n

n

nA Hero’s Return

nThe village of the Pozi was surrounded by magical wards to keep wyverns away. As a result, mana circulated within the settlement, settling in on the gold, and produced an unexpected side effect—it mesmerized living creatures and corrupted them.

nThe magical wards were now destroyed, and Hikaru’s Mana Detection told him that no new mana was being accumulated.

nHikaru noted that the fire that Tolua breathed out had obliterated the gold on the roofs. As the metal evaporated, melted, and dripped to the ground, most of the mana dissipated. His constant use of Mana Detection throughout the healing process confirmed it. There was no mana left in the gold that had turned into puddles on the ground.

n「I see.」Lavia said after listening to Hikaru’s explanation.「So intense heat can eliminate mana?」

n「Maybe. Which makes things a bit dicey. Inhaling the vaporized gold would cause problems to our body.」

nHe had never heard of a patient inhaling gold, but he was sure it would cause serious damage to the respiratory tract.

n「I noticed that Tolua’s breath contained a high density of mana. I think hitting the gold’s mana with a different kind of mana causes it to be released into the air.」

n「How is that possible?」Then Lavia realized something.「The mana gathering to the tumor.」

n「Yeah, that’s right. The golden mana seems to have special properties. Maybe the tumor absorbed the mana for growth, but in any case, the mana tends to gather around and stick onto something. So it doesn’t necessarily have to be a spell that produces high heat.」

n「Even your Accursed Magic will do?」

n「Yup. Maybe even Paula’s Healing Magic works. But I’m out of juice, and Paula has her hands full healing the wyverns.」

n「So it’s my time to shine.」Lavia threw her chest out.「A spell that’s not hot. I got one. Can I try it now?」

n「Of course. Try to amass as much mana as possible.」

n「Leave it to me.」She put some distance between her and the gold, then began chanting.「I walk the holy path to atone for my sins. The road ahead may be hard, and my heart might shrink under the trials that surround me like towering mountains…」

nThe incantation was different from when Lavia cast fire magic. The short wand she held in her hand immediately lit up, brighter than what Hikaru had witnessed so far.

n「Let the light of everlasting purity shine upon the dark and narrow path.」

nThe white light swirled around her, lifting her long, silver hair.

nIt was a spell that combined fire and holy attributes.

n「Atonement Flame.」

nThe white fire shone bright even under the light of the sun. Hikaru used his Mana Detection to see that it contained immense amount of mana, on par with Tolua’s breath.

nThe moment the flames licked the golden roofs, an unexpected explosion occurred. A very quiet one. Mana was being sucked out from the roofs of neighboring houses and even inside the dwellings. They fused, swelled, then popped. One by one they burst without a sound like silent fireworks.

nHowever, the roofs of the nearby houses, pulled by the mana, were lifted into the air, and crashed back down after the explosion, snapping the support pillars and causing a house to collapse.

nHikaru wrapped his cloak around Lavia to shield them both from the wind and dust.

n「Wh-What was that?」

nWhen the dust settled, they looked at the area where Lavia cast her spell. A collapsed house and buildings with no roofs…

n「So this is what it looks like.」

nPure gold was glittering in the sunlight. Hikaru could tell that even the dazzling, mana-filled gold was nothing but imitations.

n「So bright.」Lavia said.

n「Yeah. It worked.」

nWith Hikaru’s Mana Detection, it was plain as day. This gold had no mana in them.

n「We are indebted to you, puny hu— I mean, Hikaru.」

nThe next morning, the wyverns had completely recovered. The corrupted mana had left them weak, but it was nothing a whole day’s sleep did not fix. They took off early in the morning, as if ready to devour all the animals at the foot of the mountain, and returned with bloody mouths.

n「Hmm… I still cannot believe it.」Erb said. The blue wyvern had completely recovered too.「This child of man healed us?」

n「Accept it already.」Tolua replied.「You were witness to the gray-robed girl’s magic.」

n「That is true. Her healing powers were extraordinary.」

n「It is time for us to go.」

n「You got a place in mind?」Hikaru asked.

n「We are thinking of returning to our old home. It is in the mountains, far to the west from here.」

nHikaru assumed their home was somewhere in the territory of Margrave Grugschilt, located on the border between Quinbland and Ponsonia.

n「If you find yourself in trouble, come to us. We owe you a debt of gratitude.」

n「We never forget a debt.」

n「It’s all good. We were just here to get some gold.」Hikaru pointed with his thumb in the direction of the golden village, which had regained its original glimmer in the sunlight.

nLavia and Paula were still sleeping, completely exhausted.

n「Terrifying humans. To think they were able to eliminate the mana completely.」Erb frowned. Hikaru thought he could not possibly read a wyvern’s face, but he learned that they were quite expressive.

n「Oh, right. Since you’re leaving anyway, can I ask you guys something?」

n「Hmm?」

n「What is it?」

n「Actually…」

nThe blue and red wyvern looked at each other and then laughed.

nThe Adventurers Guild in the mining town of Gordon was abuzz. A party of rank-B adventurers called Meteor Claire returned the day before yesterday in a battered state. They said that they were attacked by Midday Owl, which prompted the guild to organize an investigation team. The team, which included several rank-C adventurers, set out yesterday afternoon.

nThe guild was buzzing with gossips about the result of the investigation.

n「Meteor Claire is a quiet bunch, but they’re quite skilled.」

n「I knew Midday Owl couldn’t be trusted. But hasn’t that guide been in town for a long time?」

n「Claire seemed to be out of it.」

n「You call her by her name and her party members will shoot you glares.」

nAs always, half of the adventurers were locals, many of whom were beastmen, and half were adventurers lured by rumors of gold.

n「Hmph. Looking up to a high-ranked party that you’ll never be part of will only hurt your neck.」Falna said as she shot the gossiping adventurers a ridiculing look.

n「You can’t blame them. This will affect our work as well.」

n「Yup. The forest has been going wild since this morning. Pretty sure a huge monster showed up.」

n「Guess we have to take a day off.」

nFalna gave each of her party members a chop on the forehead.

n「Ow!」

n「Whatever happens, our job stays the same. We hunt beasts for the town. That’s it.」

n「Says the one who overslept after a night of heavy drinking.」

n「Ugh.」Falna shrank.

nIt was true. Thanks to her, they had to start later than usual today.

n「A-Anyway, let’s go check the commissions.」she said, changing the subject.

n「We got trouble!」A resident beastman adventurer came running in.「Wyverns incoming! They’re headed this way!」

nThe town was in an uproar, as if a beehive had been poked.

nThe huge wyverns were visible from every corner of the town. Once people saw there were dozens, they began running for cover in the buildings.

n「Th-They’re coming down!」

nAfter circling the town, the wyverns descended to the square on the northern side, towards the mine.

n「What do we do, Boss? We can still ru—」

n「Don’t say another word.」Falna rebuked. All the hair on her body was standing on end, and her knees felt like they would buckle any second, but she stood her ground.「We’re adventurers of this town. We take pride in protecting it. Am I wrong?」

nHer companions regained their composure.

n「No. You’re right.」

n「Then, let’s go!」

n「Right!」

nIt was not only Falna’s party that went into action. Local adventurer parties teamed up and headed towards the northern side of town. In fact, the garrison was more restless and uncoordinated, with some just standing around and others running away with the townspeople.

n「If you’re going to run, go south!」Falna shouted as she ran.「Leave the middle of the road open for the strike force!」

nThe northern square, where the trolleys pulled up, was usually full of miners and soldiers, but now it was empty.

n「S-So huge…」one said, terror in his voice.

nFalna couldn’t blame him. What’s up with the red and blue ones?! They’re ginormous! There’s no way we win.

n「Boss! What do we do?! We don’t stand a chance! Even the military!」

n「…I know that. We’re gonna buy time. I’m sure we can do at least that—」

nSuddenly a figure appeared.

n「Calm down, you fools.」

n「What?! Gramps?! What are you doing here?!」

nIt was none other than old man Hoya. Even when fear gripped her, Falna had somehow managed to keep her presence of mind, but now she was panicking.

nShe wanted to protect the people of the town. Naturally, that included old man Hoya. If she were to rank the people that Falna wanted to protect, Hoya, the man who raised her, would be at the top.

n「Run away, gramps! We’ll buy you some time, okay? You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a fast runner. Once we draw their attention, y—Ow!」

nA chop from the old man landed on Falna’s forehead. For someone with thin arms, his movement was quick. The chop made a dull thud.

n「So she learned it from her gramps.」her companion said.

n「Hush.」Hoya said.「I told you to calm down.」

n「H-How can I calm down in this situation?」

n「Look.」

n「What?」

n「Is that the movement of a predator?」

nTeary-eyed and holding her forehead, Falna looked at the wyverns. The creatures were indeed acting strange. They had not moved since they landed. They were quiet, forming a line.

n「What?」

nA wyvern lowered its head. It was talking to someone.

n「What…?」

nShe spotted three figures.

n「What?」

nEven from a distance, she could tell.

n「Whaaaaaaaat—Ow!」

n「I said hush.」

nIt wasn’t only Falna that noticed them, but all the adventurers gathered there as well. The wyverns immediately took off, leaving three people behind.

nThe wyverns had brought them here.

nAfter seeing the wyverns off, Hikaru looked at the fully-armed adventurers watching them from afar.

n「I told them not to take the scenic route.」he mumbled.

nWhen Hikaru asked Tolua and Erb to carry them to town, he thought that one of them would be enough. He should have realized it when he saw their smirk.

nWhen the girls woke up, they were surprised, but before they could have a full grasp of the situation, Hikaru climbed onto Tolua’s back and secured them firmly with a rope.

nJust as they were about to take off, all the wyverns flapped their wings.

n「You’re gonna cause a scene.」Hikaru said.

n「So be it. You are a hero.」Tolua replied.「You deserve a hero’s return.」

n「Just let us down quick, then go.」

n「We should at least circle the town and show our gallant figures.」Erb added.

nThey were enjoying themselves. Flying was much faster than walking, and they arrived in less than an hour, but because they circled around the town first, adventurers had already gathered around by the time they landed in the northern square.

nThey have good intentions, but still…

nTolua and Erb obviously thought Hikaru was being too modest.

nWyverns and humans fundamentally have different ways of thinking. The creatures believed that the powerful should be treated like kings. Hikaru had to return to town like a hero.

n「What now? Everyone’s shocked.」Lavia said.

n「Th-They’re all looking at us.」Paula added.

n「I don’t really mind a bit of attention.」Hikaru said.「Fine, then. We’re getting away from here!」

n「Huh?」

n「What?」

nHikaru took Lavia’s and Paula’s hands and started running towards the mine. Fortunately, there were a lot of materials and trolleys around. After hiding, he activated his Stealth.

n「They ran away!」

n「Who the hell were they?!」

n「Go, go, go! Don’t let them get away!」

nHikaru felt like a bad guy, but as soon as he used Group Obfuscation—he already switched his class to Stealth God—they slipped past the adventurers and entered Gordon.

n「That was definitely Hikaru, right?」Falna said.

n「Yes.」

nFalna and old man Hoya were standing still with a blank look on their faces.

n「I thought he would find the village, but I did not expect him to even tame wyverns.」

nAs Hikaru and the girls moved away from the scene, he looked over and saw something he couldn’t believe. The old man was laughing with his hand on his chin.

n「I didn’t know you could laugh, gramps.」Falna said.

n「Shut up.」

n「Ouch!」

nTheir voices faded into the distance.

n