Editor : Amethyst00



CRACK–!

"Grrraaaaargh!"

A Gigantes slammed its hand onto the top of the fortress wall and let out a thunderous roar.

Slash–!

A flash of light gleamed—and the Gigantes' wrist was sliced clean off.

Screaming, the creature plummeted from the wall, crashing to the ground below.

As Aina, who had severed the wrist, readjusted her grip on her sword—

SCREEEEEE–!

From above, a flock of Fafnirs shrieked as they dove toward her.

SWOOSH–!

"Not so fast!"

Eliana's sword moved with lightning speed, cutting a Fafnir clean in two.

Landing lightly on the wall after blocking the path, Eliana flashed Aina a cheerful smile.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No."

Aina responded with her usual emotionless expression, and Eliana nodded, raising her hand.

Ziiing–!

A magic circle appeared on her palm, unleashing a ray of energy that swept away the monsters charging toward the wall.

"As expected of Eliana-sunbae. She's amazing."

Luke watched in awe.

Although she was in the Knight Department, Eliana was a magic swordswoman.

Her fighting style leaned heavily toward swordsmanship, but when it came to raw talent, her magical abilities were just as formidable.

Even among magic swordsmen, her style differed from Luke's, who focused on using magic to enhance his swordplay.

Just then, Haviden, wielding a spear, soared forward and thrust it into a demon.

"You damn human…!"

"What does that make you, dying to one?"

Mocking his opponent, Haviden slashed diagonally with his spear, cutting the demon down.

"Archers! Now!"

At Carl's shout, archers stationed behind the wall leaned out and pulled back their bowstrings.

THWIP THWIP THWIP–!

Arrows fired by Dwarves and Beastkin rained down on the beasts climbing the wall.

Yet even under that barrage, some monsters still didn't fall.

"Next! Cannons—FIRE!"

BOOMBOOMBOOM–!

Following Carl's command, the magic cannons unleashed their blasts.

GRRAAAAHH!

The giant demons, beasts, and monsters were blown to pieces.

Haviden clicked his tongue as he watched.

"Carl-sunbae's grasp of the battlefield is amazing."

The section of the wall held by the Hero Candidates was impressively stable.

The vanguard unit of candidates pushed back the Giant King's forces trying to scale the wall, and through those openings, volleys of arrows and cannon fire poured in.

With Carl's coordination, they were producing results far beyond expectations.

TA-TA-TA–!

THWIP! CRASH! CRUNCH–!

"WAAAAAHHH!"

"Enniha-sama!"

A cheer erupted.

The only Elf on the battlefield—Enniha—was dashing along the outer wall, slaughtering the demons threatening the fortress.

Her movements were nothing short of divine, like a dance of pure art.

WHOOSH–! THUMP–!

Leaping from the wall, Enniha landed gracefully atop it.

"Wow, incredible!"

Luke gasped in admiration.

"Thanks. But…"

Enniha glanced up at the sky.

FLASH! BOOOOM–!

Above, Leo, riding a Pegasus, unleashed magic that swept away the monsters on the ground.

"He's supposed to be an all-class, right? Damn… is this what The Surviving Hero look like?"

Even Enniha couldn't help but marvel.

Leo was one of the two great pillars holding this battlefield together.

The other pillar, of course…

"RRRRAAAHHHH!"

Dweno launched high from the wall and dove toward the earth.

FWOOSH–!

Golden flames erupted from his body.

Like a meteor, Dweno slammed into the ground.

KABOOOOOM–!

The shockwave obliterated the Giant King's forces around him, and with terrifying momentum, he began smashing down demons with his axe.

Then—

BOOOOO–!

A horn echoed loudly through the sky.

With it, the Giant King's army began to retreat.

"They're running!"

"They're retreating!"

"WAAAAAAAHHH!"

Cheers broke out across the fortress.

Morale surged as the defenders realized they had held back the army of the Giant King.

"Long live Dweno!"

"Glory to the Iron-Blooded Gatekeeper!"

Voices praising Dweno echoed everywhere.

He had killed the infamous traitor Gymeon and played a central role in the fortress's defense.

Leo silently watched the retreating army from above.

"We won."

Eliza, who had been guarding the skies with him, flew over and said.

Leo responded, "Yeah."

"Something wrong?"

"It ended too… easily."

It was true.

The Giant King's army still had strength left. Yet they retreated.

Though the defenders had seized control of the battle, it was still strange.

'But Giath isn't here.'

Leo's eyes narrowed.

To truly unleash a legion's power, it needed a commander.

Meaning, the current Giant King's army was only half-strength.

Meanwhile, as Dweno returned to the fortress, he too looked back at the retreating army.

It was a complete victory—but something didn't sit right.

'That bastard… he's planning something.'

bl

"Wahahahaha!"

"Feast time!"

Night fell.

Ivaldi was swept into a festive mood.

Across the open space before the wall, fires were lit and meat was grilled.

Beastkin and Dwarven warriors hauled out barrels of ale from storage.

Residents began preparing dishes.

It was a victory feast.

"Drink! Drink!"

Watching the raucous Dwarves and Beastkin down drinks, Chelsea looked uneasy.

"We did win big, but is it okay to let our guard down like this?"

It was still the Age of Calamity—demonic forces from Tartaros could attack at any time.

She had expected a more tense atmosphere.

Indeed, Ivaldi had always been a grim place.

But after the victory, the mood had relaxed.

"What if another fight breaks out suddenly?"

Eliana asked worriedly.

Leo calmly replied, "The walls are still guarded in shifts."

Sitting near the bonfire, he glanced toward the wall.

"The warriors here are all veterans. A bit of alcohol won't stop them from fighting if needed."

Snap–

Leo broke a twig and tossed it into the fire.

"Besides, if they don't unwind like this, they'll break."

Back then, after surviving a large-scale Tartaros attack, every city held huge feasts.

Because everyone lived in constant fear of destruction.

There was no room for hope.

Just making it through each day was a blessing.

After overcoming a huge threat, they had to at least enjoy the moment—to forget the fear, even briefly.

The Hero Candidates tilted their heads.

They understood Leo's words… yet didn't fully grasp them.

'Well, of course.'

Only those who lived in this era could truly understand.

"Still… there's a distance between us."

Aina murmured, glancing at the Dwarves and Beastkin still keeping their distance.

"It can't be helped. One battle doesn't build trust."

Chelsea shook her head.

They had just been strangers, even suspects, until recently.

It would take more than one fight to be accepted.

Just then—

"Hey! Guess what I got?!"

Carl came running excitedly.

Floating beside him was a barrel of ale.

"I scored a whole barrel!"

"No way! Carl, how'd you manage that?!"

Eliana clapped in delight, and Carl puffed up proudly.

"It's all thanks to my brilliance."

"That's our Carl!"

Eliana gave him a big thumbs-up.

Despite being an outsider, he had managed to score a whole barrel of ale.

"You're a student. Are you really planning to drink?"

Artienne marched up, arms crossed, and glared.

"Gulp."

"Ah, Professor Artienne…"

Carl and Eliana shrank under her gaze.

"Still… given the mood, maybe just a little?"

"A little?"

"…I'll go return it."

Carl instantly deflated, tail between his legs.

But Aru and Drianna stepped forward.

"Hehe, we're from another school, so it's fine, right?"

"Don't worry, Carl. We'll make sure your efforts aren't wasted."

Beastkin and Dwarves loved drinking.

Watching the two approach the barrel, Artienne warned them.

"You two are still students, aren't you?"

"Our school doesn't have a rule about drinking, soooo…"

CRACK!

"AAAH?!"

Artienne's small fist shattered the barrel's lid.

Realizing her spirit had awakened, Aru and Drianna immediately backed off.

They had learned how terrifying Professor Lumene could be.

Leo chuckled as he watched.

"Let it go just for tonight. Everyone's earned it."

"You're student council president. You should set an example!"

"The more you say not to, the more I want to."

"…Tch."

Artienne scoffed, still glaring.

"Pour me one."

"Ooooh!"

With her approval, Carl grabbed some cups.

The feast was truly underway.

Hero Candidates, flushed with drink, began boasting of their exploits.

Leo looked around.

Elf, Human… no Dragons.

'It's just us and Enniha among the non-natives.'

Ivaldi was truly a city of Dwarves and Beastkin.

And among the surviving cities, it was one of the most isolated—one of the most hopeless.

"Dweno-sama is amazing!"

"Thank the heavens for Dweno-sama!"

"To Dweno-sama!"

Everywhere, toasts were being made in Dweno's name.

'Right… this city belongs to him.'

Just as Leo thought that—

"What're you doing, sitting here all gloomy?"

Enniha strolled over with a cheerful grin and a cup in hand.

"Where's Dweno?"

"That Dwarf? Locked himself in the workshop. Weird for a guy who loves to drink."

Shrugging, Enniha plopped down in front of Leo.

"You're not joining in? The kids are having a blast."

She glanced over at Arhi's party, racing to see who could chug faster.

"You've got cute friends, right? Isn't this the perfect time to drink and laugh?"

"They're too young."

"Aren't you young?"

Enniha gave him a flat look and sipped her drink.

Artienne finished her cup first.

"Gaaah! That's an adult's tolerance, punks!"

"Oooh! You were amazing in battle too, little miss!"

"You're the best drinker among your friends!"

Then some drunken Dwarves and Beastkin approached.

"Wha—?! Who are you calling 'friends'?! I'm way older than these kids!"

"Eh? You look about the same age."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-six!"

"Whoa! A big sister?!"

"Who're you calling big sister?! I'm thousands of years older than—"

"Hahahaha! Professor Artienne, have some more!"

Carl, drenched in sweat, hurriedly shoved the bottle to Artienne's lips.

Under normal circumstances, this would be unthinkable.

But he was too desperate.

Artienne downed the drink without protest.

"More!"

"She's totally drunk."

Leo clicked his tongue.

Perhaps due to the alcohol, Ivaldi's warriors began to gather around the Hero Candidates.

"Hey, you were pretty impressive."

A female Beastkin wearing glasses approached Chelsea.

"You switched from casting spells to close combat like a Knight. Are you a magic swordswoman?"

"I'm a pure mage."

"What?!"

In the Age of Calamity, the concept of battle mages didn't exist.

Chelsea's style was utterly foreign—and fascinating.

Thanks to the drinks, the distance between Ivaldi's warriors and the Hero Candidates slowly began to shrink.

Enniha, watching, formed a rectangle with her fingers and winked through one eye.

"Mmm~ It's a nice picture. Like a blend of old and new generations."

"Why not ask someone to model?"

"I will. But you know…"

Enniha rested her chin on her hand and looked at Leo.

"The one I want to draw most… is you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Right now, you're like the sun. And I love sunlight more than anything. I have to see it."

"That's not a vibe I really give off."

"Huh? No, no."

Shaking her head, Enniha smiled.

"Would you be my model?"

'The model of the artist who gave Dweno his artistic obsession, huh…'

"If I'm good enough."

"Really?!"

Beaming, Enniha suddenly grabbed Leo's shirt.

"…What are you doing?"

"You said you'd model."

"So?"

"Then take it off. Return to the form nature gave you, for art's sake."

Leo stared at her.

One look into her eyes told him—she was definitely drunk.

"Strip! Strip!"

It seemed the alcohol had revealed her true nature.

Watching her tug at his clothes, Leo sighed.

'So she's the Elf version of Dweno?'

No—more likely, Dweno was the Dwarf version of her.

'In the end… another pervert.'