In the Land of Leadale - Volume 2 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – A Reunion, a Monster, Subjugation, and a Clue

Back in the capital, a day after Cayna and the two girls had spent the night in the forest with the White Dragon… 

One man among the rowdy bunch in the Adventurers Guild mumbled, “Oh yeah, I haven’t seen that girl here in three days. Maybe she went off on another guard job somewhere?” 

The party known as the Armor of Victory were frequent visitors to the guild. Each member was a seasoned veteran from the same village. They’d had a conversation with her on the day she took the horned bear request. The party had filled their purses a few days prior, so they were finding ways to laze around without blowing their money. Still, they were never ones to miss a good payday and made sure to stop by the guild. 

Among their number, a young male knight who was sort of the brains of the operations made an educated guess. 

“She took on a hunting request, but I don’t think there’s any need to worry about her.” 

“Looked like a pretty reckless girl. You sure she’s okay?” 

“Maybe it’s high time we introduce her to a party?” 

As the members all discussed Cayna, only their tank, a man dressed in armor, shook his head. 

“As if anyone could ever stand up to her…” 

These solemn words cut all conversation short. The man and his comrades looked at one another in silence, then he apologized with a wry smile. 

“Ah, sorry. That’s just the feeling I got. The words slipped out. Forget it.” 

“Hey now, Cohral. Sounds to me like you’re not tellin’ the whole story. You in love or somethin’?” 

“Wha—?! Wh-who would love that girl?!” 

The man named Cohral fumbled over his words and lashed out at the man who had poked fun at him. Since Cohral was their tank and occasionally the one who delivered the winning blow, the joker was no match for his rage and ran outside. The others called Cohral down, and he gave up on the pursuit. Recalling the difference he sensed in her the first time he saw her, he shuddered. 

Leadale was once an online VRMMOPRG. This was where the twenty-something human character Cohral was born. His avatar looked pretty much the same as he did in real life; he only changed the hair and eyes to brown. 

Due to sudden, unexpected circumstances, the wonderful land of dreams—where he met people who knew neither his face nor his name and had banded with him in times of trouble and grew alongside him—fell into decline. 

Then, on the last day of service… 

Uninterested in messing around with his friends, Cohral had climbed to higher ground where he could take in an unobstructed view of the blue sky and green earth. 

However, before he knew it, he realized he was standing alone in the middle of an unfamiliar forest. 

He couldn’t contact the Admins. He couldn’t message his friends. The Map function was disabled. Equipped with absolutely nothing and at a complete loss, he was found by a hunter from a nearby village and taken in. 

There, he heard a fairy tale. It was about how the destruction of seven nations had ushered in an era of development that led to the formation of three new nations. In this world, over two hundred years had passed since the players’ glory days. 

After worrying himself sick in this first village he came upon, he decided to live on as Cohral. He departed the village and headed for the royal capital in Felskeilo with other aspiring adventurers and became one there. 

Although he had initially started out with seven (nonplayer) party members, after ten years had passed, their numbers decreased to four. Some had died while others had left. He traveled all over in search of players like himself in similar circumstances. 

However, after a decade, he had aged from a twenty-something greenhorn to a thirty-something middle-aged man. His desire to continue the search was fading along with his realization of how the years had passed. 

Then, it happened. 

Upon returning to the Felskeilo capital to get back to the basics, he met the new adventurer known as Cayna. The moment he saw this female high elf who knew nothing of the world, he was dumbfounded. After all, he couldn’t use Special Skill: Search to check her level or stats. 

However, this lack of information had reminded him of something: The inability to see the values of someone with a higher level than you was part of the VRMMORPG Leadale’s unique system. If this girl was one of the players he’d been looking for, there was a possibility there were others. 

He would have liked to confirm this with Cayna herself, but the past ten years had made him a coward. 

Upon indirectly gathering rumors about her, it became more and more clear she was a player. 

Some said she walked on water. Since the magic that allowed one to do so was gone in this world, it was clear-cut proof. 

Others also said she was the mother of Felskeilo’s famed sibling trio. 

He tried to confirm his suspicions with the siblings themselves, but as expected, it wasn’t easy for an adventurer to get an immediate audience with the headmaster of the Academy and the High Priest. As a result, Cohral was only able to get in touch with Kartatz, the head of the shipbuilding workshop, but he was still unable to verify whether Cayna was a player. 

His comrades noticed his obsession with Cayna and laughed that even a lout like Cohral could fall for a girl. 

It was around that time when surprise visitors passed through the guild door. They wore white helmets and armor that both bore a griffin crest. Two of the Felskeilo knights. 

One of the pair was an average human knight that you might see anywhere, while the other was a silver dragoid who carried a giant sword appropriate to his size. 

The human knight looked around the guild and headed straight for the reception counter. He seemed to be asking the attendant about something, but no one was able to catch any snippets. 

The dragoid standing by the entrance looked at Cohral and the others and asked them a question. 

“Pardon me, but we’re looking for something. Have you seen a well-dressed girl with light-peach hair?” 

Most knights looked down on adventurers when they came across one another in town, so the latter weren’t their biggest fans. The fact alone that the dragoid had prefaced his question with an apology made them warm up to him. Even so, the adventurers hadn’t seen any such girl, and they all shook their heads. 

Cohral noticed something else different about him, and his eyes widened. 

He couldn’t read the dragoid’s level with Search. 

A silver dragoid with a large sword. 

Digging through his memories, Cohral remembered this man had been the subleader of his former guild. 

The man’s name was… 

“…Shining Saber…?” 

“Yes, that is indeed my name. Mm? Did I already tell you?” 

“From the Silver Moon Horsemen…?” 

“Wait…what? How do you know that name?!” 

He locked gazes with the baffled dragoid, and as they stared at each other, their eyes grew wide with shock. 

“You’re Cohral?!” 

“Saber! It that you?!” 

They didn’t know whether it was safe to say it’d been two hundred years out loud, but the former guild comrades shook hands firmly and rejoiced in their reunion. 

Cohral’s current party members and Shining Saber’s knight partner watched blankly as the two grinned at each other. It was obvious that none of them had any clue what was going on. 

Meanwhile, at the Academy on the opposite of the Ejidd River that divided Felskeilo… 

Professor Lopus Harvey was experiencing unprecedented suffering. 

He had a bucket in one hand. Inside was mulberry-colored liquid that gave off an odd stench. The failed results of his nightlong efforts—his attempt at creating that brilliant something he had seen only once and hadn’t been able to banish from his mind ever since. 

That brilliant something was his mother-in-law’s ancient arts. When he talked it over with his wife, Mai-Mai, she had said that her younger brother, Kartatz, an artisan by trade, might have some ideas. Kartatz then told Lopus that he needed something called Craft Skills, and new ones could only be obtained through Cayna’s own skills. 

“Could I ask Lady Cayna to give them to me?” 

“…That’s a tough one. Mum is kind of the one in charge of handling those techniques. Even if me or my siblings said we wanted them, I don’t think she’d hand ’em over. The only other way to get ’em is by passing trials.” 

There seemed to be an infinite number of these trials. Some took a ridiculous amount of time, while others were very likely to kill you. Plus, if you wanted to undertake these trials, you’d have to go to some place called a Guardian Tower. 

Lopus thought about meeting her and confirming this himself, but either the timing wasn’t right, she was out doing a request, or they met but were too busy to talk. 

He had made countless attempts of trial and error with similar ingredients as a last resort, but to no avail. Everything he created was a failure with no satisfying conclusions. All he ended up with was a growing mountain of garbage and an unfortunate waste of precious materials he had ordered from afar. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he was lacking in creative ingenuity or if he didn’t have the talent to produce such an item. 

Having fallen into the depths of despair, he took his failures to the garbage site at the edge of the Academy that was nothing more than a hole in the ground and dumped his failures in. A blinking arrow and ??? dialogue box appeared, something any player would understand the moment they saw it. But those symbols proved utterly pointless without any players present to see them. 

At least, it would have been pointless if oksorre root, logga eyes, and nweve tongue hadn’t been mixed into the garbage heap. 

As Lopus switched his train of thought to once again reconsider his recipe, a light surged up from the hole behind him. He turned around in surprise, but the light was so blinding that he couldn’t look at it directly and had to shield his eyes. He saw several strands of narrow light rise up from the hole. 

At first, they only surged up upward, but the very next moment, the white light formed into uppercase and lowercase alphabet letters and began to rise up and dance like bubbles from narrow-necked bottles of champagne. Before long, these letters were systematically lining up in the sky. The small letters became ordered horizontally while the big letters did so vertically. They were set at spaced intervals and fixed in place. 

Next, beams of light extended from the letters. They drew both up and down and to the side while using the letters as a foundation. They formed a portrait-style rectangle that was like a 3D grid. It was a massive creation that was forty meters high and twenty meters in length and width. It could be seen from the Academy building, from the boats passing along the Ejidd River, and even from the castle. 

Not even stopping to pause, the grid transformed even further. Inside, the original beams accurately raced around as if drawing. High above the school, they formed some manner of an enormous 3D model in midair. 

A short, wide torso. Arms similar to fins with sharp claws growing on the ends. Short legs with thick claws that could support a bulky body. Lastly, a long beak, a birdlike head, and razor teeth that clacked together. 

When the light finished drawing the never-before-seen, never-before-heard creature, it disappeared. The eyewitness students who had been holding their breath stared at it with wide eyes and were unable to look away. 

Before he even had the chance to notice, Lopus, who was looking directly up at it from below, had dropped to the ground. He only realized long afterward that he’d been frozen in terror. 

Nobody could have ever guessed what happened next, either. 

Bones suddenly formed inside the beams. Not only that, it simultaneously constructed a rib cage with organs inside. Next were muscles to highlight its body and skin that covered the entire surface. 

From the skin came feathers that burst forth like sprouts, and eyeballs formed in its eye-socket cavities before rolling around and glaring at its surroundings. 

It felt like this all took a preposterous amount of time, but the monster was completed in less than three seconds. The 3D grid disappeared, and the space around the monster billowed with dust as it landed. Lopus, who was directly beneath it, missed being crushed by a hair, but the impact of the monster’s landing along with the burst of wind blew him several meters away in a dust cloud. 

“GWAAAAAAAAAAAWK!!” 

It screeched a birthing cry and looked directly behind it like an owl. As if observing its surroundings, its neck twisted and turned to the left and right at 180-degree angles. 

If one had to describe its appearance honestly, it had taloned lizard legs, the body of a penguin, and two pure-white claws each on a regressed pair of wings unfit for flying. The creature had the head of a dolphin with a slender, fanged snout. Its entire body was covered in short black feathers. If you ignored the claws and talons, it was basically a penguin. All in all, it was about twenty meters high. 

It gained command of its short legs and went to take a step forward. However, it was tripped up by the Academy wall and fell face-first into the Ejidd River, creating a grand pillar of water. 

If it had been human-sized, it would have only created a small wave, but the upper half of its massive body that fell in was over ten meters by itself. Naturally, something of that size and mass would produce a wave to match. 

Those who just happened to be sailing by could only look up in horror at the giant tidal wave. Unable to do anything about it, screams and bellows rang out as they were capsized and tossed away. 

“GWAAAAAAWK!!” 

On the residential side of the river, the vicious penguin monster got its limbs working, jumped to its feet, and screeched once again. 

Caring nothing for the people running away madly in fear, it went to take its historic second step, walked on a pier, lost its balance, and fell again. In a repeat performance, an enormous spray of water shot up and caused a tidal wave. The planks of wood that made up the pier as well as small boats and vessels docked there were all blown to smithereens. The wooden crates and people who didn’t escape quick enough suffered the same. 

When the monster rose and scooped up the remains of the piers, it seemed in a strangely good mood. It flapped its wings, gave a “gwak, gwak” as if pleased, and started clearing away the additions to the pier that were set along the riverbank in a playful gesture. 

The people had stood there befuddled by the sheer unrealism of it all for some time, but these screeches seemed to give them the push they needed, and they scrambled to escape. The residents prioritized getting away from the Ejidd River, and even merchants left their wares behind. Unable to row to shore, those still on passing boats were rocked by wave after wave and tossed about. 

Even within the Academy, there were students who insisted they had no choice but to fight the monster that had appeared on the grounds. However, upon the headmaster’s admonishment that “There’s no way anyone can hurt that thing!” the students all safely evacuated to the noble district, where there was relatively less damage from high waves. 

The church also evacuated its members who could not fight and divided the labor between holy knights and priests who could use magic to prepare for the monster that had now washed ashore. They were running about like mad. 

The penguin’s destructive rampage was clearly visible from the noble district, and the king and prime minister sent out knights to deal with the emergency on their hands. However, even the knights would need to cross the river if they hoped to oppose the creature. The waves remained too turbulent to allow boats to pass, so they could do nothing more than watch from the other side of the bank as the monster trampled everything in sight. 

Amid the madness, Kartatz, Mai-Mai, and Skargo had somehow come together in the noble district. Since some sort of problem had arisen at the palace, Skargo headed there posthaste. Unaware that this issue was in part thanks to their mother, it was fortunate the three put their own safety first. 

Although covered in scratches, Mai-Mai found Lopus among the evacuees and gave a long, deep sigh of relief. As her husband told her more about the monster’s appearance, she looked to Kartatz and said, “Come to think of it… 

“…Mother might’ve said something about a nasty place on the sandbar…” 

“Hey now! Mum usin’ the word nasty is no joke! Why didn’t you pay more attention, Mai-Mai?!” 

“Well, there was a lot going on! Skargo was going crazy, and then there was the whole situation with Caerick. I forgot until now!” 

“Hold on, you two! Now’s not the time for family squabbles! What’re we supposed to do about that thing?!” 

Lopus, the main cause of this ordeal, intervened and pointed at the penguin monster that was merrily wreaking havoc on the opposite bank. He had no idea he was the start of it all; he just knew he wanted to somehow help put an end to it. 

Chastised by Lopus, the two siblings stared hard at the monster with tense expressions. 

“This ain’t good. That thing is way stronger than us.” 

“Act first and ask questions later. Let’s at least get it under control, Kartatz!” 

“Hold it, Sis. If we get its attention, everything behind us will probably become its new target.” 

“Ah…” 

Behind them was the royal castle that had the Effect Skills BAM! Written SFX and Speed Lines for Emphasis cast on it. Looking upon her older brother’s handiwork, Mai-Mai realized what she was doing and froze just as she was about to cast magic of her own. This all but confirmed to Lopus and Kartatz that Mai-Mai would have absolutely fired at the monster if Kartatz hadn’t said anything. 

“Guess we’ve got no choice but to head on over to the commoner district…” 

Just as Kartatz murmured this, the monster pretty much finished destroying the pier and turned its attention toward the bank of the commoner district full of new toys to play with. 

Meanwhile, within the commoner district, Shining Saber was having the knights under him evacuate citizens. 

Other knights were present as well to aid in the search for those who did not escape. 

Having issued his order, Shining Saber dashed toward the monster with a nimbleness that belied his large size. Cohral followed him for some reason, but there was an oddness the two had not yet noticed. 

“Hey, what’re we gonna do about that thing?!” Cohral asked. 

“Ain’t that obvious?! Crush it, of course!” 

“Wait, what?! There’s no way the two of us can do anything without even backup from the mages!!” 

The monster scooped up piers with a crack! then crunched them apart and stepped on them. 

The two then realized they had seen it before. There was a Point that constantly changed countries during Battle Events, and if you threw a special item inside it, an Event Monster would appear. You needed over twenty level-300 players at the very least to defeat it. 

Shining Saber quickly put the brakes on and came to a halt. He stared at Cohral, who had objected to the plan and bumped his hand against his fist in understanding. 

“Oh yeah, come to think of it, you were an adventurer. Sorry ’bout that. I was accidentally actin’ like we were in our old guild unit…” 

As the former subleader bowed his head admirably, Cohral couldn’t shake the bad feeling he had and asked for confirmation. 

“Will you go on this suicide mission if I don’t stop you?” 

“Ain’t it obvious? Of course I’m gonna charge in. This, too, is my proud way of protecting the nation.” 

Nevertheless, believing one could rush in blindly wasn’t a good idea. If he was going whether Cohral was there or not, he could at least lighten Shining Saber’s burden. Although utterly stunned, Shining Saber’s actions felt familiar. Cohral drew the large blade from his back. Sensing Shining Saber’s smirk, Cohral thought that there was no convincing him of anything other than this idiotic attack plan. 

“Cohral?” 

“I’ll follow you. It’s not like I hate stupid suicide missions.” 

“Sorry. I owe you one. When all this is over, drinks are on me.” 

“Sounds like a plan. Alcohol always tastes better when someone else is buyin’.” 

Their shoulders shook with laughter. They gave each other a single nod, then started their dash toward the monster. Using a number of Active Skills to temporarily heighten their physical abilities, they kicked off the ground and soared to the tops of the houses. The men accelerated forward while zigzagging from roof to roof. Magic that gave them martial arts skills flowed through their bodies and left trails of green and yellow behind them as they pressed toward their target. Shining Saber was green while Cohral was yellow. 

“The enemy is huge! Let’s jab it in the head and flip it on its back!” 

“Got it!” 

Their accelerated movement added to their martial arts skills, and the two danced in the sky. 

Weapon Skill: Double Crush 

Weapon Skill: Pike Ring Attack 

Almost simultaneously, two shooting stars pierced the monster’s face and exploded. The penguin gave a screech of agony and somersaulted backward. As it fell in slow motion, Cohral and Shining Saber, who had descended from the sky with the trailing reverberations of their techniques, simply looked on. 

As a result of the penguin’s body being twisted around when it fell, the flapping arms came rushing in on them. Since the use of their physical skills made them rigid directly after attacking, they weren’t able to dodge. The giant fins hit them like a racket against tennis balls and sent them crashing into a house far across the riverbank. 

The river once again produced a giant pillar of water, a roar, and a tidal wave. In the commoner district, two streams of dust rose up from the house. 

“Agh, shit! How were we supposed to predict that…?” 

Lying in the ruins of a house with wreckage on top of him, Shining Saber sat up. His armor was crushed here and there, it had a crack in it, and the silver frame was stained with blood. 

He urged his battered body to move and crawl out from where he landed. He made his way to where Cohral had fallen. 

“Hey! Cohral, are you alive?!” 

As he called out, he could hear the sound of something crumbling. However, there was no reply from Cohral. Shining Saber hurriedly pushed through the broken beams and piles of wreckage to uncover him. 

After hacking through a thick central pillar, he finally saw Cohral. He suffered more damage than Shining Saber and had injuries all over. 

“It really is over level 400. We only took it down by twenty percent,” Cohral said. 

“If it’s risky for you, then go back to sleep. I’ll take care of it.” 

Seeing him so covered in blood was a gruesome sight, but despite being beaten within an inch of his life, there was a fighting spirit in his eyes. One might also say the same of Shining Saber, but unfortunately, both were losing too much blood. 

There was a large hole in the roof, and a breeze passed through. The capital sky spread out before them. In addition to the sky, they could also see the head of the arisen monster penguin who was clearly looking to go another round. They had a feeling it was growing closer and closer. 

Unable to come up with a decent counterattack, the two began thinking that their only hope would be to risk their lives in one final assault. 

Then the monster penguin’s head exploded grandly. 

They could hear it let out an agonizing yell, so it seemed like magic or something similar had struck it. 

The two had no idea what was going on, and the area around them began to glow with a white light. The damaged armor remained as it was, but any injuries they sustained were healed, and the pain subsided. 

“Honestly… Although your strength is the greatest of any knight, I cannot praise you for rushing in unaided.” 

Accompanied by a Glittering Backdrop, a beautiful elf man dressed in a blue priest robe appeared with a Peal of Bells sound effect. The white light was one of Skargo’s midrange healing spells. It wasn’t a full recovery, but it did improve the conditions of the two men, who were likely to lose consciousness at any moment. 

“Skargo, huh? You really saved us there. We owe you one.” 

“It’s not over yet. My younger sister and the mages are on the sandbar drawing the monster’s attention. I need you both to attack it once more. I shall provide healing and protection.” 

The strange man audibly gleamed and sparkled as he spoke. Cohral’s mouth hung wide open. 

“Hey, Shining Saber. What’s with this guy…?” 

“Hmm? Don’t you know? He’s the famous High Priest with the mother complex.” 

“Pardon me, but who has a mother complex? I simply offer my mother dear endless love.” 

““Yeah, that’s a mother complex!!”” 

The two quickly forgot the situation at hand and cut right in. 

Shining Saber, his ally Cohral, and their healer/support Skargo moved through the commoner district to get east of the monster penguin. At present, it seemed that the mages had secured a position on the sandbar and were using fire- and wind-based Attack Magic to lure the penguin’s attention north. The pachinko-sized hits against its huge body would irritate the monster, and it sometimes headed toward the river with a howl. 

However, the problem was that if it got beyond the sandbar and went north, it would find the overly conspicuous castle. 

“We really did only twenty percent damage, huh?” Shining Saber murmured as he looked up at the monster penguin. 

Cohral hung his head miserably. “We were ready to give our lives for that attack, too. Hearing you say that makes me give up all hope…” 

Even though the two of them only carved out that much damage, it could have been worse. What they lacked was durability. 

Shining Saber’s armor had become useless, so he threw it away. As for Cohral, both his weapons and armor were a total loss. Even if he was told to do the same attack over, he couldn’t do anything without his sword. 

As the penguin approached the shore, giant fireballs would occasionally come flying in and explode at its temple from the east. With a threatening “GWAAAWK!” it wandered in different directions. 

To the west, Mai-Mai was by herself, but she had things under control for the time being. The penguin was led around left and right in a two-sided attack. 

Even so, everyone knew that these attacks alone wouldn’t resolve anything. 

Each did as Mai-Mai instructed, but their MP depleted before the enemy could get in the desired position. Skargo and Mai-Mai were the only ones with MP Healing. Furthermore, although Mai-Mai had more MP than the average mage soldier, she had to consider if her consumption was outweighing her recovery. 

The attacks coming from the sandbar grew less frequent, and if the attack coming from the west ceased, the monster penguin would turn its curiosity on the commoner district. 

Just as Shining Saber was firing himself up and saying “Guess we’ve got no choice but to take each other out,” a mass of something crossed over their heads. 

It was a lump of stone that was ten meters in diameter. 

As the people gazed up at it in confusion and wondered what it was doing there, the flying rock slammed right into the monster penguin’s face! 

It wasn’t just a direct hit. Right before making contact, the rock sank down a bit and hit the monster with a scoop-like uppercut from below that sent it flying. Left with no other choice but to dance through the air like a bent shrimp, the penguin landed in the river on its back. The fall sent up an enormous splash that produced giant waves all around it. 

““Huh?”” 

Shining Saber and Cohral watched with slack jaws. They looked behind them, observed the partially sunken penguin, looked behind them again, then forward. 

Among them, only Skargo’s eyes glinted with a gleam! and he murmured, “Just in time.” 

At any rate, although the flying rock that came out of nowhere had hit the monster with a harsh blow, it was still alive and well. Its neck wobbled unsteadily, and it managed to get up. The head alone swayed from left to right, but the rest of it seemed to move with no issues. 

“It’s still goin’?” Shining Saber asked. 

“More importantly, where did that rock come flying in from just now?” 

Recovered from his stupor, Cohral glared at the monster. As Shining Saber glanced around, he noticed Skargo with his arms crossed and a composed expression. 

“What’s up? You know something about this?” 

“Yes. The threat is no longer imminent.” 

Skargo continued to sparkle audibly as Cohral and Shining Saber exchanged confused looks. Strangely enough, on the opposite side of the monster, the mage soldiers were shooting Mai-Mai odd glances as she told them the battle was over. 

Just as everyone’s minds raced with confusion, a crash of thunder suddenly roared down from the cloudless blue sky. 

Only a few people instantly covered their ears. Most sat down and averted their eyes from the thunder that rumbled through the pits of their stomachs and the flash that swallowed the monster whole. 

Struck by lightning, the penguin remained upright and was charred to a crisp. Furthermore, a fiery pillar rose up beneath its giant body and turned the monster into a megatorch. The flames that brightly lit up the surrounding area had no effect on anything else. It was swallowed up by the river almost as soon as it appeared. 

All that remained was a pitch-black, charred corpse. Even that fell apart almost instantly and disappeared into particles. Those who witnessed the mysterious phenomenon were unable to process what just happened and could only look on in confusion. 

Why did the monster appear? 

Why did the monster destroy the town? 

What was the lightning and fire that destroyed the monster? 

Everyone involved was full of questions, but they could sense the danger had passed. Some collapsed with relief. Some had their head in their hands in an effort to process what just happened. Others already set about preparing to rebuild. The townspeople who had initially been swept away by despair followed the lead of those who stepped forward and started taking action themselves. 

Only Cohral and Shining Saber had any idea what the lightning and flames were. 

“That was…” 

“It was top-level Lightning and Fire Magic, wasn’t it?” 

Since this world’s system of magic was completely different compared to the game world, they knew this spell had come from a player. 

Skargo and Mai-Mai alone knew exactly who had cast it. 

Let us return to when the monster appeared. 

It all began with a message sent to Mai-Mai and Kartatz via Telepathy from an unknown sender. All it said was Cayna is approaching town from the east. Since Telepathy was only possible through blood relatives, the two found this incredibly suspicious. 

The sender was dubious, but Kartatz at least thought it was for the best that Skargo didn’t receive the message. If his older brother had heard such a thing, it was easy to imagine him rushing out at top speed. The High Priest turning his back on the monster and racing through the town would have undoubtedly sparked even more panic among the people. 

Things being as they were, Mai-Mai suggested leading the monster into the river and having Cayna finish it off. It was Kartatz’s job to convey this to their mother. Skargo left to aid Shining Saber, the knight leader who was the one other person who stood a chance against the monster. As a former palace mage, Mai-Mai gathered the mage soldiers and took on the role of diverting the monster’s attention with magic. The one silver lining was that their foe didn’t possess long-range magic. 

Kartatz crossed the river in a small boat near the noble district’s eastern gate and headed out toward the main eastern road from town. Fortunately, as he was passing through the eastern trade route not far from the Felskeilo capital, he was able to safely meet up with Cayna. 

Cayna had finished her request and initially planned to take it easy on the way home. However, Li’l Fairy was forcefully pulling her hair and clothes and urging to go faster. 

“Right. We better hurry back.” 

“Huh? What’s wrong, Cayna?” Lonti asked. 

“Something bad might be going on in Felskeilo.” 

““WHAT?!”” 

Thinking that fairies likely had some sort of sharp intuition, Cayna prioritized getting home as fast as possible. She once again summoned the two therwolves, had Lonti and Mye get on them, and ordered the beasts to take them near Felskeilo’s perimeters. 

Suffering a headache at the thought of what might have happened over the past two days, she swiftly returned home. On the way, she met a frazzled Kartatz, who told her the shocking news. 

“Someone summoned an Event Monster?!” 

“Y-yeah. Mai-Mai and the others are holding it back right now, but they can’t keep that up forever.” 

“At level 300, one or two people don’t stand a chance. What’re they thinking?! Kartatz, take care of those two for me, okay?!” 

“Huh, what? M-Mum?!” 

Cayna left the two girls with Kartatz before racing off to the incident in question. She found the Event Monster caught in a wave of pincer attacks near the commoner district. 

Unlike the battle with the bandits, Cayna determined that there was no need to show any mercy or care for it and quickly summoned her Silver Ring. Keeping herself hidden, she used both Double Spell and Boost to throw a giant boulder as well as rain down top-level lightning and fire for good measure. A penguin monster that was level 400 at best was a small fry compared to the almighty power of a Skill Master and a Limit Breaker. 

After Cayna secretly unleashed her power, the unknowing citizens began to calm down. They declared the lightning and fire that had saved the town as a divine miracle, and all lifted their grateful prayers to the heavens. 

When Cayna met up with Lonti and Mye, she tilted her head as she noticed the abject surprise on their faces upon witnessing the state of the town. 

“What’s wrong with these two?” 

“Seeing your magic must’ve shocked them, Mum.” 

They were now close enough to Felskeilo that they could see the eastern gate. 

Kartatz already understood his mother by this point and wasn’t especially startled. However, seeing a pillar of lightning blast down from the sky along with a pillar of flames to match had apparently sent Mye’s and Lonti’s emotions through the roof. 

“D-did you do that by yourself, Cayna?” Lonti asked. 

“In retrospect, I should’ve used my Arcal Staff.” 

“That’s not what she’s talking about, Mum.” 

At any rate, she thanked Kartatz for looking after the two, and the group passed through Felskeilo’s eastern gate looking completely innocent. 

However, the situation was more complicated than that, and Kartatz got straight to the point. 

“By the by, why’s the princess with you, Mum?” he mumbled. 

“Just turned out that way.” 

“……” 

The dwarf held his head in his hands, and Mye and Lonti shuddered as Cayna eyed him mysteriously. 

“Um, is this really all right, Cayna?” 

“Huh? Should I have told him I helped you run away from home?” 

“Waaaah?! Why did you say it out loud, Cayna?!” 

Kartatz’s face twisted in agony as he watched Mye flap her arms about in a panic. Between them, Lonti timidly tried to explain. 

“Ummm. I’m terribly sorry, Master Kartatz. We got Cayna tangled up in our own personal affairs.” 

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I can’t tell Mum what to do.” 

“Whaaat? Are you saying you don’t care what I do? That makes me so sad.” 

“I’m begging you, Mum. Stop talking.” 

Cayna giggled at her son’s glum face and patted him on the head. Kartatz’s shoulders slumped now that he lost his “dignified elder” status in front of Mye and Lonti. 

Lonti smiled awkwardly as she watched this warm, familial exchange. Mye further told him, “You normally appear so stern, but it seems you can lose your composure, too, Master Kartatz.” Then the dwarf turned away with his arms crossed. 

Cayna fixed her teasing smile from Kartatz to Mye and said, “Next time you need a guard, offer a reward and go through the Adventurers Guild.” 

“Huh? I’ll have to pay?” 

“I accepted this time because Lonti was with you, but I’m not taking part in any more princess kidnappings.” 

“How very calculating. I’d expect no less of you, Cayna,” Lonti said. 

“You’re better off paying Agaido,” Cayna replied. 

Since the town was in chaos, the people passing by paid no mind to their conversation. 

Tilting his head with a “Geez,” Kartatz was relieved to see his mother being the same as always—all too quickly letting things slide that any normal person would question. 

“Well, that’s how Mum is. Unless you announce I’m an important person! from the start, she’ll take you for all you’ve got. It’s a good thing Mum was on your side, Princess.” 

“If someone tells me from the get-go I’m a super-amazing noble, I’ll hex them into a piggy.” 

Cayna followed this nonchalant remark with a “heh-heh” and thrust out her chest proudly. 

Watching this full display of confidence, the two girls turned to Kartatz to clarify the true meaning of Cayna’s statement. 

“Would she really do that?” 

“Does Cayna hate nobles?” 

“She does what she says. If you flaunt your authority in front of Mum, the only result will be destruction.” 

As Kartatz, who normally looked stern anyway, answered them with dead seriousness, the color drained from the girls’ faces. 

They had seen the monster burning up in a pillar of fire from a distance and been utterly dumbfounded. When they imagined the same thing happening to a normal person, they shuddered. 

Based on what they heard of the situation from Kartatz while they were waiting, the battle formation had consisted of a top-class lineup of mages, Mai-Mai, the determined knight leader, and Skargo. Even though such a team had been unable to take down the monster, Cayna had finished the battle in three magic strikes. The difference in power was clear, and Mye shivered at the thought of making a true enemy of her. 

However, although she found her scary, Mye couldn’t bring herself to reject her outright. She knew how carefully Cayna had guided and guarded them the past three days. She had also quelled their fears during the night, spoken with the girls during their travels, and issued proper warnings. 

“Hey, looks like someone came to greet us, huh?” 

Cayna pointed at the four human-shaped shadows ahead. Two were the worse-for-wear Shining Saber and his knight subordinate. There was also Cohral, who was similarly in rough shape, and Skargo, who held a round object. They waited at the corner of an empty street for the group. 

“Your absence has caused your father much worry these past two days.” 

“I’m very sorry. I was careless.” 

Mye and Lonti, who had been handed over to Shining Saber, accepted their scolding with bowed heads. 

As Cayna watched from the side, Skargo handed her the round object. It had a different shine compared to money and was lighter than it looked. It was about the size of a mature watermelon. 

“Hang on, this is the divine metal orichalcum! Why’re you giving me this?” 

“It seems the monster dropped it, Mother Dear. Apparently those two did not need it, so they relinquished it to you.” 

Cayna frowned and looked at the pair. Neither had weapons nor armor. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and they were splattered with dried blood here and there. Given that Cohral had made a strong impression on her when they met at the Adventurers Guild, such shabbiness moved her to tears. She felt that these two needed it more than her. 

Cohral noticed her gaze and smiled awkwardly. 

“We don’t have the skills needed to process that. You were the one who beat the monster, right? We figured you should have it.” 

“All righty, then. I’ll make something out of it. What sounds good?” 

“You can make something with it?!” 

“Yeah. I already have enough weapons. It looks like you don’t have a sword, so how about I go with that?” 

“That’s one huge favor. I’m not going to pay a processing fee afterward. Got it?” 

Unable to ignore Cohral’s suspicious expression, Skargo decided to step in. 

“Cohral. Mother Dear has bestowed her kindness upon you, yet you treat her with such rudeness?” 

“N-not at all. It’s just that you gotta be on your toes as an adventurer. Sorry, miss.” 

Struck with fear at the Wolf Glare effect that Skargo was directing at him, Cohral bowed his head to Cayna. Cayna bopped Skargo on the head. 

“Hey now.” 

“But, Mother Dear…” 

“It’s fine, so go ahead and get back to work. There are a lot of injured people, right?” 

She gave her reluctant son one scolding look of I said no! and he agreed to return to his duties. As he unwillingly left like a crestfallen dog, Shining Saber burst into laughter, and a giggle escaped from Mye. 

“There’s something Shining Saber and I want to talk about with you later,” said Cohral. “Do you have any free time tomorrow?” 

“Tomorrow? That shouldn’t be a problem. Kartatz, show me where that Black Hare of Inaba shop is later on.” 

“The heck is that?” Kartatz replied. 

“Do you mean The White-Tailed Black Rabbit, Cayna?” Mye asked. 

“Oh yeah, that’s it. I’ll also go see Mai-Mai while I’m at it.” 

After Mye, now flanked by two knights, corrected Cayna’s error, the girl gave a polite bow and said, “I appreciate all your help.” Shining Saber glanced between Cayna and the princess with a degree of shock. 

Cayna shook Mye’s hand lightly and left with Kartatz. The dwarf looked at his mother, who treated even royals so casually, and racked his mind over how she was always able to take everything in stride. 

“Anyway, what business do you have in a noble restaurant?” asked Kartatz. 

“I accepted a request to gather food ingredients.” 

“And why did the princess end up coming with you…?” 

“Good question.” 

Kartatz had a bad feeling about Cayna’s pleasant smile and feigned ignorance, so he decided not to ask any more questions. After all, he suspected that if he did, the same cold eyes Mai-Mai told him about in private would fall on him. The idea of his mother eyeing him up like that sent shivers down his spine as they crossed the river. 

Having completed her request, Cayna headed for the Academy. Kartatz still had business to take care of at the factory, so they parted ways there. 

Incidentally, the surviving vessels had all been gathered together and were operating as normal. The way people kept moving ever forward even in the wake of chaos touched Cayna, and she couldn’t help but think about how incredibly resilient humanity was. 

The buildings on the sandbar had only suffered some structural damage after being hit with water, but it seemed that about half the people who were washed away after stepping outside and witnessing the monster were missing. They couldn’t search for those swallowed up by the river, so the soldiers dispatched throughout the town raced about and worked with the townspeople to clean up the port district. 

“…Why are you hiding, Mai-Mai?” 

“U-um…well, how shall I put it…?” 

Now at the Academy, Cayna gave a wry smile as her daughter greeted her from behind Lopus. It was to be expected, considering that the two hadn’t met since Cayna sent a declaration of obliteration via Mai-Mai’s son. 

Fully expecting her mother to blow her to smithereens the moment their eyes met, Mai-Mai was conversely unsettled by Cayna’s lack of reaction. 

“Well, the way you had me give a letter to someone you didn’t even tell me was my grandson did make me angry. Still, I was glad to see they’re such good kids.” 

“Oh…” 

“Besides…,” Cayna added as Mai-Mai put a hand to her heart in relief, “I actually had more fun with them than with you. They’re kind, honest, and also pretty helpful.” 

“I’m sorry, Mother! I’m so sorry!! Don’t abandon me!!!” 

As Lopus watched Mai-Mai cling to her mother’s waist in tears, he realized: His wife’s wickedness was genetic. 

As Cayna stroked her fussy daughter’s head with a gentle smile, his eyes met hers. The reassuring look she gave him made his heart skip a beat. 

He was a bit charmed by her, and he vowed he’d die before his wife ever found out. 

“…So where’d it happen?” 

“A-ah, right this way.” 

Remembering the task at hand, Lopus shook his head and led Cayna to a corner of the school grounds. The Academy wasn’t all that vast, so they arrived quickly. However, their surroundings were dug up as if they’d been sent through chaos and acted as a vivid reminder of the blast. The monster had descended on the area and sent tidal waves crashing down, so it was only natural. 

It was invisible to the other two, but Cayna could see that clearly. 

An indicator of a Collection Point that matched those of the Black Kingdom hovered in midair with a ??? dialogue box. 

Although normally shy around people, Li’l Fairy left Cayna’s shoulder and flew over to it. Upon trying to touch it and seeing her arm go straight through, she gave a fearful look and returned to the safety of Cayna’s shoulder. She must have thought it was a ghost of some sort, but Mai-Mai and Lopus didn’t see this, either. 

Cayna did recall hearing something about a liquid being the catalyst item here. Kee had this recorded in the log, which only further confirmed it. Lopus had mentioned something about a large quantity of failed experiments that contained unknown liquids, so she guessed that these had included Key Items. Creating these Key Items required no skills, and the materials could be acquired by trading with NPCs. The source of the chaos had been accidentally created by almost miraculous odds. 

After a bit of thought, Cayna tried striking the Collection Point with blast magic and gouging out the earth, but the sign still didn’t disappear. 

The couple couldn’t disguise their disbelief when Cayna suddenly burst into action. 

“M-M-M-M-Mother!” 

“Wh-what is it? What’s wrong?!” 

“Hmm. Nope, it’s not going anywhere. Maybe I can get rid of it if I blow away the sandbar?” 

The outrageous statement sent Mai-Mai and Lopus into a fit of trembling. After all, they knew it was Cayna, not an act of god, who had taken out the monster in one strike. 

Her finger to her forehead, Cayna’s expression was tight as she thought long and hard. The couple took a step backward. They were, of course, riddled with fear. 

“Mai-Mai?” 

“Y-yes! What is it, Mother?” 

“Make sure no one comes near this place. Tell that to the knights and any other big shots. If this ever happens again…” 

“Wh-what should we do?” 

“…We’ll have no choice but to blow up the entire sandbar and sink it into the river. To prevent anyone from abusing it.” 

“Yes! I will set up a barrier, isolate it, and throw every last person who gets near it in jail!!” 

Mai-Mai snapped to attention and, in response to her mother’s appeal, quickly ran off to begin the proceedings. 

Cayna gave a “Pfft!” at her all-too-rapid retreat, then turned to Lopus, who had remained deep in thought with a glum expression the entire time. 

“I get the feeling you want to ask me something.” 

“…I do. The reason all this happened was because I wanted to make the same potion you did.” 

“Pardon?” 

Cayna pondered Lopus’s sudden statement. After a moment, she pressed her fist against her palm in understanding. 

“Ah, you want the skill for Potion Creation I, right?” 

“Yes. I heard from Master Kartatz that you are in charge of these ‘skills.’ Do you think you could allow me some?” 

“Hmm, normally you’d have to pass a trial. You don’t seem like a bad guy who would abuse it, though, so sure, why not?” 

Taking out parchment and ink, Cayna produced a glowing orb and began Scroll Creation. In no time at all, she handed Lopus a single scroll certificate written in the ancient language of the region. 

“It’ll all depend on if you can really read into it, though, ’kay?” 

Lopus appeared to understand this baffling statement. He gave his thanks and took the scroll. 

Then, the next day… 

Shining Saber had said they would meet up in the plaza in front of the Battle Arena in the afternoon. First, Cayna ate lunch, then she left the inn and made herself scarce for the time being. When she returned to the inn, she dusted off her hands with a sense of accomplishment and murmured, “That should do it!” As she once again made her way back toward the Battle Arena, she found Shining Saber and Cohral already waiting there. 

For some reason, only Cohral looked completely exhausted. He sat tiredly on a nearby boulder. He looked just like those sports players who burn themselves out, and Cayna looked to Shining Saber for clarity. 

“Why is Cohral the only one who looks worn-out?” 

“Well, we got summoned to the castle as ‘heroes’ and were busy there all morning… Y’might say all that etiquette took it out of him. We did get reward money, though.” 

“We said you should be summoned, too, Cayna, but Skargo was vehemently opposed, so the matter got dropped.” 

The reason for this was probably something along the lines of Mother Dear is a high elf. If she was to be summoned by a human king, it would create friction between the elves and humans and create a troublesome situation. 

The people had recognized everything that had happened as an act of god, so it seemed that Skargo was acting as if it had been an invisible hand. 

The princess had testified as an eyewitness, but the prime minister apparently claimed there was no way such a powerful mage could be permitted in the castle and put a halt to this for the time being. 

That must’ve been Agaido… 

Even without the princess’s testimony, he was a remarkable figure who sent out shadows to keep tabs on Cayna’s movements. Even she thought it unwise to let him catch her talking with fellow players and thus sniffed out and tied up all his shadows. Since she had tied them up with rope and left them on a roof, no one would think anyone special had done it, even if they were discovered. 

Cayna had put up such warnings, but although she was certain no one could escape Kee’s sight, she created a large Concealment Barrier around the plaza as well. 

His eyes wide, Shining Saber voiced concern over the trailing shadows. 

“You think someone’s followin’ us, miss?” 

“The old self-proclaimed prime minister refused to see me and is sticking close by. It’ll be a real problem if he hears us talk like this.” 

It was true that, as an outsider, Agaido really wouldn’t have any clue what they were saying. However, it wouldn’t be good if he mistakenly thought they were plotting something. 

The two men nodded in agreement and started off by introducing themselves. 

“Anyway, I’m Shining Saber. No need for formalities with me. I was the subleader for the Silver Moon Horsemen Guild. I’m level 427.” 

“I’m Cohral. I was in the same guild. I’m level 392.” 

Shining Saber beat his white armor with a clang! Cohral’s busted metal armor from the day before was replaced with spare leather armor. 

Cayna felt as if she’d heard the name of the guild before, and her memory hit upon a cow-spotted dragoid. 

“The Silver Moon Horsemen? Were you in the same guild as Kyotaro?” 

“Did you know our guildmaster?” 

“Well, in a way. My name is Cayna. You can call me miss—or whatever else you like. My guild was Cream Cheese.” 

““BWUH?!”” 

As soon as they heard the name of her guild, the two men nearly fell out of their chairs. When Cayna saw Cohral slowly retreat with a vaguely tense expression on his face, she said, “Ah, you must know about the members of my guild.” 

“I got no clue,” Shining Saber asserted. 

“Seriously…?” Cohral questioned. 

Her guild was so famous that anyone who didn’t know of it was considered a sham. Even Cayna, who had been a member of the guild, was aware of this. Moreover, all eighteen members were Limit Breakers with the authority of a Game Master. Since everything in the guild’s sight had been deemed bad enough to warrant an account ban, the guild’s name itself became synonymous with fear. 

It was here that Shining Saber seemed to realize something. 

“Wait! You said you’re a high elf who knew our guildmaster? Could you be the Silver Ring Witch?!” 

Three angels suddenly appeared over Shining Saber’s head. They blew trumpets loudly and twirled around as they tossed white feathers over him. 

This was Cayna’s Special Skill: Oscar—Roses Scatter with Beauty. 

“Gah, this skill is…” 

“Correct!” 

A disquieting air suddenly settled in, and Cayna’s mood darkened. Her twisted smile was filled with a sense of danger, and with a humorless tone, she opened up her Item Box and took out a staff. The sharp-eyed Cohral realized what it was and took a step back with a wail. 

“Gwah, the Arcal Staff?! What’re you plannin’ to do with a thing like that?!” 

“I hate that disgraceful moniker. You can forget it right now, but if you don’t…” 

Noticing the glassy look in Cayna’s eyes as she slowly readied her staff, the men nodded so violently that their heads might have come off. 

She watched them suspiciously for a moment, then put away her weapon with a sigh. 

“I’ll immediately knock you out the next time you utter that vile name again.” 

“Okay. I get it, so stop lookin’ at me like that!” Shining Saber exclaimed. 

“In other words…you’re a Limit Breaker. And also a Skill Master.” 

“Yup, that’s right. I’m Cayna, the Third Skill Master. Normally, I’m transferring skills to people who pass my trial, though.” 

Sensing their lives were no longer in danger, Shining Saber and Cohral let out a deep sigh of relief and slumped their shoulders. 

Given that the strength of this particular item largely depended on the magical power of the caster, for someone like Cohral, who had a nearly 700-level difference, one direct hit would likely turn him to ash. Shining Saber was in a similar boat and couldn’t hide his blank bewilderment. For now, they were openly relieved she had laid down her arms. 

“Oh, I got the goods I promised yesterday, Cohral.” 

“You say it like it’s contraband or something…” 

Cayna took a large sword out of her Item Box and handed it to Cohral. He checked its stats and was flabbergasted. 

“WH-WHAT IS THIS?!” 

“What’s goin’ on?! What’d she give you?” 

Shining Saber peeked in from the side and took the sword. He checked the status for himself and gulped. 

“The Holy Warrior Soul Valhalla?! Isn’t this the best sword out there?!” 

“Well, it does boost your stats all across the board and has holy attributes. It won’t break so easily next time. I also had diamond and corundum on hand and upped its grade, so I really put my all into it.” 

The men’s faces clearly said, “Put my all into it” doesn’t begin to describe this. 

Cayna puffed out her chest and gave a self-important “heh-heh!” 

After all, in the world of the game, such an item could sell for seventy million gil. In the modern world, this was approximately seven hundred thousand gold coins. 

“Damn, I want ooooone! Hey, you got any more?!” 

“I’m out of material.” 

There was actually more in the stash she had taken from Opus, but she kept that to herself. As Shining Saber stamped his feet in frustration, she understood it was a weapon swordfighters would give anything for. 

“Shining Saber, you have a weapon, don’t you?” 

“I’m borrowing it from the knights!” 

The conversation looked like it would turn to weaponry for some time, but Shining Saber regained control of himself and forcefully changed the subject halfway. 

“Anyway, there’s a lot I want to talk about. I’ve only been in this world about three years…” 

“It was that recently, Subleader? I’ve been here over ten.” 

“Now that we’re talking about it, I’ve only been here two months. More importantly, what’s going on with Leadale shutting down its servers?” 

At Cayna’s question, the two men looked at each other with puzzled expressions. 

“Hold on. Don’t you know anything about it?” 

“Nope. My last memory was around the end of May.” 

“Leadale ended service on New Year’s Eve. Why would someone who logged in half a year earlier be here?” 

“Well, I did die while playing the game.” 

““Ah, I see… WHAT?!”” 

Cayna scolded the pale men for acting as if they’d seen a ghost and briefly explained that she’d become bedridden due to an accident. From what she could surmise, her consciousness had escaped to the game world after a lightning strike interrupted the machine that kept her alive. 

Cayna told them the short version of her story: how she had woken up at her last save point, the remote village near her tower. 

After hearing all this, Cohral nodded in understanding. 

“There were rumors going around for a while about someone who’d died while playing the game. That was you, Cayna?” 

“Uh, what? I sparked rumors? I’m pretty sure my uncle wasn’t the type to go telling everyone.” 

After word about someone dying while playing the game got around, the parent company apparently put heavy pressure on Leadale’s Administrators. Before anyone knew what was going on, it was decided that the game’s service would end. 

From what the players determined, they couldn’t do anything about it. According to Shining Saber, who had played until Leadale’s termination, he had formed a slapdash party and went on a bunch of raids. By the time he realized the service period had already ended, he was standing alone in the middle of the road. There was no trace of his other party members. 

“Hmm. I’m not really getting the whole picture here.” 

“I got no clue idea what the deal was with the Admins or the parent company. I told you all I know.” 

“In that case, why don’t we try asking Li’l Fairy for more details?” 

““Li’l Fairy?”” 

Shining Saber and Cohral looked at each other upon hearing such an odd statement. 

The fairy was hesitant to reveal herself, but Cayna managed to coax her out. The men’s eyes grew wide. 

“What is that?!” Shining Saber exclaimed. 

Startled by the booming voice, the fairy who had trouble even showing herself quickly escaped back onto Cayna’s shoulder. It seemed that only players could see her. 

Question marks raised over their heads, and Cayna quickly explained this and that. Shining Saber then held out his hand in curiosity, but the terrified fairy refused to come back out. 

“Opuskettenshultheimer? Never heard of him,” Shining Saber stated. 

“He was also known as Leadale’s Kongming…” 

“Agh, that guy. I remember the one time I avoided a huge tree that was falling down, got my legs tripped up on the rope attached to it, and was dragged all the way down a mountain. When I got to the bottom of the valley, the tree fell on me, and I died…” 

As Cohral fell into a pitiful depression at the memory, Shining Saber put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head as if to say he had the same recollection. The two stared into each other’s eyes before grabbing each other tightly and bursting into tears. 

Left out in the cold, Cayna looked upon the unsightly scene and spoke candidly: 

“What is this, a comedy routine…?” 

““WE SHARE THE SAME PAIN!!”” 

She was too exasperated to tell them that a little brotherly love was all well and good, but now wasn’t exactly the best time to be coming out of the closet. 

After their sentimental moment, Cayna added them both to her friend list. As long as they had exchanged names, they could contact one another wherever. However, without the Admins as backup, they weren’t sure how much of a distance that connection could handle in this world. Not only that, even though each person had the functionality, it was unknown how it continued to work. It was far better than the forlornness Cayna had felt when she first arrived. 

“Come to think of it, I’ve been wonderin’. That guy’s your son, right?” Shining Saber asked. 

“You did say you came here two months ago. What about your kids, like Master Skargo and Master Kartatz?” 

“Oh, they’re from that thing—y’know, the Foster System. Mai-Mai had kids during the past two hundred years, so now I have grandkids… Thanks to that, I’ve got people calling me Grandmother and Great-Grandmother at my age. I’m already used to it, but…” 

“So that’s where those Effect Skills come from…,” Shining Saber commented. 

“Yeah. I don’t know why, but Skargo has a natural talent for Oscar—Roses Scatter with Beauty.” 

“That reminds me…” 

Cohral took a good look at Cayna as she explained with a tired expression and a shrug, and he put a hand on her shoulder. Although it was hard to recognize in Shining Saber’s dragoid features, sweat trickled down his face. 

“…I had two foster kids. They were sorta like my apprentices,” said Cohral. 

“…Shoot, I remember makin’ an elf younger brother and an elf best friend.” 

“If they were elves, Shining Saber, then they’re probably still alive. As for you, Cohral, if you go searching, you’ll probably find a Cohral swordplay school, right?” 

“Agh, that’s one school I do NOT wanna see…” 

Cohral held his head in his hands and moaned. Realizing it was his problem, too, Shining Saber started worrying over what he’d do if he met those people in person. 

Glad to see that they were just as frazzled as she had been, Cayna simply looked on as a spectator. Cohral quietly approached her as she casually observed them. 

“Hey, Cayna. There’s a skill I want…” 

“I’m not promising anything, but which is it?” 

“…Healing Magic.” 

“You don’t have it?!” 

Shining Saber had cut in with a look that said, What is this guy, an idiot? 

Healing Magic could be very easily obtained through online and offline Events. These quests were simple and could be completed by anyone in less than an hour. It was rare to find anyone who didn’t have it. Both Cayna and Shining Saber were shocked to meet someone so unusual out of the blue like this. 

“Well then, please take on a trial. It would be a disgrace to me as a Skill Master if you asked for it and I answered with Sure, here you go.” 

“Agh, that’s so stingy. Can’t you just give it to me? We’re not in a game anymore.” 

“You’ll be fine. Even without that skill, you’re still leagues above other adventurers.” 

“Tch. Dammit, c’mon. Help a player out,” Cohral cursed as he mumbled and grumbled. 

“So where’s your tower, Cayna?” Shining Saber asked after brooding for a moment. 

“Hmm, well, if you go a little south of the outer eastern trade route and past the country’s borders, it’s a silver tower in a forest. It’s often considered the easiest of all the Skill Master trials.” 

At the very least, it was far preferable to Opus’s hellish tower full of death traps. The players who attempted his tower would call it the place where you can find 108 ways to die. Many of her online friends had criticized it as the most brutal of the thirteen towers. Since the most casual movement could send you to your death, it was called the House of Murder and Malice. 

“That’s pretty far…,” Cohral stated. 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Shining Saber agreed. 

Cohral still grumbled, and Shining Saber wasn’t able to leave the capital whenever he pleased. Cayna pointed at the Battle Arena behind them. 

“Incidentally, that’s Kyotaro’s tower.” 

“What?!” 

“It—it was this freakin’ close the whole time?!” 

“I don’t know what the trial will be like, but we should be able to get it to work. He’s not around anymore, but I can use it since I’m in charge of it now.” 

This would be discovered later on, but the trial of the tower was Fight Two of Your Own Clones. Cayna told the two the state of the Guardian Towers—and how they were now on standby due to a lack of magical power. She also told them she was currently searching for each one’s whereabouts and asked that they contact her if they found one or stumbled upon any leads. 

With a smirk that said he was up to something, Cohral jumped at the opportunity. 

“Got it. In that case, you better trade me that skill if I find one!” 

“So that’s how it’s going to be. Okay then, fair enough.” 

“Aw yeah!” 

“Man, come on. What are you, a kid…?” 

Cohral struck a victory pose and hopped up and down. Shining Saber looked like he was done with it all. It should be mentioned that Cohral was just barely in his thirties. 

Cohral whipped out a map and pointed to a coast near the border of Felskeilo and Helshper. 

“There’s a fishing village along this shoreline. The villagers free diving for fish there say there’s a palace in the ocean. That’s enough compensation for you, right?!” 

“If it’s in the ocean, it must be Liothek’s.” 

After pondering this with a strained look on her face, Cayna used Scroll Creation to create Simple Substance Recovery: Dewl. She passed it to Cohral. 

He had expected her to fight him a bit more and felt rather let down. Shining Saber noticed Cayna’s long face and guessed the reason. 

“Do you not know how to swim?” 

“Um, yeah. I can’t. I never really got to swim in real life, either.” 

“Seriously? At your age?” Cohral questioned. 

“Hey, Cohral, mind your own business, would ya?” 

Shining Saber prodded Cohral into silence. As the two glared at each other, Cayna came between them with a ball of fire in one hand. 

“What is fighting because of me going to solve? If you don’t listen, I’m going to let loose on both of you.” 

“All right, then. I’ve learned Healing Magic, so come at me!” 

Before anyone realized it, Cohral had used up the scroll and was acting strangely wound up. Cayna put her hand to her head and thought, If they can’t tell what kind of spell I just used, it’s not much of a threat, huh? 

Shining Saber crossed his arms, gave a sigh, and warned the oblivious Cohral. 

“I don’t even know if you’d be able to recover from a hit like that.” 

“Huh? Really?” 

Inside the fireball floating in Cayna’s hand was a fiery beast with a lionlike mane. Igua Beast was a spell that, once released, would chase its target to the ends of the earth and bite into the neck until the victim went up in flames. Whether it be through the sky or sea, it could go anywhere with homing-type capabilities, so unless you used Teleport right before a direct hit, it would find its target. Since Cayna had been too strong for her guild’s advance guard during Battle Events and didn’t have much to do, it was the one magic she could show off. 

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.” 

“Uh, no, it was just a little threat. There’s no need to apologize…” 

She’d been more concerned with the Guardian of the tower than swimming. 

Liothek, the Sixth Skill Master, was a girl and a player who removed herself from all that was cute and pretty. If anything, she’d made a hobby out of collecting anything creepy-cute and grotesque. The statement She primarily summons arthropods and amphibians painted a pretty good picture. 

Given that her personality preferred mollusk and crustacean types over dragons, the thought of how many disgusting things she might have spiraled Cayna into a depression. 

“Ah, well, I better get back to work, then. I’ve been away long enough already. Come to the castle if you need anything.” 

“Yeah, I guess I’ll get back to my party, too. Later, Cayna. Stop on by the guild again.” 

“Come to the castle, you say… Even if I go, will they let me in?” 

The sun had descended significantly, and evening approached. Looking up at the sky and realizing how much time had passed, Shining Saber clanked his sword against his back with the notion that their meeting was adjourned. Cohral followed his lead and left as well. She saw them off with a nod and a small wave and felt a pang of jealousy at the sight of them congenially walking side by side. 

“That sure seems nice…” 

As she watched on enviously, Li’l Fairy popped out from her shoulder and rubbed against Cayna’s cheek. She seemed to be trying to console her. When Cayna held her in both hands and stroked her head, the girl smiled comfortably. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks.” 

She smiled at Li’l Fairy, who admirably reminded her on occasion that she wasn’t alone. 

It was because of this that Cayna had dropped her guard. 

She gasped as her partner Kee reported “Behind you…” and followed through with a powerful left-hand strike in the indicated direction. 

The blow rang out with a thunk, and there was a pathetic cry of “Eep?!” as something blue went flying. 

“Uh, huh? …Wh-what the—?” 

Since the silver bow assimilated into her left armband was actually a rare item, its toughness was guaranteed; even without transforming entirely, it was a suitable shield and weapon. It had apparently struck someone sneaking up on her from behind. 

When she turned around, she found Skargo curled in a fetal position on the ground and foaming at the mouth. Cayna noticed the height difference between them and thought the arrow of the armband must have mercilessly drove into his stomach. 

“Oh shoot. A-are you okay, Skargo?” 

“He was not quite fast enough…” 

She hurriedly cast healing magic and gave Skargo a light shake. An instant later, he jumped up like a grasshopper and grabbed Cayna’s shoulders tightly. Not knowing what in the world was happening, she stared at him in astonishment. A Jealous Aura enveloped Skargo as he howled, “Are you all right, Mother Dear?!” 

“…Huh?” 

“I, Skargo, heard you were having a clandestine meeting with men, and I dropped everything to come save you!” 

With a Katsushika Hokusai–Style Breaking Great Wave and Surreptitiously Added Capsized Boat backdrop behind him, Skargo turned in the wrong direction and raised his arms vigorously to the heavens. 

“Hey, um, S-Skargo?” 

“What in the world were those men threatening you with?! Furthermore! Yes, furthermore! Why was one of them the leader of the knights?!” 

Skargo turned back toward Cayna with a Blinding Flash of Lightning in the Darkness as Ominous Black Birds Fly About background and clutched at his heart. 

“No matter how fine a person the leader of the knights may be! He is not worthy of Mother Dear!” 

“Um, hellooo? Earth to Skargo…?” 

Cayna got the impression he was seriously misunderstanding something and tried to calm him down, but it was no use. Although he had said he came there to save her, for some reason, the conversation was heading in a completely different direction. 

“I shall never entrust my mother dear to such a man!” 

Realizing he was too far gone no matter what she said, Cayna took a certain staff out of her Item Box and held it aloft. 

“That villainous Shining Saber! How dare he act cold toward other women yet try to lay a hand on my mother dear! He dares call himself a knigh… Um…M-Mother Dear?” 

“…Yes, whatever is the matter?” 

“Wh-what do you intend on doing…with that raised staff in your left hand?” 

“If it’s raised, I’m obviously going to bring it down, right?” 

“It seems like I’m directly under where it’s going to land…” 

“Oh my, what a coincidence. Perhaps you ought to settle down?” 

“………” 

“………” 

“I’m terribly sorry.” 

“As long as you understand.” 

She felt a wave of relief as Skargo meekly bowed his head. Even though he had come to some strange misunderstanding, the fact that her son was worried about her made Cayna smile. 

Skargo had expected wrathful lightning to fall on him, so he looked at her blankly when she smiled at him. 

“Has something happened, Mother Dear?” 

“No, nothing at all.” 

She tugged at the sleeve of his robe, and with a light wave of her hand, Skargo obediently bent down. She patted his head, and he tilted his own with a Question Mark Over Head effect. Ever since their reunion, Skargo had rarely seen his mother in a good mood. His fear of being jabbed like the other day abated, and he felt a bit relieved. 

“How long have you been watching Shining Saber? You didn’t hear what we were talking about, did you?” 

Cayna’s gentle expression changed in an instant, and Skargo could hear a dangerous note in her voice. He shook his head and completely denied having heard anything; he had apparently come across Cayna while returning from the most recent meeting to discuss the damage the monster had caused. It was rare to see her having such a good time, so he had followed her without thinking in order to find out more. 

Skargo apologized for this. The barrier that had been set up prevented him from getting closer, but watching Cayna have such a pleasant chat with the knight leader and adventurer had apparently filled him with jealousy and unease. Not realizing that his internal assumption of That bastard thinks I’ll give him Mother Dear?! was wrong in every way, Skargo had mentally blacklisted Shining Saber as a threat. 

Cayna was also a bit to blame for having so much fun talking to other players that she ignored her surroundings. That was why Kee had been the one to warn her she was being trailed, and it was Cayna’s magical interference that had removed Skargo from the barrier. 

From the very beginning, the highly visible Skargo wasn’t greatly affected by the Concealment Barrier. Cayna thought it might be because he was a blood relative, but she decided to keep an eye on any issues regarding the barrier. Since the Battle Arena employees wouldn’t be able to notice the surrounding area, either, if she left the barrier up, she made sure to release it. 

“Well then, I think I’ll head back to the inn and take it easy…” 

Cayna gave a big stretch and sensed something odd about Skargo, who seemed to burn with a sense of purpose. She tugged on his robe. 

“Ah! What is it, Mother Dear?” 

“I’m going back to the inn, but make sure you do your work, okay?” 

“Well, we have reached a stopping point in our medical treatment of the injured at church, so I thought I might take a short break. We have obtained some fine new leaves, so won’t you have tea with me, Mother Dear?” 

Cayna thought she could see an imaginary puppy tail wagging behind him. Since she wasn’t in any particular rush, she accepted. 

As she watched her son look so delighted that he might jump for joy, she thought that Mye’s prospects were grim. He seemed to have no clue that he had the attentions of a princess, and Cayna held her head in her hands. 

“What’s going on? Why do you still look so stressed out?” 

Mai-Mai entered a private room of the Academy without knocking as Lopus poured over the scroll, and he let out his several hundredth sigh of incomprehension. His wife was rather candid no matter how close she was with someone. 

“Lady Cayna told me to ‘read into it,’ but I can’t grasp the meaning at all.” 

He had already finished deciphering the scroll’s writing. It spoke of recipe ingredients and the required magic. He had everything he needed to test it out, but that alone didn’t guarantee anything was going to happen. He was at an utter loss. 

Mai-Mai, on the other hand, perfectly understood problems that couldn’t be explained no matter how hard one tried. Her mother, Cayna, and brothers would have gotten what she was saying, but as someone of the modern world, such concepts were beyond Lopus. 

“Um, well, first, recognize that as your own. If you can use it after that, then it should be simple…” 

“I’ve been listening this entire time, but I swear I don’t get what you’re talking about. Lady Cayna gave this to me, so there’s no question it’s mine. I’m asking how I use the scroll.” 

“Aghhhhhh, geez! How am I supposed to explain this?!” 

As Mai-Mai gripped her head and writhed about in an eccentric display, Lopus considered it same old, same old and sank into his thoughts. 

One might say they were a well-balanced couple. 

The Item Box was the source of all clarity. 

For those like Cayna who had player senses, their Item Box stored everything they owned. A screen would then indicate what was in their inventory. From there, they could tap USE and enjoy the effects of potions and the like without ever picking them up. This also applied to Foster Children, like Mai-Mai and those made on different accounts. 

However, people like Lopus, who had absolutely no connection to the game, couldn’t understand the concept of an Item Box. Obtaining and using the scroll were literally beyond his logical comprehension. 

What it boiled down to was that he couldn’t use it. 

Furthermore, this scroll made by a Skill Master was definitively different from the skill scrolls obtained in Events. This problem made itself known here. 

“Ah…” 

“What the…?” 

Just as the outline of the scroll in Lopus’s hand began to fade, it suddenly disappeared with a burst of light. A drawback to this scroll was that it only lasted twenty-four hours after its initial creation. 

Unaware of this, Lopus stared in shock at the light particles and the last remaining vestiges of the scroll. With an “Ah,” Mai-Mai laid a comforting hand on Lopus’s shoulder. 

“Looks like the time ran out. When Mother makes things like that, they only last a day.” 

“Tch. And I finally had some answers…” 

Mai-Mai nestled close to her husband as he dejectedly dropped his shoulders. She wanted to give him another scroll, but that was her mother’s department. Cayna would mostly likely say he should take on a trial, so there didn’t seem to be much choice outside giving up. 

Helpless, she gently wrapped her arms around Lopus to comfort him.