◆ ？？？ ◆
The burning red earth. People wounded and falling.
Those who stand firm, refusing to give up.
A massive claw pierces through armor, claiming another life.
Someone screams the name of the fallen.
The blades of the people cannot inflict a single wound on the giant.
Flames are spewed forth, scorching the ground and reaping lives.
Death, death, another one falls. Death.
The remaining few continue to fight.
But none can match the foe.
And soon, the last one also flees from the giant.
Running, running, running.
Gasping for breath, clinging to life as they escape the terror.
Without looking back, gripping their sword tightly with small hands.
They keep running, endlessly.
When the victorious roar echoed to the heavens, all hope of defeating the giant had been crushed.
◆ Hotel Maison ◆
“Ugh… ah… ahh…”
“Ro, Roel! What’s wrong with you, Roel?!”
“Lua-chan…?”
I was desperate to shake Roel awake, drenched in sweat and thrashing in her sleep. I worried it might be some illness, but it seemed she was just having a bad dream.
After a quick glance around the room, Roel finally realized she was awake. Her eyelids trembled, and tears streamed from her eyes.
“Roel, did you have a scary dream?”
“I don’t know… I can’t remember much, but it was really frightening… an awful dream.”
“You’re sweating a lot, Roel.”
“Yeah, I’ll take a quick bath…”
Stumbling, Roel got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.
I had nightmares too, ones where the village was burned, haunted by the One-Winged Demon. I hadn’t had them much lately, though. Maybe I was starting to care less about it, or perhaps it was because I had met Roel and others, and experienced joyful moments.
“I fell asleep right away yesterday, so maybe I should join her.”
Roel still hadn’t come out, but I stripped down and dashed into the bathroom. Roel let out a small scream of surprise, just like yesterday, but I didn’t want to waste any time. I might get scolded for leaving my clothes scattered, but time was of the essence.
Today, I planned to visit the Adventurer’s Guild to ask about the location of Dragon’s Valley. I hadn’t mentioned it to Roel yet; she would probably suggest focusing on other things instead. But I didn’t want to make Roel suffer any more. Thanks to Genia’s strange device, I had a lead on Dragon’s Valley.
Though I didn’t say it out loud, I could tell Roel was deeply concerned about it. During meals, she only ate four pieces of bread, and sometimes she would pause, lost in thought.
The pain of having no memories of my past. I could relate to that. I barely remembered anything from the time I reached the Abyss Cave from Ikana Village.
“Hey! You can’t just leave your clothes lying around!”
As expected, I got scolded. While I reluctantly picked up my clothes, I was told to dry myself first. Was it just my imagination, or was Roel starting to feel like a mother to me?
◆ Avangarde Kingdom Adventurer’s Guild ◆
It had been a while since I last visited the Adventurer’s Guild. I used to come here frequently to take on requests and measure my level, but recent chaos had kept me away.
The place was still bustling with adventurers. Some were here to post requests, but mostly it served as a haven for adventurers to relax.
As we entered, the atmosphere shifted, and I felt the stares upon us. I was used to it by now. Just walking through town, I would catch whispers of “Flash Strike Girl,” and I could imagine how adventurers talked about us.
In the midst of this, I searched for that person. If he was here, I could skip the trouble of asking the guild for information about Dragon’s Valley.
“It seems Seigel isn’t here.”
“Hey, Lua-chan, you can worry about me later, okay?”
“No way.”
“What do you mean, no way…?”
“Are you the little kittens looking for me?”
That embarrassing term, “little kittens,” and his overly familiar tone made me cringe. Leaning against a pillar was Seigel.
“Seigel, it’s been a while.”
“Are you enjoying your A-Rank life? By the way, I heard you were quite the star in the recent battle against the Garden of Beasts. Look at you, you’re already more famous than I am. Usually, that would make people jealous and try to pick a fight, but not this time. You’re in a league of your own.”
Indeed, in this quiet room, Seigel’s teasing felt almost out of place. He was quite famous among adventurers, just like during the Queemil incident. Yet, all eyes were on us.
“But with fewer of us, we have to work harder.”
“Fewer of us?”
“Some of the adventurers who participated in the decisive battle against the Garden of Beasts have retired in droves. It’s common after a big fight. Some got scared, some had psychological reasons, and others suffered physical aftereffects.”
“…So they’re deregistering?”
“They’ve just had enough.”
Nearby, I saw someone at the counter completing their retirement paperwork. An older man with scarred arms, looking seasoned.
“Do you have any idea how much I’ve trained? For thirty years, I’ve never slacked off in my training. I’ve fought massive Floor Monsters and nearly died countless times. Yet, I climbed to B-Rank and became a somewhat well-known adventurer. But what happened in the recent battle? That Flash Strike Girl, a girl who hasn’t even reached adulthood, effortlessly slayed dozens of monsters. Can you understand how it feels to be overtaken in an instant?”
“Ah… Many retire for such reasons.”
“Ugh, I can’t deal with this anymore. If there are girls like that, I might as well leave it all to them.”
The words of the bitter adventurer pierced my heart. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did I feel this way?
“Lua-chan, don’t worry about it. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“That’s right. This kind of thing happens all the time. It’s not just you; it’s common for a perennial B-Rank to feel jealous of an A-Rank. And now C-Ranks are jealous of B-Ranks, and it goes on endlessly. I’m one of those targets too.”
“But…”
“That old man might have worked hard to get stronger, but you’ve worked hard too, Lua-chan.”
That’s right. I had ten years in the Abyss Cave behind me. I hadn’t done nothing; I had faced death countless times. It was because of that struggle that I could appreciate my current situation.
But what if someone stronger than me appeared, and they were younger? I would probably feel jealous, just like that old man. No one is at fault; it’s just a natural feeling.
“I often feel envious too, and figuring out how to reconcile those feelings is part of life.”
That might be true. Having someone like Seigel around was reassuring. I struggled to sort out my feelings, but people like Gantetsu and Seigel, having lived longer, knew so much more.
Roel once said I acted like a child, but that was far from the truth. I was still very much a child.
“So, you were looking for me?”
“Ah, actually…”
“I see, you want to know about Dragon’s Valley. Sure, I’ll guide you.”
“Is that okay?”
“I was just thinking of heading back home anyway. It’s perfect timing.”
“Home? You mean…?”
“Yes. Dragon’s Valley is my hometown and the birthplace of Dragon Hunters. It’s located at the southernmost tip of this continent, so it’s quite far. Geographically, it’s within the territory of Kashiram.”
I was relieved he agreed to help, but I had been wondering for a while now—was Seigel actually bored?
◆ Kashiram Nation, Near the Border ◆
Far to the south of the Avangarde Kingdom lies the Kashiram Kingdom, surrounded by mountains. After three days of walking through the western mountains of Kizel Valley.
No, it was more accurate to say three days of running. Traveling anywhere by boat would take days, and walking on land would take even longer. I was frustrated, wishing I had a vehicle like Metallica’s airship to get there quickly.
Then I thought of a carriage. However, even if I borrowed a carriage, I wouldn’t need horses. I would pull it myself.
“Lua-chan, you’ve finally started making jokes, huh?”
Even Roel didn’t take me seriously, and Seigel laughed so hard he was in tears. Seeing Seigel rolling around, I felt like kicking him. I was serious!
After all, they said it would take over eighty days to travel from the Avangarde Kingdom to Dragon’s Valley. I couldn’t just sit back and accept that.
Even crossing Kizel Valley wouldn’t take long if I ran seriously; I could do it in half a day. So why waste time moving slowly?
“Hah… Hah… It’s convenient and amazing, but I really don’t want to ride it too much…”
“Rua, the way you’re riding that beast is way too rough…”
I could hear screams from behind, but I ran on without a care. Along the way, an Adventurer who was escorting a traveling merchant mistook me for a monster and fell into a panic, readying for battle, but I paid it no mind.
“I don’t know anything about rumors of a high-speed human carriage being a monster…”
I might have said something rude, but thanks to that, we reached the border of the Nation of Kashiram in just three days.
“Once we cross the wall at the Dragon’s Valley, we’ll still have to walk… no, run. There’s still some time before sunset, but let’s rest in the town of Kentu ahead.”
The Dragon’s Valley, said to be the birthplace of Dragons, is one of the world’s premier Dragon hotspots, teeming with them. When I asked what a Dragon hotspot was, I was told it was a prime hunting ground for slaying Dragons. Among them, the Dragon’s Valley is a danger zone with a Danger Level exceeding 100. There are hardly any dungeons that surpass that level, which makes it a popular spot for Dragon Hunters. And it’s said to be an unexplored dungeon where no one has ever reached the depths, Seigel said with an unusually serious expression.
“My father was a famous Dragon Hunter in his lifetime, but he never made it to the depths.”
“Seigel, your father was a Dragon Hunter too. But if you say ‘in his lifetime’…”
“He fell victim to the fangs of a vicious, colossal Dragon. It’s an old story, though. They call him a legendary Dragon Hunter, but it’s ironic that one can only become a hero after death.”
For a brief moment, Seigel showed a dark expression. He, like me, had lost his parents. Yet, he acted bright and carefree in front of us. Sometimes I miss my parents, but I have to become strong like Seigel. If I remain a child forever, my father and mother would just laugh at me.
“Stop!”
There were several soldiers on horseback near the tall stone wall of the border. No, they were too short-necked to be horses. They looked like horses whose necks had been shortened while their legs were elongated—creatures that were horse-like yet not quite horses. The soldiers mounted on them glared at us.
I had already stopped the moment I saw the border wall, but I wondered what would happen if I charged forward like this.
“Hey, hey, the security is pretty tight. We used to be able to pass through without a hitch, right? Like me.”
“I-I apologize for the inconvenience. You must be Seigel, and those two are…?”
“Rua and Roel, the ones who made a big splash in the battle against the Garden of Beasts. You know them, right?”
“Ah, the Flash Strike Girl?! I heard she tore apart and launched thousands of monsters… Yes, you all can pass without issue. Please go ahead.”
“What’s going on? You all seem a bit on edge…”
“Actually, the activities of the Comet Wolf Brigade have become quite active within our borders lately… We’ve tightened security, but it seems they’re sneaking in like insects from somewhere.”
“That sounds serious. Even if they’re just low-level, facing a group that uses Custom Magic is a tough match, even for the Kashiram Cavalry.”
“I’m terribly sorry… We’ll do our best.”
One of the cavalrymen skillfully maneuvered his horse-like creature and stepped back to clear the way. More than that, I was disheartened to hear that the name “Flash Strike Girl” had spread even in this country. How embarrassing. What do you mean tearing apart and launching thousands? I haven’t defeated that many. I could, though.
“If you walk for about three hours from here, you’ll reach the town of Kentu. There’s nothing particularly new, but it’s a good place to rest. Well, it’s probably pointless to explain that to you, Seigel.”
“Thanks, man. You all should take turns resting too.”
“I appreciate your consideration.”
We passed through the cavalry and began walking again along the path surrounded by mountains. I thought about running, but the two of them firmly stopped me.
“This area is full of mountains, and aside from the maintained paths, it’s very difficult to traverse. That’s why they were riding those Pasheebs. You’d be amazed at their mobility. They can climb steep slopes at high speed without a care.”
“That’s what they call Pasheebs? They’re strange creatures that look like horses.”
“They’re temperamental and much harder to ride than horses. The fact that the Nation of Kashiram has managed to put them to practical use is impressive.”
“I thought it might be fun to ride one, but it seems like it would be quite a challenge…”
“I once tried to ride one for a bit, but I was spectacularly thrown off and ended up getting kicked in a very sensitive area.”
“A sensitive area?”
“Uh, well, you know… that thing.”
For some reason, Seigel fell silent after that. When Roel and I looked at him in confusion, he turned his gaze away for some reason. What was that thing, anyway?
“You’ve grown up beautifully without being deceived by any bad people… I’m impressed.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Speaking of the Comet Wolf Brigade, I heard some strange rumors. A friend of mine who’s an Adventurer told me that thanks to a new recruit, they’re expanding their influence more than ever.”
“Is that so?”
“Is that so? Your reaction is pretty lackluster…”
“I understand they’re bad people, but they don’t seem as pressing as the Demon Lord Army…”
“Well, they might seem trivial to you… There’s a guy who wears a mask, so his face is unknown, but he’s a big man who quickly rose to a leadership position. With information like that, it’s no wonder the cavalry is on edge, considering they’ve destroyed entire nations.”
It’s not that I’m not concerned about the Comet Wolf Brigade. But to me, the Demon Lord Army is far more dangerous, and as Eeks said, I need to go to the Demon Lord Castle.
It’s not that I’m ignoring them, but honestly, I have more pressing matters at hand.
“Ugh, those clouds look ominous… Whoa! It’s starting to pour!”
The sudden downpour meant that the two in the carriage wouldn’t get wet, but I certainly would. In that case, there was only one thing to do.
“Um, you’re not Rua, are you?”
“On three… here we go!”
I could hear screams from behind again, but I sprinted down the road with all my might. I really didn’t want to get soaked.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Shin Repo Oe Oee
Clinging to the carriage for three days
Rua’s weaknesses
I feel like I’m going to throw up
When a fool goes wild, it’s beyond my control, and Shin is finely chopped up.