn in a while,” another agreed. They were greatly moved by her words.

Meanwhile, the archbishops who normally interacted with Fam were oddly calm. They could sense an unusually strong will behind her expression. They discussed it with each other in hushed voices.

“Hopefully this incident doesn’t take a turn for the worse.”

“War against the demons means we’ll have to be deployed too.”

“How terrifying. God help us all.”

On the off chance that war against the demons happened, the Holy Cross Church would lead the fight. Even the archbishops of the church headquarters would have to visit the front lines at some point. Of course, their work would be at the command center, but there was no truly safe place on a battlefield. And against demons in particular, it was more likely they would die. The archbishops were all prepared to dedicate their lives to the teachings of the church, but they still feared death and wanted to avoid it as much as possible.

“Hmph. Such cowardice. How can we, the servants of god, fear mere demons?” one man snapped at the fainthearted archbishops. His name was Kumer Hasburg, and he was the most senior among them. He was also well-known for being part of the faction that advocated for policies against demonkind, and his passion for that was active even in this emergency situation.

“But war means bloodshed. Shouldn’t we avoid that by any means necessary?” one of the peers he had scolded firmly protested. His name was Amud Aitnes, and he had been newly appointed as an archbishop three years ago. He was also the one who had various dark rumors circulating about him. His round body was unbefitting of the clergy, implying a regular lifestyle of debauchery, and there was a clear contrast between his figure and Kumer’s muscular frame.

“You just mean you don’t want to spill your blood,” Kumer said curtly.

“Not at all. I merely wish for peace,” Amud replied.

“Doubtful.” Kumer’s brows furrowed with a skeptical look.

In response, Amud glared back sternly. Invisible sparks flew fiercely between the two of them. Those around them backed away at the tension in the air.

“Demons are our enemy. Have you forgotten our history? We were formed by people who stood up against them,” Kumer said.

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. However, we cut contact with the demons and have maintained peace for a long time now. There’s no need to break that treaty,” Amud argued.

“I will not sit around and wait for death as the other side attacks.”

“There’s nothing that says they’re attacking now. We shouldn’t be giving them incentive to do so.”

“Fool! It’ll be too late once they do!” Kumer yelled angrily. The entire venue fell silent at the rare sound of a clergyman’s raised voice.

Over at the altar, Fam also looked over at the commotion. “Calm down. Arguing among ourselves won’t help anyone.”

“As you say,” Kumer said reluctantly.

“I suppose,” Amud added. “Now if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to.” He bowed his head deeply and left, leaving behind Kumer, who was clenching his jaw angrily.

Having watched that unfold from the altar, Fam called out to him. “What happened with Amud for you to yell like that?”

“Just a difference in opinion. Nothing you need to worry about, Saint Fam.”

“I see. But Amud has been a handful to deal with lately. As an archbishop, he should be setting a better example for the disciples,” Fam said with a sigh. She had been bothered by Amud’s behavior for a while now, especially when it came to funds. She wanted to ask him about the rumors herself, but as a saint, she couldn’t recklessly question the upper echelons of the church. She needed evidence first.

“For now, you should focus on your duty in Rajah,” Kumer said.

“You’re right. I have to bring Noa— I mean, I have to bring peace back to Rajah as soon as possible!”

“Yes. Actually, I’d like to accompany you on this trip. What do you think?”

“You, Kumer?” Fam repeated, unable to hide her surprise. It would be very reassuring to have an archbishop like him accompany her, though. Kumer was renowned for his excellent combat abilities. Though he was lacking in holy magic, he had a better sword arm than the average knight, and there was no telling what would happen on the journey.

“I’d be most grateful, but are you sure? Aren’t you busy?”

“Anything to protect you, Saint Fam,” he said, stepping up close to her. He then leaned down and whispered in her ear, “There have been too many ominous rumors within the church recently. I cannot let anything happen to you.”

“I understand. I will allow it.”

“I am most grateful.”

“Then let us go together! May light illuminate our path!” Fam declared valiantly, holding her holy staff high in the air. Clouds parted in the sky outside and light streamed through from the window, wrapping her body in a divine light. Her waist-length hair glowed golden. It was like looking at an angel—or a goddess.

The disciples immediately bowed before the embodiment of holiness before them.

Chapter 3: The Border Forest

“This should do it! Phew, I made it in time!”

On the morning of our departure to the demon realm, I got up early to pack my bags for the trip. It took a while to get everything necessary into my magic bag, but I was finally done. All that was left was to tell the inn I was leaving for a while, then retrieve my equipment from the Adventurers Guild. I left my room and went down to the dining room where the owner was preparing breakfast.

“Innkeeper!”

“Good morning, Sieg. You’re up awfully early today.”

“I’m going out on a long job, so I won’t be here for a while.”

“Oh, I see. Be careful out there.”

“I will! Um, about the fees during that time...”

I took out my wallet, but she just laughed heartily and waved me off, telling me to put it away.

“You’ve been a good customer to us, so it’s no problem.”

“But you’ll be holding my room for me.”

“We’re never fully occupied at this time of the year, so holding one room isn’t an issue,” she said. She called out to her husband in the kitchen, and he immediately gave his enthusiastic agreement.

“Yeah, that’s fine. If it bothers you, introduce your friends to our inn next time,” he said.

“That would be a great help to us,” his wife agreed.

“Okay! I’ll tell everyone!”

Raiza and Kuruta had their own houses, but I could make a pitch to Rouga and Nino the next time I saw them. It was a little lower in quality than the inn they were staying at, but the service and food were great. Its location just made it a little difficult for it to gain new customers. It might also be nice if we could all stay over sometime.

“All right, I’ll be off now!”

And with that, I left the inn and headed straight for the guild, where we were meeting. Raiza, Wayne, and Wayne’s comrades were already there. There was also a group of spectators on the street—it seemed they had heard rumors about Wayne and had come to get a look at the S-rank adventurer. Was it okay to stand out so much when we were about to depart on a secret mission? I looked around in confusion as Wayne approached me.

“Finally here? You were so slow, I ended up signing ten autographs while waiting.”

Had he recovered from his fatigue overnight? He seemed to be in a good mood today. It was like yesterday hadn’t happened at all. I gave him a puzzled look, but Raiza just sighed wearily.

“For whatever reason, you look happy today,” I commented.

“Ha ha ha! How harsh. I’m just happy to be on this journey with such a lovely lady.”

“Don’t call me that. I don’t like being referred to in such a way.”

She stepped away from Wayne with a look of annoyance, but he seemed to take it as a challenge and shuffled right back up to her. For every step she took back, he took the same step forward. They moved in a circle, like they were playing an odd game of tag. It was surreal as an onlooker, but Wayne seemed dead serious.

Eventually, Raiza got fed up with him and stopped. “Argh! Let’s just go already. We don’t have the time to be fooling around here!”

She shook Wayne off and walked into the guild, where we retrieved our newly serviced equipment.

“Here’s your sword, Sieg.”

“Thanks, Raiza.”

I took the black blade and hung it at my waist. Even the scabbard had been polished.

Now, it was finally time for the demon realm...

I stared at the sky to the west and rolled my shoulders to get myself fired up. Raiza was also doing some light stretches. Just then, Wayne grabbed her shoulder and wagged his finger in disapproval.

“Surely you’re not planning on walking there,” he said.

“That’s exactly what I’m planning.”

“Follow me. I have something better.”

He sure seemed confident in himself. We followed his triumphant steps with skeptical looks, eventually arriving at the back of the guild.

“Oh? A land dragon?” Raiza asked.

“Wow! It’s my first time seeing one!”

A giant monster stood there, blocking the back street. It was the size of a small stall and shaped like a lizard, but the horns on its head and long jaw were proof it was from the dragon family. Its scales had a dull sheen, characteristic of creatures that had lived for many years.

The land dragon was a species of dragon that had evolved without wings. They were used in place of horses for transport. As members of the dragon family, they had great physical strength and could run along any badly maintained path. They were convenient riding beasts but difficult to keep due to their enormous feed costs. Because of this, only royalty and nobility normally used them.

“Did you borrow this from the guild?” I asked.

“No, it’s my personal dragon. What do you think? Magnificent, no?”

“Yeah. It looks strong and healthy,” Raiza agreed.

“I originally caught this dragon as it was rampaging through the forest. It has quite a wild temperament, so watch out. It only obeys those whose strength it acknowledges.”

Wayne slowly approached the dragon and patted its head. It made a rumbling noise of satisfaction, closing its eyes.

Huh...it was actually pretty attached to him.

I watched on in awe as Raiza stepped forward curiously. “Let me try too. I love dragons.”

“Better not. Like I said, this dragon’s normally a fierce one. It’s only submissive to me because it knows my streng— Huh?”

When Raiza stepped in front of the dragon, it immediately lowered its head. Could it sense her strength through pure intuition? It looked more sorrowful than reverent. Guess it could tell who it couldn’t afford to lose to.

“It doesn’t look fierce at all,” she said.

“Um. That’s because I’ve trained it well! Of course! Ha ha!” Wayne stammered.

“That’s not what you said just now.”

“Don’t sweat the details! Let’s go now!”

“Ah! Wait up, Sir Wayne!” his comrades cried, hurrying to climb onto the dragon’s back with him. There was a large boxlike harness placed on its back where armor would normally go. It looked quite comfortable to sit in.

Once everyone was settled in, Wayne gave his gallant order. “Now, set forth!”

The dragon gave a rumbling roar and started running as we set off down the road to the demon realm.

“So that’s the border forest... It’s got a real sinister aura about it,” I said.

After three hours of riding the land dragon, we had almost reached the border. The sun was still high overhead, yet the sky on the other side of the forest was dark and gloomy. Sunlight in the demon realm was obstructed by the toxic air, but I hadn’t known it had had such an effect on our side too.

“What a nasty wind. It’s full of miasma,” Raiza commented.

“Indeed. But rest assured, I came prepared with holy stones!” Wayne took out a small, sparkling white crystal from his pocket. It was a holy stone, commonly used for warding off miasma—but with the downside of being expensive and limited in range. What was more surprising was that he had brought a whole pouch full of them. He had apparently used the guild to secure a large number of stones.

“Whoa...impressive,” I murmured.

“This should be enough to resist the miasma of the demon realm,” he said proudly.

“But it’s such a waste! Weren’t they expensive?” I asked.

“Of course,” he replied, rubbing his chin. Then, for some reason, he grinned smugly. “It cost at least a million gold.”

“A million?! That really is a waste!”

“It’s a necessary cost for the safety of the party. Besides, it’s no big deal for me—”

“Instead of using the stones, I’ll use Sanctuaire. It’ll be more effective that way.”

“Hey, what?! You can use magic like that?” Wayne yelped in shock.

He was a paladin, so why was he so surprised? Was he unable to use it himself?

As I was questioning him in my head, he cleared his throat. “Well, if that’s the case, then we’ll count on you for that. Of course, I can cast it as well, but I’d like to save my magic energy for other uses.”

“I see! That makes sense!”

“You brought so many holy stones just for that?” Raiza asked with a dubious frown.

Wayne was taken aback for a brief moment. “We’re heading to the demon realm, you know? There’s no telling what will happen there. If we don’t use our strength efficiently, we could be caught off guard in an emergency!” he argued.

“Exactly! Sir Wayne is right!” one of his comrades cried.

“You don’t understand because you don’t use magic!” the other shouted, desperately supporting Wayne’s reasoning.

The way they both jumped to make excuses for him just made it more suspicious. Did he actually know how to use Sanctuaire? Raiza seemed to have the same thought, the wrinkle on her brow deepening.

“No need to make such a scary face! Now, Sieg, if you would, please?” Wayne prompted me.

“Okay.” I immediately cast Sanctuaire, covering us in a white light that repelled the miasma. “Phew, that makes it a little better.”

“This should make the trip through the forest much more comfortable. Thanks, Sieg!” Raiza said.

“There’s no need to thank me.”

I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by my sister’s praise. Her attitude toward me had definitely softened since she’d come to Rajah, especially these last few days, where it felt like she was praising me for every little thing I did in front of Wayne.

I couldn’t figure out why she was acting this way, but as long as she was in a good mood and it was harmless, I figured it didn’t matter.

Meanwhile, Wayne’s smile was twitching as he attempted to hide his anger. “Well, even if this blocks the miasma, it won’t stop monsters from attacking us. When that happens, I’ll be the one to stop them!” he said, tapping the sheath of his sword proudly. As an S-rank adventurer, he did look very reliable...but with my Swordmaster sister on the trip, that impression was weakened significantly.

In fact, Wayne liked to praise Raiza with his words, but it didn’t sound like he had any idea of her actual strength. Was he still unaware of her abilities? He should have been able to tell how abnormally strong she was from the way she carried herself.

“All right, we’ll rely on you for that,” Raiza said.

“Yes, rely on me. And just so you know, it’s not only monsters we have to watch out for.”

“Hm?”

“Apparently there are man-eating trees in the border forest.”

Wow, we’ll be facing monsters like that too? Perhaps I should have expected that of the forest that led to the demon realm—even the plants attacked people. It seemed this was news to my sister as well, as her expression turned grim. It wasn’t like we could cut our way through the forest tree by tree.

“That sounds troublesome. How do you tell them apart?” she asked.

“It’s simple. They’re afraid of fire. You can tell right away if you approach them.”

Wayne dug around in his magic bag and took out some torches. He handed one to each of us and lit them on fire with a snap of his fingers. The air shook audibly before a wave of heat reached us.

At the same time...the forest started stirring.

“What was that? Wind?” Wayne asked.

“No, there’s no wind blowing,” Raiza said.

“Oh no! I’m scared!” Wayne’s companions cried at the noisy forest.

The land dragon also reacted by raising its head. It gave a low growl, as though it was threatening something. There was no mistaking it—a monster was approaching us!

“Gah! The tree moved!” I yelped.

“Speak of the devil, huh? Looks like they showed up right away,” Raiza said.

“This isn’t the time for chatter! The number of monsters is crazy!” I shouted.

Trees were moving one after another in front of us—enough to form a veritable green tidal wave!

“This is bad!” Raiza shouted.

It was as though the entire forest was moving. They were kind of similar to the group of treants in the Forest of Evil Spirits we had once encountered...but there were way more. And each individual tree was much larger. Perhaps these were murder treants, the higher-ranked species? They were an extremely vicious type of carnivorous plant that lived off human flesh for nutrients.

“They’re like the gatekeepers of the border forest. They won’t let us pass easily!” Wayne declared boldly.

“What should we do? Intercept them here?” Raiza asked.

“Leave it to me. I’ll fell them all!” Wayne jumped down from the dragon’s back and cut through the branches and vines that whipped at him with ease. That was an S-rank adventurer for you!

His female companions cheered excitedly at his frenzied battle.

“You’re amazing, Sir Wayne!”

“Take down that horde of trees in one go!”

“Just watch me!” Wayne replied to their cheers with a wave and a confident laugh.

I had wondered about it before, but...had he brought those two along just to cheer for him? He called them his supports, but I’d never seen them cast any spells or carry his belongings. Then again, if they were willing to go to the demon realm just to cheer for him, they could at least be commended for their spirit. I was half impressed, half exasperated by them.

“Hiyaaah! Take that!”

Their cheers seemed to have an effect on Wayne, anyway, as he repelled the treants with more force. Eventually, the rush began to settle, and he looked over at Raiza with a wink. He seemed extremely proud of his contribution, white teeth on display as he grinned.

However, that was when the treants began their counterattack.

“Hm? What’s that?” Raiza asked.

I looked over. “A nut?”

Something was flying over, whistling through the air. From the look of it, they were tree nuts. They curved perfectly as they flew through the air, exploding as they hit the ground and burst apart.

An unidentified gaseous substance was released from the seeds. The moment it touched the nearby plants, they lost all color and withered. The bugs on the ground also rolled over as soon as they breathed it in.

“Eek! Sir Wayne!” one of his companions screamed.

“Guh! I wasn’t expecting projectile weapons!” he shouted.

“Wayne! Adjust your sword pressure and knock those seeds back without splitting them!” Raiza ordered.

But Wayne just shot her a bewildered look. “That’s an unreasonable request! We should retreat and come up with a plan of action!” he wailed.

Raiza gave him a critical glare as the other companion tried to back him up. “That’s right— Whoa!”

A tree nut fell by the land dragon’s foot. It released a gas that made the dragon back up with a groan. Naturally, its back shook heavily. A commotion broke out both up on its back and by its feet.

“Calm down! Argh, I’ll just do it myself!” Raiza cried.

“Hey, Raiza!”

Unable to watch any longer, Raiza jumped down from the dragon. Wayne and his companions were shocked by her unexpected actions.

“Raiza! What are you doing?!” Wayne yelled.

“I told you, you have to hit the seeds back!”

“There’s no way that’s possible—”

“Hyaaaaaah!”

The treants released their tree nuts once again, but Raiza drew her sword faster than the eye could follow. A fierce brandish later, with a shock wave we could feel from this distance, the tree nuts all flew back to the treants without bursting. It was like watching time rewind before our eyes—the work of a miracle.

A rumbling sound echoed from the treants—the gas was effective against them. Right... So they shot them into the distance to prevent them from gassing themselves.

The trees ran from left to right, letting out eerie screams unimaginable for a plant. In no time at all, the ones that had filled our surroundings all fled. Their instincts had probably told them not to defy the strong. They retreated shockingly fast.

“What, is that all?” Raiza said, shaking her head in disappointment. She cracked her neck left and right, looking unsatisfied.

Wayne rubbed his eyes as though he were dreaming. “Raiza...?”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“You’re awfully strong... I mean, I was told you were a famous knight, but even so.”

“Really? This is normal for an experienced knight. Isn’t that right?” she asked, turning to me.

Hmm. I guess so? It was a little hard to imitate a move like that, but...

“I would only be able to reflect eighty percent of the seeds,” I replied.

“Hey, what’s that uncertain tone for? You should say you’ll reflect all of them.”

“No, I can’t do that much. I’d definitely let a few slip through.”

“Greenhorn. Train until you can do it.”

“She’s kind of strict, isn’t she?” Wayne said to me with a nervous chuckle. He looked oddly pale. Had he breathed in too much of the gas? His lips were blue, and his earlier vigor was nowhere to be seen.

“Are you okay? You don’t look so well,” I said.

“I’m fine. Let’s hurry onward.” Wayne patted the land dragon’s head, which lifted as it slowly resumed walking.

And so, we continued through the forest to the demon realm.

Interlude: Meanwhile, Kuruta...

While Sieg’s party was making their way through the border forest, Kuruta, Nino, and Rouga had been summoned to the guild to discuss their escort mission. It was finally time for the guild to disclose the details that had been kept top secret until now. They had been told it was a very important person, but they had no idea who. The three nervously waited for the guildmaster to speak.

“Now, about the person you’re tasked with escorting,” he said.

“Who is it?” Kuruta asked.

“The saint of the Holy Cross Church and the archbishop accompanying her.”

“Oh, wow!”

That was way more important than the three had expected. The saint of the Holy Cross Church had power equivalent to the ruler of a large kingdom. And she even had an archbishop with her. If they messed up the mission, the guild could end up at war with the church.

“I want you to give this mission your all. Protect the saint no matter what.”

“Of course! We will devote everything we have to it!” Kuruta said enthusiastically.

Nino nodded. “A worthwhile mission.”

“It’ll be a real test of our skill! And with the saint...” Rouga crossed his arms and stroked his chin. The saint of the Holy Cross Church was famous for being one of the most beautiful women in the land. Any man would want to see her at least once in his life.

If this job goes well, I might be able to get on good terms with the saint... Rouga was lost in his own world when Nino reached out and slapped his back.

“What are you thinking at a time like this?” she scolded him.

Rouga chuckled. “Nothing! Sorry, sorry.”

“Good grief...”

Nino shot him an exasperated look. It was hard to tell if this was the composure of a veteran or if he was just being careless. She shook her head and shrugged as Kuruta turned to the guildmaster.

“So, what do we have to do? Wait until they arrive?” Kuruta asked.

“About that,” the guildmaster said. “I’d like you to maintain a fair distance while escorting them.”

“How come? That’ll make it harder to protect them in an emergency.”

“The saint’s visit must be kept confidential. Having a large entourage will just attract more attention.”

“But...”

Kuruta didn’t seem convinced. She was confident in her skills, but it was definitely harder to protect someone from afar. Rajah wasn’t a small country town either—it was a metropolis with many buildings. There were plenty of chances for the saint to leave their field of view.

“The saint herself is a powerful caster of holy magic. The archbishop with her is also extremely skilled with a sword. They’ll be fine by themselves in most cases.”

“But they can’t defend against ranged attacks, right?” Kuruta pointed out.

“Of course, that is a risk...but they don’t seem to trust us.”

“What?! Are they looking down on us lowly adventurers?”

Thanks to many years of the guild’s efforts, high-ranking adventurers had finally gained a place in society. S-rankers were even treated like nobility. However, there was no denying that many adventurers came from questionable backgrounds. People in power tended to look down on them for that.

“No, that’s not the case. The church is having some internal trouble recently. Since there may be a traitor in their midst, they want to avoid having people too close to the saint.”

“A traitor? That sounds ominous. What’s happening?” Rouga asked.

“Right? I can’t imagine the Holy Cross Church in such a state,” Kuruta said.

“I don’t know the details either. Only a select few members of the church have been looped in. You three must keep this top secret too,” the guildmaster said in a low voice.

As the representative of the guild, he took the matter of information leaks very seriously. Kuruta’s party nodded soberly at his intensity.

“The saint will be visiting the guild tomorrow as an ordinary client,” he continued. “I will give you the signal, so please begin following her once she leaves. Don’t let anyone around you notice.”

“Got it. How long will she be here?” Kuruta asked.

“That depends on the situation. If it ends up being extended, the guild will arrange for backups to change shifts with you.”

“Understood. You’ve got it all planned out, as always.”

“Of course. It’s my head on the line if something happens.” The guildmaster chuckled, but he was trembling faintly. If the worst happened to the saint of the Holy Cross Church... Just the thought of it was fearsome. At worst, Rajah could be physically wiped from the map.

Kuruta’s party could sense that tension and nodded in understanding.

“Well then, if you’ll excuse us,” she said.

“I’m counting on you,” the guildmaster answered.

As soon as the three of them stepped out of the office, they exhaled heavily. They’d known it would be a big job, but they hadn’t expected their client to be someone this important.

“Now it’s just getting fishy,” Kuruta said.

“Right. First demons, now internal strife in the church,” Nino agreed.

“Well, that happens to all organizations that get too large. What I want to know is why we were the ones assigned to this job,” Rouga said ponderously.

Now that he mentioned it, this was a huge job. Their party was fairly high in rank, but this was normally a job for an S-rank adventurer.

“Maybe it’s because we don’t stand out as much? S-rank adventurers tend to attract unwanted attention,” Nino replied.

“Oh yeah, the paladin this morning attracted quite a crowd.” Kuruta recalled the sight of Wayne being surrounded by his fans and clapped her hands in realization. For better or for worse, S-rank adventurers were unique and flashy. They weren’t really suited for top secret missions.

However, Rouga still didn’t seem convinced. “That can’t be the only reason...” he mumbled.

“Well, either way, our job is to protect the saint,” Kuruta said.

“True. Ha ha ha! How exciting!”

His hearty laughter echoed through the deserted corridor, dispelling their gloomy mood.

Chapter 4: Deep in the Forest

“Haaah! Hiyah!”

A pack of black wolves was rushing at us. They were a monster species with sleek black fur and golden eyes that glinted brightly. Their strength was rank B—a single wolf was enough to take out a small village. There were more than ten charging us right now.

Good grief, the border forest sure is a ridiculous place!

“You guys protect the dragon! I’ll defend the front line!” Wayne shouted.

“No, there’ll be no need for that. Yaaah!”

The monster wolves were no different than goblins for my sister. She leaped down from the dragon’s back and sent a series of slashing attacks at the pack. The beasts were blown away by the slashes, blood spraying everywhere.

Wayne laughed dryly at her ferocity. “Wow... You’re strong...”

His face was twitching faintly. I couldn’t blame him, of course. Raiza did make a fairly shocking first impression. Even I was still surprised by her.

“All done. How much longer until we get out of the forest?” she asked.

“We’re only a third of the way through,” Wayne replied.

“I guess it wasn’t meant to be an easy journey. Even with a dragon, it’s taking a while.”

“The border forest is the sea of trees that separates the land into east and west. This is still the beginning. Besides...” Wayne paused dramatically.

What? Was there something else lurking in this forest? Raiza and I both frowned.

“There are three particularly rough spots. The first is the Whitefog Sea, the second is the Great Wall of Redstone, and the third is the Darknight Grove. We’ve yet to pass any of them.”

“They’ve all got memorable names,” I commented.

“The Great Wall of Redstone is especially tough, as the demons will be waiting for us there. We’ll be in demon territory once we pass that checkpoint, but there’s no telling if they’ll let us pass easily, even as envoys...”

Just as Wayne trailed off, a faint fog began to fill our surroundings. It gradually got thicker and thicker, turning the scenery white. It was like darkness had filled our world, only it was white. I couldn’t even see my feet when I looked down.

“So, this is the Whitefog Sea? How annoying,” Raiza said.

“Yes. There are monsters that hide in the fog and attack, and it’s easy to get permanently lost here,” Wayne explained.

“Hmm. What do we do?” Raiza crossed her arms with a stern look. All the sword skills in the world couldn’t help us find our way. We had to strategize carefully.

“Why don’t we go back a little and rest for today? Trying to pass through the fog at night seems impossible,” I suggested, looking around at the creeping darkness. The fog made it hard to see where the sun was, but it was definitely setting. We were fatigued from all the monster attacks, so pushing on through the night might well be suicide.

“Good idea. All right, let’s head back and set up camp. Don’t worry, I’ve prepared everything in advance!” Wayne declared.

“That’s great. Let’s get some rest early,” Raiza said.

And so, we retraced our steps and prepared to break for the night.

“Man, I had no idea Raiza was that strong,” Wayne grumbled. It was the middle of the night, and Raiza and Sieg had already gone to sleep. He had offered to take the night watch.

Wayne had heard Raiza was a famous knight, but he hadn’t expected someone who could cut through the border forest monsters so easily. Because of that, his plan to make her fall for him by saving her had been completely ruined. If anything, he was the one being saved by her.

“At this rate, I’ll just be humiliating myself!”

He folded his arms and ground his teeth. Instead of clearing his name, he was piling more shame onto himself. He had to show Sieg and Raiza the power of an S-rank adventurer—as soon as possible.

“Why don’t you prove your strength in something other than monster extermination, Sir Wayne?” one of his comrades suggested nervously, trembling before his fury. She looked out at the Whitefog Sea and lowered her voice. “Neither of them seemed to know how to deal with the fog. If you gallantly lead the way, they’ll have to rely on you.”

“I see. That’s an option to consider,” Wayne said, taking out a small object like a pocket watch from his pocket. It was a special type of measuring device with a needle that always pointed at the strongest source of magic energy, which in this land was in the depths of the demon realm, so it always pointed east. It was an invaluable tool for navigating the border forest, but Wayne had chosen not to inform Sieg or Raiza of it.

“Heh heh... It’s a good thing I asked around. After all, preparation is the most important step of any journey.”

“Indeed. Skill alone won’t help. In the end, strategy wins,” his comrade agreed.

“Ha ha ha! In that case, it’s time to celebrate my inevitable victory!” Wayne said happily, putting the magic compass away. He pulled both women toward him, sliding his hands over them and savoring the feeling. His lax expression showed that he was entirely sure of his victory tomorrow.

However, the next day...

“At times like this, the answer is to use magic detection,” Sieg announced.

“Huh?” Wayne said.

“The demon realm to the east is constantly releasing powerful magic energy. If we follow that, we’ll be able to get out of the fog.”

“I see! Good job, Sieg!” Raiza exclaimed.

Sieg cast a spell unfamiliar to Wayne to lead them out of the fog.

“Can you really do such a thing?” Wayne asked.

We were making our way out of the Whitefog Sea through magic detection. But for some reason, Wayne looked terribly skeptical. Magic detection was a basic ability for any mage, though... Had he never seen one before?

“Magic detection is a basic technique. Any mage should be able to do it,” I commented.

“The magic detection I know can’t be used in such a specific way. The most it can do is detect whether there’s an enemy nearby,” he replied.

“Huh? Really?”

Maybe the mages he’d seen weren’t very skilled. The magic energy being released from the demon realm was extremely powerful, so anyone with decent magic detection should be able to pick up on it. Ciel would probably be able to describe what the surrounding terrain looked like, but that would require the constant use of magic energy, so it wasn’t very efficient.

“Let’s hurry on. It’s a little tough using both Sanctuaire and magic detection at the same time,” I said.

“Oh, right. That’s true...” Wayne muttered.

“I’ll deal with the enemies, so you focus on detecting,” Raiza said.

“Thanks, Raiza.”

And so, the land dragon resumed running through the forest. Unfamiliar monsters sometimes leaped out from the fog, but they all became rust on my sister’s sword in no time at all. It seemed the monsters around here weren’t particularly threatening. Raiza alone was enough to handle all of them.

Well, there was no monster in this world she couldn’t handle.

“Whoa! What was that?!” Raiza yelped.

“Hey! Snap out of it!” Wayne yelled.

We were progressing perfectly fine when the land dragon suddenly came to a stop. Did it feel sick or something? We hurried down to check on it and found a thick vine wrapped around its legs. Was this a plant monster’s trap?!

I looked around the area with a torch in hand, but I didn’t see any treants. Instead, I could hear a low grunting.

“That...sounds like a monkey,” Raiza said.

“It sure does,” I agreed.

“Also, this vine actually looks like a poorly made rope.”

It was so primitive, I hadn’t noticed at first glance. The thick vine trap had been made by someone—probably the monkeys that had been trying to intimidate us for a while now.

“An intelligent monster, huh? This might be troublesome,” Raiza said.

“Yes, especially considering the location,” I replied with a nod.

We were deep in the forest, and our vision was obstructed by fog. It was the worst place to fight monkeys that were leaping freely between the trees.

“Hey! Watch out!” Raiza suddenly yelled, sensing something.

Something thick like a log shot past us—a javelin! The size and speed were on another level. It was like they had thrown an entire tree at us.

The wind began whistling with the speed of the javelins as the monkeys whooped at us.

“I can’t see them! Where are they throwing them from?!” Raiza shouted.

“Urk!”

“Wayne!”

A javelin had landed a direct hit on Wayne, who was sent flying. Thankfully, his armor protected him from any major damage, but things weren’t looking good.

“Sieg, can you temporarily blow this fog away?”

“No way. Can’t you do something by slashing in every direction?”

“I could, but it might summon other monsters. There’d be no end to it!”

Raiza looked around with a grim face. There was no telling what was lurking in this forest. Even with her and Wayne on our side, it was best to avoid creating a bigger commotion than necessary. It wouldn’t be strange for dragons to live around here.

Just then, Wayne suddenly started yelling at the top of his lungs. “My tooth! My tooth broke!”

His chin had hit the ground when he’d fallen off the dragon’s back. One of his characteristic white teeth had fallen out, shocking him into wailing like a mandragora.

Hey! Screaming so loudly here will lead to no good!

I tried to stop him, but it was already too late. Monkey grunts echoed all around us.

“We’ve been surrounded! I can hear them all over!” I cried.

“Look what you’ve done now!” Raiza snapped.

“Sorry! I lost my composure!”

Wayne had snapped out of his shock, but it was too late for apologies. A rain of javelins and stones came flying at us from every direction!

“Tch! It’s too hard to fight in this fog!” Raiza scowled as she struck down the javelins with her sword. Attacks like this normally weren’t a problem for her, but we were in the middle of a forest, surrounded by milky white fog. With a field of view of only a few meters, Raiza was struggling to find her way.

A section of chopped-up javelin flew toward Wayne’s female comrades, who started screaming, making a commotion.

“Gah!”

“Sir Wayne!”

Argh! Everything’s a mess because of Wayne!

I clutched my head and tried to calm the panicking women down. “It’s okay! We’ll protect you from the attacks! Just calm down!”

“That isn’t reassuring at all!”

“That’s right! What will you do if we get hurt?!” they snapped at me.

“Why did you come along, then?! You should have known it would be dangerous!” Raiza shouted at both of them.

Overwhelmed by her intensity, they immediately quieted.

“What were you thinking by bringing them on such a harsh journey, Wayne?” Raiza demanded.

“That’s, um... They’re my supports.”

“And what kind of support do you receive from them exactly?”

“Well...” Wayne mumbled, unable to give a proper reply. His weakened expression was nothing like that of an S-rank adventurer.

Hmm... This is a little...

He looked so pathetic, I didn’t know how to feel. But we had to get out of this situation first. I slapped my cheeks and pulled myself together.

“Well, we can’t stay here! Let’s rush forward!” I said.

“Right. We can talk about it later,” Raiza agreed.

“All right, leave it to me!” Wayne said, patting the land dragon’s shoulder.

The creature reared its head and accelerated. As expected, such a dragon—even a lower-ranked species—could move ridiculously fast when it got serious. I couldn’t tell for sure since we were in the fog, but it was probably a lot faster than the average horse.

“Ha ha ha! This is what a land dragon can do!” Wayne cried.

“Well? Can you tell if they’re chasing us?” Raiza asked.

“Hmm... I can’t see them. Hey, can you be quiet?” I asked the others.

“Okay. Everyone, please cooperate.” At Wayne’s urging, his female comrades also lowered their voices.

Thanks to that, the footsteps of the dragon and rustling of the trees became louder to my ears. I used wind magic to gather the sound around us.

“They’re following us. I can hear voices behind us—it’s quite a large group.”

“Can we shake them off?” Raiza asked.

“It might be difficult. The enemy is fast.”

The monsters were using vines to rapidly swing between the trees, slicing through the air with a faint but audible sound. At this rate, they’d reach us in a matter of minutes.

“Do we confront them after all?” Raiza asked.

“If only we could tell exactly where they were located... Wait...”

Just then, I had a realization. How did those monkeys know where we were? From the aim of their javelins, they seemed to have an accurate view of us. Were they locating us through sound just like I was doing to them?

“Wayne, stop the dragon!” I shouted.

“Don’t be ridiculous. If we stop here, we’ll be surrounded again!”

“Please! We won’t be able to outrun them anyway!”

“Argh, fine! You’re responsible for whatever happens!”

Wayne finally agreed, half out of desperation. He patted the land dragon’s head, and it stopped with a roar. The sudden halt sent us flying up out of our seats for a moment.

“Whoa, there. So, what now?” Wayne asked.

“I’m going to find out how they know where we are. Hiyah!” I drew my blade and wrapped it in wind, then sent the small tornado along with an air slash. Wind raged, erasing the sound around us. “Now, to see how they react!”

If they really were using echolocation on us, this should stop them. How would the monkeys move now? We held our breaths and waited. Not long after, a javelin came flying over. It was aimed perfectly—right at our heads. We noticed just in time and cut it down.

“Agh! It’s not sound!” I yelled.

The raging wind was loud enough to erase our cries. They couldn’t be detecting our location through sound, which meant there had to be another way.

“If only we knew how, then we could manipulate them...” I murmured.

“Hey! What do we do now?!” Wayne asked with a terribly panicked face.

I’d been all but certain that the monkeys were using echolocation, so I didn’t have any good ideas left.

“We’re going to run again! Wayne, get the dragon moving!”

“Hold it! We’re already surrounded!” he yelled.

“What now? I can’t protect you guys forever!” Raiza said with a grim expression.

It would be one thing if it had just been Wayne and me, but there were two others with us who couldn’t fight, plus a large land dragon to boot. Raiza couldn’t protect them all from the rain of javelins. Of course, she could probably manage it if she didn’t need to worry about environmental damage—but destroying the forest could create other problems.

“I’ll block it with wind for now! We can think of a plan in the meantime!” I said, gathering magic energy into my black blade once more and chanting a spell. Wind blew around us in a tornado, deflecting the javelins through the wall of air pressure. The smashed projectiles were sent flying every which way. Some fragments got through the barrier, but they were no longer deadly.

Wayne’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? We’re invincible with this! Why didn’t you do it earlier?!”

“Protecting ourselves doesn’t help the situation if we can’t move. Even if we can defend ourselves for a while, we have to think of something else.”

“How long will your magic last?” Raiza asked.

“I’ve got Sanctuaire running at the same time...so maybe two or three hours.”

“Hmm. That’s not long...”

Wayne had brought a lot of holy stones with him, so we didn’t have to worry about miasma corrupting us even if I ran out of energy. But this was the border forest. There was no telling when or where a powerful enemy would appear, so I wanted to avoid running out of magic.

“We have to figure out what they’re reacting to,” I said.

“If it’s not sound...could it be magic? They might be using magic detection,” Raiza suggested.

“That’s a possibility. In that case, I have a good way of testing it.” I reached into my magic bag and took out several magic stones, striking them together like they were flint. They made a bursting sound, creating a flicker of an invisible shock wave. The collision of magic stones disturbed the surrounding magic energy. If they were sensing our movements through magic, this should make it impossible to tell where we were.

“Urk. It makes my head spin,” Raiza muttered.

“It’s magic sickness. Hang in there, Raiza. I’m about to take down the barrier and see.”

“Right. Ready when you are.”

As soon as my sister grabbed her sword, I dispelled the barrier. The wind calmed, bringing silence back to our surroundings.

Come on, give us your best shot!

I tensed, sweating from my brow. Then, a monkey roared.

“Hey! They’re coming!” Raiza warned.

“So it’s not magic detection?!” Wayne cried.

The monsters had determined that this was the best moment to fight, throwing all their javelins and rocks at once. Their aim was as perfect as ever, targeting our heads.

Damn it! This isn’t what I expected!

I swung my sword to endure the wave of attacks but eventually failed and let one through.

“Guh!”

“You okay?!” Raiza shouted.

“I’m fine! It’s no big deal!”

A rock had hit me in the chest. I was wearing armor, so it didn’t do much damage, but it was only a matter of time before someone was killed. I had to put the barrier back up as soon as possible so we could regroup!

“Raiza! Could you cover for me for a minute?” I asked.

“Who do you think I am? Give me that!” Raiza grabbed my black blade—she was going to dual wield to make up for the number of strikes.

Can she really do such a thing?

Just as I thought that, she took the heavy black blade and started swinging it faster than I could follow with my eyes. When she combined it with her other sword, it almost looked like she had four limbs swinging.

“Amazing as always! It’s such a heavy sword too!” I said.

“If you think this is heavy, you need to train more.”

“You’re the only one who’d say that, sis...”

“Hurry and get the barrier up!”

Oh no! I got distracted by the dual-wielding I rarely get to see from Raiza! I chanted my spell and created a new wind barrier around the dragon. Since I didn’t have the black blade as a catalyst now, it took me a little longer to cast it.

“We survived. Anyone hurt?” Raiza asked.

“No, just a light bruise,” I replied.

“We’re fine too. But we’re back where we began,” Wayne said with a frown.

If it wasn’t magic or sound, how were the monkeys finding us? I couldn’t think of anything else. But at the same time, the monkeys seemed to be at a loss as to how to deal with our wind barrier. Their storm of attacks had ceased, and they were grunting at each other noisily.

“Hm?”

Shortly after, their sounds got louder. I could hear the trees shaking and leaves rustling before the monkeys surrounding us let out terrified screams. It was clear from their cries that they were retreating rapidly.

The reason was unclear, but we were saved for now...or not. Something huge had appeared in place of the monkeys.

“A snake!” I gasped.

“It’s enormous!” Raiza cried.

Something long and slender had appeared on the other side of the fog, crawling through the forest. It was a snake—one large enough to swallow a dragon whole.

“Was that thing hiding this whole time?!” Raiza yelled.

“There’s... There’s no way!” Wayne stammered.

Everyone was so shocked, our voices were trembling. None of us had noticed the approaching snake that was large enough to wrap around the forest. It hadn’t made a sound, and there was no magic energy to be detected. If not for the monkeys, we might have been swallowed whole without realizing it. It seemed this snake had the ability to conceal its magic energy.

“What do we do? Defeat it?!” Wayne asked in a panic.

I paused, unable to respond right away. “Can we even defeat this thing?”

It was a completely unfamiliar opponent to us. Provoking it could end up being more dangerous than fleeing.

Raiza seemed to think the same, observing the enemy while keeping the sword in her hand still. “This one will be tough even for me...”

Just as she muttered that, the large snake opened its mouth. Its eyes glinted gold, and light reflected off its swordlike fangs. If those things clamped down on us, it’d be an instant death regardless of how venomous it was. In terms of sharpness, they could easily pierce through steel.

The snake hissed menacingly.

“Gah! Evade it!” I yelled.

The enormous creature raised its head and glared at us, then coiled itself up before lunging out from between the trees. The wind barrier was useless against a monster this big! As soon as we realized that, we all leaped back as fast as we could. The next second, a loud and heavy sound echoed.

“Aaaaaaaaah! My Zephyros!” Wayne cried.

All the humans had managed to evade the attack. Wayne’s comrades were safe thanks to Raiza carrying them out of the way. But...there was nothing she could do about the land dragon left behind. The snake’s fangs mercilessly pierced the dragon’s scales. The beast roared in pain and fell.

“Hey! Hang in there! I haven’t finished paying off the loan I took out for you!” Wayne yelled, running up to the fallen dragon and shaking its head violently.

But the dragon’s eyes remained closed. The fangs had struck a vital point and killed it almost instantly. Blood poured out onto the ground, creating a contrast of red and white.

“No! My Zephyros! You cost me thirty million gold!”

“Ugh. Things are looking real bad now,” Raiza muttered.

“Yes. We’ve lost our means of transport,” I said, closing my eyes and offering a quick prayer. I would’ve preferred to hold a proper service, but there was no time for that. If we didn’t do something about the snake soon, we were dead meat.

We stood back-to-back and watched our surroundings carefully. The large snake had already retreated into the fog. Where was it hiding? For a monster large enough to wrap around an entire mountain, it moved shockingly silently. Perhaps it could use magic to make itself lighter? We were totally surrounded, yet we had no way of telling where the snake’s head was.

“Damn it! Is this snake toying with us?” Raiza asked.

“Perhaps it prefers to take its time eating its prey,” I replied.

“We have no choice but to cut it. Air slash!” Raiza swung her sword, releasing a slash. The blade of air sliced through trees and branches to strike the snake’s large body. It made a dull sound like it had struck metal, and the impact shook the trees, yet the monster’s scales hadn’t shattered. It was a tough one if it could withstand my sister’s slashes, which could cut boulders!

“Argh! Fine, I’ll just use my hidden art!”

“Wait, sis! That snake has a powerful venom. If you chop it up and send it flying everywhere, it could be worse!” I shouted, glancing over at the fallen land dragon. Its scales had turned a murky black, and miasma was seeping from its wound—clear signs of venom, and one powerful enough to kill a Demon King at that.

“Ugh. How annoying!” Raiza spat.

“Let’s try to drive it away as best we can.”

Despite my words, I had no idea how to deal with a snake this massive. The giant creature was slowly closing in on us, and we were gradually being cornered. Large beads of nervous sweat rolled down my forehead, dripping off my cheek and falling onto my shoulder.

“Cold!” I yelped at the sensation. The temperature around us had fallen out of nowhere, making my sweat ice-cold. When I looked closely, I could see frost forming on the tree trunks and leaves. Was the snake doing this?

“I know! Ice! That snake is covering its body in a thin layer of ice!” I exclaimed.

“I see. It’s using magic-laced ice to protect itself,” Raiza said.

“Yes. That’s how it endured your slashes. It also explains the movements of the monkeys just now.”

There were some reptiles that hunted by sensing heat. The monkeys most likely had a similar ability that allowed them to detect the snake. That was how they could easily detect our location despite us erasing our sound and magic.

Raiza and Wayne nodded in understanding but immediately returned to their grim expressions.

“How does knowing that help? I’m afraid I don’t have the ability to detect movements through heat,” Raiza said.

“That’s right! We’re still cornered!” Wayne snapped as though he had been betrayed. His comrades were also whining in agreement. Now that they had lost their place on the dragon’s back, they were clinging to him with desperate expressions.

I gestured for them to calm down before explaining my thoughts.

“We know that the enemy is using ice, and we know that most monsters that use ice are weak to fire. Which is why...”

I stabbed the black blade into the ground and took a deep breath, refining my magic energy. Against an opponent like this, I needed something powerful—but without sacrificing accuracy. Using this spell in a place like the forest required the utmost care.

“Emerge from the depths of the earth! Vulcan!”

Crimson pillars of fire rose around us.

The snake hissed in surprise. The ground around us had split open, and crimson flames were rising up from below. The monster was blasted by the heat and let out a sound like a scream. As expected, monsters that used ice didn’t like fire. It was so afraid of the flames, it shook the ground as it writhed.

The snake glared at us and hissed again before slowly slithering away. Its ice had melted from the heat, and we could clearly hear the sound of something heavy moving. Eventually, that sound faded away, and silence returned to our surroundings.

Good grief... At least we’d managed to survive. The monkeys and snake were both gone.

“We made it out alive, somehow,” Raiza said.

“Yes. What a terrifying monster that was,” Wayne agreed.

“What do we do now? We no longer have a dragon,” I said, looking over at the women.

They had tears in their eyes as they complained.

“We can’t walk through a forest like this!”

“Exactly. We didn’t expect this to happen.”

“How hopeless,” Raiza muttered at their reactions. She exchanged a look with me. Based on their gear and the way they carried themselves, their abilities were a little above those of a beginner. Although they weren’t complete amateurs, they clearly didn’t have the strength to walk through the forest. If we left them alone, they’d end up as food for the monsters.

“You brought them along, Wayne. They’re your responsibility,” Raiza said.

“Fine, I’ll do something about it. You two, make sure you stay by my side.”

The two women ran over to Wayne and clung to him. They must have been truly terrified, as they all but tackled him with enough momentum to squash him.

“Our current goal should be to get out of this fog as soon as possible. We won’t be able to deal with any more enemies like that,” I said, casting a fire at the tip of my finger. If the enemies had heat sensors, then it was possible to fool them with this. I resumed my magic detection while walking at the front with Raiza.

“How’s your magic energy level, Sieg?” she asked.

“I’ll be fine for a little while.”

“Can you cast Heal on them? At this rate, the sun will set before we leave this fog.”

“Okay.”

I mustered my magic energy and turned around to face the women. The healing magic energy from my palm turned into beads of light that rained down on them. The women looked at me in surprise.

“Wow! All my fatigue blew away!”

“My body feels so light! I could run forever like this!”

They bounced up and down energetically, their earlier exhaustion having completely vanished. Wayne watched them with confusion. I hadn’t expected such a dramatic difference either, and I was the one who’d cast it. How could a regular healing spell recover their energy this much?

“How much energy did you put in that spell, Sieg?” Raiza asked.

“Huh? Um...about as much as I do when I cast it on you.”

“Hold on. You can’t use me as a standard!”

Oh, that’s right! I cast it like I usually do without thinking, but that was using Raiza’s practically inhuman body as a standard. No wonder they ended up so fit.

“Hmm. Were you thinking something rude just now?” Raiza said sharply.

“No! Not at all!”

“You’re looking pale... Fine. If they’re this energetic, we should be good to walk out of here a little faster.”

My sister started doing some light stretches, then let out a puff of air and took a firm step forward before running off at a tremendous speed.

“Whoa! Hold on, that’s way too fast!” I called after her.

“That was too much running!” I protested.

“Sorry, sorry. But thanks to that, we were able to get out of the fog before night fell,” Raiza replied with a laugh.

Several hours had passed, and we had safely made it out of the Whitefog Sea. It had been a little scary for a moment there but had worked out in the end. The loss of the land dragon was painful, but at least none of us had died.

“Shall we rest around here for today?” I asked.

“Yeah. How about over there? That looks like a good spot.” Raiza pointed to where a large tree had fallen over, creating a small clearing around it. The open space meant it was easy to watch our surroundings and react in an emergency.

We immediately set up our tents and started a campfire. Once the sun set and we all settled in, Wayne suddenly turned to us.

“Say...who are you guys, really?” he asked.

I made a strange noise of surprise. “Huh? What do you mean by that?” Don’t tell me he’s figured out Raiza’s identity!

I quickly glanced over at Raiza, who also had a skeptical look on her face. “What did we do?” she asked.

“I was told you were a renowned knight, but you’re way too strong. And Sieg’s so talented, there’s no way he’s a regular adventurer,” Wayne said.

Raiza brought a hand to her chin in thought. Was she going to reveal her identity here? I supposed that was an option, but it didn’t seem like the best thing to do. I watched nervously as my sister began to speak.

“Isn’t it just because you’re too weak, Wayne?” she replied.

“Huh?! What are you saying?!”

“You can’t say that, Raiza! It’s rude!” I chimed in.

“Then let me ask Wayne this. Why did you bring those women here?”

“Because they’re my supports...” he answered in a quiet voice.

Raiza had a point, but oof, that had to hurt. Watching Wayne brought back memories of how she used to chew me out back in Winster. I’d been scolded for completely different reasons, though.

“Supports, huh? You’re this weak even with their help?”

“‘This weak’?! What do you mean?!”

“By weak, I mean weak.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m S-rank!” Wayne argued, his voice notably louder than before. He must have been really upset over Raiza’s words. His face was flushed, and it almost looked like there was steam rising from it.

But Raiza continued in a calm tone. “The fact that you’re an S-rank is also a mystery.”

“Are you calling my rank fraudulent?! Because that’s definitely not true!” Wayne stated firmly. He didn’t look like he was lying about it either—he clearly had his pride as an adventurer.

“But—”

“Let’s all calm down! Raiza, you went too far there,” I cut in.

“Really? Hmm. But I think it’d benefit Wayne more if we cleared the air sooner rather than later,” Raiza said. She now had an innocent look on her face—she had probably scolded Wayne with good intentions, but it wasn’t good to corner him like this in the middle of our journey. If Wayne had a mental breakdown, it’d make things harder for all of us. I wished she’d consider the time and place for these things.

“That’s enough for today. We still have to travel tomorrow, so go and get some rest already,” I said.

Raiza reluctantly backed down. “Fine, I get it.” She crawled into her sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep.

“I suppose I owe you a thanks,” Wayne said.

“Oh, um. It’s fine,” I replied.

“But I could have defended myself without your help. Really!”

After saying that, Wayne also went to bed. Hopefully the rift between them wouldn’t get any bigger. Both Raiza and Wayne were at fault in a way.

And so, I stayed up on night watch with a nervous ache in my stomach.

Interlude: A Saint’s Kindness

Shortly before Noa’s party departed for the border forest, Saint Fam and Archbishop Kumer had reached the small town right before Rajah. It was the same place Sage Ciel had previously stopped in. The town was rather prosperous for its size, and there were stalls lining the streets.

“Look! They have wyvern skewers!” Fam said excitedly.

“Yes, it looks nice and juicy,” Kumer replied.

“And that fruit basket! What a lovely arrangement!”

“Yes, very lovely.”

For the past few years, Fam had rarely had a chance to go shopping by herself. She looked around at the food and produce stalls with sparkling eyes. Meanwhile, as her guard, Kumer was beside himself with worry. Stalls on the street meant people on the street. There were so many opportunities for an assassin to hide in the crowd.

“Let’s make our way back to the inn. We have an early day tomorrow,” he said.

“Just a little longer. I rarely have a chance like this... Oh?”

The crowd suddenly parted. Fam and Kumer watched curiously as a group of people in gaudily decorated priest robes walked by. The cross symbol on their miters indicated they were clergymen of the Holy Cross Church.

“Are they from the local church?” Fam asked.

“So it seems. And they look like they’re doing quite well for themselves.”

The vestments the men were wearing were much finer than what was supplied by the church. Although there were no rules against the personal purchase of robes, they looked out of place on the clergymen of such a small town.

“Let’s follow them for a bit,” Fam suggested.

“Sure. I’m curious as well,” Kumer agreed.

They followed the priests all the way to the front of a shop. It was a large business with dozens of employees busy at work. When the workers noticed the clergymen, they politely bowed their heads.

“Thank you for visiting today, Reverend Niese.”

“Good day. How is Anastasia doing?”

“Not very well, to be honest.”

The man who had replied frowned. Judging from their conversation, the shopkeepers had a sick family member and the priests were there to treat them. It was a very normal part of their duty.

“I see. Then we must increase the amount of medicine further.”

“Will Anastasia really heal with that? You’ve already increased her medicine twice...”

“Are you doubting the miracles of the Holy Cross Church?”

“No, not at all! It’s all thanks to the church that Anastasia has held out this long!” The man bowed his head deeply. It was an attitude that would normally be unimaginable for the owner of such a large shop.

The priest nodded in satisfaction. “Very well. Then today’s fees will come to a total of five hundred thousand gold.”

“What? But it was three hundred thousand before!”

“The amount is increasing, so it’s no surprise that the cost would increase too.”

“But that price is...” The owner faltered in front of the clergymen. Whether it was for a month’s or a week’s worth of medicine, that was no small amount to pay. Even a large business owner would struggle to accept such a large increase in cost.

“If you can’t pay, then I cannot give you medicine. Are you sure you want that? Anastasia won’t last three days without it.”

“N-No, of course not! I’ll pay! Let me get it right—”

“Please wait!” Just as the shop owner was about to grab the money from the clerk, Fam stepped in, unable to watch any longer. Kumer was too slow to stop her.

Everyone was confused by her sudden appearance.

“What do you want? We’re busy here.”

“The Holy Cross Church stipulates that the maximum cost of any medicine or treatment is one hundred thousand gold,” she said.

“That may be the case, but our own expenses are a separate fee. This medicine is extremely valuable, so it’s costly for us to make too.”

“What’s the main component of that medicine? From what I can see, it’s a pill made by crushing something.”

The clergyman was caught off guard by Fam’s question, but he quickly pulled himself together and cleared his throat. “Fullmoon bear liver.”

“That’s weird. Fullmoon bear liver is an aphrodisiac ingredient.”

“It also has an effect on physical strength! Anastasia’s body is weak right now!”

“But its effect is only temporary. It can’t result in her full recovery, can it?”

The faces of the clergymen paled further. A greasy sweat broke out on their brows. The shop owner must have found their reactions suspicious as well, as he turned to them while trembling.

“Didn’t you say she’d recover if she took this medicine?” he asked uneasily.

“Hmph. I said it was a possibility.”

“A possibility?! That’s not what you promised!”

“It’s your fault for misconstruing my words. We never made any such promise!” the priest snapped, shaking off the man’s hand.

He immediately turned to leave, but Fam and Kumer stepped in his way.

“Could you move out of the way? We’ve got places to be,” he stated.

“What a disgrace. You bring shame on the church,” Kumer said.

The clergymen narrowed their eyes at him. They stepped up to him and Fam. “You have no right to speak to us like that,” one said in a low voice. “I’ll have you know I’m the priest of this town, and I have a position to maintain. I will not allow you to circulate such rumors.”

“You’re the priest? I thought the priest here was much older,” Fam said.

“He stepped down two years ago. Niese here is the new priest,” one of the others said.

“I see. So he took over for his predecessor.”

With the exception of certain large cities, branches of the Holy Cross Church were based on the community. Priests were appointed locally rather than dispatched from headquarters, and it was custom for someone born in the area to run that branch. Clergymen were permitted to marry, so some areas had family-run churches. It seemed this town was one such place.

“His inheritance was approved by headquarters too.”

“It sounds like the inspection process was lacking,” Kumer muttered.

“Yes. A letter of recommendation is all it takes for most to get approved,” Fam said.

“What do outsiders like you know of the process?! Move out of the way already!” Niese seemed to know that nothing good would come out of being questioned by the two people before him. He forced his way past them and walked off.

Fam and Kumer sighed as they watched him depart.

“Good grief...” said Kumer.

“I’ll put in a word as soon as we return to the inn. We cannot overlook this,” said Fam.

“As you wish,” Kumer answered, bowing his head.

Although Fam was a benevolent saint, she had no tolerance for internal misconduct. Niese was almost guaranteed to be dismissed from his position and banished from the church. He could even end up in prison if any crimes came to light.

“But first, I must make up for what he did.”

“In what way?”

“I will check on his patient here. I may be able to help.” Fam turned to the shop owner. “Will you allow me to see your daughter? We’re also affiliated with the Holy Cross Church. We may be able to help her.”

The shop owner nodded slowly at her reassuring smile and led them into his house. “This is my daughter’s room,” he said, stopping before a well-appointed child’s room.

There was a large canopy bed by the window and a mountain of plushies in the corner. The wall was painted with beautiful scenery. It was clear that the owner had designed this room for his bedridden daughter. Upon closer inspection, a girl in a white dress had been drawn in all the scenes.

“Wow! You can really feel the love that went into this room!” Fam said.

“I’m afraid this is all I could do for her,” the owner said humbly with a wry laugh.

The girl lying in the bed slowly sat up. She was the aforementioned daughter, Anastasia, and looked to be about ten years old. Her golden hair was curled in soft ringlets, and her ice-blue eyes sparkled as she stared at them. Her small button nose and plump lips gave her the impression of an adorable porcelain doll.

“Who are these people, father?” she asked.

“Um...”

“Hello, I’m Irina. I’m here from the church,” Fam said with a smile. Irina was the pseudonym they had decided on before leaving. It was the name of a great saint who had lived two hundred years ago and a common female name in the present day.

“Are you a nun?”

“Yes, something like that.”

“Hmm. Did you come to treat me?”

Fam chuckled. “That I did. Aren’t you a clever one!”

Anastasia lifted her blankets and began taking off her shirt. She was so used to seeing doctors and clergymen, it had become routine for her.

“This blotchy pattern...” Fam said.

“Yes, it appeared on her back one day. I’ve heard it disrupts the circulation of magic energy in her body, eventually leading to death.”

“It’s my first time seeing it myself, but from the look of it, I’d say it’s more of a curse than a disease.”

Fam frowned as she rubbed the painful-looking mark. Thanks to Niese’s medicine, Anastasia seemed to be in good spirits, but her body was so weak, it wouldn’t be strange for her to lose consciousness at any moment. It seemed Niese wasn’t wrong about her—if she didn’t receive treatment soon, she would die.

“So many doctors and sorcerers have examined her, but no one has been able to treat her,” the shop owner said.

“So you went to the church?”

“Yes. Reverend Niese said he had a good medicine, and I was desperate enough to buy it without looking into it properly. Looking back on it now, that was a careless move for a merchant.”

Considering the size of his shop, the owner was probably an excellent businessman when he was thinking clearly. If this matter hadn’t involved his family, he would have seen through Niese’s lie immediately. But his judgment had been clouded with his daughter’s life on the line. He bit his lip in vexation.

“Is it possible to treat her? According to the sorcerers, only the saint could possibly deal with this.”

“The saint?”

“Yes. But that is not an option for commoners like us...”

It was impossible for the average merchant to make a personal request of the saint. The Holy Cross Church was the biggest religious organization in the land. No amount of money could get the saint to visit so easily. However, both the shop owner and Anastasia had Lady Luck on their side today, as the saint in question was right in front of them.

“If only the saint can deal with this...that probably means using Resurrection...”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing, just talking to myself. Could I ask you to leave the room for a minute? I can treat her, but I’d rather not be watched while doing so.”

“What?! You can treat her?!” The shop owner gaped in shock. He had spent years searching for a means to treat his daughter to no avail, so it was no surprise that he was struck dumb by her words.

But Fam just replied to the astonished man in a lighthearted tone. “Yes, she’ll be treated right away. It looks like an illness that gradually lowers her vitality, but it isn’t that complex to fix.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, leave it to me!” Fam thumped her chest with confidence.

Overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, the man left the room, still incredulous.

“I shall excuse myself as well,” Kumer said.

“I don’t mind if you stay.”

“I’ll wait by the merchant’s side.” He bowed once and left the room too. Now that she thought about it, whenever Fam used holy magic, Kumer usually had some excuse to step away. The thought lingered in her mind, but his excuse this time wasn’t particularly unreasonable, so she didn’t say anything.

“I will begin the treatment now,” she told the child. “This might be a little hot, but try to endure it.”

“Okay. I’ll do my best!”

Fam placed her hands over Anastasia’s back. She took a deep breath, then began refining her magic energy. She imagined herself becoming one with nature, drawing from the force of life and pouring it into the girl’s back. Magic energy flowed between her and Anastasia in a circle, preparing the foundations for her spell.

Eventually, her hands began to glow with golden light. Fam recited her spell clearly. “Light of the heavens, springwater of the earth. Pulses of life that circle the three realms, gather in my hands...”

The light gradually grew in intensity before flickering. It was so bright, their surroundings lost all color. Magic accumulated into a peak and burst in a flash of light.

“Gah?!” Anastasia yelped at the heat that ran through her body. But immediately afterward, the pain that had been eating at her faded away. It was like snow melting after a long winter, marking the arrival of spring. The warmth that filled her body was so comforting, her expression softened dreamily.

“You’re all better now,” Fam said.

“Really? It won’t hurt anymore?”

“No. Your body’s still weak, but you’ll get stronger in no time at all.” Fam gently patted her on the head and tucked her back into bed. She then left the room without making a sound.

“How did it go?! How’s my daughter?!” the merchant immediately asked. He had been so worried, his face was a teary mess. He shook off Kumer’s hold on him and clung to Fam.

“It’s okay, she’s all recovered now.”

“Oh! Thank you! May I go and see her?!”

“Yes. She’s resting from her treatment, so try not to wake her up.”

Before Fam had even finished speaking, the man had gone into the room. Several minutes later, he stepped out again, offering a prayer to the heavens. His expression was as bright as a sunny day, and he was practically vibrating with joy.

“Oh, god! I have never been more grateful!”

“I’m glad your troubles have been eased,” Fam replied.

“That’s right! I must thank you! Quick!” The man clapped his hands, summoning a nearby clerk. He handed his employee a large hemp bag. “Hurry to the safe and fill this with all the gold coins you can!”

“This entire bag?!” the clerk said in surprise. A bag of this size would easily hold ten million gold. It wasn’t an amount that even a large business owner could comfortably pay.

“That’s what I said! Hurry!”

“R-Right away!”

“Um, there’s no need for money!” Fam interrupted.

“Huh?! No, no, I can’t allow that! As a merchant, I must pay you what you are worth!” The man’s mind was made up. He wouldn’t accept Fam’s refusal of payment.

However, accepting the money would cause more trouble. Fam was moving in secret right now. Publicly, the saint was located in the church’s headquarters, so accepting such a large sum would mean more paperwork later.

“What should we do?” Fam mumbled.

“How about this? We’ll consider the money you paid for the medicine until now your treatment fee,” Kumer suggested.

The merchant still looked reluctant, but Fam agreed. “That’s right. We’re members of the church as well.”

“But...”

“If you absolutely insist, I’ll accept one copper coin.”

“Huh?”

“I can understand your merchant soul demands you pay something in exchange. In that case, I’ll accept one copper coin,” Fam said. She stared at him with a deadly serious expression, unwilling to back down either. Her strong heart as a saint radiated out, overwhelming anyone who looked at her.

“Very well. One copper coin it is.”

“Thank you very much!” Fam accepted the copper coin, beaming from ear to ear. She carefully put it in her pocket and bowed elegantly. They then left the shop, sent off by the merchant and all his employees. Tears were still falling from his eyes.

“Thank goodness we were here,” Fam mumbled, turning back to wave at the crying owner. “Her illness was a bit concerning.”

The ailment Anastasia had been afflicted by was caused by contact with corrupted magic energy. The only thing Fam could think of that was so corrupted was a demon—and one of considerable rank. Which meant...

“Did a demon come to this land? Either way, we have to hurry to Rajah.”

Knowing that the truth of the incident lay there, Fam started walking faster.

Chapter 5: Great Wall of Redstone

“Phew... We’ve come pretty far now,” I said, pausing to take a breather. I wiped the sweat off my brow and looked around.

Two days had passed since we’d left the Whitefog Sea. The closer we got to the demon realm, the thicker the miasma in the air became and the more grotesque the plant life around us became. We had just reached the middle of the forest, where there were dark-red trees I had never seen before spread around us. The thick vines wrapped around the trees, giving them an ominous atmosphere.

“It finally feels like we’ve reached the demon realm,” Raiza said.

“Indeed. This wind doesn’t exist in the human realm,” Wayne agreed.

A lukewarm breeze blew through the trees. It carried the faint scent of mold and grave soil. The holy area I had deployed wasn’t enough to make the air feel comfortable for a human, though it was unclear if that was restricted to this area or if it was the same across the entire demon realm.

“Let’s hurry. We’re already behind schedule,” I said. Our journey had been considerably delayed due to the loss of the land dragon. It’d take an extra week to get back to Rajah at this rate. We had to regain whatever time we could.

“Ugh... I’m tired...”

“My feet hurt...”

Wayne’s companions immediately complained when I tried to wrap up our break. I still had a good stock of magic potions, so I gulped down the faint-green liquid and cast Heal on them. I’d failed last time by making it too powerful, so I held back this time.

“How’s that?” I asked.

“Much better.”

“Your magic is so effective, Sieg!”

For some reason, they were both looking at me with heated gazes. It felt like their attitudes toward me had changed ever since what happened in the Whitefog Sea...

Oh! Could they have fallen for me?! Nah, that would never happen. I might have had a moment in the spotlight, but I was still D-rank. Girls wouldn’t fall so easily for a new adventurer like me.

“Hmph! If you’re all better, let’s move,” Wayne said curtly.

“Ah! Wayne! It’s dangerous to run!” I said, hurrying after him.

We moved farther into the forest. Before long, something red appeared on the edge of our vision—the dusky sky unique to the demon realm. Beneath it was a red band that extended across the horizon.

“What’s that?” Raiza asked.

“A wall?” I guessed.

“The Great Wall of Redstone,” Wayne answered in a trembling voice.

Right! He had mentioned that earlier. It was said to be a long fort that separated the demon realm from the human one, and that’s exactly what it looked like. It clearly separated the border forest into east and west.

“What a view,” I mumbled.

The closer we got, the larger the wall appeared, and it was huge. It was at least several times taller than the trees around it. The dark-reddish rock it was created from gave it the impression of a natural mountain. It was probably quite thick as well. A dragon could probably crash into it without making a dent.

“This is red magic rock,” Raiza said, approaching the wall with an astounded look. She brushed her hand against the surface of the wall.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“A hard rock embedded with a crazy amount of magic energy. It can rarely be found in the mountains in the human realm. Because it’s such a hard material, it’s often used to test out new swords. Being able to cut this rock is a sign of a great swordsman.”

“Huh... And they used that material to build a fort.”

“A feat only demons could pull off. Even I would struggle to cut something this size.”

“But you’d still be able to cut it...”

The long fort looked more like one giant boulder than a wall. My sister was probably the only one who could cut such a large mass. I glanced over at Wayne—he was completely overwhelmed by the size of the wall. If anything, his reaction was the normal one here. Humans could never have built something this big.

“But how do we get past here? Climbing it wouldn’t be realistic,” Raiza said.

“The demons would notice if we climbed it. Look,” I said, pointing at the wyvern circling in the sky overhead. It seemed to be watching us, as though it were a guard dog for the demons. It would most likely attack as soon as we did anything strange.

“Hmm. Looks like we have no choice but to go through the gate.”

“But there doesn’t seem to be one around here.”

At a glance, there was no gate along the wall. The red rock stretched as far as we could see. We decided to walk along the wall for a while in search of an entrance, but there was nothing to be found.

“If we keep walking like this, the sun will set,” Raiza said with a frown.

The border forest that split the land into east and west would take a week to cross. If this wall stretched across the entire forest, it’d be backbreaking to find a single gate. We didn’t even have the slightest clue where to look. Hmm... Was there any other way?

“I know! Magic detection!” I said.

“Huh? What good will magic detection do?” Raiza asked.

“Just think about it. They’re using a wall like this just to prevent enemy infiltration. The gate has to be guarded by a strong demon as well.”

“I see, so the gate can be found where there’s powerful magic!” Wayne said, clapping his hands in realization.

I nodded at him and cast my magic detection spell. Magic energy was released from my palm. An echo eventually returned.

This is... What is this?!

I could feel an unbelievably strong magic right beside us. What was going on? I immediately froze from head to toe.

“What’s wrong? Why do you look so pale?” Wayne asked, sounding awfully optimistic about my panicked expression. He still didn’t understand the situation.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. “There’s a huge bit of magic energy near us. Not a magic stone, but a living being.”

“A monster or demon?” Raiza asked.

“Yes, I think it’s a demon.”

Everyone frowned, finally realizing the severity of the situation. Wayne had done a complete about-face and was now trembling.

“How much is ‘huge’?” he asked.

“About as much as my big sis Ciel has, I think?”

“Big sis Ciel?”

“Ah! No, that’s not what I meant! It’s a bit bigger than a hydra’s.”

“A hydra?!” Wayne yelped at the top of his lungs. His companions were trembling too.

Hydras were near the top tier of all monsters. They were walking disasters that could erase entire kingdoms. It was only natural to feel fear—I had also thought I was doomed when I faced one. If Raiza wasn’t nearby right now, I’d be trembling too.

“A little bigger than a hydra, huh? I should be able to handle it, but we can’t let our guard down,” Raiza said.

“You...can handle it?” Wayne asked.

“Of course. If you’re an S-rank adventurer, you should be able to as well,” she replied as though stating the obvious.

Wayne gulped and nodded nervously. If I recalled correctly, an adventurer’s rank didn’t always correspond to a monster’s rank. But he was brilliant enough to be given a job in the demon realm, so it was no wonder he could handle a hydra.

“Right! I’m an S-rank adventurer and paladin! A hydra is nothing to me!” Wayne said proudly, marching forward. His prior fear had vanished, and he was filled with confidence and vigor.

So this is what an S-rank adventurer is like when he’s serious! An enemy like a hydra was awaiting us, yet he was walking much more eagerly than before.

“That’s the spirit. You okay too, Sieg?” Raiza asked.

“Yes. I’ve grown since then!”

Back then, I could only buy time for the others to get away. But after living as an adventurer and fighting with Ciel, I could feel my improvement. Even if I couldn’t defeat a hydra outright, I should be able to put up a good fight...hopefully.

Besides, we weren’t here to fight with the demons. If we could negotiate things well, they might let us through the gate peacefully.

“All right, let’s go! Follow Wayne!” Raiza cheered.

“Okay!”

We walked for another hour after that, eventually approaching a large gate that stretched up to the heavens. It was even taller than the surrounding walls, messing with my sense of distance. The closer we got to it, the more I felt like I was an ant in comparison.

“Demons sure like big things,” Raiza said.

“So it seems. You could fit a whole castle through it,” I replied.

“Where’s the demon? I don’t see it—is it not here?” Wayne asked.

We stood before the gate, each muttering our own opinions. Meanwhile, Wayne seemed eager to get the battle started. He was looking around keenly for a gatekeeper.

The source of magic energy had been so big, I had been expecting a large demon, but there was nothing of the sort around. Was Wayne right? Had it gone away? But I could still feel its magic...

“It’s strange. I can sense magic energy, but I don’t see anyone,” I said.

“This land is close to the demon realm. What if your detection spell’s malfunctioning?” Wayne suggested.

“I don’t think that’s the case...”

“At any rate, let’s hurry through the gate. If we don’t have to fight, then all the better.”

Wayne walked swiftly up to the gate. He stood before the giant doors and pushed them with all his might. But even when Wayne’s face was red from the effort he was exerting, they didn’t even budge.

“Damn it! What heavy doors. Everyone, help out!” he shouted.

“Can’t be helped, I guess.”

“Okay!”

Just as Raiza and I were about to walk up to him, a woman shouted from above us, “Are you guys stupid?”

We looked around in a fluster and spotted someone on top of the gate. No, not a person—a demon. Her body was like a human girl’s, but there were three pairs of black wings growing from her back.

“Did you even think before you tried opening it with physical strength?” she asked.

“Who are you?!” Wayne yelled.

“Humans are so rude. Shouldn’t you name yourself first?”

She leaped down, landing before us without a sound. Her skirt swayed, and a sweet scent drifted through the air. At a glance, she was just a cute girl in a dress...but my instincts were warning me. This woman was incredibly powerful, in a way that was similar to my sisters. I quickly cast magic detection and received a response on par with Ciel.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Raiza asked.

“Yes, there’s no mistaking it.”

Raiza had also caught on to her strength right away. She didn’t normally use magic energy, but she was still sensitive to powerful people.

However, Wayne was completely misled by her appearance. “Well, what a rather adorable young lady we have here!” he said brightly, walking up to the demon and grinning, showing off all his white teeth.

Hey! What is he doing?! Don’t tell me Wayne hasn’t realized the strength of that demon!

Raiza and I were so shocked, we couldn’t do anything but watch in horror. Even if he couldn’t sense her magic energy, he should be able to see how flawless her movements were—or the strong sense of bloodlust she was emitting!

“I am the S-rank adventurer and paladin, Wayne. I’m here as an envoy from the human realm,” Wayne said, taking out a thin tube from his pocket. It was sealed firmly, and we had been ordered to deliver it to the demon realm. Judging from the shape, it was probably some official letter of correspondence...but the guild hadn’t informed any of us of its contents. It was too serious of a matter for regular adventurers.

“Envoy, you say...”

The demon glanced at the tube, but she didn’t seem convinced. Several hundred years had passed since the human and demon realms last interacted. In a way, her reaction was natural. It had probably been a long time since humans last came this deep into the border forest.

“Do you have any other proof of identity?” she asked.

“How about this? I bet you haven’t seen this before,” Wayne said, reaching into his pocket and pausing dramatically. What was he going to take out?

Raiza and I both had a bad feeling—and the next second, he proved us right.

“A rare platinum guild card!” he declared proudly, thrusting the card into the demon’s face. The action he had chosen wasn’t necessarily incorrect—it was extremely common to present your guild card as proof of identity in the human realm—but unfortunately, we were up against a demon. She naturally showed no reaction to it.

“What is that?”

“You don’t know what this platinum guild card is?”

“Nope,” she answered simply.

Of course she wouldn’t. There was no Adventurers Guild in the demon realm. But Wayne didn’t like that answer. His brow twitched in anger as his whole body shook.

“Why do you all treat me like this—me, the S-rank adventurer here?!”

“Wayne?! Calm down!”

“That’s right! No one here’s criticizing you.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” he suddenly yelled, loud enough to rival a dragon’s roar.

We had to cover our ears. His eyes were shaking in their sockets as he glared at us, as though his last thread of reason had snapped. This journey had been more stressful for him than we’d realized, and he was about to blow up here.

“Enough! I will prove my strength here and now!” he cried.

“Are you challenging me to a match?”

“That’s right. I will defeat you and enter this gate.”

Uh-oh! He challenged her!

And here I’d been hoping we could settle things with this demon as peacefully as possible! Raiza and I looked at the demon for her reaction. She was licking her lips with the look of a carnivorous predator in her eyes. She was ready to fight at any moment.

“Oh? Sure thing. I don’t mind fighting,” she said.

“I’m glad you understand. Now, come—I will allow you the first blow.”

“Uh, wait, Wayne! This isn’t the time to be doing this!” Raiza shouted.

“That’s right! And why would you let her hit you first?!”

We immediately tried to stop him, but he no longer had any interest in listening to us. Should we use force to make him retreat? Just as I exchanged a look with my sister, the demon leaned forward and took a step. The ground exploded as she leaped at the speed of sound. Wayne couldn’t react in time.

“Gaaah!”

He was sent flying with a peculiar groan of pain. After slamming into a nearby tree, he collapsed to the ground. We rushed over to him and slowly turned his face up. He was barely breathing. The demon had held back just enough not to kill him.

I quickly took out a high-tier potion and forcibly poured it into Wayne’s mouth. He choked on the liquid as he gulped it down, but he looked much better than moments ago. High-tier potions were expensive but immediately effective.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, somewhat...” Wayne looked at the demon girl again. He had a grim look on his face as he said heavily, “That demon is strong. Don’t be fooled by her appearance!”

Um, you were the one who was fooled! Raiza and I were on guard the whole time! We were trying to warn you! We all clutched our heads at Wayne’s obliviousness. Perhaps this journey would’ve been smoother with just me and my sister.

“Hey, shouldn’t you be paying more attention to me?” the demon girl said, sounding just as fed up as us.

“No! Wayne isn’t in a state to fight anymore!” I shouted.

“I don’t care about him. One of you face me instead. I’m especially interested in the lady,” she said, smiling at Raiza. Her tone was teasing, but her eyes were dead serious. She had probably sensed Raiza’s strength and showed no sign of underestimating her.

“Very well. I’m guessing you won’t let us pass without a fight anymore.”

“Of course not. I have to fight you to check your strength.” The demon girl pinched the hem of her skirt and curtsied elegantly. The magic energy being released from her body faintly increased in power. A wind blew, chilling my body to the bone.

“I am Arca the Shooting Star, Commander of the Second Division of the Demon King’s Army. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Quite a big shot we have here, huh? It would be impolite for me not to introduce myself properly too,” Raiza said with a fearless grin. She took a deep breath. “I’m Raiza, the twenty-third-generation Swordmaster.”

Her powerful voice echoed through the forest. The battle between Swordmaster and demon was about to begin!

“Get back, Wayne! Sieg too!” Raiza said.

“Are you sure? That demon won’t be easy, even for you...”

Arca definitely didn’t seem like your average demon. She was a head above every other opponent I had faced until now. I didn’t doubt my sister’s abilities, but it would be a tough fight for her alone.

“I want you to conserve your strength. We shouldn’t both wear ourselves out at once, right?”

I nodded in understanding. We couldn’t rely on Wayne anymore, so we couldn’t afford to use all our cards here. This demon would put up a tough fight even if I joined in.

“Swordmaster? Did she just say Swordmaster?!” Wayne yelped in a high-pitched voice, ruining the tense atmosphere. He must have been truly shocked by the reveal. His jaw had dropped, and his eyes were popping out of his head.

“Hey! Is that true?!”

“I guess there’s no point in hiding it anymore—yes, my sister Raiza is the Swordmaster.”

There was nothing left to hide at this point. I confirmed her identity to Wayne, who looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Ha ha. No wonder I couldn’t win,” he muttered.

“Can you keep it a secret once we return to town? Things will get messy if people find out she’s here.”

“Sure,” he said with a dry laugh.

Just then, Raiza drew her sword. The silver blade glistened with a light that could slice through the darkness. The rays gave off a reassuring light as though to guide our way. At the same time, Arca brought out her own sword from seemingly nowhere. In contrast to Raiza’s sword, hers had a blade that was black like compressed darkness. Light-purple miasma rose from the blade. It was a sinister sight worthy of being called a demon sword.

“Let’s begin.”

“Agreed. Here goes!”

The two leaped at each other at the same time. Swords clashed and sparks flew. The next moment, a shock wave shook our surroundings, bending trees and rustling their leaves.

Wayne and I frowned while his companions screamed.

“It’s been a while since I had an opponent who wasn’t sent flying by one blow,” the demon said.

“Same here. I’m impressed you endured my attack,” Raiza replied.

Their fierce sword clash continued. Raiza had the greater ability, but the clash seemed to be leaning in Arca’s favor. She wasn’t a high-ranking demon and executive of the Demon King’s Army for nothing, and used her physical strength to block Raiza’s attacks, a strategy to wear my sister out first.

“Yaaah! Heaven Slash: Exorcising Blast!”

“Ugh!”

Raiza was the first to make a move. She rapidly closed the distance between them, releasing a surge of light from her sword. Her sword force swelled, materializing in the form of flames.

Will this decide it?

The sharp blow approached Arca, curving cleanly through the air. But just as the blade was about to pierce her chest, she threw herself backward and used her wings as a spring to flip in midair, evading the attack while never letting go of her own sword.

It was an absurd stunt impossible for the human body to pull off. Wayne and his comrades yelled in awe.

“Whoa!”

“Gah!”

“How ridiculous!”

The slash that she’d evaded tore through empty air, crashing into the wall as a shock wave. A large hole opened in the fort made of sturdy red magic rock. It was said that the Swordmaster’s blade could easily slice through steel, but reality sometimes exceeded rumor. The wall was probably far sturdier than steel of the same thickness.

“Aaah! Watch your power! You opened a hole in our precious wall!” the demon cried, staring at the hole in disbelief. Even she found my sister’s sword skills abnormal.

On the other hand, Raiza hadn’t expected Arca to avoid her attack. She was watching the demon with a rather vexed expression. “I guess you won’t be as easy to deal with as a human,” she mumbled.

“Normally I’m not easy to deal with at all,” Arca said. She dropped her fighting stance and took a deep breath. What was she about to do?

Raiza’s eyes narrowed at the change in the demon. The tension made our surroundings seem quieter.

Eventually, Arca took out a quartz-like crystal and threw it into her mouth. “It’s been a hundred years since I last used this move,” she said.

“Interesting. Let’s see what you’ve got,” Raiza replied.

“Then without further ado. Yaaah!”

Black flames suddenly rose from Arca’s body. No—was she turning into fire? The silhouette of her limbs blurred and melted into the rising flames.

“Fascinating. Demons sure use strange moves. This kind of child’s play won’t work on me!” Raiza said.

“Just so you know, it’s not an illusion. Now that I’ve used this move, you can’t win, Swordmaster.”

“Hmph. We’ll see about that.”

Raiza’s sword moved at an extreme speed, but Arca neither attempted to block nor evade it. Instead, the refined blade sliced Arca’s body into two.

Eek! I squeezed my eyes shut, fearing a gruesome sight. She might have been a demon, but I didn’t want to see a living being that looked like a little girl cut into two.

However, that was far from what actually happened.

“What?” Raiza muttered.

Arca’s body was split into two, yet she was smiling at her calmly. The next moment, her body reconnected as though nothing had happened.

What ridiculous regenerative ability... No, that’s not what it is.

“Your body has actually turned into flames?” Raiza asked slowly, dumbstruck by the enemy’s unexpected ability.

Interlude: Saint and Adventurer

While Sieg’s party was facing Arca in the border forest, Saint Fam had finally arrived in Rajah. Although it was a remote land, the town was known as a mecca for adventurers and much larger than any other place they had stopped by. The sheer number of people and activity overwhelmed Fam.

“It’s a larger town than I expected,” she mumbled.

“It’s not called the adventurer’s hub for nothing.”

“Are all the armed people adventurers?”

“Most likely.”

Out of the many people walking on the streets, there were some heavily armed adventurers. It was a sight that couldn’t be seen in other towns. Most adventurers kept their distance from civilians, as they were often treated like ruffians. They rarely blended in with the townspeople like this.

“I’m surprised it’s so peaceful.”

“Only because they have work, although I’ve heard the adventurers have been given more restrictions recently due to the demons.”

“We have to solve this matter for their sake too.”

Humans generally didn’t resort to crime when they had enough work to feed themselves. But there was no telling what they would do when their work dried up. If the current incident forced the adventurers into a corner, the safety of the town could end up at risk.

As a saint, Fam couldn’t ignore that.

“Let’s go straight to the guild. Do you know the way, Kumer?” she asked.

“Yes, follow me.”

Fam and Kumer visited the Adventurers Guild right away. The adventurers hanging out inside stirred in excitement at the appearance of an unfamiliar beauty. But their chatter quickly died out. It wasn’t uncommon for daughters of rich families to drop by with their servants as clients.

However, there was one group that watched Fam differently. It was Kuruta’s party, who had been tasked with protecting the saint.

“That’s probably them,” Kuruta said.

“They match the traits the guildmaster described,” Nino agreed.

“Wow, the saint’s as beautiful as the rumors say.” Rouga whistled.

“No calling her the saint, Rouga.”

“Oops! Sorry.” Rouga looked around the room. Fortunately, no one had heard. He sighed in relief and ruffled his own hair. “I’m not used to these kinds of jobs.”

“That’s because you’re too much of a meathead, Rouga.”

“You’re not one to talk either, Nino.”

“I am a ninja. I’m used to jobs like this.” Nino continued observing Fam as she ate her lunch. She did seem to know what she was doing compared to Rouga. The difference in their composure was night and day.

“Ninjas are like spies of the East, right?” Kuruta asked.

“Yes, you can think of it like that.”

“Come to think of it, I’ve always meant to ask: Why did you come here, Nino?”

“Huh?”

“We rarely see anyone from the East here, so I was just wondering.”

East of the continent was a series of islands commonly referred to as the East. Residents of this area rarely left the islands to come to the mainland. Doing so required crossing the seas that were filled with savage marine life, extreme climates, and rough seas. There were valuable resources in the East, so trade ships braved the journey regardless...but it was rare to see young women like Nino leave the area.

“A lot happened, is all I’ll say.”

“I see.”

It was clear Nino was hiding something, but Kuruta didn’t press the matter. If it was something she was willing to hide from the person she admired like a sister, then it had to be serious.

“Oh, they’re back.”

Several minutes later, Fam reappeared from the back room with the guildmaster. The guildmaster gave their party a pointed look and nodded. It was the signal that their mission had begun.

They quickly finished their meal and stood up in an inconspicuous way.

“Don’t attract attention to yourself,” Nino warned Rouga.

“Stop singling me out!” he cried.

Fam’s first order of business was to greet the people she needed to greet. After leaving the guild, she went straight to the lord’s mansion on the southeast side of town. Once she was done there, she stopped by a restaurant for a quick meal. Although she was traveling secretly, she was still a saint—the restaurants she dined in were all top class.

“Looks like she’s not planning on doing anything special today,” Rouga said.

“It was a long journey to get here. She’s probably tired,” Kuruta guessed.

“No, that’s not all,” Nino said, correcting her.

After her meal, the saint promptly left the store. She didn’t seem to be interested in wasting time. She walked so fast, Kuruta’s party had to jog along to keep up. They couldn’t afford to lose sight of the saint. They nervously blended into the crowds.

“Where is she heading?” Rouga asked.

“This direction...is the church,” Nino replied.

“I see. She’s coordinating with the church to take action immediately,” Kuruta said.

The three guessed at Fam’s next move. And as they’d expected, Fam arrived at the church and went inside.

“We have no choice but to enter as well. Don’t stand out,” Kuruta warned Rouga.

“I know already!”

“Pretend we’re here to honor an old comrade,” Nino said.

“How did you come up with that on the spot?”

Despite his astonishment, Rouga agreed to go along with Nino’s plan. This was the most natural reason for an adventurer to visit the church anyway. They hunched their shoulders and walked inside with gloomy faces. There, they found the saint holding her signature staff.

“Why don’t you explain yourself now, Kumer?” Fam said, pointing the end of said staff at his throat with a livid smile.

Chapter 6: Swordmaster versus Demon

“What do you think of my ability? Not even the Swordmaster can handle this, right?”

Arca giggled at the bitter expression on Raiza’s face. Like she’d said, the worst matchup for swordsmen were enemies with no physical body. There were countermeasures for certain ghost-type monsters, but I’d never heard of a demon that could change their body to flames. Arca was probably the only one capable of it.

“What is that?! It’s basically cheating!” Wayne said indignantly.

“She’s turned the tables on us!” I agreed, biting my lip in concern.

Raiza wouldn’t be defeated so easily, but it wasn’t an easy situation to overcome either. Arca was definitely a demon worthy of commanding a division of the Demon King’s army.

“I will admit, it’s a troublesome ability. But flames can be scattered and extinguished,” Raiza said.

“How will you do that?” I asked.

“Like this!”

Raiza adjusted her grip on her sword, increasing her sword force slightly. This sword force... Was she getting ready to use her special move?

No sooner had I thought that than the overflowing sword force took the vague shapes of people. The shapes gained color and turned into the spitting image of Raiza. It was the Ring of Four Sword Gods—Raiza’s ultimate hidden art against other people. It was a move that created three clones of the exact same strength as herself, with only Raiza herself capable of taking any damage.

It took a lot of stamina to maintain the clones, but other than that, it was the perfect technique. Last time she had used it on me, I wouldn’t have been able to counter it if not for our many years as siblings. It was impossible for a demon who had just met her to stop it.

“This is my hidden art,” Raiza declared.

“Not bad. A tactic to overwhelm with numbers, I presume?”

“That’s right. Just try and fight off four times the number of swords!”

Raiza resumed her attack on Arca. She had maintained her position in a one-on-one situation, so it was natural for her to have an overwhelming advantage now that it was four-on-one.

But her opponent’s ability was still a problem. No matter how much Raiza’s sword sliced Arca’s body, it always regenerated in an instant.

“It’s useless!” Arca yelled. “My flames can’t be extinguished by a sword!”

“I’ll test how far your flames can regenerate.”

“I’m telling you it’s useless!”

Raiza increased her speed. Little by little, Arca’s regeneration started falling behind. Actually, was it that her regeneration couldn’t keep up, or was her stamina wearing out? Either way, it seemed she couldn’t regenerate forever.

Raiza, however, was using a lot of stamina maintaining her sword’s speed. She could normally train all day without breaking a sweat, yet she was currently sweating profusely.

“This may end up being a battle of endurance,” Wayne muttered.

He was right. Victory would probably go to whoever held out longer, in which case a demon with supernatural durability would have the overwhelming advantage. It was questionable whether the concept of stamina even applied to them.

“Sis! Let me fight too!” I shouted.

“No! We said you’d save your strength!”

“But at this rate...”

If I joined in, the burden on Raiza would be lessened somewhat. Yet Raiza was adamant. It wasn’t just a matter of saving my strength—her pride as the Swordmaster was also on the line. They had agreed on a one-on-one duel, and she wanted to see it through to the end. Raiza had more physical strength than she knew what to do with in the human realm anyway. A demon was probably a rare opponent she could go all out on.

“It’s a match to see who gives in first—my hands or your regeneration!” Raiza declared.

“I’ll teach you how foolish it is to challenge a demon to a match!” Arca cried.

The long, long battle continued. We could only watch with bated breath.

Cut, regenerate. Cut, regenerate. It was like everything was happening on a loop. But that pace was gradually slowing. The end was approaching. Raiza’s worn-out arm was trembling.

“Sis!”

How many years had it been since I’d last seen my sister cornered like this? She’d been practically invincible ever since becoming the Swordmaster.

My chest clenched at the sight of her building exhaustion. Eventually, my emotions spilled from me as cheers of encouragement.

“You can do it, Raiza! Don’t lose to that demon!”

“Noa!”

“I believe in you! The big sister I’m so proud of would never lose!”

“The big sister you’re...?!” Raiza suddenly turned red.

Huh? Did I say something to enrage her? I hesitated for a moment, but nothing else came to mind.

As I was thinking that, Raiza flushed further. “I will win. No matter what. Hiyaaaaaah!”

How did she still have so much strength left?! I stared at her in shock. Arca brought out more of her magic energy to compete with Raiza’s assault. They were both getting ready to land their finishing move and settle this fight. We were about to witness the conclusion of this match!

I gulped nervously as I watched over them.

“Guh!” Raiza groaned, breathing heavily. Her clones vanished.

Meanwhile, Arca was no longer in her calm and composed state. Her glossy silver hair was disheveled, and her magic energy was feeble. “It’s my loss...”

Arca was the first to fall. The match was settled.

Raiza looked down at the demon’s back with a smug smile before collapsing herself. She had used all her strength and stamina, pushing herself to her absolute limit. Her expression was peaceful, but her complexion was awfully pale.

“You were great, sis,” I said, helping her to sit up. I had to do my best from here on out. I naturally tensed up at the thought of that responsibility.

Then something unexpected happened.

“Wow, you actually defeated a division commander. The Swordmaster’s strength really can’t be underestimated,” one of the two women who’d come with Wayne said in a cold voice.

“Huh?! What’s that, Fiel?!” Wayne exclaimed. Shaken by his comrade’s strange behavior, he rushed up to her and tried to place a hand on her shoulder.

The woman named Fiel slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me. The act is over now.”

“Fiel? What kind of joke is this?”

“It’s not a joke. And stop calling me that. My real name is Hel.”

A repulsive magic energy started flowing out of her. At the same time, black wings ripped through the back of her clothes.

She’s a demon!

“No way... You’re kidding me,” I said, rubbing my eyes in disbelief. I hadn’t sensed any demonic aura coming from her, and she had been fine within the Sanctuaire barrier. Most demons would have shown some kind of reaction to that magic. What exactly was happening here?

Creeped out by her, I quickly distanced myself.

“Wayne! How long have you known her?!” I shouted.

“For a long time now! Over five years!” Wayne answered.

“Yeah, it’s been five years since we started going out with each other. It was so tedious,” the demon said with an annoyed shrug.

Wayne was at a complete loss for words. He had been fooled for five years by a demon. It was no wonder he was dumbfounded.

“Impressive, isn’t it? I can even withstand holy magic when I use this to turn human,” Hel said, taking out a black crystal. It was the same kind of item Arca had used just before—a crystal that held a powerful magic. I was pretty sure Ciel owned something similar.

“What do you want? Why did you get close to Wayne?!” I questioned.

“I wanted a pawn of decent standing. It didn’t have to be him in particular,” Hel replied with a cackle. Was she looking down on me for being a human? Or did she plan on killing us right after? Either way, she seemed to be quite unguarded right now. That was all the better for us.

“A pawn for what? You don’t normally infiltrate places without a goal.”

“Isn’t it obvious? I did it to start a war.”

Hel began speaking as though this was the end and she didn’t care if we knew. She was being rather loose-lipped. Maybe she was just dying to tell someone? She seemed to be enjoying our reactions in a sadistic way.

“The plan was to create a commotion and call the saint out to the border. Killing the saint is a surefire way of starting a great war,” she said.

“Killing the saint?!” I repeated.

“That’s right. It’d take a heavy sacrifice to break the treaty between the Demon King and the hero, after all.”

“So the reason you’re here...”

“Is to steal the letter and erase the envoys. It’d be a problem if things were resolved by negotiation after the saint’s death.”

I see, so that’s what’s going on!

If the saint was killed and the official letter never made it to the demon realm, war would be inevitable. I didn’t know why she wanted war between humans and demons, but her actions made sense given her motives.

“Wayne being chosen as envoy was all part of our plan. The same goes for me tagging along. We just made him believe it was his own idea.”

“What?! What do you mean?!” Wayne shouted.

Hel chuckled gleefully at his panicked face. “Just think about it. How big of a womanizing fool would you have to be to bring followers to a place like this? It’s all because I controlled your thoughts.”

“You... You dare play with the mind of a paladin?!”

“That paladin title was also our doing.”

“What?! What do you mean by that?!”

“It’s simple. Our comrades who infiltrated the church pulled some strings to make it happen.”

Wayne’s paladin title had been his pride. Despair spread across his face as he fell to his knees. I’d been wondering why he hadn’t seemed like a paladin, but that explained everything. It was unfortunate that he had to find out this way, though.

“Well, either way, your role ends here. You will die here. I was worried about the outrageous people accompanying us, so I’m glad it worked out. It’s so convenient how you wiped each other out.”

She glanced at Raiza and Arca before bursting into cackling laughter. What a terrifying thing she was trying to do!

Raiza hadn’t yet recovered enough to fight again, and from the looks of things, Wayne was in no condition to face Hel either. He stared into the distance, jaw slack, heart broken.

There was no other choice. I had to do it. Hel looked a lot weaker than Arca, so maybe it wasn’t impossible. I was so nervous, my body trembled uncontrollably.

“Now that everything has been said, let’s finish this. I have to hurry to see someone after this,” Hel said, increasing the magic energy output around her palm.

A black mass formed, sparking with purple lightning. There’d be no surviving that! I quickly refined my energy in turn, but something pierced Hel’s chest first.

“Huh?”

Black flames.

Hel looked down at the hole in her chest and slowly fell forward. Who’d done that? I looked around to see that Arca had gotten up on one knee. She had shot Hel.

“You recovered already?!” I yelped.

“Thanks to you guys chatting away, yes. But only a little.”

“Of course a demon would use their comrade as a decoy to heal themselves...”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not comrades with this traitor.”

Traitor? So not all demons were on the same side...

Arca took a deep breath while I looked at her in confusion, then said, “If you give me a minute, I can tell you what I know.”

What she divulged was utterly shocking to all of us.

Chapter 7: The Demon Realm’s Plot

“So, in short, there are demons plotting to overthrow the demon realm’s current administration?” I asked, summarizing Arca’s story.

The current Demon King was politically moderate, actively creating policies to protect weaker demons. But this brought backlash from certain groups who believed in the survival of the fittest. The Demon King’s younger brother was the one heading this radical faction.

“A great war with the human realm would give the royal prince—who commands the military—the power and influence he wants. He planned on using that momentum to take over the administration.”

“I can understand the logic, but to start a war for that...”

“I shouldn’t be one to talk, but demons really love war,” Arca said without any shame.

As a member of the human side being inadvertently dragged into their politics, it was nothing but a nuisance! On top of that, I had ignored this sudden revelation earlier, but they were planning on killing my beloved big sister Fam! I had to warn her somehow. According to Hel, Fam should almost be at Rajah by now. She was probably the one the rest of the party had been tasked with guarding. The guildmaster would definitely send a special escort for the saint of the Holy Cross Church.

“I’m part of the current Demon King’s faction, so I’m against war. That’s why I’m stationed all the way out here—to keep an eye on the other faction. But it looks like I got a really late start.”

“I see. I was wondering why an executive was all the way out here.”

“That’s why I’m technically on your side. We’re allies.”

“Weren’t you attacking us with all your might earlier?”

“Sometimes communication needs to be done through force. I had to test you.”

She didn’t seem to be a bad person, but she was still a demon. Her way of thinking was extremely combative, and she was part of the moderate faction. How bad was the radical side? Humans might actually be at risk of extinction! We couldn’t allow such dangerous people to do as they pleased.

“Do you have a communication crystal? We have to contact someone immediately!” I said urgently.

“Hmm. I do, but it’s a little different from what humans use.”

“That’s fine!”

Arca immediately walked over to the wall and muttered what must have been a password. The next moment, the stones shifted to create a small entrance. The interior appeared to be a station for soldiers, filled with weapons and miscellaneous objects.

“Here you go,” Arca said.

“This is a demon’s crystal orb? It’s red.”

“Everyone loves red and black.”

Don’t tell me that’s why the wall is red too...

A ridiculous thought flashed through my mind. No human would color a wall like that, but it was awfully plausible when it came to demons. I dismissed the thought with a shake of my head and began analyzing the crystal orb’s spell formula.

“Wow, surprisingly it’s not that different. The language being used is the same, so it’s just a matter of adjusting the energy wavelength index.”

“Huh? Can you really use it?” Arca asked.

“I think I’ll manage.”

Compared to the formula development and improvement I’d had to do in the past, this was a feasible task. I had braced myself at the thought of a tool from the demon realm, but it was actually simpler than ones from the human realm. There were several sections that were made with brute-force magic in mind, but as long as I was careful with those, it would be fine. With my amount of magic energy, I just had to tweak it a bit to use it.

“I’m pretty sure the tool can’t be easily modified,” Arca mumbled.

“I’m just making do with the parts I can adjust. Now, please stay quiet. I’m about to make contact, and a demon voice will just complicate things!”

“Oh, okay...” Arca blinked at me blankly.

What, had I said something unreasonable for a demon? I was curious about her reaction, but it was more important to contact the Rajah guild first.

I poured my magic energy into the crystal orb. It crackled with static noise like a sandstorm.

Someone please pick up!

I waited while muttering prayers in my heart until eventually, the sound of the familiar receptionist’s voice came through the crystal.

“Hello. This is the Rajah branch Adventurers Guild.”

“This is Sieg! Is the guildmaster there?!”

“The guildmaster is— Wait, Sieg?! Why are you contacting us?!”

“There’s an emergency! Please get the guildmaster!”

“Wait, where are you right now?”

“The entrance to the demon realm!”

“The demon realm?!”

There was a loud slamming noise before the connection cut off.

Huh?! Did the receptionist fall over?!

I was panicking on the spot until the sound of the guildmaster’s voice came through the orb. He had heard the receptionist and come to check on her. I quickly explained the situation to him and asked for Fam’s whereabouts.

“The saint is already in Rajah.”

“Really?”

“Yes, she came to greet me earlier.”

“Then you have to hurry! The demons could make a move at any moment!”

“All right, I’ll send out an emergency summons to the adventurers. The saint will also be notified immediately.”

“Thank you!”

Well, that was one less thing to worry about...hopefully. Actually, no, the enemies were violent demons. One could never be too careful with them. It would be best if I could hurry back and protect Fam, but the distance from here was too far! Argh, how vexing!

“Are you done talking?” Arca asked.

“Oh, right. Yes. Thank you very much.”

“There’s no need for that. I’ll take the letter you brought, so why don’t you go back?”

“Oh, but...”

Arca didn’t seem to have any ill intentions behind her offer. She didn’t look like the type to lie either. But there was no guarantee we’d make it in time even if we rushed back now. In which case, it would be better if we made sure the letter was properly delivered to the Demon King.

As I was thinking that, Arca spoke up in realization. “Oh, I see! Humans don’t have wings, so it takes time for you to return.”

“Yes. That’s why we’ll—”

“In that case, I have a good idea. Come outside.”

“Huh...?”

I followed Arca out of the station. Outside, Raiza had recovered enough to call out to me.

“Sieg!”

“Sis! Are you okay now?”

“Somewhat. I can’t believe I used so much strength that I couldn’t move. How pathetic.”

“It’s more than incredible for a human to defeat me. I’m one of the strongest people in the demon realm, you know?” Arca muttered, exasperated.

Well, Raiza’s always been a bit too strong for her surroundings. There was no point in measuring her against other humans.

“Forget about that, sis! Fam’s in trouble!”

“I heard. I couldn’t move, but I wasn’t unconscious.”

“Then I’ll cut right to the chase.” Arca looked up at the gloomy sky and whistled. A large shadow crossed the wall and came toward us.

Oh my!

Spreading its wings as it soared through the sky was a magnificent dragon with deep-green scales. It was a sky dragon, also known as the ruler of the skies.

“If you ride this dragon, it’ll be a single leap to get out of this forest.”

“Wow! That’s the Demon King’s Army for you!” I said in wonder.

“I’ll go too. I should recover a bit more by the time we get back,” Raiza added, staggering over to the dragon to climb on. It looked like she’d need an entire day to recover...but she was probably just as worried about Fam as I was.

“Please take me too,” Wayne said.

“Me too! Please!”

Wayne and his female comrade ran over to us. Well, we couldn’t exactly leave them behind anyway. I looked over at Arca just in case, and she nodded. It seemed the dragon was fine with four passengers.

“I’ll deliver this letter to the Demon King.”

“You’re not coming along?”

Arca shrugged with a sigh. “My presence would only cause a bigger commotion.”

I guessed it would be a major incident if a high-ranking demon went near a human settlement. Although it would’ve been nice to borrow her strength, her decision was for the best.

“Once everything’s settled, you can send word through that crystal orb. The dragon can find its own way home, so you can leave it wherever.”

“Thank you for everything!”

“Ugh! Receiving gratitude from a human feels gross, so stop it!” Arca waved a hand as though to dismiss us. Her attitude and language were rude, but her expression was gentle. She really didn’t harbor any ill will toward us, probably thanks to Raiza’s display of strength.

“All right, let’s go!”

“Graaaaaah!”

With the roar of the sky dragon, we departed for Rajah.

Interlude: Demon of Moonlit Night

While Noa and his party were riding on the dragon to Rajah, Fam and Kumer were glaring at each other under the setting sun’s rays, which were shining into the church. The air between them was tense, and it was only getting worse with every passing moment. A fight could break out at any time.

“What is the meaning of this? I didn’t do anything to deserve a staff to the face.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I can’t believe you deceived me until now.”

“Deceived you? What are you talking about?”

The signature holy staff of the saint could easily pierce through a sheet of steel. If she really attacked with it, the resulting injury would be serious. But there was a strange sense of calm to Kumer’s response.

“Quit the act. I’ve already figured out your true identity.”

“Oh? My true identity? That makes it sound like I have a fake one.”

“Yes, that is correct. You,” Fam said, pausing briefly with her hand on her chest to stare at Kumer, “are a demon, aren’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“The first clue is how you left my side when I was casting holy magic. You’d never left me alone until then. That was the only time you voluntarily removed yourself.”

“That was because I couldn’t bear to look at the merchant’s uneasy face.”

“That’s not all. When I looked back, I realized you’d never been present while I was casting holy magic. You always had some reason to leave, like guarding the church or something.”

Fam’s tone grew stronger. She had an unshakable conviction that Kumer was a demon. Meanwhile, the look in Kumer’s eyes was beginning to change, as though he had realized he wasn’t escaping this time.

“Those aren’t strong enough reasons. I am a human who has dedicated the past forty years of my life to the church. I have been here since the past saint’s generation!”

“Yes, that’s why no one has doubted you until now. No one would have imagined a betrayal after so many years of loyalty to the church. But that’s only in human terms.”

“What do you mean?”

“The lifespan of a demon is ten times as long as a human’s. Forty years is nothing in the grand scheme of things, is it?”

Going undercover for forty years was like sacrificing half the lifespan of a human. Even if it was for a larger goal, anyone would risk eventually blowing their cover after so many years. But that was only in human terms. For a demon who lived ten times longer, it was the same as holding out for a few years.

“I see. But that’s not enough to make such an arbitrary decision.”

“There’s one more thing. I conducted my own investigations into the internal corruption of the church. But no matter how many people I put to the task, I couldn’t gather any proof,” Fam continued.

“That’s because the culprits were clever about covering their tracks. What does that have to do with my supposed betrayal?”

“You know the answer. I trusted you so much, I excluded you from the investigation. I thought I was just struggling to find the evidence as you said...but if you were the culprit, then of course I wouldn’t find any.”

Kumer finally stopped moving. His entire body trembled as he began laughing. There was a madness in his voice that echoed throughout the church.

“Fine! Enough of the charade! I didn’t think you would be the one to see through it all after I treated you like my own daughter!”

“I wish this wasn’t the truth either.”

“As you suspected, all the corruption within the church is my doing. Amud was no more than a distraction to delay my being exposed. He’s just a regular cowardly human—he never had the guts for wrongdoing.”

“So you were the one who pulled the strings for Amud to become an archbishop.”

“That’s right. It was easy for me to control the other archbishops.”

Kumer spread his arms, shaking from head to toe. An immense amount of magic energy was flowing from him, making his muscles writhe and bulge. His clothes tore apart as white bones extended from his back, forming sinister wings. A skin-like membrane covered the gaps between the bones. In a matter of minutes, the archbishop had turned into a fearsome great demon, the embodiment of evil.

“This is even worse than I expected!” Fam exclaimed.

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Krudion, the archduke’s most trusted retainer and commander of the Fifth Division of the Demon King’s Army,” he said.

He enhanced his magic energy, creating a fierce wind around his body. Its force was powerful enough to pass as the Demon King’s. The church shook at the sheer strength of it, and pieces of the ceiling crumbled down.

“It’s a little earlier than originally planned, but this will do. I will kill you and sacrifice you as the symbol of a new great war.”

“I am a saint. I will not be so easily defeated.”

Fam faced Krudion with her holy staff in hand. Holy magic flowed from her entire body, competing against the evil energy. Sparks flew where they collided with each other, shaking the air.

“You adventurers back there! You’re my guards, right? Help me!” Fam shouted over her shoulder at the adventurers hiding behind a bench.

It was Kuruta’s party—the guards who had been following her. They had been tailing Fam in secret, but she had noticed them long ago. Now that it had come to this, she had to rely on their assistance.

Kuruta’s group was surprised by the sudden turn of events, but they quickly leaped out of the shadows. Rouga stood before Fam with his shield.

“I know it’s sudden, but please give me your cooperation!” Fam said.

“Of course! We will do anything to protect the saint!” Kuruta replied.

“Ha ha ha! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime honor to be able to defend the saint!” Rouga bellowed with a laugh.

“Right? It’s our rare moment in the spotlight,” Nino agreed.

They all spoke lightheartedly, as though to encourage themselves.

Krudion sneered at them mockingly. “Mere adventurers don’t stand a chance against me. I’ll blow you all away!”

“Get ready, everyone! We’re going to beat this demon up!”

And with that, Saint Fam led the adventurers into battle!

“The guild better pay us extra for this!” Rouga said, sweating nervously as he protected them with his huge shield.

Krudion was releasing an overwhelming amount of magic energy. This demon was clearly stronger than a hydra or gluttony slime. The energy he released was so refined, there was a chill to it that Kuruta’s party could feel against their skin. They frowned with grim expressions.

“Everyone, stay close to me! I’ll cast support magic!” Fam called out confidently, as though to erase their fears.

As soon as everyone got closer to her, she touched the ground with the holy staff. Light spread around her as a white magic circle was deployed. Particles of gold light rose up, covering the adventurers’ bodies.

“In the name of the lord, I shall bestow lost sheep with swords. Dieu Soldat!”

Particles of light entered their bodies. Surging light dyed their vision white. When the light finally faded, Kuruta and the others gasped in awe.

“What is this? Power is surging from me!” Kuruta exclaimed.

“I feel like I could beat up the Demon King right now!” Rouga said excitedly.

“That’s the saint for you. What tremendous support magic,” Nino mumbled, moving her limbs to test how her body felt. It had never felt lighter.

Kuruta waved her hand lightly and a blade of wind shot through the air. With this, they might be able to stand up to the demon a little.

The moment they thought that, Krudion smiled as he attacked. “Support magic is meaningless when the original is weak! I’ll crush you all!”

“Just try it! Raaaaaah!” Rouga shouted, deflecting Krudion’s punches with his shield. The unexpected counterblow caused Krudion’s enlarged body to tilt off-balance.

Kuruta immediately leaped forward to get behind him. “Take that!”

“Tch!”

Kuruta’s dagger was blocked by black wings. White bones collided with metal, creating fierce sparks and a hard screeching noise. Kuruta tried to push forward, but her opponent was a demon. Things wouldn’t be that easy.

“Haaah!” Krudion shouted, extending his wings in one go.

“Wha?!”

Kuruta was blown back. She twisted herself in the air like a cat and somehow managed to land safely. But just as she did, black beads of light attacked her.

“Die!”

“Watch out, Kuruta!”

Nino leaped forward to defend her. They fell to the floor hugging each other.

“Nino!”

“I’m fine! A potion can heal this easily!”

Nino had failed to evade the attack completely, resulting in a large wound on her back. Her white skin was dripping red. Just looking at it invoked pain. Nino quickly downed a potion, but the wound remained.

“Grand Guerir!”

Fam immediately cast healing magic. Nino’s wound, as well as the scratches on Kuruta and Rouga, were healed instantly. Grand Guerir was advanced healing magic that should only affect one person at a time, but Fam had so much magic energy, she could heal multiple people at once.

“Tch. That’s going to be a pain,” Krudion muttered.

“As long as you’re alive, I’ll heal you as many times as it takes! Fight to your hearts’ content!” Fam shouted.

“How reassuring!” Rouga replied.

“The saint’s support is like being backed by an army!” Kuruta agreed.

With a more relaxed state of mind, the three of them moved even better. Rouga blocked hits while Kuruta and Nino took turns making their attacks. Krudion had an overwhelming advantage in strength, but Kuruta’s party had the slightest lead in speed. They made up for their lighter attacks with more hits, gradually pushing Krudion back.

“You pesky flies! I see it was a mistake to start fighting in a church!” he roared.

Thanks to their location, the demon’s power was somewhat restricted by the church. Even with that in mind, Krudion had planned to eliminate Fam here, but she’d ended up being tougher than he expected. Perhaps it would be better to destroy the church and remove its effect. But if he did that, adventurers across town would gather immediately. It’d be even more of a pain if that happened.

“Now’s our chance! Can the three of you stop his movements for a moment? I just need twenty seconds!” Fam said, raising her holy staff and closing her eyes to focus. A giant magic circle appeared under her feet, rumbling with magic energy. Holy magic turned into light, spreading into their surroundings like a golden breeze.

“I won’t let you!” Krudion snapped. He could sense impending danger and knew he had to stop that spell no matter what.

He launched a fierce attack, but Kuruta and the others teamed up to stop him.

“Dieu Jugement!”

Thunder clapped as lightning shot through the air. The bolt cast from the holy staff directly struck Krudion’s body. Blue light surged across his muscular body, burning him instantly. The spell was so powerful, it shook the entire stone church. The explosive sound was so loud, Kuruta’s party had to cover their ears.

“Gaaah!”

One beat after the thunder, a scream of agony resounded through the church. Was that enough to defeat him? Kuruta’s party watched Krudion fall to his knees and felt certain of their victory. Fam’s Dieu Jugement was powerful enough to reduce most demons to dust. On top of that, it was holy magic that was most effective against demons. It should even have had an effect on the Demon King. However...

“As expected of the saint. What tremendous power. I thought I was dead for a moment there—but you were a little too slow.”

Krudion got to his feet despite the blood pouring from his body. He released a blast of magic energy from his hands, shattering the stained glass at the back of the church. Soft moonlight shone in. The sun had set at some point, and the moon was high in the sky.

“Graaaaaaaaah!”

Krudion’s injuries healed before their eyes. And that wasn’t all. His magic energy was surging as black hair started growing from his skin. Eventually, he was covered in a layer of black fur. His face had also transformed, turning him into a large beast with sharp fangs.

“What is that? The magic energy is crazy!” Rouga yelled.

“Mwa ha ha! I have the blood of the moonwolves flowing in my veins! I gain three times the amount of magic energy on full moons!”

“What?! Three times is ridiculous!” Kuruta shouted.

“This is unexpected. I didn’t think he had another trick up his sleeve,” Nino said.

Fam stiffened. It had been a long time since she’d felt this much fear. The beast Krudion had turned into was far more powerful and evil than any demon she had faced before.

“Guh!”

“Rouga!”

Claws had swung at Rouga’s shield, sending him flying back helplessly. He slammed into the wall and groaned as he slumped over. It wasn’t only Krudion’s magic that had increased—his physical strength was also drastically greater than before.

“Grand Guerir!”

Fam cast her healing spell, and Rouga immediately recovered. But Krudion immediately attacked him without waiting. Giant claws dug into his newly healed body. Rouga cried out in pain.

“Ha ha ha! Heal all you want, I’ll just crush you again!” Krudion roared.

“I can’t...” Fam muttered in horror. It was quite literally like being tortured to death.

Kuruta and Nino tried to rescue Rouga, but they were both knocked away.

“Dumb lasses. Go on, try to run away now!”

“Wha?!”

Just as they fell back, Krudion followed them and swung his claws. Sparks flew as the black strike made contact. Explosions followed his arm, shattering the floor. Kuruta and Nino immediately righted themselves and tried to flee the storm.

“Ow!” Kuruta cried.

A magic projectile pierced Kuruta’s foot. When Nino stopped in shock, another flash of light stabbed her mercilessly in the side.

“Kuruta! Guh!”

Both of them stopped moving, and an evil grin spread across Krudion’s face.

“Ha ha ha! Where’s that earlier confidence now?!”

“Damn it... If only he hadn’t transformed!” Kuruta mumbled.

“It’s too late now!”

Ruthless claws swung down, sinking into Kuruta’s arm. Instead of finishing her in a single blow, he was planning to slowly torment her. Nino tried to defend her, but she was easily brushed away. She slammed into a pillar of the church and spat up blood.

“Guh!”

“Just wait there. I’ll deal with you next.”

“Stop! Don’t touch Kuruta!” Nino gasped weakly.

“Ha ha ha! Begging a demon? How meaningless!” Krudion looked up at the moon and laughed joyfully. His bloodstained black fur was like the embodiment of evil.

“That’s enough! It’s me you’re after, right? Leave them alone!” Fam yelled.

“Oh? Your self-sacrifice is truly admirable, Saint Fam...but do you realize what your death would mean?”

If a saint was killed by a demon, a war would instantly begin. When considering the overall situation, the best option for Fam was to sacrifice Kuruta’s party and flee. But Fam showed no hesitation.

“I know. But I cannot abandon people in need. Once I’ve truly exhausted all options, I’ll self-destruct and destroy everything here, leaving no trace.”

“How courageous. You’re more of a hero than a saint. Very well. Out of respect for that spirit, I’ll kill you last.”

“What?!”

“May as well enjoy the view...of people dying!”

Krudion raised his claws to behead Kuruta. Fam ran as fast as she could, but she couldn’t make it in time. Just a little more... She was almost within reach! The saint extended her hand, but the clawed arm swung down without mercy.

It was like watching a guillotine fall. Fam screamed in spite of herself, imagining the tragedy about to happen, when—

“Gwuh?!”

Someone crashed through the church’s stained-glass roof, kicking Krudion’s large body aside.

Chapter 8: Showdown at the Church!

“That was close. You okay, Kuruta?”

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and turned to Kuruta on the ground. If I had been a second later, she really would have been killed. It was worth pushing myself to get here as soon as possible.

“Sieg? Where did you come from?”

“I flew over on a dragon. My legs are actually a little numb right now.” I pointed at the hole in the ceiling. There was a dragon circling in the sky overhead.

Kuruta picked herself up and stared at it wide-eyed. Well, that was understandable. A human who should’ve been in the demon realm was claiming to have returned via dragon. And by jumping down through the roof, no less. Even I found it a little unbelievable.

“Noa... Is that you, Noa?!”

The next to react was Fam. She rushed toward me at a tremendous speed and stared into my face.

Too close, sis! Too close!

I nodded in response, overwhelmed by her ferocity, which resembled a beast of prey latching on to a piece of flesh.

“Thank goodness you’re safe! I was so...so worried... Waaah!”

“H-Hold on! Don’t cry here!”

Fam started bawling on the spot, large tears running down her face. She spread her arms and wrapped them around me tightly.

Urk, I can’t breathe! Everyone’s watching too... It’s so embarrassing being treated like this at my age!

“I can’t breathe, sis! Let go!”

“Oh! I’m sorry! Grand Guerir!”

Fam immediately cast healing magic on me, which itself was an overreaction. But next to me, Kuruta was also healed, so I’d let it slide this time. Fam was strict but strangely overprotective, so I’d always found her rather hard to get along with. She’d been like this at home in Winster as well. When I looked back now, it was kind of like she wanted to spoil me...maybe? No way. Knowing my sister, she was probably just being whimsical.

“Calm down! I’m not a child anymore!” I protested.

“Even if you’re not a child, you’re still my little brother.”

“Maybe so, but there’s an age-appropriate way to behave—”

“Kraaaaaaaaaaaah!”

A masculine roar cut me off. I turned to see a demon glaring our way with a look of pure fury.

“How dare you ignore me and blather on by yourselves!” he snarled.

“Oh, sorry!”

“Don’t apologize! I don’t know who you are, but I’ll crush you too!”

The demon held an arm up at the moon. Black magic energy gathered, forming the shape of a huge sword. This blade made from magic had no physical form—it was essentially an energy sword. The air vibrated, sending goose bumps up my arms. The purple lightning running along the blade clearly carried an outrageous amount of power.

“Fam!” I called.

“Leave the support to me. Here we go!”

“Okay!”

And so, Fam and I teamed up to face the demon.

“Let’s do this! Dieu Soldat!”

Fam’s dignified voice echoed through the church. A golden wind blew, increasing my strength. This was my first time on the receiving end of her enhancement magic, but the effect was enough to make me lightheaded. She’d refused to cast it on me back home because I’d get full of myself, and it all made sense now. It was addictive!

“All right! This should work!” I said excitedly.

“What nonsense.”

The magic energy sword came swinging down. I immediately blocked it with my black blade. It was like a mountain was pressing down on me. I somehow managed to withstand the blow without being crushed. This was clearly a high-rank demon. He had ridiculous power, even to me with my sister’s support. If I hadn’t been enhanced, I would have been dead already.

“Ha ha ha! Now you can’t move!” the demon taunted me.

“In that case...how about this?”

My black blade began absorbing magic energy. The sword, made from meteorite, was capable of storing magic energy. Although it had a physical form, as long as its target was energy, there was no reason it couldn’t absorb it.

Before long, the demon enemy’s sword was shaking, unable to maintain its shape. Its wielder was shocked by that and leaped back.

“Hmph! That’s a curious sword you have, but I’m sure it can’t block every attack!” He swung his blade at an unbelievable speed for a greatsword. It was a feat only possible for an energy blade.

But I had Fam’s support magic on my side. I drew my own sword back and held it at the ready, then moved it while keeping up with his speed. The clash echoed fiercely, and the demon’s face grew grimmer with every moment. It seemed that his energy sword was a huge effort to maintain—especially with my own weapon absorbing part of its energy.

“Impossible! This isn’t a speed humans can keep up with!” the demon yelled.

“This kind of speed is nothing compared to Raiza!”

“Impudent brat! How about this?!” The demon threw down his sword and fired a beam from his mouth.

Whoa! He can do something on that level too?!

The sudden move shocked me so much, I moved my sword to deflect it without thinking. The deflected beam hit the church wall, instantly opening a hole in it.

“It’s melting!” I gasped.

The wall had melted, and the area around the hole was bubbling. If I had been using a regular iron or steel sword, I would have been the one to melt like that. This sword probably couldn’t withstand such hits forever either. It could nullify magic, but it couldn’t nullify the heat produced in the process.

“How did you like the force of my breath?!” the demon asked mockingly.

“It makes no sense for a wolf to use such a move!” I protested.

“Ha ha ha! I’ll burn you to death like this!”

He continued breathing his beam our way. I couldn’t get close to him like that! I tried counterattacking, but his thick fur deflected everything. It seemed to be laced with some kind of magic, making it awfully tough. Blows that were enough to shatter boulders were easily blocked without a flinch. He was far tougher than any golem.

“No means of attacking?” he asked, smirking.

“Ugh...”

“Noa! We have no choice—let’s use you-know-what!” Fam shouted my way.

What does she mean?!

Ignoring my confusion, she raised her holy staff high in the air and gave me a look that said to copy her.

“Okay! Fine!”

I pointed my sword up just like her. The moonlight reflected off the gleaming blade. The next moment, Fam yelled with all her might. “Dieu Jugement!”

Lightning shot from the tip of her staff. It flew toward me and swirled around my sword before being absorbed. Ooh! The black blade that had received a vast amount of holy magic began glowing with a white light. A shimmery aura of divinity covered the blade.

A holy sword?

I’d never seen a real holy sword before, but that word suddenly came to mind.

“What is this light?!” the demon snarled.

“Go on, Noa! Use that sword to cut down evil!” Fam shouted.

“Ridiculous. Changing the appearance won’t do anything!”

The demon continued spewing beams from his mouth. I slashed at a beam with my blade, and the glowing white sword easily split the dark-red beam into two. Wow, this was something else!

The holy magic created an invisible force field that dispersed the enemy’s beams before touching the blade. With that, the sword was no longer at risk of melting. I gradually got closer to the demon while sacrificing the light.

The demon seemed to realize he was in peril. He started gathering his magic energy to finish the match in one blow. “Graaaaaah!”

“How does he still have this much strength left?!” Rouga yelled.

“It might be best to keep our distance,” Kuruta suggested.

“Everyone, over here!” Fam called the others over to her and put up a barrier. The attack the demon was preparing must have been extremely dangerous, since her barrier could easily withstand a tackle from a giant.

“Groooooooooh!” The demon roared as his magic swelled. The air was vibrating. The outcome of this battle was about to be decided!

I assumed another sword stance, closed my eyes, and sharpened my senses.

I need enough power to push back this attack!

I focused on every cell in my body and squeezed out every last bit of strength I had.

“Perish!”

“Raaah!”

The fully charged energy blade came swinging down. It was twice the size it had been earlier. The slash looked powerful enough to bring the end of the world, but I charged toward it without hesitation.

Slash.

The attack I released smashed the enemy’s slash. The extra momentum sent me flying through the air, allowing me to slash at the demon directly. Surprised, he attempted to block me with his sword.

“Hiyaaah!”

“Impossible!”

A large body fell with an echoing scream. The glowing white sword that had received the magic energy of the saint had split the demon and his sword in one blow.

“Phew! It worked out somehow.”

I wiped my brow, sighing in relief. The demon’s giant body had been split into two and fallen to the floor. His eyes were white and murky, and he was rotting at a peculiarly fast pace. The higher-rank the demon, the more magic energy their body was formed from. When they died, their bodies quickly lost the ability to maintain their shape.

Once I confirmed the demon’s death, I turned back to look at Fam. “Everyone okay?” I asked.

“Yes, we’re all fine here,” she replied.

“The saint’s barrier kept us safe,” Kuruta added.

Everyone looked like they were in high spirits. Fam had really used quick thinking by putting up that barrier. Our surroundings were a ruined mess of benches and pillars. It was a miracle the church itself was still standing. If not for Fam’s barrier, everyone would have been blown out of the building. That was how powerful the demon’s attack had been.

“I can’t believe you defeated that evil demon. When did you improve so much?” Fam asked.

“Ha ha... I would’ve been in trouble without your magic, sis.”

“You’ll be able to learn to use that spell by yourself in no time at all. Let’s train as soon as we get home.”

“Um...I’d rather pass on the training...”

“I will not allow it. There’s no telling when another demon will appear. As a fighter, you must always be prepared for the worst...” Fam began preaching at length.

Uh-oh, this conversation took a bad turn!

It was too late to regret things now. There was no stopping her once she started...and if anyone interrupted her, she’d just start preaching with more intensity.

Just as I was lamenting that, a large sound roared by the battered church door.

“Sieg!”

Wha?! Raiza?!

She had apparently jumped off the sky dragon and run over. She rushed toward us as soon as she threw the door open.

“Thank goodness you’re safe!” she cried.

“Yes, somehow.”

“Where’s the demon?! I’ve recovered enough to help!”

“We already defeated it. Without you,” Fam said. She didn’t look happy about being interrupted, and there was a slight chill in her voice.

Even Raiza faltered before her strange intensity. “Oh...I see. Well done.”

“Don’t give me that! Raiza! Where were you?!”

“I was...worn out after defeating another demon...”

“What kind of pathetic excuse is that?! You’re the Swordmaster!”

“What?! Just so you know, the demon I defeated was...”

They began pointing fingers and bickering. Kuruta hesitantly stepped forward to interrupt them.

“Excuse me... Do you have a moment?” she asked Fam.

“Oh? What is it?”

“Based on your conversation just now...are you Sieg’s older sister?”

“Yes, I’m his big sis!” Fam replied. Her voice was oddly loud.

“Does that mean you’re Raiza’s sister as well?” Kuruta continued.

“That’s right.”

Kuruta and the others looked shocked. Even Nino and Rouga were looking between us, confused. Of course they would be—who would ever think the Swordmaster and saint were sisters? My sisters usually hid their relation to each other too.

“Hold on a minute. Ciel said she was Sieg’s sister too, right? That means...”

Fam nodded. “Yes, she’s our sister as well.”

“Hey, now... A Swordmaster, sage, and saint are siblings?” Rouga asked, incredulous.

“That’s enough to control half the world,” Kuruta added.

“No way. There is no way, right, sis?” I asked nervously. For some reason, my sisters both smiled meaningfully.

Hey! I wasn’t joking right now!

Our family isn’t controlling the world from the shadows or anything, right?

It felt like my sisters could be capable of such a thing, which made it all the scarier. If so, I’d have to look at the world in a new light.

“We should probably report everything to the guild first,” Kuruta said.

A large group of onlookers had gathered outside the church at the commotion. If we didn’t address things soon, the whole town would fall into a panic. We needed to contact the guild and lord to handle things before rumors of a demon in the church spread.

“What will you do, Fam?” I asked.

“Hmm. I’m meant to report to the local church when incidents occur, but...”

“This church isn’t usable in this state.”

Come to think of it, what had happened to the nuns and members of the clergy here? Don’t tell me they’d been dragged into the fight!

Just as I was panicking about that, a door on the side of the church opened with a clack, and a familiar nun poked her head out.

“Oh! It looks like it’s over!”

“Sister! Thank goodness, you evacuated in time!”

“Yes! We detected a tremendous source of magic energy, so we put up a barrier and hid in here,” the nun explained, then looked over at Fam and tilted her head curiously. She was unable to determine why Fam seemed so familiar. She recognized her but couldn’t recall her name.

Fam smiled gently before answering her unspoken question. “Hello. I should have introduced myself sooner. I’m Saint Fam.”

“The saint?! I mean, we were warned of your arrival, but eek!”

“There’s no need to panic! Take a deep breath!” Fam said, trying to reassure the shocked nun. She placed a hand on the nun’s shoulders and sighed as she spoke to us. “I’ll remain here for now, so please go to the guild without me.”

“All right. Make sure you come later; we have lots to ask you too,” Raiza said.

“Of course. See you soon.”

And so, we left Fam in the church and hurried to the guild.

Chapter 9: Holy Sword of Labyrinth City

“It sounds like things have gotten more serious than I expected,” the guildmaster muttered, clutching his head in his hands. We had just given him our report on the situation, so that was no wonder. The matter had long surpassed the responsibilities of a branch master—it should have been in the hands of someone in a higher position by now.

“If the enemy’s goal is to incite war, the demon’s blood may have been bait too,” I said.

“That sounds most likely. Either way, we have to take care not to fall into their trap,” the guildmaster agreed.

“We should be prepared for anything,” Raiza said. “If the warmongering faction of the demon realm grows...”

“The demons might invade without waiting for a reason?” I guessed.

Raiza nodded quietly. Unlike the Demon King’s moderate stance, the royal prince wished for war with the human realm. His faction was still trying to create a reason to start that war, but if they gained any more power than they already had, they could overthrow the Demon King’s faction and make it happen.

“Hmm... Unfortunately, this case is far above my pay grade. I’ll need to discuss things with the Grandmaster,” the guildmaster said.

“Please do, posthaste,” Raiza said.

“Leave it to me. There just so happens to be a regular meeting coming up, so I’ll bring it up there as an urgent topic.”

The guildmaster turned to look at Wayne, who was busy making himself small in a corner of the room. He had hardly been of any use on the expedition, and he seemed to be aware of that. His arrogant personality from a few days ago was nowhere to be seen. It was actually a little pitiful to see.

“Just to be sure, Wayne, do you have anything to add or correct to the earlier report?” the guildmaster asked.

“No, I agree with what Raiza and Sieg said.”

“If you’re sure...”

“My actions were unworthy of being called an S-rank. I am most ashamed of myself,” Wayne said, bowing his head deeply.

I hadn’t thought he was capable of apologizing so sincerely. Considering his prior behavior, it was a little unexpected. Was it because he had been freed from the mind control of that demon named Hel? Or was it because he’d realized Raiza was above him in rank and ability? Either way, it seemed like a good change.

“That’s a good attitude to have. Don’t forget it,” the guildmaster said.

“Yes, sir!”

“But if even an S-rank can’t handle a demon, we may be in trouble.”

The guildmaster crossed his arms with a worried look. Though the letter had been delivered safely, Wayne had been helpless against the demon as an S-rank adventurer. Even if we were fine for the moment, we’d be in a tough spot if something happened to the town.

“I have an idea.”

“Oh! If it isn’t the saint!”

Fam had entered the room while we were all distracted. She had finished her business at the church and headed straight here. Since she was representing the Holy Cross Church, the guildmaster stood up from his chair and bowed to her. He looked more nervous than usual. As Fam’s family members, Raiza and I were perfectly normal around her, but a saint had as much power as the king of a large nation. It was more natural for others to be nervous.

“What’s your idea?” the guildmaster asked.

“Noa here will go and retrieve the holy sword. That should be enough to pose a threat to the demons.”

“The holy sword? Shouldn’t I be the one to wield it?” Raiza asked, confused.

She had a point. As Swordmaster, she was much more skilled than I. She easily had twice—no, three times—my strength. If the purpose was to act as a deterrent, then it’d be better to have her hold the holy sword instead. Who was to say I could even use it?

“Yes. That’s why Raiza will wield a holy sword too,” Fam said.

“Huh? That would mean there are two,” Raiza pointed out.

“Exactly. There are two holy swords: one owned by the Winster Kingdom and one by the Holy Cross Church. It’s said that the one owned by the church is superior.”

“What? I’ve never heard of such a thing!” Raiza looked shocked.

I’d never heard of there being two holy swords either. Winster Kingdom was the home of the original hero, and the holy sword was a unique treasure passed down through the royal family. In the tales of the hero I had been told, there was only one.

“The second one is much more powerful than the first. Fearing its misuse, the hero asked our church to lock the sword away. The saint who fulfilled the request hid its very existence.”

Raiza nodded in understanding. “I see. So that’s why it’s unheard of.”

“The holy sword is currently in the depths of a labyrinth managed by our church. Only those who reach the end of the labyrinth gain the right to wield it.”

“Like a trial set by the hero,” I said. “But doesn’t that make it all the better for Raiza—?” When it came to passing the hero’s trial, Raiza was definitely better suited than me. I was still new at adventuring, and there was no guarantee I could even make it to the end of the labyrinth.

But Fam interrupted with a sparkle in her eyes. “I knew the moment you cut that demon down, Noa. You have talent.”

“Okay,” I said warily.

“In order to foster that talent, you should go and get the holy sword, just as the hero once overcame the goddess’s trials to gain an immortal body,” Fam said, launching into a lengthy explanation. Her story sounded kind of irrelevant, though. It seemed best not to expect much from it. Either way, she usually called me unreliable, so this was my chance to live up to her new expectations!

Just as I was thinking that, Fam paused her retelling. “By the way, this is also a trial from me! If you refuse to go to the labyrinth or fail the trial, I’m bringing you home with me!”

“Huh?! Please, no!” I yelped in protest.

She poked my forehead with a finger. “This I refuse to yield on! It’s too dangerous to be in a place like this without a holy sword!”

There was something about her choice of words... Was she treating the holy sword as an item for self-protection?

I barely had time to snap out of my confusion before she added, “Your time limit is three months. Obtain the holy sword within three months. I will allow you to continue adventuring until then.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Weren’t you listening? I said I’d bring you home.”

Fam grinned from ear to ear. I guessed I should have been grateful she hadn’t demanded a duel on sight like Raiza or Ciel, but...these terms might just be worse! I had to enter the labyrinth and obtain the holy sword no matter what!

Chapter 10: Toward Labyrinth City

“Cheers!”

The next day, we were holding a banquet at the guild tavern. The situation was still touch and go, but we’d successfully stopped one demon invasion. A little relaxation was needed to help everyone recover.

Arca had already been contacted. According to her, the letter had been safely handed to the Demon King, concluding our mission.

“The guild will foot the expenses today, so party all you like!” the receptionist announced.

“Whoa! How generous of you, guildmaster!” Rouga cheered. He gulped down his ale and took a hearty bite of his well-cooked meat on a bone. His lack of manners made him look more like a bandit than an adventurer, and Nino was unable to watch.

She held out a handkerchief. “You’ve got food all around your mouth,” she muttered.

“Oh! Thanks!”

“Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you need to wolf it down in one go. Chew properly.”

“Don’t be so uptight! It’s a party; we’re all gonna be like this,” Rouga said, laughing with his ale in hand.

Though Nino had a point, it wouldn’t hurt to let loose a little tonight. Even if Rouga was like this all year long...at least he knew how to have fun.

“That adventurer Wayne didn’t come,” Kuruta commented.

“He said he had a lot to reflect on. He probably wasn’t in the mood,” Raiza replied.

“He did have a gloomy face when we went to the guildmaster together.”

“It was a good learning experience for him. He’s got a good foundation, so a little bit of reflection and training might fix him up.” Raiza threw back her ale and gulped it down. She had been full of complaints during the mission, but her opinion of Wayne wasn’t as bad as she let on. He was still in his early twenties, so a little bit of an attitude change could go a long way from here. He didn’t give the impression of being a bad person; he was just a little cocky. “What bothers me more is how happy Fam was to return without a fight.”

“Yeah. She showed no sign of staying here like you,” I agreed.

The day after we’d reported to the guild, Fam had packed up her things and left to return to Winster. Compared to Raiza and Ciel, she was surprisingly quick to go home. All she had done was give me a task to clear a labyrinth. Considering Raiza had gone as far as buying a house over here, it was a little suspicious.

“Well, the saint can’t stay at a remote place like this forever. She’s busy,” I said.

“You make it sound like I’m not busy.”

“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant!”

Raiza’s face immediately fell. I quickly tried to gloss over the topic with a laugh. The truth was, the Swordmaster was just a title—it wasn’t a post with a job. Raiza didn’t own a dojo to teach others either, so she generally had a lot of free time compared to our other sisters. Of course, there was no problem with that, but Raiza herself seemed to be bothered by it. I shouldn’t have said anything.

Just as I was thinking that, Rouga turned to us. “Well, a labyrinth might be more trouble than a fight. Better watch out.”

“Have you been in a labyrinth before, Rouga?”

“Yeah, a long time ago. I was trying to strike it rich, but it didn’t work out.”

“I’m not a fan of labyrinths myself. They’re dark and humid,” Kuruta said, joining the conversation with a frown.

Nino nodded in agreement. With all these high-ranked adventurers showing such similar reactions, labyrinths seemed to be awful places.

“Now I’m getting a little scared,” I said.

“It depends on the difficulty of each labyrinth. I’m sure we can handle it,” Rouga said.

“Where’s the one you’re going to?” Kuruta asked.

“It’s northeast of here, in a town called Velhen.”

“Oh! The labyrinth city! It’s the holy land for explorers!” Rouga said excitedly.

It must have been a fairly famous place, then. But...the holy land of explorers? Didn’t that sound kind of similar to Rajah? It was my first time hearing the term, though.

“Are explorers different from adventurers?” I asked.

“Yeah. Don’t you know that?” Raiza said. “Adventurers that specialize in labyrinth exploration are called explorers. It doesn’t require any particular qualification, it’s just a type of adventurer.”

“They do work pretty differently, though. Explorers are more connected to merchants than to the guild,” Kuruta explained.

“Merchants?”

“Yes. There’s a merchant company that manages labyrinths. Explorers deal with them more than the guild.”

Huh, I hadn’t known that. If they were using different organizations, then explorers probably had their own set of rules. I’d have to be careful not to break any of their rules without realizing it.

“You should start by registering with the merchant company and going through a beginner’s labyrinth,” Rouga suggested.

“Are there any beginner ones in the labyrinth city?” I asked.

“Of course. If I recall correctly, the town has...”

“Twelve labyrinths,” Kuruta answered for him. “They’ve got everything from beginner to super advanced.”

“That’s right! Twelve! It was over a decade ago now, so I forgot.” Rouga ruffled his hair and laughed.

A city with twelve labyrinths? That sounds amazing! How many years would it take to clear them all? More than ten?

“Now I’m getting excited about the labyrinth city. I can’t wait to go!” I said excitedly.

Rouga nodded. “A labyrinth is an adventurer’s dream. I can understand the allure.”

“Then let’s go right away! There should be a regular carriage service from here to the labyrinth city,” Kuruta said.

“We can take the next one tomorrow.” Raiza nodded. “By the way...” She suddenly looked at Rouga and the others with a serious face.

What was she about to say? I had a bad feeling about this.

“What’s the official name of that merchant company?”

“Huh? It’s Finale, I think,” Rouga replied.

“No, it’s not. It’s called Fiore,” Nino corrected him.

“Hm. That’s what I thought,” said Raiza.

“F-Fiore?!”

My sister and I had the same reaction. Fiore was, of course, the name of our sister Aeria’s trading company. I’d known she’d been rapidly expanding into all kinds of ventures recently, but I hadn’t expected labyrinth management to be on that list.

“What’s wrong? You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

“It’s nothing... We’ve just got a little past with Fiore’s president. It was a surprise to hear that,” I replied.

“I see. That company’s been growing at an incredible pace. I heard this from an explorer I know, but they apparently bought the rights to an unremarkable dungeon from the guild and expanded to the point of controlling the city’s economy.”

“Wow... That’s impressive.”

Now that I thought about it, Aeria had mentioned something to that effect, saying she had taken over a labyrinth that had become unprofitable from overhunted monsters and restored it with proper resource management. I’d only been half listening back then, and I’d never expected it to be brought up somewhere like this. I did remember thinking she’d probably had another motive back then, though.

“Maybe this is why Fam backed down so easily,” Raiza whispered into my ear.

That was indeed a possibility. A city under Aeria’s control would make it much easier to keep an eye on me. Labyrinth exploration also meant I wouldn’t be moving from the city for a while. Which meant...

“We might be seeing Aeria next. At the labyrinth city,” I said.

“Most likely,” Raiza agreed with a solemn nod.

It was finally time to face the oldest of our family, big sister Aeria!

Epilogue: Big Sister Conference #4

“I can’t believe you failed too, Fam!” Aeria wailed.

Roughly a week after the Krudion attack, Fam arrived safely back in Winster Kingdom. She immediately summoned her sisters for a meeting to discuss the whereabouts of their little brother.

“From the sound of it, Rajah is no longer a safe place. You should have dragged him home even if you had to use force!”

“If I did that, he’d just be more rebellious and run away again.”

“We’ll just bring him home again each time.”

“I do not intend on being a burden to Noa. Besides, after seeing him again, I could tell he’s actually grown a lot. He’s a fine help to the people of the border! At this rate, he could eventually become the savior...” Fam rambled at a rapid speed, which was extremely unusual for her normally quiet self. Her feelings about Noa had exploded.

Aeria quickly held up a hand to stop her. “Enough. I know what you’re trying to say, Fam. But I want to make this clear.” She paused to take a dramatic breath as her sisters awaited her next words nervously. “As long as Noa is safe, I don’t care about anyone else! He’s more important to me than the border town!” she declared.

“I agree with your point, but it’s no joke when you say it, sis,” Ciel muttered.

“Mixing business with work?” Ecrecia asked.

“Hmph! So what? I will happily abuse my authority for Noa’s sake.”

“As the saint, I’m afraid I can’t condone that.”

The sisters desperately tried to pacify the agitated Aeria. Noa was important to all of them, but such extreme actions would only cause trouble—especially since Aeria could easily destroy a nation or two if she put her mind to it.

“But Fam did a pretty good job in the end. You told Noa to head to the labyrinth city, right?” Ciel asked her.

“Yes, I did.”

“That land basically belongs to Aeria. All that’s left is to catch him there. Right?”

“Now that you mention it...almost all the explorers there are affiliated with my trading company,” Aeria said thoughtfully.

“So there’s no need to be so harsh. Fam did her job.”

Ciel still felt some guilt over failing to bring Noa home herself, so she took this chance to stand up for Fam. But her words seemed to be logical enough, as Aeria finally took a deep breath and calmed down.

“Fine. Then I shall be the one to bring Noa home,” Aeria proclaimed.

“The matriarch finally makes her move,” Ecrecia said.

“Noa won’t be escaping this time,” Ciel agreed.

Fam brought her hands together and mumbled, “I will pray for your safe return to Winster, Noa.”

The sisters each reacted differently to the deployment of their eldest. In terms of combat power, Aeria was second-weakest after Ecrecia, but her fierce personality and social status knew no bounds.

Even Noa will be helpless before her, all the sisters thought.

Just then, Aeria muttered to herself, “But there’s a little snag. I’ve still got half my work left. If I leave without completing it, this kingdom might be ruined...”

“Wait, what? Why are you looking at me?!” Ciel asked warily.

“Ciel. You’re free, right? Could you help me with some company matters?”

“Ugh...”

Ciel immediately paled. Aeria’s idea of help was more like heavy labor. She’d have to sit at a desk handling paperwork for at least a day—no, at least three days. While it was familiar work for a sage, it wasn’t enjoyable by any means.

“Ecrecia. You’re free too, yes? I’d appreciate your help as well,” Aeria continued.

“Activating right of refusal.”

“Overridden by my right of eldest sibling!”

Ecrecia lay face down on the table in despair.

As soon as she saw that, Fam bowed her head to Aeria. “I have my duties as the saint to attend to, so I’m afraid I cannot assist you. I will be praying that your business goes smoothly from the cathedral.” She quickly made her exit through the door.

Ciel and Ecrecia both shrieked.

“You’re not getting away, Fam!”

“Escape is unforgivable!”

“I really, really am busy with my work as the saint!”

And so, thanks to Fam bringing her share of paperwork with her to the church, the other sisters were able to split Aeria’s work and allow her to depart for the labyrinth city. Finally, the eldest sister was making her move!

Extra: Big Sister Fam’s Massage Services

“Ow, ow, ow...”

After making our report to the guild, we were about to leave the office when a sharp pain in my foot stopped me in my tracks. It was probably muscle pain. I’d pushed myself a little too hard when fighting that demon. Both Fam and I had cast enhancement magic on my body, so it was no wonder it was screaming in protest now. It was a miracle it wasn’t any worse than this, honestly.

“Are you okay? Do you need a hand back to the inn?” Raiza asked.

“I’m fine. It isn’t that serious.”

“If you’re sure... Here, drink this.” She took out a high-tier potion and handed it to me. That was the Swordmaster for you—she showed no hesitation while handling high-quality products worth hundreds of thousands of gold.

I accepted it gratefully and opened the lid.

“Ah! Hold on!” Fam shouted, grabbing my hand as soon as she stepped out of the office. She sighed in relief, then scolded me, “Drinking a potion in your current state will only have the opposite effect.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your body’s currently suffering from overexposure to enhancement magic. If you drink a potion in this state, you’ll feel even worse,” she explained, then glanced over at Raiza, her gaze cold enough to freeze the air.

Raiza immediately waved her arms. “I-I always felt better with a potion! It’s the truth!”

“That’s because you’re you! You’ve got ridiculous magic tolerance for someone who doesn’t even use magic.”

“Oh... I see.”

“You need to be more aware of your own body. Stop treating everyone else by your standards!” Fam demanded.

I immediately nodded in agreement. Raiza’s standards were too unreasonable!

“I know. Why don’t I massage you to relieve some of the muscle pain, Noa?” Fam suggested.

“Huh? You can do that?”

“Of course. I’m the saint, remember?”

I wasn’t sure what that had to do with massages, but since she seemed so confident...she had to be good at it, right? And my muscles did hurt a lot.

“Then if you would, please.”

“Okay. Drop by my inn later. I’ll treat you there.”

And so, I visited Fam’s room to receive a massage.

“What a room! Fitting for a saint, I guess,” I muttered in awe the moment I stepped into Fam’s quarters.

She was staying in the fanciest hotel in Rajah—the same one Wayne was at—but her room was the highest-quality one there, called the Excellent Suite. The interior was as luxuriously decorated as a royal palace, and the canopied bed by the window was large enough to fit a family of four. I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself in such a large room. The furnishings were so fancy, I probably wouldn’t have been able to rest calmly surrounded by such elegance.

“Now, please lie down on the bed.”

“Sis! Why are you dressed like that?!”

Fam had appeared from the back of the room, dressed awfully lightly. Her skin was visible through the sheer silk that highlighted her frame. If I were to be blunt...it was a sexy outfit unfit for a saint.

Um...what’s about to happen?!

Ignoring my discomposure, Fam patted the bed invitingly. “Hurry up. Why are you hesitating?”

“Uh...”

“It’s okay. It might hurt a little at the start, but it’ll feel good in no time at all.”

What were we here for again?! I remained frozen in place until Fam lost her patience and grabbed me by the shoulders. She took off my shirt and forced me to lie down on the bed. Something moist touched my back.

“Um, sis? I...”

“Shush, I’m starting the treatment. It’s dangerous to move around. Stay still.” As soon as she said that, she lit a fire on her fingertip.

Huh? Really, what was she about to do? I froze in shock as she brought the fire to my back.

“Yowch! It’s on fire! My back’s on fire!”

“It’s just thermotherapy. It won’t hurt you.”

“But it’s burning! It’s hot!” I started flailing my limbs, but Fam just held me down. When the heat finally faded a minute later, she posed strangely with her thumbs held up.

“Now that you’ve warmed up, I’m going to press your pressure points. It’ll hurt quite a bit, but grit your teeth and bear it.”

“Gaaah! It hurts! It huuurts!”

“Hang in there, Noa! You’ll feel better tomorrow!”

“If it’s going to hurt this much now, I don’t need to feel better tomorrow!”

“No! You have to heal what you can heal today!”

She continued jabbing me with no mercy. It really, really hurt! It was like she was stabbing me with a tiny dagger over and over again.

Ten minutes or so of torture later, I was freed from my muscle pain, but...

“I’m never, ever accepting a massage from Fam again,” I muttered to myself firmly.

Afterword

Hello everyone, this is the author, kimimaro. Thank you for picking up this book. I can’t believe the Worthless at Home series has already reached its third volume. This is all thanks to the support of you, the readers. I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to continue writing for this long in the middle of the pandemic. I’m going to keep it up until all the sisters have appeared, so please look forward to the future developments.

If all goes well, the manga version of the series should begin this winter. Please look forward to that too. Noa and his friends will surely put on a show that packs a punch. As the author, I’m really looking forward to it too.

Now, to get back on topic... In volume three, we finally meet the third sister, Saint Fam. An executive from the demon side and an S-rank adventurer also appear, and the story slowly starts moving along. How will Noa adapt as the state of the world changes? He’s been powered up a lot more compared to volumes one and two, so get excited about his cheat-like activities in the future!

Once again, the wonderful illustrations were drawn by Mokyu. Fam’s sexy, unsaintlike scene is also included. Even as the author, my heart skipped a beat when I saw how captivatingly she was drawn. To find out what kind of scene it’s depicting, make sure you read the book.

Finally, I’d like to extend my gratitude to my editor and everyone involved in the publishing of this book. Thank you very much.

kimimaro

October 2021