The Maiden Called Hero or Monster - Chapter 4 - The Dance of the Dead and the Living

    ──A room leading to a staircase on the labyrinth’s tenth floor.

    

    This space stood distinctly on its own from the other rooms of the labyrinth. An ancient altar sat at the center of the room as if a form of ritual had once been held there, and four crumbling stone statues surrounded it. It seemed a peculiar force deterred demons from approaching this room, and because of this, adventurers in the upper levels often came here to rest. Only the stairs and the entrance need be watched. With many adventurers constantly coming and going, it's become a sort of safe haven. 

    But today, it was anything but. Splattered blood and enraged roars transformed this “safe haven” into a horrific battlefield. It was a battle between Russ The Puppeteer, and a group of bounty hunters gunning for his head.

    While Russ waited incessantly for the hero, the bounty hunters launched a surprise attack. Easily evading the initial assault, Russ quickly took up a position at the altar and summoned clay figures around himself, arranging them so as to leave no gaps between them. He was smiling in amusement. The bounty hunters, who numbered about thirty, formed a line and relentlessly attacked to destroy the clay figures; among the bounty hunters, Excel of the Warriors Guild wielded his sword.

    "Shh!"

    Clenching his teeth, he unleashed a strike that cut a clay figure clean in half. 

    The clay figure, a puppet, no longer able to maintain its form with magic power, collapsed and turned into a paltry pile of clay. The clay puppets moved sluggishly and possessed fragile bodies, with their only means of attack being to raise their arms up and cast them down.

    Excel quickly slaughtered a second puppet without difficulty and ran to the support of his allies. Naturally, as they were all bounty hunters, his fellow adventurers were also very skilled. Each of them wielded spears, swords and axes at their leisure, and sorcerers pulverized the clay puppets with their prized magic. The bounty hunters unilaterally laid waste to the earthen figures, destroying them all in less than ten minutes. Taking this momentum, they surrounded Russ, and the leader of the bounty hunters along with the rest of the cabal talked down to him mockingly.

    "So this is what the infamous Russ is like, huh? A powerful sorcerer is nothing when they're outnumbered."

    "That's twenty gold pieces for us. This was really a delicious job."

    "I paid a lot of money for an anti-magic weapon, but it just went to waste. Well, it's alright though, I won't have to worry about money anytime soon."

    The bounty hunters who were convinced of their victory let out a hearty laugh. Excel relaxed letting out a deep sigh of relief. However, even Russ, who even while at the opposite end of their weapons, begun laughing, and tapped the floor with the cane in his hand a few short times.

    "No, no, that was a great fight you put up against my clay puppets, it really was...... But, you really are hopeless fools, you know."

    "What?"

    "It's foolish to let your guard down around a sorcerer who’s not dead."

    When Russ tapped his staff once more, a clay puppet stood up and emitted a strange cry. Before they realized, the clay puppets that should have been defeated, regenerated. A sorcerer holding his staff at the back of the room was embraced by one of the clay puppets and forcefully shoved into its body, not even having time to let out a scream. A strange cacophony of crunching bones and churning gravel echoed throughout the room. Eventually, the clay puppet pulled something out from its abdomen: a strange red meatball. As it tossed the red meatball into the air, another clay puppet slammed its hands together as it passed overhead, smashing it. Blood and chunks of flesh burst out into an explosion of gore that rained down onto the stunned bounty hunters. Having come to his senses, the leader commanded everyone, and ordered the rangers to use their anti-magic weapons.

    "Kill Russ now! Fire the crossbows!"

    "Die, you son of a bitch!"

    The three rangers at the rear of the group readied their crossbows and fired at Russ.

    These crossbows were custom-made, specially ordered to be made by the Scholars Guild; in addition to being miniaturized for rangers, the bolts were coated with a special poison. Unlike a bow, these could be fired with one hand, which proved advantageous as it left one less vulnerable.

    Russ, however, did not panic and intercepted them with clay puppets he ordered to move in front of him; and behind the rangers, who were quickly loading the next volley, Russ had summoned a new type of puppet. It was a treelike figure that resembled a human — a wooden puppet.

    "You said it was called a crossbow? Did the Scholars Guild create it? It seems like a fine weapon with great power, but it's being used in the wrong place against the wrong person. The labyrinth is a sorcerer's garden, you see. Even if three were to assemble against me, it would be completely futile!"

    The wooden puppet began to wiggle about as if to provoke the ranger, each part moving vigorously.

    "This bastard!"

    The ranger fired a barrage of shots from close range, and several arrows pierced the puppet's face. If it had been a human, they would have been shot dead, but it was a lifeless puppet incapable of feeling pain.

    "I shall teach you the horrors that are my puppets, so that you’ll learn to fear them. Don’t worry, your lives shall cover the tuition."

    The moment Russ' mouth twisted askew, his wooden puppets attacked. One of the puppet's arms was suddenly severed as a warrior quickly jumped to defend him, but it didn't care. The ranger attempted to evade, but was quickly caught by the puppet’s left hand.

    "N-No!"

    Dropping his crossbow, the ranger repeatedly stabbed the puppet with his dagger, though puncture wounds were nothing to a lifeless puppet. The warrior trying to save the ranger, cleaved the puppet in half, splitting its upper and lower halves apart. However, the puppet didn't stop; the divided halves worked in tandem, as the lower body entangled with his legs and the upper body clung to him.

    "Kihihi, it's time for the delightful puppet show to begin! Brave gentlemen, please turn your attention to their fabulous ballet!"

    As Russ laughed, other wooden puppets that had captured the other rangers began to heat up, and suddenly burst into flames letting off black smoke. The other bounty hunters busy with the ever-regenerating clay puppets could only watch and listen in helplessness as their comrades were burned alive.

    The rangers screamed in agony from the scalding pain as other wooden puppets were joyfully jumping into the conflagration, causing the blaze to burn evermore fiercely. And amidst the maelstrom of screams and fire, the wooden puppets began to cling to other bounty hunters, as the clay puppets attacked with them in tandem, in search of new prey. In an instant, the situation was completely reversed. The bounty hunters that once had the advantage slowly fell into despair, and were now being hunted down, with no one left to spare to attack Russ. Deathly afraid, Excel desperately swung his sword along with the others, as they all fought in desperation to keep them at bay. And when the wooden puppets finally stopped moving, the rangers were completely carbonized, and with a reverent bow, the puppets fell apart.

    "There are still plenty of puppets left, and nowadays there are fewer and fewer as brave and reckless as you. I was actually having trouble getting rid of them, so please, don't hesitate to play with them -there’s still over a hundred left to go. And please rest assured, we won’t be roasting anyone with flaming puppets anymore. There are many ways to use one if left unharmed, khihihihi!"

    Eerily mocking them, dozens of more wooden and clay puppets were summoned around Russ. As Russ instructed them with his staff, the puppets began to slowly advance forward, despair in the eyes of the bounty hunters.

    ──An hour after the battle began

    The thirty bounty hunters had been reduced to nine in number, and any passing adventurers quickly fled, not wanting to become involved. The physical strength of the remaining survivors was nearing its limits. Despite being cornered, they fought on desperately, but the strength of his puppets was near infinite; moreover, in the labyrinth, a sorcerer's magic power was nearly as endless. Even if they wanted to exploit the opening Russ' chanting would provide, puppets would just get in the way, all the while he would finish chanting and summon more puppets. The group of sorcerers apart of the bounty hunters had already been reduced to mincemeat, even the crossbows specifically made to counter sorcerers were useless against a puppeteer - no matter how powerful they were, it was worthless if a puppet merely blocked the arrows. As they were now, the bounty hunters had no way of recovering from this inferior position.

    

    The leader of the bounty hunters knelt, and Excel along with the others, panting heavily, supported themselves with their swords - defeated.

    "Oh, what's the matter? The puppet show is only just beginning. The curtain call is still a long ways away."

    "Hah, hu, w-wait, no, wait, we lost. If I could, I'd like to negotiate."

    "Hmm, did you say something? With age my hearing has been getting worse and worse. Oh, I really do envy you young people, kihihi."

    "F-Forgive us. We didn't think you'd be this strong."

    "Well, well, well! What has the brave bounty hunter just said? They attack me for bounty money, then beg for forgiveness once they see they're no match for me? I wonder, do you think such an act of selfishness would really pass muster!?"

    "I-I'll do anything. So, I, we surrender. Please, please forgive us, we’re at fault!"

    The leader threw down his sword and rubbed his head against the floor, the others followed suit and threw down their swords. Excel hesitated, but ultimately wavered seeing that they no longer had a chance of winning. Despite thinking that he wouldn't let them go, he thought there was a possibility he might by virtue of capriciousness. Though if that didn't happen, he was ready to attack, so he knelt down, and sheathed his sword. He should've taken Rob's advice seriously. Regret washed over Excel, but it was already too late. It was his fault for underestimating the bounty target.

    "Kihihi, I guess it really can't be helped. Then, I'll forgive you for everything if you give me everything you have to offer. I'm in a good mood today; you guys are fortunate!"

    Russ smiled as he approached the leader while the puppets applauded. Then, the puppets surrounded the bounty hunters.

    ──It wasn't long before the leader came to truly regret his decision.

    The necromancer Edel, who received information that the head of the bounty, Russ, had gone into the labyrinth, hurried after him. After forcibly interrogating a group of adventurers for his whereabouts, she forced her way to the tenth-floor underground.

    Upon arriving at her destination, Edel took a deep breath and peeked out from the shadows of the passageway to see what was going on. What was transpiring inside was a hellish scene painted with screams and shouts. A robustly built man was placed upon an altar and was being dismembered alive. Perhaps some kind of spell or drug had been used to paralyze his sense of pain. He would eventually die from blood loss, but until that came to pass, he was forced to continue witnessing his own dismemberment - the man could only scream and cry as he was unable to faint.

    And the one who was performing the treatment was the puppeteer Russ, who was the proprietor of Edel's lifelong grudge. His hand moved as if this was all too familiar to him, and cut away with a maniacal smile on his face. Around them, adventurers awaiting their turn were being held down by clay puppets but they seemed unconscious. Edel tightened her grip on her staff and chanted the most powerful and reliable spell she could cast, and summoned armed corpses to serve her.

    "Now is the time...... Russ, this is where you die!"

    She ran into the room, raised her staff, and launched a magical attack without saying a word; all the while, deploying her fully armed corpse soldiers to prepare for battle. She didn't expect to have killed him with a single attack, so she decided to go all out from the start. There was no way she could hold back against Russ.

    

    A turbulent stream of flames that resembled a snake attacked Russ. Sensing the danger, he quickly used the dismembered man as a shield to protect himself. The man, with exposed organs, burned fiercely, finally freed from his torment. Russ' body was blown back by a blast of heat from the corpse, but the clay puppets behind him caught him and cushioned the impact.

    "Undead soldiers, spread out! Suppress the enemy immediately!"

    "There's something familiar about your voice... My puppets, intercept the enemy!"

    The undead soldiers and the puppets collided and began fighting.

    

    Russ who was dusting himself off caught sight of Edel, his eyes slightly widened and showed a wicked smile.

    "Well, well, well, look who it is, if it isn't my lovely apprentice - Edel Weiss! Glad to see you're doing well."

    "There’s no reason for you to call me your apprentice so quit it. It makes me feel terrible."

    Edel gave a stern look to her former teacher, Russ Nubes. During their conversation, Edel was gathering magic power and covertly chanting; Russ was more than likely doing so as well.

    "Well, that’s not very nice of you now is it? We used to get along as well as family, did we not? The passage of time truly is frightening. Bonds really are fragile things, aren't they?"

    When Russ made a seemingly sad expression, Edel spat out in frustration.

    "'Bonds?' You’ve got some nerve even mentioning anything about them.  You're the one who fell onto the path of evil yourself. You’re just a pathetic man who can’t accept that his daughter's dead."

    "No! Katarina isn't! ...... My Katarina, isn't dead. She's just been sleeping for a little while. I wish you wouldn’t say such rude things."

    Russ became agitated for a moment but quickly regained his composure. However, there was an unnerved feeling on his face that he couldn't hide.

    "So, what's the bounty head Russ Nubes doing in a place like this? A demonstration of dismemberment techniques that work on both humans and demons? Or were you just waiting for me, your beloved disciple?"

    "Actually, I have an appointment with a certain someone. While I was waiting leisurely, these bounty hunters suddenly attacked me. So they gave me fresh materials as a nuisance fee; it has nothing to do with you, don't be so conceited."

    While stating this a matter-of-factly, Russ lightly tapped the ground with his staff which had a red crystal attached to the tip. Edel had almost finished her chant, all while the war between the undead soldiers and the puppets waged on. The undead soldiers were at an advantage because they had weapons. The clay puppets dragged them into their bodies, but in turn, were destroyed from the inside. The corpses' bodies ended up severely damaged, but as they were already dead, there were no problems.

    "Even if you don't have anything to do with me, I do with you....... Russ Nubes the bounty target, a sorcerer who has gone astray. I'm going to take you down right here."

    Edel slammed the bottom of her crystal staff into the ground as hard as she could. The chanting was complete, and she was ready to summon again. Edel didn't need any more time - there was no point in giving Russ more time. She haphazardly threw a summon card into the air. And when the card hit the floor,black smoke burst forth from within, and dozens of undead human and demonic monstrosities appeared. Each of them was completely rotted and devoid of their former life, and among them, was the headless Salvadore.

    Edel spun her staff and used magic to strengthen the bodies of the corpses, and with the order to attack, the corpses surrounded the puppets and attacked all at once. Even after the puppets had fallen apart, they continued attacking relentlessly, as if the puppets weren’t thoroughly destroyed, they would start moving again.

    Russ was astonished by how quickly his pawns had been destroyed and expressed his jubilation.

    "This is wonderful, truly wonderful! To be able to manipulate corpses so freely. You're truly and wonderfully insane! Oh, oh, I also heard that you turned to heretical teachings to kill me. It’s really moving to witness the growth of my student. Well, I'll have to respond in kind to that resolve. This wasn't in my schedule, but it's been a while since I played with you."

    Russ mumbled to himself at length, and tossed summoning cards from his pocket. A red light emanated from his staff, and the summoning cards began to morph into different shapes. With a dazzling light, dozens of people were summoned. Men and women of various ages were intermingled, from young men who appeared to be adventurers to middle-aged women in ordinary clothes. The only thing they had in common was their lifeless eyes. There was no light in their eyes, and their arms hung limply in front, behaving almost like puppets.

    "...... It seems your skills as a puppeteer haven't diminished in the slightest. Though it seems your tastes have gotten worse."

    "Kihehe, puppets are better when they're alive. It's a quaint elegance unlike wood or clay, and corpses like that won’t do. It's precisely because they're alive that they're wonderful. I think one day you'll come to understand this. Once you dispose of any unnecessary feelings, you’ll be free to do as you please, and you'll come to realize that there's material to use everywhere."

    A cruel smile appeared on Russ' face, while Edel’s face remained tense.

    

    The room was a strange sight to behold, with the undead soldiers and the living puppets faced off against one another. Anyone who laid eyes on such a scene would surely be terrified and turn back immediately. Even Edel felt chills seeing the lifeless humans. She also feared Russ' will to do something so appalling without hesitation so effortlessly. But Edel wouldn't run, she couldn't run. She's been preparing just for this day alone - and she would win.

    "I won’t sink down to your level, I'm not like you. We’re all just pieces of meat when we die. All I'm doing is making the most out of them; I don't deprive them of their will or feelings like you!"

    "Kihihi, it's the same thing. In the end, it’s sacrilege of the soul is it not? You and I are the same; after all, I was the one who took you in and taught you of magic! If I'm despicable, then it stands to reason that my apprentice would be despicable as well, right? Don't you agree!? Kihihihihihihi!!"

     

    "Shut the hell up! I am not like you!"

    "Keep saying that, my foolish student. That's it, how about I make you one of my puppets too! I'll lovingly take great care of you!!"

    Russ laughed loudly and with a swing of his staff the living puppets began marching, each with various weapons in their hands. Edel in kind ordered her undead soldiers to advance. The dead and the living collided and begun tearing apart each other's flesh. The cries of the dead rose, flesh tore, bones shattered, limbs mutilated, and blood began to stain the stone floor. It seemed as if the dance would last an eternity, and both Russ and Edel were committed only to continuing to strengthen their pieces.

     Little by little, the stagnant stalemate began to slowly shift. The army of the dead controlled by Edel was slowly but slowly being pushed back. They were loyal pawns who followed orders to the end without fear of death, but dead bodies were still dead bodies. Many of them were already decomposing and missing limbs.

    On the other hand, the other party were unconscious fully alive humans. And the degree of enhancement from the magic was far greater because they were still alive; unfortunately, Russ' puppets were better soldiers.

    Edel calmly analyzed the situation. The headless Salvadore, who had been clinging to the living puppet for dear life, was stabbed with a sword and pinned down. Salvadore, whom Edel had bought from a strange little girl, had several people standing over his prone body; then, they each swung down their swords and axes all at once. His body was instantly torn apart to minced meat.

    "It seems we’ll have a winner to this game soon, don’t you think? If you surrender now, I'll consider improving how I’ll treat you...... Well, how about becoming my wife? I'm sure Katarina would be very pleased."

    Russ took off his dark green good, his noticeably wrinkled mouth twisted into a smile.

    Edel immediately refused.

    "No thanks. And besides, the winner of this game is still up in the air."

    "I see, is that so? Come now, I was only joking about the wife thing. But, I want you to become my daughter; I’ll forcibly deprive you of your will to do so. Hehe, Katarina was very fond of you. I'm sure you'll both become close sisters, don’t you think? I'm looking forward to it now!"

    "Shut up! O, Mark of fire, grant me strength! Engulf my enemies in fire, and burn away their sins!"

    

 

    

    After finishing her chant, a huge vortex of flames was unleashed from her staff of skulls. It was Edel's most powerful spell, the recoil was just as tremendous as its power. Since magic power was consumed so rapidly when casting, firing a single shot was close to the limit. Even in the underground labyrinth where a sorcerer could cast as much magic as they pleased, they would become a cripple upon a second use after exhaustion. Still, this was a fight that Edel couldn't lose.

    "I don't know what you're trying to do, but with such a spell──"

    『Purgatory!!』

    Interrupting Russ' words Edel unleashed her highest level of fire magic. The passing aftermath caused both the puppets and corpses to burst into flames. Russ' eyes widened at the sight of Edel's terrifying fire. This was a spell beyond anything he had ever seen before.

    Russ expressed his admiration with surprise.

    "Oh, it's really wonderful to see you’ve mastered such a spell. I'm proud to have been your teacher. You've really grown up, Edel."

    For a brief moment, the smile of Edel's kind-hearted mentor had returned. But quickly the flames of purgatory burned away his dark-green robes, and in the blink of an eye, his body was completely eviscerated. In his dying throes he let out not even a cry. Russ was reduced to ashes and embers, and the remaining puppets, having lost their master, stood motionless. Edel's undead army had already been completely wiped out.

    ──It was a victory won by a paper-thin margin.

    "I-I won? I defeated Russ. Ah, now, now it’s finally!..."

    Edel let out a cry of emotion along with her remaining strength, and collapsed on the spot.

    "A sorcerer must always remain calm and must never lose focus. Well, isn't that something I taught you? As usual, you seem to forget the most important things."

    Russ, speaking in dismay, appeared.

    "N-No, this is ridiculous──"

    "You are a fool. You failed to observe. That's a deduction, a deduction of points."

    Russ spoke as he did when he was her teacher.

    It seemed like somehow before she could notice, swapped places with another puppet. What Edel had incinerated was another misfortunate human being. After casting such a powerful spell it would be some time before she would be ready to attack again. Taking out a magic potion from a leather pouch, she downed it in a single gulp. A fierce nausea attacked, but she shook it off and forced herself to stand. She didn't have time to recover magic power naturally; no matter how high the price, she had to kill Russ.

    "We’re being awfully rash now aren’t we? You shouldn't do something like that, it’ll shorten your lifespan."

    "I'm, not giving up yet. I have to surpass you. I need to put an end to your sin ."

    With trembling hands, Edel readied her staff and began to chant once more.

    "Heehee, that's none of your concern. I just want my daughter back, and I will not tolerate anyone who interferes. So, now it's my turn."

    Russ snapped his fingers, and something suddenly appeared in his hand. When Edel squinted, she saw clearly what it was; An organ, she feared that it was likely a human heart . It seems like a preservation spell had been applied to it, as it was still flushed with a blood red; such a thing should be easy for Russ, who was skilled enough to use basic spells of the likes of preservation and strengthening.

    "Not only puppets, but even catalysts are more potent when they’re alive. My colleague and I figured this out through repeated experiments and research. It's better to use something living when paying the price. Now, don't look away, please, take a good look! It's still beating. Isn’t it truly a miracle? Hehehe, wonderful. This is what we call the beat of life."

    Russ gently stroked the throbbing reddish-black heart as if he were handling a fragile thing.

    "You call yourself human?"

    "Edel. Where does the human soul reside? The brain? The heart? Or in the human body itself? I believe it is the heart. My companion denies it, but I'm sure of it. Look, look at the heart beat, the wonderful beat of life. It’s sublime, wouldn’t you agree? In this heart resides a human soul; hehe, isn’t it exciting? I feel like I've climbed a flight of stairs. Is it not an act of god to hold a soul in your hands!?"

    "Y-You're insane."

    "And this is what the one who manipulates corpses for their own selfish desires has to say? Open your eyes and look closely. The moment when the heartbeat disappears, the moment when the soul returns to nothingness! The ephemeral moment when a fragile life meets its end is when it's most radiant!"

    Just as Russ finished chanting and was about to clutch the heart, a fallen corpse suddenly jumped up and pounced on Russ, interfering with his actions.

    "W-What?──"

    "Go to hell, you lunatic!! 『Corpse Explosion』!'"

    The corpse narrowed their vacant eyes, as if rejoiced to have found a companion for the other side. When its mouth opened, and its tongue slacked, it began to burn violently. And at the snap of Edel’s fingers, the body was blown to pieces. With a flash of light, hot smoke billowed into the room. It was impossible for anything to remain unharmed in the hypocenter; even the unconscious bounty hunters were sent crashing into the wall from the wave from the blast.

    Edel, who had completely run out of magic power, watched with a clouded consciousness and managed to support her crumbling body with her staff. After a while, the smoke cleared, and Russ was revealed unharmed as if nothing had happened.

    "Dangerous, dangerous. If I hadn't remembered your habits, I would've instantly died. Thanks to that, I was able to switch places with one of my puppets just in time. Whenever you're plotting, you tend to lower your eyes. And when you execute your plan, you make sure to look your target in the eyes. Hehe, I guess people never really change, wouldn’t you say?"

    Edel listened to his words with a look of despair. There were no longer any aces up her sleeve, and it would take time for her magic power to refill.

    "............Ku."

    "Come now, don't look so sad. I was only able to avoid it because I’m your teacher. Any other person would have been blown to bits. It was truly a wonderful spell that would catch any conceited opponent by surprise. That’s a gold star."

    Russ praised Edel, and the living puppets applauded and praised her grandiosely.

    "As thanks, let me show you my new spell. I’ll be careful not to kill you so don’t fret. I wouldn't be able to turn you into a puppet if you're dead now would I? I really have no intention of hurting you."

    "O, Mark of Fire, Hah, grant me strength…"

    Edel showed resistance to the end, but Russ merely laughed it off and began to cast a spell.

    "It's too late, now… O, with the beat of life, echo the lamentation of the curse. With dripping fresh blood, bind her in crimson!!"

    "Ku, fire──"

    『Bloody Shackles!』

    His hand crushed the heart, and a black miasma was released. The flowing blood that dripped down coagulated, and a red and black magic unfolded from Russ' palm. In an attempt to capture Edel, magic clutches rushed in from all directions. Sensing them, Edel jumped back immediately, but capture was inevitable. Edel was a sorcerer, and so, wasn’t physically adept - thought that by no means meant she didn’t train her body. This was why sorcerers joined forces with warriors and swordsmen acting as the vanguard. In Edel's case, her vanguard was her undead army, but they were unable to be moved as of present.

    The bloody hands of magic clutched at Edel's limbs and wrapped around her neck, strangling her.

    "U-Ugh."

    The pink robes were dyed red, and the pointed hat indicative of a sorcerer fell to the ground. And finally she even gave up her staff, her lifeline, its role being to assist in the casting of spells. It was something she couldn't do without in her current debilitated state, which was brought about by her recklessly firing off so many powerful spells in succession.

    "Kuh, Aaah!"

    "You'll feel better after a while. And after that, we’ll carefully tinker with your brain. In my friend's hands, it will be over in a flash. He can create new memories from scratch, and replace sad memories with happy ones. The next time we meet, you will have awoken as my daughter. Let's live happily together, Edel. All of us, as a happy family ──Kihihihihi!"

    When Russ focused his concentration, Edel's body was lifted into the air. Bound and outstretched, the clutches of blood gradually tightened their bonds.

    "Guh -Aaaaahhhhh!"

    "Stop with your futile resistance. I don't want to be rough with the woman who's going to become my daughter. Katarina would surely be sad too, don’t you think?. If her sister's body was cruelly scarred, I’m sure the kind-hearted girl would cry, and that would make me sad."

    Nevertheless, Edel still resisted. If things continued this would be the end. So, she fought frantically, but the magic clutches remained undaunted. Even when she clenched her teeth and used all her strength, she felt as if there was no way she could tear them.

    "Now then, let's drop this. Crimson Shackles, deprive her of consciousness!"

    "N-No……"

    As Russ' staff emanated a suspicious light,  the magic clutches grew stronger.

    Just as Edel was about to lose consciousness...

    "Evil forces, disappear!"

    Not a moment after hearing the voice of a seemingly young girl, a dazzling light enveloped the room. Edel couldn't help but involuntarily shut her eyes in response to the intensity of the blinding light. The restraints were released, and she slammed onto the stone floor, almost groaning in pain, and her vision hadn't yet recovered.

    "Damn it, what the hell was that!?"

    As Edel struggled to open her eyes, she found  Russ, who had been so proud of his victory moments ago, in agony,  covering his eyes with his hands. And at the entrance of the room there were three women. One was making a strange sign with both hands and had one eye closed — her face was familiar. Edel was certain it was the girl who killed Salvadore; an interesting person who could use abnormal healing magic. A well-built female warrior who held a shield tightly with both of her eyes closed. And a scholarly-looking woman with glasses that held a crossbow at her rear to deter any potential threats.

    "...You can open your eyes now. Matari, grab Pinky and anyone else who seems to be alive over there. I don't know who they are, but they'd just be in the way of our fight. Lulurile, go help her."

    "P-Pinky? Oh, yes, you mean her!?"

    "Yeah, she definitely feels like she’d be a Pinky, right? All that pink hurts my eyes."

    "Certainly, I'm off then!"

    "Seeing that our opponent’s a sorcerer has me excited. Please let me help you."

    "I'll take care of this one. The stench of rot is unbearable, I just want to hurry up and kill him. And your weapons probably won't work well against these puppets, right?"

    "...... It hurts to hear, but you're right. I'm sorry, I understand."

    The women named Lulurile and Matari were approaching Edel. The blonde one — Matari, grabbed her by the collar and forcibly picked up two other bounty hunters who collapsed nearby, carrying them. It was truly a display of immense strength. The bespectacled Lulurile was dragging a bounty hunter with her left hand while keeping an eye on the living puppets.

    "W-Wait a minute, I'm──"

    "Yeah, don’t you think we should talk about this later? I have to carry you now! Lulurile, I can carry him for you, if you want?"

    "No, this much is fine. But you know, sorcerers really do have bad tastes, you can't wear only pink."

    Near the altar, Russ, who had finally recovered his vision, called out to the girl walking towards him.

    "...... Was it you who interrupted my fun? I don't know what you did, but I do know you're a brave and reckless young lady."

    Russ spoke politely with probing eyes.

    "You're blocking traffic, I couldn’t help myself. It's really annoying that you picked here to go off on a rampage. Do it somewhere else. You know, like under a grave where I can't see you."

    "Oh my, what a foulmouthed young lady. It seems to me that someone needs to be taught a lesson, hm? Let's beat it into that cute little body of yours."

    "You look like a piece of shit. I know them when I see them, your types all smell like rot. Yeah, just being near you is pissing me off."

    The girl spat at Russ, but she still had yet to draw her sword. The only other armament was a dagger at her waist. He wondered if she understood the danger of wasting time against a sorcerer.

    "That's quite a terrible thing to say. Yes, I've decided to keep you alive as one of my puppets. I'll keep you conscious and turn you into a toy for Katarina. Kihihi, I'm excited to see what sort of faces you’ll make! I’m sure your organs must be a beautiful shade of red."

    Russ made a gesture with his left hand as if grasping an organ

    

    The girl's face became filled with rage.

    "Don't open your disgusting mouth, it makes me uncomfortable. And don't include me in your sick fantasies."

    "Hehehe, let's get started! My puppets, catch the little girl!"

    The living puppets that were standing idly turned their gazes to the girl, and held their weapons; swords, axes, and spears in front of them. The perfectly coordinated spectacle evoked the image of a well-organized battle line.

    Russ looked at the puppets with satisfaction, and chanted all the while, seemingly in preparation for any contingency. One should never let one’s guard down — This was the ironclad rule of all sorcerers.

    

    Edel's suspended body was suddenly thrown from Matari's grasp, the unconscious bounty hunters beside her. Matari shouted and reported to the girl as she was about to rescue the others.

    "Pinky has been rescued!"

    "Alright, well, the others should be fine for now so just hold up there. Some of the puppets might head over there. If they get too close, work with Lulurile to kill them."

    The girl gave instructions without looking back.

    "But, I thought those people were human."

    "If  you can afford to go easy on them, then fine. But if you can't, cut them down. If you die, everyone there will die!"

    "U-Understood! I'll do my best!"

    "That being the case, I will hold off as many of them as I can. Ms. Matari, you finish them off. I will let you decide if we should kill them or not. But, I recommend you not show mercy."

"...... Yes, leave it to me!"

    As Matari raised her shield, the living puppets that made it passed the girl were approaching. Matari put all of her strength into her right hand holding the sword, and began to aim. Lulurile had her crossbow strapped to her right arm at the ready and loaded bolts into it; with a grin she sprinkled that last of her chemicals onto the bolts as a final act of preparation. Edel also managed to begin gathering her magic power. The fallen bounty hunters seemingly wouldn’t be of any help. They were completely unconscious and showed no signs of waking up.

    "These living puppets are my works of art that I poured all my heart and soul into making. Please try not to underestimate them too much. Oh, how about I add those girls to my art collection too."

    "Hey, did you not hear what I said?"

    "My memory seems to get worse the older I get. Dear me, what was it again?"

    Russ taunted, baring his teeth in provocation.

    "I told you not to open your disgusting mouth, you piece of shit!!"

    At the girl's enraged shout, she attacked Russ head-on.

    "Kihihi, you're so lively, it’s wonderful! Now then, it’s time for the act two of the fun-fun puppet show to begin! Ladies and gentlemen, look forward to her miserable end!"

    Various puppets stood in the girls' way as Russ spread his arms, announcing the opening of the cursed puppet show’s second act.

 

 

 

    —As Edel focused her magic power, a cute puppet resembling a dwarf began to dance lightly. Another puppet beside it tried to stand up but wasn’t so successful.

    Edel's puppet tried to help it stand, but after a short time, it collapsed.

    "Aah, it still won’t work. It's so hard to get it to move smoothly."

    "It's enough for you to be able to do this much at nine years old. You'll learn how to use your magic power little by little."

    "Little by little? I won’t be ready in time for my father's birthday."

    "Why don't you just give up then?"

    When Edel smiled, the little girl puffed up her cheeks.

    "Jeez, you're so mean, sister."

    "Haha, I'm just kidding. Alright then, let's keep at it until his birthday. Even if you can't make the dwarf dance, you might be able to make it walk."

    "Yeah, I'll keep trying."

    The girl sat back in her chair and held out a wand over the puppet lying down on the desk. The smart-looking girl's name was Katarina Nubes. She was the only daughter of Edel’s teacher, Russ Nubes. Although she was not her real sister, she often took care of Katarina on behalf of her teacher, so she began calling Edel her sister, and has for some time. Edel smiled, thinking had a younger sister, she might've been like her.

    Katarina's mother died during childbirth, so Russ had raised her on his own. The normally straightforward and strict Russ would devolve to a mess in front of Katarina. Even Edel was taken aback by his doting attitude. Things got really bad when in the past, Katarina had caught a light cold. Russ looked as if the world was coming to an end, and using his connections, brought back ten of the most renowned priests. In the end, it was nothing of concern, and they merely left them with nutritional supplements when they left. In any case, there was no doubt that Russ was the epitome of parental stupidity.

    "Even so, a sorcerer's daughter is still a sorcerer. Blood is blood, you know. Were you planning to become a sorcerer in the future too?"

    "Uh huh, I want to be a person who is respected by everyone, like my dad. But, I want to look beautiful like my big sister too."

    Katarina's eyes lit up, and Edel caressed her head.

    "Fufu, I'm glad. Well then, when the time comes, how about I become your assistant?"

    "Isn't that backward? I'd be my sister's assistant, right?"

    Katarina tilted her head, and the puppet also tilted its head in imitation.

    "If I made you my assistant and pushed you around, I'd be scolded by teacher."

    "Ahaha! You know, dads an idiot"

    "Don't tell teacher about that. He’d probably collapse."

    Katarina laughed when Edel spoke, making fun of him. And after talking about Russ for a while, Katarina muttered.

    "I wonder if I'll ever be able to use magic as well as you, Edel."

    "Let me see. I don't think your ability is the problem, it's really just a matter of the effort you make."

    "I see. Then I have to work harder."

    "Just be sure to take it easy."

    Seeing Katarina clutching her small wand, Edel gently quieted her.

    Speed doesn't increase the rate at which you learn something. Use magic and recover magic power. It's important to repeat this and let your body grow accustomed to it.

    But aside from that, Katarina's drive was amusing to watch. It was a little early, but Edel decided it was okay to give her a little reward. So, she pulled something out of her robe pocket and walked around to Katarina's back.

    "Hm? Is something wrong?"

    "Wait a second."

    After gently stroking Katarina's small head, she gathered up her soft hair and tied it with a certain object .

    "Yes, it's done!"

    When Edel called out to her, Katarina searched her hair with her hand as if looking for something.

    "...... A ribbon?"

    "That’s right, it's a ribbon in my favorite color. If you keep it on, I’m sure good things will come your way. Because pink is a color that warms the heart. And when you're feeling cheerful, happiness will come sooner or later. That's why I always wear pink clothes."

    Pink is the color of happiness. That was what Edel believed even still, as those were the only warm words her mother left her.

    "I see. Yeah, pink is a very bright color, isn't it?"

    "I'm a lonely person, so I need to wear bright colors like this to keep me warm."

    "But now that you have me and father, you don't have to feel lonely anymore. And you have lots of friends."

    Russ' disciples often came to visit him out of adoration for their teacher, and Edel had formed friendships with them; and in turn, gained many more friends. Russ had given Edel a place to belong when she was alone. He taught her how to live. She could never thank him enough for what he's done for her.

    "Fufu, that's true....... You see, it works well. This is how I became happy. So take good care of it please. Because I want you to be happy too."

    When Edel used the puppet to entertain her, Katarina responded in kind by concentrating her magic power into the other. The puppet managed to stand, but when she tried to bow, it accidentally fell forward.

    "Ah, another mistake. But, thank you so much sister Edel. I'll treasure this pink ribbon forever!"

    At Katarina's smile, Edel gave a small nod. And the two began to train again in basic techniques.

    

    After manipulating the puppets for some time, she let Katarina rest and moved on to a lecture. Using magic to its limit was a great burden on the body, so Edel made sure to never allow her to push herself too far.

    Before long the curtain of night fell, and Russ had come home in a good mood, with large bundles in both hands. Russ, who was deathly sweet to Katarina, bought her tons of souvenirs every time he went out. He bought things such as sweets, dolls, stuffed animals, and even clothes, accessories, and picture books for her, never coming home empty–handed. Edel was envious of Katarina. He loved her so much. But Edel was happy that they would allow a girl like her to be a part of their warm family.

    "Hey, I’m home. And as a reward for being such a good girl, I’ve bought you lot’s of souvenirs!"

    "Welcome home, dad! What did you get me this time?"

    "Today, we have your favorite stuffed animal. I had a big one made especially for you. Come now, come here."

    "Thank you!"

    When Russ handed the package to Katarina, she accepted it with great delight. Katarina bounced up and down and ran off to her room. Her room was filled with pretty dolls and stuffed animals, and that number would continue to grow.

    After watching Katarina’s happy figure run off from behind, Russ called out to Edel.

    "Edel, thank you for taking care of Katarina today. You know, I was really worried about leaving her alone with only my student. I'll always be grateful for your help. Sorry, I’m sure you had your own studying to do, right?"

    "No, I get to review the basics by teaching her. So please raise your head, teacher."

    "Thank you very much....... by the way, was that your pink ribbon?"

    "Yes, I gave it to her as a reward for doing her best."

    "It looks good on that girl. I wish there was some way I could thank you for your kindness. Hmm, Is there anything you want?"

    When Russ asked, Edel only slowly shook her head.

    "No, I already have enough. I'm most happy when you treat me like family— since I was an abandoned child."

    Edel was from the slums, and born an unwanted child, asher mother was a prostitute, who had gotten pregnant with a baby of some random stranger. Her mother raised her until she was ten years old. Edel was unsure if there was such a thing as love then; any common sense she had was taught to her by other prostitutes and touts in their spare time. Edel had managed to survive working as an usurer in the brothel.  

    But, when Edel’s mother decided she was old enough to live on her own, she took her out to the slums, gave her a few coins, and threw her out to live as she pleased. She coldly told her that she could become a prostitute, a pickpocket, or just die in the streets as she was. In the end, she merely gave a lamented smile and walked away, never looking back. Edel had never seen her mother since; she might not even be in this world anymore.

    Edel chose to join a group of orphans in the slums and pickpocket for a living. She felt no guilt deceiving others. Some children failed and lost their lives, but Edel managed to survive. Edel not only picked pockets, but also became a swindler,  and had vague thoughts about becoming a prostitute in the future. There was nothing to live for, but Edel didn't have the courage to die either, so, she opted to live a decent life and die on the streets. Things were going to turn out exactly as her mother said. The light of hopes and dreams and the like had nothing to do with Edel.

    There was a turning point in her life, and it was when a sorcerer had captivated her. It was a middle-aged man who was well-dressed, though seemingly a bit slow, she had decided to make a move. Edel, who had been crawling about in the dark, had seen light for the first time in her life. This was her first encounter with Russ, and the beginning of Edel's path as a sorcerer.

    "The mischievous little girl from back then has grown to be such a great sorceress. My, my, I guess I am getting old."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "Edel. If it’s alright with you, would you like to become my daughter? I want you to follow in my footsteps, and Katarina would surely be pleased, don’t you think?"

    "...... Teacher, I'm really happy to hear you say that. But please, let me think about it for a moment."

    Edel withheld her answer. She truly was happy with his offer. So why did she hesitate? But then──

    "No, no, there's no need to rush. I already consider you to be my own daughter, you know; as bothersome as that sounds."

    "Th-That doesn’t bother me at all!"

    Russ sat in his chair with a laugh.

    "Hahaha, I’m glad it’s not too annoying for you. By the way, how is that child’s magic training going?"

    "Um, it's going very well. She’s inherited her father’s talent."

    Russ knew that Katarina had been training in magic. As she wanted to, Russ would allow her. But, as there wasn’t anything more dangerous than an ametaur self-educating,  it had to be done under someone's guidance. Russ himself had not yet attempted to teach his daughter directly yet. Nor would he ever. He said he wanted no part of her education or training because he would be too strict, even if he didn't want to be. By the way, Edel still hadn't told Russ that she was practicing manipulating puppets, as Katarina asked her to keep it a secret, since she wanted to surprise him on his birthday.

    "It seems like she's scheming something fun, but I'm sure it’s better if I don’t know about it."

    "Yes, please be patient a little longer. It isn't anything dangerous, and Katarina is working very hard too."

    At Edel's answer, Russ' face broke into a smile.

    "I must say I’m very much looking forward to it....... You know, I have a dream, Edel. It's to put on a puppet show together. Like nothing anyone's ever seen before, something that would make everyone's eyes spread wide open in fascination. I want to put on such a magnificent puppet show!"

    "A puppet show?"

    "Yes, I've only been using the puppets I’ve created as tools of war. But one of these days, I would like to use these puppets to make people happy. I think it would be a great memorial service for the puppets that have been destroyed. It's a childish idea, but I think it will be my last job."

    "...... M-May I help you too?"

    "Of course. You, Katarina and I. Hehe, and life-sized puppets moving around on a stage. I'm sure all the children in Arte would be thrilled.

    "Th-That sounds amazing."

    “I've been putting money aside to make this dream come true. It's just the right amount of fun to enjoy my retirement. Well, you're a little ignorant of the basics, so you might not be good at manipulating puppets."

    Edel turned away from Russ' teasing words.

    Although she was teaching Katarina the basics, Edel wasn’t actually that good herself.  She was good at producing flashy offensive magic that made full use of the element of fire, but wasn't very good at carefully manipulating objects.

    "Well, I'll train with Katarina too, so there won't be any problems!”

    "I hope so. Hehe, come now, let's get ready for dinner. Make sure you eat too, I bought lots of ingredients you know."

    Russ stood up, humming a tune, and Edel also stood up to help him. Then, Katarina jumped out from her room with a big stuffed cat and a smile on her face; Smiles were abundant.

    On that day, it certainly was a scene of a happy family. Even if it wasn’t the real thing, it was warmer than the real thing. What Edel had always desired with all her heart actually existed.

    ──Until the day Katarina fell ill with an epidemic. And despite the vain desperate attempts to treat her, she passed away.

 

 

    A clay puppet blocked the girl's way and attempted to grab her, forcibly trying to pull her inside it. The girl quickly rolled to its side doging its clutches, and swung her sword at the feet of the clay puppet. It seems that she was quite confident in her speed. It wasn’t likely she’d be caught by the sluggish and heavy-bodied clay puppets.

    "Say, you're pretty quick. In that case, let's let these living puppets also participate in the play!"

    When Russ gave a signal with the thrust of his stuff, the living puppets turned to the foolish girl. The commanded footsteps moved in unison, and gradually increased in speed.

    ──"Crush them at your leisure without killing them." - This was the order Russ gave.

 

    If one or two of her arms were cut off it would be fine, as he could just attach suitable arms later when turning her into a plaything. However, he would like to secure her body in good physical condition if at all possible, as that would add to the fun of dismemberment. In any case, he had to make her scream, to make her feel pain to the marrow in her bones, to make her beg miserably for her life. This little girl had interfered with the puppet show. And anyone who interfered with the play would not be tolerated.

    "──Haaah!"

    The girl shouted in anger and struck the living puppet not with a sword, but with her fist.

    

    Did she perhaps change her approach because she was dealing with humans?

    

    When her fist dug into its abdomen, the living puppet involuntarily bent down from the force of the blow.

    "That's quite a punch, but to my living puppet, it's nothing──"

    "Watch yourself ── ha!!"

    When the girl pulled back her other fist she fired it forward, striking the puppet in the face, grazing Russ as it blew past him. The wall it slammed into cracked, and the living puppet was rendered immobile. Though they did not feel pain, if the limit of what they can endure is exceeded, the living puppet would be unable to be manipulated; as their bodies would reject the magic power. They could be moved after recuperating strength for some time, but that wouldn’t be possible during this battle.

    "There's only so many of them. Come on, let’s get on with it."

    Easily dodging the attacks from the living puppets, the girl sent them flying one by one with counters. About ten of them were already incapable of fighting.

    Just where in her small body was all of this strength hiding? Having changed his perception of her, Russ decided to take her seriously.

    “Stop fooling around with the little girl. It doesn't matter anymore, just tear her apart!"

    The living puppets pulled out their weapons with unnatural movements and took aim, each thrusting their weapons at the girl. Avoiding them without consternation, raised her hands above her head and let out an intense burst of light.

    "Don't hate me if you die. Well, there's a few of them that might be broken already."

    "Magic? What the hell are you doing?"

    "This is too much work, so I'll just get rid of them all at once!"

    When the light converged into a sphere, the girl waved her hands down, and the sphere burst, radiating an intense light around it. A flash of light sent the living puppets flying all at once. The clay puppets turned to dust, and the wooden puppets turned into mere blocks of wood, devoid of magic power.

    "Oh, you're a sorcerer? Looks can be deceiving. I had the preconceived notion that you were a warrior because of your fine armor. However, you don't seem to have a staff, do you have it hidden somewhere?"

    Russ calmly observed the girl. She wore well-made silvery white armor, and her weapons of choice were a common iron sword and a dagger at her waist. She didn't look like a sorcerer by any stretch of the imagination.

    "I'm not a sorcerer. That’s why I don't use a staff."

    "Then are you a clergyman? I don't know what you did a moment ago, but it counteracted my magic."

    "That's off too."

    "Very well, then would you please tell me? I'll give you something nice as thanks."

    "There's nothing to take from trash. All I want is for you to disappear from this world without leaving a trace. So will you just die now?"

    "Khihi, that's quite harsh. However, while you're still here, please accept my thanks for your generosity!"

    Russ slammed the tip of his staff against the stone floor with all his might.

    "──What?"

    The violent sound momentarily pulled the girl's attention. This was what Russ wanted. The puppeteer could attack from all sides and was particularly good at surprise attacks, especially those that exploited blind spots. Before Russ fell onto the path of evil, he had defeated a great number of demons employing this strategy.

    "Do it!"

    When Russ gave the order, a white blade flashed from behind the girl. During their conversation, he had positioned one of the living puppets behind the girl. Russ' mouth twisted into a disgusting smile, confident of his victory.

    However, just before the blade of the living puppet reached her, the girl quickly pulled out the dagger and swiftly severed the puppet's head. As if she knew it was already there, she ran her blade into the puppet behind her without looking back, and quickly incinerated the corpse with a fire spell to finish it off.

    "That’s too bad, you were so close too."

    "You have no hesitation whatsoever when dealing with humans, you're not bad at all you know. You seem a little different from that warrior girl over there."

    The female warrior who was dealing with living puppets near the entrance was hesitating to fight with her sword. And the scholar was using her crossbow to inhibit the puppet's actions, seemingly letting the warrior finish them off. She continued to frantically bash them with her shield, as if stubbornly avoiding having to kill them. Though it was a shield, it was only a blunt weapon, and without the will to kill it would be of no threat. As long as Russ could take care of this girl, he could easily get rid of them.

    "That girl’s a bottomless pit of good. I'm not really nice to her, so I thought I’d make things a bit easier for her. Because I'm not gonna be able to save her right now."

    "I see. However, I didn't think you would avoid that. I guess I really am an old geezer now──"

    "I could tell by the smell. You scum reek of a rotten stench no matter what you do. So, hurry up and die."

    The girl's face was filled with murderous intent. It was a mixture of madness and a murderous insanity that made even Russ flinch.

    Russ, intrigued by her fierce will, asked.

    "Please tell me one last thing. Just who the hell are you? You, who uses powerful magic and has acquired such a great level of physical strength. I know you're not just some mindless bounty hunter."

    "I am a hero. I exist only to destroy demons. But you don’t need to remember that. In a moment──"

    "Hero. Hero, hero, hero! Oh, so you're the rumored young heroine I've heard so much about! I see, I see, you even have a pretty face just as the informant said! This is wonderful!! No, no, no, the reason I came all the way here was to meet you!"

    Russ' mouth twisted into a smile of sincere happiness, and he clenched his fist, glad to have come. She was gifted, and even more magnificent than he could have imagined. She was young and awe-inspiring, as well as brave and capable. But above all else, her eyes were delightful. Looking at her again knowing that she was a hero, he could see that she really did have wonderful eyes. They would be perfect as Katarina's new eyes. The desire to hold them in his hands and examine them himself grew.

    Russ unconsciously began to move his clenched left hand, as if rolling something in his hand. And the girl who called herself a hero looked deeply disgusted.

    "All I want to do is incinerate you without leaving a trace."

    "Speaking of heroes, everyone's longed to be such a thing as children. Like in the Legend of The Three Heroes. They who cut through the darkness and led us to the light. No, no, I was actually skeptical until I met you in person. If you are a hero, it's no surprise that you were able to defeat Salvadore. That's a considerable feat for someone so young!"

    "So?"

    Russ excitedly rambled on and on, but the hero's expression did not change. She only repositioned her dagger and assumed an offensive stance.

 

    Russ stared intently into the eyes of the hero, observing them, and laughed.

    "But you truly are amazing. The fragility and weakness behind that aggressive gaze are especially great —a front of confidence to hide your weakness. Ah, it's no use trying to hide it with provocative words, just as you can tell by smell, I can tell in my own way as well. The puppeteer can understand all sorts of things by the slightest movements of one's eyes and expressions! Khihihi, I see, I see! You're twisted by grief, aren't you!? Khihihihi!!"

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    Tapping the ground with his staff, Russ went on.

    "I love it. They are worthy of being my daughter's new eyes! I'll hollow out those lovely eyes of yours after I kill you. Oh, don't worry, I won’t make a plaything of you anymore. Just as long as you give me the materials I desire, there won't be any problems. It seems I won’t have any time to waste agonizing you. But rest assured that your beautiful body will be put to good use, without wasting anything, from your organs, down to every strip of flesh! Khihihihi!"

    Russ spat and laughed loudly. He stared at the hero's body as if licking it with his squinted eyes, and licked his tongue disgustingly , laying bare his delight. His hands were gesturing as if he was playing with hollowed-out eyeballs. The dismembering of the hero was already long underway in Russ' mind.

    The hero’s expressionless visage tensed up with an overflowing rage and physical disgust. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck as Russ slowly beckoned her as if to provoke her.

    "Come, come, my lovely hero. I'm going to gouge out your beautiful eyes!"

    "Die."

    The hero began to sprint towards Russ with all her might. Her form revealed her hatred, holding the dagger in a reverse grip, she charged straight towards him.

    Russ quickly summoned a heart as a catalyst.

    The chanting had already been finished. All that was left was to cast the spell. It was suicide to waste time against a sorcerer, a lesson she would soon learn as consequence of her own actions.

    Once she was restrained by the cursed clutches, no matter how strong she was, there would be nothing she could do. Just like with Edel. After that, all that would be left would be to toy with her. Those at the entrance likely wouldn't prove to be an obstacle, by then the living puppets should be able to act, and no matter how confident she was in her physical strength, she would never be able to break this spell. The cursed clutches couldn’t be severed by physical means, and he wasn’t going to allow her to chant a counteracting spell. But to even dispel such powerful magic, she would need a considerable amount of time and magic power — Though, he would never allow such an occurrence to pass again.

    

    "Kihihi, cursed bindings, restrain my enemy's movements. Blood──"

    The moment Russ tightened his grip on the heart, he felt a sudden pressure within his throat as if it were bound with string.

    "──Guh!!"

    Oxygen was no longer reaching his brain, and he felt as if he was about to faint. He desperately tried to endure, but the dizziness and intense nausea did not subside. With his concentration deterred, he looked down at his body to assess the situation, and found a pale blue ring of light covering his throat. This strange ring seemed to be the cause of his pain. And as he tried to release it somehow, the ring spontaneously disappeared.

    Russ exhaled in relief.

    "You don’t have time to look away."

    Before he knew it, the hero who was right in front of him swung her dagger down at his face; Russ reflexively attempted to catch it with his staff, and managed to deflect the slash. He was able to avoid a fatal wound; however, the deviated blade pierced into his shoulder.

    "──Guh, gueh!"

    Pulling the dagger from his shoulder, the hero delivered a swift kick from the side. The sharp blow smashed into Russ' flank as he felt his bones break cruelly with the impact. They seemed to have been shattered; feeling the shards pierce his organs. Screaming in agony, Russ was blown away and slammed against the wall just like the other living puppets.

    "Higaaaaaaahhhhh!"

    Russ screamed from the extreme pain as he spat up blood.

    

    His hood slipped down, revealing his aged face. His head of gray hair was streaked with a crimson substance, a great deal of blood spilled down from his shoulder, and the kicked flank complained of excruciating pain. With merely one blow, he had suffered terrible damage.

    Russ, deciding things had gotten too dangerous, came up with the idea of deploying servants to buy time. Even if they couldn't beat her, they could at least put up a slight resistance. In the meantime, he had to recollect himself. He couldn't die in a place like this. He was just one step away from realizing his dream.

    

    Taking out a card possessing a puppet with excellent defensive power, he channeled magic power into it and cast it into the air.

    "I call upon my puppets! C-Come to me, my loyal iron puppets! I sum──"

    The chanting had been forcibly interrupted as his throat was strangled yet again. A glowing pale-blue ring was covering his throat. The summoning card with a spell marking fluttered through the air and fell to the ground.

    "Useless, useless. I sealed you a while ago when I saw an opening. And you didn't even notice because you kept talking about nonsense."

    The hero generated a pale blue ring from her index finger, and after spinning it around she threw the ring into the air.

    "Ridiculous. Th-That's impossible. Have you sealed my magic? What drivel, there is no way you could do something so preposterous. I have never heard of such a nonsensical spell, what a joke!

    "Don’t blame me that it exists. Maybe you all forgot about it because it was inconvenient for you."

    "We forgot? Forgotten? M-Magic whose existence has been forgotten… I-It can't be, lost magic. That's ridiculous. It couldn’t be such a thing, it’s just a legend."

    The madness escaped from Russ' eyes as the light of reason had been revived if only slightly.

    "B-But, if there is such a thing then… Th-The resurrection spell I've been chasing. The complete resurrection spell must really…"

    The hero walked forward to finish off the dying Russ. The murderous thoughts that pervaded her had not waned in the slightest.

    "I hope you've had enough of being lost in your own world. All you can do now is wait for death in penitence and repent."

    "W-Wait, tell me. Is there really such a thing as a resurrection spell!? Does it really exist!? Is it not just a legend!? Oh, please, tell me!"

    Russ desperately asked the hero, but it fell on deaf ears.

    "Shut up."

    The hero turned the tip of her dagger toward Russ.

    "H-Hiiiiiii!!"

    An unnerved and flustered Russ tried to escape from the hero. Struggling to move, he grabbed his staff, and desperately dragged his body along to keep a distance.

    Edel, dumbfounded, merely stared at the scene in disbelief. Russ, whom she struggled against and who had driven her to the brink of death; the man who was once Edel's teacher and regarded as the next master of the Sorcerers Guild, was now moments away from meeting his end to a dagger. The puppets he had controlled were easily destroyed, and he wasn't even allowed to use the magic of his trump card. The opponent that Edel couldn't match even after putting her life and soul at stake. The man who was so confident of his victory just moments ago, was now exposed in a hapless, and ugly state.

    "I-I can't believe this. Russ, The Puppeteer, can't even stand."

    "Sh-She’s really amazing, isn't she? Just as you’d expect from her, she really is a hero!"

    A well-built woman with a thoughtless expression on her face was exhaling heavily. This girl was called Matari by the girl who claimed to be a hero. She successfully suppressed the living puppets with only her shield and bound them with ropes to subdue them.

    "...... This was too one-sided. It's no wonder she was able to take down Salvadore. Russ' puppets were being tossed around like toys. The way she carries herself, and the unfamiliar magic she uses, that girl isn't normal."

    "Here she has shown me how to kill a sorcerer. However, it’s highly unlikely that I would even be able to replicate such a process."

    "Hero can use magic, healing spells, and she's even a first-class swordsman. But despite that, she said it was alright for me to go work with her. That's why she's my dear companion, and the goal of my aspirations!"

    ". . . . . . . . . ."

    Edel stared at Matari's face as she firmly declared. It was strange that this woman was alive in the first place. Back then, she was sure that this woman had died. Just one look at the scars on her armor would make anyone think she couldn’t be anything less than dead. But here she was, alive. Thinking about it now, Edel wondered if the light she saw then was a spell of some sort. Yes, the lost magic Russ had chased after with all his heart and soul, and even in madness had continued to pursue, but even still was unable to find it ── The complete resurrection spell. Perhaps the girl knew something of it. No, not just know something, she probably used it…

    "What? Is there something wrong with my face?"

    "N-No, it's nothing. But still, how could she seal Russ' magic? Such a spell shouldn’t even exist… Who on earth is she?"

    "I definitely want to study the theory of magic sealing. If it spread, don’t you think the existence of sorcerers would be erased from this world?"

    "L-Lulurile, that look in your eyes is scaring me."

    Matari's face twitched at the sight of Lulurile's smile.

    

    When Edel tried to buy Matari as a corpse, negotiations fell through, and the situation became catatonic. If a fight broke out, Edel would have been killed.

    "You will become my enemy." She was sure she had said something like that. Edel wouldn’t stand a chance if her magic had been sealed like that of Russ'. Edel turned her gaze back to the two. The hero was hunting Russ, driving closer and closer to a corner. Perhaps this would be his last stop.

    

    Edel was supposed to be the one to take down her former teacher, the man that would have become her father. The poor old man who couldn't bear the death of his daughter and fell to evil.

    Now that life was about to meet its end.

    And all Edel could do was do nothing but watch.

    "Hi-Hiiii!"

    Russ frantically escaped to the corner, while the hero called out to him in a troubled manner.

    "You really don't know when to quit. Why don't you just give up? You're the head of a bounty you know!"

    "Ki-kihihi."

    With a crooked laugh, Russ raised a transfer stone with his left hand, and light wrapped around him. He would be returned to the surface in ten seconds, but in the meantime, would be left completely defenseless. And there was now way the hero would let this opportunity pass her by.

    "You think I’m going to let you get away!?"

    The hero fired a round of flames from her palm. Flames engulfed Russ' hand that held the transfer stone. A searing pain caused Russ to involuntarily let go of the stone, interrupting the transfer. As he stretched out his hand to grab it in a hurry, the hero threw the dagger with great force at his left hand. The left hand, which bore the sorcerer's engraving, flew into the air with a splash of blood. For a moment, Russ was in complete shock, but immediately let out a scream following.

    "M-My hand! Aaahhhh!! I-It hurts!!"

    "Compared to what you've done till now, this is nothing at all. You're lucky that didn't cut off your head. Well, I'll make it fall right now anyway."

    The hero took a step forward, spitting out unpleasantly.

    "W-Wait, please wait. Listen to me. I didn't do this because I wanted to. I, I just wanted to see my daughter Katarina again. I just love my daughter. Th-That's why, I──"

    Russ held down his left wrist while spitting excuses with a pitiful gaze. With tears in his eyes, he apologized, slamming his head against the ground repeatedly.

    "So?"

    "I, can't die here. Oh, if only she had eyes, my daughter would be complete. Soon, she'll be back and call me father again. If it’s money, I’ll give you everything I have! After my daughter is resurrected, I'll atone for all my sins! So, so, please overlook what’s happened here!"

    "The answer is no. Even if it kills me, I never negotiate with demons."

    "I-I'm a human! Not a demon!"

    "If humans fall to the path of evil they become demons. I judge it by smell. A person who smells of rot is no different from a demon. So I will undoubtedly kill you. I'd feel terrible letting you go. Because scum like you can never be cured of your nature."

    "Y-You, do you think you're god?"

    "There is no god. There's no way there could be. But I am a hero, so I must kill demons. That much is easy to understand, right?"

     The hero slowly held out her hand.

    

    As a last stand, Russ quickly stretched out a steel strand wrapped around his wrist and flicked it forth with magic power. It was a concealed weapon varnished with poison used as a means of self-defense.

    

    The well-aimed sharp thread pierced the hero's left hand.

    "Tch....... A steel thread?"

    The hero clicked her tongue, and forcibly tore out the thread to confirm.

    "I-It's coated with a deadly poison. Once it circulates throughout the body, it will rot your internal organs in mere days. The antidote is in my house; so, let this go for the moment, just for now. I don't care about the eyes anymore. I just want my daughter, my daughter to be complete──"

    "Nonsense."

    While Russ presented his conditions, the hero stabbed at her left hand with the dagger and gouged out the eroded, poisoned flesh. She carelessly thrust the blade over and over, leaving her left hand an unsightly mess.

    "Wh-What the hell are you doing? Are you insane?

    "I'm done letting you question my sanity."

    When the hero held her right hand over her left, a faint glow enveloped the wound. The gouged-out area regenerated and was restored to its original state in the blink of an eye. Russ' eyes widened as he was convinced — this girl was a wielder of lost magic.

    "A healing spell that instantly regenerates the body!? I knew you knew it! S-So, does a complete resurrection spell really exist!? M-My god!"

    "All good now."

    "Oh, t-teach me! Teach me how to use the resurrection spell, the perfect resurrection spell! Please share with me your god given wisdom!"

     Russ crawled closer to the hero.

    The resurrection spell that Russ pursued with bloodshot eyes. The one who held the key to it was right before him. Katarina was soon to be revived, but only with the help of a puppet as a surrogate. Other alternative methods had been studied, but a complete resurrection was still most desirable.

    "Your puppet show was pretty interesting. It's the first time I’ve seen something like it. However, your puppets were abhorrent."

    The hero once again held out her hand to Russ.

    

    Arrows of light formed around the figure of the hero. The arrows of light rapidly increased in number, and in no time at all, more than a hundred of them were floating in the air.

    "I-I don't want to… I can't die yet. Katarina, Not until Katarina is brought back to life."

    But death was inevitable. Soon, the arrows of light would pierce his body, and he would die on the precipice of Katarina's revival. 

    One more, just one more step.

    "What should I do? What should I do? What can I do?"

    Russ worked his brain desperately as if to keep his head above water. 

 

    At the entrance of the room, he could see Edel, his apprentice, staring at him -- their eyes meeting. She was the only one he could tell. She was the only one he could entrust his daughter to.

    "Edel!! My beloved apprentice! Katarina! Please, I beg of you, take care of Katarina! Her soul is already there! You must, you must bring her back──"

    As if to interrupt Russ' exclamation, the hero muttered only a few words.

    "Let there be light."

    The arrows of light were unleashed; firing continuously like a stream without end, the wall behind him was carved out with a flash of light.

    Russ was no longer there. His body completely disintegrated and turned to ash, with not a piece of flesh left behind. The only remaining vestiges of Russ were his severed hand, and the red stone staff he carried.

    The hero stomped on the staff and fired a fireball to dispose of it. 

    She wanted to incinerate his left hand as well, but the sight of Edel made her reconsider. Since she seemed to have some kind of grudge against him, she might as well give it to her.

    "...... I might’ve went a little overboard. Well, he really was a selfish bastard to the very end, wasn’t he?"

    After the battle, the hero wiped the sweat with her hands and let out a deep breath. Her body felt terribly sluggish, and it complained of a languidness. It was probably because her enemy today was really unpleasant. Just thinking about it made her cringe in disgust. Thinking of all the clean up needing to be done made her feel even heavier. A demon’s parting gift.

    "H-Hero! Are you okay!?"

    Matari rushed over, so she showed her left hand to assure her everything was alright. There were no problems, as the healing had already been completed. She treated the poison before it had a chance to spread.

    "That last bit was a little unexpected, but look, no scars."

    When Matari saw for herself, she breathed a sigh of relief.

    "Thank goodness. I wanted to help, but it seemed I would just get in the way."

    "This one would be tough if you're not used to fighting a group. You'll just have to learn to get used to it bit by bit."

    "Yes!"

    "That aside, I have never seen such an unreasonable method of detoxification before. Was the pain really bearable?"

    Lulurile stared intently at the hero's left hand.

    "Once you get used to it, it's not a problem. But I wouldn't recommend it though."

    After saying this, she observed the tied-up living puppets near the entrance. Matari seemed to have incapacitated them without killing them in the end. All of them retained their human form.

    "You didn't use your sword. That must've been tough."

    "Yes, it was, but I just couldn’t do it. Because it seemed like they were being controlled by the sorcerer. Um, I'm sorry."

    "You don't have to apologize. No matter what I say, make your own decisions for yourself. That's what's most important."

    Even if it leads to failure, even if you regret them, it's important to make your own choices. The worst thing you could do was give yourself up to someone’s whims or surrender yourself to fate. That was what the hero believed.

    "These aren't the words of a scholar, but the words of a hero. These have a lot of meaning."

    "It's not that big of a deal. It's just something like advice."

    "I understand! I'll think for myself!"

    Matari, in good spirits, seemed to have understood well. Though the hero was suspicious as to whether or not she really understood, for the time being, it was fine.

    "All right. Well, let's clean up this mess first."

    After telling her this, she looked around. Bounty hunters along with the living puppets controlled by the demon collapsed on the ground. The surviving bounty hunters were wounded but none appeared mortally wounded; they would probably regain consciousness after a while. So, the only problem was those used as living puppets. They were seemingly freed from his control, but would they ever come back?

    "Matari, go help out the injured bounty hunters. It's a pain in the ass, but it can't be helped. We'll just have to get our thanks later."

    "Okay, I'll go bandage them up!"

    Matari pulled out bandages and began to run off.

    "I'll head back to the surface and contact the church's soldiers and give them the general details. Did you need assistance?"

    "....... No, it's fine. I have a few things to take care of."

    "Understood."

    Lulurile used a transfer stone to return above ground without asking for details.

    After seeing her off, she shouted to Edel, who was still dumbstruck.

    "Hey little, Pinky! Don’t be shy, you help too!"

    "......Eh?"

    "You, it's you. When I said Pinky, you're the only one I could be referring to, Pinky!"

    

    Edel, realizing it was her, stood up and ran towards her. She seemed surprisingly energetic despite having been exhausted mere moments ago.

    "Who's Pinky!? My name is Edel! Edel Weiss, the necromancer!"

    "Shut up."

    "I'm not Pinky! My name isn't Pinky!"

    Did she perhaps have suppressed bad memories that resurfaced?

    Edel repeatedly shouted with a red face.

    "Please don't yell next to my ears. If it weren't for us, you'd be a pervert's toy."

    The hero poked Edel's forehead with her finger. The important thing to do now was to give a gloating grin. By doing this, you would be able to anoint your opponent's anger.

    "You fucking brat! With or without you I..."

    Edel tried to raise a loud voice. But, perhaps remembering the earlier battle, her momentum gradually weakened.

    "What's wrong, Ms. Pinky? Did you hit your head in the fight earlier!?"

    Matari, who was bandaging one of the bounty hunters, rubbed salt into Edel's wounds. In such cases, natural dispositions can be quite cruel.

    "No, you're absolutely right. I'd have been Russ' toy. I guess I can’t help it if you call me Pinky."

    Edel's shoulders slumped. She looked completely dispirited. Matari gently rubbed her back as if to comfort her. The hero felt that this would have the opposite of the intended effect, but she left it alone.

    "What's wrong? You’re all humble now compared to the you a second ago. I wouldn’t mind if you kept your previous attitude."

    "... Tch, say what you want. You’re certainly the one who killed Russ. That battle was nothing short of brilliant."

    Edel muttered and walked to the place where Russ had existed moments ago. After closing her eyes, she retrieved the left hand that the hero severed and put it in a small bag.

    "I can give it to you if you want? You two seem to have some history. I just happened to be the one to take care of him."

    If she’d brought back the left hand she would be rewarded the bounty money. Though, the hero wasn’t in need of any money.

    "I don't want it. I'm not one to take credit for someone else's work. I think I've said this before....... Uh, I’m a little out of it."

    Edel threw the bag to the hero. It didn't feel good to hold it, so she immediately put it away in a leather bag.

    "By the way, will these guys ever come back? We could leave them like this, but they'd be food for demons."

    The former living puppets were left lying on the floor with vacant eyes. Even if they regained consciousness, many of them are likely to regret it. That was the price to pay when being forced to fight an unreasonable battle.

    "It seems that both their minds and bodies were tampered with. There’s nothing we can do to help them like this. It’s something no healing spell is capable of fixing. A real pity you know."

    "O-Oh, is that so?......"

    At Edel's words, Matari became terribly depressed.

    This was how the world usually worked. There was no need for the hero to try her healing magic. As even if their body was healed, it would only create a crippled person. You can heal a broken body, but not a broken mind. Rather, the hero would like if someone could tell her how to heal such a thing. As her mental strength wouldn't hold out much longer. She was very exhausted right now.

    "Pinky, do you know a quick way to get the bounty hunters back up?"

    "It's possible with a transfer stone. I saw Russ trying to use one earlier, and I have one too. Just as long as you store the location, you can go back and forth."

    "Can we take them with us?"

    "Just hold onto their bodies, and it will be fine. The transfer will take effect on them as well."

    The hero nodded lightly at Edel's words.

    "Alright, Matari, go back with Pinky and arrange for them to be treated. Pinky, you’re gonna have to carry them back and forth up top. You can charge these idiots later for the labor fee; I don't care if you overcharge them."

    The hero let out a deep breath.

    "Um, what about you, Hero? And what about the rest of them?"

    "I'll do what I have to do, then I'll head back. Somebody has to do this. I'll have it all done by the time you get back. See you later."

    "I-I can help."

    Matari, with a tense face, tried staying behind, but the hero shook her head. For some reason, she didn't want to get Matari involved with such dirty work, and didn't want her to watch either.

    "It's okay. I'm used to it. Leave things here to me. Look, some of these guys are gonna bleed to death if you don't hurry. Hurry up and go."

    The hero forced a smile and turned her back on Matari and the others.

    After finishing what she needed to do underground, the hero decided to bring the former living puppets to the surface. It might've been fine to incinerate them, but she thought it would be better to leave it to their families if they had one. The bounty hunters who made it with their lives were receiving first aid in the labyrinth square. There were nine of them in total; they were the lucky ones. Lulurile explained the gist of the situation to her, as the church’s soldiers and priests were moving about busily. When the hero reconvened with Matari and the others, they quickly left the labyrinth square.

    They were headed for the slums. As there was still work left to be done. Since the slums were isolated by fences, there was only one entrance. And though there were church soldiers standing guard, security here was as a whole lacking.

    After some time had passed since walking through the entrance, they noticed a young girl sitting atop some rubble while licking a candy ball, and observed those passing by with great interest. She wore fashionable clothes that seemed expensive, but had become faded and sullied; as to whether she found them or if it was originally hers, the hero did not know. Her features gave off an impression that she had a fortunate upbringing.

    The hero approached and called out to her.

    "Excuse me. Are you familiar with this area?"

    "I don't know a lot because I abandoned here recently. But my friend Colon knows a lot; he knows everything about this place."

    "Could you get him for me if that’s alright with you? I’ll thank you of course."

    "Is big sister Colon's friend?"

    "Well, something like that. I'll give you the money first. Eat some good food with this."

    "Thank you. I'll be right back."

    The hero gave the girl a silver coin, and the young girl with the silver coin in hand, crunched the candy ball and ran off into the back alley.

    Edel called out to the hero.

    "Do you know any of the kids here?"

    "Well, one of them. He promised he'd show me around last time we met. Maybe he knows where that piece of shit lived. It would be a waste of time to look through these ruins aimlessly for a single house, right?"

    "Certainly, we have no idea who lives where."

    Matari looked around at the surrounding ruins. Some of the abandoned houses were clearly uninhabitable, while others were crumbling  with laundry hung out to dry.

    "This place is still the same. All the filth of this city comes here."

    Edel spat in displeasure.

    "There's a saying, 'you can't put a lid on something odorous.' As long as the church overlooks the state of things here, nothing will change."

    "As expected, you're a remarkable scholar. It’s as you say, this place is a cesspool of malice. I don't blame them for keeping a lid on it."

    Edel chuckled to herself at Lulurile's words. But contrary to her own words, she felt an uncontrollable anger.

    "Are you familiar with this place?"

    "...... A little."

    As Edel spoke vaguely of the matter the hero chose not to pry. There are some things you don't want anyone hearing about.

   They all waited at the same spot in silence, waiting. Then, the young girl from earlier came back. And behind her, a group of boys armed with rusty swords and broken pots and pans had followed. Colon stood among them armed with a broken sword, and when he saw the hero's face, his expression of vigilance changed to one of relief.

    "Wait, you're big sister Hero!? Hey Silca, she's not a bad person. She even let me off the hook once, you know."

    "I see. I thought she was some kind of domineering miscreant."

    "...... Hey, who's the domineering miscreant? A miscreant probably wouldn't even thank you to begin with!"

    "Hero, please calm down, don't get angry."

    "I'm not mad at her. I was just complaining."

    "She's just a kid you know."

    Matari stroked the hero’s back. The warmth gave the impression that she was calming a child. Annoyed, the hero pinched Matari's cheeks as hard as she could. Seeing Matari's teary eyes, the hero snorted. Lulurile happily muttered some random proverb, "The tongue is the root of calamities."

    "We can't survive here without being this careful. Sorry, big sister."

    The girl named Silca murmured indifferently.

    "Good grief, don't scare me like that, you guys. Come on, break it up! You can go back and play with Yatum!"

    "Hey, come back soon, Colon."

    "Heh, we'll just keep playing cards. I'm the dealer this time, right?"

    "No, it was my turn."

    "Is not, you just lost!"

    The boys behind him drew back into the alley with a clamor.

    The hero suddenly thought to herself.

    "If I remember right, a wealthy person was helping them out. So why are they still living here?"

    "Wasn’t somebody taking care of you guys?"

    "Somebody taking care of us? Do you mean the orphanage? The place is so full that there’s no room for us. The last time I went they turned us away. Our place is in these back alley's anyway."

    "Then who was giving you those melons and stuff. Is there really some guy out there with a bottomless well of good in him?"

    Helping abandoned orphans without expecting anything in return; the hero had never seen anyone act with such good faith before.

    "Heheheh. Would you like to meet him? When I told him about big sister Hero, he said he really wanted to meet you. I'm sure you'll get along just fine.”

    Colon laughed while scratching his nose. The hero's expression softened involuntarily, but there was something she still had to do.

    "Sorry, but not today. But next time I'm here will you introduce me? I’d like to see this saint's face at least once."

    "He doesn't look like a saint at all. But it's okay, we'll always be around here....... Speaking of which, what did you call me for?"

    "I forgot the most important thing. Since you seem to know a lot about this place, I thought you might know where a particular piece of trash lives."

    "Hehe, these slums are my garden. Ask me anything. I know everything from escape routes to hidden passages."

    Colon proudly crossed his arms.

    "I want to know where Russ Nubes, a bounty head, lives."

    Edel asked, but Colon, with crossed arms, turned his head.

    "There’s so many people who’ve said their bounty heads, I can’t remember any of their names."

    "Well then, how about a shady puppeteer!"

    When Matari, who was rubbing her cheeks, asked loudly, Colon smacked his hands.

    "Ah, I know! That really stinky shop, right? There’s weird looking puppets on display, and the old man in the store is weird too. We've been careful to stay away from it."

    "...... Will you show us the way? I'll return the favor."

    When Edel tried to give him money, Colon waved his hand, saying he didn't need it.

    "Don't worry about it. My big sisters are like my friends now. And sorry but I’m gonna wait outside the store. It smells really bad inside.”

    "That's fine. Lead the way, please."

    "Now then, follow me. It's dangerous here because there's a lot of weirdos out here, so don't get lost!"

    When Colon began running, everyone else hurried after him.

-

    After some time, Colon stopped in front of a lonely shop. Pointing his finger at it one one hand, he pinched his nose painfully closed with the other, as a strange, and terribly foul odor loomed in the air. It was an unpleasant mixture of blood and decay. It seems that he was trying to cover up by burning incense, but it wasn’t effective in the slightest.

    They thanked Colon and decided to head inside. While Colon and Silca did not move, and watched from where they stood.

    "...... I didn't know he lived in a place like this. I heard he was making a living as a black market appraiser. How could such a proud sorcerer have fallen so far?"

     Edel muttered with a frown.

    The hero observed the interior of the shop haphazardly. There were tools coated with dust, and she had no idea what they were used for.

    "Huh. Well, whatever. I'm sure there’s a lot of things in the back that you wouldn’t even want to imagine."

    "...... I have no doubt there will be."

    Edel muttered gravely and fell silent.

    What should the hero do? Cleaning up the leftover material that the scum left behind, she could almost guess what was waiting for them.She was sure Edel and herself would be able to bear it. But what about Matari and Lulurile?

    "*Cough, cough!* What is that smell? It smells like something rotting. Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . . I don't have much experience with this smell."

    A teary-eyed Matari was holding her mouth, desperately struggling to hold back the urge to vomit.

    The hero rubbed her hunched back and urged her to leave.

    

    Lulurile was also trying to keep her composure, but her mouth moved about in a mawkish manner.

    "You guys should go outside. Nothing good will come out of forcing yourself to go on. Just leave it to me again."

    "B-But."

    "Don’t  push yourself. Just go outside with Lulurile."

    "...... No. I'll follow you. I'm one of your comrades, so I'll go with you!"

    Matari shook her head while squeezing out her voice.

    "No matter what?"

    "Yes!"

    "Just don’t push yourself, alright?"

    Matari nodded while holding her mouth as the hero advised her with a serious expression. And it seemed Lulurile had no intention of turning back either. So, the hero and Edel continued on.

    "...... You're kind to those girls."

    "There are things you don't need to see; the dregs left behind from a pitiful man’s nightmare. I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to see something like that."

    "Yeah, it certainly is a nightmare. There's nothing else to it....... Alright, let's head to the back."

    What awaited those who entered the depths of the shop was a veritable hell on earth. It was an abhorrent scene that couldn't be adequately described with a word such as "horror." Even if you closed your eyes, the scene would be burned into your mind. Even if you covered your ears, the vindictating voices of the damned could still be heard. Even if you covered your nose, the putrid stench would seep into your brain.

    A girl continued to breathe even as her body was dismembered. Seemingly still conscious, she would occasionally let out cries of anguish. Even if she wished for death, it would never come. Her parts were in a scattered mess all over. And beyond the pool of blood, were people quietly awaiting their turns.

    The hero's face contorted as she looked at the puppets at the edge of the room. Russ must have kidnapped them and tampered with their heads. With empty eyes, they looked only forward. Though some had reacted to their presence. Perhaps this some hadn’t been tampered with yet, or perhaps they did so of their own will.

    "...... A-Ah, ah."

    When the hero turned around she found Matari, wide-eyed, and speechless. It was natural for a normal person to react in such a way. Only those who were already insane could withstand this.

    "Matari, get out."

    "──Eh, ah, ah, uh, why, why is something like this..."

    "Hopeless. This is why I told you to stay outside."

    The hero stood in front of the petrified Matari and put her hands on both her cheeks. Staring at the center of her unsteady eyes, the hero used a hypnosis spell to force her to fall unconscious. For a hypnosis spell to work, the target must be in close proximity and in a weakened state of mind where they couldn’t resist. Matari, who met both conditions, crumpled to the ground. The hero carried her out of hell and laid her down in the aisle leading to the room.

    "Is this the work of a human?...... Excuse me, I can't go on any further. I'm afraid it's impossible."

    Lulurile with a pale face sat beside Matari, her breathing was severely ragged.

    "*Cough, cough*!!"

    Edel also held her mouth and was coughing violently, slightly teary eyed. It seemed that she who manipulated the dead was also normal. Then perhaps a madman should be dealt with someone of his ilk. The hero smiled gently.

    "You can go too. I'll take care of the rest. Haven't I been saying this from the beginning?"

    The hero was all too familiar with such situations. After demons attacked a village, a mound of corpses would always be left in their wake. Having to bury them all was a depressing task; however, the demons merely ate them, while fallen humans played with people like they were toys. It's ironic that those once human were crueler than those who weren’t to begin with.

    "...... I’m fine. I'm a necromancer. I can handle this much. Okay then"

    "Alright, then do what you want....... Now then."

    Leaving Edel who was desperately holding something back, the hero used healing magic on those who seemed like they could be saved. Her mental strength was dwindling, but she couldn't just abandon them. Of the potential survivors amongst the puppets, she could only save five; although, she could not guarantee they would ever return to normal. They were completely deranged, but Edel managed to get them outside.

    And those who were beyond saving were properly treated. The girl, who must have been suffering endlessly, had an air of peace on her face during her final moments. This was the hardest thing for the hero to endure. She should have been used to it by now, but each time something seemed like it was about to snap. She felt something sour was about to overflow from her stomach.

    Trying to hide her nausea, she let a few stupid ramblings slip through her lips.

    "Whenever I see something like this, I can't help but think..."

    "...... About what?"

    "... I think I'm dying in the wrong place."

    "What does that mean?"

    "It means what it means. Now, let's go… "

    This room must have been used as a material storage area. Ahead of the hero's eyes was a tightly locked door. It seemed a hell yet unopened was awaiting them.

    "I don't want to, but we have to go."

    "...... What more could there be?"

    "We'd have to ask the demon about it.  But if he were here, I'd tear him limb from limb before having the chance to ask. It would be too nice to let him die quickly."

    The hero pulled out her dagger and destroyed the lock. Forcibly kicking down the door, the two headed inside.

    Inside the room, there was only a single light lit by magic, and tags with spell markings on them lined the walls around them. In the center, was a large magic circle with a girl lying atop it with folded hands. You could see that she was clearly treated differently from the other’s. The hero wondered if this girl was the daughter, Katarina, that Russ guy talked about. The hero approached and looked at the girl. She had hollowed eyes which could bear no reflection .  

    If the demon had gotten ahold of the hero's eyes, they would have been fitted here. The hero clenched her teeth against the disgust arising within her.

    The girl's naked body was well-formed, but she got the impression that something was off about it. Looking closely, she could see that each of the parts were connected to each other. The skin was attached in a way that cleverly hid the seams. The girl had seemingly been living in such a condition.

    "Is this, really Katarina?"

    "Do you know her?"

    "...... She's Russ' daughter. She died five years ago. After she died of an epidemic, he went insane. Every gear in his head came loose.”

    The hero stared at the girl named Katarina. Was there still a part of this girl that was still 'her?' Everything 'her' had been spliced together, she was given a name again a second time, and a soul had been put into this artificial body.

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    The hero looked away from the girl. Just looking at her was driving her mad. Action must be taken immediately. There shouldn't be any remnants of the madman left behind.

    On the contrary, Edel was carefully examining the girl's body.

    "...... There's a heartbeat. And she’s breathing. I-Is she really still alive in this condition?"

    "That demon must've risked everything just for this. Human obsession is a scary thing you know. Be it for something good, or bad."

    "Is Katarina's soul here? Are you really here Katarina? Katarina──"

    "Edel, don't call out to her. There's no need to make her suffer anymore."

    The hero placed her dagger over the girl's heart. This nightmare needed to end here. Katarina's dark eyes stared directly at the hero. She thought that she had seen her mouth move. Was she trying to say something? Was it a curse, or a plea for mercy? She mustn't ever listen to them.

    The hero's heart began to beat faster and faster, her breathing became erratic, and a cold sweat ran down her back. For some reason, she thought she saw a faint smile on Katarina's face. Her hand holding the knife trembled violently. But she had to do it. Somebody had to. This was a hero's job.

    "Haaah, haaah, haaah."

    "...... I'll do it. I, this is what I have to do."

    Edel grabbed the hero's trembling hand and forcibly took the dagger from her.

    "...... Are you sure? I'm sure you'll regret it."

    "I'll regret not doing this. I have to do this. I was Katarina's sister."

    Edel placed her left hand over Katarina's empty eye, put strength into her right hand, and sunk the tip of the blade into her chest little by little. A black liquid overflowed out the wound, and a great deal of blood spilled from her mouth. Katarina stretched her hand out into the air as if she were searching for something. After a short while, the hand fell as if it had lost its strength and never moved again.

    Katarina's heartbeat along with her breathing had entirely ceased; Katarina had died a second time. The puppeteer's nightmare had come to a complete end. How many people were caught up in it? The hero could hardly imagine.

    After all was said and done, as the hero was about to leave the store, she was stopped by Lulurile. Probably due to her resting, her complexion looked somewhat better.

    "Ms. Hero. While heeding your benevolent words, I came across something quite strange."

    "What, did you find something good? Well I don't want it, so whatever it is, do what you want with it. Anyway, out."

    "No, I actually found a hidden staircase. It was disguised underneath one of the product shelves. I'm not sure what the purpose of the room could be, so could you take a look?"

    Lulurile pointed in its direction, and there indeed was a staircase hidden beneath the product shelves.

    "...... I'm at my wits end. Can I just burn it without seeing it?"

    "No, it's nothing of that sort. It's just, I can’t understand you see."

    "Okay, okay. I’m not in the mood, but I'll check it out."

    The two headed underground with Lulurile in lead. The air here was cool, and the smell of blood from above was fading. The passage was spotless and seemed to have been constantly tended to. Eventually, the two reached a massive wooden door, and could hear sounds as if something was moving inside. Was there someone else?

    When the hero tried to pull out her dagger just in case, Lulurile shook her head.

    "That won't be necessary. I've already confirmed for myself. A picture's worth a thousand words."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    Lulurile opened the door, and the hero slowly walked in.

    In the room, there were three puppets. All of them were arranged so elaborately that one could mistake them for humans standing around in the dark. There was a middle-aged woman with a gentle smile, a young girl with a sweet smile, and another woman who was gently watching over the girl; it bore a striking resemblance to Edel. Each of the puppets moved slowly with a certain regularity as if they were trying to look alive. And at the center of the puppets was an old chair. This was probably the paradise that Russ wanted. The man fell to the path of evil all for the sake of bringing back his days of peace. Above, he repeatedly committed acts of atrocities against the innocent, and below, he was indulging in this eternally cruel and gentle illusion.

    The hero left the room with a look of exhaustion on her face. She wished she hadn't seen that, and now, she didn't want to think about any of it anymore. How long would this meaningless puppet show continue, she wondered.

    

    When the hero went outside, she found that they were already in the process of relocating those that had been cured. And it looked like a group of curious onlookers had gathered as well. Perhaps Colon had read the situation and contacted the church’s soldiers.

    The hero carried the still unconscious body of Matari on her shoulders, and saw Edel was holding the corpse of Katarina in her hands.

    "What are you gonna do with that girl? You can't be──"

    "I wouldn't do that. This girl will be buried where her family sleeps. I don't want her to be lonely anymore."

    "Yeah. That might be a good idea."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "Hey, is that puppet show going to continue? Even if the puppet master’s gone forever?"

    Would that be a good or bad thing? The hero couldn't decide.

    "They’re autonomous puppets that can only move using magic essence. It'll stop on its own in a few days. Then they will never have to move again."

    "...... Really? And then what"

    "I'll leave it be. I've even rigged it so that the door will never open again. So no one disturbs them."

    Edel spoke as she wiped her eyes a single time.

    "I'm heading straight for the cemetery. I want to bury her as soon as possible."

    "Then we're heading home. You owe me for this one. You'll have to pay me back someday."

    "If I remember. Well, even if I wanted to forget you, I don't think I really could.

    "Yeah, yeah. I wouldn't be able to forget your gaudy pink either."

    The hero bid farewell to Edel with a flailed wave.

    Edel remained where she stood, as the hero unconcernedly turned on her heel. Matari’s dead weight weighed heavily on her back. Using too much magic had her exhausted, with an intense dizziness. The stench of rot clung to her body which she wished to wash off immediately. And once that was done, she would lie and sleep like she was dead.

    "...... Thank you, truly."

    A small voice was heard from behind, and the hero stopped and listened without looking back.

    "Did you say something?"

    "...... It's nothing."

    "Alright then. See you later, Edel. Take care of yourself."

    The hero began walking, and Lulurile came to her side with a trot, and helped her carry Matari. For such a big-headed scholar, she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. The exhausted hero frankly thanked her. Though after a short while Matari awoke. It seemed the hypnosis spell wasn’t so effective this time around.

     In truth, the hero wanted to fall into her bed right now, but she would just put it off until she got the money. It was extremely unpleasant keeping the left hand of that demon so close by. Telling her she was heading for the Warriors Guild, the hero walked on with heavy steps.

-

    A dim darkness gradually enveloped the city. The Guild Master, Rob, was usually busy with appraisals at this time, but today was a little different.

    "—Good grief, what the hell is the head of the Rangers' Guild and his goons doing here? I'm busy too, you know."

    Rob let out a deliberate sigh.

    At the counter sat a large bear-like man along with three young men who all looked like ruffians. At first glance, they looked like nothing more than a gang of bandits.

    The name of the bear-like man was Bogan. He was the husband of Klau, the Rangers' Guild’s master, and a devoted househusband. Bogan didn’t seem to think it was common knowledge, but it was no secret that he was a bottom. But, as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered; Rob gave him a warm look.

    Bogan came barging in whist Rob was busy saying, "I need to ask you something."

    The Rangers' Guild was a business rival of the Warriors Guild. But as his bad character wasn’t out of place amongst those of the Warriors Guild, there was no outward hostility.

    "Oh, it's a simple matter. I've got a few questions I'd like to ask this young Excel guy of yours."

    "Excel? He went to kill that Russ bastard and was nearly killed. Now he's stuck in bed being nursed back to health by a bunch of women. He's a completely thoughtless dumbass."

    "Yeah, I wanted to hear the details about their fight with Russ. Five of my young men lost their lives. When I asked those church guys about it they said they didn't know anything. And when I stopped by to ask the surviving bounty hunters, they just turned me away, saying their injuries were too severe to talk. Those guys from the Swordsmen Guild piss me off with how they treat people!"

    Bogan slammed the counter and knocked his glass over, spilling the alcohol. One of his men beside him hurriedly wiped it up.

    "Cool your head. If you don't listen to what we’ve got to say, your wife’ll thrash you even more this time.”

    "O-Oh. W-We can't have that. Sorry I yelled at you Rob, you’re right. Please forgive me."

    A pale Bogan apologized obediently. Something that looked like a swelling was present on his face, and upon closer inspection, one could see it had a bluish bruise. Rob was sure Klau had tightened up on him again for saying something unnecessary.

    "Don't worry about it. I'll call Excel now, so wait a minute."

    When Rob gave the signal, a guild member responded and left through the door.

    

    After returning from the labyrinth, Excel received medical treatment and had been resting at a nearby inn. Despite his injuries being nothing serious, his women were still caring for him. He really had no problem with calling them for help.

    "By the way, Bogan, you said you stopped by the Swordsmen Guild, right? Did you see Ramsus?"

    "He apparently wasn't there when I went. The atmosphere was pretty gloomy too. I'm sure he's not feeling well."

    "I see. Well, it doesn't really matter to me."

    "Heh, it's only natural to be worried about your business competitors. I mean, business here seems to be booming these days, doesn't it? There's also that damn promising newcomer that killed Salvadore."

    "...... Well."

    Ramsey was the master of the Swordsmen Guild. His full name was Ramsey Barca. There wasn't a single person on the continent who didn't know of the Barca’s name. This was because the Barca family were direct descendents of one of the legendary three heroes.

    Ramsey was also a skilled swordsman worthy of the name. Compared to someone like Rob, who was from rags to riches, the differences between their bloodlines and prestige were as different as heaven and earth.

    As much as Rob didn't want to think that he would lose to him with his level of sword play, he knew he wouldn’t beat Ramsey in a crossing of swords. As Ramsey would fully utilize the sword techniques left behind by the hero, Ramsus. Moreover, Ramsey never grew conceited, continuing to train his body, and had devoted himself to seeing up and training the next generation. He’s what one would call an exemplary guild master.

    Rob respected him, but at the same time, was intensely jealous of him. He wondered if it was okay for someone to be so perfect. But the story goes that the perfect Ramsey had recently contracted an illness, and could no longer even lift a sword.

    Rob had barely seen him since.

    "Um, you wanted to see me?"

    After chatting with Bogan and the others for a while, Excel returned, accompanied back by a guild member.  

    Bandages were wrapped around Excel’s head and arms, and had somewhat of a limp. He said that none of his bones had been broken so he should make a fairly quick recovery. Of the thirty bounty hunters, less than ten made it back alive. Considering the degree of his injuries, Excel got off lucky.

    "Sorry to bug you while you're resting Excel. But could you explain what happened again to this guy Bogan. It seems some of those among the dead bounty hunters had families."

    "I'm Bogan of the Rangers' Guild. I'm sorry to bother you, but even in this line of work, I'd at least want to know how members of my family meet their end. I don't care how it happened, just tell me."

    "Y-Yes, I understand. I'll tell you everything up until I went unconscious."

    Excel nodded and began to tell of what happened to them.

   

    The bounty hunter group that Excel joined was generally composed of members of the Swordsmen Guild. Rangers and sorcerers banded with them, all eager to make a name for themselves by taking down an infamous bounty head. With the recent defeat of Salvadore at the hands of a novice, there was a naive widespread belief that bounty heads were not to be feared. Excel was allowed to participate as a wall to protect the sorcerers.

     After gathering information on various bounties for some time, it was reported that Russ Nubes, a big target worth twenty gold coins, was on the tenth floor of the underground labyrinth. With that knowledge, the members of their group rushed underground with their noses in the air. The surprise attack went off without a hitch as planned, but the bounty hunters were completely beaten back.

    With a blue face Excel stated that Russ Nubes was an extraordinarily powerful opponent, one their group was completely outclassed by.

    "So that’s it. I don’t think an impromptu mob like that would’ve been enough to kill that bastard. Those puppets he controls are like his own private army."

    Bogan who was told of their death, he drank down his alcohol dejectedly. Sighing, he muttered to himself.

     "I've been so focused on teaching them how to fight, I forgot to teach them how to survive."

    "If I’m remembering correctly, you don't remember anything after you lost consciousness, right?"

    "Yes, the next time I woke up, I was in the labyrinth square. I don't know what happened to me. How did I survive?"

    Excel wracked his brain with a puzzled face.

    "I don't know much about it either. Church soldiers had contacted me to come to pick up someone who was wounded, and that apparently, Russ was dead. I even heard some of the church’s guys went to his place and rescued people he’d kidnapped."

    "Heh, maybe that bastard Russ was finally branded a heretic. I'm sure the inquisition put up a good fight against Russ. They’re almost as crazy as he was."

    "B-Boss, it's dangerous right now. If you're not careful, the inquisition's gonna come flying through those doors."

    "What, it's just a joke. I'm just saying how reliable they are!"

    Bogan let out a hearty laugh, and the cold sweat beading on his forehead must've been Rob’s imagination.

    "I don't care what you do, just don't drag me into it. But the inquisition, huh? It's strange he wasn’t declared a heretic before now, so there's a good chance he finally was."

    "There’s a rumor going around that someone in the upper echelon of the church was protecting bounty heads. Though, it’s just a rumor."

    "Hey Bogan, I said not to drag me into this. Don't just say whatever you want here. I don't want to be hunted down for heresy."

    "I’m sorry. That's just a rumor, it's not my opinion."

    

    "There’s no excuse that’ll save you from those fanatics."

    When Rob shrugged his shoulders and warned him, Bogan finally shut his mouth.

    

    As if to break the dead air, Excel interjected with a mouthful of words.

    “Come to think of it, I felt like I saw someone fighting. I wonder if it might’ve been an inquisitor. I don't remember much because I was in a daze, but, it looked like a pretty girl."

    "You're still talking about women? You never learn, do you?"

    With Rob’s disappointment, the guild members around who were listening raised a commotion.

    "Excel, that was definitely a war goddess. If you died, you would've been taken to paradise. You're quite unlucky!"

    "Well, he’s lucky just to be alive you know!"

    "No, I think that girl was a death god. I guess you drove her off with your habitual womanizing."

    Rob glared at the guild members adding fuel to the fire and drove them off. Afterwards, he apologized to Bogan and the others.

    "Sorry if I offended you, Bogan. My family hasn't been raised well. They meant no harm."

    Now wasn't the time to make light jokes, especially when the family of the dead were in their midst. But none of it was said in bad faith. Their sense of life and death was severely dulled. Such couldn’t be helped when they walked the line of death every day.

    "Don't worry about it. We're no better than you when it comes to upbringings. If there wasn't laughter, nobody would be able to last here."

    Bogan laughed it off, and his men nodded.

    

    In the end, it was about self-accountability. They took on a powerful enemy of their own volition and were killed in return. That was all there was to it. A man who seemingly didn’t understand as much, Excel, muttered while messing with his bandages.

    "By the way, who's going to get the money for killing Russ? The inquisition killed him, didn't they? So does that mean it's no one's?"

    "Probably. I've never heard of the inquisitor getting a bounty reward. All they'd want is a compliment from her Holiness the Pope."

    "What a waste. If they don't need it, I'd want it myself. I risked my life for it, but all I got were these injuries."

    Excel muttered to himself and let out a sigh. He really didn't seem to get how lucky he was.

    "You should just be happy you’re alive! I'm going to lecture you until you hate me. Bogan, you help too."

    "Leave it to me. Don't worry, I won't hold back even if you're from a different guild. It's our duty as predecessors to educate the young!"

    "N-No. I'm pretty worn out, so please let me rest. M-My body still hurts......"

    "Running to those women isn't gonna save you! You perverted brat!"

    After leaving the slums, the girls returned to the central district. Lulurile said she was going to make a quick stop at the Scholars Guild, needing to replenish her stock of bolts, as her supply was running low. They seemed to be specially made, as they were something she had to make herself.

    The hero called out to a pale-looking Matari.

    "I'll go by myself, so it’s alright if you head back first. Why don't you just wait for Lulurile at the inn?"

    "No, I'm fine now. I was just a little surprised. ──Blegh"

    She answered saying she was okay, but from seemingly remembering the scene from earlier, her hands raised to her mouth.

    The hero thought the fact that she didn’t throw up was impressive in itself. But she refrained from complimenting her for it as tears welled in her eyes.

    "...... Are you okay, Hero?"

    "Of course, I'm fine. I have more experience than you."

    "...... B-But you're younger than me, right? Please don't stare at me like that."

    Matari shrunk even though she wasn't glaring at her in any particular way. Was a mien of battle still on her face? The hero consciously relaxed her facial expression.

    "It doesn't matter how long you've lived. A person's value is based on how much experience they have. That's it."

    "E-Enlightening."

    Matari engraved the words of the hero in her heart.

    "By the way, why did I collapse? I didn't feel like I was going to faint."

    "Because I used a hypnosis spell on you. You were snoozing away like you were dead."

    "W-what!? Is there really magic like that!?"

    "I only used it because I thought things were getting a little dangerous. Don't worry, it normally doesn’t work.”

    "Really? It would be terrible if someone were to cast a spell like that in the middle of a fight."

    "You can't put someone who's moving and full of energy to sleep. It only works when someone's mind is severely weakened, and their resistance is at its lowest. You’d also have to be close. You need to look them straight in the eyes when you do it. Say, should I try it out on you again so you can see for yourself?"

    The hero asked with a twisted smile, and Matari quickly shook her head.

    "N-No, the sensation is enough for me! I'm not sleepy at all right now. How about at night before bed!"

    "...... I'm confident I could fall under with my own hypnosis spell right now."

    "Why is that?"

    "Because of you!"

    When she tried to pinch Matari's cheeks, she ran away in a panic. The hero withdrew her hand and followed behind leisurely. She didn't have the energy left to run.

    Matari, who had been running ahead, came back again. When the hero opened her hands to show she wasn't going to pinch her anymore, Matari came back to her side as if relieved.

    "...... You know, you’re kinda like a dog."

    "And you're capricious, you're like a cat— Please don't pinch me!

    After a few such exchanges, they had arrived at the Warriors Guild before they knew it.

    "Let's get this over with quickly. Lulurile's gonna be waiting for us, so let's just go without drinking today."

    "Yes!"

   The hero entered the guild with Matari in tow.

    The moment she opened the door, she was greeted by an exuberant clamor. It appeared that the entire guild was here drinking today. The loud noise echoed inside her head.

    One of the drunks, having noticed them, staggered to them.

    "Gehehe, ladies, pour your uncles a little drink, will you. ──Gehuh!"

    "You're in my way."

    Lightly punching the drunkard in the stomach and knocking him to a stupor, the hero moved forward while pushing him aside. Matari looked at him worriedly, but she was careful not to hurt him too much and had adjusted the strength in her blow, so he'd probably be okay.

    Rob at the counter raised his hand in greeting, and at the counter sat a large bear-like man along with three other thuggish-looking characters.

    "It's the return of the hero. Bogan, this is the girl who took down Salvadore. She won't tell me anything other than that she's a hero, so call her whatever you want."

    At Rob's words, the bear-man called Bogan looked at her as if he was inspecting her. And his henchmen followed suit.

    "Who are these guys?"

    "...... You're the little girl that did Salvadore in? I'm Bogan of the Rangers' Guild. People call me the Steel Bogan."

    When Bogan gave his name, Rob blurted out in laughter, and his henchmen turned their eyes up to the ceiling, seemingly holding something back.

    "So, Mr. Bear Bogan, did you want something from me? I wonder you’ll give me some of your delicious honey."

    "B-B-B–B-Bear!? And I don't have any honey! Who do you think you're talking to!?──"

    Bogan glared at her in anger, and when the hero glared back at him in response, his face paled in the blink of an eye. His body began to tremble, and he began stroking the scars on his face restlessly.

    The hero was staring at him, confused, when she saw Bogan's intense fit.

    "H-Hey. You don't have to be so scared. What the hell?"

    "H-Her eyes are no good. She's got the same look in her eyes that Klau has when she beats the shit out of me."

    The frightened bear sat back down at the counter, face forward, and began to sip his alcohol.

    The henchman rubbed his back to encourage him.

    "Boss, I thought you were going to recruit the girl who took out Salvadore."

    "You idiot! If there were any more bitches like Klau around, not even my body would be left behind!"

    "A bitch? If your wife hears about this, she'll kill you."

    "Shut up! Look at those rabid eyes of hers! She's just like Klau, scarier than a demon! The pain from the whip is coming back— Oh, no, no, no."

    "B-Boss. Aren't you acting too pathetic?"

    "Alright then, since you want to talk, why don't you try recruiting her?"

    "U-Understood."

    The henchman turned and called out to her in a pompous manner.

    "Hey, girl. I'm offering you a special opportunity to join the Rangers' Guild. But first, you'll have to bow to big bro Bogan."

    "What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden? I wouldn't want to be this bear's minion any more than I’d want to be blue shirt's minion."

    Rob frowned at being called "blue shirt," but it was true. He really only wore blue shirts every day.

    

    The henchman nodded politely with the words, "I understand," and reported back to Bogan.

    "Boss, I was turned down. Let's be men and give up."

    "Yeah, right. Let's give it up. We can't have two Klau's. That would be a disaster!"

    "You're right. Two of them would certainly be a problem. Your complexion would go from blue to black.”

    "Hahaha, and it would be even worse if it went from black to white. Because that's the complexion of someone... Who's going to die!?"

    The hero decided to stop talking with the amusing bunch and speak with Rob. She's wasted precious time.

    "Hey, what's with these tiring guys?"

    "Bogan and his merry band of misfits. They've got scary faces, but they're pretty funny. And they're good at what they do."

    "You're right, they’re pretty funny characters, but....... Well anyways, here. Cash these in please."

    The hero roughly threw the leather back atop the counter. It was something that made her feel sick just by having it; she wished to get this over with quickly.

    "Oh, it looks lighter than usual, doesn't it? Last time it was full of rabbit claws and bat wings. I guess that scholar is surprisingly useful."

    "I thought of going deeper today, but something got in the way."

    "Haha, it happens sometimes. Anyway, let's see what's in here. You guys should grab a drink. When we’re done. I'll treat you to a special drink today."

    "Did something good happen?"

    "No, I was just having a good time lecturing the dumbass. This is all a sort of farewell to the dead. All we can do for them now is make some noise."

    "I'll just have one drink then. I'm a little tired today. Right, Matari?"

    Refraining from Rob's offer, the hero turned to Matari.

    "Yes, I'm sorry Rob. I'm sure Lulurile has already made it to the inn too."

    "Well, I'm not saying you have to, you know. Then just drink this one for now, so you can at least wet your throat."

    "Thanks a lot!"

    Rob poured a glass of wine and placed it in front of the hero and Matari. The hero had no intention of drinking, but candidly took it and drank it down. The cold wine felt good in the hero's dry throat.

    "Now then, let's get this work over── H-Hey. There's nothing in here but two rabbit claws and a pouch."

    "We can't help it. There was almost nothing but rats today. None of the other demons showed up either."

    "Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing you could’ve done. Two claws and whatever's in this bag......"

    After Rob took out the Rabbit claws, he opened the small cloth bag. The moment he saw its contents, his complexion instantly changed. Glaring, he raised his voice toward the hero.

    "...... Hey, what the hell is this!?"

    "What?"

    "Don't play dumb! Who did you kill this time!?"

    Rob turned the bag upside down and revealed its contents, a blackened left hand. The back of the hand bore the sorcerers engraving.

    "It was a demon that used puppets. He attacked me out of nowhere, so I killed him. It was just how things went."

    The hero answered Rob with a smile.

    "Do you mean to tell me you defeated Russ!? The madman that a group of thirty couldn't even touch!?"

    "Why don't you try appraising it? Just like last time."

    "Oh, right. That would be the quickest way to figure this out!"

    Throwing a fit, Rob rang the bell. The appraiser who was performing an extraction appeared from the back. When Rob asked for the left hand to be appraised, the appraiser gave a small nod and used the appraisal technique. He knew immediately who the left hand belonged to.

    "This is without a doubt the left hand of the bounty head, Russ Nubes. I hereby declare the bounty target: dead."

    His words drove the entire guild into an uproar. Bogan and his henchmen were stunned.

    "Are you sure it's the bounty head Russ Nubes!? I don't think it'd be possible for a rookie like you to take him down! It was the same with Salvadore the Trapper; this kind of thing is simply unheard of! How the hell did you do it!?"

    Rob slammed the counter and yelled.

    "How did I do it? After I smashed all his puppets, I cut off his left hand. By the end, he was begging for his life, but I killed him cleanly without leaving a single piece of flesh behind. Demons need to die, right?"

    "Don't lie to me!"

    "I'm not lying. We even saved those stupid bounty hunters. And is there something wrong with killing a bounty head? What's wrong with killing a demon?"

    The hero's smile disappeared from her face as she continued to speak, laying bare a murderous intent.

    "Hey, hey, hey, calm down."

    "Do you really think it's so bad that a girl like me killed a feared demon?"

    "H-Hero, please wait a second!"

    Matari tried to stop her, but the words of the hero did not stop. Her emotions flared and began running rampant beyond control. The dark things she'd been suppressing finally erupted.

    "I get it. You're just like those three, treating me like a monster. I'm not going to let you get away with it this time. I'm not human enough to forgive you twice. I'll kill everyone. This time I'll kill every last one of you!”

    Rob seemed completely overwhelmed and unable to react.

    

    Just as the hero was about to make her move, Matari rushed in to intervene. Held down from behind, something was suddenly shoved into her mouth.

    "Hero, please calm down!! It's bad for you to get so upset! Eat this and go back to being your normal hero self!"

    "──Mgh."

    Matari forcibly shoved a freshly baked pie into her mouth. Red sauce smeared the hero’s face as her mouth was assaulted by the terrible pie. She couldn't breathe, and it was hot; she could feel herself about to faint in agony.

    "Oh, is it good?"

    "Mmmmh, Guuah!"

    "If you don't chew your food well, your body──"

    In her fading consciousness, she managed to pinch Matari's cheeks to incapacitate her, escaping from the pie hell. After taking in a deep breath, she grabbed Matari's cheeks with both hands, and squeezed with a vice-like grip.

    "You're gonna kill me, you boar! I couldn't breathe, how are you supposed to eat it when it’s so hot!?"

    "Sh-shorry."

    "I wonder if you'll enjoy the same pie hell that I went through!?"

    The hero grabbed another pie and prepared to push it into Matari's mouth. It was fairly hot just holding it. How dare she shove something like this into someone's mouth with such gusto. The hero's uncontrollable anger grew, and soon, her face would be stained red.

    "Fufuhe"

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "H-Hey, I'm sorry too, so just let her go. Come on, Bogan, apologize too!"

    "Why me too!? N-No, in this business, it's important to help each other out. Hey, H-Hero? Please, for the sake of my face, forgive me."

    Bogan and his henchmen bowed their heads.

    "...... Rob."

    "Y-Yes!"

    "Give me the reward for the demon’s bounty. There shouldn't be a single copper coin missing."

    "Twenty gold coins. I'm going to go to the safe, so please wait a moment. till then, don't do anything rash!"

    "...... I'm kind of exhausted."

    When the hero freed Matari, the poor boar stretched out on the spot.

    Then Bogan, thinking of how to cheer her up, offered her a drink.

    "H-Hero, please take one!"

    "Thanks a lot. You're a big guy, but you're pretty smart."

    "Haha, that's because I'm used to this."

    "I'll give you a piece of this pie as thanks."

    "Oh, thank you."

    The hero handed over the pie she had been holding and drank the wine she had received.

    After taking a breather, the hero wiped off her face with a cloth, and let Matari stand.

    "Come on, I'm not mad anymore. Get up."

    "Ugh, I'm sorry. Are my cheeks torn off?"

    "They’re just a little red. If anything, my face is probably redder than yours. Because of a certain someone's steaming hot pie."

    "That’s true. It’s funny, your nose and cheeks look like apples──"

    "Because of you!"

    The hero's shouting brought Rob back in a hurry.

    "Sorry I kept you waiting! Twenty gold coins and two rabbit claws worth!"

    "Thank you. Matari, let's get the hell out of here. We're going home!"

    "Y-Yes!"

    As the hero snorted and turned to leave, Rob called out to her from behind.

    "...... I'm sorry. I just got too carried away. I've never experienced a novice hunt down two bounty heads in a row. I really am sorry."

    "It's fine, I'm used to it. I just happened to get heated this time. You can call me whatever you want, even a monster.”

    Maybe it was because she had just fought with a demon. But her mind was completely exhausted. Normally she would've laughed it off, but she lost her temper; childish.

    "No, I just really appreciate you helping your guild mates out. Excel was saved thanks to you. I'll record this as a contribution to the guild."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "Also, I'll allow you to take the occupation certification exam when it's convenient for you. Just let me know when you're ready."

    The hero tilted her head. If she remembered correctly, one’s abilities must be recognized to get their profession certified. So, did this mean she got his seal of approval?

    "Is it alright for us to take it so early?"

    "It’s certainly unusual. Normally, I'd wait three months and watch things over before giving you permission. But your skills are good enough for me. Plus, the deeper into the labyrinth you get, the more the guild's reputation will grow."

    "Matari, are you okay with that? We'll be taking the certification exam sooner or later."

    "I don't mind! Though I'm not sure if I'll be able to get certified."

    "As far as I can tell, you've got the basics down, so you'll probably be fine. All that matters is that you're willing to fight. It's not just a test of your strength, but also a test of your will. Well, look forward to it."

    "I understand!"

    Matari responded brightly to Rob's words.

    "Well, I'm going home. I'm sorry about all the noise. Matari, we're going back to the inn. Lulurile’s probably gonna be annoyed."

    "Make sure you come back in good shape. There's no need to panic, the exam isn’t gonna run away."

    "Yes! Rob, everyone, if you'll excuse us!"

    Pushing aside the drunks who started making noise again, the two headed for the exit. However, a young man with bandages stood in front deliberately blocking the way.

    The tired hero glared at him, but he didn't move an inch. Having made a fuss earlier, she refrained from kicking him. So, stifling her frustration, she spoke to him.

    "...... Hey, excuse me, can you move? You’re standing in the way."

    The young man smiled at her words and took up the hero's hand, shaking it in a friendly manner.

    "My name is Excel, and I belong to this Warriors Guild. I've been listening to your guys’ conversation for a while now. You're the one that killed the bounty head Russ, right?"

    "...... Yeah, so what?"

    "Actually, I was there too. Thank you so much for saving me from being killed. I'm sure the others you saved are sincerely grateful to you too."

    Still holding her hand, Excel expressed his gratitude.

    

    The hero smiled lightly. She wasn't used to being thanked so directly, so she was unsure of how to react. Distracted by his thanks, she hadn't remembered who Excel was yet; all the while Matari, was giving Excel a suspecting stare, which went unnoticed by the hero.

    "...... It wasn't easy to save, so take good care of that life. There may not be a next time."

    "Yes, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much!"

    "Yeah. So, would you mind stepping aside? I want to go back to the inn and relax. My mental strength is about to run out."

    Despite the hero’s words, Excel wouldn't let go of her hand. Grabbing a hold of it with both hands, Excel smiled refreshingly.

    "If you don't mind, could you please tell me your name?"

    "...... Why?"

    "It’s only natural to engrave the name of the one who saved your life into your heart - especially when they're such a lovely young lady. If I missed this opportunity, I wouldn't be able to die with peace of mind."

    "...... I forgot my name because of amnesia, so I just go by Hero until I remember it. So can you just let go of my hand?"

    "Amnesia, huh?....... Hero, allow me to ease your sorrow. I'd be happy to join your group if that's what you'd like. I'm confident with my sword, so I'm sure I can be of help to you."

    He slowly stroked the hero's hand, and as if to warn her, Matari lightly tugged on her left arm. Of course, she knew without being told.

    The hero's eyes narrowed, as she remembered exactly who he was. This young man was the one who impregnated the three women in his group. She thought he had said something about joining a group of bounty hunters to make some money.

    “You're wasting my time. I don't have time to take care of an idiot who doesn’t know how to take care of themselves."

    "No, no, don't say that. I can definitely be of use to you──"

    "Shut up."

    Forcefully pulling her hand away, she headed for the exit. But Excel bit down harder.

    "A-Ah, wait a second"

    The hero reached the limit of her patience. She silently hit him with the back of her fist, adjusting the force of her blow. She should have done this from the get-go. The damned idiot dropped to his knees, and after a final kick to the head, the two finally left the guild.

    "....... You should think about who you're hitting on. You saw our conversation a minute ago, she's not a simple person to deal with."

    Rob called out to Excel, who was lying collapsed on the floor. Of course, with a look of perplexity.

    "N-No, I wasn’t trying to hit on her. I have three wives! But I wanted to join her group. Hero, so strong despite her small size, and she's good-looking. I like her a lot."

    Excel whispered to himself while holding his cheek.

    

    Rob admired his guts, but blood was flowing from his nose. In fact, Rob was tempted to question the fact that he even had three wives. It wasn't like he was an aristocrat either, he was just an adventurer.

    "If you die, it’ll probably be because of a lover's quarrel, not some demon."

    Rob muttered as the drunks around him nodded in hearty agreement.

    "What do you mean?"

    "It means what it means."

    Listening to the pathetic exchange between Rob and Excel, Bogan murmured.

    "If Klau saw this young man, she'd definitely sentence him to a hundred whippings for sure."

    "Without a doubt. He's the type of character your wife hates. I'm sure she'd give him a good beating that’d whip him into shape."

    "You know, just between you and me, I used to be like him."

    "Boss, you’ve got to be joking. I mean, how could a man as handsome as you be so feckless? . . ."

    ". . . . . . . . . . . ."

    "Oh, so it's true."

    "...... I chose the wrong guy to tell that to."

 

 

 

    Upon arriving at the Paradise Pavilion, the hero and Matari were greeted by the blatant stares of guests that seemingly looked to be adventurers. Perhaps word of Russ Nubes’ defeat had already spread.

    The master called out to the hero, but as she was tired, she decided to pass on it, and told him she’d hear about it tomorrow. As she started climbing the stairs, Limoncy spoke to her from below.

    "Um, Ms. Hero. I have something important to tell you."

    "Tell me tomorrow. I just want to get to bed. I won't let anyone get in the way of that."

    "Oh, really? Alright then. I hope you guys get along well."

    "The hell does that mean?"

    When the hero asked, Limoncy just smiled meaningfully and went back to the reception desk. Not really understanding, she decided that it didn't matter and headed to their room. Then, for some reason, Lulurile was standing in front of the door looking lost.

    "Welcome back, Hero. I've been waiting for you to get here."

    "Sorry, I'm late. But why are you just standing there like that?"

    "When you go inside, you will see. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but you still probably won’t understand it. I can’t either."

    "What? That's weird."

    The hero peaked her head in while opening the door.

    ──And there was pink.

    "Welcome home. You're quite late. I had so much free time that I prepared my own bed. One of these days I'd like to move to a larger room. As you can see, this room is too small for the four of us."

    The three simple beds were pushed to the edge as a dazzling pink bed violently asserted itself. Even the curtains and the tablecloths were pink.

    

    Pink, pink, pink.

    

    The clothes of the person lying down and reading a book were also pink.

    The hero wobbled involuntarily and covered her eyes.

    "What's the matter, Hero? Come on, let's go inside."

    Matari had yet to witness the devastation inside as the hero’s body was in the way.

    

    Now she understood Lulurile’s words. Even though she had gazed inside, she still couldn't comprehend what was in front of her.

    "I can't sleep without my own bed and pillows. I can't help it, I'm delicate. Ah, but this room is really cramped."

    "...... My bad."

    "W-Wait──"

    Gently closing the door, the hero pretended to have not seen anything. Even if it was just escapism, no one could blame her for it.

    The hero sat down with her back against the door. From within the room, she could hear a fuss, as if someone was complaining.

    Matari worriedly held her body, and Lulurile patted her back out of sympathy.

    

    There the hero's consciousness ceased. Seemingly as if her remaining energy had been exhausted.