The usual calm lingered over Yavan, but this time, it was in an area a little closer to the depths. There were no monsters, no animals—only a few wyverns soaring high above the trees. Below, a party of four walked across the fresh grass. It was Ralce and the others, carrying their gear and weapons, heading toward the lair.
"This is so exciting! Hey girls, what's wrong with you? We're on our way to slay that dragon—where's your excitement? Oh... are you scared?" Ralce asked, flashing his annoying grin.
"You jerk, we need to be serious. This is a historic battle, not just any fight," Rommy said sternly.
"Of course. This isn't the final floor of some dungeon where we're supposed to beat an evolved minotaur. It's a dragon—a threat to an entire kingdom, a dragon comparable to the power of the previous top adventurer, Gaziel," Nowy added.
"You're all so pessimistic, damn… As for me, I'm incredibly excited. Maybe this is my own kind of seriousness—wearing this elegant smile and gallantly charging toward the enemy. What do you think?"
"Just shut up and let us go over Rommy's plan," Lisa muttered.
"Rommy's plan is too complicated, I can't memorize it," Ralce complained.
After that, silence settled once more. It seemed everyone was busy analyzing the plan, and no one really felt like talking while heading to face the kingdom's strongest monster. But Ralce was the opposite—he still wanted to talk about everything, endlessly.
His enthusiasm was very peculiar. They kept going deeper. Ralce stared at the surroundings while picking his nose with his pinky. Nowy was reading a book, Rommy was studying a paper full of scribbles, and Lisa was trying to peek at the same paper—but Rommy was walking too fast.
"Slow down a bit," Lisa said, holding Rommy's shoulder.
"Oh, also, I really want to see my uncle's face when he finds out I became the number one adventurer," Ralce said suddenly.
"Your uncle's that knight, right?" Nowy asked.
"Yeah."
"I heard he's coming to Yavan. Maybe he's already arrived, who knows?"
"Really?! Yoo, I've got to meet him after we kill the dragon."
"By the way, what do you think the kingdom's reward will be?" Rommy suddenly asked, raising her head from the plan sheet.
"Probably sacks of gold... and tons of beautiful maids. That'd be awesome!"
"I don't care. All I want is to be recognized as the top young mage in the kingdom," Lisa muttered.
"What's the point of that title if you're just going to go back to Magica and work as a teacher?"
"You idiot, it actually means a lot. In Magica, to become a teacher, you have to prove your magical level with evidence like school certifications or official titles. Since I didn't attend school, the title of 'strongest young mage in the kingdom' would make my admission guaranteed," Lisa explained to the clueless guy who kept scratching his nose.
"For your information, Lisa, the mage titles awarded in Yarum are three, and I'll list the ones for women. First, the title for magic professors is 'Spellmistress.' The second is for pros and veterans—'Witch.' And the last is given to the strongest female mages in the kingdom, 'Archwitch.' That's the one you're aiming for. Lucky for you, no female mage in the kingdom currently holds it, so you might actually get it."
"Useful info," Lisa whispered.
"As for me, I want sacks of money. That's my real goal. I couldn't care less about titles or celebrations. I only recognize cash," Rommy muttered.
"Yo girls... what do you think about what Etomi said, by the way?" Ralce asked suddenly, his expression serious.
"Oh, it's just lame excuses to justify her failure. If she was really struggling, she could've easily joined a party. But she's playing the victim, like we're somehow cheating," Rommy replied.
"And that whole thing about how you didn't surpass her? That's just nonsense. When she was ranked first, she didn't say anything about being alone or how you're in a party or whatever," Nowy added.
"Yeah, you surpassed her," Lisa whispered.
"..."
"Thanks, everyone," Ralce muttered.
Just then, after a brief silence, someone appeared from between the trees. A tail swayed behind him—orange fur. Ears of the same fur stood upright on top of his head. His black leather armor looked worn. He carried two short swords, one at his waist and the other strapped to his back. His face wasn't visible—it was hidden behind a white mask.
"Yo guys, I heard you're heading to kill the sleeping dragon," the masked figure said, stopping in front of them.
"What do you want?" Ralce asked, stepping forward, putting himself between the girls and the stranger.
"No, nothing, really. But the Miracles Guild just scored big after clearing out the western dungeon, guys. Can't you leave some achievements for your dear friends at Alis Guild?" the masked man asked politely.
"The Dark Eye? At least show your face."
"Okay," the masked figure replied.
At that moment, he removed his mask, revealing his face. A foxen with yellow eyes and a few scars. His expression was arrogant, with a grin that hid malice. The party immediately realized they were facing the Dark Eye himself—Ponier Earnard. Ralce drew his greatsword, and the girls prepared for battle.
"Fucking foxen," Ralce muttered.
"All this time… You're the one who wasted those lives… You bastard, don't you fear the goddess' punishment??!!" Nowy screamed.
"Fuck your goddess," Ponier replied, his grin widening.
Just then, an ice spear launched toward Ponier with incredible speed—but this foxen was even faster. Just when they thought the spear hit him, he vanished in a terrifying instant. Over by Lisa, the one who cast the spell, her fury was about to explode. She gripped her staff tightly, grinding her teeth as if Ponier had killed her own parents.
"Calm down. Can't we just talk?" Ponier asked mockingly, now sitting on a tree stump.
"You fucker! Why did you kill her?! You tore open her stomach and left her insides exposed! How dare you murder an innocent girl?!!!" Lisa screamed with rage.
"Sorry, I don't remember. I've killed so many adventurers, I honestly can't recall. My bad," Ponier answered.
"Diiiieeee!!!!" Lisa screamed, casting another spell just as powerful.
And just like before, he dodged it with ease, disappearing and reappearing elsewhere in that green, tree-filled clearing. Lisa launched another spell—and again he dodged it. He clearly despised the gray-haired mage. Her reckless attacks angered her comrades, prompting Ralce to shout: "Lisa, stop! You're wasting your spells for nothing! We know she was your student, but stop it!"
"His rune level… That's insane," Nowy muttered.
"Yeah…" Rommy whispered.
At that moment, Ponier drew the short sword hanging from his waist and hurled it with force at Rommy, who was still staring at him in shock. Rommy quickly blocked the sword with one of her daggers, but the strange thing was that the sword didn't fall—it kept moving on its own, trying to stab her. From a distance, Ponier laughed and repeated: "What do you think of this rune level?"
"You fucker, you think this is funny?!" shouted Ralce as he approached the Foxen, wielding his greatsword.
Ponier suddenly vanished again, but this time he reappeared quickly behind Ralce. The brown-haired man sensed this and swiftly backed away after turning to find the Dark Eye behind him, holding both his swords. Ralce flared with anger, and oddly enough, he didn't smile this time. The intense rage was clearly visible on his face.
"You're reckless. I could've killed you in an instant if you attacked that fast. Man, the top adventurer's level is seriously awful," Ponier muttered.
Ralce charged again, but this time Rommy did too. Ponier stepped back, getting closer to Rommy, and in a flash, he delivered a powerful kick aimed at her jaw. But the Red Hood wasn't that easy—she swiftly blocked the kick with her wrists. Unfortunately, that didn't help. In the blink of an eye, he vanished again and reappeared behind her.
As the Foxen was about to land another strike on the blonde, a green barrier formed and blocked his attack. It was Nowy and her protection, arriving at the most critical moment. Rommy moved back, giving space for the huge armored man to charge. Ponier blocked Ralce's sword, and a fierce, rapid clash broke out between them.
Ralce kept swinging his sword fast, while Ponier blocked with his two short blades. All that could be seen was the spark of clashing metal, and their hands moving swiftly while their bodies remained still. It looked like a draw, but Ponier knew Ralce had the upper hand here—because of what was coming.
"Froezellis!!!" Lisa screamed from afar.
Ice rose up, freezing Ponier's legs. But for a terrifying moment, as he continued blocking Ralce's strikes, the ice melted as Ponier's legs burst into flames. Everyone was stunned. Ponier disappeared again, only to reappear on another tree stump, his legs now blazing with fire. The party realized this time that they were facing an extremely dangerous threat.
"Rune and magic? That's… terrifying," Nowy whispered.
"Well, Etomi said I wouldn't surpass her unless I achieved something on my own. So here you go, demi-human. I'll be the adventurer who kills the Dark Eye. Girls, stay out of this," Ralce declared, changing his grip on the sword.
"An interesting kind of bravery," Ponier whispered.
"You won't win, you idiot! Stop being reckless!!!" Lisa shouted.
"Nah, I'd win."
◆ ◆ ◆
In the village of Bloomy, there was a bit of commotion this time. It wasn't as quiet as usual—no children playing, no adults chatting. But at the village entrance, a large crowd had gathered. Many dryads were present, along with a few adventurers of different races. A little distance away stood Laos, wearing his leather armor. His iron sword was strapped to his back, and the Astral Sword hung at his waist, as always.
In front of him stood Rose, holding a bag. She stared at Laos, and he stared back—his green eyes and pure white hair shining. Everyone was watching. It seemed this NPC was finally about to pursue his goal. To bid him farewell, all the villagers had gathered. After a while, Rose handed the bag to Laos and asked: "You're wearing the necklace, right?"
"Yes," Laos replied, pulling out a necklace that had been hidden beneath his armor.
"Well, there are some rare potions in there. I know you already bought your own, but this is a little support from Bloomy. There are also some good-luck charms—like the Sun Larva. It's said to be the one that gave King Adalos I the luck to liberate the kingdom from Magica's colonization," Rose said.
"Thank you… so much," Laos replied with a faint smile.
"..."
"Laos… please kill it… please," Rose said, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll try."
"… I know you're married, but… can I hug you?"
"Uhh… of course!"
Rose jumped at Laos and hugged him tightly, crying. Her tears were intense. Laos hugged her back, and in that moment, smiles spread across the faces of everyone watching. After a while, they let go of each other, and Laos turned and began walking away—toward the lair, to fulfill his ultimate desire of killing that sleeping dragon.
"Good luck!!"
"Victory to you!!"
"May the goddess bless your path!!"
"Laos!! Laos!!"
As he walked, everyone shouted for him. It seemed even an NPC could have fans of his own. No need for a combat class—here he was, the failed teenager Laos, now loved by so many people, walking toward a battle with the strongest monster in the kingdom. Strange how the story of an NPC can develop… Laos.