“An explosion... Like the Inferno Magician’s Firestorm spell?

”
“That’s right. The eastern region of the Kingdom is the only place in all of the
Central Provinces where it’s mass-produced. Well, I use the term ‘mass production,’
but the amount isn’t actually much. But depending on how people use it, Black Dust
will change the very shape of war. Which is exactly why we don’t export it and its
very existence is a top secret even within the nation. It’s stored in special vaults
exclusively here in the royal capital and in Llandewi under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of Domestic Affairs. Baron Kenneth Hayward and I know about the vault
here because we made it together, but...the stuff needs to be stored carefully.
Despite the barrels being alchemized, the powder itself is incredibly unstable.”
Sica shook his head several times during Hilarion’s explanation. He seemed to
be conflicted inside. Seeing that, the elderly man spoke to him gently.
“Sica. The fact that you’re so worried tells me a brother might be involved,
eh?”
The words must have struck him hard because moments later, Sica jerked his
head up to stare wide-eyed at Hilarion.
“What?” Hilarion said. “You thought I didn’t know how all your older brothers
dote on you? Even Fuca, the oldest and thirty years older than you.” He deliberately
paused then, evidently having an inkling of the situation at hand. “Abel. I give you
my word, so can I tell him who you really are?”
“What?” Abel was shocked by the elderly man’s sudden proposal.
The eyes he cast at Hilarion said, “Here? Now?” But he only hesitated for a few
seconds.
“Yeah, all right,” he acquiesced with a shrug.
“Thanks. Sica, this adventurer is Abel and his real name is Albert Besford
Knightley. He’s the second son of His Royal Majesty, Stafford IV.”
Sica’s eyes widened even more and his mouth fell open in shock this time.
“You understand, don’t you? That the best thing you can do for yourself now is
tell us everything here. Before it’s too late. I, Hilarion Baraha, and he, Prince Albert,
will act as witnesses to your testimony. If you want extenuating circumstances to be
taken into consideration, you can’t ask for better allies than us, you know.”
Ah, so that’s why he wanted to reveal my identity. Leniency in case one of his
brothers is involved. And even if that’s not possible, at least this way, Sica can
avoid his entire family being crushed. ’Cuz the old man knew he’d do whatever it
takes to avoid the worst-case scenario.
So Abel thought to himself.
“All right...” A full twenty seconds lapsed before Sica spoke again. “As you
already surmised, Lord Hilarion, I’m trying to help my brothers.” Then he bit his lip
anxiously.
“And Lord Fuca, the Minister of Finance, is involved, right?”
“Yes, Sir... He’s the guardian to all of us younger brothers...”
Fuca’s and Sica’s parents were no longer in this world. Perhaps that was one of
the reasons why Fuca took such good care of his fourteen younger brothers. And
maybe this time, he had used his family’s situation to his advantage...
“Are any of you being threatened?” Hilarion asked him quietly.
Sica nodded and replied, “Luca... He’s been kidnapped. His captors extorted
Fuca into selling Black Dust on the black market...”
“Aha. Let’s see... Luca’s the fourth son, right? Regardless, Fuca’s the Kingdom’s
Minister of Finance. The most powerful minister, to boot. Everyone in the country
knows how deeply he cares for his siblings, which means the boy’s
kidnappers...aren’t fellow citizens. A foreign power then?”
“Luca isn’t in the Kingdom. We learned that much from our investigation. As for
the person at the center of it all...” Sica stopped talking at this point. Despite
everything he’d disclosed so far, he was still hesitant to say any more.
“Sica, if you don’t tell us everything you know, we can’t help you,” Hilarion
said. His words were harsh, but his tone was gentle. He couldn’t begin to imagine
how afraid the boy and his siblings must be with their beloved brother abducted and
taken abroad somewhere.
“I understand. Originally, the Black Dust was only supposed to be transported
to...” It seemed like he had to force the rest of his response from his throat: “...to
Carlyle.”
“What?! Did you...” Hilarion paused, speechless. The same could be said of
Abel standing next to him. Carlyle was a city in the Kingdom’s north. It was the
capital of the Dukedom of Flitwick and sizable enough to claim the title of the
north’s second-largest city.
The larger issue—and the reason for their shock—was Duke Flitwick himself.
The current duke was Raymond, King Stafford IV’s younger brother. In short, Sica
had just testified to a royal prince’s act of treason.
“This is beyond...” Overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation, even Hilarion
couldn’t find the right words to keep going.

The silence stretched for a while and Abel broke it first.

“Let’s map all this out right. The Black Dust in the capital’s special vault is
being diverted onto the black market, then transported to Carlyle in the north. All of
this happened because the Finance Minister’s younger brother, Luca, was
kidnapped by people trying to extort Fuca. Luca was taken out of the country. So
far, so good?”
“Yes.” Sica nodded weakly in response to Abel’s question. He had started to
understand not just in his head but also in his heart that his only option now was to
reveal everything to him and Hilarion.
“In that case, there are still a few things we don’t know. First, why is there still
Black Dust here in the capital even though it should have already left on the black
market?”
“Though we were forced to smuggle it out, Fuca understood how dangerous the
stuff is and that it can become an extremely powerful weapon if it falls into the
hands of someone plotting a rebellion. So most of what we sent to Carlyle were
fakes that only looked like the real thing. We did mix in some real ones to deceive
them a few times. The information about the special storage vault had also been
leaked, so we had no choice but to store the amount that was supposed to have
been smuggled out somewhere else, and that’s where it ended up...” Sica
answered.
“Got it. Then my next question has to do with Carlyle—specifically Duke
Flitwick. If he really is a traitor and Luca is stashed somewhere abroad, then that
means he’s joined forces with a foreign power. Right?”
“Yes...”
“Which country is it?” The quietness of Abel’s voice showed how incredibly vital
the answer to his question was. Which country was in league with Duke Flitwick,
also Prince Raymond, and plotting to act against the Kingdom’s key figures?
Depending on the answer, war was a possibility too.
“My brother was abducted by the Handalieu Federation.”

The Handalieu Federation was one of the three major countries in the Central
Provinces, alongside the Kingdom of Knightley and the Debuhi Empire. Its territory
bordered the Kingdom’s eastern region and the Empire’s southeastern region.
Ten years ago, it fought a large-scale war with the Kingdom and lost. As a
result, its neighboring vassal states, such as the Principality of Inverey, gained
complete independence. In addition, part of the Federation’s territory was ceded to
the Kingdom, dealing a considerable blow to the country.
Given this background, naturally, relations between the two nations weren’t
good. However, a peace treaty had been signed, diplomatic ties restored, and
people and goods flowed freely between them. They were by no means at war.

“Hm? The Federation and Duke Flitwick?” Hilarion muttered. “Don’t tell me
those rumors are true.”
“Yes, they are,” Sica affirmed.
“What rumors?” Abel asked.
“That the duke and Lord Aubrey of the Federation have formed a secret pact,”
Sica explained.
“Wait, a secret pact? With the Lord Aubrey, the Federation’s current de facto
leader who became its chancellor after the Great War?”
“Yup. Not a man you should let your guard down around,” Hilarion cautioned.
During the Great War, Abel had still lived in the royal palace, so he’d had
access to a great deal of information about the affairs of other countries. Although
he wasn’t on the same level as his older brother, who had already gained a
reputation as a shrewd and intelligent, albeit frail, prince by then, he nevertheless
learned what he could about other nations.
“Then...Duke Flitwick wants the throne while Lord Aubrey wants to reclaim the
territory the Federation lost in the conflict?” Abel laid out a plausible scenario.
“That’s what people are speculating. The diplomat who made the accusation
committed suicide in the compound where he was under protective custody after
the first hearing, so a lot about this still remains a mystery.”
“So what you’re saying is he was silenced.”
An assassination disguised as a suicide to keep someone quiet... Such a
phenomenon apparently exists in any world.
“But...if someone that powerful really is involved in an operation of this scale,
then...it’s only a matter of time before they realize the Black Dust you’ve been
smuggling is fake.” Hilarion sounded worried.
“Yes, we’re prepared for that possibility. A separate task force should be
rescuing Luca right around now. It’s made up of the best of the best under Fuca’s
direct command. Ultimately, the Black Dust business was just a strategy to buy time
for the rescue... The amount we stole can be used as evidence, but you also have to
keep in mind that Black Dust is a top secret product, and many people don’t know
the actual amount the Kingdom has. Meaning no one is in a position to pursue the
matter openly.”
Sica’s response only served to further confirm Hilarion’s concerns.
Once Minister Fuca had his brother back, he might be planning to confront
Duke Flitwick using the real Black Dust he’d moved as evidence. Of course, he could
be doing this for the good of the Kingdom. However, at the same time, he wouldn’t
let anyone get away with laying a hand on his precious brother, even if that person
was the king’s younger brother... So perhaps he was conveying that intention
through his machinations.
Seriously though... Uncle Raymond...?
Because from the perspective of King Stafford IV’s second son, Abel, Duke
Flitwick was also his Uncle Raymond.

To begin with, Stafford IV and his younger brother Raymond had never been on
good terms. One reason that might explain this was that they were half brothers,
the sons of the previous king’s first and second queens, respectively. Also, with
Stafford IV having mastered both magic and swordsmanship to a high level, not to
mention possessing outstanding ability as a statesman, his younger brother must
have had a hard time living in his shadow.
Raymond wasn’t incompetent by any means, but not only did he lack Stafford’s
openness and charm, he was also somewhat introverted. However, the situation
was more than enough for the royal family. A younger brother was just a younger
brother. A spare heir. If he were to surpass his elder brother, there would have been
an uproar in the family. And worst-case scenario, a civil war... If the Empire or the
Federation intervened, the Kingdom would be in danger of collapse.
But even if the royal family was satisfied with the status quo, Raymond was a
human being. He had his own feelings and pride. Complicated feelings could arise
between brothers even in normal families. And this was especially true of a member
of royalty...

Fuca is the oldest, Luca is the fourth son, Saca is the fourteenth, and Sica, in
front of me, is the fifteenth... I need to make sure I get all their names straight, Abel
thought, then inwardly shook his head.
He looked as if he were deep in thought, and he was in fact thinking about the
king’s younger brother, Raymond... Simultaneously, while updating his mental
catalog of the brothers’ names, Abel might also have been infected by the mindset
of a certain water magician he knew...
“Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools
will suffer.” An apt saying indeed.

Just as they finished verifying all the information, the ground shook.
“An earthquake? Kinda rare to have one in the capital, huh?”
 “I don’t think that was an earthquake...” Hilarion rushed out of the room.
“Sica, Warren, you two stay here. It’ll be bad if people see you in particular,
Sica.”
That was the only thing Abel said before he too dashed out of the room and up
the stairs to the first floor. The two men exited the building at almost the exact
same time. They both surveyed their surroundings and saw a column of smoke
rising from the east.
“That must be it.” Then Hilarion chanted. “Wind, carry me in your hands.
Float.”
An instant after his rapid-fire incarnation, Hilarion’s body levitated off the
ground. Ten meters, twenty meters...then he rose higher than the Institute.
“Old man, what’s happening?” Abel shouted from below.
Hilarion took it as an opportunity to leisurely descend once more. “It’s the
building we were in. I’m pretty sure the Black Dust caused the explosion. The entire
surrounding area is damaged.”
“Shit. There goes our evidence.”
They didn’t know who was responsible. It might even be an accident, but the
timing was too convenient for that. So it was only natural to think that the explosion
was triggered by someone.
“I’ll check out the site later. Abel, I want you to focus on protecting Sica.”
“You mean there’s a possibility they’ll erase him too?” Abel replied to Hilarion
with a nod.
“Exactly. Which reminds me, I sure hope Morning Star made it out safely...”
Hilarion had urged Hector, leader of the party known as Morning Star, to
escape from the hideout as quickly as possible when he and Crimson Sword were
departing...
“I think they’re fine. They may not be saints, but they’re still C-rank
adventurers. Plus, the famous Hilarion himself warned them. So even they must
have realized something dangerous stunk to high heaven there.”
Any adventurer worth their salt who had reached C-rank should have been able
to avoid such danger. As an adventurer himself, Abel had a high opinion of his
fellow adventurers.

◆◆◆
The soldiers deployed to an accident were usually tasked with preventing
curious onlookers from approaching the scene. And in situations like this one, where
trouble was abound in the royal capital, the number of onlookers was unusually
high. As a result, even soldiers who were supposed to be on leave had been
mustered to the location. Even then, the rubberneckers still outnumbered them.
For this reason, a type of alchemical device, a red no-entry rope, had been
used to cordon off the scene. Touching it caused a shock to race through the
person’s body. It was a rope designed to prevent curiosity-seekers from trespassing
any farther.
However, an elderly person grabbed said rope, lifted it, and passed under it into
the area. Right in front of the soldiers’ very eyes.
“Hey, old man, you can’t come in here,” one of the soldiers said. “Wait—why
isn’t the rope zapping you?”
“Hmph. Because I helped make it, you dolt. I know how it works better than
anyone.”
“What?”
“I’m Hilarion Baraha, the chief royal magician. Now be a good lad and bring me
whoever’s in charge.”
Everybody froze solid for a few seconds after hearing his remark. Then, one of
the soldiers finally grasped what he’d said and rushed off to do Hilarion’s bidding.
The remaining soldiers stayed quiet, glancing uneasily at each other. None of them
had the confidence to deal appropriately with the sudden appearance of one of the
country’s authority figures. Especially since the only one among them who’d spoken
to him addressed him as “old man”...
That very same soldier looked deathly pale. It was easy to see his pallor even in
the dark of night.

A minute later, the soldier in charge of the investigation hurried toward them.
“Apologies for the wait, Lord Hilarion. I’m Lex, vice captain of the capital’s
garrison,” Lex introduced himself with a salute.
“Thanks for coming. I know you’re busy, but would you mind telling me what’s
going on? Especially since the blast earlier shook my laboratory too. Not to mention
all the researchers aren’t getting any work done on account of fussing over the
smoke and whatnot. As the head of the Institute, I have a duty to give them an
explanation too, you know. So why don’t you tell me what you know?”
“I understand. At the moment, we have an investigator on the scene. However,
frankly speaking, not much information has been communicated to us yet...”
“Allow me to step in,” someone said, inserting themself into the conversation.
“Earl Harold Lawrence himself, eh? So the Minister of Domestic Affairs was
already here? That was fast.”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly a minor explosion, was it? With chaos erupting in the
royal palace too, I knew I had no choice except to rush here as soon as possible,”
Lawrence explained in response.
But it hasn’t even been that long, Hilarion thought. Methinks he got here way
too fast because something’s not adding up.
The moment that hint of suspicion sprung into a corner of Hilarion’s mind,
Lawrence continued. “According to the investigator, some sort of fire spell went out
of control.”
“I don’t know of any fire magic capable of causing an explosion of that scale,”
Hilarion replied, looking entirely unconvinced by the investigator’s findings.
“I, for one, find it hard to believe there’s a spell you’re unaware of, Lord
Hilarion. That said, other possibilities exist. Perhaps the perpetrator failed to
execute a spell fusing alchemy or several of them activated some kind of magic
simultaneously and they lost control.”
“Hm. Fusing alchemy with magic, eh...”
Hilarion fell deep into thought. Of course, he knew that the explosion had
actually been caused by Black Dust. However, the recently announced “alchemical
fusion magic” itself was a research topic that interested him as well. As such, he
had studied it in much more depth than ordinary magicians. Because of this,
Hilarion knew that the current state of alchemical fusion magic couldn’t possibly
produce that level of destructive power. But there was no point pursuing this
argument. He had something more important to verify right now.
“I think I get the gist. Oh, what about injuries or fatalities? This building looks a
right mess, you know. I see some damage to other buildings in the vicinity too.”
“It’s in a terrible state indeed. The remains of ten people were discovered on
the first floor of this building. Based on the items scattered about, we believe they
were adventurers. That in itself is one piece of evidence for our alchemical fusion
magic theory.”
Except there aren’t any bloody adventures who can even use it yet! So that’s
literally impossible! Hilarion raged in his mind.
“Ten adventurers, huh? Do you know who they are?”
“No, not yet. Does it interest you to learn their identities?”
For a moment, Harold Lawrence’s attitude shifted...or so it seemed to Hilarion.
Poking his nose into things too much would be dangerous, so he decided to tread
carefully.
“Yes. I’ve been trying to recruit talented adventurers to try their hand at fusion
magic at the Institute after they retire. Especially if they’ve already caught my eye
in the past... Sadly, since they’re dead, I’ll need to find replacements as soon as
possible,” Hilarion answered blithely.
“I see your point. Staff from the adventurers’ guild are identifying them as we
speak. It shouldn’t be long now before they make their report...”
That was when a man approached them. Hilarion knew him as well: Josiah
Onsager, submaster of the royal capital’s adventurers’ guild.
“Lord Minister, we’ve finished identifying the bodies. Oh, Lord Hilarion. How do
you do?”
“Fine, fine, Josiah. Been a while, eh?”
“Tell us who they were, Mr. Onsager,” Lawrence asked.
Josiah grimaced. “The adventures were definitely based here. Six members of
the C-rank party Dragon Claw, and four members of the D-rank party Black
Shadow.”
Josiah was clearly heartbroken by the death of his friends. As for Hilarion, he
was relieved to learn that Morning Star hadn’t been caught up in the blast.
The six must have been the adventurers in the barracks. So the four likely
came back after we left. Just awful luck for them all...
Hilarion grieved for the poor souls.
“Is that so? How terribly unfortunate. Thank you for your service. Once we
complete our investigation and take care of the formalities, we’ll return the bodies
to the guild. Please be patient in the meantime.”
“Understood. Thank you from me as well.”
His conversation with Harold Lawrence over, Josiah left, walking toward the
guild.
“I think it’s about time I head back too. Apologies for any bother, Lord
Courtesy.”
“No bother at all.”
 The throng of onlookers naturally parted for him when he strode toward them.
Then he was on his way back to the Institute.
An enigmatic light glimmered briefly in Lawrence’s eyes as he watched Hilarion
go. Then he returned to his duties at the scene of the explosion.

◆◆◆
The day after the explosion in the royal capital, Prince Willie, Master Rodrigo,
and their entourage of escorts, which included Ryo, were continuing their journey
toward the capital on the Kingdom’s Second Highway. Because this national road
passed through many towns and cities, they usually spent the night in an inn
somewhere. It was a wonderful thing when you didn’t have to keep watch in shifts
at night while camping under the stars. In exchange, they had to make good time
on the road during the day.
Since their time in Wingston, the east’s largest city, Cohn generally acted as
the carriage’s driver. Not only was this man an adroit adventurer, he also proved to
be an excellent coachman. Ryo baselessly assumed that Cohn had trained himself
mentally since childhood. Such capable personnel were worth their weight in gold.
Though Ryo arrogantly thought these kinds of things, he was technically Cohn’s
subordinate.
And perhaps precisely because Cohn was such a skilled man, he heard both the
sounds of swords clashing carried over the wind and the horses’ restless whinnying.
“Hey, something’s happening in the forest, toward the north,” he called out to
the three individuals inside after sliding open the partition from the driver’s seat.
The guards and adventures around the vehicle immediately went on high alert.
“Yes, I can hear it too. Smells like trouble to me. Your Highness, what do you
suggest we do?” Ryo already had a feeling what the prince’s answer would be, but
he asked him anyway.
“If anyone is under attack, I would very much like to help them...”
No one had come to their aid when they’d been under fire. No surprise there.
After all, no one wanted to willingly get themselves into trouble. Or perhaps no one
else had been passing through on the highway then... However, if others were in
fact in trouble like they themselves had been a few days ago, he wanted to lend a
hand... So Prince Willie thought.
There was a chance of injuries or loss of life—but he might not have thought
that far ahead. Nevertheless, the adults around the young prince marveled at his
caring nature, which explained why they didn’t want him to grow up to be someone
who felt entitled to being served and provided for simply because he was royalty.
“Understood. Then us six adventurers will take a look. Ryo and the guards will
stay with you, Your Highness,” Cohn said, handing out his orders that reflected his
absolute trust in Ryo.
The most important thing was ensuring Prince Willie’s safety. And only Ryo
could ensure it absolutely. That was why Cohn left Ryo attending to the young man
while he and the other adventurers braved the unknown in the woods.
“I’ll protect His Highness. Without fail,” Ryo promised Cohn.

When Ryo activated Passive Sonar to investigate the area, he discovered

around ten people moving four hundred meters away. Passive Sonar worked just
barely at this distance in places like this one, dense with trees. Maybe that was why
Cohn, with his keen hearing, had heard the noises first, since he sat outside the
carriage while Ryo was inside. Such incredible ears the man had! After telling him
the distance and number of people, Cohn nodded, then took off running in their
general direction with the other adventurers.
The coach had been pulled over into the shade of a tree along the highway.
Ryo waited on top of the roof while Prince Willie and Master Rodrigo remained
inside. Based on what Passive Sonar told him, Cohn waited and watched the group
of strangers for a bit before charging in. But that wasn’t what concerned Ryo.
Seems like there’s five people somewhere else...?
They had quietly sneaked to a location two hundred meters from the scene of
the battle. However, the five weren’t moving. Perhaps they were observing.
Are they just randoms who have nothing to do with the original group and
came to watch? Trying to see how the situation pans out? It’s possible. Not wanting
to get involved in something annoying but still feeling curious about it... People are
people, hm?
Meanwhile, it seemed like the matter was settled. All six adventurers were
unhurt. Besides them, only two others were alive.
“Your Highness, they’re coming back with two individuals who survived.”
“Truly?! I’m so glad they’re safe. And that they managed to help...” Then Prince
Willie trailed off.
“My lord?”
“Ryo, was my judgment wrong?”
He’d decided to place his people’s lives in danger to rescue others. That reality
was likely what troubled him.
“Your Highness, there is no right or wrong answer in quandaries like this one.
On some occasions, your decision would be the right one, and on others, you would
be criticized for it. However, whatever choice you make, you must be prepared to
take responsibility for it until the very end. And on the off chance something
happens, you have to be ready to take action too.”
“What do you mean?”
“For example, let’s say Cohn and the others had died this time. What would you
do then? Especially for their surviving family members who may be living abroad?
Or what if they’d been seriously wounded instead? Would you leave them behind
and continue onward to the Kingdom’s capital? Depending on the severity of their
injuries, you might have even been forced to do just that. Or...if the people they
went to help attacked us instead...just like last time.”
Prince Willie stiffened just the slightest bit upon hearing all that. After rescuing
him from the Sect of Assassins, Ryo had explained why they had targeted him in the
first place: Their leader wanted the prince’s blood. At the time, Willie wasn’t afraid
but the shock of learning his body had been a target didn’t dissipate so easily.
Knowing all this, Ryo had posed all these hypotheticals to him. This was
something the young prince had to overcome. And Ryo had decided he could.
“What would you do if they were villains instead? Even if we defeat them here,
what would you do if others continue to target you? There’s a lot you have to think
about. Moving forward, I believe it’s vital for you to think about these kinds of things
so that you’re able to make the decisions you need to.”
“Such a difficult predicament...”
“There’s no denying that. It’s not like you have to become capable right away.
Just start becoming aware of things like this little by little...”
Predict the outcome and then make a decision. No matter what world, what
situation, or what position you are in, you will always experience this.
At sixteen, Prince Willie was still young, but it wasn’t a bad idea for him to gain
this experience now. Ryo believed this.

Just as Cohn and his band of adventurers, along with the two others, came into
view of those inside the carriage, the group of five who’d been watching and waiting
moved to pursue Cohn and the rest of them.
Ryo stood up on the roof of the carriage, his gaze focused on the eight. The two
individuals they’d rescued were injured and unable to run quickly.
“Ice Wall 8.”
He constructed the wall of ice to protect them in the event that the five
strangers actually attacked. Within the confines of a forest, any sort of long-range
attack, whether arrows or magic, would be incredibly difficult to execute... But not
impossible.
A stitch in time saves nine. It was best to make the first move.
And just as Ryo expected, two arrows flew from the group of five. They hurtled
straight toward the necks of the two people Cohn and his adventurers had
rescued...
Klang. Klang. The ice wall repelled the arrows before they found their marks.
The duo under attack appeared stunned by the loud sound of something
crashing into a hard surface behind them. When they whipped around, they saw the
arrows fallen on the ground.
“This way!” Ryo shouted from atop the carriage.
Without a moment’s delay, they headed toward him. Cohn and the others
arrived almost at the same time.
“Ryo?”
“There are five others, separate from the ones you took down,” Ryo replied to
Cohn’s unspoken question.
His answer surprised them all, including Prince Willie and Master Rodrigo inside
the vehicle.
“Those two arrows they fired came from a distance of two hundred meters
away, plotting a course directly for these two’s necks. The archers are terrifyingly
skilled.”
“Aiming for their necks from that far...? That would rank them among any
country’s best...” Cohn said with a shake of his head. It was a truly difficult shot.
The enemy went on the move while the group conversed.
“Four of them have split off, two going left and two right. They’re coming
closer. Only one of them hasn’t moved from the same spot. I’ll intercept them with
my wall of ice. Everyone, position yourselves around the carriage.”
At his words, all eight stood with their backs to the coach. Willie stuck his head
out of a window.
“Cohn, I’ll back you up. Everyone else, be on the defensive. 10-Layer Ice Wall
Package.”
With the exception of Cohn, a wall of ice surrounded the group in all directions.
“Protect those two,” he barked at the other adventurers. It was obvious he
intended to handle their assailants on his own. Their defenses were perfect. All that
was left...
“I’ll stop the pair coming from the right, so I’ll leave the two coming from the
left to you, Cohn.”
“Got it,” Cohn replied to Ryo’s instructions.
Considering we now have two strangers in our midst, I shouldn’t use magic
that’s too flashy. That means... An Ice Wall to stop them!
“What the hell? There’s an invisible wall here,” a confused voice said, coming
from their right.
Ryo had succeeded in immobilizing them by enclosing the duo in an Ice Wall.
Next up, the two on the left.
“They’re almost on us!”
At Ryo’s signal, Cohn held his sword at the ready.
Bellowing, two attackers charged.
“Grrraaarrr!!! Whoa!”
But before they could get within reach of Cohn...the first one slipped.
Ice Bahn.
“Gaaaaaah... Dwah!”
And then...the second one did too, tumbling dramatically.
For a moment, Cohn couldn’t comprehend what had happened. Nevertheless,
he acted almost reflexively upon seeing the fallen men. He rushed toward them and
kicked one in the head, knocking him out. He did the same thing to the other man
when he tried to scramble to his feet.
“All right, now the two from the right!” Ryo shouted immediately.
“Leave it to me!” Cohn moved to the right side of the carriage and readied his
sword again.
Ice Wall, release.
Almost instantly, the other pair of attackers rushed forward.
“Haaaah!!! Hrngh!”
Just like his comrades, the first one slipped and fell in front of Cohn, who
executed an explosive kick at him without delay.
“Eat shiiit...! No—”
The last one also slipped and fell, then also found himself kicked in the head.
Thus the battle ended.
Wait a minute, what about the fifth one...? When the heck did they even
disappear?
Ryo couldn’t detect their presence in range of his Passive Sonar.
“The four who charged us are all geared for melee combat, which means...the
fifth one must have been the archer capable of firing in succession at high speed,
with precision to boot,” Ryo remarked as he studied their equipment.
“That is...a very logical conclusion. What a ridiculously talented bowman,” Cohn
responded with a small shake of his head.
He and the other adventurers tied up the four men with spools of rope they got
from the coach. In the meantime, Ryo handed out potions he’d bought in a city to
the two people who’d been chased.
“You have my gratitude.”
“Thank you.”
Each thanked him.
Amid all this, Prince Willie and Master Rodrigo disembarked from the carriage.
“Allow me to present His Highness Willie from the Monarchy of Joux,” the latter
said.
The strangers’ eyes widened in surprise. Judging by their expressions, they had
assumed, from his fine clothing, that he was of the aristocracy...but to think he was
actually a prince.
“I-I’m Matthew and this is Luca,” one of them said, then they both lowered their
heads respectfully at Willie.
Rodrigo acknowledged their greetings and proceeded to introduce everyone
else in their group, including Ryo.

With the introductions over, naturally, the next question to come up was, “Why
were you fighting with them?” Matthew looked to Luca, who nodded, giving his
silent permission. So Matthew posed the query.
“The truth is, we were part of the task force deployed to rescue Luca, who was
abducted by the Handalieu Federation.”
The words “abducted” and “rescue” told Ryo they’d gotten themselves tangled
up in quite the quagmire. He sighed quietly. Rodrigo and Cohn must have felt the
same, but as expected of their training, neither man’s face betrayed their
resignation.
“We were headed to the royal capital, but our pursuers overwhelmed us and
now I’m the only one left of my unit...”
Then...in the eyes of the Kingdom, these two probably aren’t criminals.
Ryo found himself secretly relieved by the thought. The Federation might have
considered them lawbreakers, but at the very least, these men could enter the
Kingdom of Knightley’s royal capital without issue.
“Master Rodrigo, I’d like a word in private.”
Then Cohn and Rodrigo walked a short distance away from the coach to talk.
They must have been discussing what to do about the two strangers. If they were to
be thought of as additional escorts, well, the more the merrier. Although the Sect of
Assassins had stopped attacking them, they weren’t the only groups after Willie.
However, the fact remained that they were also being chased by foreigners. If they
were taken in as part of Willie’s entourage, there was a good chance of trouble.
The next city on this highway was Stone Lake, a two-hour walk from here. From
there, it would require another two days to reach Crystal Palace, the royal capital.
If it comes down to a toss-up, taking Willie’s feelings into account will probably
mean...we’ll take both of them.
Ryo thought to himself.
And in the end, Rodrigo and Cohn suggested to the pair that they accompany
their group on the journey to the capital.
“We are, of course, grateful for the offer. Unfortunately...”
“We’re being hunted. Chances are good they’ll come after us again.”
Despite their gratitude, both Matthew and Luca expressed their concerns.
“Let us deal with that if or when the time comes.”
Prince Willie nodded happily in response to Master Rodrigo’s suggestion.

◆◆◆
They now had a plan of action. The only thing left was deciding what to do with
the four captives.
“They don’t seem like adventurers to me,” Ryo muttered to no one in
particular.
“Oh? Is that right?” Prince Willie remarked with his head tilted curiously.
Ryo said this even though their equipment resembled that of adventurers
specializing in close-quarter combat...
“I don’t know how to describe it, but...I just don’t feel the grizzled aura
characteristic of adventurers from them.”
Then Ryo glanced surreptitiously at Cohn.
“Damn you, Ryo,” Cohn grunted. “Why did you glance at me just then?”
Ryo looked away. “No reason...”
“I see...” Mr. Rodrigo murmured thoughtfully as he compared the four captives
to Cohn.
“Oh, come on, not you too, Mr. Rodrigo!” Cohn lamented.
“The difference is the stubble, yes?” Rodrigo commented, his eyes still on the
attackers.
“Ohhh... That’s a very good point. I’m just now realizing that many adventurers
don’t shave their five o’ clock shadows, same as Cohn. In contrast, these four
clearly groom themselves properly. Almost as if they’re knights...”
All the knights of Lune always paid close attention to their appearance. Ryo had
imagined the faces of a few he knew thanks to his frequent mock battles with Sera
at the order’s training ground.
“Posing as adventurers despite having the air of knights... Something smells
fishy,” Cohn said bluntly.

Their carriage had been parked on the side of the highway. It went without
saying that passersby gawked curiously at the bound captives even as they went
silently on their way. Those who stuck their necks into clearly troublesome business
were few and far between.
Then one of the four finally opened his eyes.
“Have a nice rest, friend?” Cohn spoke to him.
When the man realized his hands and feet were bound, and his comrades were
in the same state, he tightened his lips. “Hmph.”
“Guess you understand the situation, huh? So why don’t you tell us who exactly
you are?”
He, of course, remained silent.
“You know, I’m not good at this kind of thing... Hey, Ryo, you have a stomach
for the tougher things in life, right?” Cohn’s tone was such that he might as well
have been saying, “You love alcohol, right?”
“I really don’t understand why you’re suddenly roping me into this, but all right,
I’ll bite. The truth is, I struggle with this sort of role too. What’s the word?
Interrogator? Torturer? Not long ago, I tried my hand at using an ice saw with
another captive, but...let’s just say I didn’t do a great job.”
As he spoke, Ryo recalled his time with Abel when they’d infiltrated the Grand
Duchy of Volturino and forced the soldiers they’d captured to confess the truth. He
was only talking about his failure, so why was the man trembling? Cohn was
frowning too.
Perhaps they’d interpreted his tale as “torture gone wrong.” From a general
perspective then, that meant he’d allowed the target to die without extracting the
necessary information. It was vital to choose your words carefully.
“However, I’ve learned from my mistakes, so this time around, I’d like to try
other methods. For example, plunging a thin ice needle into your eye or gouging
your frozen heart from your chest and showing it to you... Yes, I do believe these
will work just fine.”
Naturally, Ryo was just setting the stage. He wasn’t planning on actually
torturing the man, merely discussing how best to present it. For whatever reason,
he spoke loudly enough for the target in question to hear him... But that was
nothing more than a careless oversight on his part.
“Uhhh, Ryo, I think that might be overdoing it...” Cohn apparently
misunderstood and actually believed Ryo was going to torture the man.
As for the man in question, he’d gone deathly pale.
“Okay, I’ll concede that the heart thing is a bit much, but I firmly believe that
stabbing him in the eye will get us results. Supposedly, it doesn’t actually hurt. Just
a little prick and the person is traumatized for life, unable to forget the experience.”
At this point, the man’s teeth began chattering and the muscles on his face
froze—and not because of Ryo’s water magic. Why, he could never do something so
inhumane! Perish the thought.
“Hey, I’m not a fan of hurting people either, so why don’t you just tell us who
you are and under whose orders you’re operating? If you do, I’m almost positive
he’ll, you know, not stab you in the eye,” Cohn said gently, crouching to put himself
at the man’s eye level.
“I-I can’t tell you...” The words, his first so far, seemed to be wrung from the
man’s throat.
Meanwhile, Ryo was in the process of generating, then erasing, a thin ice
needle from the tip of his finger. Over and over again. The clacking of the man’s
teeth grew louder as he watched from the corner of his eye.
“Well, that’s too bad. Ryo!”
Ryo took a step closer.
“W-Wait, please!” the man shouted.
“What is it? You don’t have a lot of time until he’s on you.”
“I-I want to tell you, but I can’t... So please just wait until our captain—our
leader, I mean—wakes up.”
He said “captain,” which means...I’m probably not wrong about them being
knights or something similar.
Ryo chose to keep quiet out of a samurai’s compassion.
“Then you guys are knights and not adventurers, right?” Cohn, however, wasn’t
a samurai.
The man widened his eyes, at a loss for words.
Just then, their captain—no, the man whom the others evidently thought of as
their leader—regained consciousness. At almost the exact same moment, Prince
Willie noticed a group of riders coming toward them on the highway from the west.
He raised his voice in warning.
“Riders are approaching us.”
Even from a distance, it was clear that they were soldiers of a city’s garrison. A
passerby on the way must have tipped them off about Ryo’s group.
Or the escaped archer summoned them...? In which case, they would be
enemies... There’s even the possibility they’re corrupt, like the situation in
Llandewi...
Ryo bitterly recalled Llandewi, the city where Gekko’s caravan had stayed for
the night and been ambushed. The vice captain of the knightly order there had
already been in the Sect of Assassins’ pockets and taken away the Sect members
they captured.
“We are soldiers from Stone Lake,” one of the riders called out, “and we’re here
because we received a report of a quarrel on the road.”
“Such discourtesy! This is His Highness Willie, a prince of the Monarchy of Joux.
How outrageous of you to question him from atop your steeds! Is this what passes
for manners in the Kingdom of Knightley?!” Mr. Rodrigo’s sharp rebuke struck the
soldiers like a lash.
“What...?”
“Our apologies!”
With those remarks, the eight of them dismounted.
“Please forgive us. We didn’t know we were in the presence of royalty from
Joux. Begging your pardon, but would you be able to present documents attesting
to your identity?” The one who seemed to be the commanding officer addressed
them politely this time, a complete turnaround from earlier.
“Here.”
Willie handed him the necklace around his throat. The CO flipped it over, then
withdrew a business-card-sized alchemical device from within his clothing and held
it over the necklace.
“I have confirmed your identity,” he said a moment later. “Let me extend my
deepest apologies once more for earlier.” Then he returned the necklace to the
young prince.
“Bygones, so long as you understand.” Willie sounded unperturbed.
Even in situations like this, he maintained his dignity. As expected of someone
who was raised as a prince. Ryo was impressed.
“In short, these people dared to raise a hand against royalty. Do I have the gist
of it?” the commanding officer asked, looking at the four captives sitting on the
ground.
“No...! Hold on. We didn’t know— We didn’t mean to!” the leader of the
attackers, who had woken up moments before, yelled in a panic.
No wonder too. Regardless of a nation’s size, big or small, an attempt on the
life of one of its royals meant the death penalty. In some cases, the families of the
perpetrators were also executed.
“Just because you didn’t mean to doesn’t change the fact you still attacked us,
and by proxy, him,” Cohn emphasized.
The two men were pale.
“W-Wait, please. Look at the crest on my scabbard,” the leader of the four
captives pleaded.
The captain from Stone Lake jerked his chin in silent command at one of his
subordinates, who picked up the scabbard and brought it to him. His expression
changed the second he saw it.
“This is a ducal crest...” Then with a gasp of realization, he stopped talking.
A ducal crest? So they’re knights serving a duke somewhere?
Ryo thought to himself. Of course, he didn’t know which duke. Even if he heard
the name, he was confident he wouldn’t know it.
“See? Now you understand, don’t you? We’re not suspicious people. This is just
a mistake, a misunderstanding. As soldiers of Stone Lake, you comprehend the
meaning of that crest, right?” The captured man seemed to be quite skilled with his
tongue because the captain looked extremely troubled by the ducal coat of arms.
This too came as no surprise. Though Willie was a prince, the Monarchy of Joux
was a tiny country that shared no border with the Kingdom of Knightley. It was
inevitable that the balance of power between a prince of a faraway country and
those possessing a ducal crest of the garrison’s own nation would begin tipping in
the captives’ favor.
“Lord Captain. Would you allow me to inspect that sheath for a moment?”
Prince Willie spoke politely to the hesitant man.
“Huh? Oh, yes, of course.”
He handed it over to the prince, who studied the scabbard briefly before
returning it.
“I understand why you’re concerned, Captain. There isn’t much I can do in this
situation, considering these men are in the service of Duke Flitwick.”
“S-So you are aware of this crest as well, Your Highness,” the garrison captain
replied, a huge drop of sweat trickling down his face. He likely found it unexpected
that a prince from such a distant nation would recognize any coat of arms from the
Kingdom of Knightley, much less a ducal house.
“I am. It belongs to Lord Raymond, the younger brother of the king, yes?”
Willie’s words sent a shock wave through everyone gathered here. Luca was
the most agitated. It wasn’t fear on his face, but something close to—no, it was
anger.
“I can’t comment on the prince or his entourage, but those two are criminals.
We need to take them back to the dukedom’s capital of Carlyle,” the leader of the
captives said to the garrison’s commanding officer. By “those two,” he obviously
meant Matthew and Luca.
Prince Willie’s reaction was almost violent.
“I refuse to allow it. They’re my attendants now. As a prince of the Monarchy of
Joux, I hereby formally reject that demand.”
The prince practically burned with rage. It was the first time both Ryo and Cohn
had seen him like this. In a way though, they weren’t surprised. He had risked the
lives of Cohn and the other adventurers to rescue the two men, so abandoning
them now would waste their efforts. And such a prospect was clearly unacceptable
for His Highness.
“Your Highness, I understand what you’re saying, but...”
The garrison’s CO still seemed inclined to believe the captured men. Duke
Flitwick’s men.
People like him bend to either authority or violence. Though I guess both are
forms of power... I wish I knew someone important too, so they could help us out of
this pickle... Alas, I don’t know anyone in Stone Lake or the royal capital.
Ryo lamented his lack of connections. But almost immediately, he remembered
something.
No, wait! I do know someone in the capital?!
He approached the captain and whispered to him. “Lord Captain, wouldn’t the
best course of action here be to summon a higher-ranking official and let them pass
judgment?”
If given the chance, many would jump at the opportunity to escape the burden
of a difficult decision.
Ryo pressed his advantage. “This is a problem involving a prince and a duke.
Any careless decisions made now may lead to more trouble later.”
“I-I see. I do believe you have a point,” the garrison captain conceded.
“Hey, there’s no way in hell we’ll let that happen!”
“Villains should keep quiet. Ice Casket 4.”
Before the leader of the captives could say any more, Ryo encased all four of
them in coffins made of ice.
“What in the world...?”
“We can’t have our attackers escape, you see. Don’t worry. They’re still alive.”
“O-Oh, well, in that case...”
The garrison’s commanding officer was completely devoured by Ryo’s display
of “violence.”
Authority is all that’s left now.
“All right, on to the topic of who exactly to summon. Wouldn’t you agree it
should be someone on the level of a national leader?”
“Y-Yes, of course... However, they’re all incredibly busy people, so...”
“With your permission, I suggest Master Arthur Berasus, special advisor at the
Bureau of Royal Magicians. If the request comes from me, I believe he’ll come
immediately from the capital. What do you say?”
“Y-You know— I mean—you’re acquainted with Advisor Berasus?”
They had returned together from Layer 40 of Lune’s dungeon.
“Yes. Tell him this is a request from Ryo, an adventurer of Lune, to speed
things up.”
“Astounding! But...what if he’s not currently in residence there? What then?”
I don’t know anyone else...which leaves me no choice except to rely on Abel’s
network.
 “In that case, please ask for Master Hilarion. You can tell him the request is
from Ryo, Abel’s friend.”
“What?! You know Lord Hilarion too?! Say no more. Listen up! Ride out right
now to the capital. One of you go to Advisor Berasus and another to Lord Hilarion.”
Hmmm... I guess this Hilarion character who sent Abel so many letters is
actually a bigwig?
“In the meantime, I ask that you all please proceed to Stone Lake. We would
have you wait there for the arrival of Advisor Berasus or Lord Hilarion. As for these
frozen individuals...”
“Leave them to me.” And with that, Ryo prepared four of his Carts to transport
them.

◆◆◆
Cohn and Matthew sat in the driver’s seat of the boxed carriage while Prince
Willie, Mr. Rodrigo, Luca, and Ryo sat within the cabin. The four Carts carrying the
coffins made of ice followed behind the vehicle. The prince’s bodyguards and
adventurers as well as the soldiers on horseback surrounded the carriage
protectively in front and back. So the group headed to Stone Lake in this formation.
“Thank you kindly, Ryo, for humoring me. In the heat of the moment, all I could
think to say was that you’re my attendant...” Willie said apologetically.
“Not a problem at all, Your Highness. You sent your men out to rescue these
two knowing the potential dangers. I’m sure you thought that simply handing them
over without so much as a discussion would have been a great disservice to Cohn
and the other adventurers, right?” Ryo understood the boy’s heart was in the right
place.
“I really am sorry for causing everyone all this trouble.” This time, Luca spoke
with his head bowed.
“Master Luca, the fact that you were pursued even after escaping from the
Federation, and moreover targeted by the king’s younger brother, makes me think
you’re a very important individual, eh?” Mr. Rodrigo remarked mildly. What he left
unsaid was, “Perhaps it’s time to tell us who you really are and the truth of your
circumstances.”
Luca inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment and began talking.
“I’m the younger brother of Fuca, Minister of Finance of the Kingdom of
Knightley.”
Finance Minister Fuca! What an unfortunate name...
At the mention of the name, the first thing that popped into Ryo’s head was the
name of a character from Alexandre Dumas’s The d’Artagnan Romances.
Specifically Fouquet, the Superintendent of Finances. Tragically, he winds up being
the pawn of René d’Herblay, once upon a time Aramis of The Three Musketeers, and
his scheme to take control of France. Of course, Fouquet actually existed in real life.
Even as the rude thoughts spun through Ryo’s mind, Luca continued
explaining.
“Prince Raymond formed a secret pact with Chancellor Aubrey of the Handalieu
Federation. And unfortunately for me, I found out about it by pure accident. In order
to force my older brother to align himself with them, they took me as a captive to
the Federation. Let’s just say I don’t plan on undergoing that bitter experience again
anytime soon.”
If Fuca is the Minister of Finance, maybe there’s a counterpart here identical to
Comptroller-General of Finances Colbert too... Speaking of Colbert, he’s a famous
person who appears in bold type in high school world history textbooks in
conjunction with mercantilist policies...
Though Ryo’s imagination ballooned even more, he kept his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, Willie and Rodrigo listened attentively to Luca’s tale.
“Matthew and his team work directly under my brother. They’re the ones who
rescued me.”
“Based on what I’ve heard, the relationship between King Stafford IV and Prince
Raymond is strained. So wouldn’t it be prudent to appeal to His Majesty about this
situation through your elder brother?” Prince Willie suggested to Luca.
“There’s no denying that His Majesty is on bad terms with his younger brother.
But...the palace is dealing with its own problems at the moment...” Luca replied
with a shake of his head.
“Hmmm...” Willie fell into thought. Then when he abruptly looked up, he saw
Ryo nodding quietly to himself over and over, clearly thinking about something.
“Ryo, do you have an idea?”
“Huh?”
Ryo’s mind had wandered to d’Artagnan arresting Fouquet in the story... Of
course, none of that showed on his face. He quickly played back the conversation at
hand and offered an alternative.
“Um, maybe we can ask Master Arthur Berasus for his advice on that too?”
“A key authority figure arriving from the royal capital, hm? A fine idea indeed.”
Prince Willie nodded emphatically.
Phew, I somehow managed to talk myself out of that one.
Ryo was relieved.
“Do you actually know Special Advisor Berasus, Master Ryo? You didn’t just lie
to gain control over the situation?” Luca questioned pointedly.
“I do, in fact, know him. If I may exaggerate a little, I’d say we’re comrades in
arms.”
“Wow.” Prince Willie reacted first in response to Ryo’s declaration. “Despite
your youthful appearance, you have a wealth of experiences, don’t you, Ryo!” And
he sounded extremely excited for some reason. He continued, “I wonder if I too can
broaden my experiences after some more training and discipline...”
“I think so. Probably...”
“Starting today, the city’s soldiers will protect our lodgings, yes? At least until
Lord Berasus appears. Which means, we don’t have to concern ourselves with an
ambush, so I can practice magic just before my body gives out!”
“I-I think so. Probably...”
Until yesterday, the young prince had practiced magic to the point of collapsing
from mana exhaustion. Evidently, he planned to turn a new leaf starting today by
practicing until he was almost at his limit instead of surpassing his limit like before.
But Ryo knew better. He knew the boy would most definitely practically until his
mana ran out again. Because the water magician’s disciple was very dedicated to
his learning...

Two days after the group had arrived in Stone Lake, the captain of the city’s
garrison and Special Advisor to the Bureau of Royal Magicians, Arthur Berasus,
entered Prince Willie’s room. First, Arthur greeted His Highness before turning to
Ryo, pleased to reunite with him. With his long, white beard, gray magician’s robe,
and large staff, he looked every inch a powerful magician.
“You’re looking well, Ryo,” Arthur said jovially. “Though I have to admit, I was
taken aback by your request for assistance, unusual as it is. Needless to say, I
rushed here without a moment’s delay.”
“Thank you very much, Lord Berasus,” Ryo responded gratefully with a smile.
“Didn’t I tell you to call me ‘Arthur,’ boy?” Then he suddenly surveyed their
surroundings. “Speaking of, I heard this has something to do with a duke or what
have you. But...I don’t see anyone matching the description here...”
“About that. It would be a challenge to bring them in here, so they’re in the
garden,” the garrison captain explained.
“Oh? Why is that?” Arthur cocked his head curiously and approached the
window overlooking the garden. “Aha, I see the light now... Splendidly frozen, eh?
Ryo, that’s your doing, isn’t it?” The advisor grinned pointedly at him.
“Well, they did attack us, so I just made sure they couldn’t escape...”
“Hands and feet bound with rope and frozen in ice...and looks to me like
they’re still alive too... Personally, I never want to see the inside of one of those ice
coffins, thanks.” That last part came out as a barely audible whisper.

They took turns telling Arthur everything that had happened, how it had
happened, and what they hoped the outcome would be. One of the frozen people
was thawed and brought into the room. He introduced himself as Bader.
“Hm, I think I have the gist.”
Arthur asked for a refill of his black tea once everyone finished saying his piece.
He remained silent until his cup was full again. After taking a sip, he spoke again.
“Firstly, Matthew and Luca will journey to the royal capital with Prince Willie as
his attendants. Any interference there will inevitably lead to a diplomatic headache.
As for the attackers... Bader, was it? You and your men will return and update your
master of the developments. But first, you must pay for your crime. Considering
your attack failed and all you succeeded in doing was making fools of yourselves
slipping and sliding, I think twenty days in jail should be enough. You’ll serve your
time here in Stone Lake. I’ll inform the local magistrate myself.”
Prince Willie and his people basically got everything they asked for. Ryo wasn’t
too surprised. After all, when he’d asked for the special advisor, he’d hoped for this
exact outcome. Three cheers for a rigged trial. Hip, hip, huzzah!
“I’ll unfreeze them right before departure tomorrow,” Ryo promised the
garrison captain and Arthur.
Incidentally, Bader had been refrozen and once more stood in the garden in his
ice coffin...
“Oh, right, I almost forgot to mention. I went ahead of my people, but a few
folks from the Bureau should be arriving sometime today here in Stone Lake. They’d
like to personally escort you and Prince Willie’s entourage to the capital, Ryo.”
“Huh?!” The baffled exclamation was the only thing he could come up with in
response to the advisor’s unexpected announcement.
“That’s how they want to thank you for saving them in Lune. There you have it,
Your Highness. Does the Bureau of Royal Magicians have your permission to
accompany you?”
“Yes! Yes, of course. Thank you so much!”
Well...we only have the one coach, so I suppose...it wouldn’t hurt to have more
people with us and really make a show of a foreign prince’s grand entrance into the
royal capital.
That was how Ryo convinced himself to go along with it.

The next morning, after thawing the four attackers just like he had promised,
Ryo headed to where the carriage was parked in front of the inn. There, he found a
long line of magicians from the Bureau...
“U-Um, aren’t there...a lot of them?” he whispered to Arthur, who had walked
over to stand next to Ryo as soon as he arrived. “There must be at least fifty of
them.”
Arthur must not have anticipated such a ridiculous number either because his
voice came out a bit strained when he replied. “I-I honestly thought only five or six
of them would come...”
The sight of fifty magicians escorting the prince’s vehicle on foot would
certainly make a magnificent spectacle in its own right.
“Ryo...I had no idea you saved so many people...” Cohn, sitting in the cabman’s
perch as usual, murmured quietly to Ryo.
“Neither did I...”

It goes without saying that when the group arrived at Crystal Palace two days
later, they were the talk of the capital.

◆◆◆
That day, Hilarion was out on business. He actually hadn’t been back to the
Institute since yesterday because of said business. He returned at three in the
afternoon and was unsurprised to find a gaggle of young women clustered in his
office around a table of sweets.
“Why do you girlies always have to eat in here?”
“Because these sofas are absolutely divine,” Rihya quipped happily.
Even Hilarion didn’t have a retort in the face of her sunny smile.
“Master, a rider from Stone Lake arrived yesterday with a message then left
just as quickly. I put it on top of your desk,” Lyn informed him.
“That right?”
That was all he said before walking over to read the missive.
“Ryo? Really?”
Lyn heard his low mutter. “Did you say ‘Ryo’?” she said.
Hilarion jolted back to reality when he heard Lyn say the name. “Uh, I just
remembered something I have to do. I’ll be back, but not tonight, so let Abel know,
will ya?”
“Sure, of course. Safe travels,” Lyn said, puzzled.
He had one of the Institute’s boxed carriages brought around and asked the
driver to travel through the night and into the next morning without stopping. His
destination was Stone Lake.
“This Ryo must be the same water magician Abel told me about. And he wants
my help in Stone Lake? Why not? Now I can finally put a face to the name! Not to
mention an up close and personal look at his many original spells. Heh heh heh.
Lady Luck is smiling down on me, eh? Far be it from me to let this chance escape!”
Unfortunately for Hilarion, the shades were drawn over each of the coach’s
windows. Unable to see the road outside, he completely missed the vehicle passing
by—the same vehicle being escorted by Bureau magicians. Such was the misfortune
that befell him.
Naturally, by the time he arrived in Stone Lake, Ryo was long gone.

◆◆◆
This happened a few days before Ryo and the rest of Prince Willie’s entourage
arrived in Crystal Palace, the Kingdom’s capital. Two adventurers stood in front of
His Lordship’s manor in Lune, the largest frontier city in the country—the C-rank
party Switchback’s leader and swordsman, Rah, and its scout, Sue. After
announcing themselves and stating their business to the guard on duty, they now
waited for the person they had come to see. Ten minutes passed.
“Rah, Sue, apologies for the delay. I hope you weren’t waiting long?”
It was Sera, a B-rank adventurer and sword instructor for the city’s knights.
“No, not at all. If anything, we’re sorry for coming here without warning.”
Sue bowed her head. Meanwhile, Rah stood there frozen stiff.
The woman known as “Sera of the Wind” was already the stuff of legends as far
as members of the adventurers’ guild were concerned due to her fearsome talents
and equally overwhelming beauty. Because she was an elf, not only could she wield
powerful air magic, but she was also a highly skilled swordswoman.
So Rah’s reaction was fairly normal at being in the presence of a living legend.
Sue, however, spoke to her without any difficulty. That was par for the course for
most of the female adventurers who met Sera, in fact.
“Um, the truth is, we worked a job with Ryo to the Principality of Inverey, but he
ran into some trouble, so he’ll be a bit late returning to Lune. He wanted us to give
you a letter and here we are to do just that.” Then Sue handed Ryo’s letter to Sera.
“I-I see. He won’t be back for a while, hm...? No, never mind. Thank you for the
letter, Sue. I’ll head back to my room and read it straightaway.”
“You’re welcome. Please excuse us, then,” Sue said before dragging the frozen
Rah away with her. The guard on duty tilted his head in confusion, wondering why
she’d brought Rah along in the first place.
Once the two adventurers were gone, Sera opened the letter on the spot.
Despite what she’d said about reading it in her room, she was simply too curious to
wait any longer. She skimmed it once...then read through it more carefully...and her
knees gave out.
“M-Madam Sera?!” the guard cried out in surprise and concern.
 “I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
She raised her right hand to stop him from rushing over, before slowly standing
up. Then, swaying unsteadily, she started plodding toward the manor hall. “Royal
capital... Royal...capital... Royal...” she muttered over and over again.
 A few moments of walking and she found herself in front of the building.
Suddenly looking very determined, Sera whipped around, her steps now forceful.
Her new destination was the knight commander’s office.
As usual, two knights stood sentry in front of the knight commander’s office.
“I’d like to speak to Ser Neville.”
The knight had never seen such a steely expression on her face before.
“Y-Yes, ma’am, please wait a moment.” One of them knocked on the door.
“Commander, Madam Sera is here to see you.”
A man’s deep voice came from inside. “Let her in.”
She stepped into his office.
“Miss Sera, what can I do for you today?” Neville Black, commander of Lune’s
knights, called out to her cheerfully.
She silently strode over to his desk, slammed both hands down on it, and
leaned down aggressively into his face.
“Ser Neville! Does the order have any reason to visit the capital anytime soon?
It must, yes? It must, it must! I’m right, aren’t I?!”
“Wh-Whoa, Miss Sera, what brought this on? Calm yourself.”
Neville himself wasn’t feeling particularly calm either, overpowered as he was
by the bloodcurdling aura radiating from her.
“So. You’re asking about any upcoming plans to visit the capital? Uhhh... Yeah,
we are. The order’s been entrusted with transporting the additional magic stones
the royal family bought. Eight of us are leaving tomorrow. The list of personnel has
already been determined, though...”
“Is that so? Then I’d like you to add me to it as well. I’ll reimburse you for the
increased travel expenses at a later date. As their sword instructor, it is, after all,
my duty to ensure my pupils are performing well and supervise their delivery of the
requested goods.”
“But you’ve never done anything like that before now...”
“Ser Neville! I trust there is no problem with including me on this journey, yes?”
“Uh, no,” Neville said, giving in. “None at all.”
“Very good. I appreciate your cooperation. I’ll inform His Lordship myself.”
Then, with a brilliant smile, Sera left the knight commander’s office.
“No problem at all, but...what in the hell even made her ask...”
Even the highly regarded, extremely capable, and well-known knight
commander Neville Black couldn’t think of a reason for her bizarre behavior.

Converging in the Royal Capital

“Everyone, you have my gratitude.”

With those words, Prince Willie bowed his head. Mr. Rodrigo, standing
diagonally behind him, did the same.
“No, no, please. I’m just glad we managed to get you here safely,” Cohn said,
embarrassed.
“We were only doing our jobs. Please, raise your head, Your Highness.” Ryo
sounded a bit panicked.
They were in front of the Kingdom of Knightley’s royal castle. The volunteers
from the Bureau of Royal Magicians, who’d escorted the prince’s entourage, had
already departed, returning to their official duties. As for Matthew and Luca, after
expressing their thanks, they had set off for the ministry of finance, accompanied
by burly bodyguards who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
That left Prince Willie and Mr. Rodrigo, who were now saying their final
goodbyes to Ryo and the other adventurers.
“Ryo, won’t you grant me one last boon?!” The boy looked determined.
“How may I assist you, Your Highness?” Curious, Ryo kept his tone light in
response.
“May I call you ‘Master’ from now on?”
“I’m sorry, but I would rather you didn’t...”
“That is unfortunate,” Prince Willie said, disappointed. “Then I shall simply call
you my mentor.”
“I wish you wouldn’t...” But the word didn’t feel like much of a compromise to
Ryo.
And then the boy and his retainer entered the castle to report on their safe
arrival in the capital.
“All right, Ryo, we’re thinking about visiting the adventurers’ guild. What about
you?”
With them gone, it was just Ryo, Cohn, and the other adventurers the other
man had led on the journey. Once Cohn and the others went to the guild, this
temporary party would dissolve. Since this was his first time in the royal capital, Ryo
was in no rush to be anywhere in particular. The only thing on his agenda for the
foreseeable future was to say hello to Special Advisor Berasus.
So just as he decided to tag along with Cohn and the rest...he heard a familiar
voice call out to him from a group of people coming out of the castle.
“Ryo?”
When he turned around, Sera rushed him at the speed of sound and hugged
him tight.
“Ngh...! S-Sera? Why are you here? I suppose that question goes for all of you
in Lune’s order of knights too.”
For a few moments, she simply embraced him in silence. Eden, a platoon
commander in the order, answered Ryo instead.
“Ummm, we were entrusted with the task of transporting certain items to the
royal family. Which we actually completed just now.”
“Huh... Wait, Sera too?”
“Yes, Madam Sera as well. Although, technically speaking...she wasn’t part of
the original plan. You could say she was a last-minute addition...” Eden was clearly
trying to be diplomatic.
“It’s not like I had any other choice.” Lifting her head from Ryo’s chest, Sera
finally spoke. “You asked Sue of Switchback to deliver to me your letter, yes? Then,
when I opened it and read that you’d be visiting the royal capital, I... Let me explain
myself properly. You see, Ryo, we elves require a vital nutritional supplement,
and...that is what you are to me. Without you, I’m lost. So now that you know,
please act accordingly henceforth!”
“Uhhh... I’m...sorry?”
 “Nutritional supplement”...? What the heck kind of nutritional supplement am I?
But also...that’s the first time anyone’s said something like that to me.
“Good.” She beamed. “So long as you understand.”
The destructive power of her smile transcended everything. Ryo was willing
and able to fight the entire world for the sake of that smile...
But first, he needed an answer to the mystery she had just dropped on him.
“By the way, what exactly do you mean by ‘nutritional supplement’?”
“Hm? Oh, that. Right. Do you recall the guardian beast who mentioned
something about how being around you extends one’s lifespan?”
“I do...”
“That. That’s it. I told you before how elves are essentially half fairy, so I
suspect the guardian beast you encountered also falls in the fae category. Our term
for this is the ‘fae facet’ and for those who possess it, you are a very valuable
source of nutrition, Ryo. Another feature of this involves the ability to exorcise
evil...is the best way I can describe it. And of course, the refreshing effect. We
mustn’t forget that either. I suggest you keep all this in mind.”
The knights listening in on their conversation nodded while oohing and aahing.
“Uh,” Ryo said, “does that have an effect on humans too...?”
“No, not at all,” she said frankly. “As far as I know, anyway.”
“Um...then...does that have an effect on me?”
“No, probably not. As far as I know, anyway.” Her bluntness remained
unchanged when he pressed further.
For whatever reason, a tremendous sense of defeat afflicted Ryo then. Amid all
this, he didn’t even notice Cohn excusing himself and the other adventurers with a
“Uhhh, we’re just going to head out now.”

◆◆◆
“So let me see if I have this right. Luca has taken refuge in the ministry of
finance and Sica’s whereabouts are unknown. With the fetters we placed on him
gone, the Minister of Finance not only has no incentive to align himself with me, but
there’s a good chance I’ve made an enemy of him? I’d heard the Federation’s
Information Agency was staffed with only the elite, but you buffoons can’t even
catch one man. Seems the rumors about you lot were just that, considering these
disastrous results.”
“We are deeply ashamed.”
“Not to mention, Hilarion is backing Fuca from the shadows. Have I missed
anything else?”
This was Duke Flitwick’s estate in the royal capital. A man and a woman were
talking in the duke’s office. The slender man wearing a monocle spoke while
perusing the documents before him.
As for the woman, her brunette hair was trimmed to her shoulders and her gray
eyes glittered with intelligence. Though her appearance was lovely, her
conversation with the man made it clear that it was all calculated and she did, in
fact, work for the Federation’s Information Agency. Even her apology was no more
than a token one...
“Moving on. This man named Abel connects them all?”
 “Correct. He was conducting his own investigation into the Black Dust as well.”
Abel had already attracted the scrutiny of not only Sica and his people but also
those under the duke’s command. An inevitable circumstance because his principal
occupation was adventurer and not intelligence analyst. However, what these
people didn’t realize were the bits of misinformation and disinformation riddling the
documents.
“Where is Hilarion right now?”
“We received reports that he left the capital yesterday and was bound east on
the Second Highway.”
“Which means, now might be our only opportunity to dispose of this Abel
character.”
The monocled man fell into a thoughtful silence for a bit. Getting rid of him
might prove more difficult than expected. According to their data, he was quite a
capable young man. If he didn’t send in their best, they could expect to have the
tables turned on them.
“Then...we’ll have to use them to ensure his elimination.”
“Agreed. We have already taken the necessary steps.”
“Oh? Tell me more.”
“Gordon, Berlocke, and Roman—these are the three who will be deployed.
Gordon alone should be able to handle him easily enough, but including the other
two guarantees success.”
“Fine. Clean this mess up before Hilarion returns.”
“Understood.” With that, the brunette woman exited the office.
The man with the monocle smiled faintly.
“An ambush by the Hero, eh...”

◆◆◆
Gordon was on cloud nine. This was the first time in his twenty-three years of
life that he was popular with women. As the fire magician in the Hero’s party,
Gordon most definitely wasn’t a bad-looking guy. In fact, you could say he was
better-looking than average.
However, he was a tad insensitive, a tad overconfident, and a tad
condescending, all of which explained why women never gave him the time of day.
They might have been able to overlook one of those flaws, but all three? In one
man? Impossible.
But his time in the sun had finally come because a woman crazy about him had
appeared here in the royal capital. Her name was Nancy and she was Viscount
Othniel Fletcher’s secretary. The monocle-wearing noble was a man possessed of a
calm aura. Duke Flitwick’s chief retainer in all but name, he managed the duke’s
interests in the capital. As for Nancy, his secretary, she was a lovely woman in her
twenties with very expressive eyes.
And Gordon was hopelessly in love with her.
At long last, springtime had arrived for Gordon...
Roman the Hero couldn’t be happier for his friend. The same went for Berlocke,
the earth magician, who toasted to Gordon’s happiness countless times. Graham,
the clergyman, simply nodded with his usual stoic expression. Meanwhile, Alicia,
Morris, and Ashkhan—the air magician, scout, and enchanter—all frowned.
“Are you sure you’re all right? You’re not being deceived or anything?” Alicia
asked.
“I think any woman attracted to Gordon needs to have her eyes examined,”
Morris quipped.
Ashkhan let her silence do the talking.
In short, each of the three women expressed their worries in their own way.
After arriving in the Kingdom’s capital, the Hero’s party had requested an
audience with King Stafford IV. Unfortunately, due to His Majesty’s poor health, they
were currently being detained in Duke Flitwick’s residence. Although “detain” might
be too strong of a word, since they could do what they pleased. Then there was the
fact of Gordon enjoying the springtime of his life. All in all, things were just fine.
For Graham, his days on the ducal estate couldn’t be more fulfilling as he spent
them in deep conversation with the clerics of light of the Central Provinces, eagerly
discussing their respective deities and religious teachings. The trio of women in the
Hero’s party—Alicia, Morris, and Ashkhan—also enjoyed their time there, hosting
tea parties with the lady’s attendants and developing individual connections.
During their stay here, Gordon’s outings with Nancy had become more
frequent. A short time ago, she’d invited him to go with her to a newly opened
restaurant in the royal capital. Simply put, a date! He didn’t think he could fly any
higher, he was so excited. Unfortunately for him, a third and fourth wheel appeared,
putting a complete damper on his mood.
“Roman, Berlocke, why are you two here?” Gordon asked, his expression
fearsome.
“Nancy said she’d treat us, that’s why,” Berlocke replied, scratching his head.
“I have to admit, I was worried about ruining things for you...” Roman
answered, scratching his cheek.
And then Nancy arrived. She whispered apologetically to Gordon. “I’m sorry,
Gordon. His Lordship bade me to be hospitable and take them with us...”
“Ahhh, I see. Don’t even worry about it! Definitely wouldn’t want you to get in
trouble for disobeying the viscount. So, yeah, no problem at all!”
“Truly?! Oh, Gordon, you’re ever so kind!” Nancy said, clinging to his arm.
In response, his face flushed scarlet as he grinned bashfully...

Gordon’s first date was going pretty well. He completely ignored the two men
trailing behind them and made sure to focus both his gaze and mind on Nancy. The
route they walked circled the Institute for Magical Research, an area full of delicious
restaurants and stylish apparel stores, all things that didn’t catch his attention. He
didn’t even know where they were or where they were going because he wasn’t
familiar at all with the map of the royal capital.
As for the two men trailing behind them, they enjoyed the outing in their own
ways, unconcerned with the couple walking in front of them. They entered various
little cafes and shops and bought tasty-looking treats. They also browsed the
collections at different weapons shops.
Unfortunately, tragedy always strikes unexpectedly.
With the other two off who knew where, Gordon and Nancy ate lunch at a fancy
restaurant. When he told her he would take care of the bill, she stepped outside
before him. After paying, he exited the establishment, only to find...Nancy collapsed
on the ground, coughing up blood.
“Nancy!”
He rushed to help her up.
“Gordon...” she gasped, her breathing faint.
“How the hell did this happen?!”
He hurriedly made her drink one of the potions he always carried with him.
Once she finished the vial, Nancy gestured toward the other end of the street.
“That...swordsman...”
She pointed at a lone man with his back to them.
“Him?! He did this to you?!”
Gordon’s vision went black with rage. All he could see was Nancy coughing up
blood and the man responsible for that. He gently laid her down on the side of the
road before standing up. Eyes blazing with rage, he grasped his staff. Then he
chanted.
“Blade Lange Trident.”
Three whirling tongues of flames burst forth from Gordon’s staff toward the
man. This spell was the most powerful one in his arsenal for one-on-one battles.
“Abel!” a woman screamed.
“Sanctuary.”
The same woman planted herself in front of the oncoming trio of flames and
cast the spell. It was a type of emergency defense magic. In an instant, she created
the barrier without reciting an incantation. The secret technique of a cleric.
Sanctuary activated correctly and negated Gordon’s Blade Lange Trident, but
the kinetic energy of his spell still sent the woman flying into the wall behind her.
“Rihya!”
Abel’s eyes jerked toward Rihya as she was blasted away. Just then, Lyn and
Warren appeared, turning the corner.
“Lyn, Warren, take care of her.”
Then Abel ran in the opposite direction.
Gordon, his most powerful spell blocked, rushed to cast another one.
“Fire Ball.”
It raced toward his target at incredible speed, but Abel sliced through the Fire
Ball with his magic sword.
“No way!”
Those were Gordon’s last words before Abel’s left fist slammed into his solar
plexus, knocking him out. Unfortunately, that didn’t solve the problem. Roman and
Berlocke just so happened to be exiting the shop next door at that time. As they
watched Gordon drop unconscious to the ground thanks to Abel’s punch, they
couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on.
On one side, there was Gordon, unconscious after taking the hit to the gut. On
the other was Nancy, coughing up blood. Realization finally hit Roman. The man
who took Gordon down was the enemy. And he was the villain here.
Roman unsheathed his holy sword, Astarte, while racing toward Gordon and
Abel. Abel saw him from the corner of his eye. Just in time to avoid his all-out thrust.
 Thus, through an unfortunate combination of coincidence, misunderstanding,
and malice, began the battle between Roman the Hero and Abel the genius
swordsman in the streets of the royal capital.

The moment Roman charged at Abel, Berlocke cast a spell.

“Stone Javelin.”
But his stone spear was obliterated by an Air Slash loosed from the other side
of the street. There, he saw a young girl holding a staff glaring at him.
“Must be that swordsman’s friends, eh?”
While the battle between the swordsmen intensified, the magicians on either
side kept their counterparts in check without interfering.
There wasn’t a single curious onlooker in the area. In fact, no one approached
them. The shops nearby had all firmly shut their doors and slatted shutters from the
inside.
Any time fights break out in the street, one of two phenomena occur:
spectators either flock to the scene or people lock themselves up inside their
homes. You might be wondering what determines one response from the other.
Well, that depends entirely on how dangerous the fight is.
Just imagine it and you’ll understand. Let’s say opponents are duking it out with
rifles. Do you think that will attract onlookers? Of course not, since no one wants to
risk their life if they get caught up in the shoot-out.
That was how the clash of swords between Roman and Abel looked to the
capital’s residents. While someone usually would have already reported it to the
garrison for the city’s keepers to handle, this country lacked phones or any other
method of instantaneous communication. Notifying the authorities wasn’t a simple
matter.

This guy is scary fast. His blows are powerful too.

As he continued deflecting Roman’s sword, Abel couldn’t help feeling
astonished. While his opponent wasn’t on the same level as the demon princes he’d
once fought in Layer 40 of the dungeon, his speed and force were definitely
abnormal for a human. Even though Abel held his own through a combination of
technique and experience, he understood this fight would be a tough one.
I guess he’s with the fire magician I took down a few minutes ago, huh... Were
they hired by the masterminds who orchestrated all the recent back-to-back
disasters? No, that’s impossible. His strength is something that would put him at
the top of the pack in any country.

Well, I certainly didn’t expect him to be such a skilled swordsman... Does this
mean the Kingdom is full of talented warriors like him? Based on his ability alone,
out of all the people I’ve faced thus far, he’s undoubtedly one of the best... No
matter how I attack him, he thwarts me every time. It feels like an unspeakably
high wall, different from that time against Leonore...
Roman the Hero was starting to enjoy himself just a bit. The sight of Gordon
being defeated and Nancy coughing up blood had fueled his initial charge. At first,
he’d focused entirely on taking down the enemy, but now he was beyond those
sentiments.
He thrust, and then slashed, but his angle was just off enough for his opponent
to push his blade away cleanly. So for his next attack, he forcefully slashed down.
Again, the other man brandished his own sword with exquisite timing, catching
Roman at the point before he could fully use his strength, overwhelming him.
To evade like that required skill and experience far out of Roman’s depth. And
it improved to be a valuable lesson for the Hero himself.

By this time, Alicia, Morris, and Ashkhan joined their comrades. They had been
enjoying themselves in the city on their own. But like Berlocke, they were unable to
interfere because of the resistance keeping them in check from the other side of the
road.
This, however, didn’t actually pose much of a problem for the Hero’s party.
Why? Because Roman was the one doing the fighting. More importantly, he wasn’t
fighting Leonore or the Inferno Magician. In a one-on-one battle against anyone
else, there was no chance of him losing.
“Then again, people like Her Highness exist too.”
Morris’s comrades pretended not to hear her murmur because that imperial
princess was an exception too.

◆◆◆
Ryo and Sera were walking around the royal capital while eating crepes. To his
pleasant surprise, Crepe, the food stall he’d encountered in both Whitnash and
Lune, was also here in Crystal Palace. They decided to stop by after Ryo insisted,
where an old man well into his seventies had sold the crepes to them. Now, as for
Sera’s reaction...
“Wow! This truly is delectable!” She praised the confection with her first bite.
“Riiight?” Ryo puffed out his chest proudly. He’d been confident she would like
it because they had similar tastes in food. “A while back, the shop had a stall near
Lune’s east gate, and that was delicious too. It must be a chain store, huh...
Anyway, my favorite is this whipped cream and banana combo. It never lets me
down!”
“Now I understand why you were so insistent, Ryo. Life would be so much
poorer if one never experiences such a divine dish!”
Delicious food makes people happy. Delicious food makes people’s lives richer.
This is an unchanging truth, no matter the era and world.
Enveloped in this happiness, the two continued walking. Before long, they
heard the sounds of swords clashing.
“Who in the world is foolish enough to engage in a sword fight in the middle of
the royal capital?” Sera sounded baffled.
“It sounds like a one-on-one fight, and only the two of them are going at it...”
Ryo said thoughtfully.
Both of them had above-average hearing, so they could easily determine the
number of combatants. Since the noise was coming from the direction they were
headed, if they kept going, they’d find out what was happening... And so, with that
casual thought, they did exactly that while enjoying their crepes. What they found
was...
“What an incredible clash of swords...” Ryo blurted out.
“Indeed, they’re both quite talented.” Sera was impressed too.
“Is it just me,” Ryo said, “or does one of them look suspiciously like Abel?”
“Hm...it most certainly isn’t just you,” Sera said, confirming his suspicion.
“Considering Lyn and the others are on the other side of the street, I think your
guess is right.”

“Well, this fight is becoming one for the ages, huh? None of us can even get
close to them,” Morris, the scout, commented.
“No kidding. The fact Roman’s opponent can keep pace with him at all is
unbelievable. What is he?” Alicia, the air magician, muttered quietly in response.
“Yeah...exactly what I was thinking! How is it even possible that he’s holding
his own against the holy sword, Astarte? Any normal blade would have been
shattered to pieces after Roman’s first strike!” Morris questioned, unable to wrap
her head around the situation.
“That just means his sword isn’t normal then. Look closely. It’s glowing red, so
it must be magic,” Alicia answered.
“He wields a magic blade...? Honestly, what is he...” Morris asked, puzzled.
Ordinary adventurers couldn’t get their hands on magical weapons.
Encountering someone in possession of such an item by coincidence in the middle
of a city...the odds were incredibly low.
Morris shook her head again and surveyed their surroundings.
“No wonder there aren’t any crowds here.”
“I can’t say I don’t understand. I wouldn’t want to risk my life either. Besides us
and the other man’s comrades, Roman and his opponent are the only ones on the
street. Speaking of, what about those two? Are they not planning on escaping?”
Alicia asked, looking down the street.
There, a man who seemed to be a magician and a beautiful woman wearing a
cloak stood eating something...
“Oh, the woman, she’s an elf...”
“You’re right! Just what I’d expect from a royal capital. First, a magic sword
wielder and now an elf. There must be so many other unusual folks here too, huh?”
Morris sounded excited.
“I-I wonder...” As for Alicia, she didn’t sound so convinced, so she simply kept
her reply noncommittal.

Roman and Abel’s sword fight continued. And while they fought, Abel realized
something.
I’ll lose at this rate.
The difference between their abilities was almost nonexistent. Though Abel was
more technically proficient, he could only inflict minor, occasional wounds on his
opponent. Each time he did, the young man’s party members grew even more
tense.
But the rate at which their mental stamina depleted was very different.
Roman’s style of swordsmanship, which embodied constant boldness, ensured he
was always on the offensive. Meanwhile, Abel’s more technical style meant he
remained on the defensive. Abel knew that if he failed to deflect even one blow, the
damage would be fatal. Because Roman surpassed him in terms of speed and
power.
One mistake was the difference between life and death... Only those who’d
confronted the reality of this tension understood it. And that tension had been
gnawing at Abel from the start. The fact that he managed to survive the fight so far
through skill, without faltering, was a testament to his genius with the sword.
However, this was precisely why he sensed the inevitable defeat that lay ahead.

“To be able to drive Abel into a corner with his sword... He’s incredible,” Ryo
murmured.
He expected Sera to reply since she’d been chatting throughout the fight.
When she didn’t, he grew concerned.
“Sera?”
“H-Huh? Oh, I’m sorry. That sword, the one Abel’s opponent is wielding... I’m
almost positive it’s Astarte, the holy sword,” she murmured.
“Wooow, a holy sword! Then does that mean Abel’s sword is a magic sword too,
since it glows red?”
The words “holy sword” had a powerful effect on Ryo. When you’re talking
about a fantasy setting, the words “magic sword” and “holy sword” get people fired
up! Such wonderful words indeed.
“That’s correct. I have heard that the holy sword Astarte has been used for
generations by the Hero born in the Western Provinces.”
“The Hero!”
So this world has a Hero too, huh?!
This was the first time Ryo had heard of the Hero’s existence.
“What’s more, a shocking number of spirits are gathered around him. They tell
me he is known as ‘Roman the Hero.’”
“Whoa... I... What... Honestly, the fact that you can talk to spirits is more
shocking to me, Sera.”
“Elves have a deep connection to spirits from the moment they’re born,” she
explained, a tad boastful.
Ryo thought she was ridiculously cute at that moment, but decided to keep it a
secret.
“If there’s a Hero, then that means there must be a Demon King too... Wait a
sec... I vaguely remember something about demon princes, was it...?”
“What?! Ryo, don’t tell me you’ve encountered a demon prince! Where?!
When?! You must tell me everything because we can’t ignore something so major!”
“Oh, in that case, you have nothing to worry about. We ran into a few in the
dungeon’s fortieth layer, but we defeated them.”
“I-I see. Ahhh, you must be referring to the forced teleportation incident, yes?
Yet I don’t recall hearing of demon princes...”
“Never mind all that, Sera. If Abel kills the Hero here, won’t that turn into a
huge problem?” he asked.
Her eyes widened briefly at his question, then she answered. “That’s...a good
point. The Hero’s death means there wouldn’t be anyone to defeat the Demon
King... Not to mention the ensuing diplomatic crisis between the Kingdom and the
Western Provinces.”
“Got it. Then...their sword fight is just about to see its end, hm?”
“Indeed. Abel is in an unfavorable position.”
Ryo and Sera had come to the same conclusion.
“But we’re talking about Abel here. I think he’ll risk everything on a last-second
gamble and turn the tables.”
“And if he succeeds, the Hero may die. Which isn’t ideal.”
“Agreed, so we should stop them sooner rather than later. Abel stepped in and
defused the situation in Whitnash, meaning it’s my turn this time. I have a plan,
Sera. Would you mind buying two more of the same crepes for me?”
“S-Sure...? I have no idea what you’re scheming, but consider it done.” Then
she took off for the crepe stand.
“All right, now for my part in this...” With that murmur, Ryo started walking
toward the sword fight.

Morris, the scout, only noticed the water magician after he’d slipped past them.
“Hey, you,” she called out. “Turn back. It’s dangerous.”
Though she thought it was strange she hadn’t even sensed him until then, the
fact that she couldn’t get closer to him as he continued walking toward Roman and
Abel’s sword fight was even stranger. By then, it was too late to do anything about
it because the magician was already near the two fighters.
“Gentlemen, sheathe your swords!”
At his shout, both Abel and Roman jumped backward.
10-Layer Ice Wall.
Instantly, an invisible wall of ice sprung up between them and forcibly
separated them.
“Ryo, stay out of this. ’Cuz I don’t know what I’ll do, even if it’s you.”
“You don’t have it in you to kill me, Abel. You can’t,” Ryo said firmly.
Despite knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Abel had no intentions
whatsoever of giving up. After all, Rihya had been hurt defending him. To be forced
to end the fight was unacceptable, even if it was Ryo who was intervening.
However, Ryo ignored Abel’s feelings on the matter and doggedly continued.
“Abel, be quiet for a second. You there. You are Roman the Hero, yes?” Ryo asked,
wanting confirmation on Sera’s intel.
“Uhhh... Yes, yes, I am,” Roman answered.
“He’s what?!” Abel sounded agitated.
“You heard right. This is the Hero, Roman, and at the very least, he can’t die
until the Demon King has been defeated.”
“Arrrgggh!” Abel groaned.
“Now, then Lord Hero. Allow me to introduce you to your opponent—Abel, a B-
rank adventurer of the Kingdom. He’s not a shady character. He’s a wonderful
person. He even works as the guild master’s proxy in the city of Lune.”
“A B-rank adventurer of the Kingdom...” Roman murmured thoughtfully.
“Does something about Knightley’s adventurers concern you?” Ryo asked.
 “Oh, no, it’s just... Well, the truth is, we came here after training in the Debuhi
Empire under Lord Oscar Luska, otherwise known as the Inferno Magician. During
our time there, we heard there’s an adventurer in the Kingdom, a water magician,
whom even Lord Oscar supposedly views as a rival. So I was simply wondering... If
you had any information on the individual in question, I would very much appreciate
it...” Roman inquired politely, having already sheathed his sword.
“What the hell? A water magician? Wait a minute... No...” Abel began.
“I see,” Ryo interrupted, keen on shutting Abel down before he let anything
else slip. “So you’re searching for a water magician, Master Roman. As far as I
know, the Schwartzkoff family are the masters of water magic in the Kingdom.
Maybe this information will be useful to you.”
“The Schwartzkoff family. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you very much.”
Ryo had provided Roman with information that, while not false, would throw
him off the scent. Abel could only stare at the genuinely thankful Hero with pity in
his eyes. Why? Because he knew the real answer to the young man’s question. That
very water magician was standing right there, acting as mediary with an extremely
nonchalant expression.
“Excellent. How about a token of your truce? Sera, if you would.”
She appeared immediately by Ryo’s side and handed him two crepes.
Ice Wall, Release.
Ryo dispelled the unseen wall of ice, then gave a crepe each to Roman and
Abel.
 “Eating delicious food makes people happy. So enjoy your crepes and we’ll call
this little incident water under the bridge.” Ryo nodded in satisfaction. “And if
you’re still not content, Sera and I will gladly stand in as your opponents. Abel, Sera
said she’s ready whenever you are.” Those last words were definitely designed to
taunt Abel.
“I am indeed. I believe I’ve improved a tad through my sparring with Ryo,” Sera
added, happy to join him in the provocation.
“As if you weren’t already strong enough. If that’s really the case, I may as well
just forfeit from the get-go,” Abel muttered.
Sera smiled faintly. “In any case, if you two are well and truly done here, we’ll
make ourselves scarce. Ryo, let’s go. There’s a long-standing famous café on that
street. Their cake set is positively to die for.”
“Ooooh, I can’t wait.”
Chatting away, Sera and Ryo left the scene. Peace restored.
“Wait, why the heck are they even here in the first place?”
Nobody heard Abel’s words.

Just as Ryo and Sera ordered the cake set at Café de Chocolat’s branch in the
royal capital, a lone swordsman entered the restaurant and took a seat near Ryo.
“Oh, Abel, I didn’t know you like this eatery as well,” Sera remarked.
“Sit there all you want, Abel, but I still won’t treat you,” Ryo piped up before he
could even say anything.
“Not like I want some newbie to treat me anyway!” Abel retorted in an angry
whisper. Talented in many ways, Abel was.
“Ahhh, I see now... You’re trying to get Sera to pay for you instead, huh?” Ryo
said in disgust.
“I’m almost certain you earn just as much as I do, but...I suppose I wouldn’t
mind,” Sera replied with a shake of her head.
“Damn it, that’s not why I’m here! I just dropped in to thank you jerks for
earlier. For stopping us,” Abel said, inclining his head.
“To think the day would come when you would speak words of gratitude from
the heart... Oh, wait, it’s only because Sera’s here, isn’t it? I wish you were always
this honest.” Ryo just couldn’t stop bullying him.
“Abel, you mean to tell me you normally don’t exhibit such proper manners
when the occasion calls for it?” Sera tilted her head, curious.
“Let me answer for him,” Ryo interjected. “He definitely doesn’t. He really is
such a handful. If only he were a little more up-front... Wait, I just thought of a great
way you can express your appreciation, Abel. Give me money. Whenever you want,
however much you want, I’ll always accept your generosity!”
Ryo’s suggestion was so outlandish, Abel snapped. “Wow, what a fantastic
idea. I was actually gonna introduce you to an incredible alchemist as thanks, Ryo,
but let’s just go with your idea instead, buddy. How’s that for appreciation, huh?
Huh?!”
“I’m sorry, Abel. You are a marvelous person! Beyond compare!” Ryo’s attitude
immediately did a one-eighty in the face of Abel’s wrath.
Sera chuckled at their exchange. “Heh heh heh. You two certainly know how to
entertain.” Abel sighed, exasperated. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, the
alchemist is Baron Kenneth Hayward. He’s still young, but the guy’s a genius, skilled
enough to be the country’s face of alchemy.”
“A baron... Abel, I don’t really have any experience conversing with nobles...”
“Oh, now you get serious? Relax, you’ll be fine. Kenneth is originally a
commoner, elevated to the aristocracy because of his unparalleled skill and results
with alchemy. Plus, he’s from Lune. Are those hints enough for you to figure it out?
If not, here’s another one—the house you bought.”
“My house? The previous owners had moved to the capital after their engineer
son became a noble and invited them to live with him— Wait, that’s him?! No way!”
“Yes way. That’s the family. I went drinking with him and a few friends not too
long ago and told him about you. He was grateful you paid all in cash, so he said
he’d be happy to discuss alchemy with you. But he’s a busy man at the heart of this
country’s developments in alchemy, so don’t be a pest, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. I’ll only ask him a few things. As long as he can teach me
some basics, I’ll be happy as a clam. Then I can get down to business and study
seriously once I get back to Lune.”
Ryo had inherited an alchemical notebook from Hasan, the leader of the Sect of
Assassins, but he still couldn’t make heads or tails of its content. Having said that,
he had no intention of showing it to others. Because Hasan had entrusted it to Ryo
as his successor, he was determined to polish his alchemical skills and understand
the man’s writings on the topic.
“Sounds like a plan to me. He works at the Royal Center for Alchemy. As for
where it is...that’s kinda hard to explain. I’ll get in touch with him today, then take
you to him tomorrow morning.”