Editor : Amethyst00



"Here we are."

Leo murmured as he looked at the distant territory of the Plov family, then turned around.

There, Chelsea, Celia, and Abad were replenishing their stamina and mana by drinking potions.

Leo's homeland, the Kingdom of Dellad, was a small kingdom on the outskirts.

And the Plov family was a rural territory within it.

Because of that, there was no direct warp gate connecting the capital, Dellan, and the territory.

After using the closest warp gate, they had traveled here at top speed.

If it were Rhys, Jamua, or Ulta, maybe it would have been different.

But for these three, now 3rd-years, just keeping up with Leo's pace had inevitably drained their stamina and mana.

"We should thank Carl."

Abad chuckled bitterly while looking at the potion bottle.

"He sold a large batch of potions before winter break, just in case something happened. It's paying off."

"Oh come on. I told you it was a special offer just for you. Put it away. Don't you know about exclusive sales? There's a saying: be prepared for anything~"

"He said the same to me. That it was a special deal just for me."

"He told me the same thing too."

Abad and Celia looked confused.

"He especially emphasized that something might happen to us… That guy. Sometimes I think he really has some kind of foresight."

At Celia's words, Chelsea, who had been gulping down her potion, exhaled and wiped her mouth.

"He was just making it up."

"What?"

"He said he had to clear out old stock and approached the rich kids like that to sell it. Carl's potions work well but have a short shelf life, right?"

Chelsea said indifferently.

"I'm sure plenty of people got duped like you two."

"That guy…"

Celia clenched her fist.

"But why do Carl's potions have such a short shelf life?"

Abad asked, shaking the bottle in front of him, puzzled.

Leo responded.

"It probably because they're based on Dweno's recipe."

"Huh?"

Leo didn't take his eyes off the Plov territory as he spoke.

"It's the recipe the Divine Blacksmith used during the Age of Calamity. They wouldn't have considered long-term storage, so the focus was likely on efficacy."

"Ah."

"Carl seems to be working on improving that, though."

Indeed, Carl was diligently researching based on Dweno's alchemy book.

"Judging by how chatty you all are, you seem pretty relaxed, huh? Juniors."

At that moment, Jamua approached the four of them.

Leo spoke, watching Jamua approach.

"Better to be a little relaxed than too tense."

"That's true."

Jamua nodded but looked toward something with a concerned expression.

Far away from where the group was taking a short rest—

Rhys stood silently, staring at the Plov territory with a blank expression.

Rhys was different now.

Normally, he had a warm and gentle demeanor.

But now, he looked like he could explode at any moment.

Like a spark ready to ignite with the slightest touch.

"Is Senior Torua okay?"

Chelsea asked cautiously.

At her question, Jamua's face darkened.

"Her life isn't in danger. But she hasn't regained consciousness. And she's lost her mana."

"…"

For a mage, losing mana was practically a death sentence.

Chelsea bit her lip.

It wasn't just because a senior from her school had been attacked.

Any student from the Department of Magic who had studied with her would've had no choice but to respect Torua.

Torua's passion for magic.

Despite being a 5th-year, she would visit her juniors without hesitation to discuss magic.

Her eyes always sparkled as she enthusiastically debated magic.

That image of Torua was burned into her memory.

Having magic stripped away from someone like that was unforgivable.

"I won't forgive them."

Chelsea muttered blankly just as Ulta called out to Leo.

"Leo."

"Yes."

"Before we go, let's be clear about something. Rhys is not in a normal state right now. So I'd like you to give us clear instructions on what we need to do."

"Will that be okay?"

Leo asked, and Ulta nodded.

"As a knight, as a mage, as a summoner—you're better than anyone here. There's no shame in taking your orders."

There were definitely traps waiting.

Combat was inevitable.

That's why Leo had intended to leave combat decisions to Rhys, Jamua, and Ulta once they entered the Plov territory.

No matter how skilled he was, being ordered around by a junior would be unpleasant for them.

'They'd probably do well even without my interference.'

But Ulta was purposely putting Leo in command.

'More accurately, he wants me to define what their responsibilities are.'

The reason for the extra step was simple.

To prevent a possible rampage from Rhys.

Even Leo could tell that Rhys's current demeanor was dangerous.

'Still, he's someone who will fulfill his duty even if he loses himself in rage. If I give him a minimum boundary, it might prevent him from losing control.'

Ulta had judged that boundary to be Leo's orders.

"Why is Senior Rhys so angry?"

Of course, it was only natural to be angry when a close friend you'd been with since first year got hurt.

But Rhys was someone capable of staying calm even in such a situation.

His current rage was clearly different.

In response to Leo's question, Ulta spoke.

"Because of love."

"Love?"

Leo looked confused for a moment at Ulta's sudden comment, even though he was always talking about love.

"Yeah. They're in a relationship. And right now, Torua is carrying their child."

"Pfft!"

Celia, who was drinking her potion, spat it out all over Abad without realizing.

"S-sorry! I was just so shocked…!"

"No, I totally understand."

Abad said as he wiped his face with a handkerchief Celia offered.

"No wonder he's not in his right mind."

Leo nodded.

"Then let's plan our strategy."

"Rhys! Strategy meeting!"

At Jamua's call, Rhys approached.

"Before we start planning, I have something to say."

As Rhys spoke, everyone except Leo tensed up.

If he were to say he'd deal with the Hero Slayer himself, that would be a problem.

No one really knew how strong the Hero Slayer was.

But given that it had massacred countless heroes in the past, no one here—except Leo—was likely to be able to handle it.

"What is it?"

"Something's wrong with the Plov territory."

At that, Ulta tilted his head.

"It doesn't seem much different from when we visited last summer."

Sure, the Hero Slayer was inside.

But for now, it looked like a peaceful rural estate—nothing more, nothing less.

"Exactly. That's what's strange. After last year's incident, the Plov territory became sacred ground where the Hero Aaron reappeared and defeated a fragment of Erebos. Some even see it as a holy place."

At those words, everyone but Leo widened their eyes.

It was true.

It used to be a quiet, rural place—no longer.

"Yes. Right now, that territory is completely under the Hero Slayer's control."

'Mel contacted me. Said all contact with the dragons in the Plov territory suddenly went dead at dawn yesterday.'

The Plov territory was now a special place.

So much so that dragons had gone undercover to guard it.

And now, contact with those dragons had been lost.

"If the Hero Slayer is holding the residents hostage, then the six of you should focus on rescuing them. It won't be easy. The forces of Tartaros may be involved."

At Leo's words, Ulta nodded.

"The formation?"

Leo laid it out.

"Why am I in the rear?"

Rhys asked coldly.

Everyone looked at Leo nervously.

"Because right now, it's the most difficult position."

"…"

Rhys looked over the formation Leo had devised.

Jamua was the vanguard, leading the charge.

Celia and Chelsea would support from behind.

Ulta would provide support to both front and rear from the middle.

Abad, the mage, was stationed at the rear.

If this were just a push forward, rear defense wouldn't matter.

But they were embedding themselves deep into enemy territory.

Someone had to protect the rear.

In any party, once the mage in the rear falls, it's over.

That's why the rear always takes the heaviest hits.

In this case, Rhys—with his knight class, combining strong offense and defense—was the best person for the job.

"What about the Hero Slayer?"

"I'll handle it alone."

"…"

At those words, Rhys took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright."

He wanted to fight alongside Leo.

But…

'Is this how Celia's classmates felt?'

Rhys chuckled.

Leo's eyes clearly said, 'You're not ready yet.'

Leo had explained every potential scenario and countermeasure for what might happen in Plov.

Listening to it all, Rhys looked down at his hands.

'I've still got a long way to go.'

bl

After finalizing the plan, Leo entered the Plov territory without hesitation.

And the moment he did—

What greeted him was a powerful wave of magical energy.

Leo's eyes twitched.

'This mana…?'

It was a familiar dragon's mana.

And the draconic language magic constructed with it was something Leo recognized.

A spell based on the curses used by Tartaros's demons.

'Nightmare.'

One of the unique spells of the King of Wisdom, Lysinas.

A hallucinatory spell that forced one to fight enemies they didn't want to face.

'And it's been modified, too.'

Leo quickly analyzed the spell.

"Kyle…"

Just like when Leven, the vice principal of Lumene, had used it before, Lysinas appeared in front of Leo.

"Why… were you the only one who survived?"

Lysinas, covered in blood, stared at Leo with hatred.

"Why did you live on to enjoy life? I wanted peace too!"

Leo silently drew his sword.

At that moment—

Whoosh—

A sudden shadow reached out and devoured the illusion of Lysinas.

Leo paused.

The entire space warped, and a path opened.

'A failed spell? No—this is…!'

Leo, momentarily flustered, shook off his confusion.

'I need to get out of here.'

Before throwing himself into the warped space—

Leo looked back.

Flash—!

The moment he emerged from the spell, he saw the Plov family mansion.

"Welcome, Leo Plov."

Standing there was a beautiful woman with black hair and red eyes.

A young Reina.

"My name is Zorua Enel. The one you call Hero Slayer…"

Slice—!

Without hesitation, Leo beheaded Zorua.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"You cut down someone who looks like your mother without a moment's hesitation?!"

Leo tilted his head slightly as he looked down at Zorua's severed head.

"So what?"