◆ Inside the Gates of Avangarde Castle ◆
“Eeks-san…”
“Starting today, I’m back to being an Adventurer, Lua. I may be your senior, but it’s been so long that I’ll need you to teach me a few things.”
“You sure are confident after defeating us!”
Eight thieves, some wearing only a plate vest over their bare skin and others clad in full armor, lunged at Eeks. Despite his carefree demeanor, Eeks had his fists clenched, ready to fight—not with a sword, but with his bare hands.
“Ugh!”
“One down.”
With a swift backfist, he caved in one thief’s face. Even with a helmet on, the first thief went down. Next, he smashed the helmet of a fully armored thief with a headbutt, revealing a crushed nose and a shocked face beneath the shattered metal.
“Custom Magic, Vanishing Walk!”
“Oh, he disappeared.”
Without a hint of confusion at the vanishing thief, Eeks scratched his cheek. The presence had completely vanished; it was impressive magic. This was the main force of the Comet Wolf Brigade, and they certainly lived up to their reputation.
“Is this the spot?”
“Guh!”
Eeks unleashed another backfist diagonally to his right rear. The third thief appeared, blood gushing from his nose, staggering as if he were dancing awkwardly before collapsing.
“Eeks-san, how did you know?”
“Just a hunch.”
“A hunch?”
“Anyone who can make themselves invisible and attack isn’t going to come at you head-on. It’s common sense that they’d strike from behind.”
“I see… I did the same thing in the Abyss Cave.”
“You did that?! I was just trying to sound a bit proud! Damn it! So, I have nothing left to teach you!”
Now wasn’t the time to sulk. The remaining two thieves were gearing up to attack. One raised both hands toward Eeks, while the other mirrored the action. Wait, they were the same. Why?
“Custom Magic, Killing Ray!”
“Custom Magic, Blizzard Missile!”
The thieves unleashed beams of light from their palms and fired multiple icicle-like missiles at high speed. Whether it was overexertion or sheer anger, they shouted the names of their spells with fervor. Those beams were as fast as the lasers from the Kingdom of Metallica, and the Blizzard Missiles were akin to a Vulcan cannon. Despite being missiles, they were terrifyingly quick.
Even for Eeks, facing those attacks barehanded was a bit reckless. But he chose not to dodge and took them head-on.
“Yah-ha! Direct hit!”
“There’s no way there’s anything left of him now!”
“Ow… I should’ve dodged after all.”
The parts of Eeks’ body that had been hit turned red, as if he had merely bumped into something. Even that fierce assault barely fazed him. Come to think of it, he was over level 500. At that level, there were hardly any Adventurers who could match him. The reactions of everyone around reflected that reality.
“Th-that barely did anything… No way!”
“W-was he using some kind of skill to defend? There’s no way he could survive that barehanded…”
The world of level 500 was enough to astonish everyone. The soldiers, of course, and even Mai, who was pinching her cheek to confirm this wasn’t a dream. Just moments ago, they had been cheering for Eeks, but witnessing the actual battle left them speechless. And most importantly, the thieves who were now facing him must have felt it too.
“W-we’re the chosen elite, the main force! We’re the strongest unit that even the captains of each squad can’t reach!”
“I’ll tell you this: the only reason you managed to take down that formidable Kingdom of Amur was sheer luck. Without war, the Holy Knights, who have honed their skills through honor, must have found thieves like you to be utterly unknown foes. You probably ambushed them just like this, right?”
“D-don’t you dare talk back to me, you handsome bastard!”
“That’s where you should be insulting me…”
“Damn it!”
“Well then, let’s wrap this up… Bad End.”
Having experienced it once before, I felt the most tremor. As I held my sword vertically and spun it like the hands of a clock, the thieves’ rational minds vanished. They curled up, clutching their heads, screaming, or covering their ears and muttering to themselves.
“Ah! No! Please stop! I won’t break any more dishes! Noooo!”
“I could do anything since I was a child. I never had to put in effort for swordsmanship or magic. Everyone looked at me with envy, and girls would come to me without hesitation. I always maintained top grades at the academy, but it’s ridiculous! That brat, not even ten years old, surpassed my grades in no time! That brat!!!”
“…This guy had a surprisingly privileged life.”
I was taken aback by the name that escaped the thief’s lips, and I was doubly surprised when the person herself appeared beside me.
“Do you not need my assistance? Oh my, oh my…”
“Tiferia-san!”
“What! Tiferia?!”
“Isn’t it nostalgic to see someone like her?”
Propping her chin on her hand, she remained as oblivious as ever. For Eeks, she was someone who had nearly killed him, so he surely didn’t think highly of her. The proof was in the way his expression turned completely grim. He instinctively took a defensive stance, viewing Tiferia as an enemy.
“There were plenty of thieves coming this way too. It was quite the hassle, you know? There were like sixteen of them, and I lost count after… one… two… three… four… so many squads, you know?”
“Oh dear, so that means the Comet Wolf Brigade has been wiped out except for squads one through four?”
Tiferia’s nonchalant demeanor drew a similarly playful response from the old man of the Comet Wolf Brigade. Wait, did those people seem unfazed by the Bad End? Those two women and the old man.
“Ahahaha! What is this! What is this! Hahaha!”
“Aren’t I cute?”
What was so funny? The dark-skinned blonde was laughing uproariously, while another girl placed her hand on her cheek, calling herself cute. Why were they so unfazed?
“Ah, it seems it didn’t work after all.”
“Eeks-san, you did cast Bad End on those people, right?”
“Yeah…”
“That’s quite a terrifying technique you’re using. But that kind of mental interference skill won’t work on people like us.”
The old man with a shiny bald head shook his finger side to side, making a clicking sound with his mouth that was quite irritating. I was getting increasingly annoyed.
“It doesn’t work on those whose minds are shattered, those who are completely self-absorbed, or those with strong convictions. But it works like a charm on someone like you.”
“That was the skill I found most frightening…”
“What? Lua-chan found a skill frightening? I’m so curious! Hey, you handsome guy! Go show Elmera-chan your Bad End! Let her see it!”
“You should probably avoid that… Elmera-chan is probably…”
“Huh? Kurinka-chan, why don’t you just say it clearly?”
“Nothing at all.”
Why was Elmera like this? I hoped she wouldn’t do anything disrespectful to Eeks. But Eeks, completely ignoring her, was definitely the adult in this situation.
“Eeks-san, are you going to be okay on your own?”
“I don’t need your concern. Stay back.”
“Oh really? Hehe.”
“Eeks-san, those three… they’re all over level 200…”
“Is that so? 200… wait, two hundred?”
“Yeah, it showed up when I used this Detect Ring.”
“Whoa, whoa! That’s equivalent to S-rank!”
【”Knight” Cal, Lv: 241, Class: Unknown, HP: 4018】
【”Luke” Switz, Lv: 255, Class: Unknown, HP: 5299】
“Well, that one is probably from the Kingdom of Metallica. What a convenient world we live in.”
【”Bishop” Tenkei, Lv: 391, Class: Bishop, HP: 3427】
That old man was nearly level 400. This was definitely unexpected. If it had just been the kingdom’s soldiers and Adventurers, they would have been wiped out for sure.
“Well, I knew there were plenty of those who just hadn’t registered as Adventurers.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Wait a minute! This isn’t the time to be so carefree! There are three of them over level 100!”
“That’s like having three S-ranks!”
“Calm down, soldiers. We’ve got one SSS-rank on our side, you know?”
Everyone’s gaze, both enemy and ally, focused on me.
“Just kidding, it’s still not a problem.”
“Hey, handsome. If you begged on your knees, I could nullify their Custom Magic too, you know?”
“Really?!”
“Really!”
“Luke.”
“Yes?”
Lua stepped forward lazily, and suddenly, a pink mist began to pour out. Just when I thought it would spread, the mist enveloped the three of them completely.
“What is that?”
“Oh! That mental health girl is impressive! She managed to repel my Imagination Magic!”
“No way!?”
“It’s not a lie, Kurinka!”
“Ku-Kurinka, huh?”
“Hehehe, the protection of ‘Luke’ cannot be broken by anyone in this world. And it seems you’re misunderstanding something… we never said we were only dealing with a single hero.”
Tenkei was grinning widely within the pink mist.
“There’s no need for the captain to step in. We’ll take care of all of you ourselves. Yes, this is also a divine revelation…”
“Elmera, do you know what that mist is?”
“I don’t know. There’s too little information to make a judgment.”
Well then, I wanted to end this quickly to prevent any further damage. I didn’t want to see any more sacrifices like that family from earlier.
“Everyone, I’ll handle this.”
“Can you step back a bit, Lua? It’s too cocky of that mental health girl to not let my Imagination Magic through.”
“I’ll be contributing too.”
“I’m here as well, you know?”
Elmera was already surrounded by a rainbow-colored magical aura. Tiferia and Eeks were also somewhat at odds, yet both were eager to fight. Kurinka, needless to say, had transformed into her human form and was spinning her staff above her head. When did she become so skilled at that?
“Still… there’s one thing that bothers me.”
“What is it?”
“Their confidence. Even if they’re sure of their strength, it’s just too relaxed. Right in front of them are the Flash Strike Girl and both me and Tiferia. How many people in the world can remain so calm against such opponents?”
“Hey, did you just casually exclude me?”
“So, what does that mean?”
“Their target lies elsewhere. Above all, their boss has yet to show themselves.”
Eeks’ words about their aim sent a shiver down my spine. It felt unrelated to the strength of those three, but something was unsettling. Now that I think about it, the thief Elmera was torturing had said something. Something about being close to that…
“Flash Strike Girl Lua, Hero Eeks, Master Knight Tiferia… and there are some decent fighters here too. This is what it means to catch them all at once; they’ll even take tomorrow from you. The sunlight, hope, everything, we’ll take it all. This is also a divine revelation… hehehe.”
“Hey, you forgot about the strongest beautiful elf, Elmera, you bald fool.”
That confidence was indeed eerie. Elmera alone still seemed to lack any tension.
◆ Avangarde Port ◆
“Ah, thank you… very much…”
“Well, I’m glad I could be of help.”
Amane, the leader of the Leopardess Guild, had a radiant complexion that glimmered like polished bronze, quite different from the image I had heard. I had heard they were a group of righteous thieves, but they also seemed to harbor a disdain for men, and I had heard that depending on the situation, one could face horrors worse than death. But now that I was face to face with her, Amane seemed kind, and Randa, who had just nearly killed Jikaru, was smiling generously. However, Rash was getting patted on the back and shrinking back.
“Men should be more spirited!”
“Y-Yes!”
“Hey, don’t scare him like that, Randa. That boy is quite the skilled wizard; you can tell just by looking. It’s just that he didn’t quite mesh well with Jikaru.”
“This is only the second time my Illusion Magic has been broken… It’s really making me lose confidence, sigh…”
“If it’s been broken, then just polish it up. Just like I did.”
From a distance, I hadn’t noticed, but this Eikichi fellow had an impressive physique. He was muscular, and standing next to Randa, they looked like a perfect match. I heard that Eikichi was originally from Azuma and had trained hard to impress Randa. It was hard for me to understand, but could love really drive someone to such lengths?
“My husband jumped into this terrifying all-female Leopardess Guild just to get my attention. At first, I ignored him, but now look at him.”
“This is all thanks to you, Lua. If you hadn’t brought me here from the mountains of Azuma, my life would have been… I want to thank you properly next time we meet, but are you staying in this town?”
“I don’t know…”
“Ah, come on! You’re so vague! Just take this!”
“Ah! W-Wait!”
Randa yanked off the thick robe and hat I had been using as a scarf. For the first time, Amane, Randa, Melissa, and all the guild members focused their attention on my exposed face, and I felt like my face was on fire.
“Wow! Wow! Ahhh! So embarrassing!”
“What’s this? You have a cute face! Are you siblings with Rash? You both have those freckles that look so alike.”
“Truppo is shy around strangers. He’s always like this in front of anyone but Grandpa and me.”
“That’s… awful…”
I wanted to correct the impression that they were good people. Forcibly exposing what someone wants to hide is just too cruel. They didn’t seem to consider anyone’s feelings at all. No, I guess I don’t have the right to say that since I can’t even figure out what to do right now.
“Randa, enough already. There are plenty of people in our guild with their own complexes, you know?”
“I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Truppo.”
“No…”
“But hey, you’re cute, right? Those freckles are a charm point, and with a little style, you could really shine. But you’ve been neglecting your hair, huh? That cool gray color is going to waste.”
“W-Wait… stop…”
Melissa was touching my hair without holding back. Both Randa and Melissa were so bold. Even though we were meeting for the first time, they acted like we were friends. I couldn’t understand how they could be like that.
“Thank you, members of the Leopardess Guild, for your cooperation!”
“You all focus on treating the injured. And that rhythm guy, we’ll restrain him with this. You guys wouldn’t be able to handle him if he wakes up.”
“Understood!”
Even the soldiers of Avangarde were like that. How could they be so confident? This question began to gnaw at me. Should I be like that? Is that what’s normal?
“Amane, we’ve squeezed the remaining lackeys for information, and it seems the main force is on the way.”
“Is that so? They’re more serious than I thought… which means that idiot is…”
“What should we do?”
“Of course, we’ll go for reinforcements. I don’t know how many A-Ranks are in the Royal Capital right now, but if it’s the main force, it’ll be heavy unless it’s the higher-ups.”
“Understood, then…”
“Oh? You think you can handle us?”
On top of one of the warehouses lining the port, three figures stood. The central figure wore a long coat that reached their ankles, flanked by two others. The Leopardess Guild’s wariness towards their appearance was palpable. They not only readied their weapons but also formed some kind of formation in an instant. The speed of their response was astonishing, and it matched the caliber of the opponents who had arrived.
The three jumped down from the warehouse and approached the poised Leopardess Guild without fear.
“Y-You are… why…”
“You used honorifics in front of me. I’m glad you remember me, Amane.”
“A-Amane, do you know this guy?”
It was obvious. Seeing Amane sweat from her forehead, it was clear he was not someone to welcome. The man who confronted Amane with an oppressive demeanor was a middle-aged man with deep-set features. He had his hands shoved into the pockets of his black coat, and he wore nothing on his upper body. The others were a skinny man and a stout man, two contrasting figures.
“It seems you’ve gathered quite a few subordinates since I last saw you. Think you’ve grown big, huh?”
“Dedrov, are you with the Comet Wolf Brigade…? Does that mean you’ve joined under him? Why would someone like you…”
“He’s just surpassed me, that’s all. In terms of talent and strength.”
“That guy is that strong…?”
“Amane, who is this…?”
“…You should know him as the leader of the Ryuzan Inn, Dedrov.”
The moment the name Ryuzan Inn was mentioned, Randa’s face drained of color. Melissa and the other female guild members, who had been puzzled, were left speechless at that name. The Ryuzan Inn was a legendary band of thieves known for building an impregnable fortress that could withstand an entire nation, having decimated a single division and achieved victory after victory. They had plundered the wealth of the eastern countries, draining the land of its riches, and eventually came to dominate entire nations. I remembered hearing stories from Grandpa about them, and the memories made me tremble even as a child. They had vanished without a trace one year, and eventually, even their treasure hiding spots became valuable, leading to fake treasure maps circulating everywhere.
And in this situation, the legendary leader is among the Comet Wolf Brigade. Furthermore, the fact that the brigade’s captain has such a person under his command sends shivers down my spine, even though I’m not well-versed in this area. I can only imagine the unfathomable fear it instills in Amane and the others.
“Y-You’re kidding! Amane, please don’t joke around at a time like this! Why is Ryuzan Inn involved now, and with the Comet Wolf Brigade?! I don’t understand!”
“I am Dedrov, the captain of the second squad of the Comet Wolf Brigade.”
“The legendary thief group that was supposed to have vanished… and Amane knows him? What does this mean…?”
“Dedrov is my mentor…”
The legendary thief group, the Leopardess Guild. I want nothing more than to disappear from this place right now. There’s no way I can intervene in this battle; if Rua is here, it would be far more beneficial to call her. That is, if they would let me escape.
◆ Shin Report ◆
The Comet Wolf Brigade is just a gathering of perverts!
How on earth did they manage to gather such a bunch of lunatics?
With what face do they plan to take down the royal family?
In truth, they just want to do whatever they please.
No convictions, just chaos.
This group will be dealt with by the terrorists individually.
These terrorists! These eroticists!
Oh, so that guy finally showed up, huh?
Even though he discarded his armor, he still uses bad ends—what a loser.
I can’t stand him.
It’s also annoying that he’s favored by the Demon Lord.
But this guy, he’s definitely the one who single-handedly destroyed the Dark Empire.
If I expose that fact, his reputation will plummet in an instant.
Heh heh heh, trying to take the Demon Lord from me?
You’re ten years too early for that.
Current Situation
◆ Avangarde Central Street ◆
Kirkton, Ord, Ritta, Irene, Yuyu, Mugen, Soldiers
VS
Mysterious Man
◆ East Street ◆
Seigel
VS
Jag
◆ Near the Castle Gate ◆
Rua, Kurinka, Elmera, Eeks, Tiferia, Ai, Mi, the Three Sisters, Soldiers
VS
Comet Wolf Brigade First Squad
“Luke” “Knight” “Bishop”
“King” Captain absent
“Queen” absent
◆ Avangarde Port ◆
Truppo, Rash, Bottom, Jijinia, Silva, Soldiers
Leopardess Guild
VS
Second Squad, Captain Dedrov
Members????
Members????
◆ Ikana Village ◆
???
VS
Third and Fourth Squads