In the Land of Leadale - Volume 2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Golems, Players, the Role of the Transcendental, and a Guardian Tower

It was their fourth day in Helshper. Cayna told Elineh and the others that she would be away for two or three days. 

“A request?” 

“Yes. I’ll be delivering goods to a knight garrison for Caerick.” 

“I see. Well, I’m certain I don’t need to worry about you, Lady Cayna, but do be careful. I’m relieved to hear you two are on good terms now.” 

“Yeah, ah-ha-ha-ha… I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble, Elineh.” 

Elineh looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. Cayna could only give a dry laugh in reply. After all, the relationship between Helshper’s most powerful merchant and one of Felskeilo’s most influential adventurers had gotten into an argument. From his point of view, watching them fight for reasons unknown to him must have been unbearable. The news that they had resolved his biggest fear harmoniously was bound to bring out such a reaction. 

“This is Miss Cayna we’re talking about, so I really doubt anything’s gonna happen. Can’t be too careful, though.” 

“We’ll need your talents on the way back, Lady Cayna, so please take care.” 

“I will. Thank you, Elineh, Arbiter.” 

Everyone saw her off warmly, and Cayna headed to the western gate. Caerick had informed her earlier that he’d send a supply wagon for her in the early morning. In any case, even if half the story was a front, she really was going to deliver supplies. 

When she arrived, the gatekeepers and several merchant carriages that traveled between the capital and the nearby fishing villages were standing outside the western gate. Many of the fishing villages’ residents had been displaced by the bandits, and the number of marine products entering the capital was on the decline. Cayna had heard that they couldn’t enter the city and instead lived together in a huddle outside its walls. As long as they were in close proximity to the capital, the soldiers would notice any monsters or beasts and drive them off, but it was still dangerous. 

It wasn’t as if she was brimming with a sense of justice, but this news made Cayna feel like tackling the bandits for real. 

Mixed among the carriages by the western gate were small, simple wagons covered with canopies pulled by short, stout donkeys. The snug, compact look was similar to a handcart. 

Waiting next to it was the young master of Sakaiya, Caerick’s son, Idzik. When he spotted her, he gave a deep bow and greeted her. 

“My sincere apologies, Great-Grandmother, for having you come all this way so early in the morning…” 

“It’s not early at all. The sun is already pretty high up. If anything, I think we’re getting a late start.” 

Based on the sun’s position, it was probably around seven. If this were during a journey, everyone would have eaten and set off in the carriages already, so one might say it was rather late in the day. 

“No, my father spoke out of turn and caused you much distress, so this is the least we can do to apologize. Thank you very much for accepting our request.” 

“I guess it’s hard to find someone willing to take on this job…” 

“No one can say what will happen during the journey, after all. Many adventurers hesitate to get involved with the knights and Sakaiya, so it’s been a bit of a struggle for us.” 

The young master’s pained smile told her of the suffering he must have gone through, and she instinctively patted his head. Idzik only knew about Cayna from the basic outline he’d heard from Caerick and fearfully shrunk in on himself. 

“Well, I know I’m just an outsider, but even if you fail, sometimes not taking a job too seriously can be a good thing as long as it doesn’t affect the next one. Hey, there are people above you who can take responsibility, right?” 

“Ah yes… Although I cannot say doing so would be an easy feat.” 

“Well, I’m off.” 

“Thank you. Do take care.” 

As the guards at the gate and Idzik saw her off, Cayna gripped the donkey’s reins and headed south down the hill away from the capital. The well-trained animal followed her commands even without the use of her Beast Master skill. It matched her walking pace and clopped along with her. 

Perhaps it was due to the abundance of lakes and wetlands, but a mist began to roll in after about an hour of traveling downhill. It wasn’t thick enough to impede the path ahead, so they wouldn’t fall into any water as long as they didn’t go off course. When the trail continued along a mostly even surface, she looked back and saw the just-barely visible walls of the capital. 

As they kept at a steady pace, Cayna thought, I have to go two days like this? I bet it’ll be faster with a straight path. 

The time between thought and execution was about ten seconds. 

In that same instant, a giant red crab appeared from the summoning circle beneath her. Even its width reached eight meters across. There were four legs as thick as human arms on each side for a total of eight, and it had two pincers on each side that were huge enough to easily cut an adult torso in half. 

It was a crab monster known as a veldocancer. This one was about level 180. They mostly lived in rivers. In the Game Era, the ones in what was currently the area near the Ejidd River served as prey for players who were more than beginners but not quite midlevel yet. 

Cayna thought the donkey might run away or go wild with fear, but it was a calm soul that did nothing more than utter a hee-haaaw. 

“Think you could give us a ride, veld?” 

Although the veldocancer hadn’t moved a muscle since being summoned and merely frothed from the mouth, it heard Cayna’s request and popped out its multiple eyes up and down in understanding. She picked a good spike on its shell and fixed the cart’s wheels in place. 

Cayna then cast the spell Field and gave it a range that was only five meters in diameter. This magic would create a barrier that could make even a little ledge on a cliff or a boat rocked about by angry waves an incredibly comfortable experience. Aside from the fact that it consumed MP every ten minutes and had a narrow range, it was rather effective. 

Even though it was an uncomfortably tough shell covered in spikes, it felt as if she were sitting on a smooth floor. Once Cayna got the donkey unhitched from the cart and settled in, she pointed the veldocancer in the direction she wanted to go. This path was a direct line on the map, and although they’d encounter some lakes and rivers along the way, it was no problem at all for this monster. 

Cayna gave the go signal, and the veldocancer began to scuffle along, not sideways but facing forward. As long as they avoided the main roads and continued along the largely undulating, lake-filled regions, their chances of coming across eyewitnesses were slim. 

“…Grandmother. Caerick informed me through Telepathy today that since you are delivering supplies from him, he would like us to let you proceed as you please. However, considering that you should have only left early this morning, why have you arrived just before evening? Might I hear the reason?” 

The knight garrison Cayna had reached was nestled in a narrow valley and surrounded by cliffs. Looking at the sentries stationed there, the cliffs seemed to act as a natural barricade with the fences that had been erected. The main road that normally had nothing more than inspection points had been turned into a line of defense against the bandits. 

Several rows of bungalows to the north served as the main headquarters and housing for the commanding officers. The average soldiers appeared to be staying in large tents. 

Cayna had arrived in the early evening of the same day she left the Helshper capital’s western gate. She had lessened a trip that usually took two days on foot by twenty-eight hours. 

To say nothing of Caerina, whom Caerick had informed ahead of time, the other knights who had heard when the supplies were scheduled to show up were also shocked to see Cayna and rushed to greet her. Several garrison servants unloaded all her luggage and made sure the donkey was cared for as well. 

Cayna was then led to the true master of the garrison, or in other words, Caerina, and questioned in an interrogation room they referred to as the parlor. 

Before her stood Caerina and her second-in-command, a werecat man. 

“I hurried all the way here to bring the supplies you so wanted, and this is the thanks I get?” said Cayna. 

“This isn’t a criticism of you in any way…,” Caerina began. 

“You know this adventurer, Captain?” 

“Yes, she’s my grandmother. Not that she should receive any special treatment.” 

“……What?!” 

The co-captain’s eyes grew wide, and he looked back and forth between the still-baby-faced high elf in her late teens and his stoic commanding officer. 

Here we go again, thought Cayna. If anything, she considered Caerina as more of a sister. And naturally, any outsider would see Caerina as the elder and Cayna as the younger. 

As if attempting to hide her embarrassment, Caerina put her hands on her hips and changed the subject. She once again asked Cayna for an explanation. 

With a wry smile of Guess there’s no getting around this, Cayna openly confessed how she had traveled there. 

“You summoned a monster and rode it here?!” 

“I sure did.” 

From the perspective of a player, it wasn’t a big deal in the least, but the co-captain let out a frantic shout at the news of this abject bucking of societal norms. No one had ever heard of someone summoning a monster and controlling it. The werecat’s normally stoic expression grew increasingly suspicious, as if the person right before him were spreading wild rumors. 

“Such falsehoods will hurt your career as an adventurer.” 

“Huh?” 

Cayna looked surprised. She certainly hadn’t been expecting that kind of response. Since the only knights she’d ever met were the self-important, arrogant chumps in Felskeilo, she was touched that one of Helshper’s own would express concern about her potential career. 

The werecat’s expression grew troubled, but as soon as Caerina shot him a look, he reluctantly stepped back. 

“Be that as it may, I would prefer greater discretion when it comes to fulfilling Caerick’s self-indulgent requests,” said Caerina. 

“Ah, I knew it.” 

In Cayna’s opinion, such a cookie-cutter response only proved that bureaucratic red tape was the same no matter where you went. 

The moment she decided to bulldoze her way through this completely anticipated reply, a commotion suddenly came from outside. It sounded like a bunch of people madly running around. Loud, angry voices were throwing out orders left and right. Just as the three of them went on high alert, a soldier came rushing through the door without so much as a knock. Not even waiting to catch his breath, he clutched his chest, gave a bow, and quickly issued his report. 

“Reporting! It’s an attack! There are nine enemies! We believe them to be rock golems!” 

“What?! Prepare a counterattack!” 

Accepting her orders, the soldier did a right about-face and fled the room. The co-captain’s red-lined cape fluttered as he hastily followed. 

Just as Caerina was about to join them, she turned back for a moment and pointed at Cayna. 

“You will quietly remain here, Grandmother. All right?” 

“Really? Oh dear, whatever shall I do?” Cayna wondered dramatically. She tilted her head and gazed off in no particular direction. 

Caerina watched this act with a pained smile, said “It’s not my fault if you get hurt,” and left the room. 

“Aren’t you going to help?” 

“Seriously, what do I do now?” 

At Kee’s question, Cayna sat with her elbows on the back of the chair, bent backward, and looked up at the ceiling. She’d cast Search on all the knights and soldiers as soon as she arrived and felt it would be too difficult to watch. Even if she did, Caerina was the only one with any decent fighting power. 

Even the co-captain wasn’t as skilled as Arbiter and probably served as nothing more than a burden. The rest of the knights were so low-level that it was painful to watch. At this rate, she surmised that it really would have been better to bring the Flame Spears along. 

Using the attack as a chance to cross the defensive line was one option, but that would mean abandoning her granddaughter. This left a bad taste in Cayna’s mouth. 

Feeling a sense of nostalgia as the atmosphere grew more similar to battles from the days of old with each passing moment, she stood from her chair. 

As evening dipped the grassland in orange, nine shadows sluggishly walked toward the defensive line. One was particularly large compared with the rest. The other eight were the size of human adults, while that single shadow was about the size of a cavalryman. 

Several more of these cavalrymen were located just behind the group. According to initial sentry reports, they had changed their course in the garrison’s grounds. 

Caerina and the other knights moved to high ground and looked in the direction the sentries had indicated. They groaned. Sure enough, step by step, nine human-shaped figures were awkwardly lumbering toward them. 

Be that as it may, the only humanoid beings taller than two meters were the dragoids, and this enemy’s physique shared nothing in common with them. Creatures that looked like people yet were made of boulders and stone were known as rock golems. 

Eight of the nine were human-sized, but the last one stood two heads taller than the rest. Caerina silently analyzed it and clicked her tongue quietly enough so her subordinates wouldn’t hear. There were many reasons for her displeasure, the first one being that her knights were at an overwhelming disadvantage. The second was that without hammers and maces, it would be impossible to deliver any decisive damage to this kind of foe. 

Even so, as knights serving their country, they couldn’t exactly say, We’re in trouble, so let’s get out of here. It was frustrating for the subordinates to know that they’d most likely sustain serious injuries, but they had to risk their lives and fight on. 

“Don’t let them advance any farther! Archers! Fire at will!” 

From high above, the prepared archers nocked their arrows and released simultaneously. Bolts from powerful crossbows shot straight, and fire arrows released from longbows created a parabola across the sky. Perhaps the soldiers really did have talent; 80 percent of the arrows struck directly between the stones and boulders or in the rock golems’ faces. 

However, that was all it did. The crossbow bolts struck the enemy with a dull thud! and bounced right off. The fire arrows merely scraped the surface, fell to the ground, and burned a section of the field. The knights let out mumbled curses of “Shit!” but this did nothing to quell the rock golems’ advance. They’d been hit with enough arrows to make anyone else look like a porcupine, but that didn’t stop the golems for a moment. Their force could rip through the garrison’s simple fence like paper. 

“Captain! Let’s get out there!” 

“Yeah! We can’t let those things take one step farther!” 

The hot-blooded subordinates each shouted their counsel. Caerina understood where they were coming from. She truly did, but she didn’t believe they stood a chance against these foes. 

Even so, they were running out of time. If the rock golems breached the garrison, not only would the knights’ morale plummet, but many noncombatants would be harmed as well. 

“All hands, draw your swords! Don’t let them get any closer!” 

“““Right!!””” 

Her mind made up, Caerina drew her sword from its sheath. As she did so, the knights serving her followed suit and lifted their blades high. The orange sky rang with the sound of scabbards, and each person gave an inspiring war cry. 

“For Helshper!” 

“We won’t let ’em get the better of us!” 

“Victory is ours!” 

“I raise this sword to the captain!” 

“Huh?! Dammit, that’s low!” 

“The winner always makes the first move!” 

“I raise my sword to the captain, too!” 

The latter half of these cries were probably supposed to lighten the mood, but… 

“Everyone, stay sharp! Chaaaaarge!!” 

On the co-captain’s orders, the roaring knights faced the rock golems as one and rushed forward. 

Fewer than twenty knights were stationed at this encampment, meaning there were about two people for every golem. The high-pitched clang of metal against rock immediately rang out across the battlefield. No matter how the knights cut and sliced, their blades proved worthless. They merely wedged into the rock and stone with a spray of sparks. 

The fists of the slow-moving rock golems couldn’t keep up with the nimble knights and struck the air. Neither side was able to get a decent hit on the other. 

However, the side with the real disadvantage was the group of knights who didn’t want to lose their position. They kept clanging away at the enemy with their bronze swords, but the golems steadily closed in on the defensive line. The knights scrambled to react, but they had already lost their cool. 

One frustrated soldier aimed for a golem’s glowing red eye and stabbed with all his might. A conspicuously loud clang followed as the blade pierced through the glowing cavity. 

…Or so it appeared. 

The sword was merely stuck there. The rock golem had no sense of pain and couldn’t even feel the slightest itch. 

Conversely, the knight got the impression his attack had worked and stopped moving. Anyone would see that he’d left himself open. A single forceful blow pummeled his head and crushed his helmet. He went slamming into the ground and passed out without even the chance to let out a scream. A thick, pillar-like foot then proceeded to kick him out of the way. The knight’s body flew into the air like a rag doll and rolled away limply after it fell back down to earth. 

A comrade quickly rushed to the injured man’s side and saw that his breastplate had been crushed. His breathing was faint, and the knight lifted him on his shoulders to take him from the battlefield. He continued to call out to him in a loud voice, but the man’s intermittent breaths gave no answer. 

“Dammit!” 

With the loss of a single member, the knights’ coordination began to crumble. The previous heroic atmosphere had disappeared. 

Caerina and the co-captain managed to destroy one leg of the biggest golem and further slow its movements. 

Then, as she finally checked the situation around them and saw another two subordinates go flying in arcs through the sky… 

The rock golem began pursuing the two injured soldiers further. 

“Captain?! Please wait!” 

Ignoring her co-captain’s admonitions, Caerina raced toward the rock golem and imbued her raised sword with magic. The surrounding knights voiced their awe and admiration at the red magic she wielded. 

An instant later, the crimson magic blade transformed into a large flaming sword. 

“HYAAAAAAAA!!” 

With a mighty shout, Caerina swung her sword and released its energy. 

Weapon Skill: Fire Blade 

The red semicircular slash cut a straight line through the air and pierced the rock golem’s chest. A large explosion followed, and the golem did a somersault before toppling to the ground with an earthquake-like tremor. 

“““OHHHHHH!!””” 

“That’s our captain!” 

“Take that, you rockheads!” 

The knights cheered and shouted with glee. Caerina, meanwhile, was drenched in sweat and breathing hard. She leaned against her sword to forcefully keep her knees from buckling. 

“Captain!” 

“I’m okay. But it might be hopeless…” 

As Caerina and her co-captain murmured quietly, the newly beaten rock golem before them began to slowly move. Bigger than all the rest, it regenerated its broken knee and stood up. 

The knights’ numbers were diminishing while the enemy’s were still in fighting form—there was hardly a scratch on them. 

The wide-eyed knights looked over at Caerina in shock. Just as she was about to say they’d have no choice but to retreat, she heard a laid-back voice from behind her. 

“That was fantastic. If being self-taught has brought you that far, then color me impressed.” 

Weapon Skill: Zamzer Blade 

A crescent moon–shaped bolt of lightning raced right past Caerina. The very next instant, the threat before them was cut diagonally from the right shoulder to the left hip. The knights didn’t move a muscle as they watched the rock golem begin to crumble apart from where it was struck. It was reduced to mere stones and boulders that rolled along the ground. 

When Caerina looked back in astonishment, she found Cayna kicking a pebble beneath her feet. In her right hand was a short sword emitting sparks of electricity. 

Upon the arrival of the sudden new intruder, the knights stepped away from the rock golem she had done battle with and regarded Cayna with suspicion. 

“It’s good to have a well-rounded education,” she said. 

Not paying the least bit of attention to the ten or so swords pointed at her, she raised her shining golden blade to the sky. 

Magic Skill: Zan Ga Boa: Ready Set 

The electricity released from her blade circled around her to form eight orbs, each about the size of a human head. Yellow sparks cutting through the sky rose up into the golden orbs. 

They twirled above Cayna’s head as if they were singing and dancing—as if they were alive. Cayna aimed at the rock golems, and with a murmur of “Go,” the spheres whirled higher and higher. 

Cayna then swung her electric sword toward the ground like a conductor’s baton, and pillars of lightning came crashing down from the orbs and onto the rock golems. 

The sound was loud enough to make everyone present drop their weapons. The light burned their eyes, the vibrations rumbled through their very cores, and the thunderous roar left them momentarily deaf. 

The hammer-like lightning attack split the rock golems clean in two. Afterward, the remaining pillars of light that towered over them annihilated the reforming stones until nothing remained. 

Covering their ears against the close-range explosions, the knights stood there dumbfounded. All too quickly, a single person had obliterated something that had threatened their very lives. 

As the knights murmured “What in the world is she…?” among one another, Caerina was able to speak up and get them to sluggishly move. They hurried to the aid of their comrades and were shocked to find even those on the verge of death from rock golem–related injuries sleeping with peaceful expressions. 

“Oh, I healed them for you,” Cayna said with a grin that she covered as if she were a precocious child. 

The knights eyed her dubiously. 

They had no idea how they were supposed to react to such an impossibly quick full recovery. 

“Grandmother. Thank you very much for helping my subordinates.” 

Caerina stood up shakily, then gave a simple bow with her hand to her chest. 

Cayna cast a gentle gaze on her granddaughter and put her electric short sword back in its sheath. She stroked Caerina’s cheek. 

“You gathered up a Fireball into your sword and attacked just like that, right? It’s a good concept, but I’m guessing that on top of not being able to do anything else in the meantime, you use up too much magic and can’t go on afterward?” 

“It is shameful.” 

The co-captain looked at Cayna in utter shock as she completely saw through the workings of Caerina’s most secret technique with ease. After all, he had never heard of a mage who could unleash a skill two or three levels higher than Caerina’s own with no side effects and perfectly wield high-density magic singlehandedly. 

Cayna eluded his gaze with a bright smile, looked at him for a moment, then turned to the rock golem she’d just taken care of. 

“Looks like the sun will set soon.” 

The only orange left in the sky was over by the trees across from them. Up above, a deep indigo-blue night was fast approaching. 

“You all should take the glory for this. Or should we report that a little girl saved the nearly annihilated knights all on her own?” 

Cayna put a hand to her grinning face and squatted down to look up at Caerina, who bit her lip. She appeared insulted at the idea of giving up any achievements. 

“Tch… What do you want in return?” 

“What I said from the very beginning. I wish to pass through here. You’re okay with that, right? I’ll pick up the donkey and cart on my way back, so look after them for me, okay?” 

“…Please do as you like. However, proceed at your own risk. We knights want no part of what you’re up to.” 

“Unfortunately, risk comes with being an adventurer. Thanks for your consideration.” 

Having said all she wanted, Cayna turned away and headed south toward the plains. After wordlessly seeing her off, Caerina dropped her tense shoulders and patted the dumbfounded co-captain’s own. 

“Ah… Wh-who in the world was that adventurer just now?” 

“Probably the strongest person on the entire continent. Notify the others without telling anyone of what you’ve seen here. It’ll be trouble if someone out there learns of her existence. If we’re not careful, it may cost us Helshper entirely.” 

“That can’t be…” 

He and the other knights who were listening were dubious of the exaggerated future Caerina spoke of. 

“Remember this well: There are monsters in this world that can destroy a city in a single magic strike.” 

A few gulped audibly at Caerina’s dead-serious eyes and stern voice. The truth was that the knights understood what she meant by the quick preview they just witnessed. They put their hands to their chests and took Caerina’s warning to heart. 

“Next, send a messenger to request more personnel. We’ll leave the defensive line in this state and send several people out to do reconnaissance. It’s a good opportunity to prove my words true. Take a good look around. We can ascertain whether she left behind anything in her wake.” 

Her tone made it sound like they were talking about something from legends and fairy tales that trampled down armies. Chills ran down their spines. 

In order to get Caerina’s plan moving along, the co-captain dashed over to the garrison. A fed and watered horse was brought out, and a messenger soldier was sent to the capital with a missive. The knights who had been injured by rock golems were carefully moved to the tents. These survivors were given nothing more than dry meat and stale rye bread before being split into those who would remain behind on defense and those who would be part of the scouting team. Preparations were soon underway. 

The opportunity for Caerina to prove her claims would come sooner than expected. 

It happened as evening shifted even further into the dark indigo of night, and a chilly air filled the garrison. A thick pillar of light rose up without warning in the direction of the southern sky Cayna had run toward. 

Everyone froze, mouths agape as they stared up at the beam of light cutting through the darkness. An instant later, a half dome in gradating reds appeared at its base. It took up a greater part of the night sky and illuminated the meadow in twilight. 

Just as it seemed as if the long shadows created by the trees would reach the garrison, there was a subtle tremor beneath their feet, and a noise echoed with a BWAAAM! 

The red dome was absorbed into the darkness, and it disappeared just as suddenly as it had shown up. 

“That grandmother of mine isn’t very subtle. She has absolutely no concept about doing things in moderation…” 

Caerina’s mother once told her as she put her to bed: “Your grandmother can blow away an entire city with one hit of magic.” 

What Caerina just witnessed was surely that very power. 

“Is…is a person doing that?” 

Caerina nodded deeply while her co-captain appeared speechless. As she watched him immediately go pale, she thought it might be too cruel to tell him that likely wasn’t the full extent of her grandmother’s power. 

She pointed out that there was still a possibility of surviving enemies and sent out scouts to check. 

During the recent battle, Cayna had noticed several cavalrymen observing the garrison from the rear. She also noticed how they became flustered and ran off when she defeated the rock golems, so she sent a Wind Spirit after them. 

When it turned out that the camp they’d fled to wasn’t even a half day’s ride by horse, she was both surprised and exasperated. 

“Did the knights not notice them, or are they just blind?” 

“The caster was present but cleverly hidden. The fact that they do not appear to be among this group only proves that.” 

From what she could tell, the escapees were your garden-variety bandits. Even from her hiding place, Cayna could hear them shouting things like “Contact the boss!” and “Man, no one ever told me those things would go down that easy!” 

Since fighting the bandits individually would have been a pain, Cayna used magic to cloud their minds and make them pass out. She then burned the camp to a crisp with the biggest and farthest-reaching Flame Magic she could muster, leaving behind a massive, deep crater. Finally, she used an earth-based spell to form holes in the crater and buried the bandits up to their necks. 

Cayna figured that the enormous magic display she just pulled off would attract enough of Caerina’s attention that she’d send scouts to investigate and take care of the matter. Interrogating petty bandits for decent info wouldn’t do Cayna much good. 

After that, she called upon three Brown Dragons with Summoning Magic: Dragon. Since her summoning strength was set to level 2, the Brown Dragons that appeared were about the size of large dogs. Their ochre scales designated them as earth types, and they were as ferocious as the ankylosaurus dinosaur. Like the Blue Dragon species, it was also one of the seven types of dragons that couldn’t fly. However, it boasted the greatest defensive and physical power of them all. 

Cayna devoted two of the dragons to leading the way south through the night. The third dragon stayed slightly ahead of her and kept a close watch on their surroundings. 

As she followed, Cayna thought about the rock golems. 

“Hmm, there was something weird about the level of those golems… Kee?” 

“Eight of them were level 43, and only one was level 172.” 

“In that case, based on the limits of Summoning Magic, the caster split one golem into eight and split four into one. That equals twelve. It fits perfectly. Huh… Could that mean there are other players besides me around?” 

“If the game’s original settings are still in place, I believe dwarves, elves, demons, and high elves can easily live two hundred years.” 

Summoning Magic had a specific rule: If you wished to call upon multiple of the same creature, it could only be a maximum of nine, and your summoning strength had to equal a total of level 12. 

Monsters and animals had their own elemental attributes, each of which were closely connected. These attributes were split into groups along the lines of the five basic elements. In Leadale, four of the groups were Earth, Water, Fire, and Air, while the other two were Light and Dark. 

The groups possessed special values: If you called upon an Earth-type monster, you couldn’t call a Wind-type one. If you called upon a Fire type and a Water type at the same time, the Fire type would automatically weaken the Water. If you called upon a Light type and a Dark type, they would clash with each other and get out of control. And so on. 

The recent rock golem battle followed these rules perfectly. At the very least, it was proof that a player had been the one to send them. Namely, it meant that the bandits’ boss was a midlevel player. From Kee’s analysis, Cayna figured they had to be around level 430. 

“They’re pretty strong, then. Skargo and his siblings, let alone Caerina, would be no match for them.” 

The whupping the knights had gotten made this very clear. The other question was, how had a player slipped into a world abandoned by the Admins? Cayna had a hard time believing this person went through the kind of freak accident she had. In which case, that also raised the question of how much of the Admins’ influence remained in this world. There was certainly no end to the mysteries. 

“Either way, I guess I don’t really have any other option but to go and ask this person myself.” 

The night was wearing on, so Cayna called back the two Brown Dragons leading the way. Their mission had been to search for the individual who created the rock golems. 

Since the camp had been full of nothing but low-level bandits, Cayna thought maybe the golem’s caster hightailed it out of there after making the rock golems. That was why she’d kept to the main road, but apparently her guess had been off. 

After deciding that any further searching was useless, Cayna settled in for the night until morning came. She had the dragons stand watch as she slept, when she was most vulnerable. Cayna also had her Pervert Blocker arm bangle and Kee, more importantly. Either of the two would immediately alert her if anything was amiss. 

She never slept outside during the Game Era, and naturally she didn’t have the tent that had usually been considered more of a gag item. When she summoned a small Fire Spirit in place of a bonfire, a fiery monkey appeared and sat down cross-legged. 

Wrapping herself up in a blanket and her cape to form a simple sleeping bag, Cayna used one of the Brown Dragons as a pillow and let herself relax. It wasn’t long before she was fast asleep. 

The next morning, Cayna woke up refreshed. She gave a big yawn and eyed her surroundings with a weary smile. Two of the Brown Dragons had gathered around the one she’d been using as a pillow. She should have been sleeping on the ground, but since they’d huddled together, she was up on its back as if it were a pedestal or altar. 

After cleansing herself with Purity, she made a sandwich with her Cooking Skills and had breakfast. Luckily, since she bought vegetables, meat, and bread along with the cake ingredients, she could always have a hot meal. 

After putting away her blanket in the Item Box, she switched gears and once again headed south. Now far from the Helshper capital, the scenery changed from blue waters to a stretch of green. The lakes and marshlands decreased while the grasslands and wilderness increased. The flat terrain continued on, which made it simple for her to spot any bandits. Then again, she was likewise easy to spot as well. 

Even with full knowledge of this, Cayna made her way forward while looking neither left nor right. Finally, she sighted a building. It stood on the small island in the middle of the lake, just as Elineh had spoken of. This was most likely the aforementioned beautiful castle and what the adventurers at the Guild had called Crescent Moon Castle. 

There was something dignified and solemn about its presence, however. It strongly reminded her of those random palaces she’d see while surfing the Internet. 

Whether it was a castle or a palace was neither here nor there; the real issue was the people camped out right in front of the lake. Several paddleboats were bobbing along the shore, and a rough-looking crowd who may as well have been screaming We’re about to loot that palace! had gathered. There was no mistaking that these were the bandits causing so much trouble for Helshper lately. 

Seeing as there was no form of coverage on the grassland, once Cayna noticed them, they naturally noticed her, too. She soon heard shouts of “It’s an enemy attack!” “Tell the boss!” “Isn’t it just one little girl?” and “We can handle ’er on our own.” 

“Ignorance is not bliss.” 

Kee sounded exasperated. If he had a body, he would have surely shrugged and shook his head hopelessly. 

The three Brown Dragons were still by Cayna’s side, and she asked them to take care of the bandits. Glad to be of service, they let out a squeal in unison and charged at the enemy. 

The bandits must have thought the dog-sized, armored beasts were some subspecies of wolf monster. Archers fired their arrows, but these tragically bounced right off the dragons. The dragons looked hardy enough, but at that size, anyone was bound to underestimate them. 

There were only three Brown Dragons and over twenty bandits. As puny as the three were, however, they were still dragons. Furthermore, a single one was level 220. 

The Brown Dragons charged into the bandits headfirst without ever slowing down and completely trampled them. The sound of broken bones followed as the bandits went flying through the air from a dragon head-butt. The lightest swish of the creatures’ tails bent the men in half and left them immobile. Their Sand Breath clung to a person’s body and instantly solidified them into sandstone sculptures. In a matter of minutes, the bandits were falling to the ground like wailing works of art. 

Cayna, meanwhile, was up against a figure in full armor who appeared out of nowhere. Their azure outfit had spikes on the shoulders and elbows, and they seemed to be staring at her. 

“It looks like you’ve taken good care of my subordinates.” 

“No need to thank me.” 

When Cayna used Search to check their stats, she could only confirm their level. Just as she’d surmised earlier, her foe was level 432. 

She knew the armor was preventing her from getting any more details. Only one piece of equipment used an open-winged Blue Dragon as a helmet. Cayna was annoyed that they seemed to be heading in the direction of hand-to-hand combat. The black horns protruding from the helmet only added to her frustration. 

She could also tell from her opponent’s voice that he was surprisingly young, at least her age or maybe a bit younger. 

“You look like nothing more than an adventurer, so what’s your business here?! Don’t you think it’s a bit harsh to toss my men around like rags?!” 

“Huh? …Weren’t you the one who sicced those rock golems on the knight garrison?!” 

“What? Ah, that was a nice display. I didn’t have a hand in it, though.” 

“Huh?” 

Cayna instantly narrowed her eyes at this extremely odd statement. Her foe seemed to at least value the lives of the bandit underlings. And yet he didn’t appear to care at all about the knights who’d had the stuffing beat out of them. 

By saying the rock golems did it, was he trying to insinuate he only gave the order? 

The sheer recklessness of this person left Cayna incredulous. 

Maybe he thought he was still in the world of the game? 

“This is Leadale, but it’s also not, y’know.” 

“Are you nuts? Now that the Game Masters are gone, player killers can do whatever we want. Isn’t it awesome to watch your level skyrocket?” 

From regarding his words and actions alone, Cayna immediately realized this was just a normal kid who hadn’t come to grips with reality. Although he looked grown, on the inside he was a child with poor morals. That said, Cayna didn’t consider herself an adult, either, and all desire to capture her opponent went out the window. 

“This is reality. You can’t just selfishly decide who lives or dies.” 

“The heck are you talking about? This is a game, ain’t it? I can take people down and level up all I want.” 

Cayna withdrew the magic staff she wore as an earring. She spun it in her hand once, and it instantly extended to nearly two meters in length. At the same time, all her combat-oriented Active Skills automatically kicked in. If the average person so much as even approached her, not only would her vicious nullifying abilities take effect, twelve different skills, such as Menace, Intimidate, Attack Support, Defense Support, Bonus Damage, and Reduced Damage, would also solidify her presence. 

“I’ll prove you’re wrong. This is the real world.” 

“Quit bein’ stupid. I told you—we’re in a game. Maybe you oughtta upgrade your operating system!” 

He unsheathed the large sword on his back. Its upper half was split into fangs, and the blade itself gave a screech of “Geh-geh-geh-geh.” It was the gag weapon known as the Hungry Like the Wolf Sword that ripped and broke apart any average weapon the moment they made contact. Her foe’s Supreme King of Fools Armor had absolutely no magic effects cast on it, either. At this rate, he was practically screaming, Look, I’m a player! 

“Don’t think you stand a chance against a player. You dunno who you’re messing with!” the bandit leader spat. 

“I’m gonna make you eat those words.” 

The unexpected meeting that resulted in a fight to prove one’s own doctrine was about to begin. 

The signal to start was a high-pitched shriek of metal. The Wolf Sword and magic staff clashed violently and set off sparks. 

“Tch!” 

With a click of his tongue, the bandit leader quickly withdrew from their point of contact and created distance. Cayna swung the staff in her hands and boldly probed his movements. His eyes bulged in their sockets, and he looked between his own weapon and hers. 

“For cryin’ out loud… This thing can’t destroy it…?” 

“Aw, that’s too bad. The Hungry Like the Wolf Sword is supposed to be great at destroying weapons—well, except for rare and EX Items. Guess you’ve got some more studying to do, huh?” 

“Tch. So you’re a player!” 

“You’re a bit slow on the uptake. Didn’t I just say things that only a player would know? Weren’t you even listening?” 

Not happy with her breezy, condescending attitude, the bandit leader poured magic into his sword. As the blade’s fangs clanged away, it shone and transformed the magic into a blue light. He raised the sword above him and began swinging it in a figure eight. 

Cayna didn’t earn her Skill Master title out of stylishness or on a whim. She already knew exactly what attack he was about to unleash. 

Keeping in time with him, she poured magic into her own staff. The ochre-colored power transformed into a shining arrowhead at the very tip. 

Weapon Skill: Sword Specialization: Destruction Hurricane! 

The bandit leader became cloaked in a gale-force wind. When combined with his glowing blue sword, it created a massive tornado that swayed back and forth. The wind became a sharp knife that tore through the sky and scraped the ground as it headed straight for Cayna. 

As soon she saw this, she took her glowing ochre staff and stuck it into the ground. 

Weapon Skill: Cracking Earth Hammer! 

Suddenly, the earth beneath the windless space where the leader stood within the tornado collapsed. Raging wind and all fell into the cracked basin-shaped hole in the earth. 

“Uwagh! That’s just— GW-GWAAGH?!” 

“Pfft—” 

Cayna burst out laughing as she listened to his pathetic screams as he was knocked around. The tornado was called off halfway and disappeared all too quickly. The toppled bandit leader was stuck in the deep, round hole. 

As he crawled out, and his face popped out over the lip, Cayna took a side swing at it. 

Clang! 

A metallic sound rang out, and a blue head went flying through the air. Or rather, a blue helmet. The rest of the armor was covered in mud, and from the neck up, there was a tan head with twisted horns growing out of the bandit leader’s temples. He was a demon, one of the game’s overpowered, balance-breaking races. They were stronger than the well-rounded human race, and it was said during beta testing that they had the ability to completely annihilate players. 

Lots of people chose this race at first, but since it was pretty difficult to play as one, their numbers soon dwindled. In the end, they fell to “least popular character” right behind high elves. A demon’s ability score was twice as powerful as a human’s, but overall, demons simply had far too many drawbacks. They could only belong to the Black Kingdom, and the NPCs of other nations held them in great contempt. The prices in stores were twice as high for demons, and they couldn’t sell anything. And finally, even Non-Active monsters (monsters that didn’t attack as long as you left them alone) picked fights with them. 

If they’d been at the same level, he would have posed a serious threat to a high elf like Cayna. Even if he’d had a 50-level stat boost, the two of them would’ve been evenly matched in close combat. From what Cayna could tell, his basic swordplay was subpar. He’d lose in a fight if he let up for even a moment. 

Although Cayna was also a member of the Black Kingdom, she hadn’t known everyone there. Anyone with an attitude as bad as his would be the subject of many rumors. Since she’d never heard of this gag weapon maniac, he was probably a player who’d entered the game after Cayna died. 

“Shit! I never heard of a skill like that. Also! You’ve been hidin’ your stats this whole time. Quit playin’ dirty, dammit!” 

Sheesh… 

“What a child…” 

Still on high alert, Cayna was almost as exasperated as Kee. 

The demon, who had clearly flown off the handle, slammed his sword into the ground and unleashed his rage. 

“That’s what everyone who rushes through the tutorial says,” Cayna told him. “But the fact is that you can’t see the stat details of a higher-level player so easily.” 

“What was that?! You seriously think someone like you is higher than me?!” 

The leader struck at her while continuing his stream of complaints. Cayna spun her staff, repelled it outward, and returned a hard strike straight into his chest. The magic within the Supreme King of Fools Armor merely nullified it. Physically, its defensive power wasn’t much different than steel armor. 

At the same time, she released the low-level electric attack she’d been holding in one hand. It skimmed along the ground, flew upward, and should have continued into his torso. However, just as it was about to make contact with the armor, it bounced off unnaturally and disappeared. 

As soon as the demon saw this, he gave a look that said Well, duh and smiled scornfully. 

“Ha! My armor nullifies magic. Betcha didn’t know that, loser!” 

“I know all about it! It didn’t work in the game, and that’s not how it works here in reality!” 

She pointed the end of her staff at the demon and displayed the true power of her Special Weapon. 

Upon its master’s cry of “Extend,” the staff instantly grew longer into infinity, and the astounding phenomenon stopped the demon in his tracks. It struck his chest and sent him flying backward. 

“WHA—?! GWAGH?!” 

“This Golden Hoop Staff weighs more than seventeen thousand pounds. Ever heard of it?” 

The magic staff returned to its normal height, and she stroked it in her hand. She twirled it as she confirmed that the flying demon had landed in the recently made basin-shaped hole. 

Magic Skill: Ohta Laga 

A water attack slammed into the hole. 

If this were the game, water would flow from the space above the caster’s head and form a large orb. 

However, there was a large source of water right by her. A pillar of water lifted from the lake made an arc through the sky and poured down on the demon stuck in the hole. He clearly sounded like he was drowning, but what he was saying probably translated to something like Why?! Magic isn’t supposed to work! 

Paying no attention to his discomfort, Cayna cast more magic in rapid succession. 

Magic Skill: Zan Laga 

A bolt of lightning descended from the clear sky like a spear, missed the wide-eyed, sinking demon, and shot straight into the water. The shining yellow electric phenomenon was in no way good for the eyes, and the demon convulsed as he thrashed about. 

His eyes still wide as he suffered from the electric shock, he somehow managed to pull his limp body over to the edge of the hole. He was wearing his heavy armor, so swimming with it on was no easy task. His HP had fallen into the red zone; one more hit, and he’d be done for. 

Cayna froze the water and encased his lower half in ice. Upon confirming he was stuck there, she leveled herself with his forehead and dropped the magic staff. 

The demon woke with a groan of “Gwegh” that sounded very much like a toad being crushed. His eyes darted about as he realized his situation. 

“Dammit! What’d you do? This freakin’ hurts!” 

“It does hurt, doesn’t it? Why can’t you see it’s real pain?” 

Even though pain had existed in the game, it had amounted to not much more than the prickle of feedback along the surface of your skin. Excluding the more eccentric types, no one was likely to consider removing their limiters so they could experience a full range of pain. 

The demon player had almost drowned, felt electric shocks throughout his whole body, cried out from the cold and frostbite, and now turned a ghastly blue. He trembled further with fear as Cayna loomed over him mercilessly. 

He then began to spew a stream of incoherent excuses. 

“It-it’s a lie… Th-this is a game… If I die…I can just reset, right…?” 

“If you die, that’s it. No continues. No extra lives. No reset button. My deepest condolences.” 

“Th-that’s… H-help me! I’m just a kid! If you kill me, the police will…!” 

“There are no police. This is retribution. You have to take responsibility for your actions, okay? Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused for others as the leader of the bandits?” 

The chill in Cayna’s voice surprised even her, and the demon player began to sob. 

“Sniff… Uwagh! H-help me. Please help, uwagh… WAAAAAAGH!” 

With a murmur of good-bye, Cayna raised her magic staff overhead. 

The very next instant, Cayna obeyed her Intuition skill and jumped back. An arrow flew between the demon player and where she had just stood. 

“Kee! Why didn’t you warn me?” 

“It did not seem as if such an attack would harm you in any way.” 

Cayna hurriedly looked behind her and saw several cavalrymen racing toward her. She initially thought she’d taken too long and that the bandits’ reinforcements had arrived, but Caerina seemed to be at the forefront, and she soon grew wary. 

As if realizing the armed-and-ready Cayna couldn’t be taken lightly, the other knights stopped and stayed where they were. Only Caerina alighted. She stayed out of Cayna’s range (not that this would stop the magic staff), fell to her knees, and bowed her head. 

“My apologies, Grandmother. These are my colleagues. Please, be at ease.” 

“What do the knights want with me? I was just about to finish him off, but…” 

The one to answer her was not Caerina, but a human knight with a goatee and a dignified presence who came from behind. 

“Unfortunately, we wish to judge that criminal by Helshper law.” 

Since the other knights had different crests on their armor, Cayna assumed he was a leader of these knights. However, she frowned at his incomprehensible statement. 

“Are you crazy? You think you can handle him? Even Caerina would be no match for this guy.” 

The other knights looked at Caerina with shock. The knights’ leader also turned toward her as if to ask Is that true? 

“I have never actually crossed swords with him, so I cannot confirm for certain…but if my grandmother says so, then that must be the case.” 

Cayna mysteriously wondered how Caerina could be a captain despite admitting this so openly, but she didn’t have time for compassion. Demons had the unique ability of Passive Skill: Continuous HP Regeneration, so they had to condemn him before he started healing. 

As Cayna went to once again swing her magic staff, the faces of the knights immediately shifted, and they all unsheathed their swords. 

The demon’s sobs echoed as the situation intensified. 

Reorganizing her priorities, Cayna determined that messing with the nation of Helshper wasn’t necessary at the moment. She shrank the staff and affixed it to her right ear. 

Caerina put her hand to her heart at this. After all, she knew that if Cayna got serious, she’d destroy the knights’ most elite forces as if she were taking candy from a baby. 

The mages who were among the knights melted the ice and pulled the bandit leader out of the hole. 

Cayna took a black collar out of her Item Box and walked over to the demon despite the knights’ threats. She affixed it around his neck with a clack. A moment later, all his armor was unequipped and stowed in his Item Box. The Supreme King of Fools Armor disappeared. 

Now left only in his black underwear, he looked down at himself in surprise. A stats screen popped up in midair, and his jaw dropped when he saw it. In the Equipment field, it said the item around his neck was called a Punishment Collar, and it reduced his stats and level to 10 percent. 

“Wait—if you have that collar, then…that means you’re… NO WAAAAY!” 

“Too bad. It might’ve been easier if I’d finished you here and now. Good thing you understand our difference in level, huh?” 

The Punishment Collar was a warning item put on players who committed illegal or intolerable acts. The only ones who could use it were the Game Masters and the twenty-four Limit Breakers who passed the Transcendental Quest. In actuality, there was also a personality test one had to take, and if you failed it, you couldn’t pass the quest. The Limit Breakers had the ability to supplement the understaffed Game Masters, and when the Admins made this wish known, it shocked all involved. 

The Punishment Collar was a restraining device removeable only by Game Masters and Limit Breakers. The wearer lost a tenth of their level and stats as a result. Wearing it a second time, however, labeled the user as a troublemaker who needed constant surveillance, and their account was effectively terminated. 

At this point, the demon finally realized who Cayna was. 

Like NPCs, the Game Masters were easily recognizable because they didn’t have a level, but Limit Breakers were different. He was reluctant to call her average, but she was indeed a player. 

“You should be able to handle him now. Be careful, though, or he’ll trip you up, okay?” 

“Understood. I shall take that to heart. Thank you very much, Grandmother.” 

The demon was taken away with a stunned expression. The collapsed bandits were also captured and stuffed in the jail carriage. The knight leader began to say something, but at Caerina’s protest, he closed his mouth, unwillingly nodded, mounted his horse, and departed. He probably wanted to ask her to accompany them as a witness. Caerina had made certain this didn’t happen. 

“I’m not really sure if it’s a good or bad thing that I turned him over… I guess only god knows, huh?” 

Cayna looked back on her actions with a sigh and shrugged. She then took the Guardian Ring out of her Item Box so she could finally accomplish her initial goal. 

Sure enough, it began to sparkle with a green light. She chanted the standard password without much thought. However, the ring did nothing more than glow. Silence followed. 

As soon as Cayna tilted her head at this lack of reaction, a black hole opened up like some sort of trash chute beneath her feet, and she fell in. 

“Wha—?! Hey, what is this…?” 

After letting out a loud yell, she suddenly realized she was on hard earth and sighed. She looked around speechlessly. 

Ruins spread out before her. It had a templelike atmosphere and was washed in a pale-green light. The marble floor was cracked, and thick granite columns had broken and toppled with several still remaining upright. The sun continued to shine at its zenith overhead, but the green filter gave the impression that it was only a shadow of its former glory. 

Cayna stepped down, and right before her was a throne with a skull on it. She approached the skull, being careful not to step on any of the other bones, and picked it up in her hands before giving it some MP. 

Realizing nothing was happening, Cayna switched her attention to the throne. An instant later, the seat that had been previously dyed in the surrounding colors changed to velvet with gold trimming. 

At the same time, the skull began to rattle and float in midair, and the bones around it came flying in. When they all formed together, a full skeleton wearing a crown appeared. A velvet cape that seemed to materialize out of nowhere was fastened over its forearms. 

“Oh, so this is the Guardian, huh?” 

As Cayna nodded in understanding, the skeleton before her pulled a feather fan out of nowhere. It flicked it open to hide its mouth and put its left hand on its hip. 

“I see you have the audacity to come to this remote place. Hmph, nothing I can do about that, I suppose. I shall welcome you. Do show proper appreciation.” 

“…Hey now…” 

Cayna furrowed her brow at this holier-than-thou attitude that had just blown away every bit of her battle fatigue. It was clear from her expression that she was wondering what kind of weirdo would have a Guardian like this one. 

“I’m the Third Skill Master, the high elf Cayna. Whose tower is this?” 

“One of the master’s comrades, are you? Ah well—I shall tell you! The great Opuskettenshultheimer Crosstettbomber is the keeper of this tower. Are you an acquain…? O-oh?” 

As soon as she heard the name, Cayna lost all strength and collapsed on the ground. Unsurprisingly, the skeleton had no idea how to react to this and hesitated. Cayna trembled for some time before giving her head a single shake and standing up. However, her expression still held a look of resignation. 

“Opus… Sigh… This weird thing makes total sense, then.” 

“Who is weird?! Who, I ask?! You will never find a more noble skeleton in this world than I.” 

No matter how you looked at it, the only appropriate words to describe it were bones, bag of bones, doctor model, and science class mystery, but it’d probably be a losing battle if she pointed that out. 

Opuskettenshultheimer Crosstettbomber, aka Opus, was one of the few demon players and the Thirteenth Skill Master. He was originally the Fourteenth, but since the original Thirteenth had suffered a mental breakdown and quit the game, he moved up a slot. 

He and Cayna had been hopelessly and begrudgingly connected since the days of beta testing and even joined the same Guild. He only ever spoke openly with Cayna and the other Guild members. He was also incredibly arrogant, loved tricking people, and had too many quirks to count. 

In short, he was an idiot. And an oddball. An absolute genius who would either go on talking forever if you let him, boast random and useless knowledge, or pick up radio waves. 

However, no one could match him when it came to battle strategy, and other nations dubbed him Leadale’s Kongming. A good example of this was the one time only four level-1,000 players, Cayna included, won against the Purple and Yellow Kingdoms under Opus’s orders. He had laughed loudly, but Cayna and the others had their magic to their limits and ended up dead tired. 

Furthermore, he was both a terrible friend and a mentor to Cayna. She couldn’t even read a book on her own and didn’t know how to use a computer, but after she met him in the game, she’d gained all sorts of knowledge. When she thought about how she’d never hear him speak again, a tinge of loneliness raced through Cayna’s heart. 

“Honestly, I ask that you not suddenly become depressed in someone else’s tower! It is rather unpleasant!” 

The self-proclaimed skeleton Guardian complained while Cayna sank into dejection. The inflection at the end had an echo of worry in it. It simultaneously handed her a bound red book and a ring. 

“…Huh?” 

“My master was certain you would come here and entrusted me with these. Come now, express your gratitude.” 

“Th-thank you…” 

Still a bit shocked, Cayna accepted the ring and book. Feeling light, she opened the latter’s pages. 

And quickly closed it. The relief that had been on her face moments before was gone. 

The skeleton looked at her questioningly. 

“What is the matter?” 

“…How should I put this…?” she answered with a trembling voice as she opened the book once again. 

When looking past the cover, it was normal to see an endpaper and title page. However, this object only appeared to be a book but was something else altogether. Upon opening it, Cayna found a box-shaped cavity with a tiny girl inside. She was just under twenty centimeters tall. 

The girl had light-green hair and large bright-blue eyes that gazed at Cayna. She wore a thin, billowy dress, and growing from her back were four light-green transparent wings. This little girl who stared at Cayna for some time was known as a fairy. 

The fairy didn’t move while her and Cayna’s eyes were locked, but when she did stir, she kicked off from the inside of the box and fluttered upward. 

“Whatever are you keeping the book open for?” 

The skeleton Guardian looked at Cayna’s hands curiously. Apparently, she (?) couldn’t see the fairy. 

The fairy herself clasped her hands in front of her chest in a gesture of prayer and gave Cayna a fleeting smile. A memory of someone else’s smile vaguely floated into her mind, and her heart skipped a beat. 

The fairy floated up toward her, planted a kiss on her cheek, and settled on her right shoulder. 

“Who are you?” 

“…?” 

Despite Cayna’s question, the girl merely continued to smile as she lightly shook her head. It was as if she were saying Don’t ask that yet. Or maybe even she didn’t know. 

Cayna didn’t know the answer, but Opus had given this girl to her. She’d at least figure out why. 

Cayna wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the book she had found the fairy in, but it seemed like it would probably be useful for something. She decided to put it in the Item Box. 

Noticing that Cayna seemed to have calmed down and was feeling a bit better, the skeleton Guardian covered her mouth with her fan. 

“Hoh-hoh. Finally, a decent expression. Honestly, I do wish you would not wander about my master’s tower with such a dark look. My master also informed me that you may use his Item Box as you please. It is all yours.” 

Having said what she wished, the skeleton Guardian elegantly walked over to the side of the throne. That seemed to be her usual position. 

Cayna checked the tower’s Item Box and gathered up the plant and mineral materials she didn’t have yet, since she’d been more or less given them. There were no weapons, defensive equipment, or even anything practical. This was just like him, and it made her slightly happy. 

The Guardian here was a bit strange, but like her terrible friend, she was also oddly considerate of others. Cayna took a liking to her and poured almost the rest of her MP into the throne. 

“Well then, I guess I’ll be going. If you start running low on MP, either use the Ring to call me or contact the Guardians in the Ninth or Third towers.” 

“Oh? Yes. I—I suppose it cannot be helped. You are my master for the time being, so do call upon me should the time come.” 

The skeleton had turned away as she said this. Cayna gave a small wave and headed outside. 

It was once again heading toward evening. 

“I didn’t think we were inside that long.” 

“Look at the fairy. She seems quite content, so might that be the cause?” 

Upon hearing this from Kee, she looked at her right shoulder to find the fairy sitting there and swinging her legs. 

When she met Cayna’s eyes, she gave a smile that was like watching a flower bloom. 

“I guess our first goal should be to figure out a way to understand each other.” 

Cayna had to ask the fairy about Opus’s whereabouts, but this all-important source of information only smiled and said nothing. 

“Let’s take things slowly.” 

“Right.” 

Since they didn’t have any clues to go on, Cayna gave a tired sigh that said the road ahead was going to be long and bumpy. 

The Brown Dragons, who had gotten her there and who she’d left behind, were all gathered. She’d given them plenty of MP so they could stick around and handle the long journey, and it looked like they could still move. 

Her MP was recovering bit by bit, but since she was hoping to fill it back up, Cayna decided to spend another night by the lakeshore. She lit a bonfire, had a light meal, and filled her stomach. 

As the sight of the three dragons rolling around and playing together soothed Cayna, she looked back over her shoulder. 

It wasn’t a full moon at the moment, so the palace-like tower wasn’t all aglow. However, since the lake surrounding the tower emitted a faint light, a silhouette of the palace stood out against the darkness. 

“So this is Opus’s tower. It’s my first time seeing it, but is it really the House of Murder and Malice…?” 

Cayna’s cheek twitched at the unsettling moniker and thought maybe it was better that the bandits hadn’t entered it that afternoon. Even their leader himself would have certainly been killed if he had stepped inside. 

The House of Murder and Malice was the infamous nickname of the tower Opus controlled. This was because it was packed to the brim with lethal traps. 

For example, there was a written covenant on the door with a standing signboard that said ALL VISITORS, PLEASE SIGN YOUR DEATH WARRANT HERE. If you approached clumsily, the iron-plated oath that was sharp as a razor on all four sides would come flying at you endlessly and slice people up. 

Furthermore, there was a lion-headed door knocker that visitors would use. When they did, the handle would draw the hand into the lion’s mouth and fix it in place. The gap between the front of the doorway and the door would drop a sharp guillotine, and the visitor’s one arm would be cut off. 

She had heard of these brutal traps and many more from the creator Opus himself. Everything from the walls, floors, pillars, and stairs to the furnishings and flowers inside vases were deadly traps meant to put an end to anyone who walked in. 

No one could fathom why anyone would voluntarily go waltzing into the infamous tower. In another sense, though, plenty of players would go on the forums and proudly talk about how they died. 

At any rate, that was the sort of history this Guardian Tower carried. Even those who approached it out of curiosity would realize how dangerous it was the second they saw the sign out front. It wasn’t Cayna’s job to worry about people who lacked any common sense. 

She looked out upon the palace tower for a while before deciding to call it a night. Taking care not to crush the fairy, she rolled up in her blanket. 

Thinking it’d be nice to see her detestable, terrible friend in her dreams, she closed her eyes.