Chapter warning: Read at your own risk.
Erda, a small village surrounded by all kinds of flora and fauna. The place resonated with nature itself—the trees bent and became houses, the rocks paved a walkable path; the rain and rivers alongside the wind made it breathe.
Unlike in larger cities or metropolises, life here was much simpler. Merchants would occasionally pass by to trade, and travelers would stay overnight at the natural resorts, such as the mana-rich hot springs, or simply lodge at the inns and houses that had been mended by nature.
In the evenings, the forest would be lit up, pulsate with mana, and illuminate this little village. But it never did today. The source. The great tree spirit that sustained this fragile ecosystem… has died.
"…"
In the shadows, Jan frowned as the village came into view. The large tree at the core—the one with the petals that shone pink, trunks pulsed blue, and the warm golden buds shaped into streetlamps no longer were. It was gloomy and deserted. No longer beautiful the way it was.
Just as anger aroused his killing intent, Alum lightly tapped his back, telling him to look ahead.
"Sorry. I can't believe what I'm seeing." Regardless of whether he needed to apologize or not, Jan clenched his fists. "The large tree you see is the core of the village. It has sustained this place for over two hundred years, and yet…" He took a deep breath. "Anyhow, there's no longer a barrier around this place, but my senses are telling me there's an illusion spell surrounding that building over there," he said, pointing towards a storage building. "Can you sense it?"
"I can," Alum simply replied. "What's your take?" he inquired.
"Well… I suspect that's where they keep survivors—who knows how many more of those carriages they sent out," he said, repulsed by the thought. "Of course, it'd be easier if they kept everyone in the same place, but something tells me there are a few more places like that."
"In the off chance, it would be unfortunate for them to lose their hostages, right?"
"…Yeah, that's right." Seeing how calm Alum was, he had to calm himself. Even if he knew some of the people here, he mustn't be rash. "…Ailz," Jan said, steeling himself. "Do not engage. We're here to scout, locate, and inform."
Alum didn't nod, nor did he shake his head; neither affirmed nor denied. But Jan could tell that it wasn't something Alum wanted to hear.
"Listen… we might be able to save everyone—"
—Is that so? Alum's eyes hollowed.
"Understood. We'll locate critical objectives and wait for reinforcements."
"…Glad you understood," Jan replied, slightly taken aback by how quickly he reverted back to the Ailz he got to know.
As they got closer, walking in the shadows, they came across weak, tiny magibeasts roaming around as guards fended them off, but no sight of a cult.
"They all look listless," Jan remarked. "If… no, never mind."
"Hold the thought," Alum calmly spoke. "This village is small. Perhaps. Just perhaps, do you think the survivors are in the same place?"
"That'd be… ideal. You think so, too, right? Do you have any estimates on how many enemies there are?"
"Negative. We've come across a few around the outskirts, but none around here."
"Right, if it's a group of three or four, our odds aren't that bad," Jan contemplated as he stroked his chin.
"Change of heart?" Alum queried.
"Not mind?" Jan lightly chuckled.
Alum softened a little. "But the thought came from your heart, no?" he asked.
"You and I… aren't so different, huh? For a mage, you sure think like an assassin."
"I've stopped defining myself," Alum shrugged lightly. Then, with a sharp gaze. "Or are you unable to let go?"
"…" Jan looked away, gazing toward the once vibrant tree. "You said so yourself. I had a change of heart."
"I see."
…
..
With their decision set in motion, Alum and Jan moved swiftly between buildings, looking for people. They'd pass beasts, guards, and cultists. The stench of blood covered the area; headless corpses were discarded on the streets alongside dead magibeasts.
But there was no sign of survivors, leaving one place mind—the massive storage building surrounded by an illusion.
Atop a tree right outside the illusion barrier, Alum noticed Jan's condition—he was strained from using [Shadow Walk].
"This is the last place..." Jan murmured. "The casters watch from the tower. Will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine. What about you? You've been using mana all this time."
"I'm alright, it usually isn't as taxing when I'm alone," Jan replied bluntly. "Either way, I'll finish off the casters. It shouldn't be difficult to bypass the patrol and execute them in their chant."
"I see. And about the survivors?"
"In the worst case, they've left. In the best case, we free the guards, stall, and wait for reinforcement. But… that illusion magic is making things difficult—we don't know what's beyond it, and walking into a mana zone isn't ideal since they haven't detected our presence."
"…" Alum contemplated for a moment. "Jan. How would the mana zone react to anti-magic?"
"…Huh?" Jan tilted his head slightly at the odd inquiry—shouldn't you know as a mage? He thought. "I… suppose there won't be an interaction unless it's directly targeted…"
"Meaning it's not detectable?"
"Yeah… a mana zone reacts to mana signatures, not the lack of mana. Why?"
"…" A dark smile surfaced on Alum's face. "I see. I only needed to confirm," he said, then materialized Depth Cutter.
"…Wait, you're telling me your divine weapon has anti-magic properties?" Jan asked, his eyes widening.
"Something like that," Alum shrugged.
"Ah…haha…" Jan chuckled in mild exasperation. "To think you're a mage but also a mage's worst enemy."
"In that case… please, secure the survivors. I'll release the guards," Jan said, raising his left fist.
Alum did the same as they fist-bumped, then said, "Don't die."
With an equally dark smile, Jan chuckled. "I should be saying that to you, caster."
…
..
Inside a library was a girl with a mix of silver and black hair. Reading as she sipped tea.
Today hasn't been an eventful day for Luna—it was routine per usual. Training the wanderers and spending time with the others during downtime.
Admittedly, she wanted to talk to Alum about a book she'd just finished. But it couldn't be helped since he was out. Nees also returned from her outing and is resting amongst the other Ilifelen Wyverns.
Closing her book, Luna lightly stretched, and a soft yawn escaped her lips.
—I feel restless. Should I go relax in the sauna? Should I ask Miu? Mm… Noel likes them too, I suppose I can invite him as well. Though Chely might be there as well—what a pain… but if Lady Amethely is there as well, then I suppose I won't be treated like a plushy.
But, as she found herself outside of his room…
"Oh? So I'll get to see you in a hot, steamy towel?" Noel teased with a grin across his face.
Deadpan, Luna stared at him. "Do you want me to kill you?" she asked indifferently, tilting her head.
"Pffts… it was a joke, besides, we wouldn't be in the same sauna, right?"
"…"
"Right…?"
Luna averted her eyes, having a staring contest with the floor.
"N-no wait, I—" Noel played along, but then…
"Hah…" Luna huffed, smiling with a deadpan expression. "I jest," she said blandly, but then nudged her head to the left. "Also, Chely heard all that."
"…" Noel took a few steps closer to the door and peeked around the corner, where he saw Chely smile but not smile.
To her right was Miu. "Noel no ecchi," Miu said adorably as she chuckled, her eyes half-lidded as she made an X with her index fingers to 'cover' her grin.
—Crap… Noel cursed inwardly.
"Hmph. You think I'd be embarrassed?" Luna added.
"…Huh?" Miu, Noel, and Chely stared at the petite doll-like princess.
"What?"
"Luna… what part was a joke…?" Noel asked.
"The joke," Luna replied bluntly.
"Turn around, turn around again. Oh my, we're back!" Miu teased as she spun Luna around.
"Aww… so cute!" Chely hugged Luna and Miu.
"…" Luna just gave in and sighed. "Is this what's become of me…?"
"Wait, huh…?" Noel, Chely, and Miu froze; something just registered in their minds. She was joking about being flustered, not that they weren't sharing saunas.
..
Noel found himself in an outdoor bath, watching the sky as he melted in relaxation.
"Ahh… this is niiice…" he sighed. "Man… I wish Alum was here, it'd be less awkward. But then again… I get to spend time with two hot women… just ki—"
"Huumm~ and those two are?" a soft voice asked.
Without paying attention, Noel said, "Obviously, Chely and Luna—Chely?!" he exclaimed, jolting out of the water. "Since when did you get out?"
Covered in a towel, Chely shrugged. "Just now," she said. "Well, unfortunately, the princess has no interest in you."
"Oh? Pry tell, which one?" Noel teased as he noticed she forgot she was one herself.
"…" Chely didn't comment as she got into the lukewarm water. "Nnnh… that's refreshing," she sighed softly, really intending to feign ignorance. Then, she noticed Noel staring. "What?"
"Y'know… When you cover up like that… It's kinda erotic," he said, squinting his eyes.
"…" Chely's eye twitched. She threw the towel at him, and when he got a good look, his demeanor didn't change. "What?" she said, frowning.
"A light green leaf motif swimsuit—it suits you," Noel said, smiling softly.
"It's elvish made… wait, you just wanted to see, didn't you?" retorted in mock annoyance.
"Obviously~ " he winked. "So, what about mine?" he teased.
"Bland. Your muscles are more interesting to look at."
"…" Noel averted her gaze; his ears grew slightly hot.
"…?" Chely tilted her head, but then… "W-why did you get quiet all of a sudden!? Idiot!" she exclaimed, not expecting him to get flustered.
"Um… thanks," he said, scratching his neck.
"…" Chely, at this point, was beet red. "Idiot…" she murmured.
..
"L-Luna-chi, I-I'm all… all dizzyyyy…" Miu said, her eyes spun as the heat was getting intolerable.
"Do you really want to go out to those two?" Luna calmly asked as she peeled a refreshing fruit. "Well, if you do, tell Noel it's his turn, and I'll get out as well."
"…"
"Miu?"
..
A little later, Luna and Noel ended up competing to see who could stay inside the longest, and it all started because he said, "Giving up already?" when it was his turn.
"Pathetic," Luna said, crossing her arms, her eyes spun, her whole body was beet red.
"Ugh…"
Noel, on the ground, crawled out to get fresh air and was met by the pleasant sight of two pretty girls in blue and green swimsuits playing in the cool pool, one with snowy, fluffy white hair, the other with silky, silver ash-brown hair. His heart had healed a little.
Luna crouched down next to him, resting her elbow on a knee as her chin rested on her palm. "Hmm, so you like 'em big?" she asked out of nowhere.
"Of course—"
Just as Noel was about to turn to face her and flash a grin, Luna grabbed his head with an iron claw.
"I'll poke your eyes out if you look this way," she said calmly.
"Oh… my bad, reflex," Noel lightly chuckled. "But you know, you're plenty cute yourself."
"…" Luna, in a black and white chess-patterned skirtini, stood up. "I know that much. Who do you think I am?"
"Aww, c'mon, just take to compliment," Noel sighed.
But as he looked up and noticed she'd reached her hand out, he got a good look at her. Silver-black hair, moon-like eyes, alongside a damped, flushed look from the heat. But out of everything—ba-dump… he was a sucker for a cute smile.
"What? Fell for me?" she teased lightly.
Noel took her hand and pulled up. "Hell no, I just thought you looked cute for a moment, that's all."
"Hah? What's new? I'm always cute," Luna stated confidently as she crossed her arms.
"Tsk… yeah, yeah," Noel waved her off. "Let's see who can hold their breath the longest."
"Me, undoubtedly."
"…"
—Yeah, my heart just unskipped itself; that should even it out, Noel thought, shaking his head inwardly.
"Yeah? And you're about to eat those words!" he declared.
"Pff," Luna giggled. Amused, she said, "Make me."
She then looked at the sky—I wonder what Al's doing?
…
..
Meanwhile, Alum's enemies did not have a good time drowning in their own blood.
He'd infiltrated the illusion, holding Depth Cutter's scabbard under the cloak. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A few of them had masks, and Alum was confident they'd mistake him as one of the new guys, and he was correct—the cult members who stood guard even mistook him for their own.
"You're early, how did it go?" one of them asked.
"We've finished scattering the remains; the rest should be back soon," Alum replied calmly, though it was a lie since they won't be returning in this lifetime.
"I see. In that case, help the others load the cargo; it's almost time to go."
"Understood. Where's the captain?"
"Captain…?"
"…"
"Oh, you mean Ulos? He should be meditating in the basement. Don't disturb him, though."
"Got it, well, it wasn't that important anyways," Alum shrugged.
"I see. Then don't bother him with it," the guard sighed. "Just go in."
As soon as he stepped inside, the situation looked worse than he thought. People were tied up; most noticeably was the fact they were segregated by appearance.
Noticing Alum's gaze, one of the guards said, "Don't bother, the pretty ones over there are the price for that messed-up mage/swordsmen couple."
"Even the youths…" Alum remarked.
"Sigh… look, I'm just as disgusted as you are, but they're powerful mercenaries hired by the cult, even Ulos doesn't like them."
"…Whatever. I'll just finish the job."
"Damn right, get moving," the cultist said, waving him away.
Alum looked around the warehouse. Innocent people were being pushed into cramped carriages, and as for the 'pretty' ones, they quivered on the floor, dreading their turn.
I need to find the source of the mana zone; the mana signature is vague—I can't tell who's a threat. But on pure observation alone, the few that have their cloaks clipped with a dark sun seem to be leading a group each; there are five of them in here.
Unfortunately, one of them noticed him.
"Hey, you! Where's your squad leader?"
—EXECU…
"What are you talking about? I'm directly under Ulos," Alum replied calmly, pretending to look down. "Oh… I dropped it somewhere."
The woman flinched. "…My bad, you're a direct subordinate of Ulos, I see," she then murmured to herself, 'No wonder you were just looking around…' then cleared her throat. "A-anyways, we're almost done, let us know when it's time to depart."
"…Hah?" Alum heaved a tired sigh. "Don't waste my time, get back to work."
Alum turned his back, and as he walked away, he heard whispers behind his back. Other squad leaders asked her what the deal was with Alum's killing intent was but she just told them he got mad because she didn't know who he was.
When he made his way into a hallway, he saw a machine being operated by a few mages.
—Found it.
He casually walked through the door; the mages suspected nothing until one of them raised an eyebrow. They couldn't detect a signature from the man who'd just closed the door, and in the next instance, blood ran down their mouths—they couldn't even scream, there was no air to reverberate in their throat.
With everything in his line of sight, Alum clenched his fist, catching them off guard and rupturing their lungs with telekinetic pressure.
He fell to his knees, coughing up blood as the strained shard cut him from within. Almost paralyzed from his own powers, he hurriedly grabbed a healing core from the void storage ring to slowly heal as he panted heavily, catching his breath.
"Shit…" he cursed. "It's still not reliable…" he remarked, clenching the healing core close to his chest, supporting himself with the other limb, sweat and blood dripped from his chin.
—Now… that couple, Alum noted as he left the room covered in ice, covering the stench of blood, and freezing the door shut.
Now watching from the hall, Alum noticed a man grabbing two youths, a boy and a girl, dragging them away.
"Amelia!" a boy with blue hair and eyes cried out to the girl. "Take me instead, you bastard! Not my sister!"
But… nobody cried for the boy being taken away. But then, unlike the blue-haired girl with tears streaming down her eyes, the boy's leafy green eyes were those of hollow resignation.
Alum tailed the man until he entered a hall. "Hey," he called out to the man.
"Oh… you're… how can I help you, Sir?"
"You seem to be at your wits' end. I'll take over."
"T-thank you…" The man said, handing over the two youths.
"…" Alum couldn't help but ask. "Why is someone as fragile as you in this cult?"
He recoiled a little, eyes widening.
"You won't get in trouble. It's between you and me," Alum said casually.
"I… I did many things, but… how did I end up here…" the man heaved in defeat, leaning on the wall.
Alum placed a hand on the man's head; at the moment of contact, the man slid down, unable to move or to feel anything.
'You'll die within an hour, but you won't feel a thing. As undeserving or deserving as it is, take this time to regret,' Alum whispered, then remarked for the youths to hear. "What an useless subordinate, sleeping on the job."
—I'm sorry. I still need your fear.
..
It didn't take long until Alum found the right room. As if the stench of bodily fluids wasn't disgusting enough, the girl next to him almost fainted, but was too scared; even the listless boy covered his mouth, swallowing the gag.
Opening the door… a man and a woman were having sex with broken souls; it didn't matter what gender, as long as they were pretty. Then, there was a pile of these 'broken souls' on the sideline.
The two turned toward Alum, saying, "Perfect! These two have stopped working," both said in unison. They looked at one another and began whispering, 'I know that was the deal, but… we could ask?'
The woman then said, "Hey there white white-haired, pretty boy~ wan~na… jo~in?" she asked suggestively.
Alum, letting go of the two in his, flashing her a sinister smile. "That's what I hoped for. Are you sure? I'm quite dominant."
She clenched her chest. "Oh my~ Dear, did you hear that?"
"Of course I did my sweet darling… Hey, boy… do you… Like men, too?" he asked, panting as he raised an eyebrow.
Alum smiled. "If I wasn't aware, I wouldn't have agreed, right? Besides, who can resist such a prime body as yours?"
"Oh? You flatter me, this is just how a swordsman is, right, Darling?"
"Yup~! But I'm going first!" she exclaimed.
"As you wish," Alum said as he approached her, pushing her down roughly.
"Ah~! Oh my… you're so rough~" she said, licking her lips. "But that's so hot…" she added.
"…" Alum kept his smile. "I told you." He then turned toward the amused man. "Why don't you take a few steps back and watch?"
"Alright…" the man chuckled. "But you'd better give me the same treatment."
"…I will," Alum turned towards the youths. "You better turn around and cover your ears," he commanded, and they complied.
As the man backed off, Alum grabbed the woman's arms, pinning them above her head.
"Haaah~" she quivered. "How's my… body~" the woman panted sensually.
Still restraining her with his left hand, Alum traced his fingers up her neck and her cheek, stopping by the temple.
"Perfect," Alum said, smiling.
—Click…
Her eyes were wide open, filled with terror. The world stood still, and a cold, steel-like sensation haunted her left temple—the barrel of the PARC-PN6. Barely penetrating her resilient [Mana Armor], the bullet was just enough to blow her head up—BOOM!
"—Wh-what?! Enemy attack!?" the man yelled, looking around in confusion until…
"Indeed," the bloodstained Alum replied as he faced the man.
Confused and filled with rage, the man charged toward Alum with a barely materialized divine weapon—in his current mental state, and without her help, do you stand a chance? Alum questioned in his mind.
Alum almost used telekinetic force, but was unable due to insurmountable pain and psychic fatigue. Swiftly, he materialized Depth Cutter andused [Infused Plasma], cleaving through the barely materialized sword and cleanly decapitating the man.
He pulled out the PARC-PN6 once more, shot the woman in the chest, and the man in the head.
—One… more to go… he coldly remarked to himself.
But… Alum was unable to keep his composure, and a surge of disgust overwhelmed him as he fell to his knees, shaking.
'Disgustingdisgustingdisgustingdisgustingdisgusting—' he repeated under his breath.
The two youths watched in confusion, but were terrified, and the broken souls… were truly broken.
Finally, he reached out for a candy back inside the void ring, trying to calm himself with a caramel. His hands were still shaking, but they got steadier with each breath.
"Hahahahah!" A loud laugh suddenly echoed throughout the room. "I can't believe this! I'm actually surrounded by idiots!" a man exclaimed. "Isn't it funny how an outsider just walked in?!" he screamed an inquiry at the subordinates who were behind him.
The blond man was covered in full body armor, his red eyes were filled with rage, but also amusement, and his mana was disgustingly noticeable despite an active mana zone.
—Ulos… Alum frowned, then eyed behind the man. Sigh… They're up to you, Jan.