Saikyou Mahoushi no Inton Keikaku (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 51

Fifty-First Chapter 

Wake Up at Night 

In contrast to how noisy it had been during the day, it was dead silent now. The coming of night had absorbed all sound as the busy day came to an end. 

As the night settled in, the number of students still out and about gradually became fewer. The lights in the training grounds and auditorium had been turned off long ago, and the streets on the campus were lit with a few streetlights. The remaining vestiges of the campus festival were some stalls that were left standing. 

However, a bright light was still on in a corner of the research building. From inside, the voices of laughing girls could be heard, as if the festival was continuing on for them. They were probably enjoying their youth, letting their vigor carry them through the night. Forgetting all about their exhaustion, they were chatting to their hearts’ content. 

They all prepared dinner together, and opened up the candy bag they’d bought with the money from the festival...but first, they toasted the occasion with some juice. After that, they began their girl talk that had no end in sight. 

Alus and Loki were more or less forced to spend the time with the girls, but they were spacing out. 

Eventually, the clock passed midnight, and welcomed a new day. The girls ignored any idea of curfew they might have had, and slept on the sofa, table, or wherever they pleased in the laboratory. That’s when Alus opened his eyes. 

Loki had woken up first, and the sound of her gently opening the door had then woken him. “Sir Alus, I decided to speak with Ms. Felinella just in case.” She really was considerate when it came to these kinds of things. She must’ve made arrangements with Felinella, who was the dorm supervisor, so that the three girls wouldn’t be punished for breaking curfew. 

“I see. I gave her a quick call yesterday, but they never did go back to the dorm.” 

“Well, this time is an exception.” 

“You can say that again. Feli sure has it tough, though. I should speak with Sisty about it later.” With a wry smile, Alus looked over at the three girls still fast asleep. “All right, let’s get ready without waking them up.” 

... Fifteen minutes later. “Are you tired?” Loki considerately asked him at the front door. She’d been kept up late by Tesfia and the others too, so she’d not slept any more than Alus had. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll be able to get some rest when we get there. I wouldn’t want to go to the Outer World half asleep,” Alus replied jokingly. 

“Yes, gladly. I’m a little tired after yesterday,” Loki said with a dry smile, to which Alus answered briefly with a “Me too” as they prepared to leave the laboratory behind. 

In reality, marching on without sleep wasn’t uncommon in the Outer World. Loki had also trained to be able to go without sleep for two or three days. The tiredness she was feeling was probably not from exhaustion, but from having gotten her fill. The last two days had brought a lot of fresh and new experiences to her. 

That said... After the attack and Lilisha’s appearance, Alus’ life at the Institute was becoming more and more unstable. There were plenty of concerns that weren’t going to go away, and there were things he would need to take care of in the future. It seemed he would never be freed from such troubles. 

Even so, the Second Magical Institute was a place where he could temporarily forget about all that. After glancing at the three girls’ peaceful sleeping faces through the gap in the door, Alus left the scene behind him. 

Two figures blended in with the darkness, then ran in the direction of the military headquarters. 

*** 

No matter how late at night it was, or how close to dawn, this place never slept. 

This was the outermost reach of the human domain. Beyond the absolute protective barrier projected by the Tower of Babel was the world humanity once lived in. 

Before the grand barrier was a massive fortress, Alpha’s military headquarters. Because the highest authority of the military had to remain ever vigilant, it was placed closest to the frontlines within the barrier. 

It was a fortress where Magicmasters who put their lives on the line every day gathered for the lofty cause of humanity’s future, hoping to be able to temporarily forget about everything and get some well-deserved rest. 

Upon their arrival, Alus and Loki immediately headed for the nap room. There were still a few hours before dawn, so they had the time to spare. The two didn’t hesitate to devote that to sleep. Anyone who had been in the military for a while had mastered the trick of entering a deep, if brief, sleep. It was absolutely necessary in order to survive in the Outer World. 

Incidentally, the nap room could be used by any soldier, but it was tight, with each bed just barely large enough for a single person. It was a space purely for the act of sleeping. 

The time being what it was, there weren’t many people moving about in the headquarters. Those who were around seemed to be headed for an early shift, or returning to their rooms while holding back yawns. 

When they noticed Alus, some who weren’t up to date looked at him suspiciously, while those in the know hurriedly saluted. Either way, it was just annoying right now. 

The nap room was divided into two separate rooms of small beds lined up next to each other, and capsule-style beds affixed to the wall. Alus and Loki ultimately went with the capsule beds, because despite how small they were, people would be less likely to disturb them there. 

And the two slept like machines. Deeply, ever so deeply, forgetting all about their peaceful lives at the Institute, their consciousnesses completely shifting towards something suitable for the Outer World. 

Eventually the sky started to lighten. Alus woke up on the wrong side of the bed, unusually enough for him. He’d been practically forced awake by the presence of someone moving near him. It was one of the most unbearable ways for him to wake up. 

He turned around in bed and unhappily opened his eyes a little. “What do you think you’re doing?” 

“Giving you the best way of waking up,” Lettie said with a mischievous smile, close enough for their faces to touch. 

Alus clicked his tongue in his mind, as if to scold himself for his carelessness. He’d never been so deep asleep that he didn’t notice someone getting in bed with him. He even entertained the excuse that maybe he was tired because of the campus festival. It seemed those mere two days had exhausted him more than he knew. “Best? I think you mean worst. And it’s too hot.” 

“Well, we are sleeping together, after all.” 

He sighed. “Is it time already?” 

“That’s right, it’s time for good kids to wake up. The bad adults are all ready to go.” 

He never expected he’d keep Lettie waiting. Looking at the clock, there was still some time left. However, Alus was only called in to help with this mission, so he was planning on following the instructions of the squad’s commander. 

As he sat up, the sheet slid off, revealing Lettie in her usual military uniform. But even that was quite revealing. “I’ll get ready right away. You go wake up Loki.” Loki’s capsule was next to Alus’ capsule. 

Hearing that, Lettie burst into a smile. “He he, looks like I can still enjoy myself a while longer.” She covered her smile with her hand, but it was so obvious. Glancing over at the wall where Loki was sleeping on the other side, she wriggled her fingers in anticipation... 

The next moment, the capsule door popped open. From inside, a small figure, a hurrying Loki, jumped out. It seemed she’d changed into nightwear before going to sleep, as she wore a thick camisole and shorts. She’d been sensitive enough to pick up on Lettie’s wicked intentions, and leaped into action at a quick speed. Shaking her silver hair, she immediately turned to Alus, but her eyes met with Lettie’s, who was sitting on the edge of his bed. 

“Good morning, lil Loki.” 

“!! G-Good morning, Lady Lettie. By the way, why are you in Sir Alus’ bed?” 

“That’s an adult secret,” Lettie grinned, but in the next moment she was pushed out of the capsule bed by Alus. 

“Y-You don’t mean...a night raid?!” 

“Don’t be so unrefined... Besides, it’s not night anymore, it’s dawn.” 

“I-I guess so...?” Loki was still a little sleepy, so she racked her brain as she gazed out the window and saw some light. She was a bit relieved, but shocked at the same time. Sisty had said that Lettie didn’t have the courage for it, but she was at least bold enough to sneak into his room... 

Ahh, I can’t think straight... No matter how much she might shake her head, she wasn’t going to snap awake, but she still struggled to organize her thoughts and attempt a rebuttal. “B-But Lady Lettie, crawling into Sir Alus’ bed is pretty imprudent. There’s a call button on the wall.” 

“You know, I gotta get in my regular check on my sleeping squad members. If you miss that, it has an effect on our teamwork,” Lettie said, like this was common sense, despite being a simple excuse full of holes. “You do it too, dontcha?” 

“... No, I wouldn’t—” 

“If you can’t deny it right away, I guess we’re like birds of a feather.” 

Loki’s confusion only increased as Lettie grinned at her, and she couldn’t come up with a counterargument. Well, it was true she was familiar with the concept, so she wouldn’t have been able to counter it right away even if she’d been fully awake. 

“Still,” Lettie said, “this nap room is as cramped as ever. It can’t be helped that people keep bumping into each other.” 

“Bumping into each other?!” Loki blushed as indecent thoughts popped into her head. It was a comment she couldn’t overlook, but at the same time, her adolescent curiosity ran wild. “W-W-W-What do you mean ‘bumping into each other’?” With her bedhead bouncing up and down, Loki approached Lettie in a panic. 

Meanwhile, Lettie only mumbled, “Hehe. Are you going to make me say it out loud?” 

However, Alus brought the farce to an end. “Hey! Quit making a racket in the nap room, you’re being a nuisance. And Loki, hurry up and get ready already, or we’ll leave you behind.” 

“Oh, aren’t you in a bad mood. Were you always this bad in the morning, Allie?” 

Alus glanced back from the doorway, throwing a cold glare at Lettie. “I don’t want to hear that from you. Who kills their presence to sneak into someone’s bed? Normally, I just would have punched you.” 

“Sounds like you were pretty tired. Didn’t you notice that I rubbed my cheek against you and patted your head?” 

“... If you did, I would definitely punch you.” 

If Loki had heard this, she would’ve been relieved over Lettie’s lie being exposed, but unfortunately she was gone. After Alus’ warning, she’d jumped into her capsule bed and gotten ready in a hurry. 

When she returned in a fluster, she’d changed her clothes and had her bag slung over her shoulder. She also looked to be a little out of breath. 

“Hey, I’m sorry for waking you up a little early. You still have time to get ready.” That said, Lettie showed no signs of regret. 

With a resentful look, Alus seemed to be saying that you couldn’t be too careful around her. 

At Lettie’s direction, Alus and Loki moved to the changing room, where they made their final preparations for the Outer World. Perhaps because of the time, there was no one else around. However, it wasn’t the shared changing room used by lower-ranking Magicmasters, but one prepared specifically for Lettie’s squad. There were private rooms with showers for every one of them, and they even came with a full range of toiletries. Considering the difficulty of their missions that was only natural, and the room left nothing to be desired. 

As a side note, many of these rooms for the troops were shared by both men and women. As far as Alus knew, divisions of men’s and women’s shower rooms were mostly based on arrangements made by the squads themselves. 

On the other hand, men and women were practically always separated for the large baths, but Lettie having the personality that she did, the distinctions between men and women in her squad were rather loose. 

As such, Alus and Loki ended up in the same room. For civilians that would be one thing, but for the military it was nothing to make a fuss about. With both of them having been raised in the military, they treated it as normal and each got into their own preparations with changes of clothes they’d brought with them, and then entered shower rooms next to each other. 

They didn’t exchange any words either, simply opening the doors to their showers. That was followed by the rustling sounds of clothing coming off, and after a while, footsteps, and then the sound of the showers turning on. 

Warm water rained down on the tiled floor, with steam coming out of the slight gaps at the tops of the shower doors. Despite being so used to it, this time Alus was feeling strangely unsettled. The sound of water coming from the next stall reached his ears, making him feel a slight frustration, and combined with the silence it made him uncomfortable. 

At the same time, he got an urge to say something to Loki. It was odd because that had never happened before in any of the many missions he’d been on, he thought, as he took his shower. 

“Sir Alus, why did you accept this mission? You said it was a promise with Lady Lettie.” 

As the voice came from the other side of the wall, Alus was a little astonished. Maybe she was feeling the same way, or perhaps she’d opened up because it was just the two of them here. Either way, he hadn’t expected her to call out to him. 

But thinking about it, there was no rule that said you couldn’t have conversations in the shower. 

Alus was a little surprised, but he had no reason to ignore her. As he scrubbed his body, he gave her a simple “Yeah...” 

He hadn’t given it any deeper thought, but still needed some time to think of an answer. It wasn’t like he and Lettie were strangers, but in the past he wouldn’t have helped without expecting something in return. Besides, Lettie’s squad had been ordered to assist Alus in defeating Demi Azur, so he didn’t really have a debt to repay. 

Only one thing came to mind. He wasn’t helping Lettie because she was a Single, or because they were both soldiers of Alpha. It was probably because he was drawn to Lettie as a person. 

However, the more he unraveled that thought, the more embarrassed and reluctant he became to put it into words. So he decided to be straightforward. “It’s not like we owe each other anything. I would say...she and her squad remind me of the old days.” 

“...?” Loki was speechless. 

Alus wiped off his body and looked up, staring at the drops of water running down the wall, while in reality his mind was somewhere far away. 

A bit later, he sensed that Loki had finished up her shower too. That silence only amplified his embarrassment, so he uncomfortably moved from the shower stall to the changing room while waiting for her response. 

However, there was no answer from Loki. “What’s wrong? You’re the one who asked.” After putting on half of his clothing, he finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked her. As the buckle of his belt clanged, his voice filled the changing room. And then— 

“Sir Alus, are you curious about Lady Lettie?” 

“What?” Her question was probably because of what happened earlier, but it was still too abrupt. Alus ruffled his wet hair and glanced over with dismay in his eyes. “I’m not curious. It’s the opposite. She lives a completely different life from me, yet she seems to be having a great time,” he calmly said, before adding I’m sure in his mind. “So maybe what I should aim for as a Magicmaster is the place Lettie is at.” He managed to wrap up the essence of the situation in an evasive tone. 

That was all he could do. He’d never spoken his mind so frankly before. He still wasn’t used to it, but he felt like he’d been reflecting on things a lot lately. His resistance to saying these words seemed to mysteriously disappear when he was with Loki. 

Yet again, there was no answer. The awkward pause made the atmosphere in the changing room uncomfortable. To be frank meant not letting others’ opinions or one’s own self-restraint filter what one said. It was like a child saying the first thing that popped into their mind. 

Alus suddenly realized that he wanted someone to hear him out. It wasn’t like he wanted her to tell him if his thoughts were correct or not. He just wanted her to sympathize. “No, was that a lifestyle I gave up long ago? ... I’m not sure if that’s an answer, though,” he said questioningly, because he was unclear on it himself. 

It was like a vague wish in a dream, an ideal that couldn’t be expressed in words. He thought that Lettie and the troops she led must have been full of that. So it wasn’t what he should aim for, but what he wanted to aim for. 

As he pulled on his shirt, he felt a sentimentality that he couldn’t get rid of, making him feel very vexed. Unexpectedly, putting his thoughts into words wasn’t as refreshing as he’d hoped. In fact, he was very self-conscious, and after he said it, he felt shy. 

As a result, rather than a shift in mood, Alus was left with a bitter feeling... but shortly thereafter, he could hear the sounds of hurried footsteps behind the shower room door. 

“... Are you done changing?” 

“Hm? Yeah, mostly.” 

Loki opened the door ever so slightly, and stuck her head out. She wore a bright smile, as if she couldn’t hold her joy in, and with a relaxed expression she stared straight at Alus. 

He stopped putting on his clothes, and stared back at her. Loki’s silver hair was soaking wet, as she’d just finished her shower. The wet strands of hair clung to her face and the water dripped down on the tiled floor. The figure peeking out through the small gap looked unguarded, giving her a childlike naivete. She probably had nothing wrapped around her body either. Even though there was no one else around, she’d never done anything that bold in the laboratory where they lived together. 

At the same time, Alus didn’t know what he’d said that had pulled at her heartstrings like that. Her cheeks were a beautiful shade of pink. With her eyes wide, Loki stared straight at him. “Sir Alus!” 

“W-What.” He was taken aback by her forcefulness. 

Seeing that, Loki gave him a toothy grin. “I think that’s great. I’m happy to hear how you feel, but more than anything, I am so happy that you decided to put it into words.” 

Since she looked so happy, he felt somewhat foolish; but he could understand what she was saying. Alus rarely ever spoke about his inner thoughts. If he did it was under orders, in situations he couldn’t escape from. 

This time there were no such circumstances. He’d made up his own mind. It may have seemed like a small difference, but it was actually a very large one. 

But at the same time, he asked himself if it really meant all that much. Loki’s words were probably correct, and he could objectively understand it was a sign he was changing. But it didn’t feel real. “Is that how it is...?” he asked in a listless tone, as if it concerned someone else. 

However, words of affirmation immediately came back at him. “That’s how it is!” 

Resistance to change was something everyone was familiar with. And not even Alus was an exception to that. However, nothing would change if he simply froze in place because of his hesitation. If only one person, like Loki who was smiling at him right now, were to stay by his side, he wouldn’t end up staying frozen. Especially when that smile was filled with compassion. 

“Well, that aside... Loki, you’re going to catch a cold if you stay like that.” 

“—?! T-That’s true.” It wasn’t until then that Loki realized what state she was in. She tucked her head back in. 

Before long, Alus and Loki, now fully prepared, headed for the nearby waiting room. It was also referred to as the squad room, and it was where the squad would be briefed before a mission. Moreover, when said squad belonged to a Single, its scale and equipment were in a league of their own. Of course that cost quite a bit, but Lettie’s squad had achieved more than any other in the nation. 

Aside from Alus, who rarely appeared in public, it was Lettie Kultunca who was the leading Magicmaster of Alpha and a symbol of Alpha’s power. She and her squad had the power to support the foundation of the military. 

Upon their arrival, Alus, ready to get going at any moment, knocked on the door. In response to his knock, the thick door was opened. Inside were skilled veteran Magicmasters everywhere he looked, all waiting for Alus. 

When they recognized Alus and Loki, they rose from their chairs and welcomed him with an orderly salute. 

They all gave off a fierce aura. Alus, who’d fought alongside them, was one thing, but Loki tensed up whether she wanted to or not. Tesfia and Alice would probably stiffen to the point that they couldn’t even move in their overpowering presences. If it weren’t for the military uniforms they wore, they could easily be taken for a bunch of villains you’d see casually strolling through a black market. 

“Oh, you’re here.” In the back was someone calling them over in an out-of-place cheery voice. Lettie wasn’t sitting in a chair but on top of a desk, and Alus gave her a criticizing stare. 

Lettie’s attitude aside, there was a stiff mood in the air. As an elite squad, Alus recalled them being much more relaxed when fighting Fiends, but today they were being quite well-mannered. They formed neat lines to the left and right, leaving the middle open to greet Alus and Loki. It was as if his every move was being watched, making him uncomfortable, but he continued down the path in the middle. 

It wasn’t like he knew everyone in Lettie’s squad, but from what he could see there were many rather powerful Magicmasters. 

There were high-ranking Magicmasters that had helped with eliminating the Devourer, including Sajik and Mujir. But this time there were others too. They were all personally recruited by Lettie for their power, and Alus seemed to know some of their faces. 

That said, Lettie didn’t actively recruit all of the best ones in the nation. If she, as a Single, did that, it would lead to a major imbalance in the military overall. As a matter of fact, one of the characteristics of her squad was that many of its members grew dramatically. 

Mujir was one of those members, and after joining her squad his ranking had shot up to the level of Double Digit. In other words, Lettie took into account not just their power but their potential as well. 

“Sir Alus, have you recovered from your injuries?” Mujir took the initiative to call out to him in a friendly tone. His words were out of honest concern for Alus. 

“Yeah, there was no problem. Actually, why don’t you all sit down already, you don’t have to go all out like this,” Alus replied without hesitation, but as he looked around at the people who’d taken a seat, it seemed there were many he wasn’t familiar with. Meaning that only a small portion of the squad had accompanied him to eliminate the Devourer. 

So he could understand the somewhat nervous mood. In short, the majority of them didn’t know what kind of person Alus—the top of all Magicmasters—was. Their captain Lettie was a friendly individual, but they knew she was unique in that regard. Which was why they were worried that it would be disrespectful if they treated him the same way as their captain. At the very least, they’d sat back down like Alus requested. 

The atmosphere was still uncomfortable as Alus and Loki walked up to Lettie. “How about you get started? You don’t have much time, right?” Alus spat out, as he recalled what happened in the nap room. She shouldn’t have woken him up a little early just to tease him. He’d anticipated that it wouldn’t be a strategy meeting, but instead a simple exchange of information. He’d only gotten the gist of it in the principal’s office, so he should get more details here. 

“All right everyone, quiet down,” Lettie said, jumping off the desk. At that, all the rugged faces turned serious and looked in her direction at once, which was impressive but also a little creepy. It was like students turning to look at their teacher, but the “students” resembled hardened criminals, so it just looked all wrong. 

That aside, a screen in the room showed a detailed map of Vanalis, as well as the Fiends they could expect to encounter there. As someone who specialized in research, Alus could perfectly remember all of it just by giving it a single look-over. He guessed that the important information would be handed out on paper or something. Yet nothing of the sort reached his hands. In fact, there were no signs of any papers being handed out. 

“Hey, hand them out already,” he said, as he held his hand out to Lettie. But she just looked down at his hand questioningly. “You brought me here to share more detailed information, didn’t you?” 

“Ah! That’s not it.” 

Following that, Loki sent a puzzled glance at Lettie. In response, she shifted to the side. “All right, listen up everybody... First off, introduce yourself, Allie.” 

“What?” 

Alus raised an eyebrow, but Lettie just continued, “Okay, go ahead,” like it was the most natural thing in the world. He was stunned. 

“Geez, you’re so shy. Oh, fine.” Lettie shrugged, and shook her head a few times as if she’d seen it coming. That attitude made Alus’ cheek twitch. 

Seeing that, Mujir panicked and leaned forward to cover for his captain. “I’m sorry. This is kind of like a tradition when joining the squad.” 

Alus held his head, as he felt a headache coming on. Thinking about it, it made sense, but it felt way too late now. 

“Since Allie is so bad at speaking, I’ll introduce him for you. Like some of you already know, he’s Alpha’s ranked No. 1 and Governor-General Berwick’s favorite. And the cutie next to him is his partner, lil Loki. Okay, applause, everyone!” 

It was a complete farce, but the squad still stood up to give a standing ovation. There was even some finger whistling. 

“All right, now get along with our new members,” Lettie continued as a matter of course, but there was something in her statement that Alus couldn’t overlook. 

He raised his voice in protest, not going to let it slip by. “I haven’t joined your squad. I’m just giving you a helping hand.” 

“Boo. It’s easier to have your names on the roster... Anyways, Allie and lil Loki will be helping us out on this mission.” 

There were voices of blatant, feigned surprise that rang out. 

“Well, just think of them as special aides. So let’s go take back Vanalis. By the way, unlike with the Devourer, you’ll be under my command, Allie.” 

“Of course. I don’t have any objections to that.” 

Loki was treated the same way, but she showed an obvious look of disapproval, as she’d been planning on only obeying Alus. He picked up on that, but it couldn’t be helped. It would be inefficient for her to only follow his orders in a squad. Even in an elite squad like this, a spotter was too valuable a resource to be devoted to one individual. 

And so he called out to her, “You’ll have to deal with it. And take a good look at this squad, there’s a lot you can learn from them.” 

“I understand.” Satisfied for now, Loki turned to gaze at the squad again. She felt that Alus was right. Sure, they looked a little vulgar, but they were all battle-hardened veterans. She was aware of her lack of ability. Steeling herself, she lowered her head. “I may be inexperienced, but I look forward to working with you!” 

The squad warmly welcomed the girl’s laudable greeting. She called herself inexperienced, but those who had been on the Devourer mission knew she was the primary reason Alus’ life had been saved. They hadn’t even been there when Alus was in danger. She might have felt unworthy, but her courage was admirable. That was why they could accept this small girl’s earnest feelings. 

A solemn applause slowly spread through the room, welcoming her. Despite the difference in age, they looked on her as a comrade. They accepted her, not as Alus’ partner, but as a Magicmaster in her own right. Not to mention that she already knew what the Outer World was like. There was no need to warn her not to be a hindrance. 

“I’d really love to welcome lil Loki to our squad,” Lettie greedily muttered, but with a gentle smile on her face. 

Alus nodded his head at the scene. So they’re putting their lives in each other’s hands. It’s a little roundabout, but very much like Lettie. 

The squad had completed missions together for a long time, building up a strong bond, so they stayed stronger than any other squad and overcame their hardships. However, Alus and Loki were like foreign objects from the outside, so to speak. As long as they were under Lettie’s command, their cooperation was essential. That’s why, as newcomers to the squad, they needed to build up their trust. Which was why Lettie had gone to the trouble of setting this meeting up. 

Of course, Alus was able to make up for a lack of coordination through technique, not to mention he had complete faith in his abilities. But Loki was different. Just being Alus’ partner wasn’t enough for them to trust her in the Outer World. From the squad’s point of view, she wasn’t good enough to be trusted with their lives. 

The squad’s loyalty to Lettie as an individual was higher than their loyalty to the nation. Perhaps that single-mindedness was why they’d caught Lettie’s eye. They had strong spirits and were able to trust someone from the bottom of their hearts. And most of all, for the sake of their ideals, they could swear an oath without an expectation of personal gain. 

In the Outer World, everything could change in the blink of an eye; the line between life and death was always near. Life was fragile and fleeting when fighting under those conditions. They walked down a path of life where they would never be ashamed. So, unlike Alus, they were warriors who belonged at Lettie’s side. Thinking of it that way, it strangely made sense. It was just a baseless guess by Alus, but it was a sobering thought. 

Nevertheless, Alus and Loki were similar partners. Since they would be walking together on this path, he decided to say something as Loki’s senior in the military. “Sorry about this, everyone. I think it’ll be a little troublesome, but help teach—” 

“Right, let’s get going.” 

He wondered if Lettie was just living moment to moment and not even able to read the room, as she interrupted Alus and clapped her hands with a serious expression, stirring her squad into action. 

Is she doing this on purpose? Alus looked over at Lettie who was carefreely rushing her squad. 

She was willful and fickle. And once caught up in her pace, one tended to be dragged along with her until the end. It was hard to tell if she was a natural airhead or calculating. Besides... No, there was no point in complaining now, so Alus swallowed his words and shrugged. 

At the same time... “She never told us anything,” Alus said, but with Lettie and her squad having rushed out of the room, his words didn’t reach them. 

*** 

As Alus and the others left the military headquarters, they were seen off by lines of people on either side of them. However, it was only a gathering of those free at the time, and they were only wordlessly saluting him, but that didn’t happen much in his time in the military. 

Not only did he have a lot of secret missions, but he also operated alone, so he didn’t stand out as much as a large squad. This alone showed how popular Lettie was and what a presence her squad had. 

When he passed through the Tower of Babel’s barrier, he felt an inexplicable thirst being quenched. The sky changed into a deep blue color and he could tell without a doubt that it was the real thing. 

Next, a clear breeze caressed his hair as the real world revealed itself before his eyes. 

He could see far off into the distance. The sunlight shone on the horizon. The depth of the orange glow disrupted his sense of time, making it look like sunset. However, dawn hadn’t fully come yet. It was like the world was showing off that it hadn’t changed, being vividly colored by the season. 

Alus had several things he wanted to ask Lettie, but in this one moment, his mind was clear. Considering the season, the temperature outside was rather low compared with the human domain, though Alpha—which was located in the south—was better off than the other nations. 

They carried the standard equipment, and the squad members hadn’t taken any particular measures to defend themselves from the cold. Besides, everyone present was an elite, and they could deal with this by covering themselves in a layer of mana, like a simple robe made out of mana. 

There were, of course, downsides to this. First off, they were easier to sense by Fiends. Next, maintaining the mana robe would distract them for a moment when casting a spell. Then again, with the skill of this squad, it was the latter they’d need to worry about. 

Battles against Fiends relied heavily on making the first strike. That said, if they couldn’t move their bodies because of the cold at a critical point, they’d be getting their priorities backwards. It would take some days to reach Vanalis, so it would be best to maintain their basic protection through mana, while accepting that they’d end up in a couple of battles. 

But as they started making their way over, Alus had an odd thought. It should be about five days to Vanalis, but...at this pace... They weren’t going too slow, but too fast. He plotted the general course to Vanalis in his head. 

Vanalis was a very important place for humanity’s counterattack on the Fiends. With Alus reclaiming Zentley and Covent, the signal for the counterattack being lit was still fresh in the minds of everyone. Of the two, Zentley was safely under control, thanks to Alus eliminating the high-classed Fiend that controlled the area. Since then, development of the land was progressing smoothly, and it now functioned as the largest base in the Outer World. 

Covent, on the other hand, was practically untouched. They had an idea as to where they should set up their base, but there were no Magicmasters stationed there. Right now, the only thing they’d set up were magic anti-Fiend mines to deal with any threats. It was partly because they lacked the manpower, but also because of how large Covent was, so they had no way to keep the Fiends away permanently. Meaning, a substitute for the Tower of Babel. 

In order to stabilize the region, they needed a device like the second Tower of Babel set up in Folen, or something like it. The reason one hadn’t been deployed yet was because its effective range was too small. Despite initial predictions, Covent was simply too large of an area to properly manage. 

Alus had completed the harsh mission thrust upon him, and that alone should be cause for rejoicing, but the clean-up process hadn’t been properly thought through. There was also the fact that Covent was located between Alpha and Rusalca, making the situation more complicated. True, Alus was solely credited for retaking it, but Berwick had no intention of claiming its vast lands all for Alpha. If anything, it could even be used as a card in negotiations with Clevideet. 

As a result, dealing with the land was constantly being pushed back, and it would be a long time before Covent would be repopulated with humans. 

But as far as the plan was concerned, there was already a draft. That’s where Vanalis’s importance came into play. In other words, the top brass of Alpha’s military saw it as a major geographical foothold for establishing permanent control over Covent. 

In order to avoid having to pass through steep mountainous terrains, the suppression of Vanalis was a must. That was the situation regarding Vanalis, as far as Alus knew. 

Next, he shifted to considering the political situation. Even he believed that it would be impossible for a single nation to manage a continent as large as Covent. Cooperation with the other nations was needed, so more joint operations with Rusalca had to be considered. 

Unfortunately, there were two at the top that were hostile towards Rusalca. And in addition to that, the girl with braided hair running in front of him was not on good terms with the Single who could be considered the face of Rusalca. Just what’s going to happen? Moreover, even if they retook Vanalis, Rusalca and Clevideet hadn’t cleared the routes that led to it from Fiends. Yet Alpha had already reclaimed Covent, which lay beyond it. 

That was a sign of how extraordinary Alus’ power was, but it also meant that Alpha’s achievements were far above the other nations. The neighboring nations hadn’t caught up with them at present. 

To maintain Covent, Rusalca’s reach into the Outer World would need to advance to the same level. Vanalis would be a major step in that direction. Regardless of how we come to terms with Rusalca, the first thing we need to do is get Vanalis back. 

Alus wasn’t too interested in politics, but he wasn’t very happy that the maintenance of Covent was in danger after he’d taken it back. So it was inevitable that he’d lend Lettie a helping hand... or so he bitterly thought, in an attempt to convince himself. 

He and the others blew through the Outer World, not paying any attention to the Fiends near Alpha. As he wondered how far they’d gone, he looked back to Loki and saw that the silver-haired girl already had beads of sweat on her forehead. We are going at a high pace, after all. I guess it’s a little hard on her. 

They’d been advancing for several hours without a break. Maintaining this pace was hard on not just Loki, but also on the other members. It was difficult to imagine that they’d keep going through the night when Fiends were much more active, but from what he could tell from looking at Lettie, she was planning on going as far as they could today. 

As he glanced around, he could see that Loki was indeed not the only one who was tired. There was a woman who looked like a healing Magicmaster in the group, and she was visibly tired. 

The journey to Vanalis wasn’t easy, considering the distance. It wasn’t just the exhaustion either. Fiends were also a problem. The number of Fiends around was increasing because it was impossible to sweep the area on a regular basis. Low-classed or not, they became more of a threat the more their numbers swelled. There were also Fiends that changed their habits and became more violent when they swarmed. 

It was the mission of the platoons and defense units, many of whom were newbies, to reduce their numbers. The types of Fiends here were limited and not too hard to deal with. Sometimes high-classed Fiends and Variants were spotted among them, but in those cases, high-ranking Magicmasters were sent out to handle them. 

But as they advanced beyond the area under military control, approaching Vanalis, they would go beyond the scope of detection. Meaning that the closer they came to Vanalis, they would enter the regions dominated by Fiends. 

Alus knew firsthand of the horrors of these lands, having chased the distant horizon in search of what lay beyond the maps. The land under human control was just a small part of the world. The rest belonged to the Fiends. 

Before their appearance, humanity had reigned over the entire world. But their former glory was long gone, replaced by their nemesis. Humanity had taken up magic, replacing the science of the past, in order to acquire the power to hunt down Fiends, but unfortunately it didn’t look like the gap in strength between them would be closed anytime soon. 

But with momentum building in their favor, they had a rare chance to counterattack. Which made reclaiming Vanalis all the more important. Lettie had lost comrades in arms here, so to her it was a long-cherished desire. 

With those thoughts in mind, Alus and the others entered a new region after a short break. Up until now, they’d been going through a forest with tall trees using branches as footholds. The visibility was poor, but the distance between the trees was wide, so it was relatively safe. 

However, the environment in the new area changed abruptly. The temperature and humidity rose rapidly, creating a light mist. The branches formed peculiar patterns, at times intertwining in web-like configurations. The ground flattened out, and the roots that were spread out before now mostly disappeared into the ground. 

It was a unique and unfamiliar landscape filled with more primitive life force than before. If they pushed away some branches and looked through bushes, it was easy to imagine finding a ton of small wildlife and insects. 

But looking at it, it really was an unnatural landscape in an irregular climate. The heat had suddenly increased. The change was just so abrupt. It was like stepping out of a cold region and jumping into a desert. 

In reality, these large changes in the environment weren’t particularly unusual in the Outer World. Nature was wielding its power as it pleased with humanity’s disappearance, but according to some theories this had happened because of the influence of mana. 

Regardless, the reason they needed to stay on guard now was because these kinds of places tended to be inhabited by Fiends unique to these regions. We’re not going to be able to just run through this place, Alus thought to himself, as if waiting to see how Lettie and her squad would handle it. He slowed down a little and started running alongside Loki. 

“Sir Alus, Lady Lettie, I’ve detected two B-class Fiends one kilometer to the north. We will probably encounter them on our march.” Loki had also noticed, and quickly made her report. 

One of the problems Alus was wrestling with was how to handle Loki. She would be in charge of detection until they reached their destination. That would seem normal at first glance, but he felt something was strange. Normally, a squad of Lettie’s caliber would have a spotter solely devoted to them. They couldn’t be called an absolute necessity, but a spotter was at least as important as a Double Digit on missions like these. 

That said, Alus was temporarily under Lettie’s command, so it wasn’t his place to ask about every little thing. He’d find out eventually, so he chose not to say anything. 

He’d already gotten a look at the cooperation of the squad during their elimination of the Devourer. They were without a doubt the best Alpha had. He’d fallen back to where Loki was because he was planning on leaving this up to them. 

Perhaps sensing that, Lettie gave her squad an order with a hand signal. It was a signal unique to her squad, and Alus and Loki didn’t understand what it meant, but the squad members swiftly moved into action and changed their formation. 

The squad picked up the pace towards the Fiends Loki had located, and two members passed by Lettie’s side. Sajik and Mujir. 

“They’re both very skilled,” Alus told Loki. “Sajik in particular uses the same lightning attribute, so keep your eye on them.” He expected the two of them to clash with the Fiends. 

“Yes!” Loki wiped away her sweat, and squinted her eyes to get a better look. 

There was a huge shadow in front of them. But the two charged in towards the Fiend without hesitation, as if it were a simple task. 

The Fiend walked on four legs, but it had a half-man, half-beast appearance, leaning forward so far that its front paws were just above the ground. Its short fur was strangely slimy and shiny, and ran from its head down its back. Its silhouette was reptilian, but the fur made it look like a quadruped as well. 

At a closer look, there was a thin, dark, flying membrane below its slim but sturdy-looking arms. It had a thick neck, and its mouth protruded like a wolf’s mouth. 

This was the typical predator type. Their absurdly long claws dug into the ground. This act made it look like it was trying to intimidate the squad, and it also seemed to be hitting rocks as sparks flew from time to time. 

These were B-class Fiends known as Vigals. Their habitat was limited, and while their rate of proliferation was quite high, they were known to swarm. Because of that, it was said that if you found one, there’d be another ten within a two-kilometer radius. 

Meanwhile, Sajik and Mujir seemed to wordlessly decide on how to deal with it. Sajik’s eyes narrowed as he gathered power in his right arm. His muscles bulged as his fist tightened and a magic formula started to glow on his gauntlet-type AWR. At the same time lightning appeared to surge through him. 

The next moment his body was gone, leaving only flashes of electricity behind. 

“—!!” Loki’s eyes opened wide. Sajik had used Force, a spell she’d only acquired after a ton of hard work. Not to mention he had such a large body, yet he’d probably accelerated even faster than Loki. 

But what surprised her the most was that the spell she liked to keep hidden was being used right off the bat. He was even managing to use magic in conjunction with Force without any trouble. 

As proof of that, Sajik’s fist was wrapped in lightning as he appeared right next to the Fiend. The punch he threw seemed so careless. Yet it was enough to completely destroy the Vigal’s head and turn it into dust. 

Loki gasped and looked closer. The head had disappeared from its thick neck without a trace. A beat later, black blood spurted out like a fountain, and the Fiend collapsed. A pool of black gathered around its twitching body, but it gradually stopped moving. It appeared he’d completely eliminated it, but they couldn’t relax yet. 

Loki had definitely sensed another next Fiend to it... However, it was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it was hidden in the dense foliage of the trees. 

She used detection magic again, and was about to report on its location...but... It seemed she was a step too late. And all she could do was call out the name of the person closest to it to warn him. “Mujir!” she shouted, but all he did was lightly raise his hand as if to show his understanding. 

As an experienced veteran of the Outer World, Mujir didn’t let his guard down for a moment. Regardless of whether or not he’d been told of the Fiend’s presence, his heightened senses alerted him to its whereabouts. He wouldn’t miss even the slightest rustle of leaves. 

Just after the Fiend that lost its head completely turned to dust—as if waiting for the moment Mujir glanced over to witness that—a huge shadow jumped out from the tree next to him. The second Fiend hiding there fiercely attacked. 

But with the intertwining branches and thick foliage, Mujir saw it a moment too late. It snapped any branches in its path with its thick, gnarly horns covered in mana as it came towards Mujir. It was five meters long, and its horns looked somewhat like a moose’s horns. Its body was stocky and covered in a thick, armor-like hide with an eerie dark pattern. 

The Fiend pointed the eight sharp tips of its horns, with the tips showing a suspicious light, and rushed straight at Mujir. 

He managed to dodge the first strike... However, having been charged, Mujir was thrown off balance. Even so, he didn’t flinch, his lips drawn together into a firm line not betraying any hint of fear. He silently readied his tonfa-style AWRs, smoothly coating their surfaces with mana. 

The Fiend turned around, pointing its horns at Mujir once again. To Mujir they looked to have shrunk, but they were all moving individually like they had wills of their own. 

Next, all eight points attacked, aiming for his heart. It was clear at first glance that the mana covering the tips gave them an overwhelming durability and power. It would be foolish to try and block them all, and even dodging would be difficult. A normal Magicmaster would get speared to death. 

Yet Mujir was ready with his AWRs, as if he’d expected this absurd attack. With fluid movements, he snapped many of the approaching tips, and deflected the rest. His attacks were too quick to be seen by the naked eye, and finally he slammed his tonfas down on the Fiend’s head as it rushed him. 

The vertical impact drove its head into the ground, scattering fragments of teeth. It was like a massive hammer had been swung down on the hard ground as it caved in. Aside from Mujir’s unbelievable AWR skills, he’d unleashed a strike so heavy it went against common sense. 

“I guess it wasn’t needed. Clear!” Mujir briefly reported the completion of the elimination to Alus and the others. Incidentally, what he meant by “not needed” was the fact that the Fiend was about to be wrapped up in the ground that had been softened. It was the effect of Mujir’s binding spell, which meant he’d already made preparations for his next step. 

However, he must have realized that his blow to the head had destroyed the core. It was a lethal blow for a Fiend, and by the time he made his report, the Fiend was already turning into dust. 

“I’ve finished up here too,” Sajik reported, as if answering Mujir. He had also destroyed the first Vigal’s core and watched as its body turned to dust. He raised his gauntlet-covered fist and flashed a confident smile. 

In the meantime, Alus and the others had gone around the Fiends and continued their march. The two would join up later, so the overall marching speed wasn’t affected. 

“That sure was overwhelming,” Loki said in awe next to Alus. 

“... Magicmasters that are out in the Outer World for long periods of time are all like this. Superb skills, and more importantly, no hesitation in their actions. Finishing off the Vigals fast was good too.” 

Vigals had the ability to merge with the shadows and conceal themselves, making them very troublesome Fiends. Their B-classification wasn’t just because of their apparent strength, but also due to their threat level, which included special abilities. 

Hearing Alus’ praise, Sajik’s face relaxed into a grin that didn’t match his rugged face. 

Mujir, next to him, gave him a cold stare. “You look creepy, you know that? Sir Alus, this guy lets it go to his head, so you should leave it at that. We were informed about the Fiends ahead of time, so anyone could have dealt with them,” he said, giving Loki a gentlemanly smile. 

Loki was well aware that he was just being polite. A spotter’s job was to sense Fiends and point out where their cores were. The former was one thing, but she’d been unable to fulfill her responsibility for the latter. And she had a regretful look on her face. “I’m sorry. Next time I will...” 

“It’s fine. Nothing good will come from straining yourself too much, lil Loki. Right now, you just need to detect them!” Lettie’s casual follow-up helped ease the burden on Loki’s mind. She wasn’t overlooking Loki’s issue, but she wasn’t sternly rebuking her either. She was probably being considerate because of her position as captain. 

That’s when Loki realized something. It appeared this battle was meant to show her the squad’s combat style, and to teach her the timing of when to detect the cores. Sajik and Mujir were probably the strongest in the squad after Lettie, whose intention had been for them to demonstrate the tactics they were good at for Loki. “... Thank you very much.” 

What Lettie didn’t put into words were her expectations and trust in Loki, as well as showing that she had a place on the squad. By giving her a role, she was entrusting her with a task that gave her a sense of responsibility. Having recognized this, Loki gave words of thanks to Lettie’s back. The Institute was one thing, but she was lacking in power as a squad member. 

Alus also felt a need to thank Lettie for her consideration. After all, he himself had no interest in cooperation. He was used to fighting on his own, and he’d accomplished countless missions that way. 

He gently closed his eyes, recalling fighting in groups. Yeah, he was no good at it. “From the looks of it, these squad members already have knowledge of the locations of cores, so there’s no worries about destroying them. So you should focus on just detecting the presence of Fiends, Loki.” 

“Allie’s right. It’ll depend on the location, but generally you just need to report the destruction of cores. If you can’t tell right away, you just keep attacking until they’re finished off. A spotter’s abilities are a pretty delicate thing, so we only really ask them to detect cores for A-class and above.” 

“... You heard her. When it comes to swarms, the location of cores is less important than detecting their approach in the first place.” 

“I understand. I will prioritize detecting the Fiends around us,” Loki answered in a clear voice. Even she who had gathered some experience in the military since childhood was on the bottom of the totem pole in this squad. But rather than discouraging her, it made her even more motivated. 

That’s what it meant to go with Alus in the first place. If she wanted to stay with the strong, she would need to get stronger herself. 

Meanwhile, Alus thought to himself that Lettie’s “practical guidance” was just like her. She was the type to teach by doing rather than saying. Depending on the circumstances, things might turn harsh. Then again, as someone who’d had to learn everything by doing himself, Alus felt more at home with that method. 

At the very least, if she didn’t devote herself to training with everything she had, the price to pay would be paid by the lives of her friends. In that sense, Loki being in the squad meant more than he’d expected. 

Sajik, in particular, was helpful. He was very skilled when it came to the lightning attribute. Despite his big body, he had finely-tuned techniques. Of the different attributes, lightning required the most precise skills. Those who could use the elements aside, very few Magicmasters could handle it. That was why it would be good for Loki to see someone with the same attribute fighting up close. 

That said, Sajik seems to be the type to rely on power. Alus smiled wryly as he recalled how he had fought before. Not only was he quite skilled in combat, and well-versed in techniques, but he appeared to be very aggressive. It’ll be up to Loki if she sees him as a good example or not... he concluded, looking over at Loki. 

He shrugged. Maybe he was being too nosy. 

Alus and the others continued their march while taking regular short breaks. They only eliminated any Fiends that got directly in their way; moreover, Lettie’s squad dealt with them swiftly and flawlessly, so Alus didn’t have to do anything. 

Even so, the Outer World was teeming with Fiends. And within two days, they’d eliminated more than fifty of them. 

There were some injuries, but the squad’s exhaustion was kept to a minimum. The continued forced march was taking its toll, but they were safely reaching the end of the second day. 

Unlike the Inner World, where the weather was artificial, the Outer World followed the seasons, and the sun set early during this season. The temperature difference between day and night was also rather extreme, and they planned to set up camp the same way as the first day. 

Lettie was having her squad move at their top speed to reach Vanalis as soon as possible. In exchange, the squad carried very little in terms of equipment and supplies. But if they did run out of supplies with these numbers they’d be in serious danger, which Alus found strange. He figured she had some kind of plan, but even by the end of the second day he hadn’t heard anything from Lettie. 

After finding a suitable place to camp, the squad members quickly got to work. It was hard to call the place comfortable, but at times they had to sleep up in the trees, so there really wasn’t much difference. 

Then someone started looking for animal tracks as if familiar with the task, without being instructed to by Lettie or Alus. If there was a watering hole or animal habitat, it was a place that was relatively safe from Fiends. 

In the depths of the Outer World, animals and Fiends were somehow able to live separately from each other. Instead, the Fiends went after humans to the point that it seemed they were designed only for that. In the cases where Fiends wandered into animal territory, they might harm them but rarely ever ate them. It was believed that was because of the mana within their bodies, but the truth was unknown. 

Either way, wild animals had a tendency to cautiously avoid Fiends, and humans could use that fact to find safe places to camp. For the time being they relied on animal wisdom to make it through the night. That was just how poorly Magicmasters fared in night battles. 

They hunted for food, so they were self-sufficient. In no time at all, they had enough meat, fruit, and wildflowers to fill the table. The “table” was a log cut horizontally in half, and for chairs they used logs cut in round slices. There were also some who sat on suitably shaped rocks. 

The tools used for processing and cooking the food, and seasoning it, were very limited, but it was much better than nothing. Before Alus and Loki had a chance to do anything, Lettie’s squad had quickly gotten everything ready without a hitch. 

Leaving everything up to her subordinates, Lettie stared off into the distance with a pensive look. Her profile as she gazed at the setting sun looked somber. 

Before long, the sun had fully set, and as night engulfed the world, small lights lit up their camp. They’d chosen a place behind a large tree, taking great care not to let any fires start to catch any Fiend’s eyes. 

The squad quietly ate their meals in whatever way they pleased. It even looked nostalgic to Alus. “This is strange...” he muttered, as he brought a meat skewer towards his mouth, seated on his makeshift log chair. 

The surrounding eyes naturally gathered on him. Not only was he new to their squad, he was also the ranked No. 1, so they unconsciously paid attention to whatever he said. 

“What is, Sir Alus?” Loki asked, as if representing the silent squad members. 

“Well, I don’t know why, but the meat has no smell at all. It’s only natural for wild meat to have a scent. Though I forgot that, since I’ve only been eating your cooking lately.” 

“Now that you mention it... I didn’t notice. Maybe because I cooked it together with wildflowers.” 

From the looks on the squad members’ faces, that seemed about right. Each squad had different skill levels when it came to cooking, but a skilled cook made a big difference. 

Still...he’d forgotten. At some point, Alus had started thinking it was natural for meat to have flavor and be soft. Right now they weren’t in their usual comfortable laboratory but outside of the human domain. This was the Outer World, where nothing could be taken for granted. 

Seeing the two exchange surprised looks, Lettie grinned at them. “What’s with that? Allie, you’re living the easy life with everything you could ever need.” 

“I don’t want to hear that from you after your attempt to destroy it. Still, I wouldn’t have been this bothered about it before.” 

“Isn’t that because you’re not in the Outer World as much as before?” 

“Maybe.” It was a little painful to hear, but he prided himself on having worked enough already. But this small realization made Alus aware that he’d been away for quite some time now. He had never really paid attention to the taste or smell before. Or rather, he’d only eaten to get the necessary nutrition and calories. 

Incidentally, the one in charge of cooking for this squad was the female healing Magicmaster. She was older than Lettie and had a gentle, compassionate expression. One didn’t need to look at her medkit to tell that her focus was healing; her atmosphere made it clear enough. 

Considering that she’d managed to keep up with the march alongside Loki, she had rather high physical abilities. Of course, she was attached to Lettie’s squad. An average healing Magicmaster would just drag them down. As she gathered the cleared plates, she smiled at Loki. “There is an abundance of ingredients here, after all. We don’t have it all figured out yet either, but I could teach you what I know.” 

“Thank you.” Loki timidly gave the woman her plate. 

“Don’t worry about it. This squad tends to go on a lot of excursions, and going to look for ingredients is fun.” 

After saying that, the woman began serving up soup made with herbs. The fragrance alone made it seem like a dish that was unthinkable in the Outer World. If not for the insects, it would have been fantastic. Even Alus was taken aback by how varied the dinner table could be depending on the cook’s skill. 

The conversations in the camp became more lively when she started serving food, as if they’d forgotten they were in the Outer World. Perhaps that was thanks to her personality. 

This could be fun in its own right...but they’re lacking in tension. Alus planted his elbows on his knees. Beyond the dancing flames was Lettie, who had carefreely kicked out her legs and was having a relaxed chat with some of the men. Sorry. I said I’d help, but I didn’t come here to play around. 

He coldly narrowed his eyes, and flicked the skewer into the fire once he’d finished eating the meat off of it. He then spoke up as if to dispel the harmonious atmosphere. “... Now then, I think it’s about time you tell me.” If they kept up their current pace they would reach Vanalis in three days instead of the projected five. Alus didn’t understand why they needed to be in such a rush. And tonight was the night of the second day... He preferred to find out why as soon as possible. Since Loki was present as well, he wanted at least the bare minimum of politeness from Lettie. 

Alus’ dead-serious tone turned the mood around completely, bringing about a heavy silence. They all knew what he was demanding from Lettie. Loki also glanced over at Lettie. 

“Hm?” Lettie murmured, before there was a strange pause. 

“... Don’t tell me you actually forgot?” He eyed Lettie suspiciously, but in the next moment all the tension seemed to leave his face as he got an exasperated look. 

At the same time he felt relieved that he’d asked about it now. She was a Single too. He had asked her for documents before they left, so he should have known something was up. At the same time, maybe it was his own fault for thinking Lettie had a good reason for rushing. 

It was true that she’d been rushing them. She’d woken Alus and Loki up early, and pushed up the schedule to depart as soon as possible. He didn’t plan on prodding deeply into her squad management, but since he was going to help with the mission, he needed to know what was going on. 

“How rude. I didn’t forget... Well, we are close enough to reach our destination tomorrow, so I guess it’s time to get into my business mode,” Lettie said, without any tension in her voice. 

Alus didn’t know what her supposed business mode was, but he was fine as long as she told him all about the situation before they arrived. 

Lettie looked to be mulling something over for a moment, before letting out a small groan. “Hmmm, well...where should I start... Or rather, I thought you were the type not to rely on preliminary information...” Suddenly, her gaze drifted away from Alus to the silver-haired girl. 

“Yeah, that’s true.” 

Lettie brought the edges of her lips up into a grin. 

“But I’ll be the one who decides whether or not I rely on it,” Alus said decisively, sensing that he was getting caught up in Lettie’s pace. 

“So how would you like to do it? Like a question and answer format?” 

“Cut that... Actually, I guess that’s fine. As long as I can get my concerns addressed already.” 

“All right, then bring it.” 

Alus questioned if this was her so-called “business mode,” and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Normally, he would’ve wanted Lettie to brief him on everything including minor details, but as long as he could get an answer to what he felt was off, it would work for him. 

Moreover, the question and answer format meant that he would choose the questions, and that Lettie probably wasn’t trying to hide anything. So he took it as her show of sincerity. Based on her tone and attitude, he could tell she was probably thinking something stupid like this was the fastest way, or that she didn’t need to put any thought into it this way. 

Pretending that he didn’t see the awkward looks on Sajik, Mujir, and the rest of the squad, Alus began anew. “I’ve read up on Vanalis before. I’ve memorized the location, terrain, and various other information, but how does it actually look?” 

“Hm, well, you’ll see when we get there, but Vanalis is a giant plateau with some differences in elevation. On a hill near the center are the ruins of what used to be a city, but has since become a nest for Fiends. It’s been weathered over time pretty heavily, so there’s not many traces left of it now. There’s plenty of rubble too, but most of it has been swallowed up by nature.” 

“I can imagine. Vanalis is an important key point, geographically speaking.” Digging through his memories, Alus recalled that there’d been a fortified city on that hill. Then he noticed Loki had a questioning look on her face. He knew what she wanted to ask. “That explains why it’s taken over half a year to conquer Vanalis... The city was built there because it was a suitable place to dig in. The difference in elevation from the surrounding area provides good protection and a view of any approaching enemies. It’s like an anthill, or a monster’s nest full of Fiends,” he explained, from what he could remember. 

There wasn’t much literature from that time that remained, so he didn’t know why it had been built that way, but perhaps it was a remnant from a long period of warfare against other humans. “Meaning that you could get ambushed from anywhere just by getting close, and if they jumped back into their holes, there’s nothing left to do. It was made to work against humans, but of course that design works for the Fiends, too. It’s also hard to detect them because they’re hiding underground. Moreover, caution is required because the land still needs to be used afterwards.” 

“—!! Thank you very much,” Loki said gratefully. 

All of that was just the bare minimum of information, and was something that should naturally be shared. What he wanted to know lay beyond that. Since Lettie hadn’t shared that yet, in a sense that meant she really trusted him. That was a complicated feeling. 

He’d finally arrived at the Institute in hopes of leaving the military’s influence, though he knew that was a contradiction since he was still being sent out on missions to the Outer World. While he earnestly hoped for a peaceful life, he found himself longing for the Outer World at times too. Perhaps that meant that—deep down—he didn’t want a place inside the barrier. It might be that he already knew he had no place he belonged to. Which was why Lettie’s behavior didn’t really displease him. 

“Let me confirm what you told me about Vanalis before. You said that a single S-class and two A-class Fiends are in charge of it. There’s no doubting that, right?” Alus had heard that from Lettie’s own mouth during the Friendship Magical Tournament. 

“Yeah, that was the spotter’s report.” 

“What species and form?” 

“Beast species, probably.” 

“Probably? Is it not confirmed?” From the sound of it, it seemed they’d directly seen it, but only for an instant. For the time being, Alus was satisfied that it wasn’t humanoid. 

As Fiends grew stronger, they tended either to become bigger or humanoid. It was unclear, but it was thought that this meant their form was becoming more complete. Those that turned humanoid didn’t look exactly like humans, but they took on a similar shape. 

The humanoid Monsters were mostly clumped together as ogres. Those that were especially threatening were sometimes referred to as Demons. Those Fiends tended to be born after devouring a lot of people—Magicmasters, actually—and took on a more perfect form as they evolved. And when that was taken to its extreme, it could result in the birth of a calamity. 

Incidentally, researchers were really the only ones who used the term “species” when identifying Fiends. Alus’ scholarly side was demanding a classification. There was a vast variety of Fiends, and the mana information they took in tended to cause individual differences. 

But back to the topic. “I’m not sure I can really explain the Fiend ruling Vanalis,” Lettie said. “It’s like a mix. If I were to say, a Chimera?” 

The men in the squad nodded. That was probably the overall consensus. Perhaps it was a type that wasn’t even in the database of Fiends. 

When Lettie said “Chimera,” it took less than a second for Alus to reach a conclusion. “... So it’s a Variant.” How troublesome. 

But then he realized something strange. When Lettie had been recalled to the Inner World, she had said that she was almost done. From the sound of it, she didn’t need his help as long as she had enough time. So why had she called for him, then? 

Before he even heard the answer from Lettie, Alus realized the core of the matter and spoke up again. “It’s an Enduring Variant, then?” If the appearance Lettie had reported was due to the results of a mana sonar, they would’ve been able to sense the Fiend’s internal mana. That was why they could estimate its class. 

However, as with Vigals, a Fiend’s threat level wasn’t estimated just by the amount of mana it had. The Variants typically had unusual behavior patterns that differed from their normal counterparts. The Devourer that could eat unthinkable amounts in a short period of time was one such example. At other times they might target animals they usually wouldn’t look twice at, or engage in abnormal behavior like cannibalism. 

But a Fiend whose erratic behavior exceeded even that was considered an Enduring Variant. Many of them would end up destroying their own cores, but on rare occasions they would endure and survive, and see an explosive evolution that defied common sense. 

“It would be a bit of an exaggeration to call it an Enduring Variant. But in terms of mana it’s an S-class.” 

“If it’s ruling over Vanalis it might be pretty troublesome,” Alus said, analyzing the situation emotionlessly, causing Lettie to sigh. 

“There you go, saying things you don’t mean again.” Lettie clasped her hands together and stretched them behind her head. And then she let out a long exhale. “Phew. Well, I can finish it off, so long as the surrounding trash is gone.” 

There was no conceit in her attitude. She was confident in herself and her squad. Unlike the other nations that were rather passive, Alpha actively sent their Singles out to eliminate Fiends. Even if it was a humanoid S-class, they wouldn’t hesitate to deploy a Single. Lettie was aggressive, but both she and Alus had enough experience to handle A-class and S-class Fiends. 

Here I was thinking she was too cautious, but maybe I was just overthinking it? Hearing the confidence in her tone, Alus changed his mind. 

Aside from the Devourer, he’d fought alongside Lettie in the Outer World on a few occasions. She was the type of Magicmaster who wielded her overwhelming power without hesitation. She preferred short encounters, even if she did have to get a little forceful. The fact that it had taken her over half a year wasn’t just because of the S-class and A-class Fiends, but probably also because of the regional characteristics of Vanalis. It appeared that the location and particular circumstances of Vanalis made it hard to blow away. 

Frankly, Alus would’ve liked some more detailed information on the Fiends, but he left it at that for now. Instead, he asked her the question he wanted to know the answer to the most. “What’s the reason for rushing to Vanalis?” 

“I wanted to move the introductions along, ya know.” 

“No, that’s not all, is it? We’ve encountered quite a few Fiends on the way, and combined with the forced march the squad is winded and hasn’t been able to properly restore their mana.” Alus and Lettie had reserves, but the squad members, especially Sajik and Mujir in the vanguard, were exhausted. 

Of course neither would let it show, but Alus could tell from their flows of mana. Loki was the same. She’d only participated in a few battles, but constantly using mana sonar in the Outer World didn’t just drain mana; it was wearing on one’s nerves. 

“And since there’s no spotter assigned and everyone’s lightly equipped... An advance party, huh.” It might have sounded like Alus was asking about it, but he’d more or less grasped the truth. Everything pointed to the existence of an advance party. Lettie had probably split the squad and sent some ahead to Vanalis. That group must have brought some of their supplies with them. “... Since when?” he asked. 

Lettie answered without any intention of hiding it. “Seven days ago. They’re transporting the supplies too, so they’re making their way there while avoiding combat as much as possible. Of course, there’s quite a few of them, and many who are skilled.” 

“I see. So you sent the spotter with them.” It didn’t need to be said that a spotter was necessary to avoid needless battles. Sending such an important asset with them meant that it wasn’t just a small scouting party. “Well, I more or less get it...but why are you rushing this much?” 

Lettie gave him an unusually serious look. “Allie, I’m sure you already know, but taking back Vanalis is our most long-cherished desire. After all the work we put in, we had to pull out in the middle of it. And because we couldn’t bring them back...it’s the place where my subordinates and our friends rest. The advance party all felt the same way...they wanted to group up as soon as possible and avenge them. When it comes to carrying supplies, it’s not like using a separate party to carry them over in secret is unusual.” 

Carrying supplies lowered the marching speed. In other words, it was a preparation employed to accommodate Alus, who was devoted to his studies at the Institute, and bring him to Vanalis with the minimum amount of burden on him. 

“... I see,” Alus replied, in a slightly somber tone. But he wasn’t sure if she was being stubborn or if this came out of her responsibility as the captain. Technically, he knew what kind of expression to show in this kind of situation, but... He didn’t show any expression, but he did hang his head down a little. Even if he raised it, all he would be able to do would be to copy the expressions of those around him. 

While he could understand their feelings, there was still a gap as far as him feeling them himself. As a result, with his heart surrounded by a thick wall of ice, he couldn’t evoke any strong emotions like Lettie. But...there was nothing that could be done. Even Alus himself didn’t think there was any way to fill the hole in his heart. 

That was when...he heard a small voice say, “Al,” with a tinge of sadness to it. 

When he turned to look, he saw Loki’s sorrowful gaze. He felt awkward and a kind of loneliness he couldn’t shake. She’d seen through even that. 

At first he was surprised, but in the next moment the surprise was replaced by a strange sense of conviction. You can tell, can’t you. Loki always thought of him first, so he couldn’t hide it from her. With her drawing closer to him, he couldn’t take it any longer and looked away. 

He was the only one who was different from the others here... It was possible he was scared of seeing his reflection in Loki’s eyes. 

As if to not let Alus go, Loki’s hand moved. She placed her delicate hand on his hand. 

Alus didn’t have the courage to shake it off. At the same time he understood that it was futile, and he gave up trying to escape from her determined consideration. 

“Oh right!” Lettie suddenly let out a yelp, dispelling the gloomy atmosphere. “I want to avenge my fallen comrades, but what do you think?” 

“What? You’re leaving too much out and I can’t tell what you’re talking about.” 

She shrugged, as if she’d simply expected him to follow along. “We’ve left Vanalis alone for more than two months now, and I’m sure the number of Fiends has increased. What do you think about that? C’mon, let’s hear an expert’s opinion.” 

Alus’ cheek twitched, but Lettie’s eyes implied that she was serious. She was a creature of moods, and he realized there was no point in trying to argue with her each time. “‘Expert’ would be misleading. Let me just ask, do you have any experience in retaking a region?” 

“Wow, how rude,” Lettie said, puffing up her cheeks. 

When he was in the military, he never cared about anyone else’s achievements, and he tended not to remember anything that didn’t catch his interest. Or rather, he didn’t have the luxury of stuffing his head with useless knowledge. 

“It’s not like we’re as abnormal as you are, but this squad has put in some work, ya know? Well, we haven’t taken back a region as big as Vanalis...because you grabbed them all!” 

“Sorry about that,” Alus said. It wasn’t like he’d volunteered to do it, so he didn’t feel he deserved those complaints. That said, Lettie was just joking. “So practically none, then. About the Fiends, the influence of the Devourer might have reached all this way. There’s no way they wouldn’t be affected after you almost conquered Vanalis and then had to leave it for two months.” 

When Fiends took a lot of damage to their population, they sometimes sped up their population growth, or summoned allies as if to recover it. There were instances in the past where they had moved from a spot without showing their numbers. 

“However, I can’t say for sure if enough Fiends have gathered to set you back to square one. Even more so if there’s a high-classed Fiend controlling the area...” Although it was only a guess based on past experience, Alus had encountered similar cases before. 

After thinking for a few moments, he held up four fingers. “You were about seventy percent complete with clearing out the area, right? If this is the population density of ten percent of the area... then I would say the Fiends have recovered by about forty percent.” 

“Hmm, we’d be able to come back from that.” 

“The most effective way of handling these kinds of missions is to destroy it from the top. The small fry will scatter on their own, and any ability to consolidate their numbers will be lost.” 

“That said, Vanalis’s terrain gets in the way of that.” Lettie scratched her cheek at Alus’ prediction. The surrounding squad members nodded in agreement with her. 

“There are Fiends that claim entire mountains, so I know of similar conditions. Besides, with me and you guys, we could burn down their holes one by one, even though it would be stupidly tedious.” 

“Well, I did think about that when I invited you, Allie...” Lettie said hesitantly. 

Mujir followed up. “Sir Alus, we have already started by eliminating the A-class and have successfully slain three of them. But of the remaining two, one is rather troublesome... It was identified as a brain eater. An Ogma.” 

“—!!” Alus glanced at Mujir with a sharp look. He then realized something. “So that’s why. It explains why it’s taken so much time.” 

“Sir Alus, what kind of Fiend is that?” Loki asked in a soft voice. 

“An Ogma is a rather new species recently discovered in Clevideet. I believe it was exterminated.” 

“Yes, we’ve referenced that data, so it is almost definitely one,” Mujir affirmed. 

Alus thought back to what information he had. “If I recall... an Ogma uses dark magic, and it can brainwash Fiends.” 

Normally, Fiends had next to no intelligence. But when they reached a high-classed level, they could show an ability to control a swarm, and a new species was even more dangerous. This Fiend in particular had been observed using others as shields, be it out of instinct or intelligence. 

“Yes,” Mujir said. “I don’t know if you could call it simple brainwashing, but they moved like they were commanding the swarm instead of just leading it.” 

“I see. So it might be something like a second-in-command. Just killing the S-class won’t be enough, then,” Alus said. 

“That’s right. I was hoping you could deal with the Ogma. But I would’ve wanted to wait a little longer to analyze the current situation,” Lettie put in. 

“Got it. I was expecting the worst, but that sounds like an easy job,” Alus casually said, and the people around him responded with a salute. Plus, it being a new species stirred up his interest. 

“All right, that should wrap things up for now. We’re getting up early tomorrow, so take it easy and relax a little more, then get some sleep!” Lettie shouted in an inexplicably lax tone, as if she were leading a children’s field trip. 

Alus and Loki were half-exasperated by her tone, but were also somewhat put at ease. Fortunately, thanks to the goodwill of Lettie’s squad, they would be able to go to bed without having to take turns standing guard. 

Under the night sky of the Outer World, their second day came to a peaceful end. The velvety night slowly lulled the squad members to sleep. Some lay down directly on the hard ground; others leaned against a log to sleep. Other members slept with their cloaks pulled down, and still others made makeshift hammocks. 

Alus and Loki were wrapped up in their cloaks and slept shoulder to shoulder. Despite having closed his eyes, however, Alus couldn’t really sleep. He gently opened his eyes and watched the weakening flames of the bonfire. 

Suddenly, something bumped against his shoulder. Loki must have completely lost to her sleepiness, as she tilted her head and leaned her body against him. She must’ve been very tired as she was fast asleep, not even so much as twitching. With her eyes closed, her long eyelashes stood out even more. 

As he gazed at her profile, he smiled, and his consciousness fell into darkness as he finally got his sleep. 

The next morning the squad awoke at first light. Of course, nobody overslept. Even being able to get proper sleep in the Outer World was a luxury. 

Everyone finished their preparations in a flash and were ready to depart. Loki, noticing something, spoke up. “It was rather chilly yesterday, but not so much today.” 

Meanwhile, Lettie just stretched without a care in the world, yawning. “I could use some more sleep... But yeah, you’ll see for yourself when we get to Vanalis, but we’re already a long way south. When the sun is up it gets pretty warm, even in this season. Vanalis really makes you lose track of the seasons. There’s even plants that bear fruit around this time of year. But that’s a big help because we don’t need to worry about food.” 

Alus didn’t particularly mind, but like Loki had said, the temperature had risen. “We probably won’t need to use any mana to keep ourselves warm, then.” 

“Yeah, from today we’re going to avoid using mana as much as possible.” 

“What about detection?” Loki asked. 

“Of course detection is an exception!” Lettie held up her index finger and pointed it straight at Loki. The next moment, she seemed to spot something, and flashed a mischievous smile. “Oh? Lil Loki, you’ve got some drool around your mouth...” 

“—! Seriously?!” Loki’s face turned red, as she hurriedly wiped her mouth with her sleeve...and for some reason she turned to face Alus. 

“Looks like you were able to get some good sleep in,” Lettie said with a nasty grin, but Loki ignored her and lowered her head towards Alus. “I’m sorry, Sir Alus.” She must have remembered what posture she’d been in when she woke up. If she was drooling, there was the possibility that it had gotten on Alus’ shoulder. 

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, you were just being teased. There isn’t anything on me.” 

With a yelp of surprise, Loki turned to Lettie and gave her a questioning look. 

“Sorry, it was just a playful morning prank,” Lettie said. “All right, let’s get going!” she continued with a smile, clapping her hands together and turning her back on Loki and Alus. 

However, she didn’t fail to say something unnecessary to fan the flames of Loki’s sense of shame. “Ahh, that’s nice. I want to sleep on someone’s shoulder too. It looks like you can sleep like a rock.” 

“Lady Lettie!!” Loki shouted, and ran after Lettie, who had taken the lead in the squad. 

And so Alus and the group began a new day in a relaxed mood. 

*** 

The lack of tension only lasted for a few minutes. As soon as they began to move, the squad’s expressions changed. 

This was the land of regret and remorse, the place where their comrades rested. Lettie’s squad might be rich in experience, but they were particularly invested in this reclamation mission. 

At the same time, their surroundings were starting to change. After a couple of hours in the morning, a lush natural landscape greeted them. 

As they ran, they could clearly feel the temperature rising, and they were beginning to get jealous of Lettie’s light clothing. It was like the seasons were proceeding in reverse. 

“At this pace, it won’t take another hour,” Lettie said to Alus, in a loud enough voice for the rest of her squad to hear. 

Unlike yesterday, they encountered next to no Fiends. It was unnatural, and it did raise Alus’ sense of caution, but right now it was a godsend to him and the others who were rushing to their destination. 

However, around forty minutes later...there was a big change in temperature. 

Before, it had been slightly rising, but now it was clearly different. And it wasn’t getting hotter. Instead, it was rapidly dropping. It was like there was some invisible boundary keeping summer and winter from colliding. 

Tension ran through the squad. Alus narrowed his eyes. It was obvious that everyone had caught on. Of course, nobody stopped marching. After another twenty minutes, they could see their own breath. 

“Sir Alus!” Loki, who’d run up to him, wasn’t sure what to do about this. 

“I know. It’s definitely strange. There’s more to this than the fury of nature.” 

“Yes, and then there’s the Fiends... there were few to begin with today, but they’ve all disappeared.” 

Alus clicked his tongue and glanced at Lettie’s back. Regardless of the situation, they should still be heading for Vanalis. “Don’t get hasty, Lettie!” he shouted, as he saw her pick up speed. 

There was no answer, but her back said it all. She needed to know what was happening in Vanalis, as well as what had happened to her squad members that had been sent out ahead. 

Chasing after Lettie at full speed, the squad stepped into a cluster of big trees covering a small hill. Crowns of frost were already starting to form on the tops of the trees. 

Eventually they got out from between the thick trunks and reached the top of the hill... There, their view was wide open and unobstructed. 

They also found Lettie stopped in place. “... What is this?” she muttered. Alus, stepping up next to her, had no reply. At the same time, he looked down to the unfamiliar sensation on the bottoms of his feet. 

“Snow...” Loki blurted out. 

It was a silvery world. An infinite number of small white crystals covered the area around them. 

They flew like ashes in the wind, and formed a white veil covering the sky. The trees and earth, which had probably been a fresh green a few days ago, were now all dyed in a single color of innocence. 

Their breaths out were white, and every time they inhaled, they could feel the cold air stab the backs of their throats. Their blood vessels constricted, and their bodies, which should have warmed up from all the running, were rapidly getting stiff. 

Snow simply continued falling, showing no consideration whatsoever to the people below. Before the scenery that left everyone stunned, only Alus’ sharp eyes saw through the veil. 

He could feel the clear presence of a Fiend along with the storm of chilling air. 

And so he spat out, “Now you’ve done it.”