The Abyss’s depths.

Orange Zone, Black Forest.

Strange fog that never dispersed all year long shrouded this withered, ruined forest.

Because the Abyss never saw sunlight, the vegetation here didn’t have any dense leaves at all. Black branches grew wildly like this, interlacing and tangling together, like a gigantic black net hanging over the earth.

This was land even demonfolk rarely set foot on.

Dense root systems almost covered every patch of soil, and these greedy plants were not satisfied with the meager nutrients they could obtain from the ground. Vines that secreted highly toxic sap coveted every flesh-and-blood body that passed through here at all times.

Any living thing that accidentally wandered into this place—its bones would become nourishment for the plants’ growth.

So this place had almost become a forbidden zone for magical beasts as well.

But this land, which should have been classified as the most dangerous area, was instead specially marked on adventurers’ maps as one of the Abyss’s rare safe places.

—After all, once the antidote to those highly toxic plants had been made by the famous alchemy master Mr. Fulman, mere man-eating vines were already unable to pose the slightest threat to experienced adventurers.

So whether it was going deep into the forest to gather rare materials only found in the Abyss, or avoiding pursuit by demonfolk or demonmen, this was an excellent place to go. Every adventurer who entered the Abyss would be told that if they encountered danger, the best method was to hide inside this Black Forest.

This was simply a natural shelter, a safe house for adventurers exploring...

It should have been... like that.

But...

"Boom!"

A massive explosion rang through the woods. A huge flock of dark crows swept across the sky, and in their crimson pupils were reflected countless withered trees gradually being swallowed by a sea of fire, and also those pointless struggles and wails.

Ferocious cracks tore open the fog. Furious vines thrashed wildly, yet they couldn’t even be said to be “fighting back” before they were turned to scraps by an even more terrifying attack.

Under the great fire and the relentless pressure of demonfolk powerhouses closing in step by step, one battered figure after another was forced to reveal themselves from the forest and flee toward an unknown place...

...

"Damn it!"

Termir slammed an angry fist into the ground, letting blood flow and dye his palm red.

"Those demonfolk trash—how the hell could they break into the Black Forest so easily?!"

Everything had happened so suddenly.

A large number of demonfolk attacked this Black Forest, and there were even quite a few high-ranking demonmen among them. With only some scattered adventurers, there was no way to hold them off.

Those demonfolk rampantly captured female adventurers, and shoved everything into a sea of fire, turning the land that belonged to the Abyss into lifeless scorched earth.

"The reasoning is simple. It’s not only humans who can make the antidote for the black vines. Don’t forget, the materials in that antidote can basically all be found in the Abyss. For demonfolk, reproducing it isn’t too difficult."

A mature, composed woman beside Termir shook her head, tore off a corner of her skirt, and carefully bandaged Termir’s arm.

Termir hadn’t been injured by that punch just now. He had been injured in the slaughter against demonmen. The wound had been corroded by the demonman’s battle aura, showing a shocking reddish-black color.

Fortunately, the woman’s healing magic was extremely outstanding. It actually dispersed that battle aura little by little, helping Termir recover most of his injuries.

"Sister Roya, your stamina..."

"I’m fine. Managing mana is a required course at the Academy. Did you forget?"

"But..."

"Don’t move!"

"Oh."

Termir looked at the gentle woman right in front of him, busying herself with him with complete focus, and a deep, deep attachment flashed through his eyes.

The girl in front of him was his neighbor older sister, his childhood sweetheart, and also an adventurer companion he could trust with his back.

Of course, most importantly, she was the person he secretly loved.

Although he hadn’t had time to speak these feelings out loud, after so many years together from morning to night, Termir believed that the distance between him and her had already completely reached zero—only lacking a sudden burst of courage.

"Looks like this time we have to run for our lives no matter what."

Roya sighed.

"Those demonfolk don’t look like they’ll let us go easily."

Along the way, they had already seen several adventurers either die under demonfolk, or get captured alive by them, and there were even people they knew among them.

"Don’t worry, Sister Roya. This time I’ll protect you. Believe me. I absolutely won’t let those demonfolk trash hurt Sister Roya even a little!"

Seeing Sister Roya show a worried expression, Termir immediately patted his chest and guaranteed it.

That attachment from just now also turned into a man’s iron-like resolve.

"Mm. I believe you."

Roya lightly swept her hair aside, and toward Termir’s promise, she couldn’t help but smile sweetly.

"From when we were little until now, hasn’t it always been Termir saying he’d come protect me?"

"This time it definitely won’t just be talk. I will definitely..."

"Alright, alright, I know. Termir now has become very capable, but now isn’t the time to say these things."

Roya pressed her lips together, soothing Termir like she was coaxing a child, but her expression also grew grave.

"Right now the most important thing is that demonfolk have started chasing adventurers so aggressively, and they’re specifically capturing female adventurers alive. Something we don’t know must have happened outside."

"Because demonfolk are attacking the Empire’s Dolonsre Fortress?"

Termir scratched his head.

"No. Although adventurers often do some destructive activities in the Abyss, for demonfolk as a whole, that’s basically a trivial matter. After all, there are very, very few adventurers who have the courage to come act in the Abyss..."

Roya’s eyes showed contemplation.

"That absolutely shouldn’t be enough for demonfolk to make such a huge move—especially when they need to concentrate all their strength on attacking the Empire."

"Then... it really is very suspicious."

Termir also began thinking along Roya’s line of reasoning... but he wasn’t good at using his brain, so he thought for a long time and still couldn’t think of any explanation.

"Don’t worry about that first. Like I said just now, we need to leave here quickly. At this point, no matter what’s going to happen in the Abyss, we’d better pull out first and report this to the Adventurers’ Association. That’s the safest course."

Roya grabbed Termir’s other arm—the one that wasn’t injured—and cast a flight spell, then flew toward the edge of the Black Forest.

"We’re leaving."

The entire Black Forest had already been torn open with several huge gaps under demonfolk’s indiscriminate attacks, so Roya could fly without obstacles over those trees that were burning fiercely.

This was the shortest road to escape the Black Forest, but it was also just as dangerous.

But Termir didn’t think about that for the moment. He only felt Sister Roya’s small hand, thinking that Roya also surely liked him the same way...

"Get out of the way—!"

But at this exact moment, Roya’s nearly broken shout—no longer gentle—dragged Termir back from his brief daze.

He was pushed away by Roya. At the same time, sensing that incoming threat of death, Termir’s body had already moved on instinct.

A broad saber flashed from its sheath. Termir roared as he chopped toward that streak of ghostly light shooting at him.

Bang.

The calm ghostly light transformed in an instant into a torrent of destruction. The sweeping gale could easily tear apart even steel. Termir held the saber and chopped, struggling to split the torrent apart. But before that overwhelming power, his own body was like a sandbag, completely uncontrollable as he was blasted backward.

Until he crashed into the ground.

The burned earth, exposed red, instantly showed spiderweb-like cracks. Dust rose, then dispersed in a blink. In the huge crater, Termir coughed blood and braced himself upright with his saber, struggling to stand.

"Oh? You didn’t die?"

A high-ranking demonman with no monster traits at all aside from horns and pupils floated in midair. With a casual beckon, Roya—also injured by that strike just now—was grabbed from afar and lifted over. With every gesture, his posture was elegant enough that he didn’t resemble a vicious demonfolk at all, but rather a true human noble.

In those crimson pupils appeared the scene of an insect still struggling on the verge of death, and his brows lifted in some surprise.

"A mere ordinary human who just stepped into the fourth tier, and you were able to take one strike from me, Demon General Basaroka. You have enough to be proud of."

"Damn..."

In truth, Termir was even more wretched than he looked.

He forced down the trembling in both hands that still wouldn’t stop shaking after that strike, and at the same time forced himself not to let out a fearful wail.

Demon General.

It was actually a Demon General.

Among demonfolk, Demon Generals were already part of the very top tiny handful, their strength and status second only to the lofty demonfolk Grand Dukes... Forget truly encountering one—just hearing the title “Demon General,” ordinary adventurers like them would detour without hesitation.

But he hadn’t expected to run into one head-on this time.

No, it should be said—they had been caught.

Damn it, just to deal with adventurers like them, how many powerhouses had demonfolk dispatched?

"W-what about Demon General?!"

Termir shouted as loudly as he could, using it to cover his fear.

"Y-you think I’ll be scared of you like this?!"

"Oh?"

Basaroka was rather surprised.

"You still have the courage to fight me? You should already understand the gap between us, right?"

"T-that... so what?!"

Termir gritted his teeth.

So what if he was a Demon General?

So what if he was strong?

Of course he knew the difference in strength, because their realms were separated by an entire major boundary. It was an unbridgeable chasm. Just taking that one ordinary strike just now had already drained all his strength.

But...

"I said I would protect Sister Roya..."

Termir suddenly raised his head.

"I said I would..."

"Run."

"Huh?"

Termir’s roar cut off abruptly, because a familiar, gentle voice sounded in his ears.

"Run, Termir."

"W-what?"

Termir looked at Roya.

At this moment, the girl’s whole body was imprisoned in deep ghostly light, unable to move, but in her resolute gaze, there was still a kind of determination.

"Run, Termir."

Roya transmitted.

"No, I can’t..."

Termir shook his head.

"I clearly said..."

"I’ll be fine."

Roya said.

"Did you forget? Demonfolk only capture female adventurers alive. I’ll be fine for now, but you... they’ll kill you directly."

"..."

Termir’s mouth opened blankly.

In Roya’s words, in that instant, the fear he had been forcing down surged back like a tide.

Maybe he had never defeated fear. He had only... pretended not to see it.

"R-right."

Termir’s cheeks twisted and twitched a few times.

"Sister Roya will be fine for now... she’s just being captured..."

"And I’m not a match for a Demon General at all. Even if I charge in now, I can’t save Sister Roya..."

"That’s right. The most correct thing to do right now isn’t to rush a Demon General recklessly, it should be to escape first, then go bring reinforcements..."

In an instant, an unprecedented joy rose in Termir’s heart.

That joy immediately drowned out the guilt, so much that he forgot... this was the Abyss, an Abyss where it was impossible to bring any reinforcements at all.

But it was fine. He wasn’t betraying his promise. He was simply choosing a more correct method.

"Sister Roya, wait for me. I will... I will definitely come back to save you. This is my promise! That’s right—my promise!"

Termir turned around and fled at full speed without looking back.

...

Watching Termir quickly disappear into the distance, Roya let out a sigh of relief.

"I hope in the future you won’t be so childish anymore, Termir."

Roya murmured softly.

"At that time, I might respond to you..."

Roya gripped the magic staff in her hand, pouring all the little mana she had left into it.

"Oh?"

Demon General Basaroka, who had been watching Termir run off with a teasing expression, like he was toying with an insect, turned back in surprise.

"You also want to do something so foolish?"

"Heh..."

Roya laughed.

Of course she knew what she was doing was futile. At the end of her strength, she couldn’t possibly pose any threat to a Demon General.

But...

"I’m not like that naive kid. I know I won’t have a good ending, so even if I die, [N O V E L I G H T] I won’t fall into the hands of trash like you demonfolk!"

Roya’s face turned fierce as she suddenly smashed the final spell she had woven toward Basaroka!

It was over...

After burning everything away, Roya closed her eyes like this, waiting for her own ending.

In the end...

Her life had been so ordinary. She hadn’t met a prince on a white horse falling from the sky, and she wouldn’t meet a hero who hacked through thorns and came for her. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She would probably be buried in a land full of blooming flowers, in the tears of that little boy who loved her...

"A girl’s tears shouldn’t flow for something as boring as death..."

Someone lamented.

Suddenly.

Everything went quiet.

In that ultimate silence, Roya did not feel the pain that would tear her apart. Instead... she felt incomparable warmth.

Warm, and comfortable.

As if even those blazing flames had become gentle.

"Y-you... who are you?!"

The Demon General’s terrified voice broke the calm.

Roya opened her eyes curiously.

"Who am I?"

Her cloak billowed in the wind. The hood fell back, revealing a face that seemed to have experienced all the ways of the world, tasted countless pains... a movingly pretty face that was weathered and mysterious.

At first glance, it wasn’t an incomparably stunning face, yet it had a charm that made it impossible to look away.

Within the lively, leaping flames, the broad-chested girl stood holding a sword. Facing the Demon General’s question, she seemed to recall many past events, and couldn’t help but tilt her head forty-five degrees up to look at the sky.

"A name is nothing to me but dust that drifts away on the wind in the flames, but if you insist on asking...

I am but a traveler who wanders everywhere in search of true love—Ariel Bugaard."