◆ Avangarde, Western Foress Mountain Range, Near the Nation of Negesta ◆
The Foress Mountain Range stretches near the border of the Kingdom of Avangarde. Unlike the well-maintained paths of Kizel Valley, this area is dominated by steep cliffs and dense trees. The footing is treacherous, and one misstep could send you plummeting off the edge. With monsters lurking in such a perilous place, it’s no wonder that few would willingly approach it.
It’s rare for anyone to attempt to traverse a location boasting a Danger Level exceeding 40, especially one known for its difficulty within the Kingdom of Avangarde. There are no unique monsters found only here, and if one is after materials, it’s far safer to look elsewhere. If a Wyvern were to attack while I was precariously walking along a narrow cliff, I would have no choice but to brace for death. But not for me.
“What a fool! To think a Wyvern would dare attack the great Dragon Hunter!”
【Seigel unleashed a Burst Braver! Dealt 2128 damage to the Wyvern! The Wyvern has been defeated! HP 0/1330】
A horizontal explosion ripped through the slender body of the Wyvern, scattering its remains into the air like confetti, eventually falling into the deep forest far below. While the bones and meat of a Wyvern could fetch a decent price in the market, I had to let that go this time. After all, I, no, we had to head towards the Nation of Negesta.
“You truly are impressive. I am in awe of your swordsmanship, born under the star of the Dragon Slayer.”
“Haha, you always say such incomprehensible things. But, thank you.”
Our party consisted of eleven A-Rank Adventurers and twenty-four B-Rank Adventurers. Despite the grand title of the Phantom Annihilation Operation, our forces were rather meager. I wasn’t underestimating the members, including Rupie, but considering the situation of an unknown group occupying a nation, it was a different story.
From what I gathered about the Phantom, Rua, and that girl Elmera, the reality was hard to articulate. It was difficult to say, but I believed they were fundamentally no different from the Uzei Religion. Elmera joked about the Phantom Cult, but she wasn’t entirely wrong. They both pushed their self-righteous agendas with no regard for others.
“What do you think about the Phantom, Rupie?”
“I can’t discern what will drives their actions. However, what they are doing is wrong. The murder of the sages of Negesta is proof of that… No justice can be justified by such acts.”
“It was the waterways, that’s what they said.”
“Either way, it’s the same thing.”
“True, they claimed they didn’t do it themselves, but that hardly serves as a defense.”
Though she was outside my usual circle, that girl looked to be around the same age as Rua and the others, and she was quite cute. Yet, there was an unsettling sense of immaturity about her. It wasn’t just her words; her tone, gestures, and the way her gaze wandered all suggested a childlike innocence trapped in a grown body. And I was probably the only one who noticed her peculiar habit—she swayed her body, frequently flaunting that large Ribbon, reminiscent of a little girl proudly showing off a gift. It was likely just a quirk, but it intrigued me nonetheless.
“There’s no way a Phantom is among us, right?”
“Since the members were confirmed, no one has acted alone. With the operation set for today, there’s no chance of a leak.”
“This route is likely unknown even to the Phantoms occupying Negesta… It may be illegal, but we’ll infiltrate their royal capital in a surprise attack. That was the plan, right?”
Before hearing Elmera’s story, I had no information about the Phantom’s members. They had attacked Rua using our people, and from that statement, I could infer certain truths. Then there were the five former Uzei followers who had brought back the head of a sage after leaving the Uzei Religion. Someone else had been giving orders to the adventurers cared for by the Flower Shop Owner and Gantetsu. While I could only chuckle at Elmera’s lack of leadership and popularity, it suggested that the Phantom was less cohesive than I had anticipated. Thus, I concluded that if we had any chance of winning, it lay there.
Rupie’s quick thinking in drawing conclusions from that information was something I could never replicate.
“We only need a small number to infiltrate the royal capital; the rest will stay behind. As I mentioned, we need to gather information first.”
After crossing the cliff, we descended onto a terrain that could hardly be described as uneven—it was a wasteland. Rocks jutted out everywhere, with trees growing without restraint. I thought about how troublesome it would be if monsters attacked in such a place as I surveyed our party. The A-Rank members were formidable, and the B-Rank adventurers accompanying us were all skilled enough to eventually be considered A-Rank. At the very least, they wouldn’t fall behind against the local monsters, making them some of the strongest in the kingdom. After all, it was rare for A-Rank adventurers to form such a large party unless they were delving deep into Dragon’s Valley. I wasn’t being overconfident, but if we were to clash, the Phantom wouldn’t come out unscathed either.
“Let’s camp for the night at a suitable spot.”
“Agreed, Baste. At this pace, we should reach our destination in less than ten days. Let’s take our time and proceed carefully.”
“Hey, something feels off about the ground!”
“It’s… sticking to me! I can’t lift my feet!”
As the adventurers in the back began to panic, I found my own feet immobilized. It felt less like sticking and more like sinking. The ground was soft, reminiscent of the earth after a heavy rain. Looking around, I noticed some had already sunk up to their ankles.
“Rupie! Something’s wrong!”
“Wizards, freeze everyone’s feet with ice magic! That includes everyone!”
With Rupie’s swift command, everyone’s feet were quickly encased in ice. Though our ankles and knees were completely immobilized, we had avoided further harm. But the real problem lay ahead. Who had attacked us, and could any Phantom perform such a feat? The answer was right in front of us. A man with a shell-like hairstyle lounged on a thick branch, watching us with an air of elegance.
“That was a bit too quick of a response, don’t you think?”
As he swayed his twisted hair, he looked down on us as if we were a performance. This had to be a Phantom, I thought instinctively, but something felt off. That’s right, I remembered who he was.
“How did you know our route?”
“I just had someone write it down on a piece of paper and tossed it away, that’s all.”
But the words of that annoying twisted-haired man made me want to bury my head in my hands. So, they had managed to pull that off without Rupie or us noticing. Worse yet, my bad feeling had been right; there was indeed a Phantom among us. Why? If they were A-Rank or even B-Rank, they should have a decent income. Yet, they had fallen for the Phantom’s sweet words. Who was it? Who among us was the Phantom?
“I see, so there’s a traitor among us. How disappointing…”
After a smile, Rupie turned his gaze straight ahead, not even looking at the shell-headed man. I could sense the scorn and disappointment directed at the unknown traitor.
“To the Phantom among us, I don’t know why you chose to side with them. But the Phantom is allied with the Comet Wolf Brigade over there. If you, or any of you, have been adventurers for long, you should know the atrocities they’ve committed.”
“W-wait a minute! That shell-headed guy is with the Comet Wolf Brigade?”
I could feel the unease ripple through the members. Of course, they wouldn’t have imagined that the notorious band of thieves was connected to this. The waterways were the Comet Wolf Brigade. From Elmera’s tone, they should have been the last group to align with, yet the truth was right in front of us.
“I don’t understand how you figured out I’m with the Comet Wolf Brigade.”
“You should worry more about your own situation, ‘Mud Disaster’ Numark. Your faces have been recognized long ago.”
“Indeed, I am Numark, the captain of the 11th squad of the Comet Wolf Brigade.”
At Numark’s high-pitched whistle, his subordinates began to emerge from the trees, one after another. There were easily over a hundred of them. To ambush us with such numbers in a place like this, were they just foolish, or was there more to it?
“You’ll soon experience the terror of guerrilla warfare in the forest, which the 11th squad excels at, along with the fear of earth-element Custom Magic.”
“Ha… Thieves tend to be filled with fools.”
I would like to add a teasing remark that if one had their wits about them, they wouldn’t fall into the life of a thief, but that would be a mistake in itself. There are countless people in this world who only have the choices of becoming a slave, a thief, or dying in the gutter. Perhaps these guys in front of me are of that sort as well. But it’s true that they lack intelligence; they don’t even realize who stands before them.
“Everyone, you can relax. This will be settled quickly.”
Rupie raised one hand to the sky, signaling the start of the battle. Star Magic, said to surpass even the Five Elites in sheer power. Both we and the thieves would soon find ourselves burned into memory by its brilliance.
◆ Avangarde Royal Capital, Central Street ◆
“What? Is that all? That’s an easy fix.”
A few days ago, I had gotten so frustrated with Ord’s carefree attitude while explaining our situation that I shouted at him. But Ord remained calm, soothing me like a horse being calmed down. According to him, the Adventurer’s Guild is rather lax and has many loopholes. Those loopholes meant this:
“I’ll submit a search request for Kou and Bun to the Guild, and you all will take the job. This way, no one can complain about how we act under the guise of a search. In other words, we can go to the Nation of Negesta freely. Even the Guild doesn’t monitor every action of its Adventurers.”
I think this is what they call an eye-opener. Nanoka had once told me about an interesting proverb from Azuma. Even I, who despises studying, found myself a little intrigued by the cleverness of the people from that country.
“Of course, there’s no limit on the number of people who can take the job. Whether you solve it or someone else does, I don’t care. I’m serious about this…”
Seeing Ord, with his broom-like hair drooping in despair, was just too pitiful. It seemed he had been running around gathering information even before we arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild. What surprised me even more was the reward.
“The reward is… all my possessions. Everything I’ve saved up until now, I’ll give it all to you.”
Even I, along with Kurinka, was left speechless. Normally, I would have said something like, “That’s ridiculous,” but I could feel Ord’s unwavering determination. It was clear how irreplaceable those two were to him.
That’s why every day, I’ve been running around the Royal Capital while Kurinka transforms into a Dragon and flies around the outskirts. I’ve lost count of how many inquiries I’ve made. Despite our desperation, some people merely shook their heads in boredom, and the worst among them even ignored us. It made me feel so sad that I almost cried, but there were also fans of mine who helped me search.
“Lua-chan, you’re quite popular with the girls, huh…”
When I told Kurinka about this, her reaction was unexpected. Was it just my imagination, or did her voice sound lower, and her gaze seemed a bit frightening? Sure, I was surrounded by girls who squealed and touched me, but it was embarrassing to the point where I didn’t know how to react. I even heard rumors that the Three Sisters of Adventurers had once partied with me, and I immediately recognized the source of the gossip. It’s fine, but I wish they wouldn’t blow it out of proportion.
And so, a week has passed since we started searching. Yet, there has been no progress. Even when I asked the innkeeper where Ord and the others were staying, they said they hadn’t seen them. It felt as if they had slipped away quietly without being noticed. If I’m questioning it, then Ord must be even more puzzled.
“At first, I approached them with a light-hearted attitude, thinking I’d show off a bit. Back when I struggled to reach B Rank, even after being lectured by Gantetsu, I realized I hadn’t changed at my core, and I felt self-loathing.”
Ord sat on the edge of the fountain in Central Street, his voice barely audible. He looked down, hiding his face from us, but I could tell he was on the verge of tears. His voice trembled.
“But when I saw how they took my words to heart, their eyes sparkling with excitement… I realized how cruel I had been. They have no parents and didn’t grow up in a proper environment… And it was the first time… they treated me like a real person…”
By the end, his voice faded, trembling along with his body. I could even hear the sound of him sniffling, and both Kurinka and I could only wait quietly for him to speak again.
“Even when I formed a party, it didn’t go well… I was treated like dead weight because everyone else was at a higher level… I’ve been laughed at more than once or twice. In that situation, I couldn’t help but envy you all. So, I ended up putting on a brave front…”
“Ord…”
“Lua, I’m sorry… Looking back, you must have hated me since the first time we met…”
“N-No, that’s not true…”
“It’s fine; I realized it. Even when I wanted to apologize, I couldn’t help but spout empty words when I actually met you. So… at the very least, I want to do what I can…”
It wasn’t just about offering all his possessions as a reward; now I finally understood Ord’s true intentions. I almost let out a “That’s okay,” but I held back. I wasn’t sure if it was right to say something so simple. It’s not that I hadn’t forgiven him; he had accompanied me during training before the match with the Uzei Religion, and I had already acknowledged him. I realized then that despite his carefree demeanor, he was putting in effort behind the scenes. Becoming a B Rank must have been an incredible struggle for him.
“Let’s find your two important friends. They’re like Kurinka to me.”
“Kurinka…?”
I felt it would be pointless to explain that I meant Kurinka and not Roel. More importantly, there were things we needed to do. If Kurinka were to disappear, I would feel crushed just like Ord.
“I’m thinking of heading to the Nation of Negesta tomorrow. I don’t know if it’s related to those two, but the fact that we haven’t found them after searching this much means…”
“Could it be that Phantom took them?!”
“Maybe. I remembered Gantetsu’s story about the Phantom that was popular during his childhood…”
I recalled that the tale warned that bad children would be taken away by the Phantom. I wondered if it had any connection to the current Phantom. I couldn’t imagine that Elmera was born back then, but wait. Elmera had claimed to be an Elf. I didn’t know what an Elf was, but if they were different from humans…
“…Elmera, if you did this…”
I might finally have a reason to confront Elmera. I couldn’t say for sure yet, but I felt a sense of destiny between Elmera and me.
◆ Shin Report ◆
Lately, I feel like I’ve been completely forgotten.
Hmph! Who would cooperate with those who didn’t send me any chocolate?
Phantom, those two brats, and Elmera have nothing to do with me!
Hmph!
If you rely on me here and send me even one piece of chocolate, I might consider forgiving you. glances