He’s the Only One Who Remembers How the World Ends
he survived the end of the world and was given a chance to stop it from ever happening after losing everything in humanity’s final battle against the demon king a lone hero stumbles upon a mysterious artifact and wakes up in the past years before the war began armed with future knowledge battle forged strength and scars that never healed he sets out to rewrite history and save the world before it burns again this is a time travel fantasy about second chances hard decisions and a hero who refuses to watch the world fall twice prologue there exists a race of humans elves and dwarves who have the divine protection of the light gods though outnumbered the demons individual powers were far stronger than the average human for the demons had the blessing of darkness the two races divided the massive continent into east and west and each side has been fighting with the other for thousands of years however the past 300 years have been unusually calm part of this can be attributed to the rise of a more peaceful demon king who replaced the previous ruler intermittent conflicts existed but they were negligible and the human race had become accustomed to the relative peace but that peace was broken by a new demon king who ascended to the throne in the fifth month of the year 28:26 on the Genesis calendar the demons began their assault on the humans in what would later be called the Great Invasion showing no mercy the demons were able to annihilate many countries controlled by the humans who at the time were engaged in a civil conflict of their own the demons slaughtered anyone that resisted while those who surrendered were forced to enter the demons territory as prisoners it goes without saying that none of them were able to return of course the human race didn’t just sit back and watch they settled their differences and assembled an army of allied forces under normal circumstances they would have enough power to retaliate unfortunately there was a struggle for power within the army and being unable to cooperate were crushed in the fourth month of the following year the Empire of Gerugan was destroyed losing the largest source of their armed forces the humans had no choice but to engage in an assault that was considered by most to be nothing short of suicidal the plan was as follows the survivors will be gathered charge recklessly into the main battalion of the demon forces and draw their attention while the demons are distracted the elite soldiers selected from the battalion will sneak into the demon castle their stronghold and eliminate the root of the ongoing chaos the demon king though the odds of the human race winning were very low they had no other option the gamble paid off though it was a costly victory they were nonetheless able to triumph through the war the deepest floor of the castle is the king’s floor for a floor located indoors it was extraordinarily spacious and empty in fact an entire town would fit in this empty floor if there was anything that stood out in all of this emptiness it would be the altar in the center the intense battle that was being fought in front of the altar the one in which the fate of the world depended on had just finished there was only one person standing and that was Kyle the magic swordsman of the human race strapped up in silver armor he had wounds scattered across his entire body his left arm was almost torn off and was of little use but Kyle stood there cautiously watching the demon king slump forward after he confirmed the incapacitation of the demon king he sat down on the ground as if all of his energy had been drained this is it it’s over the drawback of the demons being stronger individually was that they have a tendency to be self-centered loosely banded together by a charismatic boss they were nothing without their leader many lives were lost in the battle but the humans outnumbered the demons to begin with demon casualties were also great so it was highly unlikely that they would invade again even with a victory Ka was not happy the sacrifices and losses were just too great he looked at his sword or whatever part remained of it to Kyle the sword was of significant sentimental value but now only the handle was left he stared at the tightly closed door that led outside his comrades who withheld the pursuing attackers and promised to catch up later never made it he looked at the cane of the tree of life laying on the floor in the distance it belonged to a shaman elf who had fought with him up to this point she gave up her life to protect Kyle and perished remembering the last time she smiled a tear rolled down his face all of the things he wanted to protect no longer existed his hometown his family his friends his comrades and his love were all lost there was neither joy nor satisfaction there was only sadness accompanied by a sense of solitude even his yearning for revenge the only emotion that allowed Kyle to push this far was gone the lacerations across his body if left untreated would be fatal but even that didn’t bother him at this point thinking that all he had to do was lie down and patiently wait for death he did just that and gently closed his eyes if he proceeded to lose consciousness everything would end there was it coincidence or was it fate the black feathers that were growing on the wings of the demon king floated down and landed gently onto Kyle’s face as Kyle’s consciousness was on the verge of being devoured by the darkness he woke up and opened his eyes slightly his eyes focused on one of the only noticeable things in the room the altar there was a red light what is that using what felt like every bit of his remaining energy he sat up and dragged his limp body towards the altar the altar was decorated with a blood red gem the size of an infant’s clenched fist the gym emitted a red light and seemed to pulse as it did so as a magician himself Kh knew the tremendous power stored within the gem could this be a magic item magic items are what you’d expect them to be a tool with a specific magic spell contained inside in retrospect during the fight there were numerous times when the demon king deliberately received attacks that he could have easily evaded as if he were protecting something this proved to be decisive in winning the battle is this what he was protecting the entire time he suddenly recalled the demon king looking at the altar in his final moments instead of a Kyle who dealt the fatal blow the light emitted from the gym was growing stronger it was as if power of an unprecedented magnitude was trying to find its way out now that the demon king is dead has the magic in the stone become uncontrollable it turns out the magic was still in the process of forming itself sooner or later it will explode and cause mass destruction in hindsight it is hard to justify Kyle’s actions was he drawn by the beauty of the suspicious stone or did he just want to die and be at peace quickly either way he simply grabbed the stone it was at that moment there was a massive explosion of red light that instantly engulfed Kyle and his surroundings and then Kyle knew nothing anymore chapter 1 kyle was woken up by a gentle ray of warm light shining upon his face “where am I?” His voice cracked he looked around as he got up it wasn’t a completely new environment rather for him it was one of his most familiar places on the wall hung a model sword given to him by his father and on the shelf were books recommended to him by his mother the desk and chair were just as he had left them and the bed he was currently lying on was surely one that he had used before there was no mistake this was the place he had spent most of his life he was in his hometown which was supposed to have been destroyed a year ago by the demon invasion what is going on perhaps it was because he had just regained consciousness he was still trying to understand the situation as he struggled Kyle heard thumping on his door and a bright voice screeching “How long are you going to sleep wake up already.” A young girl in her mid- teens entered the room her hair was long red and wavy her movements full of life just watching her supplied plenty of energy “lisa,” he muttered the name of an old childhood playmate the two spent the majority of their lives together and after the invasion they were never supposed to have been able to see each other again oh you’re awake gez you turned 16 today act like it she arrogantly placed her hands on her hips she had been like this since she was young the two were around the same age but because she was born a few months earlier Liisa treated Kyle like a little brother kyle sat there for a few moments still overcome with surprise at what was unfolding in front of him oh it’s just a dream he snapped back into reality and let out a weak laugh it was a very happy yet cruel dream if this dream was a final reward for saving the world it was too brutal the bygone days of peace the irreplaceable days that had been taken for granted it didn’t matter even if it was just an illusion if only time could be reversed kyle liisa called out to him after noticing his strange behavior but Kyle ignored her got up from the bed and approached her “what happened?” a baffled Liisa asked again except this time K was so close that he could feel her breath ignoring her for the second time Kyle embraced Liisa in his arms before she could say anything more kkk Kyle Liisa Liisa Liisa he repeatedly called her name wishing that this moment would last indefinitely and strengthened his grip on her hey hey hey hold up what’s going on here liisa fumbled her arms as he locked his arms around her but the confusion made her efforts feudal ow liisa’s resistance dwindled and her face flashed a bright red color k noticed the awkwardness only after a while her warm body the scent of her perfume radiating from her hair and her whispers all awakened his senses huh for a dream this was quite realistic to confirm something Kyle slid his left hand downwards w leisa’s body jolted in response huh kyle unintentionally rubbed that soft warm thing huh n no h hey liisa clearly confused let out a cry kyle distinctly remembered Liisa having an inferiority complex due to having a bigger ass than other girls in the same age group during this entire time Kyle was forgetting about something he had just woken physiologically a certain part of his body was filled with energy rubbing a girl’s ass didn’t help the situation that part of his body was gaining even more energy the worst part was probably the fact that he was hugging her tight lisa had undoubtedly noticed his energized body part it would have been hard to miss considering that he was pressing it against her body liisa’s red face turned pale in an instant and no Kyle’s grip was forcefully shaken off lowering her body Liisa was able to use her wrist like a whip gathering power from her toes she twisted her waist smacked Kyle at an incredible angle using her entire body sending him flying towards a bookshelf kyle was flung in the air spinning like a top and finally smashing into the shelf with incredible force “what are you trying to do?” first thing in the morning “you idiot!” Liisa screamed at him with teary eyes before walking out slamming the door violently behind her kyle was buried under the books now fully awake due to the pain that stretched from his face to his neck he was finally able to sense what was going on ah this isn’t a dream at that moment Kyle’s right fist which was clenched tightly since the moment he woke up slowly opened the blood red gem that Kyle found on the altar fell to the floor making a sound this isn’t a dream he leaned backwards towards the bed while massaging his neck that was now in excruciating pain there’s no way a dream could be this painful but if that’s the case then what is going on here though he was fully conscious he was still unable to comprehend the situation for sure he had been in the demon’s lair battled with the demon and barely managed to emerge victorious he had suffered a near fatal blow if this wasn’t a dream then what could possibly explain the situation i’m not hypnotized or hallucinating that kind of stuff doesn’t work on me anyways even if I was under a spell this shouldn’t be happening after thinking this through he checked his left arm if he remembered correctly his left arm had suffered a massive blow and it should be almost falling off it’s healed no it can’t be with that much damage even the highest level of healing magic would render it useless for a while and scars would definitely remain from his experience he was sure of this but his left arm was clean no discomfort or disability at all it was as if his arm had never even wounded the other wounds across his body were also gone he moved his body slightly and noticed it was in extremely good condition the pain and dullness from earlier had also vanished after spending some time thinking Kyle stepped out of his room the arrangement of the rooms was just as he remembered the more he looked around the more he became sure that it was his own house he glanced at his reflection in the mirror inside the reception room i knew it i look younger during the ongoing battles with the demons he had completely forgotten about his birthday but he was sure he was at least 20 years old but the reflection in the mirror only showed a young boy in his mid- teens no cuts or scrapes anywhere there could be only explanation for this is this the past have I gone back in time he took out the red stone from his pocket it looked the same as when he first picked it up near the altar it was beautiful shiny and unlike anything else in this world but unlike when he had first picked it up he could no longer feel its magical powers that can’t be there’s no magic spell to turn back time but is there another explanation kyle held his head for a while but snapped back when his stomach made a sound he let out a dry laugh i suppose hunger affects everyone regardless of their situation on the bright side it proves that I’m normal hoping to find some food he walked towards the kitchen and found just that on the table were some meat fresh bread vegetable soup scrambled eggs salad and fruits for a breakfast service this was quite a luxurious meal liisa must have prepared this kyle and his family hated chores so Liisa often cooked for them they couldn’t complain to her because she did all of the cooking he grabbed some food and shoved it in his mouth the taste was nostalgic though he hadn’t been able to eat this kind of food for the past year he had never forgotten the taste i must eat it before it gets cold he began to violently stuff food in his mouth trying to fight back tears as expected I ate too much looking at the empty plate he let out a laugh it was clear that he was in pain from overeating i probably should have noticed before eating but this amount of food there’s no way this was made for one person just then he heard a noise from the entrance and noticed someone coming in he was alarmed for a second but recognized who it was instantly the sound of the footsteps sounded familiar to him as they headed straight for the kitchen what’s up the guy who entered had short blonde hair and was well-groomed he looked like a neighborhood delinquent who had just grown up he was wearing comfortable clothes and had a cheap sword holstered on his waist saran Saran like Liisa was an inseparable childhood friend of Kyle except he was a delinquent this relationship lasted until their final moments w what a surprise you’re usually terrible with mornings but you’re up early today why why yeah um how are you feeling these days are you out of your mind i saw you yesterday saran seemed perplexed kl took a deep breath and looked closely at Saran’s face something was definitely not right the dumb look on your face is the same but the Saran I know of had an exceptionally stupid look the one standing in front of me now looks exactly like the blockhead I knew when I was a kid just bigger i’m having trouble understanding but I know you’re making fun of me plus he looked younger he was probably the same age as Kyle he hadn’t noticed it before but Liisa had also looked younger than he remembered anyways I don’t have time to deal with you right now time to eat breakfast wait where’s the food saran was shocked to see the empty bowl you ate everything again well it was good k remembered Saran coming over just to get food damn i knew Liisa had been preparing something since yesterday so I was going to come over to get a share that girl is savage but so are her cooking skills so I was pretty excited saran couldn’t bear it he started scraping out the leftovers from inside the bowl hey I hope you don’t mind me asking a weird question but what year and day is it today huh what a strange question it’s the 24th of May 2823 as Kyle had expected for years ago it seemed that he really had gone back in time are you sure really why do you ask i’m quite sure I know the date saran then clapped his hands once as if he had an epiphany right today is your birthday i completely forgot about your birthday you wanted me to celebrate or something no don’t worry i’m not interested in you celebrating my birthday after Saran finished whatever remained in the bowl he looked towards Kyle and said “Fine i suppose I’ll let you take all the food in the bowl for breakfast today since it’s your birthday cheap bastard you weren’t even the one who made it.” Surin turned to leave completely ignoring Kyle’s remarks where are you going if there’s no food I have no reason to be here i’m going over to Leis’s to see if I can get something as he left he muttered something along the lines of Leisa’s food always being bomb if I get on my knees and beg then I’m sure she’ll cook something up for me i know she’s got a sweet spot somewhere he wasn’t shy at all ever since you were a kid if you wanted something you’d forget about pride and would do anything it took to get it quit complimenting me you’re making me blush i’m not get over yourself just a reminder my birthday is on the 2nd of August if you want to know what I want for a present I request either some gold or a pretty girl klet out a dry laugh as he watched him walk out the door it had been a while since he had a conversation like this it used to be a dull part of his daily routine but with everything that happened he realized that he had taken it for granted well what should I do now it seemed certain that he was in the past but he had yet to figure out exactly how he had got here he wanted to seek advice but he also didn’t want to tell some random person about what had been happening i know there’s only one person whose advice I can seek if she’s awake scratching his head he walked out and headed towards her house the Leonard house that Kyle belongs to was located near the Rise area of the Zils Kingdom and was known to be quite a large estate it was three floors high and boasted an enormous lawn as well kyle headed towards a shack located to the side of the lawn the shack was made of sturdy stone with a flat roof and didn’t have a single window the moment someone stepped inside they were forced to walk down a steep flight of stairs a nostalgic scent reached Kyle’s nose as he opened the door to the basement the narrow room contained bookshelves packed full with literature on the wall with no windows there was a magic tool with semi-permanent light magic stored inside this was a custom-made tool designed to keep the lighting adjusted ensuring that the books were not damaged this archive utilized unimaginable magic to keep the lighting and humidity in ideal conditions though it came with an unimaginable price tag the archives were home to everything from children’s books to forbidden literature from the ancient periods when demons ruled in the center of the room was a table with stacks of books piled on it the woman who was half buried in what seemed like a mountain of books noticed Kyle entering looked up and gave a grin oh it’s you Kyle what brings you here at this hour she’s here he had a feeling she would be here but for some reason actually seeing her was emotional for him it’s already morning were you reading all night again Mom hey oh it’s already morning i knew I’d lose track of time here the woman who let out a yawn while saying that was Kyle’s mother Sara with a childish face short hair small body she looked much younger than she really was she was well into her 30s but if she stood next to Kyle one would have guessed they were siblings i got a question do you have time sariah looked at her son with a confused face you wanting to ask about something is quite rare if you want to know about how I met your father I can talk all day long it was 20 years ago when we can talk about that next time kyle stopped his mother who was eager to talk about it whenever Kyle’s mother would talk about how she met Kyle’s father the conversation would last hours kyle had been traumatized by it ever since he was young i wanted to ask you about magic about magic would I know enough to answer your question i don’t know of anyone who knows about it as much as you do Mom there were three main types of magic sacred magic that borrows the power of gods and causes miracles spiritual magic that uses earth water wind and fire and finally ancient magic which uses knowledge to a great extent in its formation the human race mostly used sacred magic and ancient magic but Saraya was a user of ancient magic magic was further divided into six categories lowest level magic low-level magic intermediate level magic advanced level magic highest level magic and special class magic a title was given to each magician depending on the type of magic they could use the lowest level magicians were called magicians low-level magicians were called sorcerers intermediate level magicians were called wizards advanced level magicians were called mages the highest level magicians were referred to as arch mages there are only a handful of people who had the ability to use special class magic so they were often given individual titles a famous example would be the Sakira queen of the Sula kingdom who had the title glorious sariah was also an arch mage though the truth can be disputed Sarah was the youngest magician to ever be recommended as the court mage of the Gugan Empire now she was using the money she earned and the resources she had inherited from Kyle’s grandfather who had died before Kyle was born to invest in her hobby of collecting books kle didn’t know why she lived in such a remote area and she kept changing the subject whenever he brought it up but there was no better person to ask about magic than her m is there such thing as a magic spell to go back in time there is sariah answered his question with ease are really yeah although it’s not widely known there are spells that interfere with time but I didn’t even know they exist seems like such a convenient i mean unfair magic of course it’s because not everyone has the ability to use the kind of magic if I were to go into details it would take days so I’ll just stick to saying that theories of time meddling magic has already been proved the reason many people can’t use that magic is simply because of the amount of magic power involved magic power was the source of energy that every magician possessed allowing them to cast spells if we were to rank the spell that turns back time based on the six categories in existence it would probably belong 10 ranks above the special level magic forget humans not even dragons or gods can use that kind of magic if time were a large river then a human would be the size of an ant do you think an ant could do anything about a large flowing river even if the greatest magician in history were to sacrifice a part of his lifespan in order to cast that spell he would only be able to change a few moments this was why Sarah had said there are only a handful of people who even knew this spell i see so what would need to happen for time to turn back several years that would require the use of tremendous magic power no matter how you consider it gathering that much power seems impossible she shook her head as if to say it would be useless to even think about turning back time several years what if a magic item was used sia reacted to Kyle’s question with an awe i see that’s interesting magic items can store magic power it’ll take time and effort but if you were to use a spell like that the use of magic items would be a good option sariah thought about it for a while but shook her head once again i’m thinking about it but there are too many problems first you would need to acquire the magic power before storing it it would take some effort but you’d be able to gather some over time but to turn back time by several years it would take over a thousand years to gather the magic power even for an arch what if a forbidden ritual was performed saraya’s face went dim i suppose employing such methods would allow one to gather tremendous power where did you learn about that the forbidden ritual was basically a sacrifice it involved sacrificing portions of one’s life in exchange for magic power doing so allowed one to gather an immense amount of magic power performing the forbidden ritual did not cost any magic power to the user so that wouldn’t be a problem there had once been a magician who joined the dark side and sacrificed an entire village just to test some magic thus the existence of the forbidden ritual wasn’t widely known i was just reading a book i don’t know too much about it in the horrifying battles that Kyle had experienced the humans who were being decimated by the demons had no choice but to resort to this forbidden practice as a tactic to ward off the enemy in fact they were so overwhelmed that they didn’t have time to use this spell this was the reason the humans had resorted to reckless charges in the end i see but even if you use the forbidden ritual it wouldn’t be possible if you were to turn back time for several years you would need a tremendous amount of magic power at least half of the people on this continent would have to sacrifice themselves right there’s no way to have half the human population to create such a magic tool in other words with half the human population casting such a spell wouldn’t be impossible k remembered the piles of bodies that had surrounded the demon king’s castle they were what was left of the enslaved humans the lives of these people had been drained out of them to create magic power another problem would be a catalyst with an ordinary spell you’d be able to use just about any magic stone or jewel lying around but with spells of such large magnitude you’d need something that would be able to withstand the tremendous energy i don’t know if such a catalyst exists there were objects called magic stones which were usually special gems that absorbed magic power each magic stone had a limit on how much magic power it could absorb if the limit was exceeded the gemstone would break and the magic would become wild and explode the only thing coming anywhere near being capable of storing such power would be the heart of Shinriu as Saraya mentioned the heart of Shinriu she began to dig through the mountain of books piled onto her desk and picked out one old book in her mind each book was placed in a specific location and she knew where everything belonged ah this is the one this is the heart of Shinriu in the book she was holding there was a legend on the heart of Shinriu along with a picture of it once upon a time there was a powerful dragon whose powers were much stronger than any of the gods the remains of the dragon contained a residue that was more powerful than any god that had ever lived the person who got his hands on this was Zars zir succeeded in extracting the heart of Shinriu from the remains with a seemingly endless supply of magic power at his disposal Zer was able to prosper for a thousand years however after a thousand years the magic power of the heart of Shinriu went dry that was how Zayirs was destroyed anyways the stone is now dry but it could be filled with magic power again it would be an amazing tool when Zayirs was destroyed it went missing it’s been about a thousand years since it happened i wonder if it’s still around it’s possible that the heart of Shinriu belongs to the demons i I see ka was subconsciously gripping the stone in his pocket the stone that resembled the picture right in front of him so basically if we were to turn back time a few years we would have to use the heart of Shinriu and sacrifice half the human population exactly see impossible right well yeah that would be impossible kyle shifted his gaze away from Sa you’re asking very strange questions it’s as if you came from the future haha what are you talking about that’s nonsense i suppose it is the two laughed though Kyle’s was more of a forced laugh it’s been a while since I’ve spoken to you Kyle Chan it has definitely it’s obvious that you’ve been avoiding me these days i had no intention of avoiding you in his mind Kyle knew Sarah was right starting from right around this time K had avoided his mother for no particular reason maybe it was puberty but in hindsight he still didn’t know why he had avoided her i was very lonely i felt like I had failed as a mother being hated by my own son oh well mom you neither act nor look like a mother you’re always at home and have no interest besides books you’re terrible with housekeeping chores and you don’t take part in anything that a normal mother would you probably don’t meet the general standard of being a mother i had a feeling that that was the case but it really pains me because I didn’t expect my own son to be this straightforward about it to me still you’re my one and only mother and there’s no other mother in the world that’s better than you how charming of you sariah hugged Kyle with a large smile on her face kyle was much taller than Sia so it was more like Sariah hugging onto Kyle normally Ka would just break away but today he was trying hard to fight back the tears of nostalgia and happiness all this talking made me hungry if I remember Lisa Chan is supposed to make food today she’s really good at cooking you know as Kyle saw Sia happily head towards Kyle’s house excited to see what food will be served his face cramped up oh um I’m sorry i ate everything sa’s face froze over i see well that’s unfortunate i’ll just stick to preserved food like usual then okay i mean I’m sorry no no it’s fine i just remembered it’s Kyle Chan’s birthday today i’ll just give you breakfast as a birthday present he Why is everyone giving me that breakfast as a birthday present chapter 2 to the east of Rise was a small hill on top of it was a decayed remain of some sort though the remains were decayed most of the stones were intact so it was a popular play area for children kyle also used to play hide-and-seek here kyle climbed to the top of the remains and watched the sunset from the top one could get a panoramic view of the entire town and Kyle came here often to watch the sunset it’s the first time since the town was decimated that Kyle was able to watch the sunset in peace as the sun was setting Kyle watched the entire town from the hilltop and said to himself “I never thought I’d be able to see the sunset like this i’ve lost count at how many times I’ve almost cried today.” Kyle almost let a tear drop as he reached into his pocket and took out the heart of Shinriu i wonder what he was trying to do by going back in time he was thinking about the demon king to restart kyle muttered as he stared at the red heart of Shinriu there you are i was looking for you startled by the sudden voice coming from behind Kyle shoved the heart of Shinriu back into his pocket he knew without turning around that it was Liisa he would even know how she was feeling from the tone of her voice he thought about what had happened this morning he had suddenly hugged her first thing in the morning groped her and shoved his crotch onto her body i’m sorry he said this the moment he turned around and got on his knees and apologized you could look at this morning’s incident in any way and he’d still look like a sex offender who could have been put in jail i see you’re reflecting on what you’ve done i saw a weird dream and was totally out of it i regret what I did kyle repeatedly apologized as his face was kept planted on the ground liisa let out a big sigh kyle took this to be a sign of Liisa forgiving him and relaxed his body you two should really just stop doing stupid stuff if you’re going to regret it later on us two oh you mean me and Saran i’m guessing he went to your place yeah he did and he apologized just like you face on the ground you two act just like each other liisa sat next to Kyle obviously appalled kyle also fixed his posture and the two watched the sunset together i hope you’re not insulting me by putting me on the same level as him but did you make him some food afterwards i couldn’t help not feeling sorry for the guy anyways did you seriously eat everything i prepared at least four servings yeah I couldn’t help it it’s been at least 1 year since I ate food as good as that i’m quite sure I made the same thing 10 days earlier and it’s not just Saran who came over but Sarah also came over asking me to make something i really felt bad i’m sorry my mother caused so much trouble i really am kyle sincerely apologized until Uncle Lo comes back I have no choice but to go and make food for you guys be thankful lo oh my father right he’s away right now i forgot about that he had completely forgotten about his father loey was an artisan he crafted rings and necklaces he’s highly skilled but takes forever to craft the items so very few people know how skilled he truly is he’s always quiet and is silent even when he laughs he takes over the household chores since Sarah and Kyle don’t do much loey was the epitome of a stay-at-home husband sometimes he would take a few days to go to the capital to deliver his goods that’s probably what he’s doing right now don’t tell me you just forgot about him that’s blasphemy i just couldn’t remember off the top of my head that’s all anyways ending the conversation about his father with a simple “Anyways,” Kyle went back to talking about other things “i’m surprised you knew I was here i know exactly what you’re thinking.” “Anyways what was the weird dream you had this morning?” Lisa’s words wiped the smile off of Kyle’s face “by any chance did I die in your dream?” “Well I suppose you could put it that way that explains why you seemed so disturbed.” She seemed uninterested but at the same time she also seemed a bit happy k thought about the part where Liisa died in his dreams one year ago or 3 years later in terms of the present circumstances this town was taken over instantly by demons since it was very close to the border since it was the first invasion the demons showed no mercy everything was destroyed and burned the people were all slaughtered the town in front of his eyes transformed into a living hell he couldn’t forget about what had happened no matter how hard he tried and Liisa by the time he got there it was too late nothing could be done to save her in her final moments she was still smiling and he could feel her getting colder by the moment he called out to her until his throat was sore but she would never open her eyes again just thinking about it made him angry and he made a promise to avenge her death “well what’s wrong you seem a bit pale.” Hearing Liisa’s voice Kyle snapped back into reality in nothing and you’re sweating i just felt a little sick that’s all it’s nothing serious oh okay that’s fine then though she says it’s fine Liisa was worried about Kyle’s sudden change of behavior to be exact Liisa was afraid she had never seen Kyle like this before it wasn’t exactly anger or sadness or hate it was a feeling that couldn’t be put to words she sensed something dark in Kyle’s expression she thought she knew everything about Kyle what she just saw overturned her confidence k thought about the miraculous nature of peace actually it’s peaceful now but this peace will end in 3 years i’m the only one who knows this and if I do nothing the tragedy will repeat itself i’ll be forced to go through hell all over again no way I’m letting that happen wh What’s up with you liisa called out to Kyle who suddenly stood up but Kyle ignored it and just gazed at the sunset if nothing has changed he would lose his family his home the world and his childhood friend who is sitting right next to him kyle clenched his teeth hard i’m going to change it he was filled with regret when it was hopeless he remembered someone say this it’s just fate it’s useless trying to fight it and just like that he was persuaded into accepting fate i’ll change fate he can start now and prevent the tragedy he would never let go of this opportunity i’m going to change the fate of the entire world he swore to this and held out his tightly clenched fist towards the west where the sun was setting and also where the demons lived no matter what happens it’s the second time Kyle was so determined the last time was when he lost Liiser a year ago except last time it was for revenge this time it was to protect liisa rolled her eyes at Kyle who out of nowhere stood up and started yelling at the son what the hell is he talking about he’s talking nonsense all of a sudden K just began talking about fate and changing the world it felt like a close childhood friend whom she knew everything about suddenly went far away and not just far away far away into a forbidden place in a different sense Liisa was afraid again and said to Kyle as if she realized something new maybe I hit you too hard this morning lisa was flustered and turned blue ww What do I do in these situations m maybe if I hit him again it’ll fix him burning with passion Kyle didn’t realize that an equally determined Liisa was standing right behind him i wonder what happened the next morning Kyle faced towards his desk and thought about the previous day’s events he swore he would save the world but he had no idea how he would do it first he would need to speak the truth the entire truth he needed to tell everyone that he came from four years in the future and that the people would need to defend themselves from the demons who would launch a full-fledged assault in 3 years he needed the people to hear his voice there’s no way anyone would believe me had I not experienced it myself I would probably shrug it off as well rationally it would be impossible being laughed wasn’t the worst thing that could happen he would be seen as a crazy person and would be isolated from society the worst case scenario is that he would be accused of being a spy for the demons by attempting to disrupt the harmony in that case he would be executed even if a few people believed his story it wouldn’t make a difference it would be of no use unless he could convince the entire human race the reason why the human race was driven to near extinction was clear the initial response was terrible the humans were completely offg guard and there was no system of cooperation had they cooperated it wouldn’t have been an easy win but at least it would have been an even fight if the humans are able to strengthen their defenses and prepare for a great invasion they would be able to avoid mass destruction but given the current situation that seems impossible to begin the humans who comprise the largest group of the human race are not grouped well territorial issues among different countries economic inequality religious issues there is no end to the issues that are hampering cooperation small clashes have been occurring and in fact had the demon race not existed the humans would be in an all-out civil war the other portion of the human race known as the Ajin comprised of elves and dwarves are also struggling to cooperate grouping them together and making them cooperate won’t be an easy task instead of one big invasion it would have been better if they came in frequent waves maybe then the human race would have realized that there was a serious threat they would realize that they needed to set aside their differences to ward off a common enemy elves live for around a thousand years in that same time span humans would go through multiple generations demons have been an enemy of the humans for thousands of years but without experiencing an actual threat the heightened security begins to wear off an alternate plan would be to step into demon territory and kill the demon king who would ascend to the throne in 3 years the great invasion was ordered by this upcoming king so if he can be eliminated then in theory there would be no invasion the problem with this plan is that it’s virtually impossible to carry out first not much is known about the demon king only his appearance from the final battle is known other than that not even his name is known with just this much information finding him in vast enemy territory would be impossible furthermore in the rare chance that he is found whether he can be killed is a completely separate issue when the humans stormed the main castle there was a force of at least 100 elites chosen from the human race that made it this far less than 10 made it to the king’s layer and only Kyle was standing in the end luck was the only thing that could explain all of this it was a battle that was barely won and nobody would do it ever again if asked kyle took a deep breath rested his head on his desk and pondered about it i’m starting to feel that stopping the invasion on my own is probably impossible what else can I do he then changed some of his ideas and thought about what he could do right now in the present circumstances call took a booklet that was lying on his desk into his hands one advantage I have is that my memory is above average for that I’m thankful indeed the largest advantage he could ever have is the fact that he knew everything that was going to happen in the booklet he had written all the things that were going to happen in the next 4 years of course he didn’t recall every little detail but just thinking about it a little produced a lot of material he spent all day yesterday writing everything he could remember he didn’t know which information would be of use so he wrote everything from the situation of each country method of attacks weather and food if he could make use of the information then a lot could be accomplished another advantage he have is his strength during the battle with the demon king Kyle was the most powerful magic swordsman but Kyle glances over at his thin arms i have to keep track of my health too oh oh hey Kyle good morning it’s great that you woke up on your own today feeling hungry he headed over to the kitchen and was greeted by Liisa who once again had prepared some food sara who had already started to eat and had a mouth stuffed with food greeted Kyle with a barely understandable good morning good morning to both of you by the way Mom talking with your mouth full probably isn’t the best thing to do kyle also noted that she had jam all around her mouth the food’s going to get cold so hurry and eat liisa pulls the chair and makes Kyle sit thanks by the way Liisa you seem absurdly nice since yesterday kl spent the entire day holed up in his room yesterday but Liisa kept making excuses to come in and talk to him asking if he was thirsty if there was anything he needed etc she was being nice as if she was talking to a child sick person or even an elderly person that’s nonsense oh that piece of bread is big and hard let me cut it for you she didn’t want him to choke on the bread it’s almost as if she was nursing for him maybe she really thought blasting Kyle into the bookshelf screwed up his mind after he had completely woken up Liisa took him to the Our Lady of the Earth Church and had some healing magic casted on him by the way Kyle Chan are you going to stay in your room all day today too it’s not good for your health you know no I’m going to go out i want to practice my sword skills mother knows best he knew he had to go out it’s been a while since you’ve taken a swing with your sword hasn’t it yeah it’s strange that you’ve decided to go practice all on your own what happened liisa and Sariah both seem confused i just need to take a break that’s all with a piece of bread in his mouth Kyle thought to himself about how he’s been slacking off recently on the ruins in the outskirts of town Kyle was completely focused on swinging his sword he wasn’t just randomly swinging the sword he mixed it up with an occasional faint and finished with a coup to grace he would sometimes move as if he received an attack with his sword there was nobody near Kyle but in Kyle’s eyes he saw one target an enemy that he intended to kill it was a technique called Gho taught to him by his master basically he would cast a spell of illusion and hypnosis on himself the result would be a phantom enemy that could also receive and return attacks more practice with this technique allows the user to create an enemy that closely resembles the real thing in short for those with magic power this was a very effective training method in most cases one would have to actually know the enemy to a great extent to cast an image that accurately reflects the enemy but Kyle was experienced so a single battle was enough to get an accurate representation the enemy Kyle created in his mind was the demon king one of the strongest enemies he has ever known damn I’d be killed every 10 seconds if this continues after a while Kyle was running out of breath and stopped his movements at the same time the illusion disappears the battle Kyle had with the real demon king was an intense match now it was no contest he’d lost count of how many times he’d been killed by the illusion it’s not that the demon king had become stronger rather Kyle had become weaker in Kyle’s perspective 3 days ago he wouldn’t be running out of breath after such a short fight but now the speed at which he swings his sword had become slower and his movements were off his body just wasn’t able to keep up it was a complete lack of basic stamina technique and experience were unchanged but his body had lost quite a bit of muscle in the way he predicts he’ll be very sore tomorrow in hindsight Pal remembered that he used to spend these lethargic days doing nothing he neither studied magic nor moved his body much he regretted that he wasted such valuable time let’s try strength haste kyle casted spells that increase his muscle strength and his agility these were the most basic spells of a magic swordsman for self-reinforcement magic power would run through the body and physical strength and speed would increase but what’s happening it’s more effective than before he felt more magic going through his body than before and as a result a slight movement produced a noticeable effect the two important rules to keep in mind when using ancient magic are magic power and magic control the more magic power one has the more times one can cast a spell more magic power equals more powerful and effective spells magic control measures the extent to which one understands the principles of magic and also gauges the imagination powers more magic control allows a person to cast multiple spells at once and can abbreviate spells and movements needed to cast spells in terms of attacking spells more magic control allows the user to either broaden or narrow the scope of the attack it also allows magic power to be used more efficiently so more spells can be cast these principles also apply to the other two types of magic after attaining a certain amount of experience the magician would level up and would be able to use a higher level of magic in short a lack of magic power limits the spells one can use and lack of control limits their command if one cannot use a spell nothing happens but if one cannot command a spell it either fails or goes berserk a fire magician who fails to command fire spells would be engulfed in flames and an ice magician would freeze himself both magic power and magic control can grow through experience magic power is mostly innate the highest level magic Kyle was able to use in the previous world was highle magic but now I think I can go for the highest level magic in most of the battles up until now Kyle only used magic as a support he would use it to strengthen himself or weaken the enemy his main weapon was the sword instead of casting some strange attack spell he would rather strengthen himself and slash his enemies but with the increased magical powers he felt like he could make more use of magic i don’t know why this is happening but I think I have a larger arsenal now for once he was being optimistic five even this doesn’t work he moved around lightly to test the effects but his body couldn’t keep up with the increased strength he seemed to have hurt his muscles so he lied on the ground and spread his arms and legs he groaned “I have more magic power but my body can’t handle it even if it’s little by little I have to get my body accustomed to handling more power.” Loss of muscle was a major blow as he was unable to swing the sword as he pictured in his head muscle technique and magic everything was out of balance but with more magic power there was more room for improvement if he trained hard enough he would be much stronger than he ever was which was 3 days ago stronger than that time e the year following the great invasion was a year of desperation for Kyle he had to fight to stay alive he had to win he did anything he could possibly do to stay alive and win the battles and before he knew it he had become the strongest magic swordsman all of this did come with a price he had to resort to forbidden strength-enhancing spells secret medicine and as a result of the repeated use of such methods his body was tattered regardless of how much he rests he most likely would have died within 10 years i’m going to get strong while staying healthy and have an awesome life after retirement kyle decided his last goal in life i don’t know if that’s a modest goal or an unreasonable one said someone from nearby kyle was startled and jumped up a healthy tan and large woman who was about 30 years old had suddenly approached Kyle she was suited up in a battered armor and was armed with a two-handed sword her face was wellrefined but beautiful at the same time she’s in the same generation as Kyle’s mother Sara but in a different sense she was very young sure Shisho since when were you shisho is a Japanese title used to refer to or address teachers or masters of traditional Japanese arts including but not limited to martial arts the word is combination of the kanji meaning teacher and show meaning craftsman her name was Ila she was Kyle’s sword mentor and former gladiator herself she was also Saran’s foster mother gladiators are those who fight against other humans or demons or anything that can cause harm to humans they are the ones who fight in arenas for glory it’s a dangerous profession but comes with tons of fame and glory while other gladiators either quit because of an injury or were killed Ila has been undefeated for 5 years in the continent’s largest arena located in Ruas the capital of the Gerugan Empire after retiring 10 years ago she had complicated relationships and decided to come to Raise and depended on Sara an old friend kyle was told that she adopted her benefactor’s orphan who turned out to be Saran she has a habit of wandering around and anyone you knew it she’d be gone her clothes were dirty so you could tell she just came back from a wandering journey since when were you watching you were killed at least six times i counted what kind of crazy demon have you been battling if this was a real battle you’d be dead in 5 seconds i tried to last at least 10 seconds sa had been watching Kyle fight in the dim light it’s good practice to challenge a foe that is stronger than you but when the difference in ability is too great it’s no use but anyways where did you meet this opponent you seem to have put together quite a realistic illusion it’s just my imagination i just tried to think of the strongest enemy I could come up with by the way I wanted to ask if you were to fight this enemy how would you defeat it you mean me well I’ll take a risk and step forward maybe lose an arm or a leg and get up in between the spaces then I’ll give one big blow if that doesn’t kill him then I’d lose i see that’s what I thought you’d do in fact it was the exact method in which Kyle defeated the demon king after realizing that his methods mimicked that of his mentor he let out a small laugh anyways I’m proud of you you’re practicing even when I’m not around i had a feeling you’re the only one that had something special and was worth teaching ila was one of the top swordsmen in the world and in her eyes Kyle was one of the few chosen ones who had an extraordinary ability in fact since being mentored by Ila Kyle’s skills grew even further but Kyle at that time was not that motivated so he was sometimes criticized for it you still teach Saran though that’s because he’s technically my son i have no choice so I teach him even if I know it’s of no use if it weren’t for that I wouldn’t teach that stupid kid anything ila often said “Kyle’s a failing student and Saran was the worst student.” Either way I’m impressed at how much you’ve grown Kyle the physical attributes haven’t changed much since Ila left for her trip but his techniques were as if he had been building up on one experience after another the most noticeable change was his mental preparation he used to be like some dog who just sunbathed in the fields but now he’s a lion ready to fight even your magic has become better and most of all you’re more organized what happened to you kyle decided that it was not a wise idea to try and fool an intelligent warrior like her so he decided to hide some of the truth i just had a slight change of feeling i decided that I’m going to seriously train my sword and magic skills no matter what happens the stronger he gets the more things he can do you You changed so much you’re making me sick she really did look sick with all due respect it would be great if you can honestly accept and appreciate your students growth people often say to shed a layer of skin but you seem like you’ve shed four or five layers anyways are you sure it’s just a change of heart i sense there’s something more to it than just a little change in feeling there’s nothing i just really want to be strong said a determined Kyle gripping his sword tight did you eat any spoiled food are you sure you’re okay it kind of hurts that you’re actually worried about that i wonder what that guy is up to i know it’s so unusual of him a little into the distance Sarand and Liisa were in the bushes watching the two liisa was curious about Kyle when he left the house and followed him and picked up Saran who was also just wandering around she decided not to talk to Kyle who was swinging his sword around and decided to just peek even my mom knows that something’s up with Kyle i still don’t know how he got so much more skillful all of a sudden it’s been a while since San actually watched Kyle practice his sword techniques but he couldn’t believe that Kyle had gotten that much more skilled is it possible to become like that in such a short period of time but if there’s one thing I’m sure of it’s that Kyle isn’t possessed or anything this is the real Kyle he’s sure of this because he’s known Kyle for such a long time but at the same time he sensed that something was off yeah in principle nothing much has changed it’s as if I haven’t met him in several years she initially thought it was because she hit him hard but after observing him for a few days she realized that that wasn’t the case i can’t believe it’s the same guy who I took a piss with on an antill 3 days ago and said it was flooding ila walked over after finishing with Kyle you two are always doing stupid things oh hey Mom i knew you’d see us here welcome back Leila i’m back Lisa Chan you’re probably the only one who greets me anymore i see you’ve returned from being almost dead again and I see you still haven’t gotten yourself killed stupid son you better not have caused trouble to Liisa Chan he came over every day liisa honestly reported to her we’ll talk about this later but whatever the hell happened to Kyle he’s acting strange ila asked if the two were watching because they knew something was up as well and the two simply nodded in agreement why you’re right kyle always had the look of a dead fish but suddenly he has goals in mind as if he was motivated to do something it makes me sick i can’t believe it’s the same guy who said his dream was to screw around and live off whatever he inherits i know how you’ve been perceiving Kyle but that means neither of you know why he’s suddenly changed ila was hoping that the two would know the reason behind his sudden change since the morning on the day before yesterday he suddenly started acting strange i don’t know what happened but whenever I ask about it he changes the subject i can’t believe he won’t even tell his best friend well if there’s one reason a loser like that would suddenly change ila crossed her arms and thought about it and suddenly clapped her hands he got a girlfriend what saran screamed and Liisa froze over put more accurately he now understands women he must have matured that bastard to Ila Ka was like another son she smirks “But that wasn’t the case for the two youngsters next to her.” “Damn it he’s leaving me out of all the fun i’m never going to forgive him.” Saran’s fists were clenched he was burning with rage did he not say best friend just a while ago there are exceptions for everything nothing more evil that I know of though Ila thought that jealousy among boys was stupid she asked a question that everyone had in mind but if that’s the case who is his partner you’re right who could it be the most plausible candidate is frozen right in front of me so it can’t be her and I’m not trying to show off but there are no girls in this town who have feelings towards either of us saran was looking at Liisa the entire time surely you can’t be serious about showing off either way you’re right that’s probably the only thing that can cause him to change this much but damn who could it be liisa who was too shocked to do anything slowly began to move ila stopped Saran who was about to say something to her if you value your life it’s probably best to shut up i can feel the animosity in the air saran wiped the sweat from his forehead and watched as Leisa approached Kyle okay confess who is it oh w What are you talking about what are you suddenly asking me kyle had his hands on his waist and was greeted by a punch in the stomach by a childhood friend stop messing with me who is it ca calm down i kind of understand what you’re getting at but it’s a misunderstanding how did you even reach that conclusion leila and Saran both confirmed my suspicions those two never say anything meaningful you know that girls our age aren’t interested in neither Saran nor myself though that was the truth it pained Kyle to say it aloud before Kyle started slacking off he was actually quite popular not anymore it’s probably true that you can’t win over any girl’s heart in this entire town but if that’s the case then what is it a threat did you use brainwashing put her under a spell or drugs are you crazy i wouldn’t commit such a crime if it’s nothing crime related then did you force Arya that was a girl that was close to Kyle and Liisa treated her like a little sister as well she’s only three what kind of monster do you think I am then is is it Leisel Sama this time it was the opposite someone who treated Kyle and his buddies like grandchildren she was basically the elder member of the town are you kidding me she’s almost 100 why is your impression of me so crazy b because there’s no other females in town that like you you don’t have to be that mean that’s why at that time I’ll properly It was too late to stop his gaping mouth at that time properly it was a misunderstanding quit it stop strangling me it hurts of course kyle couldn’t tell her that she was the one have you calmed down yeah have you thought about what you’ve done i just lost it for a moment i’m sorry liisa was on her knees and apologized to Kyle who was sitting right in front of him liisa almost strangled Kyle it was a while before she calmed down the sun was about to go down well as long as you know that it was a misunderstanding but why did you lose everything all of a sudden liisa tends to overthink things and sometimes she goes nuts but today was especially bad a teary eyed Leisa responded to Kyle B beus kyle you can’t do anything without me and all of a sudden you being with someone is just mortifying her voice became smaller and smaller and the latter half of her response was drowned out was she this jealous maybe I never noticed it it’s okay i’m not angry anymore can you please cheer up kyle patted her head lightly to comfort her and she turned red yeah come to think of it you don’t have the balls to do something like that had I stayed calm I would have totally realized that i’m really sorry you hurt me as you’re apologizing what are you talking about nothing it’s done i’m going to train a little more so just go home first i need to focus fine i’ll make some food and wait for you all right make sure you tell the two sitting over there kyle glared at Saran and Ila who were still looking this way a short while after Liisa went to where the two were saran gave a big wave and left k was slightly irritated at that but he took a deep breath and went back to training that night’s supper was luxurious partly because Liisa wanted to show her remorse uh-huh you came home at a great timing not really why are you two here kyle complains to Ila and Saran he wanted to talk about what happened during the day why not that rabbit you see there that’s the one I caught i wanted to eat something tasty since it’s been a while as if I would eat face to face with this loser after my journey kyle Chan the food will be tastier if you eat it with more people kyle sighed but agreed over the past year he hasn’t had much opportunity to eat with many people after a hearty meal K became formal and asked everyone a question mom and Shisho I wanted to ask you two something wham mom quit talking with your mouth full i’ll ask you later once again Kyle warned his mother i don’t feel fully comfortable but I don’t have anyone else I can ask so I’ll ask you for not how you ask for favors but since the food’s bomb I’ll let you go on this one ask away saran sounded pretentious who is someone that can say something and affect multiple countries today Ka was stronger than ever before but he also realized his limitations no matter how strong he becomes that alone cannot change the fate of a human race if he were to change it on his own he would need the strength to destroy an entire army by himself but that seemed highly unlikely so in figurative terms he needed the countries to unite and prepare against an invasion so that they can go on the offensive when duty calls this is the most rational way to keep the humans alive but to achieve this he needed to group the people together someone who can move the country yeah leila folded her arms and thought about it if it were simply affecting other countries then it would probably be the emperor of the kingdom according to Sarah that would be the emperor of the Gugan Empire a that the Gerugan Empire was a militarist country that was continuing its expansion kyle thought about the young emperor who died to preserve his dignity and pride you sound as if you’ve met him or something i only know rumors anyone else come to mind well the highest priest of the church of the earth goddess also has significant influence over many people leila gave the name of the most respected and most revered being what about Randolph sama liisa chimed in with the name of a hero who defeated the demon king who was the ruler during the war 300 years ago ah you’re right even the elves and dwarves listened to him saran agreed a hero you say in all honesty the title hero itself had the power to attract many people on the other hand with only 3 years left there’s no chance that he would be appointed emperor or priest there was only one path left then there’s no chance but to become a hero he wasn’t a hero because he saved the world he was becoming a hero to save the world the order is reversed but that can’t be helped i will be a hero that’s the only option kyle suddenly stood up and began to refill his bowl kyle’s back seemed to be emitting a powerful aura and the four began whispering to each other “Hey like I said I think something went wrong while I was away.” In response to Ila Liisa shook her head but nothing comes to mind we took him to a healer and even cast a healing spell on him and they said nothing was wrong with him well a few years ago Kyle Chan and Saran were talking about how they were the chosen ones and that they were the special warriors maybe it’s a relapse liisa and Ila scoffed at Saraya’s story yeah I remember we did say that in fact we were ostracized by our friends for saying it what a terrible memory it was right around that time when your sword skills began improving you guys claimed that we came up with our own magic spells and moves after around 10 beatings from Sarah and myself you guys calm down don’t remind me if this is a relapse I would like to respect him he’s probably going to regret it later anyways saran defended Kyle in a strange way definitely at least he’s still positive about it if it’s Kyle Chan he’ll be fine when Saraya says something is going to be fine it’s never backed up with any proof but that can’t be helped let’s just watch over and pray for him the four decided to warmly watch over Kyle as he refilled his bowl chapter 3 the day after Kyle swore to become a hero he sat in his room thinking he was thinking about how he was going to be a hero hey do you mind while Kyle was deep in his thoughts Saran came in without knocking whoa what’s up with your room saran was shocked at what he was seeing the desk Kyle was facing had books spread everywhere everything surrounding his desk was filled with books as well all of the books were brought over from Sarah’s collection the genre of the books spanned a wide range books dealt with topics ranging from legends heroes knowledge on magic and lifestyles of demons and historic battles i’ve never been thankful of my mother’s collection until today all the knowledge I need right in front of me anyways what’s up kyle closed the book he was reading um are you serious about becoming a hero saran sat on the bed and popped the question yeah no doubt and I need to be one fast he replied without looking at Saran but you can’t be a hero just because you want to be one that’s why I’m struggling do you have any idea how I can become a hero he asked Saran well defeat the demon king and you’ll instantly be a hero if that was possible I wouldn’t be thinking this hard call it out a big sigh there’s no method that’s guaranteed to make anyone a hero but I’ve began to realize what’s needed saran do you know what I’m talking about of course you need strength right all the past heroes were praised for their extraordinary strength well obviously in my opinion it’s money connections and luck seems strange but it’s somewhat convincing first money this is because heroes shouldn’t expect anything in return for example let’s say you’re in a rural village that’s been attacked by demons and you’re coincidentally there what would you do well if it’s my first time there I’d look for cute girls you’re off from the start you’d need to ward off the attack when you do you’d most likely receive compensation but what if you don’t receive the award what if you say that helping those in need is your obligation and just walked off that would be overwhelming i’d probably be a legend in that village a courageous act without demanding anything in return doesn’t that sound heroic this can’t be done without any spare money though i see what you mean now if you say so you can do a lot with money saran nodded in agreement next I need connections this goes handinhand with money but whenever someone tries to do something connections come in handy the more respected your connections are the better it would be oh I see being backed by respected people in power would help a lot in essence it’s give and take you’re slowly moving away from your goal of becoming a hero anyways if I’m associating with highly respected people my reputation will naturally rise as well if I have money and a good reputation I can accomplish a lot but I still can’t become a hero with just those two so the last thing you need is luck exactly kyle said this was the hardest part i see luck that’s something you can’t really work for and plain luck won’t suffice the luck a hero needs is different from ordinary luck heroes shine in times of war sadness confusion and grief also the worse the situation is the brighter they shine in other words I need the luck to be there when something terrible happens only then can I become a hero are you saying relax I’m not planning anything bad to benefit myself i don’t even have to do anything bad the world has a lot of danger already something bad is always happening somewhere i know but to be placed in those situations is completely dependent on luck you can’t do much about it can you well I have a trick to make it happen so nothing to worry about kyle flapped the thin notebook that was on his desk the things written in this notebook are filled with terrible things that are to happen in the next 4 years other than large-scale invasions that can’t be helped there are some things that can be prevented with adequate preparation there’s too many things and too little time to handle all of them but something that’s too easy to handle won’t amount to much heroism heroes always act swiftly when something comes up it might hurt more people in the process but if it means changing the seemingly hopeless fate of the world it must be done i will do anything to be a hero even if it’s unfair doesn’t that defeat the entire purpose of being a hero don’t worry I’m only say this kind of stuff in front of you i see i forgot to ask the big question why do you want to become a hero i suppose you’re curious huh saran initially thought that Kyle was going through puberty and that it was messing with his mentality if that was the case then Saran would have fully supported Kyle but it was different he sensed that Kyle was determined more than ever i can sense that you’re serious about this but for some reason I sense that your goal isn’t to become a hero rather you’re trying to be a hero to achieve some other objective kyle wasn’t expecting Saran to see right through his intentions but it shows that they’ve been close friends for a long time there will be a time when Kyle will confess his true intentions but it’s too early you’re my best friend you’re absolutely right i do have a goal in mind regardless of whether you’ll believe me or not I decided that it’s too early to tell anyone i just hope you trust me on this one if you say so saran sat up straight he knew it was pointless asking any further questions well good luck my friend i’ll always be supporting you saran waved as he left the room kyle just stared back at him with a puzzled look on his face why does he sound like he doesn’t care kyle’s plans involved Saran whatever i’ll deal with money by doing this and I want to meet that guy too in terms of fame and reputation I’ll just prevent the arcane incident but my schedule is really tight either way there’s not much I can do around here kyle looked out the window he knew we had to embark on a journey soon so I’m going to go on a trip a trip the next day Kyle reported his plans to Ila did you tell Sarah about this i did she cried a little but she understood she is overprotective what did you tell Lel oh my father wait when’s he coming back did he come back whatever i’ll just tell him when I see him show some respect i do think that going around on a trip is a good idea with your current strength and power you’d be able to handle most problems along the way by the way take Saran with you that was my original plan are you sure that’s fine with you use him to block arrows or magic he has other uses he can be your substitute and you can sacrifice him if you feel like i’m not going to waste him like that unless I absolutely have to I won’t sacrifice him you’re seriously debating this right in front of me give me a break saran complained what about my opinion you have no say i’ve always wanted you and Kyle to explore the world to understand the harsh reality kyle knew that regardless of anybody’s intentions he would be forced on a journey within a year there were some problems here and there but Kyle remembered that it was a good journey overall you had no future in this town anyways what are you saying i have my future planned out you know tell me then finding two or three beautiful rich and sincere maids who’d let me do anything to them i’d be surrounded by them for the rest of my life ila pretended not to see her son who was being very serious i’ll be fine if he’s alive do as you wish i suppose I can use him in a lot of ways to be honest I was being conservative when I said two or three maids i’d like around 10 ila let out a big sigh knowing she failed in raising Saran call comforted her saying he was born with a weird personality that evening Kyle was at the hilltop practicing his sword as usual just as he was about to go home after experiencing some muscle pain Liisa stopped by what’s up kyle saw that Liisa was just out of it sariah came over to complain to me she told me that you were dumping her i’m really sorry about my mom i really am kyle bowed deeply so is it true that you’re leaving on a journey oh yeah i need to prepare first but I’ll be on my way within 2 or 3 days where are you going my first destination is Malad the capital i have to prepare for a lot of things the capital city of Malad is about a 5-day walk away from where they currently live i see leisa’s face turned serious m can I ask you something i have no intentions of bringing you along knew what she was going to ask so he answered the question before she could ask why serene’s going with you right i can’t throw you around and put you in danger i won’t be obstructive i know your strengths her actual power is very strong especially these past few days kyle is gifted in the art of swords and Liisa was skilled in martial arts from when she was little she trained with the guards of Kyus liisa was skilled not as much as Kyle but to make up for it she worked diligently she always said that she would make use of it when she grew up liisa’s father died in a war before she was born so her mother definitely would have wanted Liisa to live a more peaceful life liisa’s mother died two years ago and since then she’s been helping out at her aunt’s house she still continues her training but doesn’t bother anybody other than Kyle or Saran when Liisa heard that Kyle was going on a trip she couldn’t stand it given her strength Liisa would probably a great addition to Kyle’s team if it’s about your mother I’ll apologize it’s not just that it’s also me being selfish i just want you to be in safe i never want you to be in danger kyle thought about the moment Liisa died in his arms he never wanted to go through that experience ever again listen to me i also need a home knowing I have a home to return to empowers me kyle grabbed both of Li’s shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye i’ll report my return to you before anybody else and I want you to welcome me home before anybody so I need you to stay home and wait for me kyle I Kyle leaned in and gently touched her lips with his Ah leisa’s face turned bright red i knew you’ve changed you weren’t using these tactics before now I have no choice but to listen i’m older we’re the same age i meant mentally kyle looked at Liisa in a friendly way and squeezed her liisa didn’t resist promise me you’ll come back it’s hard enough knowing you’re gone relax i’m not going to be gone forever and I won’t do anything crazy this was a lie kyle knew he would do anything to achieve his goals okay kyle felt a little guilty but he hugged Liisa anyways let’s go home liisa seemed reluctant at first but she grabbed Kyle’s hand in order to get home they had to walk through several busy streets they were sure that they would run into their friends but it didn’t really matter now yeah let’s go with a big grin on her face Liisa’s squeezed Kyle’s hand the first time I kissed someone was when I was 18 i was quite shy kyle started walking with silly thoughts spinning through his head the sun was setting when the two were walking down the main street of Rise it was rush hour and the flow of workers going home made the street very busy the stores along the road were trying to grab their last customers before closing liisa found an area that looked a little different from everything else in the street some journeyman was gathering a lot of attention she had on a sturdy cloak and a dagger in her waist the lady had all her belongings organized neatly just like a typical journeyman nobody seemed to care ah an elf the elf was walking towards Kyle and Liisa the elf belonged to a rather isolated species they hardly ever leave the forest on their own there were no nearby elf villages so it was quite rare for an elf to be strolling the streets here beautiful figures and long ears were the defining characteristics of elves this elf however had a different kind of elegance that was special she looked straightforward her eyes were filled with determination she left such a strong impression on people passing by that everyone turned to look once more i knew elves were beautiful if Saran were here his eyes would be glued to her liisa said that if that happened she’d have to smack him but Kyle wasn’t paying attention at all kyle let go of her hand and started walking as if he was being pulled towards the elf hey Kyle liisa seemed anxious kyle didn’t answer he just kept staring at the elf in front of him and then he whispered “Exes.” Ula was known for being strange everyone began to believe that label most elves live their entire lives without ever leaving the forest elsa left to see what the outside looked like she ran into countless issues on her journey but her spiritual magic and her sword skills allowed her to continue with little hassle she didn’t have any special reason to visit Raise it was just the next stop on her journey and when she walked through the streets a man looked at her in a strange way it was as if he had seen a ghost she was used to getting strange looks on the street but this was entirely different agony happiness confusion it didn’t look like the man viewed her with hostility but the look she received was unusual she was sure it was the first time she’d seen this gentleman but his appearance urged her to talk to him but at that exact moment the human mumbled something “Ex’s.” It was a very faint voice but Els have superior hearing there was no way she missed it “how do you know?” Elsa screamed and Kyle was stunned “huh oh damn i shouldn’t have said that in front of her i’m sorry Elsa wait no i mean and nice to meet you welcome to Raise you think you can trick me kyle smiled and pretended to be a regular villager in the town of Rise but Olsa was insulted needless to say she was very agitated she did say she had visited Rise before but I didn’t think she’d visit it this time damn it k was holding his head he regretted the fact that he let his tongue slip olsa stayed with Kyle until the final battle she was very supportive in terms of fighting and mental support k didn’t forget her but at the same time he really didn’t mind her too much he did however remember that right around this time she was out on a journey to widen her perspectives her home is far away so he thought the chances of meeting her here were slim k had decided that when he had time he would go visit her but he wasn’t expecting to meet her like this ula was agitated further with Kyle’s nonsense mumbling and being the impatient one she reached for her dagger on her waist s stop kyle used a spell haste which could be cast without saying anything using this he was able to close the distance with her in an instant to prevent her from brandishing her dagger she grabbed her by the waist and to prevent her from thrashing he embraced her entire body to any bystander it looked like he was giving her a huge hug to render her powerless the best thing to do was to just pummel her but there was no way he was going to do that to her l let go ula tried to break free but elves were small and delicate she was unable to free herself calm down there’s soldiers nearby you’ll be arrested if a foreign elf were to brandish a weapon and attack a human she would most likely be severely punished shut up let me go she showed no signs of calming down if this continued any longer she would do anything to grab the dagger and slash Kyle if she used any spiritual magic things would be worse kyle had no other options but to use magic to calm her down but elves have a high resistance to magic so spells aren’t that effective kyle had a trick sleep X’s by using her mana and a sleepind inducing spell he made it work why yo you could tell she was still angry by looking at her eyes but she fell asleep just like that kyle grabbed Olsa just as she was about to collapse to the ground to him this was no different from what happened just 5 days ago he remembered the night before the battle we meet again he gently caressed her sleeping face ola was gently breathing while she slept and Kyle smiled at that moment Kyle felt an excruciating pain on his side and he went flying his was lying on the floor and his body was bent after a few moments he was finally able to look up what are you doing you really like hitting me in the guts don’t you liisa was looking down at Kyle her face showed no expression whatsoever it’s not what it seems like just listen to me calm down let’s talk about this she also lost her home and her family so we comforted each other and I was lonely because you were gone or what are you talking about it’s a misunderstanding or maybe not but it’s complicated be serious you’re acting just like Saran i can’t believe you just attacked a girl on the street because she was pretty no it’s not like that that’s a complete misunderstanding i knew I couldn’t trust you i’m coming with you i don’t care what you say i’m going with you on your trip no way I’m letting you out of my sights the ensuing argument that continued right next to Ola’s sleeping body carried on until it was stopped by nearby soldiers however since Liisa beating up Kyle was such a common event she got away with it with only a warning liisa was preparing tea at Kyle’s house in his reception room the three sat down alsa was very cautious of the two she didn’t even drink the tea but she seemed calmer than before it’s not like she could do anything about it when she woke up Liisa was being lectured by soldiers and Kyle was beat up pretty badly it took a while for her to understand what was going on for that reason her rage simmerred down liisa and Kyle continued with the argument i’m telling you it’s a misunderstanding can I talk now olsa finally interrupted with a gentle but powerful voice so um nice to meet you i’m Kyle your name is Ula right you really think you can still fool me spill it out why do you know my mana she had calmed down a bit but one wrong move and she’d probably slice Kyle’s head off kyle knew this and anyone who understood the situation would understand as well mana refers to a name other than the one used on a daily basis it has a magical meaning in it spiritual magicians use their mana to make a contract with the spirits and cast their spells by borrowing their power the mana is usually known only by close friends the naming parent and a significant other misuse or abuse of the mana could be fatal the reason is because the mana is linked directly to soul if a spell that affects the mental state is casted using the mana she would be unable to fight back if the charm spell is casted she would definitely be a slave on the other hand if a curse was inflicted using the mana she wouldn’t be able to resist in essence Ol’s life was in Kyle’s hands nobody knows my mana except my parents how do you know it in his head Kyle said “You’re the one who told me.” In the other world both Kyle and Ula had lost important people they trusted each other more and more and eventually they covered each other’s backs the night before they stormed the demon king’s castle Ula came into Kyle’s room forward slashforward slash my mana eyes exes when we’re alone call me by that name and as long as you’re with me forward slashforward slasha was holding on to Kyle tightly when she told him this damn also was cute then Kyle remembered her tearfilled eyes when she said this why are you grinning Kyle snapped back and saw that Liisa was staring back at him he cleared his throat and straightened his posture before looking straight at Ola I’m sorry I just can’t tell you right now but I’m the only one that knows right Now there is nobody else that knows this right now so you don’t have to worry about that anymore what he said was meant for Liisa as well not just Elsa liisa was about to say something but when she saw Kyle’s face she decided it was best to no say anything so she just sighed are you dafted you think I’m going to believe you ola was clearly not satisfied with Kyle’s response it’s easy to lie about this i could make anything sound true but that would be pointless actually it was my fault anyways for letting my tongue slip i can’t think of a good excuse but he wondered what would happen if you did tell the truth for years later we’ll fall in love that was when you told me your mana as evidence I know you have a heart-shaped birthark on your ass i’m pretty sure I’m the only guy that knows this also your left ear is very sensitive and a whole bunch of other stuff the day Kyle tells her this would be his last day also would definitely slice him into pieces and tear him apart with magic instead he said “I don’t like to lie that’s why I just said I can’t tell you right now i know you probably feel insecure about this and I apologize liisa looked at Kyle with the what are you talking about face but he ignored it kyle used what he knew from before to his advantage he knew that her weakness was being dealt with face to face he also knew that she hated liars and even if I did tell the truth would you believe me even if you use the lie detection magic could you prove it the lie detection magic was just what it sounds like it tells the user if the other person is lying or not but its effectiveness is questionable sometimes it gives false positives kyle’s tactic paid off olsa seemed to relax a bit but I still don’t feel safe normally I’d have to kill you to prevent you from telling anyone my mana hey the word kill set Liisa off she interrupted the two i know that how important your mana is to you but I can’t afford to be killed right now so in exchange how about you use the spell contract agreement contract agreement are you serious also his eyes widened contracts are basically deals that spiritual magicians have with the spirits using their mana the contract agreement on the other hand is an agreement with humans that places a restriction of some kind since the use of this magic would result in the human knowing the mana of the one dealing the spell it’s rarely used but since Kyle already knows mana that didn’t matter i can’t believe you know about the contract agreement only elves and spiritual magicians should know that here’s the deal i won’t tell anyone your mana nor will I abuse it what do you say you do know what will happen to you if you break this contract right of course I die contracts borrow the power of spirits so going against them results in the punishment of death kyle’s life was on the line but he brought out this agreement as if it were no big deal are you sure you understand as long as I’m the one using the contract agreement I can trick you and stuff to you know if I wanted I could take your life i’m not worried about that i know Alza wouldn’t do such a thing we just met what makes you so confident that I won’t and even if it were true you wouldn’t warn me beforehand ha looked away she clearly was not having any fun fine my life is on the line as well i see no reason to object ah okay regarding why I know your real name I’ll speak when the time comes i promise but not right now i can’t create a contract agreement until the next full moon contracts require the power of Muna the guardian elf and moon god his power is largely dependent on the phases of the moon if I remember correctly there’s at least half a month until the next full moon olsa let out a sigh knowing that she’d have to stay in town until then next full moon kyle without any remorse added on “Oh sorry by the way I’m leaving town in a day or two.” W what translators note manner written in characters in the original is junming literally it means true name first character translates to true real authentic read ma second character translates to name read na the na is the same character for the first letter of the Japanese word for namei mchan the mana used here should not be confused for the mana that most of you associate with magic spells i.e hp and mana chapter 4 two days later in front of Kyle’s house well then farewell Kyle chan don’t only eat fish and meat okay make sure to eat vegetables too yeah yeah I got it kyle who had just finished packing now had to deal with a sobbing SA don’t worry I will be with him liisa who had also finished packing comforted Sarah yes yes Liisa Chan take care of Kyle Chan please sa was wiping away her tears with a handkerchief kyle was tired of her crying over and over so he was getting ready to leave i’m going try to visit okay good luck sariah blew her nose while waving goodbye do your best Kyle and take care of your friends yeah I know wait huh you were here Dad lel Kyle’s father was standing next to Sara i came back the day before yesterday i was at home all day yesterday too i I didn’t notice kyle remembered that there was food prepared even when Liisa wasn’t home the other day honey don’t you think it’s too early for him to go out on a journey i know you’re worried but he’s our kid well I suppose he is our child what will we do if we don’t trust him right i’m sorry it’s okay Sara i’m going rest well you two kyle’s parents were slowly getting carried away into their own world the last thing Kyle wanted to see was a love scene between his parents we’re leaving liisa stood beside Kyle she waved to everybody did you tell your family yeah I told my aunt’s family and visited my parents’ graves did you pack everything i’m all set it’s much easier than when I stayed in the mountains for a month i remember i still think you should stay home you know too late you can’t stop me now liisa had a huge smile on her face and Kyle knew that it was useless to try to make her stay so he just let out a big sigh and gave up saran and Ola were already waiting at the meeting place i can’t believe a beautiful lady like you is going to be joining our team i’m just watching i have no recollection of being in your team i still don’t understand why I’m going with you guys ola was clearly depressed about this but Saran was extremely happy going on a trip with Kyle alone is depressing and Liisa doesn’t make me feel any better either you don’t listen to people do you olsa massaged her temples as if she was having a migraine olaan it’s best if you just ignore him yeah it’s better if you just pretend he’s not there liisa and Kyle were used to handling him what did master say kyle asked Saran what oh the usual in fact she was like what are you still doing here hurry up and go k let out a dry laugh it’s what he expected master to say let’s go k called out to everyone saran and Liisa looked eager to go but Olsa seemed like she wanted to relax for a few more days here wait the east gate is this way liisa called out to Kyle who had started to walk they had originally planned to go to Malad first which was east of Rise but Ka was heading to the north gate no we’re going this way i’m changing the first destination i had planned to go to the capital first to buy some things but there’s no need for that anymore what were you going to buy a magic tool slightly expensive that costs at least 30,000 gadoo gadaroo is the unit of currency here one gadu can buy you a meal at a street shop a regular person would be able to make a living with around 10,000 garoo per year the total amount that the four had right now didn’t even reach 10,000 gadoo 30,000 you say that’s quite a lot how are you going to earn that much money saran had every right to be worried there was no way to earn 30,000 through regular means i wasn’t going to do anything dangerous i was just going to be a swordsman and bet on myself to increase my earnings wow anyways there’s no need for me to buy the magic item since the highly skilled spiritual magician Olsa has joined our team as Kyle introduced Ula Liisa and Saran started applauding they acted as if they were all childhood friends like I said I don’t remember ever joining your team ola seemed unimpressed but that didn’t bother Kyle at all the first goal is to reach the Sangled Mountains the Sangled Mountains were on the northern side of the border it was a dangerous mountain range and took around half a month to reach that’s quite far isn’t it it’s okay ula can use the spell wind walker wind walker adds the power and blessing of the wind spirit silfeed it makes walking several times faster in addition it comes at little cost to the one casting the spell so it’s very useful what would take half a month now only took 3 days this magic was very useful but there was no method for humans to cast it it was so useful that people would hire spiritual magicians at astronomical prices just for this particular spell while spiritual magicians have so many useful spells it helps a lot like I said K was talking as if he and Ola were best friends ola on the other hand seemed tired i knew she’s weak to a change in atmosphere once things don’t go her way it’s all downhill from there it’s amazing how he managed to drag along a stubborn Ula what do you plan on doing once we get to the Sangled Mountains liisa asked Kyle “Do you know the famous legends of that mountain?” “Um I do remember that there’s a hidden labyrinth somewhere in there.” Liisa remembered someone telling her this legend “you’re right the largest human labyrinth known as the magic king there were many other legends that dealt with the ancient magic kingdom of Zars the heart of Shinriu that Kyle had was one of them but the magic king was another one the greatest known magician in human history Selonia left a huge labyrinth according to the legend there were lots of treasures inside that’s a legend right does it really exist are you serious do you know how many years that’ll take relax i have a map with the details of exactly where everything is k pulled out an old map and flashed it to everyone huh is this real i found it in my mom’s old collection the book itself is from the age of Zars so I’m sure it’s real k was also sure about this because he had been there before but he didn’t tell them about that part during the great invasion the outlook for the humans was so bad that they began to depend on legends as well just then it was said that the Imperial family had a sealed map of the labyrinth kyle vaguely remembered this story and went back to his ruined village and dug out the map from the book in his mother’s collection with this map the humans were able to increase their forces and connect it to the final battle he thought it was fate that his mother guided him to the map k looked back to the direction of his home he knew that by now his parents were in their own world so he let out a dry laugh it doesn’t seem fake the paper the map is printed on is from a magic tree that’s been around for over a thousand years most of the trees were destroyed in a battle a long time ago so this kind of paper isn’t made anymore started to show some interest she knew that they stopped making this paper after Zirs was destroyed however even if we have a map the insides are extremely spacious it’s also dangerous there are many traps and self-activating magic weapons we’ll probably be killed 10 times over then there’s no use going saran felt it was suicidal i know there’s no use but there’s supposed to be a ton of treasure and magic items there whatever we do it’s easier if we have money treasures that is tempting but I still value my life you know saran was starting to think about it when Kyle reassured him there’s no need to go head first so we’re going to dig ourselves in you never know what can happen in life half a month ago I never expected to be here digging my way into a legendary labyrinth saran wore a headband with a luminescent rock placed into it as he was digging after I swore to be a hero I never thought my first task was to dig a tunnel kyle also had a band with luminescent rock strapped to his head the two used shovels to dig through the rocks and placed them in a wagon occasionally they wiped their sweat away with the towels they had around their necks you fools you two of all people should not be complaining behind the two boys stooda also with a band strapped to her head she was giving orders from the back as she checked the map she was also using the help of the earth spirit gnome i can’t believe I’m helping you guys hey Saran don’t dig there we haven’t hardened the surroundings kyle use detect magic once you finish hauling the dirt outside things might be misaligned detect magic was a spell that detects magic power the three used that magic to detect the power coming from the treasure inside and adjusted their movements accordingly i feel like Olza is putting in the most work here kyle simply nodded to Saran she’s a very serious person she hates people who slack off quit talking keep working yes ma’am the two decided it was better to not talk back the Sangled Mountains spanned an area as large as a small country kyle and his friends were deep in the mountains where nobody dared to travel the mountains were like a staircase the plateaus in between each step had goats grazing on the grass the steep areas however were very dangerous ka was at the rear entrance the real entrance of the labyrinth was on the other side of this mountain this area was also the closest to the treasures and the perfect place to start digging although if they decided to actually dig through the stone it would take years this is where Ula comes in handy using the Earth’s spirit gnome allowed her to make the stone into a softer dirt-like substance so it’s easier to dig at the same time to prevent any avalanches she hardened the surrounding stone and made it sturdy finally by using the wind spirit silfeed they were all able to breathe without a problem even if they were deep in the mountains as a result they were extremely efficient kyle’s original plan was to fight at the arena to collect funds so he could buy magic tools that did what was currently doing thanks to Ula there was no need for that anymore hal could have asked others for help or hired others but he wanted to do it with as few people as he could in fact he originally planned to do it with Saran alone but that would take much longer good work all three of you liisa greeted the three as they walked out of the tunnel she was in the middle of cooking something the base camp was right near the entrance of the tunnel and there were two tents kyle Saran and Ula were in charge of digging while Lisa handled the cooking and other miscellaneous jobs it’s been 5 days they were getting used to this lifestyle the laundry is all dry and I’m sure you don’t want to eat in those clothes so why don’t you all go change the food will be ready in a bit oh and I’ll wash the clothes you’re wearing now so just put them all together okay liisa was giving out orders and the three went into the tents to change i’m so tired I can’t move saran was done changing keep it up we’re almost there you too your legs are shaking as Saran pointed out Kyle’s legs were shaking but he pretended that he was fine my body is fine but calling the spiritual apostles has drained me mentally ula sat down and let out a sigh using apostles differed from using contracts to summon the powers of the spirits with the apostles Ula was able to give direct orders for example she could command the fire spirit salamander to light 100 candles individually there are certain things each spirit can and cannot do and depending on the level of the person using the spirits the commands can be quite detailed this is one of the reasons why spiritual magicians are still considered useful compared to the ancient magicians it’s ready liisa set out all the food in front of the three i must say Liisa your cooking skills are amazing i’ve been on long journeys but all the food outside the city tastes bland olsa seemed surprised there was a stew grilled chicken and fruit all of it tasted quite delicious the meals brought excitement every day for the three working in the mountains ula knew how to cook but not in the wild like this during her journey Alza normally ate preserved food there happened to be a really fat bird so I used that huh this meat over here is different oh that one is bare i killed it just a while ago so that’s fresh as well when did you Ola was enjoying the meal but the two boys just stuffed food into their mouths the combination of exhaustion and hunger left them with no energy to talk liisa refilled their bowls as if it was a routine “how much longer do you guys have to dig?” “Well at this pace we’ll be done by tomorrow or the day after.” K answered while drinking his aftermeal tea the detect magic spell was returning very faint signals at first but as they dug further the signal strength increased i see go take a bath once you’re done and get ready for tomorrow the bath was a little far away and it was big enough so that several people could go in at once it was a hot spring but it wasn’t natural ola used the earth spirit gnome to create a crater and the water spirit unde summon the spring water from below while Kyle used his fire magic to heat it up i never expected to be able to take a bath everyday in the mountains like this when I went to the mountains before all I did was wipe my body liisa stretched her body and relaxed liisa’s body showed the effects of her training there was not a single bit of fat and her body was in a nice streamlined shape her legs had just a bit of muscle but it wasn’t too obvious her skin had a healthy tan and looked beautiful when she flipped over her large ass floated on the water i’ve also been on a long journey this was a long overdue bath the elves were a delicate species but Oslo was an exception she had a very balanced body her breasts weren’t huge but they had a beautiful shape if she was a statue she’d probably be placed in some king’s room she rested on the edge of the bath and tied her blonde hair her skin was white and glowing i envy you liisa had an averagesized chest but Elsa had a rather large one really where I grew up those kind of hips are envied are really thought chest her hips were larger than most girls her age yeah you look like you could rear a lot of healthy kids look at me stood up got close to Liisa and looked at her own skinny hips and small ass the old women in our town tell me the same thing but it’d be better if it was more like you a sand oh a heart there was a heart-shaped area with darker pigmentation on Ula’s white ass d don’t say it i don’t like it olsa hid the scar by going down in the water her face was bright red but Liisa thought it was cute they both laughed and Liisa thanked Ula again for the hot bath i didn’t know magic could come in handy like this i can’t use magic so I’m really thankful don’t be besides you killed a bear with your bare hands that’s much cooler olsa got a glimpse of the bear carcass before going in the bath it was as big as two grown men and weighed as much as seven or eight i’m also in the midst of training so it’s no big deal training for Kyle man huh yeah i mean this is the only thing I excel at so Liisa rubbed her cheeks she was shy hey Elaan i know this won’t sound convincing coming from me but I don’t think you should worry that much worry i know that Kyle is hiding something and I know that whatever it is it’s got something to do with your mana tightened the only reason is here is because somebody else has access to her mana all I can say is that guy does a lot of things that pisses me off but he would never do something to make me cry so I’m certain that he would never do anything to hurt you Ola Sanan i’m just going to wait until he speaks up when Ala saw the smile on Liisa’s face she knew that Liisa trusted Kyle that eased some of the tension or she just couldn’t believe how Liisa was so dumb either way I just tagged along because I was uneasy about letting him go alone ah but don’t worry if he does anything stupid I’ll take responsibility and Liisa had her fists clenched just call me Ola huh what I’m saying is drop the sand okay ula the two laughed while the girls were bonding there was some commotion let me go i’m going to go see stop aren’t you ashamed of yourself saran was trying to peek at the girls taking the bath and Kyle was doing everything he could to stop him it’s an open air bath of course I look what’s wrong saran screamed with everything he had you’re not going to look of course I want to look k replied and began to speak there’s no way I’m letting you see those two that’s mine did you just say too so it’s not just Liisa but also Olachon why are you suddenly quiet you’re annoying it’s going to affect our work tomorrow just go and sleep already i don’t care about tomorrow i’m living this moment right now there was tension building between the two uggh damn it i failed again today you You’ve wasted my energy what are you two doing i just washed these clothes you know liisa came out of the bath and saw the two were grappling in the process they had dirt all over the freshly washed clothes Liisa had provided needless to say she wasn’t impressed around noon the next day Olo approached Kyle who had resumed digging after having lunch i never thought to conquer the labyrinth like this i still feel uneasy about doing it this way there’s no other way if we go in from the front we’ll be destroyed for sure k remembered the time he went through the front although he had a map of all the traps it wasn’t easy getting through plus not all the traps are on the map the map itself is a trap as well there’s some magic infused in the map basically the map is accurate for most part but once you get to the layer with all the treasure additional layers appear on the blank areas the layer with the treasure can’t be reached without going through those layers but the traps are some of the worst just thinking about how hopeless that experience was sent shivers down Kyle’s spine he took a look at the signature on the corner of the map the signature was written in ancient writing selonia’s the reason for all this digging was simple kyle never wanted to enter the labyrinth again but at the same time he wanted all the treasure by the way is Saran back yet saran took off after having lunch and hasn’t returned since he has a nasty habit of slacking off i remember him saying he’d find a place where he could see from far away i wonder what he’s talking about olsa tilted her head don’t worry about that i’m going to strangle that guy later kyle crushed the cup he was holding in his hand i’m confused anyway Kyle there’s something I want to ask you olsa explained that she’d rather ask now since Saran was gone i’m a downto-earth kind of person so I’ll get straight to it liisa and Saran have known you for a long time and they trust you very much but I’m different i don’t know you very well so tell me why do you want to become a hero when Alsa heard about Kyle’s intentions on the way over here she initially thought he was some weird kid with unreasonable ambitions but as time went by she realized that Kyle was serious he had a clear goal in mind knew what he could do and what he needed to do he also hadn’t slacked off one tiny bit your ring that’s part of your training right she looked at the simple ring on Kyle’s left hand i see you’ve noticed it’s a ring that has the gravity spell gravity adjusts the weight of the target it’s normally used to weaken beasts by draining their energy and rendering them powerless it’s also called the ring of promise because it’s used to take away the power of criminals the type of ring that Kyle had on his finger could be instantly deactivated if he wanted to and unless it was a complete surprise attack he would have no problem with it with that ring your weight is probably two or three times the normal amount right you’re just about right according to my master constantly putting on weight is helpful in increasing my base strength it’s simple but very effective nonetheless for now I just want to raise my basic strength by wearing the ring and digging it’s two birds with one stone at first I thought you were into masochism huh um like you know you have those weird sexual fantasies with Liisa and the way you flirt with her is your method of foreplay what kind of misunderstanding is that i mean Saran told me that the way you two flirt is a very highle type of foreplay so I shouldn’t really take it seriously that guy always speaking nonsense at first I thought it was a very rare type of fantasy so I was looking down at you while feeling sorry for the human race for being so strange but it looks like I was wrong my bad no don’t be don’t worry about it somewhere inside Kyle felt like crying i’m going to ask you again why do you want to be a hero because just as Kyle was about to say something there was a loud noise the shovel hit something very hard is this metal wave made it the metal was very hard and cold the detect magic spell was giving its strongest feedback so far it’s time for the final approach we’ve got to tell Liisa and Saran just as Kyle was about to go out he turned back and told Elsa “I’m sorry I can’t tell you right now but I promise when the time comes I’ll tell Liisa and the rest of you.” Elsa looked at Kyle as he walked out and decided not to press further she said to herself “For some reason being with these guys is messing with my mind.” Chapter 5 wow this is Wea Saran Ola and Liisa each said something before they were at a loss of words once they tore through the outer layer of metal they were in a large warehouse filled with treasure the place was as big as 10 homes put together the mountain of treasure included rings necklaces and statues there were also tapestries and crystals and gems of all sorts most of these things cannot be replicated with today’s technology merchants and aristocrats aren’t the only ones who would pay for these treasures royalties would also pay a significant amount to buy this stuff there were also coins from the ancient times hundreds of thousands of coins were scattered everywhere it was literally a mountain of treasure there were rubies diamonds sapphires emeralds topaz opal pearls and other minerals herbs were also in the pile these herbs were used as ingredients to make magic medicine other ingredients like unicorn horns and dragon skin were also neatly stacked the items had the preservation spell cast upon them even after a thousand years everything looked fresh in the corner was an ingot of Mithril mithril is a light and durable element that has the ability to increase resistance to magic it’s used in weapons and defense items but it’s so rare that select dwarf races are the only one to mine this it’s dozens of times more valuable than gold and it’s something that you can’t just buy with money this amount of treasure would be enough to buy several countries though the amount is impressive it was an appropriate amount the magic kingdom zirs spread across half of the entire land mass when it was at its peak this meant it controlled and fracked 34 of the entire human population it was believed that with such power the humans could defeat the demons the king during that time Selonia Zirs was the one that left all this treasure it’s no surprise that he left so much considering his status regardless of how humble an individual was that person will definitely be struck with awe in a sense it was a dangerous charm liisa and Olsa were both speechless they absent-mindedly stood there and looked around only Kyle who knew this place was calm liisa and Olsa slowly made their way to the treasure when Kyle softly but firmly reminded them don’t get carried away the two were in a state of shock they shivered before looking back at Kyle listen the reason I’m here is because I need money to achieve my goals money is nothing more than a tool it’s definitely better to have some and it’s good to handle it effectively but be careful not to be thrown around by money it sounds a bit harsh but someone had to say it because there are countless people who lead miserable lives from their wealth to show you what I’m talking about take a look over there k pointed hia it’s money i can finally live a luxurious life saran threw himself onto the pile of coins and rolled around that is an example of what happens when you let money control you i’m rich saran scooped up coins and started throwing it pretending it was raining coins you’re right that doesn’t look too pretty i definitely don’t want to end up like that the two looked at Saran with pity they shook their heads in disapproval watching Saran helped them calm down and they began to calmly look around the stacks of treasure thank you Saran thanks to you i’m sure these two won’t be controlled by money it sounds trivial but I’m starting to think that bringing you along wasn’t a mistake after all kyle looked at Saran who was still rolling around in coins with a gentle look the last time Kyle came here was 2 months ago from his previous life that time the economy was already in shambles and even with all of this treasure it wouldn’t mean much moreover at that time bread was more important than gold silver and gems the dwarf craftsmen were able to create weapons and shields using the mithril and the alchemists were able to stir up some magic medicine without those items the last battle would have been lost while the three were distracted by the treasures K silently headed towards the back the ginormous statues and mountains of jewelry covered him from sight there was a big sword on the pedestal it was a bastard sword one that could be carried with one hand or both the blade of the sword was polished and there were letters written in ancient magic language on the hilt was a red gem clearly it had some strong magical powers the sword was probably made of myithil it was well balanced and one look would be enough for anyone to know it was a legendary sword it was a beautiful sword one could keep staring at it it was so peculiar that it would make people feel like they were being sucked in k took a deep breath rather quickly and stepped forward at that moment the sword emitted a light the particles of light gathered in front of the sword and created an image of a little girl from the look of it the girl looks around 12 or 13 she had white hair and was dressed in a loose robe she had her eyes closed slowly she opened her eyes she spoke in a clear and stern voice well done for surviving the long ordeal i must congratulate you for Servy w She couldn’t finish kyle held her mouth shut and carried her to the corner of the room don’t talk too loudly they’ll hear us k peeked at the two and made sure they didn’t notice the little girl tried to break free and spoke in an angry voice “you inconsiderate person who do you think I am i told you to not speak loudly i know who you are you’re Selonia’s the magic king actually it’s a replica.” Kyle whispered “the real one is in the gym on the sword.” “That gem has part of Selonia’s personality and his knowledge embedded within.” “You were a shadow made of magic right?” “H how do you know the original Sonia and myself are the only ones who should know this selonia panicked but she replied in a soft voice also I know the questions you’re about to ask as well as the answers to all of them so can we just skip all of that please but that’s my time to show off and isn’t that why you’re here wait how do you know all of this obviously K knew the questions and their answers from their previous encounter fine fine the answers are a dragon to the east of the second layer a wolf to the west of the third layer demons to the north of the fifth layer and a large painting of the human race on the south of the sixth layer not very nice of you to ask questions regarding rooms that I didn’t even have to go through well so you went through all of them wait why do you know the answers well to be honest I took a shortcut this time so I didn’t go through any of them shortcut: We dug a hole on the opposite side directly to this treasure why did you do that you know this is also part of Selonia’s grave special circumstances let me do the final test you’ll understand i’m going to grab the sword now so you know about that too yeah i think if I do this you’ll understand k grab the sword that was on the pedestal sonia was even more surprised what who are you hurry up and read it if this will convince you you won’t have to use the final trap right fine fine take it out selonia’s body became a bunch of light particles once again and were sucked into the sword’s gym at the same time Kyle removed the sword just as the particles of light were engulfing Kyle they disappeared as well selonia’s shadow appeared once again but she had a very troubled look on her face time travel is this real perfect reading reveals everything right then it must be i also have the heart of Shinriu with me perfect reading is a special class of magic that is lost today it reveals all of the targets experiences and memories and personalities the user practically knows everything about the target’s life and deceit is feudal even things that the target has forgotten will be revealed the last time Kyle encountered Selonia she explained this to him the spell is activated by gripping the sword selonia tested those who were able to make it this far to determine if they were worthy of keeping the treasure it was the final test such a convenient magic doesn’t exist i mean certainly you could read parts of the person’s memory but it’s just a bluff oi it was a bluff either way you can’t lie and you know some things that only I would know most importantly your soul is proof of this soul your your magic level has increased since the last time you came here am I right you know why k asked out of curiosity until now he just let it be so the hypothesis that I made earlier proved to be true but I didn’t think that I’d actually meet you in person what are you talking about explaining will take some time anyways how many people are with you are they your friends oh snap they’ll notice soon for sure here’s the deal they know nothing so let’s get our story straight so you haven’t told anyone about this yet it would be a confusing matter but I knew you’d figure it out anyways i suppose you’re right i had no choice though since the fate of the human race was at stake sonia had to cooperate she let out a sigh okay here we go oh wow a talking sword and its name is Selonia Zirs that was a bit too fake sorry about that i briefly lost control of myself after looking at all the treasure saran pretended to be normal but neither Ula nor Liisa were paying any attention since there was an important figure right in front of them it would make sense that the two ignored Saran liisa didn’t have any words to say as she stared at the king from over a thousand years ago who looked just like a kid they decided to take a break inside the treasure room selonia deliciously ate the baked goods that Liisa had brought with her hpmh this actually tastes quite good the food during this age isn’t that bad after all did you make this ah yes i used a lot of juice and honey in it anyways are you really the magic king actually I’m only a part of it i’m based off of part of the magic king who is stored inside the gem on the sword i’m Selonia Zars but at the same time I am my own independent self selonia was talking about herself but spoke as if she was talking about someone else magical beings like the one in front of them are oftentimes synthetic chimeas or some sort they are made by alchemists in the ancient magic kingdoms they were made quite often but over time the methods of making it were lost and because of the difficulty and high level of magic it requires it’s seldom researched today everything I eat and drink is converted in a magical power so nothing goes to waste h It’s been approximately a thousand years since I last ate not bad she says it as if it were no big deal but converting food to magical power would be unthinkable with today’s alchemy methods it was too difficult one could sense at the high level of alchemy that existed in ancient times but why are you in the form of a child this is the original form of Selonia you know she used magic to stop aging when she was the strongest she remained like this until her death i see but I’ve never heard of that story before since Selonia is a legend there are many stories about her but they’ve never heard of her being in the form of a little girl it’s been over a thousand years those stories evolve over time into something tremendously far from the truth she didn’t really show her face in front of people to begin with she said that that was probably one of the reasons why she seemed uninterested throughout but why would she preserve her form elsa asked the question that everyone was asking about there is a reason it’s regarding the inheritance of all of this treasure it’s not state property or anything it’s all private property all of this is private property you’ve got to be kidding me no wonder people have been fighting over it saran spoke while looking around it wouldn’t be surprising if a war broke out over who would control the treasures she had no heirs to pass along the property so when she died so she sealed the treasure when she died she would only give the treasure to those who pass all the traps and things placed in the labyrinth so that’s why all these traps are here just looking at the map give an idea of how many traps there were scattered across the area that’s just a hobby it’s quite effective i see very few were able to even get to the labyrinth i wasn’t expecting anyone to actually make it through sonia shook her head the plant was the place of final test those who pass would get the treasure those who didn’t would suffer the last trap the last trap the caving in of the entire place i can do that in an instant i would bury everyone who made it here alive again she said it as if it were no big deal but everyone except Kyle turned blue but if you do that even you’ll be buried alive i’m a sword now it doesn’t matter if I’m buried alive all I have to do is sleep for a thousand years or maybe 2,000 years the next person who finds this place well it’s not any use to think of that right now is it she kept calm throughout but the three were panicking they looked at the ceiling thinking it would collapse on them at any moment normally those who cheat their way through the labyrinth by digging a hole directly to here would make me want to activate the last trap without any exception but Selonia looked at Kyle but he was busy drinking his tea you’re a quite interesting group of people so you can relax but there is one condition i need to watch you guys so you have to take me with you wherever you’re going selonia wanted to take a look at the outside world for the first time in a thousand years of course the three were nodding away saying “No here would mean everyone would be buried in an instant that would be a total waste of all the effort so why are you a sword again if you’re a magic king couldn’t you have been something more magical?” Saran looked at the sword in front of Kyle’s hands as a swordsman himself Saran was very curious to be honest the original Selonia never told me it could be just a coincidence without her I’ll never know selonia looked at the distance anyways as long as I’m a sword I’ll have to be used as a sword i have to choose a user but I think Kyle would be good i also request that I will be of great use knew that her words were nothing but the truth she was very confident kyle knew her for only a month but she was very useful even during the last battle until the person wielding the sword dies I’ll have to stick to the very end after saying that during the final battle she was able to allow Kyle to win against the demon king but at the same time it meant that Selonia would be destroyed in essence it was a reunion of those who were never supposed to meet again selonia was still munching on the food kyle was looking at her in his mind he thanked her for everything hey hey I’m also a swordsman how about choosing me over Kyle saran smiled at Selonia sonia looked at Saran as if she were putting a price on him she quickly shook her head and said “Nope it’s psychologically impossible you always get rejected like that i suppose even a thousand years ago people couldn’t stand you.” Liisa nodded i can’t disagree i suppose those things don’t change over time also agreed don’t worry the world is spacious there will be someone who will accept you kaparan’s shoulders and console him damn I feel like crying chapter 6 the Zil’s kingdom is at the center of a large continent it borders demon territory but its land is very suited for agriculture its climate is also warm under Remaness the current ruling king Zilgs is a very stable country that is continuously growing there’s no official ranking on the country’s strength but if there were the Zils kingdom would be ranked very highly near the top the capital Malad is surrounded by two layers of thick walls and has a population nearing 200,000 the royal palace at the center of Malad can be seen from anywhere in the capital and the country’s land seems as if we’re radiating outward from the palace oh there’s so many people the people in this era look very prosperous selonia was using magic to create an illusion of herself as she walked through the streets that were flooded with vendors kyle and his friends just arrived at Malad selonia was right the streets were flooded with people i heard Malad has a population of 1 million liisa said that with such a large population such a scenery wasn’t something to be shocked at you’re right but that’s only from what I’ve been told i don’t know from experience selonia herself had never walked through such a crowd and neither have I so that’s why kyle was wondering why Selonia kept asking questions on the way her existence was a very unbalanced one she was full of knowledge but lacked any experience whatsoever selonia was attracted by the scent and moved towards one of the vendors liisa forced a smile on her face and followed she’s like a kid from a rural village visiting the city for the first time saran is a whole different story but in fact Saran and Liisa are very similar neither of them have left Rise for a long time and it’s the first time either of them have been to Malad the way they looked around the city made it very easy to tell that they were from out of town h it doesn’t taste as good as Leis’s food but it’s quite good let’s see up next is that vendor Selonia was carrying a meat skewer as she returned via case she needed to convert the food to magic power she ate a lot eat later i want to go buy the stuff we planned stuff as in weapons and shields right we wouldn’t stand a chance with the equipment we have right now it’s better if we have higher quality items their current equipment consisted of Selonia working as Kyle’s sword everyone else’s equipment was just a little better than that of an average journeyman we can upgrade our current equipment but there would be limits with our current strength new higher grade material will enhance our abilities exponentially he added on that it’ll also reduce the chances of them getting killed over the past year Kyle had lost so many loved ones you didn’t want to lose anymore if we can avoid getting killed by buying better equipment it’s a cheap price to pay no need to be cheap in a big city like Malad there were several different places to buy goods from of course the stores had different levels stores for noviceses intermediates and professionals the place Kyle’s team was heading toward was without a doubt the highest class store around only noblemen and journeymen who earned tens of thousands of gadoo per assignment can afford the items there the store was built with stone and had no signs there were no signs because signs weren’t needed only people with a particular purpose would come to the store in other words it wasn’t the type of store where one would just walk in randomly or by accident there were several armed guards at the entrance only one of them was wearing a uniform for the store he spoke to Kyle as he approached the entrance what can I help you with ah I want to buy items i don’t mean to be rude but do you have a referral no are you familiar with our policy of firsttime customers with no referral if I remember correctly those without referrals who are completely new have to pay a deposit in order to enter the store kyle remembered from his previous life you’re correct i apologize for the inconvenience but we ask all new customers to make a deposit of 10,000 gadoo of course it will be returned upon your departure from the store the boy was somewhat apologetic but firm nonetheless the store has many very expensive items on display noblemen have their identities confirmed but most of the customers who visit this store are armed journeymen the store has to be on the safe side to prevent any armed robberies as a result the store normally doesn’t allow customers without a referral to enter however that doesn’t mean that they turn all of them away the deposit system ensures that only safe customers are led in the store if they can’t afford the initial deposit there is no way that they will be able to afford anything in the store hence they have no purpose of being there five pieces of Zir’s gold is that enough khanded the boy’s gold a currency from the ancient magical kingdom period it had very tiny engravings and even had a preservation spell as a result even a thousand years later there are many of them in circulation many stores that sell expensive items also accept it as currency zer’s gold has twice the value of the highest denomination which was worth 1,000 gau though not produced anymore there is an even more high-v valueue currency that is worth 10,000 gadu that uses precious gems those are often used for investments or rituals and are seldom found circulating thank you right this way please beyond the heavy door was a hallway at the end of the hallway was another heavy door for added protection there were two doors on the other end of the second door was a spacious floor there were no windows but magic items with the light spell had lit up the room in addition the moisture and temperature were adjusted perfectly to ensure maximum comfort and on the counters and were armor and weapons neatly organized possibly due to the time there were no other customers in the store the store wasn’t meant to attract large numbers of people at once in the first place welcome i am Faziba the owner of this store a wide man in his 50s greeted Kyle and his friends as they walked in for first timers either the owner of the store or one of the sales associates are assigned to stay with them at all times they determine the type of customer you are and whether the store can make money off of you they then adjust their services accordingly fiza had a great smile on his face but watched Kyle with a keen eye what can we do for you today we want to see your weapons and shields certainly we have a lot of weapons and shields let me show you there are many kinds of magic items some are simply enhanced while other are made lightweight some are specially made for users of fire or ice and still others are made to defend against those types there are several other types but they’re not made that often these days to put magic in a weapon or shield takes more effort than a simple magic item it also costs more so most of the items on the market were made during the rule of the ancient magic kingdom wo I see lots of things from Zars oh this one’s made by Milanis selonia commented on some of the things she saw you sure do know a lot this one was indeed made by Milanis one of the most famous craftsmen in the old days not really i mean he did make some neat items but when I criticized some of his work he started tearing up i’m sure he’s realized his mistakes by now huh oh don’t pay attention she’s kind of crazy kyle whispered to make sure she couldn’t hear huh oh okay i see fesa looked around the store and caught the attention of another store employee she led Selonia to a consulting table hm what is it oh well these snacks look delicious since this store dealt with rich customers their snacks were also top quality selonia began eating k gave a light bell apologizing for her behavior fesa also smiled he presumably understood the difficulty that she was giving Kyle and his friends oh could this be what caught Kyle’s eye was a light blue colored armor suit in a glass display case it was probably the most expensive item in the entire store it was displayed so that it would get everyone’s attention it was known as leather armor and emphasized speed it also used a special type of leather dragon leather armor and does it have magic on it as well yes it has magic to increase resistance defense hardness magic resistance heat resistance cold resistance and it’s also been made lightweight inside Phoenix wings are sewn fesa was probably asked the same question before he knew what he was talking about phoenix as in the phantom monster among the monsters there exists a thing that uses intellect to command language and use magic they were their own category and were called phantoms the number of phantoms is extremely small but most of them including dragons were very powerful yes it is a phantom monster as strong as a dragon it’s the epitome of life so it has resistance against poison and sickness also although it’s a small amount it does have an automatic health recovery function the store owner did a fantastic job of selling the armor to Kyle it was indeed one of the best armors around the price tag was under the display case 3 million Garoo you could buy a castle with the land and several servants in the capital with that kind of money for one armor this price was an outlier and over here we have our armor okay I’ll take this one what fesba’s eyes grew very wide but Kyle had already started talking to Saran saran this should fit you in terms of size what do you say saran was busy talking to the female sales associate so he wasn’t too interested i’m not a big fan of the blue coloring i want a passionate color like blue red or black i’ll pass on this one fine then I’ll take this one so now I have armor and a sword i’m all set now there’s Ola and Liisa can you please show me the items for women please ka was completely calm but Fespa’s eyes were still very wide afterwards he bought Ula a myithil silver breastplate and a dagger spiritual magicians don’t like metal like steel and bronze so they often don’t have any defensive items however magical metal like mythal silver was an exception he also bought an amulet using a precious stone that is said to be found only in the spiritual world it is said that putting this on reduces the distance between the user and the spirits in fact Ula recalled that she felt a special relationship form with the spirits the moment she put the amulet on i heard that the leader fo the village neighboring mine owned one but the quality of this one is unheard of with this I’ll probably be able to form contracts with highlevel spirits needless to say Osla was quite excited for Liisa he bought gauntlets to protect her arms they were also made of mithril they also had magic to make it sturdy yet lightweight with these Liisa would be able to dispel simple sword attacks with ease for her body he bought cloth armor to put emphasis on ease of movement the cloth armor also had the protect spell cast on it so it was actually sturdier than the average metal armor feels great liisa made several steps and jumps to check the fit and confirmed that there were no problems do you have any other armor made of dragon leather k asked Fesa if possible he was looking for dragon leather armor that even Liisa would be able to move comfortably in unfortunately we’re out of stock at the moment these items rarely come around so even in our store we only have a limited supply i see Kyle continued and whispered to Selonia who was still eating didn’t we have dragon leather um yeah we have enough to process in fact we have the leather from the old dragon like the armor here that uses young dragon leather if we’re talking about armor we can easily make 10 or even 20 for some reason Selonia seemed proud of herself she would have sounded much cooler if she didn’t have chocolate all around her mouth then it’d be easier if we have them made to order but then again there are only so many leather craftsmen around these days kyle lamented the difficulty of simply finding someone who could process the leather and make something out of it he let out a small sigh now all that’s left was Saran do you have armor that would make a girl as pretty as you fall for me just by putting it on kyle shook his head at Saran who was dead serious for this guy can you prepare a one-handed long sword and for defensive armor can you get some leather armor if you’re out of stock some used rag would work as well hag: Yes sir the female sales associate dealing with Saran in a strictly professional manner replied with a tight face also we need some magic stones and magic medicine yes sir magic stones are stones that are fined and have magic placed in them because they are a single-use item that cost quite a lot they’re not used often however because it allows even a low-level magician to cast high-grade spells most journeymen carry one or two with them just in case for attack spells we have in stock the explosion stone fesa took out a small black stone that fit on his palm there were magic letters carved into the stone explosion is a mid-level magic that causes an explosion it’s used best against groups of enemies read the magic letters as you trace your finger over them the the letters will light up and the magic will take effect in 5 seconds during that time throw the stone towards the enemy fesa explained how to use the stone magic medicine is normally ingested through drinks as he said this he showed Kyle several small vials containing a liquid substance there are medicines that heal injuries cure sicknesses and the highest level medicine can regenerate lost limbs in an instant magic stones and magic medicine are both single-use items but the ones in this store all cost at least 1,000 gau so many useful items by the way do you have any magic stones that are effective against reptiles i heard fire isn’t that effective against them and neither is lightning i suppose your best bet is an ice type not only will it damage the enemy but it will also slow it down it won’t always be effective on dragons but it should work against wyverns and hydras i knew it had to be an ice type do you have magic stones with the blizzard spell blizzard is a mid-level magic spell that creates an icy blizzard over a certain area kyle has the ability to use this spell however using this spell requires tremendous amounts of focus and concentration casting it in the middle of an intense battle requires lots of practice given the current circumstances that would be hard for Kyle to compensate he would use the stones which requires no concentration yes we do however putting ice spells and magic stones requires advanced technology so they’re slightly more expensive great we’ll take everything you have they’re all useful huh fesa took a look at the over 100 stones lined up on the countertop also I need magic medicine since we have no healers in our party i’ll take all of those too also yes Fesbow is clearly in shock we’ll probably be returning quite often so if you could can you please stock up on everything huh that’s all Fesba could say at the moment how How would you like to make your payment kyle had finished shopping and Fesba was trying very hard to keep on a professional smile given that the total came out to be more than 10 million gadoo it’s no surprise that Kyle had managed to get every sales associate’s attention the look on their faces had an element of fear mixed in it’ll be too many if I pay with coins do you mind if I mix in jewels if Kyle decided to pay everything in one gather coins the entire store would be buried since it’s quite a sum we’d actually prefer you do so k agreed and proceeded to take out an import bag there’s a maximum grade spell called the port that allows the user to retrieve items from a specific location the bag is a magic item that has the same abilities the bag was connected to the treasure room where Kyle and his friends just came from by using the import bag Kyle was able to retrieve anything from the mount of treasure in that room the room is part of a labyrinth that is over 1,000 years old so he decided that it would be better to just keep the treasure there and seal the entrances it’s better to play it safe had he taken out the treasure he might have lost it or worse he might have been robbed kyle was assigned to manage the treasure in that room selonia was appalled when she had heard that Kyle and his teammates had not discussed how the treasure would be divided after a short discussion it was decided that Kyle would be in charge the import bag itself is a rather expensive item so Fesa was slightly surprised when Kyle took it out however as he started taking out coins rubies diamonds and emeralds from the bag Fesa was stunned he couldn’t do much besides just stand there in shock and awe a special person in charge of determining the authenticity immediately took a look at the coins and gems one look was enough to determine that everything was in fact real not only were they authentic everything Kyle had taken out from the bag was worth at least 100,000 gadoo a piece um I’m very sorry but we have to determine the exact value of each of these so it might take some time that’s fine do you mind if we try on the equipment in the meantime they were allowed to try on everything everything except for the dragon leather armor that is why yes of course after a while Fesba who was clearly drained but still had his smile on talked to Kyle we’ve counted everything up you’re all set how’s the equipment is everything fine kyle had on a blue armor and a cloak he also had a sword on his back are you guys all set liisa and Usla nodded but Saran seemed uncomfortable what’s wrong no the equipment is fine it’s just I couldn’t even get her number i don’t care neither do I k didn’t know what to say when she saw that Sonia had received a whole bunch of snacks well whatever makes you happy anyways we’ll be back soon so please stock up on your items fesba made sure that he guided Kyle and his companions towards the entrance kyle had broken the record for the daily sales by a significant margin and the staff members were all exhausted who were they one of them talked to Fesba i have no clue but we don’t know them so that means they can’t be any famous journeymen fesba made sure to remember the faces of his regulars they paid in Zair’s gold and jewels so it could be that they were noviceses who were lucky and hit the jackpot that seems to be the most reasonable explanation but what kind of treasure has that much worth maybe it’s the legendary demon king’s labyrinth possibly fesba and his fellow workers laughed we made a huge profit but it’s bad for my blood pressure oh dear we’ve run out of stock we must call the factories at once and restock our supply of magic stones and magic medicine yes sir chapter 7 after shopping Kyle and the others finished their lunch and lodged in an inn it was a prominent and honorable place where foreign nobles and other people of high standing would stay and given its scale it was more suitable to call it a hotel rather than an inn still that was one flashy shopping spree aren’t we going to attract an awful lot of attention saran after everyone gathered in one of the two rooms provided in their lodging Saran spoke up while looking at what the group had purchased they had bought 10 millions gators worth of goods he was probably trying to say that this could spread some bad rumors and make the party stand out that store is used by aristocrats and the like so the personnel won’t easily leak information about the customers kyle customer trust was a lifeline in the service trade it was out of the question for them to tell unrelated people about what their clients had bought but well a story like this one is going to leak from somewhere or another even if it doesn’t spread instantly we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning there won’t be a problem if we stay for just a day Kyle besides as long as they stayed in this hotel the party security was not going to be a problem is that so wait what we went through all that trouble to come to the royal capital and we’re only staying for one night saran yeah we only came here to do some shopping we’re on a pretty tight schedule after this we have to head to Kyle no way I’m letting things go this way then i’ll be out for a while Saran while saying that Saran rushed out of the hotel “well then I’ll go look around for a bit too it’s my first time in the capital i want to enjoy myself a little.” “Lisa,” as Liisa stood up to go out Olsa offered to accompany her “let’s go together i’ve been here before so I can show you around a little.” “Ulsa thanks then I’ll be depending on you Olsa.” Liisa looking at Liisa and Olsa as they left together K had a slightly complex expression on his face “those two sure are getting along as for me I’ll buy some sweets i mean I’ll do some shopping let’s go although Sonia started heading out K stopped her hold on there is a lot we have to discuss plus I want to ask you about that thing so far in their journey there was no instance when the two of them were left by themselves selonia was the only one who knew about Kyle’s circumstances and given that she had knowledge from the ancient magic kingdom she was more than a fitting choice to answer his concerns h don’t worry i didn’t forget about that and I wasn’t too preoccupied my appetite to think about it either not at all yeah although Selonia sat down to face him her reluctance to do so did not escape Kyle’s eyes first I want you confirm this can I really change the future this was what Kyle was the most anxious about he was trying to change the future but if said future could not be altered then there was no meaning to his actions change it that’s an odd term to use the future is the future because it has yet to happen it’s not set so you’re free to make it into whatever you want it to be it’s not set but all those things that happened to me were real right you’re wrong while going back through time you also came to another world none of you experiences have occurred in this world and so its future has yet to be decided this is just my own hypothesis but starting by saying that Selonia kept explaining time is not a single line it’s more like a tree branching out in countless directions and your soul has moved from one of those branches to another perhaps this will sound like I’m playing with words but you did not exactly come to the past it’s just that your soul came to this world while carrying the memories and experiences you gathered in another world as one of the proofs of her hypothesis Selonia pointed at Kyle’s divine dragon’s heart since it was used as the catalyst for the transfer the divine dragon’s heart came to this world together with your soul originally there was only a single divine dragon’s heart in the world but now there are two the one right here and the one that was in this world from the start it’s probably located in the demonic territory for two instances of one same object to exist at the same point in time is already an inconsistency in itself by this point you can consider that this world and the world you came from are completely different no matter how similar they appear to be i kind of understand but I’m still lost then could it be that there are going to be other things in this world that are different from what I know no the trunks branches are all the exact same and that fact did not change until when you an outsider came in at which point those similar branches got divided into other different branches but outside of your influence and mind things will go roughly the same way they did in your memory everything happens because of the accumulation of the happenings that came before it and the happenings that were accumulated before your arrival are all exactly the same as they were in your previous branch therefore the great invasion is going to happen i see when told that this was a different world Kyle had had some light expectations but it seemed like he had been overly optimistic but we can’t prepare ourselves to face the invasion right well just from the fact you’re getting to learn things from me like this your experience should be different than it was in your previous world you’ve already somewhat altered the future so you can do whatever you want your actions will depend on you only just knowing that is enough for me what he was doing or rather what he was trying to do was not meaningless at all ka was fine as long as he knew that you plan to increase your fame and therefore raise your influence in order to prepare a framework for cooperation between the human tribes before the great invasion that’s actually an excellent idea it’s just that it will bring you many difficulties what are you talking about i have a lot of trump cards and I even have the legendary magic king with me so there is nothing absurd about my plan right sonia showed a broad and daring smile in response to Kyle’s words well then next i’ve deduced the reason behind your increase in magical power oh I’d like to hear about that kyle leaned forward in curiosity after all he did not understand this matter at all even though it concerned his own body to explain this I should first explain what is magical power magical power is a part of the soul so it’s safe to assume it cannot be separated from it correct yeah in addition among the forbidden spells there is a unification spell called fusion do you know about it no I haven’t heard of it even Kyle who was quite knowledgeable about magic had never heard of this spell mhm seems like it was successfully buried in history the realme sealed it because it was too dangerous so what kind of spell is it putting it simply it’s a dark art that makes it possible to drastically increase one’s mana by absorbing a soul in order to fuse with it in Zars there were extensive studies about the strengthening of mana thanks to which the kingdom came up with various methods to increase mana such as training etc however at the end of the day the mana’s power was largely controlled by the natural quality of the soul therefore they thought out a method to strengthen the soul itself by using a spell to fuse souls between them however a soul was both the life and the very nature of a person and just like there is no such thing as two human beings who are exactly the same a soul was completely different from one person to another but fusing with another person’s soul is like increasing a beer’s volume by adding melted chocolate in it upon doing that the two people’s memories and personalities would get mixed up an ordinary human being’s mind would not be able to handle that and the person would go insane so that fusion is completely useless becoming stronger would be for not if the price to pay was to lose one’s mind and so to minimize those effects they decided to use pure souls that had yet to have a sense of self don’t tell me they Yes I’m talking about the souls of newborn infants kyle covered his face with his hand a spell that could absorb a baby’s soul to strengthen one’s mana it was only natural for that to be a forbidden magic that being said even a newborn infant is an individual person upon fusing with its soul and absorbing it the other person’s soul would still be affected accordingly and no normal human being would be willing to do such a devilish act anyway and so at the time I came up with a certain hypothesis if you were to fuse two souls which are exactly the same then all those problems would not happen there was no such thing as a soul that was identical to another but if it did not exist then it only meant that they would have to make one themselves following that thought process the Zer’s kingdom started researching artificial souls making a soul thinking about it now you’d really have to fear no god to dare to do such a thing such arrogance added Selonia with a bitter smile however in those days most people in Zars believed without a doubt that humans would surpass the gods sooner or later well in any case the research to make identical souls was a complete failure in the end and this magic was sealed since it was too dangerous now then like I said earlier both the divine dragon’s heart and your soul have come here and yet there is another divine dragon’s heart somewhere in this world so what do you think happened to the soul of the Kyle Leonard of this world what happened to his soul don’t tell me it yes it’s right here sonia pointed at Kyle’s chest mhm but don’t misunderstand the you who speaking to me right now is still the Kyle Leonard who was in this world from the start please hold on a second i’m still confused kyle groaned with his head between his hands don’t think about it so hard that type of fusion occurs without the awareness of the one concerned besides it’s a perfect fusion she added the Kyle who came here from the other world had much more powerful feelings hence why his will came out so strongly in your character but the memories and experiences of the both of you until you reach the age of 16 are completely identical and you individuality and souls are the same as well in other words this was akin to mixing two batches of colorless and transparent water the fusion went without a hitch therefore doubling the might of your soul and the whole process happened entirely outside of your notice so you’re saying all of that happened to my soul still in a way K partly understood what Selonia meant even since his hometown was destroyed he had kept on fighting and killing day after day he was aware that his mind had gone wild and that he had become apathetic but now his mind was softer and he felt like the easygoing personality he previously had in this time period was returning he believed that the reason for this was his meeting with Liisa and the others whom he had never expected to meet again and his return to the life he had in his hometown but the fusion of his souls likely had something to do with it as well well I guess it’s a good thing that my mind has become more relaxed although he said that in carefree way Ka was smiling Riley thinking so this was because of my former optimistic personality huh anyway your soul is stronger and your mana is rising as well i dare say that in the future you’ll probably reach a point where you’ll even be able to use high-grade magic although it doesn’t seem like you’d be able to master that in your current state high-grade magic k instinctively leaned forward high-grade magic was said to be able to create cataclysms all the people who could use it had marked their name in history could it be that I’ll also be able to use the attack spells of the magic king mhm while those high-grade attack spells were the real Mi’s specialty it’s not impossible for other people to use them there were various legends about Selonia Zirs one of them was that she had destroyed an army of 1,000 demons all by herself what allowed her to achieve such a feat was a legendary magic which had been out of use ever since her death more than a thousand years in the past you say I’ll be able to use that that’s a story for the future to me it looks like it’s going to take some time for your souls to fuse perfectly and whether you’ll be able to master the spells or not is another story and it would likely take years for you to do so i see but you’ve given me some good news this means I’ll be able to become stronger by the way besides that are there going to be any other changes or negative effects on my body well there are no precedents for what happened to you so I can only make conjectures but if you’re fine with that then I have a lot to say however do you really want me to give you such bad and vague information no don’t smart choice though there is still a possibility that the essence of your soul will be altered and you’ll turn into a being on a different league the chances of that happening are extremely low anyway but I said “Don’t tell me.” “Well if anything abnormal happens to you don’t hesitate to tell me i’ll do a consultation for you but who knows if I’ll be of any help,” said Selonia while laughing out loud after that the discussion continued for a while and when the sun was about to set Selonia put an end to the conversation “that’s it for today now let’s go out the food they sell in the stalls at this time of the day has got to be delicious too,” said Selonia delightedly good grief as he thought that K prepared to go out but at that moment Saran came back while violently opening the door what’s wrong you look like you’re in a bad mood damn it all whoever said that the women in this city are very open-minded was a damn hack i wasn’t even being selective i was calling out to them indiscriminately and yet I didn’t ens snare a single one every one of them just looked at me with dead eyes their hearts must be freaking rotten he had apparently failed to flirt with anyone i’m pretty sure your heart is the one that’s the most rotten but you stopped quite fast today usually you’re more persistent did you really give up they were about to call the guards this is the royal capital so the public order is pointlessly well-maintained besides as I expected the city’s women are no good they’re too disgraceful i’d be much better matched with some more pure-hearted women you’ll quickly find out that there is no way that’s going to happen unless you change your attitude from Saran’s face it looked he had come to a realization at that moment and he then started thinking with an earnest expression “No wait we have money now if I shower them with gold then you say the worst things with the most honest of faces.” All right I’m pumped up give me some pocket money so I can try this out saran stretched his hand towards Kyle don’t go wasting them even though he was thinking that this was pointless KL still gave Saran some advice just in case while handing him a number of Zer’s gold coins don’t worry those coins are safe in my pockets now excuse me the night streets are waiting for me full of a baseless self-confidence Saran started running out of the hotel he sure is a slave to his desires well people like that live surprisingly long lives said Selonia while looking at Saran’s back as he left well this will probably serve as a good experience for him the next morning after finishing their preparations for departure Liisa and Ula came to Kyle in the others room “yep as I thought the royal capital is amazing yesterday was really fun,” said Liisa in a good mood having likely been able to see a variety of unusual things it was also quite refreshing to look around the city with someone else for once “by the way,” Ula looked towards one of the rooms beds “what’s with him?” She pointed at Saran who was rolled up in ball on top of that bed with his back turned towards her she wasn’t able to help her eyes from catching that sight h let’s see he was tricked by a girl who claimed her mother had some sickness and then his gold was taken by her on top of that he went to the house of a girl that got friendly with him only to end up being conned through a badger game scheme in total he was deceived four or five times in one night and it seems like he lost a bit of his faith in humanity selonia explained while drinking tea that will teach him now then we’ll put him aside and talk about something important instead such as what we’re going to do after this our next destination will be the town of Arhin the Arkhinn town that Kyle was speaking of was located along the east border of the Jurgis country it was a large town which thrived on trading to be honest while I do have a goal I don’t have a clear guideline to follow for my future actions as for why we’re going there well actually Selonia seems to have some sort of foresight ability huh uh yes that that’s right i do have that ability no problem here mhm recalling the setting that she and Kyle had settled on the day before Selonia hastily confirmed his words what’s with that reaction that’s just your imagination and although I said she had a foresight ability it rather seems to be a form of astrology so advanced that it can make some pretty accurate predictions and this is a claim of the legendary magic king so I think it’s credible said Kyle making up a story that was quite plausible i told her about my goal and had her use her foresight and it seems like we need to go to this town i’m personally willing to have faith in her prediction so what will you do kyle asked Elsa and Lisa well I plan to accompany you from the get-go so I don’t have any objection in particular same for me i didn’t have any goal on this journey from the start so it doesn’t particularly matter which direction we take saran who had his back turned towards the three of them also waved his hand in agreement he had apparently been listening to some extent then let’s head to Arhen two nights after leaving the royal capital married Kyle and the others were now in a post town if everything went well they would likely arrive at the town of Arhen the next day this was a large post town with a highway that was suitable for the transportation of trading goods from other countries there were many ins but for security reasons the group had gone to the most expensive one ah that hot bath was great after taking a bath Liisa returned to the women’s room i’ve gotten used to camping outside but as you’d expect nothing beats sleeping in a bed lisa true Öza urza’s mind was elsewhere she was relaxing on a couch that she had placed in front of a window while gazing at the full moon up in the night sky for spirit users there was a deep meaning behind the moon and that was especially true for elves they considered the nights of full moon to be the greatest time for them to receive the divine protection of the spirit deity Muna who was the goddess of the moon who as well as the guardian deity of the elves thus bathing in the light of the full moon was quite enjoyable for elves since Liisa was aware of that and knew that it would be pointless to say anything right now she simply laid down on her bed well then I’ll go to sleep now urza don’t stay up too late okay immediately after that Öza’s ears could hear the well- reggulated breathing of Liisa who had already fallen asleep “that was so fast,” thought Öza with a small rice smile on her face as she kept on watching the moon “i don’t usually drink but at times like this I just can’t help myself from wanting to have a little alcohol.” As she drank a little grape wine from the cup that she had placed beside her a tinge of red began appearing on her cheeks before long she started being sleepy while she was thinking that it would be fine to sleep on the couch since it was not cold in the room her eyes were slowly closing ah spirit deity please offer us your diving protection on this jour wait what am I doing i forgot about that Öza shush said Liisa who was half asleep with an irritated voice oh sorry wait more importantly I can’t let this go za rushed out and headed towards the room next to hers kyle she barged into the room without knocking but all she found were two empty beds damn it saran probably went out to enjoy the night life or something but where is Kyle seeing that his sword wasn’t there Öza guessed that he was likely training again so she hurriedly went out to search for him meanwhile Kyle was sprawled on the ground a little way from the post town in a prairie that was devoid of people from his irregular breathing and his excessive sweating it could be seen that he had been practicing for a long while and had stopped just a short time earlier selonia who had been watching his training from the side spoke up in admiration mhm correct me if I’m wrong but you were fighting against illusions just now right very interesting we didn’t have such a technique in my time just like a lot of things were lost to time a lot of new things have appeared as well as I thought humanity is still going strong it’s just a simulation so it’s not as good as an actual fight but there is still some value to it kyle answered while still out of breath although those were just illusions he had fought over a 100 demons so it was not strange for him to be in such a state my physical strength has gone up a little but I still have a long way to go his body was gradually becoming sharper and he was now able to move it like he wanted but his base physical strength was still insufficient however it had not even been a month since he had started his full-scale training so this was only natural he wanted to come up with a new combat technique that he could combine with his magic but it seemed like that was still beyond his reach i’m too worn out let’s hurry and go back so I can get some sleep kyle forced his body to stand up that was because he felt like he would fall asleep on the spot if he kept lying on the ground right anything more than this will put too much burden on your body also you need to get some rest still this sword sure is great for fighting just like it was back then kyle was impressed as he looked at the sword which he had become familiar with to the point where it felt like an extension of his hand of course it’s great this sword body of mine is the crystallization of Zer’s magic technology this is the greatest creation ever achieved by human hands “well no matter what it was made to serve as my dwelling after all so it’s only natural for it to be this great right?” said Selonia while puffing her chest with pride “it’s amazingly sharp too i’ve seen quite a few Myithil swords like this before but none of them was this sharp well that’s because my sword body is not made of mithril it’s actually made of at the instant when Selonia was about to finish her sentence someone intruded on the conversation found you so that’s where you were urza whose breathing was in disorder came in front of Kyle with a ghastly expression on her face w what’s wrong did you forget about our practical contract we can only do it now during the full moon ah now that you mention it i completely forgot about that said Kyle while looking up at this guy you’re the one who brought it up in the first place remember can’t we just do it next month i’m worn out and drowsy right now i want to hurry and go to bed he added sleepily my true name is on the line don’t talk about that like it’s bothersome but it looks like you forgot about it too s shut up anyway I’ll do the preparations now so wait here seems like something troublesome is going to happen here saying that Selonia left the two others behind and quickly returned to the hotel even so I never thought I’d end up doing this ceremony with a human partner while riding a magic formation on the ground in the spirit language Öza once again wondered “Why did things come to this?” While it was possible to impose an unbreakable promise on a partner with this practical contract one would have to make their true name known in the process so the ritual was rarely done however sometimes when people were fine with letting the partner know their true name when they believed their relationship would gain and become better from that information being revealed then they would have a practical contract as a form of ceremony that ceremony was the occasion to present their real name to their partner and vow to stay by their side for a lifetime in other words a practical contract held almost the same meaning as a marriage ceremony for that reason the practical contract was considered to be extremely romantic by adolescent girls among the elves and when Öza had heard of that story in her youth she had blushed just by imagining the partner that she would share the ceremony with in the distant future and yet to think I’d have the ceremony with a man I met only half a moon ago although it can’t be helped at this point half a month prior such a turn of events would never even have crossed her mind not in her wildest dreams however despite this unexpected outcome Öza was not really dissatisfied about accompanying Kyle and the others on their journey from the start Öza had been journeying without any precise goal just for the sake of broadening her knowledge so traveling together with others was not an issue for her liisa was a pretty nice girl me and their personalities their races or even their ages Öza and her had nothing in common but their talks were still quite nice recently it felt like a bond of friendship was forming between them beyond their differences as for Selonia while it wasn’t clear whether she was a human or something else Öza still enjoyed conversing with her due to her strong intellectual curiosity Öza would ask her about various things when there was time to do so on such occasions Selonia would display a deep intelligence that even the elders in Öza’s birthplace did not possess but at the same time Selonia also had both the appearance and simple-mindedness of a little girl therefore making her an odd yet heartwarming sight to behold then there was Saran and well he was amusing to watch from a distance but in a certain way the most problematic member of the group was actually Kyle sometimes he interacted with Öza as if they had known each other for years however she did not think he was overstepping his borders rather she was aware that he was keeping his actions completely under control in order not to do so but what occupied Öza’s mind the most was the way he looked at her he usually interacted with her normally yet sometimes she would catch him watching her fixedly but she would avert her gaze upon meeting eyes with him because her appearance stood out she was often exposed to the lustful eyes of human males that held especially true after she started her journey of course being watched like that did not feel nice however if that was the problem she could just disregard him straight away without a care but Kyle’s case was different because his eyes seemed like they were looking deeper inside her whenever he gazed at her like that urza would feel like he was seeing through every inch of her heart and she could not bring herself to calm down but that was not a bad feeling in any case this was her first time experiencing such a disturbance in her mind enough i’m thinking too much right now i have to focus on the practical contract öza felt like the more she pondered on things the deeper she would get lost in her thoughts so she put them on hold for the time being and then at last she finished writing the magic formation and talk to Kyle who was waiting for her all right the preparations are done kyle stand up here and Hey don’t fall asleep get up huh oh sorry i dozed off by accident still this took you quite some time didn’t it i thought it would be easier than that contracts are not simple to make just stand up here already and let’s start under the light of the full moon the ceremony began za had her eyes closed as she chanted in the spirit language with the faint blue moonlight shining down on her her mysterious beauty was standing out even more than usual as for Kyle who was gazing at her he was thinking that unlike the rest of the process this part of the practical contract was exactly the same as the last time he did this he had actually been bound by a practical contract like this one once the night before the decisive battle against that demon lord Öza had told Kyle about the ceremony believing that perhaps that was their last chance to do it and Kyle had accepted at the time Öza was such a great spirit user that she could contract numerous highranked spirits she did not need to wait for the full moon like she did now nor did she need to use a magic formation like this one moreover their vows had been to live together if they managed to return alive they had basically exchanged wedding vows however in the end they were never able to fulfill that oath she had covered Kyle to protect him and vanished before his eyes only leaving a gentle transient smile behind kyle was never able to forget that scene before long a soft and warm light rose from the magic formation and started enveloping the two people thereupon Kyle’s consciousness became slightly hazy although he was being affected by the same symptoms as anemia he felt no discomfort rather he was feeling a pleasant floating sensation while his whole body entered in a state of lethargy the same thing happened to Öza who was looking at Kyle with her eyes somewhat out of focus and then she started talking feverishly in the name of the spirit deity of the great moon Muna i Öza X’s command you not to misuse my true name nor to reveal it to others will you take this oath i will k promptly answered Öza’s question just like he did the last time following that the light of the magic formation became noticeably more intense and when Kyle was thinking that it would rise up like a pillar to the moon it burst out and turned into small particles of light then those same particles flew down like glittering powdered snow it was a fantastic spectacle afterwards Öza let out a small sigh and lifted up her face only to find Kyle’s face right before her eyes ah he’s looking at me with that gaze again immediately after Öza thought that Kyle covered her mouth with his own without giving her time to say anything for an instant just a tiny instant Öza’s body seemed to surrender itself to him but she immediately came back to her senses www what are you doing you bastard when Öza shouted Kyle also came to his senses huh uh no that was I mean you have to kiss at the end of the contract so what’s going on is that not how you’re supposed to do it the last time he did the ceremony Öza had urged him to do that t that’s just a bonus you add at the end of marriage ceremonies the contract ends after you take the oath oh I see well this was one unfortunate accident for Kyle this was something that he did on a daily basis before the recent events so it had become natural for him but of course that did not apply to Öza there is a magic formation available right here and I have a spirit stone in hand so I’ll take this opportunity to contract a new spirit a new spirit i’m going to contract a salamander fire spirits are brutal but I should be able to control it now and his first command will be to burn the sex offender in front of me to nothing wait what that That was my first time just be thankful that I’m not killing you for it i’m pretty sure burning me to nothing is going to kill me that day in the dark of the late night there was a rising fire after which a man’s scream resounded in the outskirts of the post town where this was referred to as a paranormal phenomenon for quite some time “well you three look really sleepy.” The next morning while the group was walking on the highway after having left the inn Liisa who seemed to be the only one who had gotten enough sleep talked to Kyle and the others who were still drowsy “it’s nothing there was just a little unfortunate accident where Shut up don’t you dare talk.” roared out Öza whose anger had still not subsided also Kyle why does it smell like something was burned around you well that’s because there was an unfortunate misunderstanding you see i mean there is no reason under Öz’s glare Kyle kept silent oh by the way want to know why I’m sleepy nobody asked you Saran lisa directly discarded Saran before he could explain what he experienced the night before all right I see how it is by the way Öza now that we’re done with the practical contract will it be okay for you to come with us after this although Kyle’s question left Öza at a loss for words for a moment she still answered while scowlling at him i don’t have much of a choice do I i mean I’ve yet to find out why you know my true name i can’t just let you get away with that is that so well if you put it like that you’re certainly left with no other choice za was about to say something in response to Kyle who seemed a little glad about this turn of events humph but instead she averted her eyes from his face and with angry footsteps she went by the side of Liisa who was walking a little further ahead ka was going to be able to keep staying together with Urza he was truly happy about that there were many reasons why he had made Öza accompany the group on the journey such as the fact that she was a spirit user and that she would add to the strength of the team but the main point was that he wanted to be together with her in the days when he fought against those demons he had been side by side with death on a daily basis when his humanity itself was wearing down the reason he did not fall into despair was that Öza was with him although they only reached the status of lovers a month before the last battle Öza’s existence had been his sole relief in those times if Öza had also survived he would have lived for her sake just like he had vowed to and would have shared the rest of his lifetime with her he had been in love with her from the bottom of his heart if the reunion with her had happened one or two years later perhaps he would have been able to just be content with the fact that she was still alive but he had unexpectedly been reunited with her after a few days only and following that reunion he was once again convinced of his deep love for her however when his thoughts reached that point Kyle’s gaze moved towards Liisa who was walking next to Öza if the great invasion had not happened he would most likely have gotten married to Liisa actually in his previous life they did have a few talks about marriage in the town of Lamemes they would have been able to get married and have children and they would have had an ordinary life they would still have been happy after losing Liisa that life became an empty dream which Kyle often fantasized about and now that dream was not just a dream anymore it was within his reach i know I’m being dishonest with them however the truth was that he liked both of them pretty much equally however there was a reason for that which was this special situation that no one else had ever experienced there were two women who he had been ready to share his life with and both of them had died in front of him moreover he met and reunited with both of them almost at the same time if there is anyone else who has experienced that then I’d sure love to meet him and then to ask him for advice he thought all right I made my mind after considering things for a while he tightly gripped his fist with determination my mission is to prepare for the great invasion the fate of the world is at stake this is no time to let these sorts of things disturb my mind my personal problems can wait using the just cause of saving the world as his pretext he postponed the issue for the time being in a way that was the worst conclusion Kyle could have reached but regardless he once again started walking with vigor what’s with him Saran that’s just youth for you Selonia actually the night before Selonia had seen in her real form as a sword and had seen everything that had happened looking at her nod her head with a know-it-all look on her face saran tilted his head in confusion chapter 8 the town of Arcan was located at the east end of Jurgis close to the neighboring country thanks to that it was able to prosper through trading goods and to become second only to the royal capital in rank it was a town with a rich international character to it foreigners and demihumans were common sight there oh these crowds here are completely different from the ones in the royal capital said Liisa in admiration while looking at the surroundings right after entering the town so now that we’ve arrived in Arken what are we going to do well let me see for starters I guess we’ll go find an end to Hey guys I just heard something real interesting saran who had started buying some sweets in the food stalls immediately came back in a somewhat excited state something interesting yeah I heard that Princess Molina is coming to this town today saran Kyle responded quietly to Saran’s delighted voice is that so Kyle what she’s the treasure of Jurgis you know you should be more excited than that looking at Saran who was getting into high spirits K had a complicated expression on his face whatever man we have a chance to get a look at her right now i don’t care what you say she’s the treasure of Jurgus i want to see her at least once i’ve already heard where she’ll be coming so I’m going saran Saran started walking directly after saying that so are you going to see her too Kyle though Leisa’s voice sounded like she was interrogating him Kyle pretended not to notice that well she’s worth taking a look right after all Jurgis is our country i’d like to see the face of the future queen if there is a chance plus there is something I’d like to confirm thought Kyle in his mind i guess that’s right let’s go then since Öza and the others did not seem to have any objection either the whole group ended up going together “did we make it?” “If they followed their schedule we should be just barely on time,” murmured Kyle while following Saran who had taken the lead the mother of earth Kyis was the chief god of Jurg State religion so most towns had a temple dedicated to her moreover those temples often established annex institutions made to take care of orphan children that also applied to the one in Arhan and that was where the princess was coming for her visit when the group arrived at the temple a large number of curious onlookers had already come making the place considerably crowded however Saran did not hesitate to thrust forward towards a gathering of children out of the way brats you’re 10 years too young to be interested in beauties he forced his way forward while mercilessly pushing aside and scattering the children ah sorry about that here have some sweets without a second of delay Kyle who was right behind Saran took the sweets that he had bought for Selonia and distributed them to the children the children who were about to cry immediately started to smile as if nothing had happened being shameless sure has its perks sometimes liisa but I really don’t want to follow his example urza my sweets Selonia although Öza and Liisa also followed after Saran they still felt a little embarrassed when the group reached the front line of the crowd they found the town’s guards blocking the way in order to stop people from coming any closer among them there were knights who were wearing full sets of silverplate armor that had a simplified representation of a dragon on a crest around their chest area they clearly stood out compared to the guards that dragon crest was the symbol of the Knights of Jurgis Royal Guard there were only around 500 knights in total in the Royal Guard of Jurgis that was a considerably small number considering that some other war commanders had armies of tens of thousands under their command but since this unit’s mission was to protect and serve the king it was composed of the most loyal subjects of the country picked among the elite of the elite they were all extremely brave and had all swore their absolute loyalty to the nation and the king anyone who ever aimed for the position of a knight would admire the knights of the royal guard and yearn to become one of them right now those royal guard knights were vigilantly surveying the surroundings without a single hint of negligence but that was only natural since someone whose position in the country was second only to the king was going to come in a short time huh the princess supposed to be guarded by the fifth knight corps right but I thought it was only composed of women said looking confused traditionally the fifth core of Jurgis Royal Guard always consisted of female knights only they were popular among the masses due to their beauty and elegance and they were the subject of many operas recently they were assigned under the direct command of Princess Melena and they were given the role of escorting her whenever she went out of the royal capital the princess being followed by the core composed exclusively of young women was a very picturesque and famous image within the Jurgis country and yet right now all the knights that were present were men apparently the fifth corps often gets dragged into ceremonies and things like that so I’m sure they had others things to do in the royal capital and couldn’t come what that’s lame but if that’s how it’s going to be then I’ll just look forward to seeing the princess a short while later a large coach drove up to the orphan institution under the escort of royal guard knights who were protecting its front and back while the carriage’s base color was white it was elaborately decorated with silver and gold detailing and on its flank there was a conspicuous crest drawn with the design of a lion on it that was the symbol of Jurgis royal family this crest was the proof that the coach belonged to the royal family and that someone of a high rank was riding it since they were the only ones who could get in the coach was drawn by two eight-legged horselike magic beasts called slapners which were almost twice bigger than a common horse in the wild slapers had a rough temperament and could not be possibly be friendly towards humans except for the cases when they were raised from a young age so these two specimens were likely expressly raised for someone’s personal use the knight who seemed to have the highest authority among the present royal guard knights opened the door of the carriage and as a woman slowly appeared from inside the surrounding crowd started cheering she had long and narrow eyes a straight nose pale vermilion lips silk-like jet black hair that stretched to her waist alive and delicate body and a radiant white skin each of her features were first class and together they formed a miraculous and exquisite balance she was wearing a light green colored dress and a silver tiara they were the most proper things to wear for someone of the royal family but they only served to make her even more beautiful although Öza was similarly beautiful her beauty was akin to that of a sword that was sharpened by a skillful craftsman while this woman had the charm of gold or a jewel she merely descended from the carriage and started slowly walking but the viewers were already entranced by every single one of her movements this could be said to be the power of charisma she was simply born with the ability to captivate people this was the treasure of Jurgus the first in line for the throne and the princess of the Jurgus royal family Melena Mhm the rumors weren’t lying she’s beautiful but above all those are amazing aren’t they looking at the pair of hefty mounds that were apparent from the top of the princess dress which had a slightly low neckline Saran’s side and admiration compared to these the difference in power is too overwhelming talk about comparing dragons to lizards while comparing those mounds to the gentle slope around Liisa’s chest area Saran let out a sigh of grief immediately after the bottom of Leisa’s palm landed a clean hit on his shin i I was just being honest why would you being honest isn’t always right okay liisa shouted at Saran who was cowering you guys be quiet already kyle sighed he didn’t want to stand out too much at the moment kai was also very interested in seeing Princess Melena for the first time but it wasn’t on her that his eyes were stuck rather it was on a single knight who was following right behind her he was a man in his 30s with a good figure the color of his mantle was different from the other knights and the design on his crest was slightly more elaborate than theirs anyone could tell that that crest was the symbol of a knight leader he looked dauntless and gave the impression that he was constantly ready for action making the atmosphere around him clearly different from the other knights zentos said Kyle with a nostalgic tone in his voice that man was a knight who was wellknown not only in Jurgis but also in the neighboring countries his name was Zindto Zordi and he was the leader of the second core of the royal guards knights given that Kyle was watching him fixedly and given that Zentos was vigilant and wary of his surroundings their eyes did meet for an instant but of course Zentos stopped looking at him immediately after as for Kyle he kept on watching him while feeling a little lonely in front of the orphan institution the children were standing in line to greet the princess among them there was a girl of about 10 years old who ran up to the princess while holding flowers however probably because she was too nervous she fell down on the way the princess approached the girl who became tearyeyed and while brushing the dirt off her knees she asked her with a gentle voice and a smile “Are you all right?” Thanks to this the girl lost all her nervousness and smiled back at Melena while cheerfully answering “Yes.” Following that the surrounding crowd that had witnessed the scene spontaneously started a round of applause in response to the applause the princess waved her hand while showing yet another kind smile even in small countries there were seldom any opportunities for the royal family to come in such close contact with the citizens let alone in a large country like Jurgis at best they would just wave their hand from the palace’s balcony during big festivals and the like however Princess Melena had teared those established customs apart and was continuously and assertively getting involved with the citizens all over the country she was willing to participate in the country’s public events and small ceremonies and whenever there was a disaster or calamity she would go to personally offer her condolences therefore she received tremendous support from the country’s people this time around the princess had been participating in a festival that was held in another town and she dropped by Arhen on her way back however it seemed like this visit to the institution was not planned at first the princess schedule had actually been forcibly changed at her own urging to make room for this visit that was what Kyle was able to hear from the onlookers surrounding him the princess continued to smile as she entered the orphan institution together with the children while keeping her elegant conduct until the very end having reached their goal of taking a look at the princess Kyle and the others separated from the crowd and went to find a place to stay for the day damn that was a feast for the eyes who’d have thought that we get to see the princess here said Saran in a good mood she certainly was amazingly beautiful especially those they’re really unbelievable liisa recalled the chest of the princess who seemed to be around the same age as her and tried to compare it to her own but since that seemed to be feudal she soon resigned herself she’s the potential next ruler of the country right could it be that that position requires one to have those although Öza was not familiar with the human monarchical system it seemed like she could sense a certain something from the princess which she could not sense from other people while the three others were walking and talking about the princess they had just seen K was a little behind them and was deep in his thoughts selonia who was by his side talked to him in a quiet voice so was that the princess you told me about yeah no doubt that was Princess Molina and she’s supposed to die at the age of 16 2 days from now said Ka while looking back at the orphan institution behind him afterwards Kyle and others took lodging in an inn at the moment Kyle and Sonia were the only ones present in the room since the other three had went out to stroll and do some shopping so how is she going to pass away asked Selonia while sitting on a bed and eating sweets from what I heard in the morning of the day after tomorrow Princess Melena’s group is supposed to get attacked by a magic beast on the way towards the Sesh village that magic beast is a hydra the hydra was a powerful beast with a reptile’s body and numerous snake- like heads it was said to match a dragon in strength there was a story that a hydra once attacked and destroyed a small town in a day in the first place the big forest right next to Arken was the home of many monsters and they would sometimes injure the people who took the highway and about a month prior to this a village close to the town had been attacked by a hydra according to the rumors Kyle had heard on the way to Arken that village had suffered some serious damage and although a punitive force had apparently been dispatched to deal with the beast they weren’t able to eliminate it in the end the Sesh village is the one that was attacked by that beast and it seems like during her visit to Arcan the princess heard about everything that happened and therefore wished to go there for a visit of sympathy zentos who was part of her escort opposed her decision beu the princess did not give up so 2 days later before the sunrise she slipped out of Arkan accompanied only by her small personal troops which were given to her by the royal family and that’s when her group was attacked by the Hydra from what I heard when the second night corps realized the princess absence they rushed to find her but it was already too late if the fifth night corps had been there the princess would likely not have been able to slip out since they were used to her and even if she did go out there is no doubt that they would have put their everything into escorting her however even though the fifth knight corps was under the direct command of the princess they had been called back to the royal capital this time in Kyle’s previous life this calamity was said to have been brought by the kindness the compassion and the misfortune of the princess personally I’d say she got what was coming for her even though her surroundings had tried to keep her away from the danger she just did things at her own convenience and died while dragging her people together with her she had involved others for her own selfish goals and they had died for it i see by the way isn’t there some other side to this story could this not have been something like an assassination aimed at the princess that’s a natural suspicion to have after the princess death there were tons of rumors all around the country following the sudden death of the princess various plausible rumors were shared in whispers between the masses such as her death being related to demons or being caused by the secret PS of enemy nations but the most plausible rumor was that the princess was assassinated by her older half-brother who was lower in line than Melena for the succession of the crown because he was born of a concubine it was only natural for him to be suspected since he was reputed for being a mediocre prince who didn’t stand out much when compared to the princess and he was the one who stood to gain the most from her death the most suspicious person in this affair Prince Karina’s is actually in this very town really but nobody’s talking about it yeah apparently he secluded himself in an inn and hasn’t made his presence public but well in the end all of those theories were just rumors and it was soon settled that the princess death was just an unfortunate accident back then I had some suspicions about this so I once asked someone who had personally looked into this case and apparently the official version was actually true the man who had told Kyle in his previous life about the details of this matter had been a former spy of the Jurgis country at the current time that man was likely still a spy on active duty of course those details were akin to a state secret so he normally wouldn’t go telling others about them but at that time Jurgis had already been destroyed in those days anyone who had survived to the battles against the demons was quite capable so it was inevitable that many of them had been involved with big organizations and countries in the past but their ties to those countries and organizations were broken and one day after surviving to yet another battle against the demons everyone got drunk and started sharing some stories they had not been allowed to talk about before it had been a rather fun night for Kyle thanks to that Kyle currently had some information about where the country was going to lean but it was difficult for him to use that because it was a double-edged sword he was a pretty skilled spy and apparently he had done some serious digging around this matter and yet he couldn’t find anything suspicious about it besides I’ve met with Prince Karina’s before and even if he does have the ambition to do this he doesn’t have the ability to actually do it honestly that guy’s completely incompetent said Kyle while shrugging his shoulders so it was really just an accident that’s good more importantly can you beat a hydra i fought with a hydra once back then I managed to win without a hitch well it only had eight heads but the one I’m going to face this time apparently has more than 10 heads the number of a hydra’s heads would increase as it grew older and its body and strength would evolve proportionally to that a hydra with more than 10 heads would be more powerful than an inferior low-ranked dragon in my current state I’m sure going to have a hard time fighting one with more than 10 heads but I’m prepared to do it besides I’m not going to fight it alone all the others will be together with me at that time right we’ll manage somehow added Kyle mm that’s right given your current power fighting a hydra with more than 10 heads would be problematic but well I’m sure you won’t have to face that kind of situation before a very long time did you really have to say that because her words gave him a bad feeling kyle stopped Selonia from talking when he decided to become a hero the first thing that came to his mind was the death of this princess she was the treasure of Jurgis when she died the whole country was in mourning if Kyle could appear dashingly and save her life then that would make a good a start for him as a hero if he was really thinking of the princess safety then he would just warn the knights of the royal guard beforehand about the fact that the she was going to slip out and go towards the sesh village however even if he warned them he did not know if they would believe him rather it was much more likely that he would end up being detained for acting suspiciously besides doing that would be meaningless kyle wanted to rescue the princess at the very last moment after the attack but it would be pointless to save her if she wasn’t in a real life ordeath situation so even if there were going to be some victims in the process he had no other choice “sorry but I’m going to use you,” muttered Kyle bitterly while looking back at the orphan institution that the princess had probably yet to leave “then he drove those feelings of guilt away to a corner of his mind.” Now then the main problem is how am I going to make the rescue seem like a natural coincidence k pondered while sitting cross-legged on the bed can’t we just tail the princess and her troops after their departure it should be easy since she’ll be departing from right here said Selonia this and was the best in Arken so the princess group was naturally staying here too kyle’s group was staying at the second floor but they couldn’t even get near the stairs of the fifth and fourth floor because they were both booked by the princess and her people sure we could do that but if possible I’d rather avoid being too direct kyle had a bitter face as he considered the possibility of being found out after tailing the princess so far Kyle had kept his investigation of the princess actions to a bare minimum the detailed schedule of the members of the royal family was a state secret the public wasn’t even told about how long the princess was going to stay in Arken it was very difficult to investigate those things and of course it was a crime even if the princess were to be saved by him Kh would still be investigated by the country later on to find out why he was on site in the first place and it was going to be quite troublesome if the fact that he had kept track of the princess was exposed at that time still I don’t know exactly where the Hydra’s attack is going to take place it doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to ambush it it just can’t be helped i guess we’re going to follow behind the princess after she departs while Ka was thinking that there was no way around this Saran who had gone outside came back to the room damn it i’ve been asking around about the princess schedule but I couldn’t find anything you’re investigating the princess what for no no i just want to try to have a faded meeting with her i want to magnificently help her after she falls into some critical situation that way we’ll fall in love despite our difference in status and wheel wait what’s with you why are you holding your head no it’s just that i just realized that we’re doing the same thing and it feels pretty awful their goals were different but their actions were the same the same thing what do you mean well it seems like the princess is actually going to fall into a dangerous situation pretty soon what you’re saying that the reason we came to this town had something to do with the princess yeah and so all right leave it to me we’re basically going to follow behind the princess right that’s my specialty as he said that Saran was brimming with confidence chapter 9 two days later in the morning when the light of the sun finally started appearing in the sky from the east Kyle and his companions were outside the outer wall which surrounded Arken in towns surrounded by a defensive wall like Arken the main gate would usually be locked from sunset until around sunrise to stop people from coming and going as they wished therefore the group left Arkin a day prior and set camp outside the wall taking turns and alternating between napping and waiting on standby by the side of the gate while staying in hiding so how are we going to tell her wouldn’t it be bad if we get too close to her plus the other side’s going to be constantly on the alert aren’t they said Liisa MHM this is where one of my abilities is going to come into play as she said that Selonia’s body turned into particles of light and changed shape when the light subsided an imposing hawk had appeared huh wow what just happened liisa raised her voice in surprise my actual body is the sword’s jewel my human body is just something I made from mana therefore it’s no trouble for me to change its shape as I wish said Selonia loudly in her hawk form to the three astonished friends on top of that as she said that Selonia flapped her wings and flew high up in the sky a short while later an aerial view from very high above the ground appeared on the sword’s jewel this way I can project everything that this body sees dot the proud voice of Selonia could be heard from the jewel urza Liisa and Saran were once again struck with admiration that’s amazing depending on how you use it this can be more useful than having a strong weapon yes it’s really convenient i’m so jealous you can peep on people as much as you want with that there were some magic tools that could similarly project a distant view but they could only see fixed locations being able to project images while in movement and in such detail was out of common sense in his previous life thanks to this ability Ka was able to get a very clear understanding of his enemy’s battle formations which had been a great help now that he was able to observe the princess and her troop with this he could rush to their aid at the ideal timing if anything were to happen to them now we can follow them without any problem yeah the only problem left now is just what in the world is that danger that they’re going to face i want to try to look good when I save her then if things go well guys we’re going to be tailing the princess now so keep it down although Kyle gave the three of them a warning because they kept talking in his mind he was actually feeling grateful towards them putting Saran aside but Liisa and Urza had both believed in Kyle when he told them i don’t know why but apparently the princess is going to slip out of town early in the morning and is going to end up facing some kind of danger so let’s go help her even though his explanation was really suspicious the same applied for Selonia even though she was collaborating with him on this he was still thankful that she came along with him truth be told K felt like he was too spoiled by Liisa and Saran he was confident that they would both always have his back no matter how absurd or unreasonable his actions were but conversely if Liisa and Saran were to ever tell him “Please lend me a hand but don’t ask anything.” He would be more than willing to help them he was proud of that relationship of mutual trust but for that reason he was feeling sorry for Öza she had no obligation to accompany him yet she still came along together with the group despite seeming to be quite sleepy once we’re done with this I’ll take her to that famous sweets parlor in the royal capital said Kyle in his mind knowing that Öza surprisingly had a sweet tooth at that moment Selonia’s voice came from the sword’s jewel i found the carriage dot most of the highways in the human tribes areas of the continent had been built in the era of the ancient magic kingdoms and had been in use for more than a thousand years on the projected image it was on one of those wide highways that a splendid coach with the royal family’s crest on it was riding there are only about 10 people escorting the coach but they’re not the royal guards knights from yesterday maybe they’re the town’s guards just like Selonia had described the projected image showed around 10 people escorting the carriage and they seem to be part of Arkins town guards as I thought the royal guards knights really aren’t there huh although the town guards had likely received a training fitting for their job a hydra would probably be too much for them to handle they wouldn’t be a burden but it would still be better to get them to focus entirely on protecting the carriage kl took out a map and confirmed that this highway was a straight road towards the Senesh village so far everything had gone as he expected all that was left to do now was to immediately rush to the troops aid as soon as the hydra would appear while waiting for that time to come Kyle and the others kept on following the princess while keeping enough distance between them and the carriage in order not to be noticed much later in the day after the group had covered around half of the distance between Arhen and the Sesh village it happened oh something strange happened what’s the matter did the magic beast finally come out kyle asked in curiosity no that doesn’t seem to be it the man who was driving the coach suddenly stopped the horses just now and started attacking the surrounding guards and you call that just strange saran retorted kyle also felt the same way but his body moved faster than his thoughts and he started running at full speed he did not take that long to reach the place but when the coach came into his sight most of the guards had already been slain there seemed to be only a single guard left alive and even though he showed his intention to surrender he was still mercilessly stabbed there were two men left standing there one of them looked like a coachman while the other looked like a servant both of them were holding swords and judging from the open door of the carriage it seemed like the attendant had come out from inside without a chant Kyle cast a hay spell on himself and dashed forward to the coachman who had his back turned towards him he was glad that he had worn a leather armor which did not make noise and did not hinder his movements upon seeing Kyle the other man tried to warn his companion but he was too slow kyle unshathed his sword and swung it downward at the coachman’s right arm with which he was holding his weapon since Kyle had used the flat of the sword the man’s arm was not cut off but it seemed like his bones were completely broken with a painful groan the coachman dropped his sword adding to that Kyle drove a sharp kick to the side of the man’s abdomen the coachman’s body was blown off and started rolling on the ground while raising a cloud of dust as Kyle thought “Is he finally done rolling?” The man stopped moving thus having neutralized the first man Kyle turned towards the second one although he was shaken by the sudden intruder who had knocked down his companion the man who appeared to be a servant still managed to pull himself together and to turn his sword towards Kyle kyle saran’s voice came from behind that voice did not have the slightest hint of tension to it leave the princess to me with a thumbs up Saran slipped by the side of Kyle and the other man and ran at full speed towards the carriage in turn the man tried to chase after him however sorry that’s not going to happen i’m afraid can’t let you go there as Kyle slashed at him the man used his sword to receive the attack with a click of his tongue you two go with Saran i’ll join you directly once I’m done with this guy,” said Kyle to the two who came a little after him and Saran while keeping his eyes on the man in front of him öza was about to say something but after seeing Liisa go directly to the carriage she hesitated for a short time and then ran towards the same direction now then it’s been a while since I last had a real life or death fight hasn’t it although this was a fight against an unexpected opponent Kyle had a composed and fearless smile as he slashed his sword forward after several exchanges of sword blows the resistance that Kyle was faced with was different than what he had expected the opponent’s movements were backed by a proper training and it was clear that he had experienced many real fights in his life he was skilled enough to be able to fight to some extent against Kyle “who are you why are you doing this?” asked Kyle without expecting an answer uh and just like Kyle thought the man who appeared to be an attendant remained silent that’s Princess Molina’s coach can I assume that you’re going against the princess cuz if so you’ve basically already failed since you’re having so much trouble handling some unexpected intruder like me kyle asked that question in order to agitate the man however he man remained silent all the same yet Kyle could clearly feel that he was getting impatient this man probably wanted to quickly get rid of Kyle and to then dispose of the three remaining people but from this exchange of sword blows it should have become clear to him that this intruder Kyle was stronger than he expected and stronger than him as the man wondered whether he should hold his ground or run away his hesitation was displayed on his face furthermore Kyle did not overlook that hesitation and accordingly he purposely showed a gap in his defense although this was a blatant lure the man who was in a hurry delivered a large and powerful blow in order to bring the combat to its end in one stroke kyle dodged that attack so barely that it grazed his hair having dodged the attack without losing his stance Kyle slashed his sword at the man who could not use his sword to defend himself anymore ah the man’s sword wrist flew up while rotating in the air as the man reflexively pressed on his wound Kyle drew even closer to him and made him pass out by hitting his head with the handle of his sword he then quickly tied him up with a rope and did some simple first aid to stop his bleeding yuri pretty good at this well that’s just experience in the days when Kyle was battling the demons having to perform first aid on hand injuries like this one had been an everyday occurrence for him well then this much should be enough for now there are some things I want to ask from these guys this could have been much more simple if he had simply killed them but he wanted to capture them alive if possible in order to make them explain this situation just who were these two people and what was their purpose and what was going on with Princess Malnia k wondered when he turned towards the carriage to confirm the state of said princess Öza came back is it over yeah but putting that aside is the princess safe well about that she’s all right she’s in the carriage right now and she doesn’t have any injuries however at that exact moment Kyle and Öza heard faint noise that was accompanied by a slight vibration looking at the forest where the sound was coming from there were birds flying away all at once while trees were falling down this sound is MHM your guess is probably right dot said Selonia with her voice coming from the gym kyle quickly analyzed the current situation and searched for the best course of action to take he first thought about escaping from this place however if he did that he would not be able to interrogate the two enemies he had captured and he would also be abandoning the fallen guard’s bodies besides the group would probably not be able to run away by running normally realized Kyle as he kept thinking fast more importantly in order to escape together with the princess he would have no other choice than to use her carriage however damn the carriage’s reins have been cut off it’s going to take some time to fix them Saran at that instant Saran’s voice came from the carriage k didn’t know if he should call that a very good or a very bad timing nevertheless upon hearing that he stealed himself and gave an instruction the three of you watch the carriage the priority at the moment was the princess safety if something happened to her the whole operation would become pointless in addition the assassins might have had other companions who were still aiming for the princess life but you’re going to face that thing by yourself perhaps because she knew what was coming from the forest z’s complexion had turned pale i can do this trust me I wouldn’t try if it was impossible i gave this some serious thought and judged that it was the best course of action anyway I got to go there i’m leaving the coach to you i’ll believe you so don’t die saying that with a pained expression on her face Öza headed for the coach kyle looked at Öza’s back with a small smile and then directed his gaze towards the forest on the side of the highway where the noise from earlier was gradually becoming louder when faced with a hydra who could mow down trees so easily even a first rate adventurer would avoid fighting if possible as the creature’s heads swayed from side to side K could not tell if it had 12 or 13 of them turns out the bad feeling I had about this was on point he complained while faced with a hydra that was about as big as his parents’ house in Laames there were several reasons why the hydra was a feared creature first due to its gigantic body its attacks held an overwhelming destructive power that was especially true when it attacked using two or more heads it would be like fighting against multiple opponents who shared the same body its toxic breath attack was also quite troublesome and because of the protection offered by its hard scales and thick skin normal attacks would just bounce off of it however all of those things were not really dangerous for Kyle no matter how strong or fast it was it had a mere beast’s intelligence so its movements were straightforward and easy to read since Kyle could predict the attacks it was easy for him to dodge them and given that he was used to fighting by himself against multiple opponents he was able to manage even when the beast heads attacked him simultaneously moreover although the Hydra’s toxic breath was supposed to be its most dangerous attack Kyle’s dragon leather armor almost completely nullified the effects of the toxins as for the defensive power of the beast scales and skin that was no issue for him either take this kyle threw his third blizzard magic stone the blades of ice teared the Hydra’s scales apart and the cold penetrated its body the Hydra’s movements had clearly slowed down as it shouted in anguish and made a desperate attack ya while avoiding the attack of the beast’s huge mouth which could swallow a human hole in one bite Kyle slashed at its head with a battle cry combining both the arm strength of Kyle and the sharpness of Selonia’s sword body that slash cleanly sliced off the snake head which was as big as a tree this was the fourth head that was cut off so far while on the other hand K only had a few scratches on him it looked like he was overwhelmingly dominating the battle mhm you’re more at an advantage than I expected i thought this would be a bit more of a close fight dada Selonia was impressed even I’m surprised well I did some good preparations beforehand and it seems like my body strengthening is progressing better than I thought he was also using self-strengthening magic but still you did not think he would able to fight against a hydra up front this was a happy miscalculation however still this is becoming annoying before Kyle’s eyes at the base of the neck that he had sliced off at the very beginning of the battle there was already a new head swinging from side to side indeed this was the most troublesome point of Hydrris their vitality and their power of regeneration in a short time a Hydra could heal a wound that would be fatal for other magic beasts it could even regenerate parts of its body after losing them seriously that regeneration is ridiculous although Kyle held the advantage in the battle the outcome had yet to be decided that was because in short he was unable to kill the beast to defeat a hydra with such a strong power of regeneration one would have to kill it instantly or to keep dealing damage to it continuously in order to prevent its regeneration from catching up originally I wanted Liisa and the others to help me here but Kyle’s original strategy was to attract the beast’s attention from the front while the others would attack it from the back but given the situation and the fact that there could be other enemies beside the hydra the others could not separate themselves from the carriage though he would be able to win anyway as long as he kept on dealing more and more damage he could not afford to use up too much time since there might have been some other enemies attacking the hydra with the sword certainly did deal some damage to it but killing it instantly with one blow would be difficult as for the magic stones while they were also effective they could not kill it instantly either on the other hand high class spells could indeed kill it in a single blow but Kyle was still not able to use them as of now i really should have practiced my attack magic a little bit more originally Kyle was not good with attack magic so he used a magic support system as a weapon instead due to his lacking mana Kyle could not use anything above upper grade magic back then so even if he used attack magic in combat it would not have been really effective against demons therefore in those days he merely used support magic on himself and fought by using his sword only now that he was not lacking mana anymore it would be possible for him to use high-grade magic but at present he already had his hands full with training his body so he had yet to train his magic it’s no use asking for what you can’t get it’s important to be able to do what you can with what you have in a fight da da you don’t have to tell me i already know rather compared to the fights I’ve had so far I’m pretty well off right now saying that KL took out several explosion attack magic stones well no matter how strong its vitality is it will be useless if I strike the root of its heads even though a hydra’s power of regeneration was very high it could not increase the number of heads it had and its sliced heads could not give birth to a new hydra either kyle’s eyes were looking at the part of the hydra’s body from which its heads grew back the hydra itself was likely aware that that part was its weak point because when Kyle approached it the beast used one of its snake heads to interpose to aim for that part Kyle would have to slip through all of the beasts more than 10 snake heads it’s been a while but I guess I’ll use that kyle stepped back and put a great distance between himself and the magic beast because its regeneration would be delayed if it moved the hydra did not chase after Kyle and concentrated on recovering instead kyle lowered his center of gravity and turned his sword horizontally in order to strike the hydra with it haste he focused his entire mind on pushing the effect of his acceleration magic to the utmost limit to raise his speed for just an instant since originally Kyle was already proficient with support magic it was possible for him to use it with such detailed adjustments having just finished regenerating its heads the hydra started running towards Kyle kl took a deep breath and with a loud battle cry he stepped forward using his entire strength as he rushed ahead the highways stone paving was crushed underneath his feet that speed was beyond the reflexes of magic beasts k then jumped at the center of the hydra’s body which was the root of the beast’s more than 10 heads and he stabbed his sword in there the dull sound of an impact that seemed to come from the bottom of the hydra’s abdomen resounded in the whole area and the huge beast took several steps back after being pushed behind by a man that weighed 100 times less than itself all of its snake heads coughed up blood while shouting in pain kyle had increased his speed to the very limit with his magic and then had taken advantage of the power of the resulting charge in order to stab the enemy by using his own body’s momentum this was a simple attack but it was that simplicity that made it powerful so powerful in fact that an enemy at the size of a human being would be reduced into smitherines by it however even when compared to the other magic beasts the gigantic hydra’s vitality was particularly great so even this attack was not able to kill it at once after moving the planet sword around in order to extend the wound Kyle instantly pulled it out and then pushed his left hand into the wound as deep as he could once his whole upper arm was inside one of the snake heads which had recovered from the shock rammed him from the side since his arm was still stuck inside the wound Kyle was not able to dodge as his body was shoved away by the hydra and was sent rolling on the ground however Kyle immediately recovered to his feet although this attack would normally have broken many of his bones it seemed like he only had a few bruises ouch i’m glad I bought this armor once again impressed by his armor KL put his sword back in its scabbard while his fighting mood left him despite the fact that the enraged and injured Hydra was coming at him and then the moment the hydra’s fangs reached Kyle it blew up from inside nice everything went well kyle clenched his fist in a triumphant pose had he simply hit the hydra with the explosion magic stone it likely would not have damaged it much due to the beast’s thick skin and hard scales therefore he had forced two of those stones inside the hydra’s body through its wound since the explosion had happened inside of the beast its defense had been useless nearly half of the its body had blown up and that was enough to kill it you won killing a hydro with more than 10 heads one-on-one is quite a big deal by the way what was that last technique it was pretty powerful dada I call it shakushi tilln if you’re interested Kyle was the one who had come up with this skill in his previous life when a certain man who had come from an island country located across the east sea of this continent and who used a strange curved sword saw this skill he had yelled out shakushi out of astonishment since then KL started calling it that as well well the skill merely gives speed and strength i need some time to focus before using it it would not work on a true master or a demon or rather on anyone or anything that has some wisdom moreover when this skill wasn’t entirely decisive it would give the enemy a big opening to exploit so there were few settings where it could actually be used but I don’t think I could have used this technique if my body hadn’t come to be able to endure the effects of my magic still I know I’m the one who did all this but it was pretty brutal huh a large amount of flesh organs and blood was scattered all over by the explosion it was a terrible sight there was also a bloody stench and an odor of burned flesh due to the explosion making the surrounding smell just as terrible as the view they won’t get mad about this right kyle’s face became stiff upon seeing the blood that had stuck on the royal family’s personal coach and the organs and flesh which had fallen on its roof after convincing himself that this had been inevitable Kyle approached the carriage thereupon he noticed that there were corpses of hell hounds which were magic beasts that looked like large wolves given that their heads were either crushed or burned it appeared Liisa and the others were the ones who had killed them so these beasts were attacking at the same time that’s pretty strange isn’t it the magic beasts had their own respective territories so it was a rare to see different types of them appear at the same time especially since there was a hydra close by at that moment and given that the creatures that had appeared were just some weak hell hounds this situation was all the more unlikely to happen kyle are you okay having defeated the hell hounds Liisa and Öza came up to Kyle you really killed a hydra that’s amazing that’s natural a mere hydra is not worthy of being my opponent responded Kyle a little proudly after Öza expressed her surprise towards this unbelievable outcome but did you really have to go about it this way liisa said Liisa with an unpleased tone while looking at the disastrous scene in the surroundings yeah I’m reflecting on that a little bit Kyle also you smell awfully bad Kyle urza upon smelling the stench that was coming from Kyle due to the Hydra’s blood which had covered his body Öza frowned really sorry but please don’t come near us until you get that smell off of you liisa urza and Lisa both took a step back away from Kyle with their eyebrows frowned kyle’s shoulders dropped a little as he walked away from the carriage disappointed you wanted a bit more praise than that didn’t you oh shut up while feeling slightly dispirited Kyle took a water container and poured water over his head there were three women in the carriage one of them was Princess Melena who was wearing a white dress this time the other two were likely the princess mates one of them was a girl of around 10 years old and the other one was a woman who seemed to be slightly older than the princess all three of them were currently sleeping inside the coach to think they would stay asleep in a situation like this they’re really out of this world said Saran with a voice that had hints of both amazement and admiration no it looks like they all ingested sleeping drugs said Öza upon examining the three women’s conditions then give them some detoxification magic medicine that should be able to cancel the effects of most drugs all right following Kyle’s instruction Öza immediately took out some magic medicine and made the three women drink it ah right kyle take a look at this i found it on the coachman’s seat saran showed an old tightly closed leather bag which was engraved with magic letters this is this a monster gathering bag yeah and it’s a strong one plus it wasn’t sealed the secretions and the internal organs of some magic beasts or monsters could become materials to make magic medicine moreover their bones their fangs and the like could be used to make weapons some of those materials cost tremendous amounts of money so there were adventurers who specialized in monster hunting the magic beasts gathering bags were quite useful for those monster hunters as they were purpose to lure monsters by using smells that they liked the monster gathering bag on the coachman’s seat was a particularly potent one as it could gather many monsters indiscriminately and in a wide range it was likely because they were lured by this that the hydra and the hell hounds had come did those guys lure the monsters to try to make them attack the princess the princess had been drugged into sleep if there was an emergency she would not have been able to escape those two men had likely been laying the groundwork for that in the end it turned out that Princess Molina’s death had not been an accident caused by a magic beast attack but it had actually been an assassination camouflaged as an accident also I’ve already fixed the reinss so we can at least move the carriage for now i see and when the group was about to return to our hen for the sake of the princess safety Princess Melena slowly opened her eyes “oh I am still alive,” said the princess the moment she woke up with a somewhat surprised tone “i thought I would never wake up but it seems like my good fortune has yet to give up on me it seemed like she was confirming the situation to herself rather than asking about it.” After that she finally noticed the presence of Kyle and the others who were right in front of her are you by any chance the ones who saved me yes my name is Kyle kyle Leonard in the middle of my journey I happened to come across this place where your highness was attacked by some enemies and magic beasts so I came to assist you together with my companions while bowing one knee as a gesture of courtesy Kyle answered with a line that he had thought up beforehand thank you i would have lost my life here if not for your help at that moment the older maid also woke up and reflexively went in front of the princess to try to protect her it’s fine it seems like these people have rescued us although the maid lowered her vigilance in response to the princess words it seemed like she was knowledgeable about magic and martial arts and she kept looking at Kyle and the others without dropping her guard in the slightest bit following that Princess Molina tried to go outside but Kyle stopped her i believe we’re not in danger anymore that’s right but it’s just that how should I say this the outside looks quite brutal outside the carriage there were heaps of corpses all around i don’t mind i have to see it with my own eyes having left the carriage Princess Molina did not raise a single eyebrow upon looking at the monster and human corpses in the perimeter though she seemed to be slightly takenback when she saw the gigantic hydra which had a large hole in its body she kept calmly observing the surroundings without being disturbed i roughly understand what had happened here we are in the middle of the road between our hen and the sesh village are we not why yes that’s right her uncanny and out ofplace behavior made Kyle feel perplexed she gives a different impression than the other day yeah it’s like she’s a completely different person while Liisa and Öza were speaking to each other in whispers a voice came from Selonia reaching only Kyle’s ears kyle there is a group of men on horseback coming from our hen this time they are definitely from the royal guard selonia’s hawk body was still flying over the sky and observing the surroundings understood Princess Melena it seems like there are knights of the royal guard coming here from Arken so they’re finally here we can take a break now the moment Sarant said that a shrill voice came from the princess this is not good we must escape immediately not only they will kill me they will also kill you huh but they are the Knights of the Royal Guard what’s the pro what is the issue the man behind this attempt on my life is the second commander of the royal guards knights Zentos huh ky unintentionally let out a foolish sounding voice no but what you said zenos asked Kyle in disbelief but the princess did not reply to him and instructed her maid instead aluka burn the corpses in the perimeter while Kyle and the others were stuck in disbelief by the order they had just heard the older maid who was called Aluka did not hesitate to follow that instruction and started chanting for a spell their goal is to kill me so they’re bound to check the corpses in this place to see if mine is among them surely they won’t be able to do so instantly if we burn the bodies currently it’s necessary to buy some time even if only a little as the princess said that in an indifferent yet permpter and dignified manner Aluka started using the fire magic fireball to burn the guard’s corpses nos accompanied me to the coach and Aluka take the reigns although the younger maid Nenos abided by the princess words Aluka seemed reluctant to do so but Melena sama that would mean leaving your side and steering the carriage is an important role i also want you to watch our surroundings at the same time therefore you’re the only one I can ask yes albeit reluctantly aluka went to the coachman’s seat since that was inevitable all of you please hurry and get inside as well i shall explain the situation to you said Princess Melena while looking towards Kyle and the others the group exchanged glances for only a moment before deciding to board on the coach believing that it was better to listen to the princess for the time being then having seemingly been struck with an idea Seren opened the monster gathering bag that he was holding and threw it over the Hydra’s corpse “if the point is to buy time then we might as well get some monsters in their way if another Hydra happens to come by then that’s even better,” said Saran with a mischievous child’s smile after everyone got inside the coach it once again started moving towards the sesh village unlike the slow speed that the carriage was going at before it was not going at full speed to facilitate the group’s escape chapter 10 on the straight highway in the middle of the large forest the carriage was powerfully advancing forward compared to ordinary horses the slave near horses that were pulling this carriage were superior in strength speed and endurance they were pulling a large coach but still as long as they kept up this speed the swift horses that were carrying the royal guards knights would likely not be able to catch up within the vehicle Kyle and his three friends as well as the princess and her maid Nenos were sitting on opposite sides as one would expect from a coach of the royal family even though it was going this fast there was surprisingly barely any vibration and noise inside first of all I would like to thank you once again if not for you I would have already left this world by now princess Melina deeply bowed her head nos the maid who was next to her seemed to be dissatisfied about her master bowing to others but since she had also been saved she lowered her head similarly kyle and the others had already introduced themselves and explained the situation well actually all they had said was their names and the fact that they had only stumbled upon the princess by pure coincidence yesterday you said that the one who planned this attack was the commander of the royal guard’s second night corp indeed and the person backing him is Prince Karinas my older half-brother i see so it was Prince Karinas said Kyle with a bitter tone of voice he had already expected that when the princess had brought up Zindo’s name earlier but upon actually hearing it from her he had a hard time completely believing it in short this is one of those internal squables for the right of inheritance to the throne asked Liisa from the side yes exactly well Liisa found herself at a loss from the straightforward answer about Zentos was this really orchestrated by him are you sure of what you’re saying k asked his manner of speaking could very well be considered to be rude however the princess did not mind even though Nenos who was sitting by her side had a bad expression on her face yes after all I heard it directly from my brother after Zentos made us drink the drugs and our consciousnesses started fading away my brother proudly gave a minutely detailed explanation about the whole matter first the princess heard that a village nearby had been attacked by a hydra therefore she wanted to go there for a consolation visit but the knights of the royal guard opposed her wish since the risks of being attacked by monsters on the way was too big however Princess Melena did not give up and accompanied by a few of the town’s guards she secretly departed before dawn although the royal guards knights hurriedly chased after her upon noticing that she had left her group had unfortunately already been attacked by monsters and the princess had died as well a simple accident that was what the prince wanted the matter to seem like this accident was precisely the version that Kyle knew of but that turned out to have been planned by Karenas ka was shocked wondering just how incompetent the prince had to be in order to actually reveal himself on purpose in other words he tried to fool the nation by using the fact that your highness sometimes changes her schedule like you did when coming to Arken for example the moment Liisa said that Saran who had been lost in his thoughts on the way spoke up oh I remember now i knew I’d seen this child somewhere aren’t you that little girl who tried to give flowers to the princess in Arken he said while pointing at Nos with a shocked face “oh you were able to notice that i believe she gave a completely different impression with her disguise.” “You have good eyes,” added the princess while feeling a little surprised i noticed because she’s a cute girl and when I saw her in Arkan I was thinking that she would sure become a beautiful woman in the future saran showed Nos a big smile but she drew back her body with a slightly disgusted facial expression so that means she did that on purpose gently comforting a little girl after she fell down was a simple action but it was likely to give a favorable impression to others and since this whole interaction had been prepared in advance that meant that the princess visit to Arkin’s orphan institution had not been due to a sudden change in her schedule but had actually been planned from the very beginning a plain interaction with the nation’s people like that one is perfect for a publicity stunt but in the Sesh villages case there would not have been much merit to me going there directly it would have sufficed to send them gifts from the royal family and to casually spread the word about that the princess laughed elegantly while covering her mouth an old proverb crossed Kyle’s mind the one thing the devils share with angels is their smile did she really just openly call it a publicity stunt i feel like I’m learning more and more than I’m supposed to know about what happens behind the government scenes well it’s important for politicians to be popular with the people below them human politics sure has many sides to it saran and the others including Selonia in her sword form started speaking in whispers of course they were in the same carriage as Princess Melena so she could still hear them but she did not mind that and continued to explain i knew that my brother had these kinds of ambitions but I neglected the matter because I assessed that he would not be capable enough to put them into practice h would you say he has difficulties of some sort yes frankly speaking he’s incompetent it’s fair to say that he is a good for nothing who cannot fulfill his obligations as a member of the royal family said Princess Moleno while disregarding Kyle’s considerate attempt at being careful with his words however everything changed the moment he managed to ally himself with Zentos who is very competent and popular but was that worthless i mean was Prince Karina’s really able to get Commander Zentos and the knights under him to join his side the princess shook her head from side to side in response to Kyle’s question no Zentos is likely the only one actually following him along with at most a mere small part of the second knight core so all the other knights following him are just obeying their commander’s orders said Saran in astonishment yes I do not know if they have doubts about this matter or not but for knights as long as they’re ordered to do something it’s plenty enough for them to go through with it can’t they think for themselves a little although Saran complained to her the princess sole reaction was to answer him no army can hold if the soldiers start acting and thinking for themselves as individuals they are faithfully following their commander orders which is the right behavior for the royal guards knights it would have been absolutely impossible for them to be appointed as knights of the royal guard if they gave priority to their personal thoughts and feelings rather than to their superiors orders however will they really be okay with this we are talking about the assassination of their own country’s princess after all the princess responded to Kyle’s question with a clear nod they will if the commander tells them that this is a secret order from my father the king then they’ll have no other choice than to obey the princess is suspected of the grave crime of betraying the country but given her unanimous popularity with the people this information would bring about a massive pandemonium within the nation so we’ve received a secret order to deal with her and to cover her death as an accident caused by monsters all Zintos had to do was probably only to give an explanation along those lines if those knights were told by their commander that this was a secret order that he received directly from the king then they certainly would have no other choice than to abide no matter what their inner thoughts really were so anyone chosen to become a commander of the royal guards knights would be all the more loyal and would never be driven by their own self-interests given that he’s the commander of the second knight corps this should have applied to Zentos or as well however Princess Melena shook her head it seemed like even now she was still not able to accept this to begin with Zentos became a military attese under my brother’s direct control in order to observe him and prevent him from doing anything foolish and I personally had no suspicions about Zentos at all so the moment he became my brother’s ally I had already lost i fatally misread the situation princess Molina heaved a deep sigh of course that does not mean I had any intention to drop my vigilance and I always tried not to let any openings in my guard for others to take advantage of every time I left the royal capital I would be escorted by the fifth knight corps moreover Kllin the fifth cores commander is a relative from my mother’s side and she’s also a military attese whom I can trust and who’s directly under my orders however due to their good-looking appearances the Kors members are often pulled into ceremonies after saying that the princess lightly put her hand over her right eye and brow as if she was having a headache but she still looked like she had come out of a fine painting even in that state of pain this time the fifth corps was called back to the capital because of the sudden visits of some state guests and so Zinto’s second night corps took the role of escorting me in there instead but that was no issue since after killing the person I trusted most was Zentos now that I think about it I should have been suspicious about the fact that my brother came along with them even though he had no business in Arkin kyle shared the exact same feeling of bitterness as Princess Molina an assassination over the succession of the throne although this would be the most simple reason as to why the princess was targeted KL did not doubt that this was a possibility but this was completely unexpected to him since he trusted the former spy who had told him about the details of this matter and because above all he had personally met with Prince Karina’s and Zentos in his previous life and knew their personalities kyle’s impression of them was the same as the princess especially the part about Zentos being extremely trustworthy kyle believed that Zentos would not be able to fake his behavior like that and that he would not allow himself to do it even if he could after sighing deeply in his mind K put his feelings in order and started talking i see i understand the gist of the situation the problem now is what are we going to do about what’s coming at this point i guess there is no way they’re going to just give up seren said to which Kyle answered with “Of course they won’t since they failed to use the monsters to assassinate her they’ll probably think of other ways to do that they’re going to come up with something like the princess was abducted by a mysterious group of people but when those kidnappers were exterminated she had already been killed yes I also think so perhaps officially the second night core are currently pursuing my kidnappers in order to rescue me princess Molina agreed with Kyle kidnappers but who would that be in their madeup stto wait don’t tell me it’s Saran pointed his finger at himself with a bitter facial expression and Kyle gave a big nod in response so what then are we going to become out of nowhere some kind of villains who kidnapped the princess yes and we’ll also be framed as the brutal murders who slaughtered those town guards after saying that Kal suddenly looked at the princess i understand what you were doing the reason you explained the situation to us in details was to prevent us from escaping yes the princess gave a clear answer while keeping her composure intact it would be impossible for Aluka Nenos and I to keep escaping by ourselves up until when the fifth core arrives tomorrow if I may be frank with you Kama I can only rely on you and your friends right now the reason the princess had explained in details this matter that could be said to be a big scandal for the royal family was so that Kyle and the others would have an accurate understanding of the current situation there was no reason for Prince Karina’s side to keep Kyle and his friends alive rather they would consider that they have to kill them no matter what in order to keep their mouths shut even if the group were to abandon the princess and escape from here the prince’s people would likely figure out from the circumstances that the Hydra was defeated by outsiders and they would likely try to get those outsiders information from the princess before killing her it was easy to imagine what would happen after that if the princess ended up leaking information about Kyle and the others her assassination would be pinned on them and they would end up being put on the country’s most wanted list and chased after in order to avoid that Kyle and his friends would have to silence the princess right here and to escape after but they would not be able to do such a thing in short in order to survive the group would have to bring the princess back to the royal capital safely so as to prove their innocence all of us are already in the same boat therefore let us do our best to survive together perhaps because she had seen through the conflict that was occurring within Kyle the princess showed a smile that would enchant even demons apparently she not only had a sharp mind but she was also stubborn and had a tough mentality “well from the start abandoning you and your people was not really an option for me,” said Kyle while trying to convince himself that those inelegant traits of hers would make her quite reliable in a situation like this one and while feeling a little ashamed for having such rude thoughts oh what do you mean the princess slightly tilted her head i’m afraid that the coachman and servant from earlier were likely two royal guard knights in disguise i kept them alive with the intention of interrogating them later on but I forgot to bring them here the Zento’s matter had simply been that much of a shock to Kyle however because of this the prince’s side would now get a detailed description of Kyle’s appearance at the very least well that’s all the more reason why you cannot abandon us here isn’t it said the princess with a delighted tone while matching her hands together but Kyle only answered with a dry laugh of course if we’re able to safely return to the royal capital “Then I promise to grant you a reward if you wish to become a knight then no I do not want higher status nor money if possible I’d like you to grant me some prestige that’s quite a peculiar wish.” The day gradually slipped into the evening and the group’s carriage was smoothly advancing forward if no problems occurred then they would soon arrive at the Sesh village which was unfortunate when that happens we’ll be like trapped rats kyle groaned while looking at a map the highway that the group was currently riding on only went on as far as the Sesh village after that point it would become impossible to use the carriage the enemies likely would not miss that opportunity in their assassination attempt to summarize our situation first we have one advantage which is that rescue will come as long as we earn enough time the rescue that the princess was referring to was the royal guard’s fifth night corps which was scheduled to arrive the next day between the morning and noon if I’m not in Arcan by the time they arrive Kllin and her group will immediately come towards here to search for me therefore assuming that they will come to the Sesh village I suppose we will meet with them around tomorrow evening what if they’re given false information in Arkan about our location i don’t think that’s possible in these circumstances lying would be akin to admitting one’s suspiciousness and my brother’s side cannot do that if they consider what’s to come in the future in the first place I was supposed to be dead at this point in time by now their plans have already been disturbed added the princess once the fifth core comes our side and my brother’s side will be on equal standings so they will be in trouble if a commotion were to start and that’s why the prince’s side is also in a hurry in short if the group could hold on until at the latest the next day’s evening then they would be saved so the question now was how exactly were they going to earn time until then why don’t we just keep escaping until we reach the Sesh village and then just barricade ourselves there suggested Saran but Kyle refused i’d rather we don’t they’ll probably kill the whole village to silence them huh seriously yeah at this point they won’t mind doing this much a single village would only have around 100 or 200 villagers so they probably won’t be concerned about silencing them all after that they can pin those crimes on monsters or on the brutal kidnappers who took the princess what with all the plotting and silencing these guys are so damn high-handed complained Saran how about running away inside the forest instead proposed Öza who was knowledgeable about the forest the forest was like the elf’s own garden escaping there would probably be possible with Öza’s cooperation however going through the forest would naturally mean leaving the carriage and no matter how one looked at it Princess Melena whose safety was the number one priority would not be able to run from place to place within the forest my apologies but my strength is only average at best i will surely hold you back if we run away in the forest adding to that going there was very dangerous as there were many monsters living inside the forest and they were particularly active in the dark of the night and if something happens there we’ll end up using fire to fight fire it would certainly be bad if we start a fire inside urza frowned such a turn of events would be unbearable for elves since the forest was their home i guess we’ll pick that suggestion if we run out of time or something kyle so are they still chasing us öza ers aside abandoning the coach at this time would be quite a blow to the group of course it was convenient for moving but besides that its size and weight combined together with the Slapner’s speed could produce a great destructive power and above all since it was custom made for the royal family it was considerably solid and the vehicle itself could serve as a shield to protect the princess the odds were clearly not in the group’s favor but they did have this one advantage over the enemy the knights did not change their direction they are still pursing us and coming towards here their numbers haven’t changed either there should be about 80 of them dot reported Selonia her hawk-shaped second body was continuing to observe the knights from the sky which was a great help since it allowed the group to stay aware of the enemy’s movements this intelligence sword is quite convenient said the princess with a tone of admiration an intelligence sword as its name implied was a sword that possessed intellect it was a type of magical life form in some extremely rare cases they could be found in ruins that were left in ancient times and Kyle had explained to the princess that Selonia was a sword that had been found in one of said ancient ruins and which happened to excel in monitoring things and people after thinking for a while Kyle made up his mind and spoke up although there will be some risks involved I think we should return return where surely you’re not thinking of going back to Arin are you asked Princess Melena even though this might not be the case in a single village there are thousands of people in Ark Hen and I don’t think it would be possible to silence them all certainly if we’re able to go back to Arkhen then we will have places to hide and our pursuers won’t be able to simply do as they please but besides that way you will be able to meet up with the fifth core earlier melena sama at worst you’ll meet them tomorrow around noon and at best your safety will be guaranteed by tomorrow morning however for that it will naturally be necessary to get past the knights who are pursuing us do you have any good methods to do so it seemed like Melena had yet to be able to agree with Kyle’s explanation because this highway was a straight road and if the group turned back they would certainly end up colliding with the knights who were coming after them no it won’t be necessary to get past them nor to deceive them we will take them from the front i am sorry what did you say hm there are 80 of those knights coming after us isn’t that right the princess facial expression looked like she was asking just what in the world are you blabbering about but she was also confused at the same time because Kyle seemed to be completely serious naturally Kyle had fully considered all of the limited options at hand and he had deemed that this was the best choice to raise the group’s chances of survival and above all something fortunate had happened which had led Kyle to that decision you’re certain that Zentos isn’t with them kyle asked Selonia mhm you mean the fellow who was walking by the side of the princess the other day right i’ve confirmed over and over again that he’s not there i have no doubt about this dada i see that’s very good news zentos who was the commander of the pursuing knights was not with them k did not know the reason for that but in any case that was convenient for him then our chances of success are high enough all we have to do now is to find a place that seems good enough to set up an ambush with these words he took out a magic stone and some magic medicine from one of the bags that he and his companions had been carrying on their shoulders earlier oh dear as she saw the large amount of magic stones a surprised expression appeared on the princess face as one would expect there was only a single pile of magic stones but that alone was already a considerable amount melena sama take some magic medicine just to stay safe if by any chance you happen to get injured please drink it immediately the princess was familiar with what Kyle had given her it was a top-ranked magic medicine which could even heal a deadly wound as long as the person taking it was still alive naturally its price was proportionate to its effectiveness but it could be said to be worth as much as one’s own life although the people of the royal family would always keep some magic medicine on them for emergencies the princess did not have any on her right now because apparently it had been taken from her when she was still asleep the princess took a second look at Kyle and his companions until now she hadn’t had the time to think too deeply about this but those people had defeated two knights of the royal guard and a gigantic hydra besides based on the talk they had it seemed like the hydra had been killed in a one-on-one fight furthermore no matter how she thought about it having such a large amount of magic medicine and magic stones seemed unlikely for some run-of-the-mill adventurers who just happened to pass by you just who are you k answered the princess question with a shrug of his shoulders who we are well we’re just some passers by who aspire to become heroes what’s the meaning of this why is this happening in one of the rooms of the inn where the princess had been staying before there was an irritated man pacing back and forth while yelling at a knight who was standing in front of him that plump man who was wearing refined clothes was Karinas the prince of the Jurgis country and the one standing in front of him was Zentos the commander of the royal guard’s second knight corps who was famous as being the country’s greatest knight placed on a table in that room there was a card with ancient magic letters written on it such cards would come as a pair that two people could use to communicate with each other even when there was great distance between them those cards could be used for no more than a few times a day and it was only possible to talk for a few dozen seconds each of those times but they were precious and extremely convenient magic tools from the era of the ancient magic kingdom through this tool the prince had received a report from the second cor’s vice commander who was chasing after Princess Molina there is no need to worry we will be able to deal with the princess soon said Zentos while deeply bowing his head then why are you still here go take care of that woman yourself immediately there is no problem since I’ve instructed the vice commander in advance about what he should do in case of a failure besides your highness in the first place had you stayed in the royal capital and left everything to me I would have been able to command the troops directly i I naturally have to personally ascertain that this matter is properly dealt with it’s my duty to lead that impertinent woman to her death however in doing so you’re exposing yourself to danger your highness therefore it is impossible for me to leave your side at the moment the fifth core will come back soon and I believe that you are aware of Commander Kllin’s stern personality and of her loyalty to the princess oh Prince Karina’s found himself at a loss for words the Fifth Corps is supposed to arrive by tomorrow but if they come back earlier than scheduled then Commander Kllin will certainly pressure your highness in that situation will you be able to handle her by yourself wii karina’s knew that that woman might even thrust her sword at royalty and the only one who could handle and suppress her was Zentos damn it the prince was becoming more and more irritated and kicked a chair that was near him killing Princess Molina in the royal capital would have been too conspicuous but whenever she was outside of there Kllin’s fifth core would always stick to her however since they were currently separated from her there was a long- aaited opportunity to assassinate the princess and now that the prince’s side had taken action failure was no longer an option moreover this is also to prepare in case there will be suspicions about Princess Molina’s death at that time we’ll be able to push the full responsibility of this on the vice commander and the knights under him so I believe it will be more convenient for us not to be present at the location of the princess death oh oh indeed that is very important in reality I had already thought of this i was just wondering if you would notice it or not although the prince instantly turned back on his previous statement there was one there to point that out there is no way that the princess will be able to escape she’s surrounded by a large forest her carriage can only be used on the highway and she won’t be able to run inside the forest with her dress adding to that we’ve already closed the highway so that there won’t be any more disturbances therefore no one will be able to go there from Arin if any disturbances come from the sesh village then our troops will simply silence as many people as necessary therefore be relieved your highness explained Zentos indifferently with an emotionless tone of voice but in the unlikely event that and by unlikely I mean there is one chance in 10,000 for this to happen but if the princess returns to Arcane then at that time I had better be on standby here surely you don’t mean that she’ll be able to break through the night troops right yes that is what I mean as I said the possibility of that happening is low but it is her best chance to survive although the report that Zenos had received was not detailed it seemed like the people who had rescued the princess and her maids had also defeated two knights and killed a massive hydra they were likely adventurers that the princess happened to meet by chance and they were probably very competent people if they were really outstanding then they were surely going to consider the option of coming back to our hen and when that time comes I will personally kill all of them so the princess chances of being saved are very slim normally it should be completely impossible for her to survive unless the heavens themselves are on her side following Zindo’s words Karina’s finally calmed down he stopped pacing around and sat down on a chair look since you’re following my personal plan I will not tolerate any failures from you do not let me down again please leave this to me i will surely meet your expectations zeno knelt on one knee and bowed his head down before Karina’s at that moment Karinas could not tell what kind of expression there was on the commander’s face the day had already grown dark on the highway and Kyle who was sitting on the coachman’s seat talked to the people who were inside the carriage there were four of them in total the princess her two maids and Liisa melena sama please lower your body just in case and prepare for an impact liisa I’m leaving her to you you can count on me liisa answered energetically they’ll be here soon dada reported Selonia who was still keeping watch on the knights from the sky and was estimating the time of their arrival i see then brave this was a mind control spell which could give courage to recruits and adventurers who were still not used to fighting now that Kyle had used the spell on the splainers they probably would not get agitated no matter what would happen after this are you ready over there too said Kyle while aiming his voice towards the top of the carriage yeah leave this to us we are all good replied Saran and Öza who had attached themselves to the roof of the carriage so as not to fall even if it were to shake or sway having confirmed that Kyle lightly flicked the rains in his hands with loud naysay the slapers started galloping towards the town of our hen chapter 11 slow down the vice commander of the royal guard’s second knight corps ordered the knights arandm although they were on a wide highway it was too narrow for the 80 knights at top their horses to walk side by side therefore they were advancing in multiple rows instead but in this area there was a part of the forest that was more open like a prairie in other words that meant it was possible to circumvent and slip through the night’s formation besides the night had already come and although they were using light magic tools to broaden their field of vision to some extent nothing could be done about the fact that it was more dark out than during the day so they needed to increase their vigilance there was a possibility that the princess was being supported by some traveling adventurers according to the reports of some subordinates those adventurers were capable enough to kill a massive hydra so the troops could not afford to be negligent in any way a report came from one of the knights who had been walking slightly ahead of the others vice commander we found a carriage and it’s coming right towards here they’re coming here tension rose among the knights what made them the most worried was whether or not that the slapner’s charge would be powerful enough to break through their formation spread following the vice commander’s instructions the knights moved in an orderly manner and spread their formation into a semicircle this was commonly referred to as the crane-wing formation and although it would thin down the defense on the front it would conversely entice the enemy to advance only to envelop them and to make it possible to attack them not only from the front but also from the left and right moreover it would make it impossible for the enemy to slip through from the sides which made this formation great for ambushes at any rate once the carriage and the slap nears drawing it were dealt with the knights would be able to crush the enemy with numbers aim for the hoofs we only have to stop them from moving there were many people among the royal guards knights who could use magic and they had prepared bows and arrows as well their preparations were perfect following the vice commander’s orders all the knights readied themselves to attack but right before the carriage entered the range of the magic spells something came down from the sky and knocked against a knight who was in the front the knight instinctively looked above him and although he could not see much in the dark of the night there seemed to be some kind of large bird in the sky and the moment he thought about checking the object that had hit him Bot H that night and his horse blew up the object that had fallen from the sky was an explosion magic stone following that there were multiple other explosions and some other magic stones kept coming one after the other from the carriage that was facing the formation there were so many of these stones that it was more appropriate to say they were being sprinkled rather than thrown moreover they were being aimed precisely despite the long distance separating the coach from the knights but there weren’t only explosions there were also pillars of fire rising to the sky storms of ice freezing the knights tornadoes which were cutting everything to pieces and there was even a toxic mist spreading in their formation due to the explosions and the heat in the air even the knights trained horses were falling in a panic and becoming hard to control “h how is this possible?” yelled one of the knights and that feeling was shared by all the other knights as well they had not been careless nor had they looked down on their opponents but Kyle and his groups had gone completely against those knights calculations or rather they had gone against common sense itself in total the stones that Kyle and his companions had used were worth around a million gators the fact that the group had so many magic stones on them was completely unimaginable although the knights were also firing spells and arrows they could hardly see anything due to the lights and the cloud of dust that had come after the explosions so they could only fire their attacks while making an approximate guess about their targets position everyone don’t break the formation dismount your horses as the vice commander desperately gave instructions to his subordinates the magic stones continued to come towards them then the moment he thought he saw a huge hose come out of the cloud of dust and approach him the vice commander was blown away and lost consciousness how can I say this that was incredible said the princess while feeling partly amazed as she watched the scene of chaos that the carriage had just left behind kyle Öza and Saran who had been outside had received some minor injuries due to splinters therefore they once again entrusted the driving to the Maua and they came back inside the carriage to rest and drink magic medicine the Slapners were also given magic medicine to recover from their wounds and although the coach had some traces of burns here and there it was still able to go forward at the moment forcing your way through by using the accumulated power of a large amount of power stones was clever it was simple but it went quite smoothly the first shot from the sky had not alerted the enemy at all and had been a success then Öza was able to precisely throw the magic stones one after the other by commanding her wind spirit silite you can do some awesomely crazy things when you don’t care about spending money said Saran as he recalled the scene from before when he had been on top of the carriage activating the magic stones to then hand them to Öza in the end Zentos really did not show up kyle felt from the bottom of his heart that his companions and him were very lucky in the first place if Zentos had been there it wouldn’t even have been possible to break through the enemy formation in such an absurd way the Zentos that Kyle knew would have been able to instantly kill both of the Sleners even in the middle of all of that chaos the truth was that for various different reasons Kyle absolutely did not want to fight against Sentos well anyway we can be a little relieved now there had probably not been that many casualties among the knights but many of their horses should have been incapacitated even if they were to reorganize their troops to chase after Kyle’s group that was likely going to take some time and their numbers would have considerably decreased by then all that was left for Kyle’s group to do now was to keep going forward to sometimes lower their speed so that the Slapeners would not collapse and to give them some stamina recovery magic medicine there could be some more ambushes from that point forward but Selonia would be able to warn the group ahead of time however naturally and as they expected things did not keep going so well for long when the light of the sun started coming from the east close to the middle of the highway that led to Art Hen the carriage that Kyle’s group had been ridding was lying toppled on the ground by the side of the road “guess it was too much after all,” said Kyle with a bitter tone as he looked at the coach’s broken wheel the coach had likely been damaged when it broke through the night’s formation rather perhaps it was already good that it had held on until this point fortunately no one was injured when it fell down but one of its wheels was completely broken we can’t do anything about this we could repair it but that would take a lot of time said Saran as he gave up since there was currently no time for this now that it came to this we have no choice we have to abandon the carriage melena sama you and your mage should get on the slapers we’ll have to follow you as we can using Öz’s wind walker spell now that they had come so far the best choice for them was to keep running away until our hand but naturally their speed would now be considerably slower than before the problem was the second night core that the group had encountered earlier due to the magic stone attack many of them had surely been rendered incapable of fighting however since Öza had not been aiming precisely at the knights themselves some of them were certainly left unheard the ones who were still able to move around that time had probably reorganized themselves in a group and were likely frantically pursuing Kyle and the others with a burning anger the worst situation would be if this new form group were to catch up when Kyle and the others would be busy fighting against the enemies that could be waiting to ambush them on the way to our hen in that scenario Princess Melena who did not have the carriage’s protection anymore and was the enemy’s top priority target would be directly aimed at by long-ranged attacks from both the front and the back we just have to avoid getting caught in a pinser attack no matter what given that there was no time to ponder on the situation Kyle immediately made a decision we need to stop the enemies who are coming after us in other words one of us has to remain behind to stop them and since protecting the princess is our top priority whoever stays will have to deal with them alone said Kyle indifferently but his words did not leave any room for objections kyle don’t tell me you’s face became pale as she looked at Kyle clever schemes like the ones from before were likely not going to work anymore this time the nights were likely going to come at full strength and the one who would stay would have to hold all of them back alone as Öza complained that Kyle was being reckless he told her not to worry with a gentle smile and then So with that said try to do your best kyle patted Saran’s shoulder huh sarin found himself unable to say anything that’s true saran is certainly qualified for this liisa agreed with Kyle’s words what the hell all right we can’t linger here let’s hurry and leave liisa and the maids promptly started removing the slapner’s harnesses as Kyle instructed them to do so hey listen here i’m talking to you you seriously want me to fight 80 knights of the royal guard by myself no many of them were probably injured and above all I’m sure a lot of their horses can’t be used anymore so there will probably be only less than half of them that will follow us mhm that’s true they’re already coming and there are about 30 of them dada explain Sonia oh then it’s fine wait that still means I have to fight 30 knights of the royal guard who are full of killing intent sorry but we don’t have enough spare time to keep talking about this they should be really close to here by now k put his hands on both of Saran’s shoulders from the front and looked at him face to face don’t worry if need be I’ll tell Master that you were heroic in the end anything else you want me to tell her i don’t have any last words for that old heck when Saran said that the maids finished the preparations and got on the backs of the slapers together with the princess okay we’re leaving now urza please use wind walker on everyone ah yes but Öza was looking at Saran with a conflicted expression on her face hurry I don’t know when they’ll catch up hey all right za gave her Wind’s spirit sulfried in order and a swirl of wind coiled around the feet of Kyle and the others making their legs lighter all right let’s go Saran i’ll leave them to you good luck kyle and Liisa each gave Saran one last thumbs up and encouragement before departing erza Princess Molina and the maids all looked back many times over at Saran but eventually he became blurry to them in the distance seriously they really left without me saran sighed as he looked towards where Kyle and the others had run away but there was no time to waste so he hurriedly started moving he entered inside the forest that was beside the road and brought an adequate long tree branch from there then he took out of the sleeping bag that he was carrying inside the bag on his back and he skillfully cut it to make a squared in white cloth which he tied to the tree branch what he had made was the worldwide symbol of surrender a white flag that will do it wait they’re already here on the highway Saran heard a horse’s nay that came from the direction of the Sesh village it seemed like Kyle’s words had been right on point saran stood up on the carriage which had been toppled on its side and waved his flag in order to stand out then I surrender i have no intention to fight i’ll tell you everything you want to know so please spare my life ser shouted appealing for the enemy’s mercy stop ordered the vice commander whose whole body was still feeling a dull pain despite the fact that he had taken healing magic medicine the troops had managed to gather the horses that could somehow still move and after healing the knights with minor injuries they had resumed their pursuit everyone get down from your horses and advance but stay alert like they were ordered to the knights dismounted their horses and dispersed to put a distance between each other as they advanced forward if yet another magic stone attack were to be used the knights would not be able to put up a resistance and if even more horses were incapacitated it would become impossible for them to pursue the princess but those magic stones were the only attack to look out and prepare for normally the knights would have been more cautious but they did not have the time for that at all since upon the fifth crop’s return the secret mission given by the king would end in a failure but if the second cor’s knights were to get close enough to the enemy then he would find himself unable to use any magic stones due to the possibility of damaging himself in the process and so all of them pulled out their swords and got closer while perfectly prepared for battle i’m really sorry everything that happened was due to Kyle being an idiot i was just dragged into this please forgive me suran jumped down from the carriage and greeted the knights by getting down on his knees all the royal guard knights including the vice commander were slightly bewildered they had been ready to fight when they found the carriage they truly had not expected that the enemy would completely surrender all by himself the knights had been ordered to get rid of everyone that was involved in this whole matter but although they were supposed to kill this enemy directly without talking to him they could not eliminate him without asking him about their top priority target the princess moreover there was a chance that the princess was still inside the carriage that was toppled over so they first had to confirm that please let me explain what’s going on the carriage’s wheel broke and it feel down on its side right now the princess and the others have gotten on the slapeners and are heading to Arken saran started telling them everything before even being asked they threw me away like I was some kind of sacrifice that devil Kyle told me to stay here and to hold all of you back as if that was freaking possible i mean that’s crazy right oh don’t worry we used up the magic stones a while ago and they don’t have the carriage anymore either so going at them with your numbers is basically the same as whining so please have at it although Saran was earnestly appealing for the knight’s kindness there was no change in their sharp bloodthirsty eyes saran became tearyeyed haha huh i am oh that’s right i can give you some good information here look at all the money I have when Saran took his leather bag and turned it upside down a large amount of dazzling treasures fell down such as rings stacked with large gems and gold coins from the Zay’s kingdom even untrained eyes would be able to tell that the precious gold’s worth would well exceed a 100,000 gators and as expected the royal guard’s knights became noisy and started exchanging glances with each other we found this in some ruins i don’t know if you’ve heard of that legendary Sangled Mountain Range but it turns out that there is a huge labyrinth inside it it’s thanks to that that we managed to prepare so many magic stones seeing that he had excited their interest Saran kept babbling i know that place and I can tell you all about it in exchange for my life saran rubbed his forehead on the ground as he prostrated in tears seeing that the vice commander sighed and then clicked his tongue enough someone go check the inside of the carriage well get back to our pursuit after that as for that man get rid of him we don’t have any more time to waste added the captain to his order and the knights took action accordingly the men who were the closest the carriage went to check it while the other knights lowered their weapons and prepared to return on their horses then a knight who was near Saran approached him with a drawn out sword a when the knight took hold of his sword to get rid of the enemy as he was asked to buy the vice commander Saran’s response was to raise his voice like a dying frog and to retreat back as he was seeming like he was unable to stand back up he restlessly looked at his surroundings then he focused his gaze on the knight in front of him and he finally stood up on his knees and clung on the knight’s leg i don’t want to die please spare me i’ll do anything please with a face full of tears and nasal mucus Sarin kept clinging to the man’s leg while begging for his life the knight seemed to find Saran to be troublesome as he looked down on him with a gaze that contained some disdain but also a little pity and then he prepared to attack hey are you serious about this öza who had been continuously worrying in the back for a while was finally unable to control herself anymore and spoke to Kyle serious about what about Saran are you fine with leaving him there like that oh that well even I wanted to keep the casualties to a minimum but this can’t be helped we just can’t give our own lives in exchange for that what said it to Kyle with a voice that did not conceal her anger in the slightest i understand that you use that man as a sacrificial pawn but it doesn’t seem to me like that would earn us much time said the princess anxiously while riding on top of one of the slapeners she was worried that this would on the contrary make the situation even worse if Saran were to tell the enemy about the group’s circumstances ah you do not need to worry at all it will be fine told Liisa to the princess with a smile on her face but this Liisa you too how can you stay so calm he’s your childhood friend öza flared up at Liisa as well huh oh I see what’s going on here so you don’t know Öza said Liisa while thinking no wonder she doesn’t get what we’re saying i don’t know don’t know what well not only is Saran incomparably stronger than me he’s actually also stronger than Kyle the moment the knight was about to slash his sword at the man that he was looking down on and who was miserably begging for his life there was a clear metallic noise looking at source of the sound the knight saw a circle of metal rolling at his feet that was a so-called binding bracelet since there was a gravity spell inside it could quintuple the weight of the person wearing it and it was used on criminals who committed serious crimes any normal human would have a hard time walking with it but why was there such a thing here the moment the knight asked himself that question his whole world shook violently sorry about that but you’re the most competent among all of them right that’s why I had to kill you first no hard feelings when the knight heard that the ground rapidly rose towards him and soon filled his field of view that was the last scene that the knight ever saw and he died without even realizing that his head had been cut off having witnessed that the surrounding knights were petrified their brains were unable to process that sight which was beyond their understanding that man had been crying miserably and clinging to their companion while begging for his life and then he had suddenly drawn his sword with a godly speed to cut said companion’s head off just before that happened the knights tension had dropped to the point where they had even lowered their swords they could not wrap their heads around the scene they had just witnessed and even though they were veterans of the royal guards knights their reaction was still delayed for a mere instant that instant was enough for Saran he dashed forward almost reaching the speed of a hurricane he aimed for the knights who were walking towards their horses and slashed his sword from behind them to quickly force his way forward each of Saran’s slashes was aimed at their vital points be it their heads their necks or their hearts he sliced those parts with a dreadful speed and accuracy so as to instantly kill the enemies and he continued to rush ahead after six of them were killed the knights finally drew their swords but at the same moment Saran leaped up as if wings had grown from his back he jumped so high up over them that he could be said to be flying and he aimed for the vice commander who was standing behind them however rather than slashing his sword at him he attacked him with a dropkick in the chest after landing Saran quickly ran after the vice commander who had been blown away and he stepped on him while pointing his sword at his throat “all of you don’t move.” Like a roaring tiger Saran yelled with a very loud voice which was filled with fighting spirit “any faint-hearted person would have lost consciousness just from hearing this.” As one would expect the knights who had been about to slash their swords did not faint but they still stopped their movements given that the enemy was pointing his weapon at their vice commander saran did not believe that he would able to keep all the knights from taking action by simply holding their vice commanders hostage like this all he wanted was to stop the knights from moving for one more moment and in that moment he took a magic stone from his pocket naturally what he had said about having used them all up was a lie he threw the stone in the middle of the horses that were behind him following that an explosion blew the horses away the ones who weren’t dead or injured were still driven into a state of panic and ran away in all directions either taking the highway towards the Sesh village or going directly inside the forest that was on both sides of the road since San was pointing his sword at the vice commander the knights who were in front of him had failed to make a move and had lost all of their mouths at that time the first knight who had his head cut off and whose body was still gushing out blood like a water fountain slowly fell down as if he was finally realizing that he had lost his life with this “Your horses are all gone,” said Saran with a fearless smile “seeing that the remaining knights were struck with fear like they had encountered a mysterious unknown creature still I didn’t think I’d manage to beat eight of you with my first assault that was lucky or maybe I overestimated you that was a direct provocation but it only served to make Saran appear even more eerie then before the knights could come to their senses he started attacking again he kicked up the vice commander at his feet and the man with his heavy equipment flew away if he was a mere pebble when the knight at the very front dropped his focus as he hesitated about catching the heavily wounded vice commander his face was almost instantaneously pierced by Saran’s sword that man is strong even stronger than you Ksama having been told that Saran was stronger than Kyle who had defeated a hydra one-on-one Princess Moleno was roundeyed with astonishment that’s not true at all in my current state I should be roughly as strong as him if I use SEF strengthening spell said Kyle while feeling somewhat grouchy due to Leisa’s words seriously as strong as Saran when did you become that strong it seemed like Leis’s reaction was one of genuine surprise ah but obviously if we were to start a combat I’m sure he would forbid the use of magic and I’m also sure it would be a very harsh fight the mere thought of such a fight made Kyle feel bad from the bottom of his heart and that was visible on his face “oh hold on what in the world are you two saying?” said Ursza seeming like she was unable to understand a single thing about the two friends conversation “well it’s only natural that you can’t imagine this but when it comes to fighting with a sword and only with a sword he’s certainly stronger than me i don’t want to admit it but it’s true added Kyle while sighing at the same time saran has no talent for magic and as a person his personality is fundamentally rotten but when it comes to the sword he’s a rare talent no actually rare is an understatement there are no adjectives to express exactly how talented he is besides he’s not letting that get to his head and he’s constantly putting great efforts into forging his talent without being negligent so yes if you compare our mastery of the sword only he’s a genius who’s far beyond me ila who was Kyle’s master in the art of the sword had told him that he was a talent that was seen only once in a hundred years but when it came to Saran her son he’s the kind of talent that only appears once in a thousand years no maybe only once in history there have never been anyone as talented as him and there probably won’t be anyone else like him in the future that was what Ila had said why do I have to teach him when I know full well that he’ll become way stronger than me anyway even if I let him train by himself this is the worst it’s so stupid that was how she used to lament but she would still reluctantly teach the sword to Saran despite her complaints he often goes off alone to wander aimlessly doesn’t he well at those times he usually goes to train his sword skills by himself though he’s helpless when it comes to everything else he’s proportionally diligent when it comes to the sword that’s certainly true but he has lost some important human qualities in exchange for that hasn’t he it wasn’t clear whether the two were praising or insulting their childhood friend kyle recalled that he never won any mock sword fight against Saran but as Kyle had said to Liisa if he were to use magic to strengthen himself then he would likely be just as strong as Saran and perhaps he would even able to gain the upper hand if he fought him although that would not apply against the strength that Saran had during the battle with the demon king however at present if they were to fight with their swords only then there would be no contest kyle was quite conscious about that difference in their abilities besides Saran’s sword skills were not the only reason he was a strong or rather a troublesome opponent due to his personality he could do absolutely anything for the sake of his goals because he did not have any pride and so he wasn’t concerned about using unfair or cowardly methods when necessary and that made him an efficient fighter but that doesn’t show at all in his behavior if he’s that capable how do you explain his usual attitude erza was still not convinced would anyone ever be cautious of Saran when looking at the way he usually behaves kyle’s words sent a chill down Öza’s spine like a block of ice sliding down her back surely you don’t mean that saran’s usual behavior is all just an act upon seeing Saran behave in such a way when meeting him for the first time anyone would make the mistake of ignoring him and making light of him in fact Öza herself had made light of him and even though she had been around him for a while she had never seen through his true capabilities had she fought him she would probably have been killed instantaneously if his usual attitude was nothing but a calculated facade then a feeling resembling fear ran up Öza’s back no I think that only half of his attitude is an act and the other half is his true nature said Kyle briefly and Liisa followed up in the past I also used to think that it was only half of it but recently I’m actually starting to think that 90% of it is his true nature that true in the end I think he got that personality from birth oh so that’s what’s going on that’s a relief urza was somewhat reassured while thinking of the battle that was likely taking place around this time K looked behind him most of the royal guards knights are just following orders i didn’t want them to be killed if possible since there were 30 of those knights Saran was likely not going to be able to afford to hold back moreover he would never forgive someone who came at him with a weapon and killing intent saran and the royal guards knights were confronting each other there were already only eight people left standing among the knights in total more than 20 of them had been sliced by Saran’s sword it was unimaginable that the power of those mighty sword swings was coming from Saran whose body did not differ much from an ordinary persons his slashes could cut through everything be it the enemy’s swords or the armors they were using to protect themselves and those attacks were sharply and accurately hitting the knights vitals to defend against this they had no other choice than to dodge very skillfully the difference in strength between the knights and Saran was akin to the difference between a cat and a tiger nevertheless those were still 30 of the country’s best knights so as one would expect Saran was not left uninjured he had some wounds here and there on his body and he was somewhat running out of breath initially Saran had taken control of the battle’s pace and was able to manipulate it to his advantage but the knights who had regained their spirits were well-coordinated and they were making the best out of their advantage in numbers as they fought as expected of the Imperial Guards knights they’re damn persistent even now there is still some life left in their eyes but after thinking that Saran sighed and spoke up “what a drag,” he said while relaxing his body “let’s end things here.” “What?” said dubiously one of the knights who had survived “i told you at first didn’t I my role is to hold you back here slaughtering you all is not my goal your horses are gone and you’re out of time at this point there is no way for you to catch up with the princess in short I don’t have any reason to fight you anymore having said all that Saran put his sword back in its sheath and turned his back on the knights the knights were astonished by this but even though that moment should have been a good opportunity for them to attack they could not picture themselves killing him at all on the contrary they could vividly picture themselves getting killed by a slash of his sword instead of course it’s a whole other story if you say that you still want to fight but you should be well aware of how powerful I am i won’t chase after you if you just leave though the knights were not afraid to die on duty however that did not mean they were willing to die in vain as Saran had said their mission had already basically failed it would be meaningless for them to give their lives here if you’ve made up your minds you should hurry and do it your vice commander over there is still barely alive and there are some other fellows that you’ll be able to save if you hurry up i do have some healing magic medicine but I have no obligation to share it with you.” Saran distanced himself from the knights and entrusted his back to one of the trees in the forest by the side of the road then he surely started drinking his healing magic medicine afterwards having likely made their decision the knights exchanged glances with each other before taking action two of them used their shoulders to support their vice commander and the other knights who were still breathing were also carried at that time the knights had not dropped their guards and were still watching Saran but once they felt like there was absolutely no way he would be able to chase after them they left the scene before long they had taken a considerable distance away from him in the moment when all of the knights started running towards the town of Arhin Saran started running without making a sound and he threw his last magic stone at their backs the knights were blown off by the explosion and before the resulting cloud of smoke could dissipate Seren kept running and using his sword to skillfully finish off anyone who was still breathing “sorry to be honest I was already set on not letting anyone escape from the start.” “One of you seemed like he was about to run away for his life soon due to fear so I had to put on a little act,” said Saran while using his sword to deal a finishing blow to the vice commander who he had kept alive to the very end so as not to have to go through the trouble of chasing after the other knights you guys already know about the treasures we found in the Sangled Mountains those treasures are probably one of Kyle’s important lifelines so on the off chance that you’ll leak that information I can’t let you go if Liisa had been here she would have retorted with “But you’re the one who went and told them about that.” But Saran was actually being very serious he had not done this to mock his opponents telling the enemies about the treasures so as to make them drop their guard then silencing those same enemies because they had heard about the treasure from him to Saran each of these individual actions were completely natural and even necessary huh i’m beat after carefully confirming that he was the only man who was still alive in the perimeter Saran sat down he had just put his life on the line to take on 30 nights of the royal guard all by himself his stamina and injuries might have recovered thanks to the magic medicine but mentally he was exhausted “i’ve done my part here so you better not fail over there,” he muttered while directing his gaze towards our head chapter 12 in a certain room of one of Arkinzins Zentos was looking at the card which had stopped transmitting the regular messages that he had been exchanging with his subordinates even if something had happened to the vice commander someone else would be acting as a substitute the fact that he could not communicate with the knights despite that meant that they had likely been annihilated there was still no expression on Zeno’s face his clenched fist was trembling he then left the room and gave an order to his remaining subordinates you must stand guard for his highness don’t let anyone pass by here before my return having said that while not leaving any room for objections he went out of Arkhan on top of his personal horse as for Kyle’s group they were about to get out of the large forest soon after leaving the forest they would be back on the main road right next to our hen the town would soon come in their field of vision precisely because they were close to their goal KL focused his attention all the more so as not to get distracted and then a report came from Sonia kyle there is a knight heading here how many people are there with him none he’s all by himself oh sonia raised her voice out of surprise is something wrong mhm i was just attacked by an energy bolt spell even though I had taken plenty of distance to keep such power and accuracy from this far is a pretty big deal energy bolt was a lower class spell with low power which would attack an opponent using a magical arrow but thanks to its range and its little cost and mana it was used as a foundation for attack spells i see he noticed a bird moving suspiciously in the sky so he attacked without any hesitation given that he aimed accurately despite the long distance he must have a high control over his magical powers knowing this the knight who’s coming here can only be him so he still came in the end added Kyle with a heavy sigh i was hoping from the bottom of my heart that he wouldn’t come but it seems like things won’t go my way although Kyle did not want to fight he still resolved himself since there was no avoiding this he stopped the slapers and instructed the rest of the group everyone go retreat a little and stay on standby if you sense anything that’s even just remotely strange go back further down the highway and join Saran but will you be all right Kyle said Liisa worriedly having felt a tension that she had not felt before within Kyle’s words this will definitely be harder than dealing with that hydra or with the 30 knights of the royal guard so Zentos is coming a grave expression appeared on the face of the princess who had likely guessed this from Kyle’s words alone he’s the best knight in all of Jurgis are you saying that you’ll face him by yourself k was also aware of the severity of the situation if possible he would have preferred to face Zentos together with Saran Öza and Liisa no matter how cowardly that would have been i also absolutely want to avoid this but at this point there is no other way don’t worry I’ll be careful rest assured it’ll be fine leaving everyone with only those words kyle once again started to walk you seem to have some sort of connection to him selonia spoke quietly to Kyle who was full of vigor something like that also I’m sorry but is it okay with you if I do as I like in this fight good grief you’re really hopeless complained Selonia but she did not say anything else other than that having taken enough distance from Liisa and the others Kyle kept waiting in the middle of the road in an imposing stance until he noticed a man on top of a horse approaching at an extreme speed the man also noticed Kyle and having likely judged that it would be dangerous to approach any further with his mount he stopped it and dismounted it zentos then approached on foot and when he was a single step away from reaching the exact range at which the battle could commence I’ll talk to him don’t worry I’m the only one here there is no trap are you one of the travelers helping Princess Melena i see you do seem competent zinto strengthened his guard as he faced Kyle who had an accurate grasp over the distance that was separating him from his opponent well I’m only SOS but why are you alone there should still be around 10 knights left among your people i don’t want to lose any more of my men on a matter like this one i just have to kill all of you myself zinto said that he would kill everyone in Kyle’s group because he had enough power and self-confidence to back up his words is that so sorry but most of the knights who were pursuing us were eliminated also how do I say this if possible could you surrender i don’t want to kill you and I don’t want you to die either what did you just say zentos furrowed his brows he never thought he would be looked down upon and even asked to surrender so straightforwardly by a young man who was 10 years younger than him certainly you might not be able to escape from being sentenced for a capital crime but I could ask for your life to be spared in exchange for giving up on my reward if you want you can ask for other conditions.” As Kyle said that the expression on Zinto’s face grew more and more dubious that was because Zentos could tell that Kyle was seriously trying to help even though he was trying to kill him and frame him for the princess murder i don’t get your motive why do you want to help me i just sincerely believe that it would be a shame for Zindo’s order you to die here i’m glad you think that much of me but it’s too late for me to quit the mission yeah I figured you’d say that it’s only natural even though he had known this would be the answer Kyle had not been able to stop himself from asking i want to ask one more thing why does something as foolish as trying to assassinate the princess at the very least it wasn’t for the money nor to raise your position was it moreover I heard that you’re following the Karina’s guy’s plans is there any worth to that seems like you know a lot about the situation or maybe you heard about it from the princess anyway for now let’s just say that it’s a complicated story kyle had expected this answer too even so this plan is full of holes isn’t it it’s actually already on the verge of failing speaking frankly it’s a pretty sloppy plan we’ll be able to fix that as long as I silence all of you people say what you like but you’ve pushed things really far now haven’t you some people will have suspicions you’re going to die very soon so you don’t have to concern yourself with that believing that it would be feudal to talk any more than this Zentos pulled out his sword i can’t let you buy any more time than this i have to quickly kill you and then chase after the princess well I suppose it was obvious that you’d notice what I was trying to do guess that’s as much as I’m going to get thought Kyle while pulling out his sword just like Zindos has said Kyle had been buying time even though Zenos was his opponent Kyle figured that it would be possible to capture him alive by using numbers as long as he could keep earning time until the fifth night cor’s arrival because in the present situation Kyle had not other choice than to kill Zentos if he didn’t want to be killed however they weren’t there yet so in the meantime Kyle started chanting to launch some magic spells and so did Zenos haste strength haste strength simultaneously the two of them used self-reinforcement spells to boost their respective speed and strength and so a fight began between Kyle and the man who had been his model in the ways of a magic swordsman in his previous life zentos made the first move he raised his sword above his head to attack with a head-on blow aimed at the crown of Kyle’s head however that attack was actually a mere illusion made through the use of the illusion spell even though it was just an illusion the blow was filled with killing intent to the point where it would make even a first class warrior move his body by reflex and there were few differences between the intensity of this illusion and the real thing however Zento’s real attack was an upper slash from below which was difficult to deal with and came almost at the same time as the elucory attack with only a slight delay of difference so far no one had been able to defend against this attack upon seeing it for the first time the sure kill attack which was mixed with a magic faint had brought many of Zindo’s opponents to their doom however Kyle easily avoided it w Zentos raised his voice out of shock having dodged sideways Kle calmly swung his sword downward aiming for Zento’s dominant arm but since Zenos instantly jumped back he merely received a superficial wound on his arm damn you zeno was grinding his teeth while glaring at Kyle who had not only dodged a sure kill attack but had also injured his arm however Kyle actually clicked his tongue that was because he had missed the best and only opportunity to beat Zentos while keeping him alive if I had chopped off his arm just now I could have incapacitated him but Kyle spoke with a pain and a bitter tone since Zentos wanted the fight to be over as soon as possible Kyle had figured that his first blow would be this one as he was very confident in it and it was a sure kill attack now Zentos was using normal attacks and was slashing his sword over and over again under that assault Kyle was retreating little by little he was handling Zento’s fierce attacks very well by sometimes avoiding them and sometimes parrying them with his sword kyle was patiently withstanding the attacks and once there was a slight gap in Zeno’s defense he slashed his sword without a moment’s delay although Zeno’s easily dodged the slash Kyle almost simultaneously sent a kick towards his crotch there was no change to Kyle’s extraordinarily balanced stance as he used his upper body to attack with his sword while he launched that sharp kick towards his opponent but Zentos managed to block the kick with the handle of his weapon this manner of fighting by including kicks in one’s attacks was Leila’s forte therefore her students Kyle and Saran often used kicks as well what a vicious foot technique well I’m just following my master’s teachings following the kick Kyle used Zento’s sword like a springboard to jump behind him and to land a great distance away from him after rotating once in the air in the moment he landed Kyle threw an explosion magic stone at Zentos the explosion’s blast could reach a wide range so it would be able to deal some great damage to Zenos even if he were to dodge however having received a report about the magic stones beforehand Zentos stepped forward instead of dodging and used the flat of his sword to repel it towards Kyle kyle was able to bear the resulting flames thanks to his armor’s fireproof ability but the shock of the explosion still assaulted his whole body zenos rushed forward with his sword as if tearing through the cloud of dust that rose due to the explosion’s blast and he aimed for Kyle’s neck when the blade was a few mile away from the nape of Kyle’s neck he barely managed to parry it with the guard of his sword despite his reaction having been delayed by the impact of the explosion even so Zentos kept pushing his sword forward with all his strength trying to cut Kyle’s neck and Kyle was also clenching his teeth while doing his utmost to resist for a little while the blade and the sword guard continued to stay in a lock and then the blade slowly started digging into Kyle’s flesh until blood started to trickle down his neck but Zentos suddenly jumped back and took some distance there was a skin deep distinct bleeding scar left on the nape of Kyle’s neck zentos had likely also suffered some considerable damage due to the explosion the two fighters were now facing each other gasping for air while trying to put their breathing back in order as expected he’s strong although the Zenos that Kyle knew was the one from 3 years in the future he was almost as powerful now as he was back then there was no big difference between Kyle’s skill with the sword in Zentos however Zento’s basic physical capabilities like his speed and strength exceeded Kyle’s normally Kyle would make up for that difference in strength by using his magic but he and Zentos were equal when it came to magic so that difference was still very much present and since Zentos could keep his calm at all times using tricks like the magic stones from earlier would not work either kyle’s assessment was that Zentos was clearly stronger than him in his current state but Kyle still had some leeway since he possessed a few advantages over Zenos that’s a good sword zentos was looking at Selonia that Kyle was wielding from the several blows which he had already exchanged with it he understood that this sword was an amazing treasure given that he was a commander of the royal guards knights Zento’s sword was quite good as well but Selonia was on a whole other level if Zentos were to parry a blow unskillfully his sword would break leaving him with no chance of winning it was quite disadvantageous for him to fight while having to worry about his weapon the reason he had withdrawn earlier when his weapon was locked with Kyle’s was because he did not want to damage his sword i’ll thank you instead i’m sure she appreciates the compliment look I’ll ask you one more time how about you just surrender oh and if surrendering is really impossible why don’t you escape to another country i’ll help to arrange that for you you’re a persistent guy i could even give you some escape funds what do you think if you want to help me that much how about you stand still and let me kill you yeah how about no ask for something cheaper can’t you said Kyle with a light laugh he hasn’t lost his calm at all just how experienced can he be at his age thought Zento’s in astonishment as he watched Kyle’s state in the first place it would be impossible for any normal person to joke around with their opponent in a life or death battle like this one even in the attack from earlier if Kyle had reacted one instant too late his head would have likely been separated from the rest of his body and yet it had not agitated him in the slightest it seemed like he was used to fighting against opponents who were much stronger than him and more than anything else the hardest thing to deal with were Kyle’s abnormally good reactions to Zento’s attacks it was as if he had fought Zento’s many times before that first attack that used a magic faint was one of Zinto’s trump cards there were few people who knew about it because most of the people who had witnessed it were dead you how did you manage to react like that against my first attack do you know me zentos had absolutely no recollection of the man in front of him however the man surely knew him in some way that at least was a certainty for Zentos well how do I say this i can’t really explain in words whether I know you or not i’ve had quite the curious life but if you want me to I can explain all the details to you from the beginning that sounds like it will take too long so I’ll have to say no i can’t let you drag things on any longer than this kyle showed a big grin in response to Zinto’s words well of course I’ll try to drag the situation that’s the reason why I’m fighting you in the first place kyle’s biggest advantage was time from Zinto’s perspective the princess could escape to a place out of his reach while he was fighting here but conversely for Kyle earning time would allow rescue to come and at that point the match would be decided zentos was well aware that Kyle was trying to prolong the fight instead of trying to win this means I’ll have to be the one who ends this in Zinto’s original schedule he expected or rather he needed Kyle to already be dead by now when he realized that overall he was actually the one being cornered the look in Zinto’s eyes changed so far he had been fighting with all his strength but now he was ready to put his life on the line from here on out he wasn’t going to leave any spare energy for himself to overthink things anymore and he was going to focus all his power into a life endangering assault i guess it does sensing a killing intent that felt as if it was burning his skin Kyle also took a fighting stance i’ll just kill you right now and chase after the princess immediately after my name is Kyle by the way kyle Leonard i’ll remember it kyle well yeah that’s the last name you’ll ever hear you’ll only have to remember it for the next tens of seconds from there the two men stopped speaking now they were only going their weapons talk for them with his sword lowered Zentos charged ahead in a forward-bent posture he completely gave up on defending for this attack he was likely aiming for a simultaneous exchange of strikes having realized that his defense would be useless against this Kyle prepared to thrust his weapon to meet his enemy’s attack right before they entered each other’s range of attack Kyle thrust his sword forward while Zinto simultaneously lowered his body even further the sword which been aimed at Zinto’s heart left a big hole in his left shoulder but he stepped forward without worrying about that in the moment Kyle tried to bring his weapon back towards himself Zinto’s repelled it upwards using the pommel of his sword both of Kyle’s arms were repelled upwards with great strength and while his sword did not escape his hands his arms were now raised above his head kyle’s body was left completely unguarded and it was right in front of Zentos i got you given his capabilities Zentos would be able to cut through both Kyle’s armor and body with this single slice of his sword from the left flank though he was aware that Kyle’s sword was approaching him from above Zentos had put all his strength in this attack and he was convinced that his sword would be the first one to reach its target after Zeno’s slice hit Kyle’s flank he felt a certain resistance and with a dull clunk his sword broke in two wah when Zeno instinctively raised his wideopened eyes all he saw was a sword blade right in front of him in the face of Kyle whose eyes were full of sadness as you’d expect from Zentos that part of the armor was cleanly sliced even though it’s made of dragon leather still there is no way he could damage this while patting his flank Kyle brushed the gap which had appeared in the part of his armor that had been sliced from that gap fell a bloodlike red gem the dragon god’s heart even though Zinto’s slash could cut and slice through rocks and steel alike it was not able to damage this legendary dragon god’s heart which existed since the mythical era however Kyle’s complexion was bad the dragon god’s heart had been able to defend against the slash but the resulting shock had apparently damaged Kyle’s ribs and internal organs even now he was still feeling a throbbing pain as for Zentos he was lying down in a sea of his own blood he had suffered from a fatal cut that went from his shoulder straight to his heart it was likely thanks to the strength of his will that he was still barely able to breath did you let me repel your sword on purpose while vomiting blood Zento spoke with a horse and weak voice no it wasn’t on purpose i was serious my attack was completely serious and you really did repel my sword i also thought I might be cut right in half in a direct confrontation especially if Zenos were to put his life on the line Kyle could not win by himself for Kyle this was an undeniable fact no matter how much he thought about it therefore knowing that he might end up fighting against Zentos and starting from the assumption that he was going to be killed Kyle had begun thinking from the day before about the methods that he could use to reverse the situation and since he was not able to make enough preparations the only way he had come up with was this one actually we’ve had several bouts before and I’ve fought maybe hundreds of time against the elucory version of you so I was able to predict that the fight would go like this and I figured it was inevitable for me to use this method once attacked while putting his life on the line the only method for Kyle to fight him was to put his life on the line as well if he had changed his position ever so slightly if his timing had been off by even one instant Kyle would have likely died although Zentos who was on the brink of death did not understand what Kyle meant by saying that he had had several bouts against him he was still amazed by the rashness and recklessness required to walk so close to the brink of death what that’s insane well I decided to do it because I had faith in you and your skill i was convinced that if it came from Zeno Zordi such an attack would take my life for sure so I had no other choice zento’s weakly laughed at the words of Kyle who seemed like he sincerely had an absolute faith in him and then using his last breath to mutter something to himself Zeno Zordi perished i’m sorry i There are people that I absolutely have to protect no matter the sacrifices needed for it k looked behind him while picturing the faces of Liisa and Öza who were likely standing not too far from there you were one of the people that I wanted to save in this life damn it i never thought I’d have to watch you die a second time farewell comrade while dragging his wounded body and heart Kyle went back to his group chapter 13 within a room of a certain in our hinn Prince Karineas was pacing around like a beast locked up in a cage as he started getting irritated about the assassination success having yet to be reported the room’s door was violently opened hey Zentos what the hell took you so prince Karineas was knocked off his feet without being given any chance to argue the one who had entered the room and hit the prince was none other than Kyle following behind Kyle the female knights of the royal guard’s fifth knight corps rushed inside as well and even further behind was Princess Melena who was ordering said knights after the end of the fight against Zentos Kyle and the others had advanced further on the highway toward Arkhinn until they met up with the fifth core’s knights on the way then under Princess Melena’s orders they broke into this inn after restraining the remaining knights of the second corps they entered the prince’s room kllan search this room at once zentos might have been cautious but this brother of mine surely has left some evidence yes while staying in the back Princess Molina instructed the commander of the Imperial Guard’s Fifth Night Corps Kllin who was also her close aid kllan was a tall and beautiful woman but she had sharp eyes and an atmosphere that did not allow people to come near her also restrain Prince Karinus well be returning to the royal capital Merid now so we’ll interrogate him on the way once we’ve gathered enough proof and witnesses we’ll report to my father yes however will he talk kllin knew Prince Karine as well even if she were to question him he would not answer obediently he’d likely avoid the responsibility while finding excuses and claiming his own innocence to the point of looking unsightly in case he doesn’t talk then you may use a little force you’ll just have to say that he confessed on his own understood kllan bowed her head and separated from the princess in order to go give her subordinates their orders with a light sigh Princess Molina approached Kyle who seemed worn out and had sat down after striking the prince “kama please I’d like you and you friends to accompany us as well.” “Yes also thanks for listening to my selfish request.” K stood up and bowed his head to the princess who had gladly heeded his request when he had asked if he could hit Prince Karina’s “no I should be the one thanking you i owe you a hundred times more than that there might still be various things to deal with but this matter should be over now please allow me to express my gratitude again once we are back to the royal capital princess Melena also deeply bowed to Kyle thus the major incident of the princess assassination ended with a failure on the perpetrators part at the center of Jurgis royal capital Merid there was a large palace that was famous even among the surrounding countries it symbolized the prosperity of the country kyle and his team were deep within said palace in a guest room that was located in the royalty’s living quarters although it was a guest room it was still splendid since that was where the king would usually welcome state guests liisa was sitting down inside the extravagant and dazzling room seeming like she was restless even so she appeared to have calmed down after hitting Saran as usual for trying as always to make a pass at a court lady who was serving the group erza had a sullen face while thinking that she was too out of place in this human palace as for Sonia she was earnestly eating the sweets that were given to her and asking for seconds facing Kyle and the others was Princess Melena who was drinking tea with a light smile no need to be so tense all of you are important guests please excuse us for just doing as we please kyle apologized in the groupstead after a little while the group was informed that someone was coming to visit them and they all stood at attention while waiting then the palace’s chamberlain opened the room’s door and the one who entered was a man at the prime of his life wearing a crown and a mantle that had the Jurgus royal family’s lion crest embroidered on it he was the king of the Jurgis country oh Melena you’re safe upon entering the room King Raymond trotted towards Melena and hugged her closely yes father thank goodness when I heard what happened I was worried sick after showing great delight from seeing that his daughter was safe the king frowned and asked “So was what the report said true?” “Yes my older brother was aiming for my life together with Zentos and we’ve currently restrained him the evidence and witnesses have already been gathered.” “I see,” said the king with a bitter tone while looking up at the ceiling “even though the prince was part of the royal family the only outcome for this kind of crime was the death penalty moreover that punishment had to be ordered by none other than the king himself father my elder brother might have been injured in the monster’s attack and maybe he’ll need to rest for a long time understanding the meaning of his daughter’s words the king showed a surprised face are you sure you want to do this yes that will be better for the country princess Molina’s meaning was that rather than letting a matter like this one out in the world it was better to pass it off as an accident i understand that will certainly be better karinaas will be sent to Curum kurdum was a small town surrounded by mountains located in the north of Jurgis and it was used as a summer resort by the royal family the prince was going to be strictly confined there in the name of recovering from his injuries and from a disease that came due to complications perhaps until the day of his death and I guess I had better avoid meeting with him from now on no matter how foolish he is he’s still my son but I can’t let my emotions dictate my actions added the king but what’s unbelievable above all is that Zentos actually cooperated with a ploy like this one yes I still don’t understand this why would he do such a foolish thing mhm maybe it’s another country’s plot or I don’t even want to think of this possibility but maybe it was the work of demons we’ll scrutinize the evidence and witnesses to try to get an answer please do after that King Raymond saw Kyle and the others for the first time are you the travelers who saved Melena yes k started kneeling down and Liisa and the others were about to imitate him but the king raised his hand to stop them “it’s all right you’re my daughter’s benefactors there is no need for such formalities.” “As a father I’d like to thank you you’re too kind your majesty,” answered Kyle while bowing “i believe you’ve heard us but this whole situation will be referred to as a monster attack in the public telling others about this matter will not be allowed you understand of course we would never dare to say anything that could harm the country of Jurgus it’s all right father i was not only saved by them but I was also moved by their characters these people are worth trusting the princess put in a good word on behalf of the group i see if you say so then I’m willing to believe it i’ll be sure to give you a reward fitting of your great accomplishment with those parting words the king left the guest room when Prince Karina’s and Princess Melena were on the way to pay a visit to the Sesh village a large crowd of monsters including a hydra with a low-ranked dragon strength had attacked their troops causing great damage starting from Zentos whose name was famous even in the surrounding countries over half of the royal guard’s second cor’s knights had died furthermore Prince Karinas was injured and it was going to take a long time for him to recover the only fortunate point was that Princess Melena was safe thanks to the actions of a few travelers who happened to pass by this was how the whole matter was announced to the public and only a few people knew the actual truth as for Kyle and his group their fame had soared in a flash due to their rescue of the princess by all rights Kyle should have been able to become a knight for an achievement like this one but since he declined the position he was awarded with a Saint Randel medal instead it was a medal which was named after a saint who lived in Jurgis hundreds of years in the past this was the highest ranking that an ordinary person could get and no one else had received this reward in the last few decades “say say does this suit me?” said Liisa as she spun around in front of Kyle while lightly pinching the hymn of her dress skirt as the group was waiting in an Anna chamber for the metal award ceremony “What Liisa was wearing right now was a dress that was lint for ceremonies like this one with its light pink color it evoked the sight of a flower and the same applied to the hair ornament that she was wearing this suited her well yeah it looks good on you answered Kyle who was similarly wearing a ceremonial attire he was not just flattering her he was being as sincere as can be he was truly a little fascinated by her at the moment you think so i feel like it’s not my style but maybe it’s nice to wear something like this once in a while liisa was likely also aware that Kyle was being completely honest and she started looking at her own dress up in a good mood öza was wearing a light green slightly open dress moreover her long ears characteristic of the elves were coming out of her nicely quaffured hair making her look like a beauty that came from a painting in the end I still think I’m too out of place here but said Öza whose face seemed quite bitter in contrast to Leisa’s content facial expression za felt like there were various problems with someone like her receiving a medal here given that she didn’t come from Jurgus and she was of the elven race a completely different species however Princess Melena had insisted that it was perfectly fine for her to be here besides I’m no good when it comes to dressing up like this added Öza dejectedly while recalling how earlier she was made to wear different dresses one after the other by the princess maids as if she was a dress up doll i know you don’t have much experience with these things but you’ve already come this far so I won’t ask you to exchange civilities with people but please try to put on a little smile i like this as Öza showed an indescribable forced smile Ka replied “Well that will do keep it up.” With a similarly indescribable face as one would expect the group was not allowed to take any weapons with them so Selonia had to sit the ceremony out selonia had been pouting earlier displeased that she could not to get anything from the feast that was going to be served in the dinner party after the ceremony so Ka was wondering if he should pack some leftovers and pastries to bring them to her at that moment Saran who was wearing the same attire as Kyle came to talk to him but are you sure about refusing to become a knight yeah I don’t need that position right now the truth was that currently a knight’s position would not only be unnecessary to Kyle it would actually hinder him he would certainly get various privileges if he were to become a knight but at the same time he would also have responsibilities and obligations towards Jurgis which would restrain his actions due to his goals it was absolutely impossible for Kyle to stick to the country of Jurgus only from here on out he also had to start spreading his name in other countries and among other races for the time being getting a medal and raising his fame in Jurgus was enough for Kyle you look very good everyone princess Molina joined the group in the Anna Chamber she was also wearing a white ceremonial dress she looked beautiful and was displaying an elegance and nobility fitting of her title as the treasure of Jurgus if possible I really want you to not only receive the medal but to also become knights of Jurgis to be more precise I want you to become my knights added Princess Melena in her mind kyle and his companions knew about one of Jurg’s big scandals so if possible she wanted to keep them under her bound by the collar called status plus she was well aware of their capabilities it was a fortunate in a way that there were now some open positions in the royal guard for that meant that Kyle and the others could be made into knights in the name of reinforcing the troops especially Kyle who had enough skill to beat Zentos in a one-on-one fight furthermore Princess Molina’s intuition made her feel like there was something about him that was different from other people so she wanted him to work for her no matter what however she could not be forceful with the group since they had saved her moreover she was well aware that even if they were to go far away they were not the kind of people who would foolishly reveal the assassination attempt to others so the princess came to the conclusion that for now it was all right to just build a relationship with them no that would be too much wouldn’t it besides the money we’ve receiving for this is plenty enough as a reward kyle was going to receive a monetary reward together with his medal although such a sum was not significant anymore to Kyle and his companions they still decided to gratefully accept it since it would have been suspicious if they were to refuse even that i see i suppose you all have your own circumstances circumstances that’s a pretty heavy term we really don’t have any particularly important reason for this oh really but after saying that a devil-like smile appeared on the princess face as she tentatively gazed at Kyle but you see you said that all of you saw me in our hen on the day before the attack happened so you either left our hinn on that day or the day after but either way isn’t it a little bit unnatural that you just happened to be at that place at that time on that road that only leads to the sesh village and I’ve already confirmed that you haven’t even been to the Sesh village ever since then followed up the princess with a small laugh uh Kyle instinctively opened his mouth seeing Kyle’s state Princess Molina once again laughed but this time more childishly for now I’ll just have to be satisfied with having seen you make such a face however if you can please do tell me your story some other time well then we’ll see each other at the ceremony with those words Princess Melena gracefully bowed and then left for some reason I feel like that was actually a warning said K to himself with a slightly cramped smile the big double door opened to a room that was filled with a huge audience inside there were many pillars made entirely of marble and each of them had finely detailed decorations on the walls there were tapestries which depicted some of Jurgus stories and legends as well as portraits of all the kings who had succeeded the throne and close to the ceiling was a flag with many of the knights and nobles family crest embroidered on it there was a red carpet that started from the door until an elevated pedestal at the other end of the room a throne had been placed on the pedestal and King Raymond was standing there together with Princess Melena who was smiling by his side furthermore some of the palaces’s other important people were also at the king’s sides such as ministers and court magicians and standing on the surrounding carpet were the knights and nobles who served the palace had this been a ceremony to reward a knight or a noble things would have been different but since only a mere honorary medal was being awarded most of these people were looking at this favorably following the etiquette that he had been taught about beforehand KL stood up in front of King Raymond kyle Leonard despite being only a citizen of the Jurgis country you and your party have rescued Princess Melena this is indeed an act worthy of the kingdom’s gratitude therefore you shall be granted this medal of Saint Randinel i’m honored to accept it around Kyle’s neck King Raymond put a medal that was decorated with a lily flower made of gold which was the symbol that represented St randel after watching that Princess Melena started applauding and a round of applause followed suit from the surrounding people the hope of humanity the master of the sword and magic the lustful hero it was at this moment that the great hero Kyle Leonard who would receive many names in the future first stepped onto the front stage of history from that instant a new saga began the saga of a hero named Kyle epilogue on the night after the medal awarding ceremony King Raymond was on the top floor of his palace drinking by himself in a dimly lit room due to his position as the king he would rarely find himself alone like this however for the last few days the palace’s chamberlain who was aware of the latest events had been making sure that no one would come to disturb the king at night the reality was that King Raymon’s feelings were in disarray and he was drowning his desolation in his first class wine it would have been only natural for him to feel angry after having sent his son in exile a but that was in fact not the case be it Karina’s or Zentos they were both completely useless in the end the true source of the king’s anger was his failure to assassinate the princess whether it was inside or outside the country King Raymon’s reputation was not bad at all he had never done anything particularly grand nor had he ever committed any particularly big mistake and he was doing a smooth job managing the country’s military affairs the domestic affairs and foreign affairs many of the nation’s people were satisfied with his rule a normal king with his some good and some bad sides that was the people’s evaluation of King Raymond but precisely because he was a capable king to some extent he was well aware of how extraordinary his daughter was she had been smart from a very young age and she had perfectly assimilated everything that she had been taught about how to be a good leader knowing that various things in the future would be much easier for her if she were to become popular malnia had skillfully made use of her status as the princess which was a role that was relatively light on responsibilities in order to come in contact with the nation’s people and earn some fame with them thanks to that she now was very popular indeed much more than the king himself lately she had gradually started involving herself with the country’s politics even though her range of actions was limited for now since she was only the next heir to the throne she was still achieving some results little by little at this rate in less than 5 years she was likely going to make the king step down from his throne and to take his place as the country’s queen moreover it was going to be a peaceful process as everyone in the country would be satisfied with her ascension then Jurgis was probably going to develop itself and grow well under the rule of the beautiful queen at any rate there was no doubt that Melena would be a queen whose name would go down in history as for the king he was going to lose his political career upon her ascension and to be left behind in the past he was 38 years old and even in 5 years he would be still only be 43 his daughter would have no difficulty to destroy what he had been building for the past 10 or 20 years and she would then build something even better over the rubble of his forgotten legacy moreover the way things were going the king was only going to be treated and recognized as Melena’s father at that point he who had been dreaming from a young age to become a great king who would be remembered by the people was going to be buried down in history as Melena had been growing this possibility had been heavily weighing on the king’s mind and making him more and more anxious then one day he finally came to a certain decision melena’s methods are too drastic in the future I’m sure she’s going to drive the whole country into a crisis using this pretext he lied to himself and made up his mind to disinherit the princess however it was impossible for him publicly punish her because the princess had committed no mistakes so far with this matter half measures would surely result in retaliations that being the case an assassination was the only solution but that was too risky if he were to fail and his attempt were to be exposed that would likely result in a civil war which would divide the whole country and in that scenario the king’s chances of success were thin therefore the king’s eyes had fallen on his other child Prince Karinus even from his father’s own perspective Karinas was a fool therefore he was easy to understand as an individual and the king could manipulate him as he wished hence why the king had used Zentos to incite Karina’s to attack his own little sister even though these kinds of aspirations were originally completely beyond the prince he still immediately felt like killing Melena upon being incited to do it without knowing that he was being manipulated but even if Karina’s had succeeded the king had had no intention to make him his successor there were many people who had the royal family’s blood in their veins despite not being direct descendants of the king so he could simply choose his successor among them however the prince had turned out to be even more foolish than expected the king had made various preparations such as assigning Zentos to him and separating Molina from the fifth core’s knights who were escorting her and yet Karina’s had still failed to kill his little sister still that Zentos even though I favored him if he was going to die anyway he might as well have directly killed the princess beforehand although the king had told him that he would of course cover the whole matter afterwards Zentos had still been particular about not wanting to be too high-handed and about making the princess die from an accident instead “you should have just killed her directly from the very start,” said the king angrily “right now it doesn’t seem like anybody is suspecting me but I have to think of another plan soon before anyone starts realizing what’s really going on.” “Seriously why did those travelers have to put their noses where it doesn’t belong?” The king recalled the medal awarding ceremony which had taken place earlier in the day since these people are aware of the assassination attempt they have to be dealt with as soon as possible if possible maybe I could kill them together with the princess and as King Raymond thought so he finished his cup of wine in one gulp and at that moment his hair swayed h was it the wind when the king looked around him believing that there was no way the wind would blow in this closed up room his eyes fell on the room’s unlit fireplace in front of which there was someone standing that man was dressed all in black and only his eyes could be seen on his concealed face he was as suspicious as he could possibly be however this place was in the residential area of the royal palace and more precisely this was the king’s bedroom it was the safest place in all of Jurgus no intruders are allowed here and there is no way an intruder would be able to come in any way that was the king’s thought process which was limited by his drunkenness the man instantly approached the side of King Raymond and went behind him then he twisted both of his arms around the king and used his hands to seal his mouth therefore rendering the king unable to move or speak in the span of a moment faced with those movements that the man was clearly accustomed to King Raymond who knew nothing about martial arts was not able to resist wondering how anyone could come here without facing any obstacles it’s simple really you know that secret passage behind the fireplace that leads to the royal capital well I came from there a small voice whispered behind the king’s ear although the king knew he had heard it before he could not recall where that was indeed behind the room’s fireplace there was an emergency escape passage that was connected to the royal capital however that information was held in absolute secrecy the exit was extremely well hidden and the only living person who knew about it was the king himself i once escorted you from there when the palace fell to the enemy seriously at that time I went out of my way to escort a bastard like you and just to save your life I Well I guess it’s thanks to you that I know of this passage now so there is that at least i suppose at this point I should just be happy that it wasn’t all for nothing muttered the intruder not quite understanding what the man was talking about the king who was being restrained was focused on desperately struggling to free himself but to no avail it’s really fortunate you were drinking here by yourself i was planning to come back several more times to wait for an opportunity in case today seemed no good but that won’t be necessary i wonder is karma rewarding me or punishing you said ironically the intruder who was none other than Kyle in order to avoid influencing the medal awarding ceremony K had been waiting until today to come here but it seemed like he had not made the wrong choice naturally you want to know why I’m doing this don’t you i have various reasons but still I don’t exactly have a personal grudge against you though i suppose I’m kind of venting my anger on you hearing that the intruder was just venting on him the king groaned angrily however Kyle did not seem to care it’s useless to tell you about that now but during the big invasion even though I advised you to immediately go to the rescue of the dwarfs in the neighboring country you made the political decision of delaying your rescue and waiting until they fell into a crisis before helping them in order to seize an advantage for yourself but the attack of the demon’s troops was far above your expectations and in the blink of an eye the dwarfs were already done for back then K was only a skilled magic swordsman who had slightly spread his name and he was treated accordingly as a survivor of the Lame’s town he had desperately appealed to how big and dreadful of a threat the demon army was at that time but the king had not paid much attention to his words that defeat caused a ripple effect which eventually led the Jurgis country to its demise you kept coming up with one stupid plan after another until you were cornered at which point you started dodging responsibility as he said that K let out large sigh that came from the bottom of his heart seriously I wish you’d been stronger and had gotten your act together in those days maybe then I wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble it was because there were so many leaders like you that we had to suffer through all those hardships perhaps because he was filled with anger or because he was recalling his unbearable past k put more strength into his hands and arms which were twisted around King Raymond the king groaned loudly from the pain oh sorry i guess it’s meaningless to tell you all of that now besides I never plan to do anything to you for something you haven’t even done yet but if you’re going to protect yourself by manipulating your son and making him try to kill your own daughter due to your personal jealousy then it’s a whole other story i don’t need to hold back against you.” Kyle tightened his arms and hands even further and started walking while pushing the king with him but above all you went and gave that kind of order to my old comrade in arms and you made me kill him that I cannot forgive zento’s last words were “I have failed you your majesty.” The moment he had heard that Ka was able to understand everything moreover he had confirmed his suspicions when he was eavesdropping on the king earlier and had heard him speak to himself it’s simple when you think about it as ridiculously serious and loyal as Zentos was there is only one person who would have been able to make him assassinate the princess and that person is none other than you your majesty after you died and the Jurgis country disappeared for good Zinto seemed oddly refreshed as if a heavy rock had been lifted from his shoulders if only he could have chosen the country of his birth and the king he would serve step by step K was approaching the room’s window which was connected to a balcony realizing what Kyle was about to do the king struggled violently but uselessly you really went all out to hide that whole matter back then it seems like no matter how much they investigated it only looked like an accidental death to them kyle smiled Riley as he recalled his former spy friend who had been full of confidence when declaring that the princess had died of an accident well that princess is sort of devious but she’s smart she’s probably going to give priority to benefits rather than feelings and emotions when leading the country but she will still be better than a king like you who only thinks of saving his own neck so I can’t let you kill her besides after killing the princess you’d probably have made us your next target since we know of the country’s secret right so I’m sorry but this is where it ends for you no hard feelings kyle quietly opened the room’s large window allowing the night wind to enter inside also the princess would normally have taken over you in 3 years more or less so it doesn’t really matter if I make that happen a bit earlier right king Raymond was feeling an immeasurable fear as Kyle was indifferently talking about his death like it was already decided the king started struggling and groaning even more but that did not stop Kyle who continued to walk forward oops i’ve been talking for a little too long haven’t I it would be pretty bad if I lose any more time the two men arrived at the balcony’s railing during daytime this balcony would give a good view on the palace’s courtyard but right now in the dark of the night there was only darkness to be seen this was the fifth and top floor of the royal palace and under here was a stone pavement falling from this balcony would leave the victim no chances of survival don’t worry I’ll make this look like an accident i won’t tell anyone that you tried to kill your own daughter so your honor will be safe after your death oh and I’d be troubled if you start screaming so I’ll have to do this beforehand after saying that K dealt a knife hand strike on the back of the king’s neck it was a light blow but it hit the right spot and was aimed well enough to make the king pass out so long your majesty as his consciousness was being wrapped in darkness those were the last words the king heard before losing his life that night some patrolling soldiers heard a loud sound towards which they immediately rushed only to find that King Raymond had fallen to his death there were no traces of an intruder in his room and it seemed like he had been severely drunk so it had been assumed that he had gone out to his balcony to let the night wind sober him up and had then accidentally fallen down in the end since telling the public that the king had drunkenly fallen from his balcony would have tarnished his reputation it had been officially announced that he had perished from a sudden heart Attack
He fought until the end — and watched the world die around him.
After defeating the Demon King in a ruined world, a lone hero discovers a mysterious artifact… and is suddenly sent years into the past, back before it all began.
Armed with memories of war, betrayal, and loss, he now has the chance to reshape history — to stop the bloodshed before it starts, and to protect everything he failed to save the first time.
Tsuyokute New Saga is a time-loop fantasy filled with strategy, sacrifice, and the painful price of doing it all over again — this time, with eyes wide open.
🔁 For fans of dark fantasy, time travel, and world-saving do-overs done right.
#TsuyokuteNewSaga #TimeLoopAnime #SecondChanceHero
1 Comment
Please get the timeline straight !