◆　◆

Right at the moment when Kurt and the others were cornering the Headmaster of Disaria, there was one person in the dark night having her magic devoured by bats.

Bats relentlessly clung to her fallen body. And then—a single boy approached her.

“You look pathetic, Blythe.”

Blythe slowly turned her face toward the boy.

“Y-You came at a good time—hurry and save me!”

“Of course. After all, you are one of the ‘Four Great Sages’ like me, and a precious comrade.”

“Thank y—”

It happened just as Blythe was about to speak.

The boy held his hand out toward Blythe and made a crushing motion—and a sound like a fruit exploding from the inside was heard.

“Salvation from that pain—there.”

Though the boy had just killed a person with his magic, a faint smile played on his lips.

“On a night when the moon is this beautiful, her screams are far too ugly. She should have just died on her own… making me go to the trouble.”

The boy looked up at the night sky.

A half-moon floated in the empty sky.

According to one theory, the moon shines so brightly because the sun illuminates it.

“I have turned sixteen, and the vessel is full.”

The boy continued, as if singing.

“All that remains is the day the sun illuminates the entire moon. Two incomplete powers will become one, and I will be complete.”

The boy turned his back on the motionless Blythe and began to walk again.

“It won’t be long now. Wait for me, my cute little sister—Cynthia.”

◆　◆

—After that, as a matter of course, the scheduled meeting with Disaria was cancelled.

Since that Headmaster named Howard spilled the beans so thoroughly. Naturally, Rosanlila Magic Academy’s claims were accepted in full.

And so, after waiting for Headmaster Diana to finish the paperwork, we departed the Neutral City.

It seems Diana has a lot to do even after returning to the Royal Capital, but… I’ll leave those matters to the adults.

“Come to think of it… I felt something was off when I heard Lara’s story last night. Why did you come from the direction of Kurt’s room, Lara?”

Inside the carriage returning to the Royal Capital, Lara and I were questioned by Marise.

“That is—”

I was at a loss for words.

At Marise’s words, Lara also averted her gaze awkwardly.

“It really is strange, isn’t it? Lara, don’t tell me you were doing something naughty with Kurt—”

“T-That’s not true!”

Before Marise could finish, Lara turned red and waved her hands frantically, trying to cover it up.

She had been quite loud yesterday, after all. It was a good thing I cast soundproofing magic on the room. Without it, Lara’s voice would likely have been heard by Marise and the others next door.

“It really is suspicious. Kurt, I’m going to have you explain. Just what happened yesterday—”

Just as Marise stood up and reached out to me.

“Kya!”

A cute scream escaped her.

The carriage shook, and she lost her balance. Marise fell right onto me.

“Ouch…”

Marise rubbed her head with her right hand. However, my attention was drawn to something else entirely.

“——!”

I couldn’t move my mouth. Because Marise’s chest had plunged right before my eyes.

Perhaps due to the impact of the fall, the front of Marise’s top had fallen open. Thanks to that, her purple underwear and cleavage entered my vision clearly.

“Kurt? Where on earth are you looking—!”

Marise noticed immediately, pulled away from me, and covered her chest.

“D-Did you see?”

“S-See what?”

Of course I saw it, but I couldn’t say that.

Even so—Marise wears quite mature underwear. It had a different charm from Lara’s last night.

“I-I will have you tell me everything about yesterday once we return to the Royal Capital. Both of you, be prepared!”

Saying that, Marise turned her back on us. Her earlobes were bright red, and she was trembling slightly.

…In any case, it seems I managed to gloss over yesterday’s events.

“Kurt.”

As I sighed in relief, Lara brought her face close to mine,

“If you want, Kurt, I’ll show you mine again… so…”

“Wha—”

Perhaps out of rivalry with Marise, Lara whispered something outrageous. But no further words came from Lara. Because Lara, too, blushed and turned her face away from me.

Good grief… these two always manage to fluster me.

“Ah, that’s right! Headmaster, Headmaster.”

Perhaps to change the mood, Lara called out to Diana.

“What’s going to happen to the Headmaster of Disaria?”

“Well…”

Diana crossed her arms and spoke in an exhausted voice.

It’s no wonder she’s tired. The situation moved so rapidly to get here. She hadn’t joined the earlier conversation, simply staring silently out the window.

“Since it has become an issue between two nations, essentially the Neutral City of Shifrea will judge the Empire. First, Headmaster Howard will likely face execution. He did all of this, after all. But that’s not all. The teachers involved will also face execution… or at the very least be thrown in prison and never allowed to return to a magic academy.”

“Then… isn’t Disaria Magic Academy going to be in big trouble?”

“The academy itself might even cease to exist.”

Hm, a reasonable analysis.

“However—I believe we can pursue Disaria’s responsibility, but I doubt it will escalate into a national issue.”

Suddenly, Diana’s face twisted in frustration.

“Why? From what Kurt said, the ‘Four Great Sages’ were involved, right? It feels like it’s no longer just a problem with the academy…”

This time, Marise spoke in an accusatory tone.

“I find it frustrating too. But—”

“The Kingdom doesn’t want to go to war with the Empire right now… is probably the gist of it. The Empire likely figured as much, so they intend to push all responsibility onto the magic academy and end the discussion there. By framing it as the ‘Four Great Sages’ acting out of control on their own.”

When I said that in Diana’s stead, she nodded. However, Marise’s anger showed no signs of subsiding.

“What is that?! Kurt went through such a terrible experience, yet for political reasons…”

“Marise, I don’t really mind.”

“Eh?”

Marise’s eyes widened.

“The ‘Four Great Sages’ showed up, and I got a fight that could kill some time. If anything, I’m grateful. I don’t feel like I went through a ‘terrible experience’ as you say…”

“But…”

“Besides, I’m also against having a war right now. I want to clash with the Empire after I’ve gained more power.”

“Y-You intend to become even stronger than now?!”

What is she saying? Even now, I haven’t completely regained the power of my previous life. But I have gotten largely used to this body. My magic power has probably caught up to about sixty percent of my previous life. I think I could defeat the Empire even as I am now, but… if I’m going to do it, I want to rampage with my full power.

“Now then… what to do from here.”

I muttered to myself.

Anyway, I know that the Focind family holds the key to the decline of this world. In that case, I might as well investigate them once we get back.

“Headmaster Diana.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know of the Focind family?”

“Mm. Of course.”

Diana answered immediately.

“What kind of people are they?”

“They are Imperial nobles. Their rank is Duke. Politics, commerce… I hear members of the Focind family lurk even among adventurers, controlling the Empire from the shadows.”

This matches what Blythe of the ‘Four Great Sages’ said. For a single noble family, they seem to hold quite a bit of power.

“What about the name Maynard Focind?”

“Maynard… Ah, he is one of the Empire’s ‘Four Great Sages,’ I believe. However, I’ve heard he rarely appears in public and is shrouded in mystery. Furthermore, Maynard is active in the field of magic research. Many innovative magic tools were developed by him. The surveillance magic tools Disaria was using are likely of that sort.”

Diana continued.

“Kurt. Are you interested in that person?”

Lara peered into my face.

“Yeah.”

“Hmm, it’s just a hunch, but I feel like you and that person are going to meet soon, Kurt. Ah, sorry for saying something weird!”

Lara stuck out her tongue slightly.

Her intuition is not to be underestimated. Then perhaps I should prepare to confront Maynard.

“Is there anything else you know about the Focind family?”

“Hmm, the rest is minor details. If you’re interested, you should go to the library after we return to the magic academy. There are many books written about the Focind family.”

I see. Let’s leave thinking about the Focind family at that for now—

“If anything—there is one member of the Focind family among our students, you know?”

“There’s one at Rosanlila Magic Academy too?”

I didn’t know that, so I let out a voice of surprise.

A blunder, for someone like me. I hadn’t been paying attention to other students since I wasn’t very interested.

“Mm-hm.”

“Why is an Imperial noble attending the Royal Capital’s magic academy? If they went to Disaria…”

It’s unlikely that they didn’t pass the entrance exam.

Rosanlila Magic Academy had lost nine times in a row in the exhibition game, and Disaria is generally recognized as superior.

Even if they didn’t pass the exam, they are a powerful noble family. They could probably force a single student in.

“It’s a case of complicated family circumstances.”

“Complicated?”

“I cannot say any more than that. If you want to know, you should ask the person herself.”

Interesting. I had considered storming into the Empire… but if she is in the Royal Capital, that makes things faster. Maybe I’ll try meeting this Focind family student.

“So… what is that student’s name?”

“Mm…”

Diana turned her jade-colored eyes toward me and continued,

“Cynthia—Cynthia Focind.”

Chapter 4

The night before the meeting with Disaria.

We gathered in one of our rooms at the inn to discuss our strategy.

“It’s finally happening tomorrow.”

Diana sat in a chair, addressing the group.

Since arriving, we had killed time by visiting the guild and sightseeing around the city, but—tomorrow was finally the day.

Time flies.

“Well, you don’t need to worry. Basically, you can leave everything to me tomorrow. However… if the Empire tries to wiggle their way out of it, at that point, Kurt… I’m sorry, but I think I’ll need to borrow your strength.”

“Yes. That’s what I came for.”

I replied politely.

Incidentally, we had cast soundproofing magic on the room. We couldn’t be sure who might be listening.

“Headmaster. Has the Disaria Magic Academy from the Imperial Capital arrived in the city yet?”

Lara raised her hand to ask.

“That is correct,” Diana answered.

“May I ask a question as well? Who will be making the judgment during the discussion? Both sides believe they are in the right, so will a conclusion really be reached that easily?”

Marise fired off a question next.

“The mediators and the mayor of this Neutral City. If the negotiations break down, they will be the ones to make the final ruling. You know the role of the Neutral City, don’t you, Marise?”

“Ah, yes… I have a rough idea. I’ve heard they serve as a go-between for the Kingdom and the Empire.”

“Exactly. That is why the Neutral City exists right in the center, between the Kingdom… our Royal Capital, and the Imperial Capital. If trouble arises between the two nations, meetings are often held here in the Neutral City, and the mediators make the judgment.”

“Is that fair?”

“There is a treaty between the two nations. It strictly forbids any interference with the mediators. Do you understand what that means in this case?”

“…It means we cannot offer bribes or threaten the mediators.”

“Correct. You really are clever, Marise. It was actually convenient for both the Kingdom and the Empire to have such a neutral standpoint. So, you can rest assured regarding the fairness.”

Hmm, in other words, making those people acknowledge Disaria’s wrongdoing—that is our victory condition.

“Headmaster. Is the Headmaster of Disaria here as well?”

“Of course. His name is Howard; he has an ugly, obese physique. Just looking at him defiles my eyes, so I didn’t really want to meet him, but alas.”

When I asked, Diana answered with a sigh mixed with her words.

“Now then, let us go to sleep early to prepare for tomorrow.”

Diana clapped her hands together, signaling the end of the meeting.

“Okay.”

“Right.”

Despite saying that, the two girls looked wide awake. They were probably anxious about tomorrow and might not be able to sleep right away.

“Well then, I will return to my room.”

I figured it would be awkward to stay in the same room as Diana and the girls, so I had taken a separate room for myself.

“Kurt, I’ll say it again, but I’m counting on you tomorrow.”

As I was leaving, Diana stopped me to say that.

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Saying that, I finally left the room.

◆　◆

“Kurt.”

As I sat on the bed in my room, I heard a knock and a voice calling my name from the other side of the door.

“Come in.”

When I said that, the door creaked open, and the person who entered was…

“What’s wrong? It’s late. We have an early start tomorrow, so you should get some sleep…”

“I just couldn’t sleep.”

It was Lara, dressed in a negligee.

“That outfit…”

“I brought it from the Royal Capital. It’s my favorite! Isn’t it cute?”

Lara held the hem of the negligee’s skirt and spun around.

The outfit was primarily pink and frilly everywhere. Because of that, whenever she moved even slightly, I could catch glimpses of her chest and thighs, and it looked like her underwear might be exposed at any moment.

“Y-Yeah, it’s cute. I think it suits you, Lara.”

“Thaaaanks!”

Lara beamed with a smile that covered her whole face.

“Don’t just stand there, take a seat.”

“Hey, hey, can I sit next to you, Kurt?”

“Hm… I don’t mind.”

“Excuse me, then.”

Lara said “heave-ho” as she sat down right next to me.

Looking at her profile, her cheeks were slightly flushed. Perhaps she was nervous; her expression seemed stiff.

“Am I holding you back, Kurt?”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

Lara looked downcast as she continued.

“You’re incredibly strong, Kurt. Even ‘Disaster-class’ monsters or demons, you defeat them easily. You’re so cool when you do that… but at the same time, I get worried. I feel like I’m just tagging along and not being useful at all.”

Phew, it seems Lara is worrying about nothing again.

To reassure her, I spoke gently.

“What nonsense. I’m always grateful that you’re here, Lara.”

“R-Really?”

Lara looked up.

“Yeah, really. And not just you, Lara. Marise is also a precious comrade to me.”

This wasn’t flattery; it was the truth.

Just like a thousand years ago, I could have lived alone without making any companions. But after the events of the exhibition game, acting together with companions… had started to feel comfortable.

“Besides, even the day before yesterday, while I was fighting the demon, you and Marise took care of the small fry. That allowed me to fight without worry.”

As I continued,

“I see… thank you. You’re so kind, Kurt. I really love you!”

Lara grabbed both of my hands.

“W-Wait, Lara…”

Lara leaned in, looking up at me, staring straight into my eyes.

My eyes inevitably drifted to her wide-open neckline. Because it was a negligee, the chest area was loose, and it looked like I could see right inside.

At that moment—I noticed something.

“Lara, are you… not wearing anything?”

“Eh?”

“U-Uh, you know… undergarments… for your chest.”

I wondered what on earth I was saying, but I couldn’t help asking. I felt like I had been catching glimpses of pink protrusions in Lara’s cleavage for a while now. Could it be that Lara is the type who doesn’t wear underwear when she sleeps?!

“Yeah. Wearing a bra makes me feel constricted, so it’s hard to sleep. It’s really hard to find underwear that fits my chest, so it’s always tight…”

Lara said, dropping her gaze to her chest.

“Having a big chest… sounds difficult, huh.”

“Ah, Kurt. So you did think my chest was big.”

Thump.

My heart rate spiked at Lara’s words.

“Hey, Kurt… you can do whatever you want.”

“What on earth are you—”

Lara took my hand, which she was holding, and pulled it directly onto her breast.

“Ah.”

The moment my fingers sank into her breast, a bouncy voice escaped Lara’s lips.

“How is it? Is it soft?”

“…Y-Yeah.”

This wasn’t the first time I had touched Lara’s chest, but… no matter how many times I touched them, I couldn’t get used to it. Before I knew it, Lara’s face had turned bright red.

“Lara, your face is completely red. You don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to.”

It almost looked like steam was rising from her head.

“I-I’m embarrassed too…! But I have to repay you, Kurt. Besides… when Marise’s name came out of your mouth earlier, I felt kinda jealous.”

“Why?”

“Because you weren’t looking only at me. And… Marise is growing more and more, too. I get anxious thinking maybe Marise is actually more amazing.”

“I told you in the dungeon, didn’t I? You have your own unique qualities, Lara—”

“I-I’ve been thinking about it since we left the dungeon. That’s why…”

Perhaps she was confused; Lara ignored my words and rattled on.

First, I need to calm her down.

Just as I thought that, Lara let go of my hand and—

“I’ll show you everything.”

Her hands slowly moved to her negligee, and just like that—she cast it aside.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Lara then reached for her lower undergarments.

I reflexively reached out to stop her, but it was too late.

The underwear fluttered to the floor.

—I’ll think of a way to make you really happy, Kurt! You can look forward to it!

The words Lara had said in the dungeon naturally replayed in my mind.

Don’t tell me this was the method to make me happy?!

“E-Even I… am embarrassed, you know. This is… different from the bath time before…!”

Lara covered her large breasts with both arms.

Illuminated by the moonlight, Lara’s white skin looked as soft and chewy as a marshmallow.

Lara looked away shyly. That sight gave me a strange sense of immorality.

“Kurt.”

Lara pushed me down, covering my body with hers.

She was a frail girl. She wasn’t particularly strong. However—I couldn’t resist.

Swept away by Lara’s momentum, I ended up lying on my back on the bed.

“Ooh, it really is embarrassing.”

Lara pressed her body against mine.

Squish.

A soft sensation pressed against my chest.

“W-What exactly are you doing?”

“Kurt, I’m asking you. D-Do you hate girls with big chests?”

What is she saying?

“I’ve never decided whether I like or dislike someone based on the size of their chest. You seem to be worried about something but… well. You look very beautiful right now, Lara.”

“Thank you…! Yeah, thanks to you, Kurt, I feel confident.”

“Lara?”

Lara lifted her upper body.

Because of that, two large mounds jumped into my view.

“How is it? Does it look weird?”

“N-No…”

Lara’s breasts pointed perkily upward. The bountiful swells jiggled up and down with every slight movement.

“A-Anyway, let’s separate for a moment.”

“N-No!”

Lara panicked and lowered her chest again. And then—she pressed her breasts right onto my face.

“Ehehe, caught you, Kurt.”

“——!”

I was lost for words at the overwhelming softness of her chest. A scent like peaches tickled my nose. Sweat gently beading on Lara’s skin faintly wet my lips. Lara’s breasts were pressed so tightly against my face that I couldn’t breathe. But—strangely, it wasn’t suffocating.

My mind was dominated by a sense of euphoria.

“Kurt, how is it? Is it soft?”

Lara asked.

Because my entire face was buried in her chest, I couldn’t see her expression.

—G-Get off of me!

I tried to say those words, but,

“Ahn—!”

A sweet voice leaked from Lara.

When I struggled to force my mouth open, my lips brushed against the protrusion on her breast.

“K-Kurt. Being so bold… Mn, ah!”

Her body trembled slightly.

I was driven by the desire to stay like this forever. However… this is bad! If this continues, things might get out of hand.

I was about to give in to lust, but I managed to shift my face and escape from her chest.

“L-Lara… what are you thinking?”

I sat up alongside Lara and looked her in the face.

“Mn… because I wanted to make you happy, Kurt.”

“Well, I didn’t feel bad about it, but… anyway, s-stop this. Marise and Headmaster Diana are in the next room, you know.”

“Thinking about that makes it kinda exciting, doesn’t it?”

Lara blushed, looking embarrassed.

I placed my hand on her shoulder to move her away, but,

“Ah, Kurt. No. I’m sensitive right now—ahn!”

Her body shivered.

Lara’s chin lifted, and her back arched.

“S-Sorry…!”

“Haa, haa. You don’t have to apologize. It feels ticklish, but more than that… it feels good.”

Even Lara’s sighs felt erotic right now.

“Kurt… can I ask for something too?”

“What is it?”

“I want you to do what you just did one more time. If you do, I think both you and I will be even happier. Once that’s done, I’ll go back to my room…”

“I-Is that so? But… only a little.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

This time, I brought my face close to Lara’s chest myself.

Squish.

That soft sensation from before returned.

“Kurt, Kurt. Move your mouth more—!”

Lara called my name, pleading.

I tentatively moved my mouth.

“Ah—!”

Every time I did, Lara’s body spasmed slightly, and a coquettish cry spilled from her lips.

Her fluids slid into my mouth.

Sweet—yet tangy, a unique taste of Lara.

“Haa, haa. Kurt, more… I want to feel you more, Kurt! So do it more!”

Lara wrapped both arms around the back of my head. As if to keep from being shaken off, she clung to me with strong force.

—I should probably end this soon.

I continued to move my mouth greedily.

“Kurt! I love you, I love you…! Ah!”

Bouncing voices erupted from Lara’s mouth, the intervals between them growing shorter and shorter. Every time my lips or tongue touched the pink protrusion, her body jumped slightly.

“Ahn, ah! Mn, a little more, just a little more, aaah—!”

Finally, Lara put more strength into her arms than before and—.

“Aaaahhhhhhh—”

Her body twitched violently. Her voice of pleasure echoed throughout the room.

Lara went limp, and we collapsed onto the bed together. She pressed her body against my chest.

“Kurt… that felt good. Thank you.”

“T-That’s good to hear.”

Stroking Lara’s back as she lay on top of me, I managed to say that.

Small beads of sweat had surfaced on Lara’s skin.

Lying like this, I could feel every single one of her breaths.

As I basked in the afterglow.

—Hm.

“Lara, it seems our fun time is over.”

“Heh?”

I immediately entered combat mode.

I grabbed Lara by the shoulders and sat us both up and glanced out the window of the room.

—They seem to be hiding their presence and bloodlust well, but it’s still amateurish.

They probably thought to strike when I showed an opening. However, by doing so, they created an opening for themselves.

A Fire Spear flew toward us, attempting to smash through the window, but—

“Do you intend to pick a fight with me with just this level of skill?”

Just in time, I erected a barrier magic in front of the window, blocking the Fire Spear perfectly.

“W-What on earth is happening?!”

Seeing that, Lara realized something was wrong.

Lara panicked while covering her chest with both hands.

“Disaria didn’t intend to face tomorrow’s discussion peacefully… is what this looks like.”

“W-What do you mean?!”

“I’ll explain the details later. I’m going to take care of that guy. So, Lara, go wake up Headmaster Diana and Marise. And then—”

I told Lara what I wanted them to do next, then looked toward the other side of the window.

“Now then, let’s play for a bit.”

◆　◆

I used magic to teleport to the roof of a building a few houses down.

“Come on, show yourself. I’ve already noticed you.”

The night had deepened, and a half-moon hung in the sky. I called out to a space that appeared to have nothing there, and,

“You saw right through that? As I expected, you’re quite a fine man.”

A single woman revealed herself from that spot.

“Fufufu, surprised?”

“About what? Compared to other mages, you seem slightly better at concealment magic, but for me to notice you halfway through… your execution is sloppy.”

When I provoked her, the woman seemed irritated, her face twisting as if looking at something loathsome.

The woman was dressed in a revealing, provocative outfit. Wearing a cloak over a jet-black leotard, she looked like a bat blending into the night.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am one of the ‘Four Great Sages,’ Blythe. Let’s get along, shall we?”

The woman—Blythe—bowed politely.

“I heard you defeated Arnold.”

“So what? Are you here to avenge your comrade?”

“Fufufu, you say some amusing things. Don’t get cocky just because you beat Arnold. He is the disgrace of the ‘Four Great Sages.’ He was just a senile old man put in to make up the numbers.”

Blythe smiled faintly.

This woman didn’t seem to be lying. At the very least, in terms of magic capacity, this Blythe was slightly superior to Arnold.

“Now that we’ve talked this much, surely you understand what my objective is?”

“Yeah. You tried to assassinate me before tomorrow’s meeting, right?”

At my words, Blythe nodded with her mouth closed.

The ‘Four Great Sages’ are mages employed by the Empire. The Empire must not have liked the idea of me participating in tomorrow’s discussion. To think they feared me enough to send an assassin. And to play a card like one of the ‘Four Great Sages’ meant I was a significant nuisance to them.

Unpleasant.

It means they had no intention of fighting fair and square, even in a discussion. However—

“Perfect timing. I have something to ask. Do you know anything about the decline of magic in this era?”

“You mean the Truth?”

“It seems that’s what you people call it.”

“I might know a little more than Arnold. But if you want to make me talk…”

Magic power surged from Blythe.

“Why don’t you try to make me talk by force?”

At that moment, Blythe activated the binding magic ‘Bind,’ and it took hold of me.

This speed, and the precision of the magic formula. I see. As expected, the ‘Four Great Sages’ are quite something compared to the level of this era.

“Hahaha! Did you let your guard down? Or were you captivated by me? From now on, I will attack you unilaterally. Squeal like a pig while you bleed.”

Blythe hugged her own shoulders and shivered.

“Move if you can.”

“I see. In that case…”

I drew my sword from its sheath and took a step forward.

“I’ll do exactly as you say.”

“Wha—…!”

I poured magic into the sword and flashed it through the empty air.

A Magic Strike.

Seeing that, Blythe instantly deployed a barrier magic. But—

“Did you think such a fragile barrier could stop my attack?”

“Kyaa!”

A short scream escaped her.

The Magic Strike I released shattered Blythe’s barrier and hit her directly.

Clutching her chest, Blythe crumpled to her knees.

“What does this mean? The binding magic should have been perfectly applied… so why can you move? Could it be… the Lost Magic: Dispel?”

“Mm-hm.”

I slowly approached Blythe as I spoke.

“I haven’t finished analyzing the magic to use Dispel yet. This time, I simply tore apart the binding magic you used from the inside using brute force.”

“…Hah?”

“It was a pretty good magic formula. But it contained too little magic power.”

I simply interfered with the magic formula with brute force and crushed it with superior magic power.

“S-Such a way of breaking it! I’ve never heard of that!”

“Of course not. A brute force method like this requires more than a hundred times the opponent’s magic power.”

“A-A hundred times?!”

Naturally, my magic power wouldn’t run dry from something like this. To counter her magic, a drop of water’s worth of power was sufficient.

“This is a good opportunity to meet one of the ‘Four Great Sages.’ I’ll assess your power. Come at me.”

“Kuh…! Don’t underestimate me!”

Blythe pulled a dagger from inside her cloak and lunged at me.

Hm—what is this sword?

I see, she uses something quite interesting. Rare for this era. I should check what it is.

At the last moment, I dodged the approaching dagger. However, the blade grazed me, leaving a small scratch.

“Hahaha! Now the match is truly over!”

Blythe laughed loudly while creating distance with a backstep.

“That sword has been cursed with poison magic in advance. Even from a scratch, a deadly poison will immediately circulate through your body, and you will die writhing in pain.”

Starting from the scratch, a purple pattern gradually spread.

“Is this also what you people call ‘Demon King Magic’?”

“That’s right! The abominable magic of the Demon King that was sealed away! The Demon King of a thousand years ago created some outrageous magic. Such cruel magic…!”

The poison circulated through my body.

Hmm, it seems the construction of the magic formula was successful.

“I’ll tell you this as a souvenir for the afterlife.”

Seeing this, Blythe must have been convinced of her victory, as she continued with a look of satisfaction.

“It is said there is a noble who dedicated himself to sealing the Demon King. Even now, that noble wields immense power within the Empire.”

Oh? That’s quite an amusing story.

“And the name of that noble?”

“—The Focind family. Humans of the Focind family are everywhere, ruling the Empire from the shadows. And… even among us ‘Four Great Sages’.”

If the Demon King of a thousand years ago is the same person as me… then at the very least, this Focind family is a bunch of big liars. Because I was never sealed. I simply reincarnated of my own will. To speak of it as their own achievement is foolish beyond belief.

“Fufufu, how is it? Painful? I engraved a particularly agonizing poison curse on you. Suffer greatly.”

“What are you saying?”

Certainly, Blythe is likely an exceptional mage considering the level of this era. However, it is sad.

“Your magic capacity is still too low. With this, you’d be hard-pressed to defeat even a single Wolf.”

I used healing magic to neutralize the poison circulating in my body.

“W-Why are you standing there just fine?! The poison should be circulating through your body by now…!”

“What you used is called Curse Mark Magic. It was quite rare, so I was surprised. However—neutralizing magic of this level with healing magic is simple.”

“Wha—! Impossible! This curse isn’t just poison! It is said that even a thousand years ago, only High Priests could cure it—”

“Then it just means I can do the same thing as those High Priests.”

A thousand years ago, I dove into dungeons alone. Just stepping inside, I would encounter traps spraying poison gas. I needed to be able to cure poison curses myself to prepare for such situations.

That is all there is to it.

“As expected, the ‘Four Great Sages’ aren’t much.”

I wondered what she was capable of, so I didn’t finish it immediately and even allowed her to activate the Curse Mark Magic—but it was more boring than I expected.

Let’s bring down the curtain.

“Eh…! W-What is this…!”

Blythe let out a voice of confusion. Because… over a hundred black bats had appeared around her.

“These are bats said to reside in a different dimension, not here.”

“S-Summoning magic? Impossible…! Only the real Demon King is supposed to be able to use that…”

Being called the Demon King is disagreeable, but since it is the same person, well.

Blythe tried to flee immediately, but the swarm of bats blocked her path. Then, several bats sank their fangs into Blythe’s body.

“D-Don’t touch me, you filthy bats!”

Blythe immediately deployed a barrier magic, but there was no way such a flimsy wall could stop the bats’ invasion.

“W-What… is this? My magic is being sucked away…?”

“Naturally. They prefer human magic. Until your magic is completely gone, they will continue to drain you.”

It will probably take an hour for the bats to completely devour Blythe’s magic. During that time, she will also be subjected to unbearable pain.

“I return the words you said earlier. Suffer greatly.”

Repent for your sins as much as you can.

“W-Wait…”

As I turned my back on Blythe, I heard a faint voice from her.

“Don’t get carried away just because you defeated me. If one of the ‘Four Great Sages,’ Maynard—Maynard Focind—takes action, you will be scattered like trash.”

Maynard Focind.

The Focind family member among the ‘Four Great Sages,’ huh?

“That child is more cruel than I am. And his heart is more broken than anyone else’s. Truly a mass of malice. Fufufu, are you scared? Tremble in fear!”

“You say some interesting things.”

I moved my mouth without looking back at Blythe.

“Whoever he is, challenging me—he is a thousand years too early.”

Tonight’s party isn’t over yet.

I sprinted across the rooftops. Of course, the place I was heading was the location of the mastermind who sent the assassin after me. I already knew which inn they were staying at.

I ran through the city streets at night and arrived in front of their room.

“Hoh… doing something quite troublesome.”

I stood before the door.

Of course, since I had cast concealment magic on myself, even if there was someone inside who could use detection magic, it would be impossible for them to sense me.

“Now then, let’s see what is being discussed inside…”

At the same time, I used clairvoyance magic to peek inside. The image of the room faintly floated into my mind.

“…What? Blythe of the ‘Four Great Sages’ was defeated?”

The inside was a spacious room. There were five men there. Unaware that I was listening, the men continued talking.

“Yes.”

“Impossible! Even if the opponent defeated Arnold, to defeat Blythe!”

“But… contact with Blythe has been completely lost.”

It seems Blythe was a figure they placed absolute trust in. They are underestimating me too much.

“But… the opponent hasn’t grasped anything about our identity, right? That we ordered Blythe to kill him.”

The man acting the most important among them smirked, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“There is a high possibility he suspects something… but either way, there is no evidence. I don’t think there is any need to worry.”

“Hmm… Even so, because Blythe failed, we now have to face tomorrow’s discussion using standard methods.”

“Oh well, let’s just dodge the issue as usual.”

Just as I thought. Also… it seems they have arrived here as well. Now then, I’ve heard enough talk. It’s about time I entered.

I casually turned the doorknob,

“Sounds interesting. Let me hear it too.”

And stepped into the room.

At that moment, everyone in the room turned their gazes toward me in unison.

“Y-You are… Kurt!”

“And you must be… Headmaster Howard of Disaria Magic Academy?”

The Headmaster—no, Howard remained silent, but his expression turned blatantly bitter. Aside from Howard, the others in the room were deploying magic formulas even as I spoke. They were probably waiting for the timing to activate them.

“You really do some outrageous things. Attempting to assassinate a single student? What will happen if the Magic Academy of the Royal Capital… no, if the Kingdom finds out about this?”

“Si-Silence! I thought to silence you, but this is perfect!”

Howard stood up from his chair and pointed at me.

“Go! Get him!”

“”””Yes!””””

Were they Howard’s guards?

The other four replied shortly and tried to release magic all at once. But…

“What’s wrong? Did you think you could kill me with that?”

Dispel Magic.

Against opponents like these, doing this much on the first try is possible.

“W-What does this mean!”

“It means that the difference in power between you and me is too vast.”

“W-What?! The mages waiting here are among the leading faculty of Disaria Magic Academy! For them to be neutralized in an instant…”

“Don’t think mere teachers can stop me.”

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

I intentionally took my time walking slowly toward the Headmaster.

“Kuh…! You lot! Protect me! Become human shields and stop that devil… W-What is wrong?! Why aren’t you moving?”

“Because I cast binding magic on them.”

Unless I undo the magic, the other four won’t be able to move a single finger.

“Hiiek…!”

When I grabbed Howard’s head, a short scream leaked from him.

“L-Let go…”

“Now then, shall we begin a peaceful discussion? Why did you try to kill me?”

Though I already know. However, there is meaning in making him say it.

“……”

“Don’t feel like talking? Then…”

“Uoh, my finger, it’s moving on its own…”

Using remote control magic, I bent Howard’s thumb in the direction opposite the joint.

Snap.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Howard’s scream echoed through the room.

“If you still don’t feel like talking after this, it can’t be helped. One by one, slowly…”

“W-Wait! I-I’ll talk…!”

Howard squeezed out his voice while dripping tears and snot, and continued speaking.

“Y-You are a nuisance! If you were there… we didn’t know how the discussion with the Royal Capital’s Magic Academy would turn out!”

“So you feared me?”

“Wha—…! There is no way I would fear a mere brat! But I am a cautious man. I just wanted to be absolutely sure and have you exit the stage.”

“Just to be sure… for that reason, you tried to kill a student from another school?”

As expected, this guy is rotten to the core as a human being.

“Let go quickly! Otherwise…”

“Why can you still speak so arrogantly? I could kill you at any moment, you know?”

“——!”

“Well, however—if you turn over a new leaf, I might consider not killing you here.”

Hearing that, Howard’s expression brightened for a moment.

“Is that true?”

“It’s true. So I ask you. Do you admit to cheating in the exhibition game and using the ‘Four Great Sages’ to try and eliminate us?”

“I admit it, I admit it! Arnold went a little berserk, but I was the one who approved it!”

“Will you apologize?”

“I’ll apologize! So let me go right now!”

“Very well.”

Speaking as if spitting the words out, I released my hand from Howard’s jaw. Even though his life was in my hands, to think he would talk so easily.

Howard was a smaller man than I had imagined.

Dropped to the floor, Howard clutched his throat and coughed painfully.

“I-I’m saved… as long as I have my life, I can crawl back up as many times as I want.”

“Good for you. Only… this isn’t the end.”

“Huh?”

Howard’s mouth hung open sloppily.

“Headmaster Howard, is the story you just told true?”

Diana appeared from beyond the door and fired off the question.

It wasn’t just Diana.

“Kurt, are you okay?”

“To think things had turned into this…”

Lara and Marise were there too. Furthermore, behind them… good, they brought them properly. There were also figures who appeared to be mediators from the Neutral City.

“W-What is this…! D-Did you frame me?”

Howard was stunned, falling to his hands and knees on the floor.

“Finally realized it?”

They probably intended to trap me in a scheme. But they were merely dancing in the palm of my hand the entire time.

“I left traces of my magic on the path here so that Lara and Marise would understand. If they searched for it with detection magic, they could reach this place. That was so I could have Lara and Marise bring the Headmaster and the mediators.”

“Ahaha, I got praised by Kurt.”

“If it’s about detection magic, I have been taught by you, after all.”

Lara beamed with embarrassment, and Marise crossed her arms as if to say ‘of course.’

Speaking this much, surely he understands.

I purposefully made Howard speak the truth of the matter, and had the mediators witness it to create a situation where he couldn’t talk his way out of it.

Howard, unaware of my intentions, was completely deceived.

“N-No! This is… R-Right! I was tricked by this guy!”

“Tricked about what? Furthermore, trying to kill a precious student of my academy? Not once, but twice? This is a grave issue, Howard.”

Diana lifted the corner of her mouth, looking somewhat amused. She seemed to hate the Headmaster of Disaria. The current situation must feel incredibly satisfying.

“Ah…”

Howard hung his head, looking as if he had given up.

◆　◆

It turned out just as Lara had predicted.

“Hey! The receptionist fainted standing up again!”

When we presented the Dark Demon at the counter, it caused an even bigger uproar than when we brought in the Hydra.

“Wh-Where… did you find something this insane?”

“In the depths of Payago Cave.”

“Depths? You mean… you went to the lower levels?”

“We did.”

“You what?! That place is nicknamed the ‘Cave of No Return’! No adventurer who’s gone to the lower levels has ever come back! And yet… well, I guess it’s pointless saying that to you.”

“Also, these are the Skeleton Kings… er, ‘Undying Kings’ we killed on the way back. There are six of them.”

“I don’t even know what’s happening anymore!”

After that, the Guild staff was in a mad rush trying to deal with the Dark Demon.

“Can we go now?”

“W-Wait! We still need to talk about your reward! …But, I’m sorry. We can’t prepare a reward equivalent to this right away. Can you wait a little? I think we can have it ready in about a week…”

We’ll be gone from this city in a week.

So, it was decided that the reward for the Dark Demon would be sent to the Royal Capital’s Guild for us at a later date.

“Also… I need to contact the mayor of this neutral city! Wait, where are you going?!”

This was getting more complicated, and it would be a pain to let it drag on. I’d gladly accept the reward, but I didn’t do any of this to be thanked.

“Lara, Marise. Let’s head back to the inn for today.”

“Y-Yeah… Did we… maybe do something totally insane again?”

“I don’t think it’s a ‘maybe,’ Marise said. “I think we definitely did.”

We turned our backs on the still-chaotic Guild and left.

◆　◆

With our sights set on the stronger monster lurking in the depths, we headed deeper into the Payago Cave.

“Alright… since we have the time, let’s do a quick review of magic colors while we walk. First, Lara, your magic is red—an ‘Unfortunate Magic Power,’ right?”

“Yup! I was always taught it wasn’t suited for attack magic, but…”

“That ‘common knowledge’ is wrong. Red magic is actually perfectly suited for attack magic.”

“Remembering everything you’ve taught me so far, I’m starting to think so, too…”

“However, it has one drawback: a short range. That’s why it’s a magic color better suited for close-quarters combat.”

Like the way I fight, blending physical and magic attacks. With red magic, you can unleash high-power spells from close range. It might be a good idea to start teaching her barrier magic to protect herself from now on.

“And now, Marise.”

“Y-Yes!” Marise straightened her posture.

“Yours is purple—’Inferior Magic Power,’ wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“What were you told about it?”

“That I can’t cast ‘delicate’ magic. They said I could only use crude, large-scale spells, so I lacked versatility.”

Just as I thought, Marise’s understanding is also completely wrong.

“Purple magic is the opposite of red. It’s a magic color that boasts a long range.”

“So… it’s suited for casting magic from a distance.”

“Exactly.”

Therefore, purple magic is best used from the rear guard. It demands that the caster take their time while the vanguards hold the line, allowing them to carefully construct their magic formulas.

“Which is why, Marise, I bet you could already cast two Fire Spears with the tracking enchantment at the same time.”

“R-Really?!”

“Yes. You might have been flustered during the Skeleton King fight, but if you take your time… Oh. Speak of the devil. Monsters, right on cue.”

With a flapping of wings, two monster bats came flying at us from up ahead. They’re also known as ‘Vampire Bats,’ but individually, they aren’t very strong.

“I’ll hold them off. Marise, don’t rush. Just focus on building your formulas. You can fire whenever you’re ready.”

“Got it!”

I deliberately let the attacking bats get right on top of me before fending them off with my sword, drawing their attention. Thanks to that, both bats were now focused entirely on me.

“I’m ready!” Marise’s voice came from behind me.

The next instant, two Fire Spears flew past my side and shot toward the bats. Even though they were caught by surprise, the two bats tried to dodge their respective spears. However… the Fire Spears, which had been flying straight, suddenly curved mid-air and pierced the bats.

“I did it!” Marise pumped her fist.

The bats hit by the Fire Spears fluttered to the ground like pieces of paper.

“Well done. To succeed on your first try… Impressive.”

“It’s just as you said, Kurt! Thank you so much!” Still smiling, Marise grabbed both my hands and gave a little jump. I could feel her warmth and her excitement through her grip. She’s usually so headstrong; seeing this innocent side of her is rare… and honestly, quite cute.

I found myself staring for a moment, until… “Ah, s-sorry! I got so carried away…” Marise’s face turned bright red as she let go of my hands.

“No flirting allowed, you know!” Lara puffed up her cheeks, looking inexplicably angry.

“We weren’t flirting.”

“Yes, you were!” Lara made two little fists and started thwack-thwack-thwacking me on the shoulder.

“O-Of course not, Lara! I wasn’t doing anything of the sort! I’m just having Kurt teach me magic. It’s not like I was happy he praised me or… or anything!” Marise stammered, her face flushed.

“…I don’t think I could ever do what Marise just did,” Lara said, her voice tinged with what sounded like impatience. “Adding a tracking enchantment to a Fire Spear… let alone two at once…”

Good grief. What’s she in such a hurry for?

“As I’ve said many times, Marise’s magic color is naturally suited for that kind of thing. You have your own strengths, Lara, so there’s no need to rush.”

“You think so? You’re always praising me, Kurt, but I don’t really feel like I’m getting any stronger. So…”

“In your case, Lara, it’s the power of your magic that grows most easily. It’s not something flashy like a tracking enchantment, so if you’re only growing little by little, it’s understandable that it’s hard to feel the difference.”

But Lara is definitely not losing to Marise. If these two keep competing in a healthy way like this—and cooperating at other times—they’ll become an even greater asset to the party. Watching them grow is something I’m looking forward to.

“But… when I see Marise growing so much all the time, I… I just get worried.”

“Worried? In that case, how about this?” I reached out and gave Lara’s right hand a firm squeeze.

“Ah…” Lara let out a small gasp.

“Shall we walk like this for a while? Will that help ease your worry?”

“Y-Yeah! I can feel your warmth, Kurt… It’s making my chest feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks!” Just like that, Lara’s mood brightened, and she started skipping. She’s so easy to read.

“P-Please hold my hand, too! It’s not fair if it’s only Lara!”

“Hmm… Well, I don’t mind…” What’s not fair about it? I took Marise’s left hand with my remaining right one. Their hands were soft, so different from a man’s. Lara kept squeezing my hand, mogyu, mogyu, as if testing its feel. Marise, on the other hand, seemed a little nervous; I could feel her hand trembling.

This is… making my own heart pound a little.

“Kurt… I’m going to work hard. I’ll practice my magic even more so I don’t lose to Marise.”

“I’m counting on you.”

“And! I want to repay you… so I’ll think of a way to make you really happy, Kurt! You can look forward to it!” Lara said with a wink.

“I-Is that so?”

Hearing our exchange, Marise narrowed her eyes. “That sounds… suspicious.”

“…Anyway, let’s get back on topic. From now on, I want you to fight while being conscious of your magic color and your own aptitudes.”

“Yes!” they both replied in unison.

If the two of them get stronger, it’ll make fighting easier for me, too. We continued on, hand-in-hand, eventually descending a staircase and setting foot on a lower level.

“Hm, this place is…”

“Being here… it’s making my head feel woozy…” Lara said as soon as we arrived on the new floor. She looked a little pale.

“Oh, really? The magic particle density is probably higher here than on the upper floors. That might be why you feel it.”

“You don’t feel anything, Kurt?”

“I can tell the particles are denser, but it doesn’t make me feel sick.”

But… for these two, who have only ever gone as deep as the third floor of the ‘Treasure Labyrinth,’ the particle density here might be pretty rough. A thousand years ago, I experienced places so saturated that a normal person without a barrier would pass out just from breathing it in. Compared to that, this is nothing.

“Lara, stop for a second.”

“Huh?” I put a hand on her shoulder to halt her.

“You never encountered this on the first three floors of the Treasure Labyrinth, so I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Kurt? What are you suddenly talking about?”

“This is another important point for dungeon-crawling. Watch closely.” I tossed a small pebble at what looked like a perfectly normal patch of ground. And then…

“Whoa, a hole appeared!”

“Is that a trap?!”

The instant the pebble hit, a large pitfall trap suddenly opened up in the floor.

“That’s right, a trap. In dungeons with high magic particle density, you find a lot of these.”

The particles themselves can reshape the dungeon, creating traps to deceive adventurers. There’s even a theory that dungeons have a will of their own and actively try to reject intruders. That’s supposedly why these traps and guardian monsters exist.

When I explained this to the two of them…

“Traps I can understand, but a dungeon having a will? I’ve never heard of such a thing!” Marise exclaimed.

“By the way, a simple pitfall is one of the nicer traps. Even if you fall in, as long as you can withstand the impact, you’ll be fine. Some traps spray poison gas across the entire floor.”

“That would wipe us all out!”

“Th-That’s a terrifying trap…”

The two of them looked horrified.

Of course, a poison gas trap can be dealt with using a disarm spell or a poison-healing spell. As long as you can do that, you can avoid a party wipe.

“Well, we’d better be careful as we go, then.”

“We must be on the lookout for traps.”

“I’ll try hard with my Detection Magic this time, too.”

Just as the two of them steeled their resolve and moved to walk forward…

“Wait.” I immediately stopped them again. “It seems detecting traps is still a bit too hard for you two.”

“Huh?!”

“What?!”

I stepped in front of them and activated the ‘Rockfall’ spell. I could have used a trap-disarm spell, but I wanted to show them the real threat. A large number of stones rained down on the ground just ahead of us.

Thud. Thud. Thud. And then, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Wherever the stones landed, pitfalls began to appear, one after another.

“Wa-wa-wa!”

“There are so many!”

The girls cried out in shock at the sight of the ground collapsing.

“…Looks like this entire area is just one big pitfall trap.”

I stopped the Rockfall spell.

“Kurt, did you know…?”

“Yeah. I’ve already grasped the location of every trap on this entire floor with my Detection Magic.”

The ground in front of us was now so full of holes, just walking across it would be a challenge.

“I… I just said I’d try hard with my Detection Magic, and I couldn’t even see the traps…” Lara said, crestfallen.

“Don’t worry about it for now. A trap is only a trap because it’s not supposed to be noticed. By nature, they’re hard to catch with Detection Magic.”

Lara’s red magic, in particular, is excellent for offense but poorly suited for this kind of detection. Still, it looks like they’ve learned how scary traps can be, and that’s good enough for today.

“…All the same, it makes me wish we had a mage who specialized in disarming traps.” Lara and Marise’s magic colors are suited for combat, not support. Green magic is what corresponds to that… but I haven’t met a single person with it since coming to this era. If I ever find one, I’ll definitely try to recruit them.

“Well, putting that aside… it’s close.”

“Close? You mean… the monster you were talking about?!”

When I nodded, the girls’ expressions tensed.

“It’s in that small room up ahead. It’s already aware of us. I’m sure it will attack the moment we enter… so don’t let your guard down.”

It’s pretty good with its concealment magic, but at this range, I can sense it clearly. We entered the small room, our guards up.

We heard it the instant we stepped inside.

‘Why are humans here?’

It was a voice that spoke directly to my mind. “Right on cue.”

The creature, holding a spear in one hand, dropped from the ceiling.

“Eek!” Lara screamed, unable to react in time. Just as the spear was about to pierce her chest…

‘Ngh!’

The spear was repelled by an invisible wall, and the creature shot back up toward the ceiling. I had instantly deployed a barrier to block the attack.

“Huh? What was that?!”

“It was too fast… I couldn’t even react…”

“That’s the enemy, you two. I blocked the first hit with a barrier… but get ready for battle.”

At my words, both of them began deploying their magic formulas.

“B-But where is it…?”

“Lara! Above us!” Marise yelled, looking up at the cave ceiling.

‘Kukuku… humans.’

Its form was grotesque. It had a humanoid body, but the head of a bull. Wings sprouted from its back, allowing it to fly near the ceiling.

“Kurt, what is that…?”

“It’s a monster called a Dark Demon.”

This was apparently the ‘strong monster’ my detection had picked up. Dark Demons are a lower-ranked species of the demon race. That in itself was a bit of a letdown… but it was still leagues stronger than any other monster we’d faced so far.

‘My kin! The party begins. I will let you drink human blood!’ As the Dark Demon spoke, a massive swarm of bats appeared from out of nowhere, surrounding us.

“No time to be scared. I’ll handle the Dark Demon. You two take care of the small-fry.”

“O-Okay!”

“If we can’t even do this much, we’ll never graduate at the top of our class!”

Though they were trembling slightly, the two of them calmly built their formulas and turned to face the bats.

“Hey, Dark Demon.”

‘What is it?’

“How long have you been alive?”

‘I thought you might beg for your life, but what is this? I am one who has lived for three hundred years. A short-lived human like you has no hope of defeating me.’

“Three hundred years, huh…”

‘Hmm? What is with that face? Are you frozen in fear of me? Weak little human.’ The Dark Demon cackled.

Some demon species are incredibly long-lived. There are even those who have lived for over ten thousand years. So… I was hoping that if this one had lived for, say, a thousand years, it might know something about this world’s ‘decline.’ …What a total disappointment.

“…Do you know anything about the decline of this world?”

‘Decline…? What are you talking about?’

I asked anyway, but just as I thought, it knows nothing. Oblivious to my disappointment, the Dark Demon continued its gloating.

‘You will not even be able to touch me.’

“What a coincidence. I have no desire to touch a filthy demon, either.” At my taunt, the Dark Demon’s face twisted in rage.

‘Die!’ A Fire Spear shot from the Dark Demon’s hand.

“This is a good opportunity. I’ll show you a secret art I developed long ago.” Dodging the Fire Spear, I raised my sword and swung it in a horizontal slash. There was a good distance between me and the Dark Demon. My blade couldn’t possibly reach from here, but…

‘What are you aiming at? Are you too scared to even approach me?’ the Dark Demon sneered.

“I already told you. I don’t want to touch you.”

‘What are you talk—NGH!’

Before the Dark Demon could finish its sentence, its body was sliced clean in two.

“It’s an attack method called ‘Magic Strike.’ If you’ve only lived for three hundred years, perhaps you’ve never seen it?”

I called out, but no answer came. The Dark Demon’s remains fell to the ground. Magic Strike—it’s a technique where I use the momentum and wind pressure from my swing to project my magic and attack the enemy. It’s a secret art I created a thousand years ago. With practice, you can suppress the magic consumption, making it extremely useful in combat.

“How boring.” I confirmed the Dark Demon on the ground was dead, then turned to help Lara and Marise, but—

“…Hm. Looks like that won’t be necessary.”

Lara and Marise were handily taking care of the bats. Just as I’d taught them, Lara was fighting from close range, and Marise was casting from a short distance away. At this rate, I could leave the rest to them. I sat down on a nearby rock to watch them fight.

It was about five minutes later…

“Whew! We finally got them all!”

“We did it! We beat all those bats, just by ourselves!”

Lara and Marise grabbed each other’s hands, jumping up and down in celebration.

“Good. It looks like you’ve learned your lessons well.”

I clapped, applauding their effort.

“What about your fight, Kurt… Whoa! That super-strong-looking monster is dead!”

“You’re right… I was so focused on the fight, I didn’t even notice.”

“I haven’t explained yet. This was a Dark Demon, a low-rank species of the demon race.”

“A d-d-demon?!” they both yelped, leaning forward with their mouths wide open.

“A demon?! I thought if even one of those showed up, it was dangerous enough to destroy an entire city…!”

“A high-rank one might be able to, but a low-rank one doesn’t have that kind of power. The city’s barrier would… oh, wait. I doubt any city even has a proper barrier set up anymore,” I said, scratching my head.

“A-Anyway! Let’s just go back to the city! We have to let the others know it’s safe!”

“You’re right.”

Lara and Marise turned their backs and started to leave the small room.

“Wait, you two.” I stopped them with my voice.

“What is it?”

“There’s one more thing that’s bothering me.” I walked over and stood in front of a particular wall.

“Huh…? That’s just a blank wall. What’s so interesting about it?”

“I’m not interested in the wall itself. I’m interested in what’s behind it.” I deployed a magic formula and, pointing at the seemingly normal wall, cast a dispel spell. Instantly…

“Whoa, a new path!”

“What is going on?!”

Lara and Marise cried out in surprise.

“The wall was disguised with magic. Of course, I saw through it the moment we entered this room.”

I led the two of them down the newly revealed passage. At the very end… there was a gem-shaped magic tool, resting on a pedestal.

“Just as I thought… This is what lured the demon here.” I picked up the gem-shaped tool and muttered to myself.

“Kurt, what do you mean?”

“This is a magic tool designed to lure monsters and demons. It can also be used to control them… but it looks like this one is an unfinished product. It wasn’t able to perfectly control that Dark Demon.”

To my eyes, the magic formula built into the tool was shoddy.

“S-Such a terrible magic tool exists?!”

“If that thing were perfected, someone could destroy an entire city with it, couldn’t they?!”

Lara and Marise were aghast.

“I could make a magic tool of this level myself. Of course, I don’t see any need to, so I’d never bother.”

“But why is it here? Was the reason to keep the demon trapped in this place?”

“No.”

I’d considered that, but reading the internal formula, that doesn’t seem to be the case. The magic frequency it emits was just giving a simple command: “There is no need to leave this place.” No… the true goal of whoever placed this here was likely something else.

“It feels like… they were experimenting with something…”

This is ‘over-technology’ for this era. Even unfinished, there was only one group I could think of that might be capable of creating something like this.

The Empire.

That was the most likely possibility.

“You don’t know who made it, Kurt?”

“Unfortunately, no. If I had the creator right here, I could find out plenty, even if they tried to keep their mouth shut.”

Oh well. This stinks, but I can think about it more later. I deactivated the magic tool’s function and, just in case, put it into my storage magic.

“Alright. Now to store the Dark Demon… there. Let’s take it back to the Guild. We might get a reward for it.”

“I have a feeling this is going to turn into something crazy…” Lara muttered.

◆　◆

When we arrived at Payago Cave…

“W-What is this—?!”

Seeing the ‘Undying King,’ I couldn’t help but gasp in disbelief.

“A mere Skeleton King… is being called by some grandiose name like the ‘Undying King’?!”

A thousand years ago, Skeleton Kings were the kind of monster that even F-Rank adventurers would happily hunt. I’d gotten my hopes up, wondering what kind of powerful monster we’d find… What a letdown.

“Reinforcements! We’re saved!” “But… they’re just kids? Was this really all the Guild could send?!”

The adventurers turned to look at us. It was a party of about ten people. They were covered in wounds from head to toe; completely battered.

“This thing… no matter how many times we hit it, it just regenerates!” one of the adventurers yelled, his eyes still on the Skeleton King.

Of course it does, I thought.

A Skeleton King is a monster that will simply revive indefinitely unless you attack it with magic. But it looked like there wasn’t a single magic user among these adventurers. They could swing their swords all day, but as long as it kept regenerating, they’d never defeat it.

The Skeleton King’s own attack power is negligible. That’s probably the only reason they managed to hold out until we got here.

“Kurt, this is terrible! We have to join the fight, quickly!”

“It looks strong, but we can’t run away!”

“Ngh… ah, yeah, right…”

“Why do you look so let down, Kurt!”

This is just pathetic.

A thousand years ago, this was just a small-fry monster everyone casually one-shotted with magic. Still, I guess we can’t just turn around and leave now.

“Lara, Marise. Since we have the chance, let’s try that ‘teamwork’ thing we talked about.”

“O-Okay!”

“I will do my best not to hold you back!”

“Right. Remember what I taught you in the Ryobezar’s Forest…”

I quickly explained the plan to them.

“I’m counting on you two.”

“Yeah!”

“Yes!”

Good answers.

I drew my sword from its sheath and advanced on the Skeleton King.

The Skeleton King was about to mow down the adventurers with the broadsword in its hand. Just then, a Fire Spear launched by Lara pierced its body.

“GUOOOOOO!”

The Skeleton King roared in pain.

“Good, just like that, Lara.” But… the spell was a little weak. The Skeleton King slowly turned to face us. …Perfect. I never expected to defeat it with a single hit. All I needed was to get its attention.

I casually parried the Skeleton King’s wild swings with one hand.

“Marise! Do it!”

“Y-Yes!”

A Fire Spear shot from Marise’s hand. The Skeleton King jumped back, putting distance between us to avoid it. But… the fire spear Marise had launched suddenly changed direction mid-air, homing in on its target.

“Pierce it!” Marise cried.

DOGOOOOOOON!

The tracking Fire Spear struck the Skeleton King dead-on. However… it seemed she’d focused too much on the homing enchantment and sacrificed some of its power.

“That’s more than enough,” I said.

The creature flinched for just an instant, its stance faltering. I didn’t miss that opening. I channeled magic into my blade. By doing this, the sword takes on the same properties as a magic attack, allowing it to damage the Skeleton King.

And then—a single flash.

In one strike, the bones holding the Skeleton King together scattered and fell to the ground.

“Whoa…! They defeated the Undying King!”

“And they’re just kids! What the hell is happening?!”

At the sight, the cave suddenly erupted with noise.

“Haaaah…”

“Kurt? Why do you look so down?” Lara asked.

Because I came all this way thinking I’d fight a strong monster, and it turned out to be a measly Skeleton King. I sheathed my sword with another heavy sigh.

“H-Hey! You kids, where are you from? I’ve never seen you around Shifrea before…” One of the adventurers ran up to us.

“We’re from the Royal Capital.”

“The Capital! I knew it! They’ve really got some crack adventurers over there!”

Technically, I’m not an adventurer, I thought, but it’d be a pain to correct him and cause a scene. I’ll just let it be.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal. If you could use magic, even one of you could have beaten it.”

“No way!” the adventurer said, his shoulders slumping. “Besides, magic is only for a few talented elites. There’s no way I could ever use it…”

Well… that’s the first monster down. Time to take care of the second one. It started around the time we defeated the Skeleton King. That killing intent… it’s just leaking all over the place.

“What’s wrong, Kurt?” Lara asked.

Ignoring her, I walked straight toward him.

“Hm…? Oh? What is it?”

Him… being the man who had guided us here.

“If you leave right now, I’ll let you live.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re planning something nasty, aren’t you?”

“What the hell are you on about? I haven’t done anyth—”

“…Hmph.”

Before he could finish, I unleashed a Fire Spear at point-blank range, piercing him through the chest.

“W-Wait, Kurt!”

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

The two girls rushed over in a panic. But…

“Huh?”

Lara’s eyes went wide. The man I had pierced with my magic… his form was gradually changing, transforming into an ape-like monster that looked nothing at all like a human. In its final moment, it glared at me, its expression clearly asking, “How did you know?”

“It was obvious from the very beginning,” I said with a sigh.

The monster’s body slowly collapsed to the ground.

“Whoa! It’s a monster!”

“Kurt, what’s going on?!”

Staring at the fallen man… or rather, at the monster that had revealed its true form, Lara and Marise cried out at the same time.

“This is a monster called a Mimic Doll.”

“A Mimic Doll…?”

“Even you’ve never heard of it, Marise?”

“A Mimic Doll is a monster that can disguise itself as other beings. They look so much like their target—like a perfect double—that telling them apart by appearance alone is next to impossible.”

“Then how did you know it wasn’t human?”

“Its magic frequency was clearly different from a human’s. I knew right away it was a monster—and really, only a Mimic Doll can pull off a transformation that good.”

“‘Right away?’ Since when?”

“Like I said. From the very beginning.”

From the moment it walked into the Guild. It was completely obvious to me, but I decided to play along with its little story. Besides, I was curious about this ‘Undying King’ it mentioned. There was always the chance it was lying about that too, but I was confident I could handle whatever we found.

“Think about it. When we said we would go, he didn’t object at all, did he?”

“Ah…” Marise realized.

“What are you getting at, Kurt?” Lara asked.

“It looks like Marise just figured something out.”

The sharp Marise seems to have caught on. It was strange from the start. Why would he ask for help from a group of unknown kids who just arrived from another country? He was clearly panicking, so he must not have heard the rumors about us defeating the Hydra. Normally, any sane person would have protested, ‘Kids? You’ll just get in the way!’

“But he just guided us here without a word of protest. Mimic Dolls are monsters that love to play cruel pranks. He probably wanted to bring a bunch of kids who were clearly not combat-ready, just to sow more confusion. And then, when he had his chance…”

I glanced at the dead Mimic Doll, pierced by my Fire Spear. It was humanoid, but its skin looked like dry, withered bark. A dagger was clutched in its right hand.

“…He was definitely planning to stab us with that dagger while our guard was down after the Skeleton King fight. Too bad for him, his brilliant plan just got him killed.”

“That’s horrible… If you hadn’t realized, Kurt…” Marise trailed off.

“Yeah. It might not have gotten all of us, but it probably would have taken out one or two.”

A Mimic Doll’s actual combat ability is low. But by the standards of adventurers in this ‘declined’ world, it’s probably considered pretty strong. Though I’m sure Lara and Marise could have handled it easily.

“Still, what a letdown.”

“Kurt? What is it?” Lara asked, blinking her wide eyes.

The Mimic Dolls from a thousand years ago could even alter their magic frequencies. There were even some troublesome ones that could disguise the very ‘color’ of their magic power. When you got to that level, even I had a hard time telling them apart. This was the first time I’d seen a Mimic Doll in this era. I was curious to see what it was plotting, so I played along… but it looks like this one was just a disappointment, too.

The surrounding adventurers started buzzing.

“Whoa… a monster like that actually exists?”

“A Mimic Doll? Never even heard of it!”

“Adventurer turnover is so high, I never thought twice about seeing a new face… but I can’t believe this.”

“We were too busy fighting for our lives against the Undying King!”

“B-But still! We defeated the Undying King!”

“What are you talking about? We didn’t do a single thing!”

“Don’t sweat the details! More importantly… let’s get back to the Guild!”

“The Undying King’s corpse is all yours, kids! It’s bound to sell for a high price!”

The fight’s over, and it looks like everyone is letting their guard down. But I just said one thing to them:

“Head back to town ahead of us. I’m going to check a little further into the cave.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m getting a reaction from a much stronger monster, deeper in the cave.”

“W-What?! Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“Detection Magic. It’s… ah, a magic that lets me grasp the terrain and any monsters. I’ve had it spread across this entire cave system from the start.”

This reading… it’s probably a Demon-type monster.

“If we leave it be, it could cause trouble later. So I’m going to press on deeper into the cave. Lara, Marise, are you two coming?”

“Of course!”

“We could never leave you to go on alone while we return to town!”

“You’re reliable.”

I meant that. The two of them have been growing stronger by leaps and bounds recently. Even though I have a good idea of what’s up ahead with my Detection Magic, unexpected things can always happen. Having allies with me at a time like that is genuinely reassuring.

“W-Wait!” one of the adventurers spoke up. “I’ll go too! I can’t just let a bunch of kids shoulder all the danger! I mean, yeah, a strong monster is terrifying, but…”

“Hmm…” I folded my arms, thinking. This is awkward… I appreciate the sentiment, but unfortunately, he’s just not strong enough. To put it bluntly, he’d just be dead weight. I need to find a way to turn him down gently…

“It’s fine. We can handle it on our own.”

“B-But!”

“It’s not just one monster, you know. You still want to come?”

“Huh?”

“I’m also getting reactions from more Skeleton Kings deeper in.”

“More ‘Undying Kings’!?”

This wasn’t even a lie to get him to back down; it was the truth. The Guild receptionist did say they ‘appear periodically.’ It’s likely that a nest of them is lurking deeper in the cave, and one or two wander out in front of people from time to time.

“In fact, there are… five… no, six of them.”

“S-Six of them?! When it’s already that hard to take down just one…”

“So, what’s your decision? It will be dangerous, but if anyone still wants to come, I won’t stop you.”

When I asked again, not a single adventurer raised their hand.

Chapter 3

Thanks to our shortcut through Ryobezar’s Forest, we arrived at the Neutral City of Shifrea a full day ahead of schedule.

“We have some time to spare, thanks to you, Kurt,” Diana said, sitting down on a bed in the inn room that had been arranged for us.

“The meeting with the Empire’s… Disaria Magic Academy is in three days, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Do you mind if I look around the city for a bit?”

“Be my guest.”

Sitting around the inn for three days straight would be boring, after all.

“If Kurt’s going, I’m going too!”

“W-Wait, I’m coming as well! Lara, you’re not allowed to sneak off alone with him!”

“Aww, and here I thought I’d finally get a date with Kurt…”

Lara and Marise attached themselves firmly to either side of me.

“Do as you like,” I sighed. It didn’t change my plans either way.

We left the inn and headed for the Shifrea Adventurer’s Guild. I had two goals: to see if there were any interesting rumors or quests, and to cash in the materials from the Hydra we’d defeated.

Luckily, the guild was right in the center of town, so we found it easily. We went inside, walked up to the reception counter at the back, and were greeted by a beautiful receptionist with a warm smile. “Welcome. How can I help you today?”

“We just arrived from the Royal Capital and would like to sell some monster materials we acquired on the way. Do we need to register for new adventurer licenses here first?” I asked, hoping to avoid the extra paperwork.

“Pardon me, but are you already registered adventurers in the Royal Capital?”

“Yes.” I remembered them saying our academy student IDs function as licenses back home. That should be sufficient.

“Oh, in that case, we have an agreement with the Royal Capital’s guild, so there’s no need to register all over again. Your existing licenses will work just fine!”

That was a relief. I didn’t want to waste any time.

“You mentioned you came from the Royal Capital… was the journey alright?”

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that a ferocious ‘Disaster-class’ monster has appeared near the city. We’ve dispatched several adventurer parties, but none have been able to subdue it.”

“Is that so,” I said, nodding. I’d like a chance to fight it.

“Well then, could you show me the materials? Are they already processed? You don’t look like you’re carrying… well, anything.”

“Yes, they’re processed. Though, to be honest, I just hacked it into manageable pieces.”

“Hmm? Well, please show me.”

I used my storage magic to retrieve one of the Hydra’s heads and placed it on the counter. I hadn’t bothered to drain the blood properly since it was a hassle, so the head was still dripping and caked in gore.

“…”

“Um, excuse me? Miss?”

“Kurt, I think she’s fainted… while standing up,” Marise observed, poking the receptionist’s shoulder. There was no response.

The receptionist, her face pale white, started to keel over backward. I quickly shot out a hand to catch her, but the sudden motion and noise made everyone in the guild hall turn to look at us.

“Whoa! What is that bloody thing!?”

“An adventurer might be used to it, but you can’t just drop that in front of a receptionist! Drain your kills properly before you bring them in, kid!”

The adventurers were in an uproar, and the guild staff was scolding me.

“Wait a sec…” one of the staff members muttered, leaning closer. “It’s hard to tell with all the blood, but this head… it looks familiar…”

“No way! Is that… a Hydra!?” an adventurer shouted.

As everyone realized it was, in fact, a Hydra’s head, the mood in the room began to shift dramatically.

“Wh-where did you…?”

“We came from the Royal Capital. We just killed it on the way here,” I said.

“J-just… ‘on the way’?” The guild staff who had taken over for the fainted receptionist stared at me, dumbfounded.

“This isn’t all of it. Should I bring out the rest? The counter’s going to get a lot messier, though…”

“Never mind the mess! You… you’ve done it! This is incredible!”

“Huh?” The staff grabbed me by the shoulders, his eyes wide with excitement. What’s gotten into him?

“This Hydra… this is the ferocious monster that’s been terrorizing the area near the city! We were at a total loss… I can’t believe adventurers from the Capital just… took care of it!”

“Oh… This was the one?”

“We were terrified it might even attack the city itself! I’m so sorry for yelling at you earlier. Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Apparently, I’d saved the city without even realizing it.

“I kind of figured,” Lara said.

“It’s not like there are multiple ‘Disaster-class’ monsters running around,” Marise added. They both seemed completely unfazed by now.

I proceeded to pull out the rest of the Hydra’s heads and body parts. My storage magic earned another round of shocked stares, but it was the same reaction I’d gotten back in the Capital.

“So, uh… how much is the reward?”

“There was a bounty of eight hundred gold coins on this Hydra! We set it that high assuming it would take a fifty-person raid party to kill it… I can’t believe just three of you did this!”

That’s a pretty hefty sum. I learned this back with the Behemoth, but it seems I’m really not going to have to worry about money in this world.

“That’s great. Lara, Marise, let’s split the reward.”

“N-No way! We can’t accept that!”

“She’s right! It wasn’t the three of us, you defeated it all by yourself, Kurt!”

They both flatly refused. I don’t really need this much money… Oh well. I’ll just save it as capital for crafting stronger weapons in the future.

As we waited for the appraisal to finish amidst the guild’s commotion, the doors burst open. A man stumbled in, gasping for breath.

“It’s… it’s a disaster!”

“What happened!?” a staff member yelled.

“The Payago Caves… near the city! The monster… the ‘Undying King’ has appeared!”

“What!?”

“The adventurers who were inside are trying to hold it back, but… it’s too much! They can’t handle it! We need help!”

This sounded urgent.

“Excuse me,” Marise asked, “is this ‘Undying King’ a strong monster?”

“It’s a monster that appears in those caves periodically,” the staff explained grimly. “The last time it showed up, twenty years ago, sixteen adventurers died trying to subjugate it.”

I see. So it’s a formidable opponent.

“Wait… you three!” The man who had run in suddenly spun toward us. “You’re perfect! Please, can you help?”

…Ah, I get it.

“Hey, Kurt,” Lara said, tugging on my sleeve.

“What is it?”

“Let’s go. We should help them.”

“Of course,” I agreed. In any case, I was curious about this ‘Undying King’ myself.

I glanced at Marise, who nodded with a serious expression.

“Alright. We’ll help,” I said. “Please take us there.”

“Th-Thank you!”

We hurried out of the guild and made our way toward the Payago Caves.

“Don’t do such misleading things!”

“Exactly. Anyone would misunderstand if they saw that!”

Lara and Marise pouted. Am I the one to blame here?

“I… I admit I was also at fault,” Diana said, looking down. “I got a little carried away…” She seemed to be reflecting, but I could see the corners of her mouth twitching. She clearly hadn’t disliked it.

After that, the three of them dried off and got dressed. Their hair was still damp, which gave them a different atmosphere than usual. I found myself getting flustered just looking at them.

“Anyway, I’m getting kinda hungry,” Lara announced, rubbing her stomach.

“You’re right… It’s well past lunchtime,” Marise agreed.

“Yeah! Hey, why don’t we eat here? I’m starving, I can’t wait!” Lara suggested, clapping her hands.

My barrier still had plenty of power. Eating here wouldn’t be a problem.

“Alright, let’s eat here. But what?”

“Since we have a lake, let’s catch some fish! I saw a few when we were bathing,” Lara said, pointing.

“An excellent idea. That sounds rather enjoyable,” Diana agreed.

“But… catching fish isn’t that easy, is it? Won’t it take a long time?”

“Leave that to me,” I told Marise.

I held my hand out toward the lake. Activate detection magic… yup, plenty of fish. The water’s so clear, it must be a good environment.

I targeted a dozen of them with my magic. Then, using Gravity magic, I lifted them from the water—

“Whoa! A bunch of fish just flew out!” Lara’s eyes went wide.

More than a dozen fish rose from the lake, floated through the air, and settled gently at our feet.

“See? Catching fish is easy,” I said, dusting off my hands. That should be more than enough to fill everyone up.

“Now, how to cook them…” We couldn’t very well eat them raw.

“Leave the rest to us! I’ll do my best!”

“I-I’ll help too! I think the utensils are in the carriage…”

Lara and Marise’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the fish. It seemed they would handle the cooking.

“Fish alone is a bit boring. While you two are working, I’ll go find something else we can eat. Don’t worry, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay! We’re counting on you!”

Watching Lara and Marise bustle about, I headed off into the woods for a moment.

I returned to their side, and after a short wait…

“Dinner is served!”

The fragrant smell of cooked fish wafted through the air.

“Oh… impressive.”

We were in the middle of a forest, so they couldn’t do anything fancy. But Lara and Marise had worked together to make the fish delicious. While I was gathering wild vegetables, they had gathered dry wood and lit a fire with magic. They’d scaled and gutted the fish, seasoned them lightly with salt, and grilled them.

It was a charming sight, but how did it taste?

“Well, let’s see.” I took a bite of the fish they’d grilled.

“…This is delicious!” I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

The seasoning was simple—just salt and sauces from the carriage—but it perfectly brought out the fish’s rich flavor.

Incidentally, the wild vegetables I’d brought back had also been cooked by Lara and Marise. They added a splash of color to the meal, making it feel like we were enjoying a full-course meal.

“Really? Yay!” Lara puffed her chest out with pride.

“I barely did anything…” Marise, for some reason, looked crestfallen.

“Are you not much of a cook, Marise?”

“No… I’ve spent my whole life focused on magic training, so I only know the bare minimum about things like this.” Her voice was quieter than usual, as if she felt ashamed.

But…

“You looked quite competent helping Lara,” I noted.

“Huh…?” Marise’s eyes went wide.

“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with focusing on magic. Because you did, you’re one of the most skilled mages at the academy.”

“I’m sure there are plenty who are far more skilled than me… I still have a long way to go.”

“Don’t say that.” I placed my hand on her head. She flinched but accepted it. “You’re only going to get stronger, Marise. You have no reason to put yourself down just because you’re not good at other things.”

In fact, I’m the same. I spent a thousand years obsessing over magic and I’m useless at everything else. Magic can solve most problems… but it could never have helped me meet and become friends with people as important as Lara and Marise. That’s why, in this era, I want to focus on the things I couldn’t do a thousand years ago.

“Th-Thank you!”

From the sound of her voice, Marise seemed to have cheered up. Case closed?

But… the conversation wasn’t over.

“Kurt, Kurt! What about me!?” Lara suddenly shoved her face in from the side. “Marise isn’t the only one! I want a pat on the head, too!”

“O-Of course.” I moved my hand from Marise to Lara’s head and stroked it gently.

“You were great, too, Lara. You’ll make a wonderful wife someday.”

“A wife…”

Hm? Lara just zoned out. Her expression went blank, and then a slow smile spread across her face.

“K-Kurt! So you want a wife who can cook!?” Marise suddenly blurted out from beside me.

“Hm? Well, I’ll admit I’d love to eat delicious food every day. I don’t like the idea of forcing a girl to do all the cooking, but… if I ever get that chance, someone who’s a good cook would be nice, I guess.”

What am I even saying? Talk of marriage is way too early for us.

“I-I’ll try my best to get better at cooking, Kurt! For you, I’ll try my hardest every day!” Lara declared, making a fist.

“Lara! That’s not what this is about!”

“Ehh? But Kurt said he wants a wife who can cook.”

“A powerful mage would be a much better match for you! Besides… cooking is just something I have to practice from now on…!”

The two of them seemed to be having a heated discussion. I was already outside the loop.

“Kukuku. This is quite amusing,” Diana chuckled, biting into her fish. She turned to me. “But as a practical matter, Kurt, which one would you choose? Lara or Marise?”

“There’s no way I could marry someone as pretty as them. Besides, we’re students. It’s not something I can think about.”

“Now, now, it’s just a hypothetical. If you had to choose…”

Lara or Marise…

I tried to imagine it.

If I married Lara, every day would probably be bright and cheerful. I’d come home from a long day in a dungeon, and she’d be waiting for me.

‘Welcome home, Kurt. Do you want your bath first? Dinner? Or… m-e?’

Just imagining Lara in an apron saying that made my heart skip a beat. Of course, she’s a skilled mage too. It would be fun to go adventuring together sometimes.

Next, Marise.

If I married Marise… she’d probably just get even more intense about her magic training. Even after marriage.

‘How can I use this spell more efficiently? I’m having you teach me all night long, so be prepared!’

Imagining her saying that, blushing slightly… that’s hard to pass up, too.

This is… a difficult choice. Therefore…

“I’d want to marry them both,” I told Diana honestly. “Assuming they’d have me, of course.”

“O-Oh…” Diana stammered, her eyes wide. “You’re… quite ambitious. I didn’t expect that answer.”

Apparently, our conversation had been overheard.

“K-Kurt!?” Lara and Marise whirled around.

“What did you just say about making both of us your wives!?”

“That sounds… kind of fun, but… surely you’d be my—I mean, what are you making me say!”

They crowded in close.

“Kurt, you’re forgetting the third option,” Diana chimed in, a smirk on her face. “You could always make me your wife, you know.”

“Headmaster!?” they both shrieked.

“I won’t lose to you, Marise… and I won’t lose to the Headmaster, either!”

“Marrying a student is indecent, Headmaster! I won’t allow it!”

Somehow, the conversation had spun off in a strange and complicated direction again.

And so, amidst the chaos, our enjoyable lunch break came to an end.

“Wow… there’s a lake here, too!” Lara exclaimed.

We had pushed a little deeper into the forest and come upon a clearing, in the center of which was a beautiful, clear lake.

“Good idea. Let’s take a break here. You two must be tired from the fight. Headmaster Diana, is that alright?”

“Hmph.” She nodded curtly.

“Kurt, I’m happy to rest, but… isn’t it dangerous in a forest full of monsters?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll raise a barrier.”

A ‘Holy Circle’ to ward off evil should do the trick. If I had to, I could probably extend it to cover this entire forest easily enough.

“Thanks, Kurt! I’m going to go rinse off. I got all sweaty during that fight.”

“I’ll join you,” said Marise.

“Marise, let’s have a splash fight!”

“Wh-Why would we do that!?”

They seem to be having fun.

“How about you, Headmaster?” I asked.

Diana paused, humming in thought. “Very well. But… what about you? Surely you want to freshen up as well?”

“I’ll wait until you’re all finished.” Lara and the others will be taking their clothes off. It wouldn’t be right for me to be there.

“I-If you peek, Kurt, I don’t care who you are, I’ll be furious!” Marise declared, pointing at me with a bright red face. “No peeping! We’ll be over there… so don’t come looking!”

“Of course.”

As I watched them disappear into the bushes, I decided to rest in the carriage.

About thirty minutes passed.

“I’m bored,” I muttered aloud. I’d expected them to be done in ten minutes, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“Guess I’ll take a short walk.”

I got up and left the carriage. I knew where the girls were bathing, so I’d just be careful not to get close.

However—I let my guard down.

I walked through a patch of bushes, and when I emerged…

“That’s—”

The lake came into view. And at the water’s edge, a lone woman was dipping her feet in.

Her beautiful hair, wet with water, seemed to shine. Her slender, pale limbs were so artistic, they reminded me of a statue crafted by the gods.

I found myself staring, captivated by her completely nude form.

That was my mistake.

“—!”

She noticed me and scrambled to cover herself with her hands. And then…

“Wh-What are you doing here!?”

She—Headmaster Diana—shouted at the top of her lungs.

“S-Sorry… I didn’t think you’d be bathing right here. I’ll leave right away…”

I was so flustered, I’d slipped back into my old way of speaking. I turned to leave, but she stopped me.

“Wait! Don’t you think you can just leave after seeing me… like that!”

“…”

“Y-You can turn around now… You wanted to bathe too, didn’t you? That’s fine. Let’s… bathe together.”

“B-But…”

“What? I am far older than you all. It’s not as if I’m… f-flustered, just because a man saw me naked.”

…She seemed pretty flustered to me.

When I turned back, Diana had hidden her body beneath the water’s surface. She was clearly embarrassed. But she had a point. I was also feeling sticky, and while I wouldn’t strip, I could at least soak my feet.

“Pardon me.” I sat down, removed my boots, and dipped only my feet into the water.

“But still… why weren’t you with Lara and the others, Headmaster?” I asked, looking at Diana, who was still submerged up to her neck.

“Hmph… I am different. There is a distinction between Headmaster and student.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“…I-I can’t blend in!” she blurted out. “Lara and Marise are all giggling and splashing about. If someone like me joins in… I just feel like I’m spoiling their fun.”

I had no idea how old she was, but she was definitely older than us. It’s strange she’d worry about something like that, but I guess she has her own concerns.

“Don’t worry about that, Headmaster,” I said, looking her in the eye. “We may be Headmaster and students, but right now, we’re comrades heading to the Neutral City.”

Besides, getting hung up on status is pointless if it keeps you from acting when it matters.

“And if I can be blunt… I think you’re every bit as beautiful as Lara and Marise. You have no reason to feel self-conscious.”

“Comrades, huh…” Diana said, her tone softening. “It feels strange to be praised by a student. But… I can’t say it’s unpleasant.”

“In that case, as your comrade, I must apologize. I told you a lie earlier.”

“You did?”

“When I said I wasn’t bothered by a man seeing me naked… that was a lie. Pathetic, isn’t it? I’ve spent my entire life dedicated to magic research. I’ve… never had time for… well, for romance or anything of the sort.”

That’s surprising. A woman as beautiful as Diana must have men flocking to her. …Hm, wait a minute.

“Which means…”

“And so, Kurt!” Diana stood up with sudden resolve.

“You are my comrade! There can be no secrets between us. I want you to look your fill at my naked body!”

She was, once again, completely exposed.

“Why did you jump to that conclusion!?”

I tried to flee, but she stalked towards me, her intensity paralyzing me like a stone. No binding spell has ever managed to stop me like this. I really can’t handle a woman’s nudity.

“I decided… I wouldn’t mind if it was you who saw me!” she declared. “As the Headmaster, I can’t keep making excuses about being ‘inexperienced with men.’ So… I feel like if you see me, I can change that part of myself!”

This bold, flustered woman was a far cry from her usual dignified self. But… she was, without a doubt, beautiful. I was speechless. Her pale skin seemed to repel the water. It looked every bit as youthful and radiant as Lara’s or Marise’s. Her body had soft, womanly curves, with a trim, narrow waist. Her breasts, while modest, were full and perfectly formed. As I stared, my mind blank…

“H-Headmaster! What are you doing!?”

“We wondered where you went! Why are you with Kurt!?”

Two voices rang out.

“Lara, Marise…”

I turned to see them. They were clutching towels to themselves… but the towels weren’t quite big enough to hide everything.

I can’t believe I didn’t even sense their approach. A woman’s naked body truly robs me of all rational thought.

“We were looking for you, Headmaster, and… I can’t believe you were doing this with Kurt!”

“How shameless! We’ve lost all respect for both of you!”

Lara and Marise looked utterly horrified.

“W-Wait a minute. I just—”

I tried to explain and stood up abruptly. This created a small wave, causing Diana to lose her balance.

“Kya!”

She let out a small shriek and fell towards me. I instinctively caught her.

“Oh… a man’s body… it’s so warm…” Diana murmured, leaning her full weight against me, seemingly oblivious to the other two. “Being held by you… it feels strange…”

Her eyes had a peaceful look, so different from her usual sharp demeanor. Her soft body pressed against mine, making my heart pound.

“G-Get away from Kurt!”

“Exactly! We won’t forgive you for this, even if you are the Headmaster!”

It took a very, very long time to calm Lara and Marise down.

After I stored the Hydra with my magic, our carriage set off once more. We’d been traveling for about an hour when…

“Hm?”

“What is it, Kurt?” Lara asked, her eyes wide.

“I have another bad feeling…” Marise muttered, her expression grim.

“No, it’s good news this time,” I said. “I’m picking up an interesting reaction.”

“Interesting?”

“Yeah. There’s a strong magic signature a little further ahead.”

“Does that mean… an enemy!?” Lara’s expression tensed.

“No, there are no life signs coming from it. It’s probably an item saturated with magic power. I’ll know for sure when we get closer…”

“Kurt. How long will it take us to get there?”

“About two hours.”

“…As always, the range of your detection magic is just absurd,” Marise said, looking dumbfounded.

I’d actually extended my detection range even further after the Hydra incident. I figured Marise would panic again if something else like that caught us by surprise.

Two hours later, we arrived.

“The signature seems to be coming from inside this forest.” The road ended, replaced by a dense, overgrown forest stretching before us.

I turned to Diana. “So, I’d like to head into the forest. What do you think? Looking at the map, it seems like it could be a shortcut…”

“Indeed.” Diana spread out her map. “If we can cut straight through, we’ll likely reach the Neutral City a day early.”

“Sounds like a win-win, doesn’t it? In that case…”

“However…” Diana’s face grew serious. “This place is known as Ryobezar’s Forest. I’ve heard of it. They say it’s teeming with monsters, and that run-of-the-mill adventurers who go in never come back out.”

“Monsters, huh… But we have Kurt, who took out a ‘Disaster-class’ monster in an instant. We’ll be fine, right?”

“Lara, we can’t let our guard down. And we can’t keep relying on Kurt for everything,” Marise warned. Both she and Lara stared nervously at the forest ahead.

“If you’re worried, I can just go in alone and meet you all in the Neutral City,” I offered. “You can take the main route.”

“No—it’s more dangerous to be separated from you,” Diana said, waving her hand in mild exasperation. “I trust you, Kurt. Do as you see fit.”

Alright. With Diana convinced, it was time to head in. Our carriage entered the forest, moving at a slightly quicker pace.

“No monsters are showing up,” Lara chirped.

“You’re right… My detection magic is picking up a few weak signals, but…” Marise murmured.

“You two, don’t let your guard down,” I warned. “Monsters are following us. They could attack at any moment.”

“What!? Following us?”

“And a lot of them.”

Hmph. Cunning of them, trying to mask their presence. I guess it’s still too much for the girls’ detection magic to notice.

“You should have told us something that important sooner!”

“Oh? I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

“How many are there?”

“A hundred of them, to be exact.”

“A-A hundred!?” the two shouted in unison, grabbing onto each other.

I stopped the carriage and stepped outside. Monsters called ‘Evil Monkeys’ began to emerge from the gaps in the trees.

“Lara and Marise should be able to handle these. Think of it as a review of your training. We’ll call it a quest: ‘Defeat one hundred Evil Monkeys!'”

“That’s an impossible quest!” Lara yelped.

“Lara, we have no choice!” Marise said, deploying her magic circle.

As the Evil Monkeys sensed the attack, they swarmed us all at once.

“Whoa! There are so many!”

“But just like Kurt said, I think we can handle these!”

The two began firing off spells, taking down the Evil Monkeys one by one. While there were a lot of them, each individual monkey was barely stronger than a wolf. Lara and Marise were handling them calmly and methodically. I could see how much they’d grown.

“Hah… hah… Are we safe now?”

“No, the monsters are just observing us. The moment we let our guard down, they’ll attack again.”

They both stood back-to-back, breathing heavily. Good. Marise isn’t letting her guard down either.

“Both of you, that was excellent,” I said, finding a lull in the battle. “But you’re wasting a few too many shots. If you just add this to your spell formula, like so…”

“They’re coming!”

The Evil Monkeys scattered and charged again.

“Perfect timing. Let me give you a quick demonstration.”

I stepped in front of the monkeys. A simple spell will be easiest for them to understand. Fire Spear it is.

I matched the number of remaining monkeys, launching thirty Fire Spears at once.

As if they had minds of their own, the spears tracked and struck each Evil Monkey. Even the ones that tried to flee were pierced in the back by a lance of flame and collapsed.

“See? That’s how you grant magic a tracking function. It makes it easier to hit and prevents you from wasting magic on missed shots.”

“…”

“…”

Hm? Why are they frozen?

“Was that a little too difficult?”

“N-No… I mean, adding a tracking function might not be that hard, but…”

“But doing it with that many spells at once… while maintaining that level of precision… I don’t think we can do that…” Lara and Marise looked completely dejected.

Did I discourage them? Oh well.

“Don’t worry. With practice, you’ll both be able to handle thirty spears with no problem. A hundred at once might take you a month, though.”

“A-A hundred! That’s ridiculous!”

“That’s not humanly possible!”

What are they talking about? My record in my previous life was ten thousand. I could probably still manage that if I felt like it.

“Anyway, we’ve dealt with the monsters. Let’s move on. Our target item should be just ahead.”

We got back in the carriage and pushed deeper into the woods. A little later…

“Ah, this is it.”

I found a glowing medicinal herb growing from the base of a tree.

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

“What is it?”

“This is… Izunnia Herb. I never thought I’d see it in this era.”

I picked a bundle. Izunnia Herb spends long years absorbing magic from the leylines. By my appraisal… this one looks to be about four hundred years old. You can make high-quality potions with this. This forest is supposedly dangerous, and this herb was growing just off the path. With detection magic being so uncommon in this age, it makes sense no one ever found it.

“Sorry for the detour. Now that I have what I came for, let’s keep moving.”

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Chapter 2 Part 2

◆　◆

“Shall we get going, then?”

At the exit of the royal capital, Headmaster Diana, Lara, Marise, and I gathered. A carriage was prepared, and it seemed we would head to Shifrea in it.

“A carriage, huh…? It’s been a while since I rode one from my hometown to the royal capital.”

“Kurt could probably go to the neutral city in an instant using teleportation magic.”

said Lara, putting both hands behind her head.

“Lara, even if it’s Kurt, there’s no way he could use teleportation magic. It’s lost magic, a type of magic that the Gods of mythological times used…”

“You are right. I’ve only seen it in fictional stories. I was just kidding.”

“I can use it.”

“”WHAT!?””

Lara and Marise exclaimed, their mouths wide open in surprise.

“T-Then! Why don’t we use it!?”

“But there are various drawbacks to teleportation magic. Besides, we have plenty of time, so there’s no need to use it. It’s unnecessary.”

Even for me, it would require a massive amount of magic power to teleport to a place that takes five days by carriage. However, in an emergency, it would not be out of the question to use it. Besides, it is more enjoyable to leisurely take in the surrounding scenery while riding in a carriage.

We would have plenty of time until the negotiation once we get there. It might be interesting to visit the Adventurer’s Guild there.

“Kurt still uses lost magic as easily as breathing…”

“I see Kurt as a character who appeared out of a book.”

Lara and Marise were dumbfounded.

“…You guys seem to be having fun, but there are also monsters outside the city. So you must not let your guard down.”

said Diana in a serious tone.

“Headmaster… With all due respect, I think most monsters can be dealt with if Kurt is there.”

“If you let your guard down, even Kurt could lose his footing. You never know what kind of monsters are lurking. It won’t hurt to be cautious.”

Yes, Diana is right.

With that said, we left the royal capital.

“Wow, it’s so peaceful.”

From the carriage window, Lara was sticking her face out and frolicking.

“Lara… you shouldn’t stick your face out recklessly. Monsters might attack us from afar.”

“Ehhh, but it’s boring. Kurt and Marise-chan, too… Look!”

said Lara, pulling Marise’s and my arms.

Due to the narrow window, the three of us were tightly pressed against each other. As a result, soft parts, such as the chests and stomachs of the two, were pressed against my body.

“It’s certainly a beautiful view.”

As Lara said, a tranquil plain scenery spreads outside.

“I know, right!”

“Occasionally, it’s good to travel by carriage. When I was traveling alone from my hometown to the royal capital, it was boring then.”

Traveling by carriage seemed to be the right choice after all.

“Marise-chan, get your face closer over here!”

“Wait, Lara. Please don’t pull me so forcefully! I’m getting too close to Kurt, and it’s becoming rather embarrassing! Well, I can’t say I dislike it, but…”

Their bodies were getting closer to me.

“Kukuku… Kurt, you seem to be quite popular.”

Diana chuckled, watching the scene from behind.

── And so, three days have passed.

“Hm…? I sense a monster’s presence in the distance.”

I always kept a wide-range detection magic in case of emergencies. Finally, it seemed like something big had come up.

“A monster? Kurt, you said it like it’s a big deal. Is it strong?”

“Not really.”

We had encountered weak monsters such as wolves and slimes on the way here, but this time it was a rare monster.

It was still not enough for me, though.

“How far away is it?”

Marise sounded tense as she asked.

“It’s about 15 kilometers ahead. If we keep going at this speed, we’ll run into it in about an hour.”

“15 kilometers, you say!? How is that possible!?”

“I taught you and Lara the detection magic, didn’t I? You should be able to do this much.”

“But we can only detect up to a radius of 5 meters from ourselves!”

Marise retorted.

“Should we tell the coachman to change the route?”

Lara asked with a worried expression, trying to stand up.

“There’s no need to go through the trouble for such a weak monster. Changing the route would only be a waste of time. Besides, I’m getting bored, and my thirst for battle is calling.”

“Heehhh, if Kurt says so, I guess it’s okay…”

“It’s a weak monster, huh…? I have a bad feeling about this.”

It was decided. The carriage continued on its planned route, and about an hour later…

“Wait, isn’t that a Hydra!?”

Marise exclaimed as she got off the carriage and looked up at the nine-headed serpent.

“That’s right, a Hydra.”

“Isn’t it a <<Disaster-Class>> monster!? Kurt, your ‘weak’ statement is not reliable! If you knew it was a Hydra, you should have said so!”

I was scolded by Marise.

All of us got out of the carriage.

“Headmaster, you can wait inside the carriage.”

“I finally have the chance to see Kurt in action. There’s no way I’m going to miss that, right?”

Diana seemed excited, her voice full of energy.

Well, do as you like, then.

“Shaaaaaah!”

“Wow, we’ve been spotted!”

Hydra’s voice made Lara flustered.

“Fire Spear!”

Marise stood in front of Lara and immediately cast her magic.

The Fire Spear hit one of Hydra’s nine heads, causing black smoke to rise.

However ──

“It didn’t work!?”

Marise exclaimed in frustration as she witnessed the head, which had been struck by the magic, regenerate before her eyes.

Even if one of Hydra’s heads were destroyed, it would infinitely regenerate as long as the other heads remained. Therefore, to defeat Hydra, it was necessary to destroy all nine heads simultaneously.

“Both of you, stay back.”

I stepped forward in front of the two and focused on Hydra.

Let’s see… That magic should do the trick. It was about time I started feeling drowsy from being rocked in the carriage. This will be a good way to wake myself up.

“Kurt!”

Just as Hydra was about to stretch out its neck and attack, Lara called out my name.

“Oh? You’re not afraid of me. You have quite the courage.”

I was impressed as I quickly assembled and activated the magic formula immediately.

The name of that magic was ── Meteor Bomb. It is a fire attribute magic that triggers multiple explosions, causing huge damage to the opponent.

Explosions centered on Hydra, spreading out in a chain reaction.

“Shaaaaaaaaah!”

Hydra’s last moments echoed around us.

Eventually, after the explosions subsided, only Hydra’s burnt body remained.

“That’s about it.”

I brushed off my hands.

“A <<Disaster-Class>> monster can be defeated in an instant…? As expected, Kurt is truly amazing.”

Diana gazed at the Hydra’s corpse intently.

“I can’t believe Hydra could be defeated so easily.”

“Lara, please don’t misunderstand. It’s only because Kurt can do it. He’s the only one who says that a <<Disaster-Class>> monster is weak.”

Lara poked the burnt Hydra’s body, and Marise watched from behind.

“Kurt… What was the magic you used just now?”

“It’s called Meteor Bomb. I used it because it looks flashy, but not practical. You have to set up a barrier around yourself so that you don’t get caught up in it…”

“To claim that the magic capable of defeating Hydra in a single strike is not practical… You truly are an incredible person…”

Marise sighed and said in a slightly admiring tone.

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