◆ Inside Avangarde Castle ◆
The security within the castle is roughly divided into four sections, each consisting of parties formed by classes skilled in indoor combat, regardless of their ranks. For instance, as a lancer, I am well-suited to intercept opponents charging down these narrow corridors. To be honest, being a lancer involves more than just that, but since Belmund issued those orders, I have no choice but to comply.
However, when it comes to party play, it’s impossible for strangers to work well together. There are some who manage to coordinate by confirming each other’s skills, classes, and fighting styles, but for someone like me, who volunteered as part of a party from the start, I don’t have to worry about that.
“Hey, big brother, why did you volunteer for this?”
“I want to find out if that guy really joined the Demon Lord Army.”
“This security is insane?! What if we get taken out before we can confirm anything…?”
“Honestly, I’m more worried about him causing injuries.”
“Really?!”
The two who look up to me express their dissatisfaction. To be honest, I didn’t want to drag them into this, but they insisted on following me, so I reluctantly agreed. These two, Kou and Bun, have genuinely believed my boastful claims about being a big deal and have stuck with me until today. There’s only one reason why kids who aren’t far from ten years old are adventurers. Well, if you include being abandoned by their parents, then there are two.
In this world, if a child is left without parents, they have two options: become an adventurer or a slave. Even if they manage to find work, they won’t be treated well. They’re seen as equal to adults in terms of labor, and if they can’t keep up, they’re mercilessly beaten. And if they’re unlucky, they might fall prey to perverts. What’s the difference between that and being a slave?
The same goes for adventurers. The moment a child shows up in front of a client, they’re usually turned away, and decent jobs are almost impossible to come by. This leaves them with monster hunting as their only option, but the difficulty is, needless to say, despairing. Even with the fur of a Cave Rabbit, if you can’t use healing magic, the treatment costs will be higher. It’s dangerous enough for an adult, let alone for a child to take on a Cave Rabbit.
I’m not exactly a commendable person, but I feel like I’ve become a bit more decent thanks to Gantetsu’s scolding. I’ve taken responsibility for these two, who I’ve taken under my wing. I mean, if I can turn my bravado into reality, then I can’t let them down. I have to show them that I can make them into respectable adults. If I can manage to look cool, then maybe Ritta will notice me too.
“Hey, big brother. Doesn’t that guy sitting cross-legged over there seem creepy?”
“Oh, uh… it’s best not to get involved.”
I can tell they want to say that it’s not like me to say such things. But the truth is, that guy is dangerous. Destroyer Habak—why does he have to be in the same area as us? Don’t touch him, no one touch him. That’s a definite rule. Including the three of us, he’s over there.
“Oh, look! It’s the beautiful Three Sisters!”
“Uh, who are you?”
“It’s me, me. Don’t you remember?”
“I’m sorry, but…”
I’m seriously forgotten. We’ve met once, yet Ai doesn’t remember me at all.
“I believe it was Ord? Long time no see.”
“Mai, I’m glad to see you. How’s Mi doing?”
“Right…”
The moment I reached out to pat her head, Ai hid behind her. Her curly chestnut hair bobbed as she peeked out at me. It seems I’m not liked by girls, even among children.
“I’m sorry. I’m really shy…”
“If it were Rua and the others, they’d come closer on their own.”
“Seriously.”
Mai’s laughter seems to mock me. Unlike her polite older sister, the lively red-haired girl looks like she enjoys teasing people. Especially someone like me, who is an easy target.
“Hey, you three know Rua, right? Tell me honestly, do you believe she joined the Demon Lord Army?”
“Of course not. It’s probably just that bald guy’s fabrication.”
“This country has never issued such a large-scale state of emergency before. It’s likely that they’re in a dire situation. Given how they’re trying to frame Rua and her friends as villains, it seems they might be hiding something…”
Even I, who isn’t the sharpest, can appreciate that insight. Ai is calm and intelligent, unlike her seemingly airheaded sister, Mai. Plus, she’s the most well-endowed. I shook off the temptation to stare and reconsidered. The kingdom is trying to frame Rua. That’s why this heavy security is in place—makes sense.
“The kingdom wants to eliminate Rua and her friends…?”
“That’s a possibility.”
“If that’s the case, we can’t just sit here! We need to tell her immediately!”
“Shut up, you noisy brats. Are you in heat or something?”
The voice that pierced through my heart was deep and menacing, belonging to the figure who had been staring at us while sitting cross-legged. Despite the vulgarity of his words, the two girls seemed more overwhelmed by that half-bald presence. I could see the youngest, Mi, trembling in fear, her small feet shaking.
“What will you do if you make things worse and the Flash Strike Girl doesn’t show up here?”
As Habak stood up, he was larger than I expected. I had some confidence in my height, but I never thought I’d be looking up at someone. And above all, he was disgusting. With that appearance, devoid of eyebrows and sporting a horizontal line for a mouth, he looked more like a thief than an adventurer.
“If Rua is innocent, there’s no need to fight.”
“Whether there’s a need or not is not for you to decide.”
“Hah, so the employer gets to decide, huh?”
“I decide. Listen, I’m overwhelmingly stronger than anyone here, so you’ll follow my lead. Party play? Forget that. Everyone stay behind me and watch. If you interfere, I’ll kill you.”
“What?! Wait, what are you doing?!”
Mai’s high-pitched voice was cut off there. Habak’s fist struck her stomach with such force that it felt like it could pierce through. Like tossing an empty box, Mai’s light body was effortlessly slammed against the stone wall.
“Mai!”
“Ugh… Aah!”
“Can’t you make a sound?! Mi, heal her!”
As I finally grasped the situation, I saw Mi’s tiny body being grabbed by the giant and tossed aside like trash. Unlike Mai, who suffered direct damage, this was something else entirely. What was he doing to that innocent child?
Realizing I was shouting at the monster that had begun to rampage, I used all the skills I had to confront him, but before I knew it, Habak’s grotesque face was looming over me. His hand dug into my throat, lifting me up and stealing my consciousness. I didn’t understand. What had we done? This was unacceptable. Am I really going to remain this pathetic?
Not only could I not protect the girls, but even Kou and Bun were left vulnerable. I couldn’t respond to their tearful calls of my name. I was weak—too weak. Rua would have easily turned this situation around. How is she so strong? Even though she’s younger than me, she’s so many times stronger—no, thousands, millions of times stronger. Damn it, damn it, damn it.
“Unfortunately, my specialty isn’t extermination or capture. It’s killing. But I don’t feel any ‘killing intent’ towards you right now. You’re lucky.”
“Mai…! Mi! Noooooo!”
Ai, in a frenzy, desperately tried to care for the two, but Mi lay completely still. Perhaps she was injured when she fell—poor thing. It must hurt. If I were her age, I’d definitely be dead. My body, overwhelmed by pain, was no longer responding. I was essentially incapacitated.
What does killing intent matter? I’m rendered combat ineffective with just one blow. Don’t make me laugh. Wait, killing intent. Destroyer. I feel like I’m about to remember something.
“Ah… this guy might be dangerous… Rua… be careful…”
As I uttered a message that would never reach her, my consciousness finally sank into darkness.
◆ In Front of the Walls of the Kingdom of Avangarde ◆
【The Gigas Horse attacks! Rua deftly dodges!】
The horse stomped the ground with its front hooves, drooling as if throwing a tantrum. I wanted to question how this could be a docile monster, but it didn’t seem like it would answer, so I held my tongue. More importantly, that drool was dangerous—it smelled awful, and I absolutely had to avoid it.
“I need to shake this off quickly… Whoa!”
Just as I decided to accelerate, something was unleashed from above. Stones—countless stones. The soldiers on the castle wall were firing them without a care, even with the Gigas Horse present. They were diligently loading stones onto some bizarre wooden contraption, while beside it, a large bow-like weapon was being readied.
“Hey, soldiers! Listen to me for a second!”
“We must shoot down the traitors who have allied with the Demon Lord Army at all costs! Everyone, don’t worry about running out of ammo! The supply team will act swiftly without breaking formation!”
It seemed like they were working in sync, and their enthusiasm was off the charts. I couldn’t help but wonder if they had always disliked us. The stones and arrows they fired were hitting the Gigas Horse, but of course, it had no effect.
A rain of stones and hooves, a storm of arrows. And drool—everything was a mess. To avoid misunderstandings, I had Kurinka stay in her human form, but it might have been easier if she just flew.
“Kurinka, hold on tight.”
After Kurinka nodded, a loud thud echoed as a hole opened in the ground. This was clearly not the power of the arrows being shot from the castle wall. Looking up, I saw a girl on a large bird with wings spread wide, aiming her bow directly at us. Her accuracy was impressive—no wonder she was A-Rank, she was hitting her mark quite well.
“That girl is definitely Kiki! The Sky Hunter ranked ninth in A-Rank!”
“Oh, I think she was disliked…”
“Everyone! Make sure you don’t run out of ammo! Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more! That little brat… I mean, we must kill the vanguard of the Demon Lord Army!”
I wanted to retort, “Was that correction really necessary?” I seriously wondered what I had done to deserve this. When I first met her, I thought she was a reserved and quiet girl, but that was far from the truth. She was more eager to kill us than anyone else present.
“Why are you so fixated on us?!”
“Do you have any idea how hard I worked to climb to the top of A-Rank?! And yet, what’s with your rapid rise?! I’ve been struggling too… you guys!”
I was at a loss for words, utterly dumbfounded. Was this what they called jealousy? I didn’t know how much effort Kiki had put in, but I certainly hadn’t had it easy either. Once again, she was judging me based on superficial appearances without knowing anything. I was fed up with it. Surely those soldiers weren’t attacking us for such reasons. No, I didn’t want to believe that. I thought about charging through at lightning speed, but I changed my mind. I wanted to say a few things to Kiki first.
“Kurinka, I’m going to jump.”
Without waiting for a response, I reached a height higher than the castle wall, and the faces of the soldiers looking up were painted with despair. They were probably filled with anxiety about whether they would be attacked. Yes, I would.
“Shut up for a moment!”
Just before landing, I delivered a flying kick to the castle wall. Among the exploding debris were remnants of that bizarre contraption. I knew the soldiers would be frightened and scatter, and that was just fine. Screams filled the air, and the once orderly formation of soldiers collapsed in an instant. The flow of the supply team was disrupted, and the commander could only mutter vague reassurances, completely losing control of the situation.
“C-Can we really win against this?!”
“It was impossible from the start! Please, just spare our lives!”
“Tell me! Why is someone like you with the Demon Lord Army?!”
It seemed they genuinely believed I had joined the Demon Lord Army. While some didn’t, they had no choice but to obey orders, which was a bit pitiful.
“We’re not part of the Demon Lord Army. We won’t cause any more harm, so just stay calm.”
“Is that true? Then why…?”
“In this country, we…”
Kurinka covered my mouth from behind. I wondered if I was about to say something I shouldn’t have. Since she stopped me, it was probably best not to say anything more.
“We don’t have time to explain everything here, and saying more would only create further confusion. So let’s stick to the main points, okay?”
With Kurinka’s whisper, I decided to keep quiet for real this time. Yeah, I really wasn’t good at this kind of thing.
“We’ve been falsely accused, and we’re just here to clear up the misunderstanding.”
“What are you doing?! There’s an enemy right there?! You all are still soldiers of the kingdom, aren’t you?! Are you going to defy the king’s orders?!”
Whether they believed me or not, one girl was still lively amidst the murmurs of confusion. She was desperately trying to boost the soldiers’ morale.
“Kiki, I have something to say too. First, come down and I promise not to attack.”
“Shut up, shut up! You’re within range! Prepare to receive my super devastating strike!”
I had been waiting for this moment. Since Kurinka wouldn’t use her dragon transformation, this was the only way to catch that girl flying above.
The instant she aimed her bow at us, I leaped straight towards Kiki. She released her arrow just after, and of course, she couldn’t react in time. It was only a brief moment of vulnerability, but that was all I needed. I just had to reach her while enduring whatever that so-called devastating strike was.
As I saw the arrow wrapped in flames from the red bird approaching, I thought how elegant it looked. Why? Well, that was obvious.
“I got you!”
“Eek!”
I tackled Kiki and, with the momentum, landed back on the ground. The Gigas Horses were lined up as if waiting for food, but it didn’t matter. My overwhelming killing intent kept those horses in check. For now, they all sat quietly, seemingly surrendering. I wasn’t sure, but perhaps this was the Gigas Horses’ way of showing they wouldn’t oppose me.
“Alright…”
“Gyaah!”
The bird in the sky still hadn’t realized that Kiki had been captured. After landing, I took a deep breath and then set Kiki down on the ground. She looked at me as if I were some kind of monster, completely stunned.
“It took me ten years to jump this far.”
“Huh…?”
“I don’t know anything about you, Kiki, but you don’t know anything about me either. I’ve been delving into the Abyss Cave dungeon for ten years.”
“Ten years?! That’s a lie! I’ve never even heard of such a dungeon!”
“It’s not a lie!”
I shouted loudly to cut off Kiki’s rebuttal. Perhaps my outburst gave my words some weight, as Kiki didn’t say anything further.
“But even after ten years of fighting, I couldn’t use a bow at all. Can I borrow yours?”
“Hey, wait!”
I snatched Kiki’s impressive bow and aimed it at a nearby rock. But the moment I released the arrow, it inexplicably arced weakly and plunged into the ground.
“Pfft!”
“Hey, you laughed just now! That’s right, I have absolutely no talent for archery. That means no matter how hard I try, I can’t reach what you’ve honed, Kiki. Must be nice for you, being able to handle a bow so easily…”
“W-What do you mean ‘easily’?! You don’t know anything about my efforts!”
“Yeah, you don’t know anything about me either.”
“Ugh…”
Kiki fell silent, making a sound that didn’t quite form words. She looked down, like a scolded child, glancing up at me with a guilty expression.
“Um… how should I put this? I know you dislike me, and that’s understandable, but I just wanted you to know this.”
I didn’t press her further as she remained silent. To avoid looking down at Kiki, I sat down beside her.
“I’m sorry for being so cheeky…”
I offered a final apology. After all, she had achieved far more than I had before becoming an Adventurer, and in a way, she was my senior. I remembered what Seigel had taught me: to acknowledge others first. So I wouldn’t mock her recklessly.
“Well then…”
“Um!”
As I stood up, Kiki spoke up at the same time. She slightly averted her gaze from me, but I no longer sensed any hostility.
“…I-I can teach you about bows anytime. But in return… I’d like to hear more details next time, okay?”
For a moment, I was taken aback, but then I realized this was her way of responding. Then, as if a dam had burst, we both started laughing, momentarily forgetting the urgency of the situation.
◆ Shin Report ◆
That was a pathetic attempt at a barrier.
Did you really think you could stop a monster with that?
Honestly, if you can’t even handle a measly creature, how do you expect to defeat that monster?
Even that shabby equipment is made from the blood of the citizens.
Ah, how lamentable, oh people, how foolish.
That little girl named Kiki seems to be getting along with someone. It’s rare for Rua to be so chatty.
After all, that Rua can’t even cook and still struggles with reading and writing. If you hand her a book, she’ll fall asleep within moments. It’s as if her brain barely functions at all; she hardly thinks about anything.
So, in terms of overall capability as a person, Kiki is definitely superior to Rua. Someone like Rua would be considered a failure in a peaceful world.
Of course, this truth has always been evident. Heh, I’ve won another round.