Blood rain continued to fall in the underground cavern.
Like wine spilled on parchment, the rain painted over my vision.
My clothes soaked with blood, my body felt incredibly heavy. Blood dripped into bodily orifices like eyes, nose, and mouth, dulling my five senses. The accumulated blood formed a pond, rising to my knees. If I didn’t ascend the stairs immediately, I would sink and drown.
But I couldn’t move.
It appeared I was alone here—but there was another person. The enemy, Ragune Kaikuola, waited for me to panic and make a move. She held her breath, aiming for a direct assassination.
“Hah, hah, hah…”
I was out of breath from tension alone, even though I was doing nothing. It was a relief she wasn’t using Wide-Area Magic like she did against Maria, but this situation was troublesome in its own way.
The worst outcome would be me being left behind in the underground while Ragune and Fafnir both escaped to the surface. If Ragune, whom I couldn’t see right now, was leisurely ascending the stairs alone, I’d have to move immediately.
However, I couldn’t. My ‘bad omen’ sensor warned me that provoking my panic was the enemy’s goal. Conversely, it also meant the enemy was nearby as long as I felt that ‘bad omen.’
Without lowering my guard, I remained standing still, considering how to deal with the enemy. The ‘bad omen’ Tiara-san taught me could only postpone defeat; it couldn’t bring victory. It was different from Rowen-san’s or Christ’s [‘sensation]. To win, I had to think and decide for myself.
First, I must not be touched by the enemy’s attacks. I didn’t know the conditions, but the enemy used magic that caused fainting. Therefore, I had no choice but to evade all attacks. Since their magic seemed to chain from one to another, I would also refrain from using wind as much as possible. Instead of spreading my magic power outward, I would condense and sharpen it within my body.
Powerful magic like “Taurus Swind” or “Thea Swind” was absolutely out of the question. With the magic control Tiara taught me, I would likely suffer the same defeat as I did against Maria.
Magic control taught by Aid would be optimal here. Indeed, that teaching seemed made for this situation. Although I couldn’t reconcile with my teacher in the end, I heard about his death from Christ. Surely, my teacher and I were still master and disciple.
There are still things I can recall. It was Aid, with his gentle eyes, who spoke to me when I had lost confidence. He encouraged me by saying that choices were merely hard to find, but they existed infinitely for everyone. I should recall those nostalgic lessons. Handcuffed, under the watchful eyes of Shiya and Hairi-san, along with Rouge and Noir—
“—!”
My body moved before my thoughts. I folded myself forward, narrowly dodging the killing intent from behind.
“—You dodged? I thought I had an opening.”
Simultaneously, a voice echoed through the underground cavern. I landed from my forward roll, looking around as if searching for the source of the voice. But no one was there. The blade imbued with killing intent had indeed attacked me—yet, only my body rippled the blood pool. There was nothing blocking the blood rain in my vision; all I saw were walls of flowing blood and the crimson World Tree. Yet, the voice echoed. It continued to resonate from somewhere.
“Hmm, was that just a fluke? Which do you think it was? Could it be, Rainer? Can you see me? I’m showing you such a embarrassing and foolish figure?”
The voices came from various directions. The enemy was completely invisible. To avoid letting them know this, I kept my eyes slightly open, fixated on a single point. Then, without engaging with the enemy’s words, I waited for their next surprise attack again. Reflecting on my lapse in concentration caused by recalling warm, nostalgic times, I refocused. This time, without letting my guard down—I would end their breath with a counterattack.
“…Hoh. If that’s how you want to play, then I’ll respond in kind.”
Ragune seemed to sense my posture of ‘waiting.’ Her tone shifted slightly as she spoke, as if caressing my ear.
“In that case, I guess I’ll… put aside Rainer, who has a skill that seems like a poor match for me. I don’t want to fight any battles like reaping wheat, you know? Just like Kanami’s older brother, I’m a timid perfectionist… Therefore, I’ll kill everyone up top first, and then I’ll slowly and surely defeat you, Rainer. Hahaha.”
“—!?”
With that laugh, Ragune’s voice fell silent. The underground cavern was plunged into silence, leaving only the sound of blood rain striking blood. The familiar ‘pacha pacha’ sound and the unfamiliar sight of blood spatters continuing to dance.
A sliver of hesitation arose. The ‘bad omen’ signal continued, warning me of imminent danger. However, it wasn’t impossible to say that Ragune couldn’t leave this place while continuously provoking my skills. The worst thing right now was Ragune moving freely on the surface. Having promised Reaper to hold her off, I absolutely had to prevent that from happening, otherwise, surprise attacks would be rampant above.
After a moment of hesitation, I took a few steps into the blood pool, defying the ‘bad omen.’
“…”
The enemy’s attack did not come. Perhaps she had truly left me behind and departed. I was about to carefully move toward the stairs leading up from the underground cavern when—
“—!”
This time, killing intent approached from the right. I dodged with a forward roll, just as before, and reached the stairs in the underground cavern. Placing my hand on the second step, I looked around, determined to pinpoint the enemy’s location this time.
However, the location information was inadvertently revealed by Ragune herself.
“—Hahaha. You can’t see me, can you?”
My eyes darted towards the direction of the voice. At the top of the stairs—around the twentieth step—Ragune appeared, standing and looking down at me.
The moment I saw her clouded pupils, my entire body broke out in goosebumps. Her brown eyes were completely clouded, dyed pitch-black. Her short, dark brown hair, her uniquely layered clothes, the twin swords in her hands—everything had color-shifted. As if being encroached upon by the surrounding colors, they blended with the scenery behind her.
Blending and melting, camouflaging. It felt as if Ragune was there, and yet ‘not there.’ It was contradictory, but I had never met a person with such presence and yet such an absence of presence before. To the point where I wanted to believe she was a type of ghost, Ragune’s existence felt thin and ambiguous—making me shudder.
“You were chasing me, who was actually going down instead of up—and you dodged. You definitely can’t see me. But you understand—is that correct?”
With those clouded eyes, Ragune observed me. She seemed to understand her own condition well, spewing words that stirred my heart, as if to incite a fear of the unknown. Then, as if gaining a certain conviction, Ragune smiled. She tossed one of the swords in her hand, and with skillful precision, plunged it into the stairs ten steps down—which were ten steps above me.
That crystal sword shone brilliantly even amidst the blood rain. It was a supreme treasure sword that any swordsman would aspire to.
“Y-you… You damned woman!!”
When I realized it was the ‘Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen,’ I couldn’t help but curse. Ragune accepted it with a smile.
“It’s Master Rowen’s sword. Aren’t you going to pick it up?”
“Who would fall for such an obvious trap…”
“…It’s not a trap. I just want to return it. Before a serious battle.”
Ragune maintained her smile and spoke with a solemn expression, her eyes cast down. “Honestly speaking, I’m willing to return only that sword to your side… After all, I witnessed Master Rowen’s battle firsthand. It was truly a match that captured the hearts of all the knights… As a knight myself, I don’t want to do anything that would tarnish that battle… I’m well aware that it’s not a suitable item for me. It should be in the hands of a knight with a purer heart.”
As she spoke, I recalled Rowen-san’s battle a little. On the giant theater ship, the world’s highest stage, two deceased world-class swordsmen were fighting. Blindingly fast sword slashes drew fantastical lines, continuously painted with crystals and ice shards. That swordplay. That day, Ragune and I were in similar positions, making similar moves, and competing for this ‘Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen.’
“I swear upon my knight’s heart. Among the guardians of the labyrinth, I truly respect only Master Rowen.”
Perhaps remembering the same thing, she swore with unprecedented seriousness. “And, my junior, Rainer Helvirshine. Simultaneously, I also respect your chivalry. You are the knight who inherited the spirit of Hein Helvirshine, praised as the Allied Nations’ greatest knight. Though you may not be its most suitable owner, you are fitting to be the sheath until the true master of this ‘Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen’ appears.”
I thought it was a transparent flattery.
I glared at the enemy without letting my guard down and denied it.
“Do you really think I’d believe such a ridiculous story…?”
“You don’t believe me, huh… To be honest, I didn’t want to do this… No, never mind…”
Ragune lowered her dual eyes, looking slightly sad. A fleeting quality was reflected in the smile on her lips, and it seemed to betray some unwilling feelings. Her expression was somewhat reminiscent of Christ’s—
I was tempted to hear her elaborate story.
I almost took a step up the stairs.
However, I showed no reaction at all and continued to maintain my guard for a battle to the death.
A few seconds of staring—and then, a swarm of killing intent descended from above.
I sprang into motion, climbing about three steps of the stairs, and dodged them all.
I could see this attack this time. It seemed to be five of Ragune’s specialty materialized magic swords falling from above. Before, Ragune had said she couldn’t let go of swords made of magic, so it turned out to be a lie.
And then, that lying woman smiled sweetly and spoke to me familiarly, as if in the past.
“–Well, as you might have guessed, it’s a trap. It was all a lie. Wow, you figured it out! Isn’t that too convenient? You can’t go up to the next floor if you leave Rainer behind, can you?”
After watching the enemy’s swords being thrown, I immediately tried to go and pick up the Aris Family’s Treasure Sword Rowen, which was at the top of the stairs. But it was no longer there, and it was in the hands of my former colleague, who wore a malicious smile.
“Hahaha. In the first place, Rainer isn’t a knight with a straightforward heart. Not at all like the noble Mr. Hein. Yet, Rainer acts like he’s Mr. Hein’s successor. Honestly, no one in the Helvirshine family thinks that.”
Ragune discarded her serious expression entirely and suddenly became talkative.
“First of all, were Mr. Hein and Rainer really that close? Even if Hein was unique to Rainer, the reverse is not true, is it? Mr. Hein’s favorite was always Franryure. No, did Mr. Hein really entrust his dying wish to Rainer? After all, he was an adopted son, not even a blood relative. For Rainer, who is not even related by blood? For that adopted child Rainer? For the forever-alone, good-for-nothing Rainer! For Rainer, who has been alone since birth!?”
I recognized that provocative tone.
I remembered Mr. Hein, who was currently a topic of discussion, talking with that man in the Helvirshine family in the past.
“Hahaha, you were alone at the academy too! You were alone in the cathedral too! And alone in the Helvirshine family, Rainer! Of course, you were alone even as a knight! And because you hate being alone, you shamelessly call yourself Kanami’s older brother’s knight after Mr. Hein died! On top of that, you even let Kanami’s older brother die! Rainer, repeating the same delusions and the same failures!!”
“—!”
When she mentioned Christ’s name, Ragune swung the sword in her right hand to the side.
Then, swords flew from the adjoining atrium towards the spiral staircase like arrows shot from a bow.
I calmly ducked and avoided them, and Ragune pouted in disappointment.
“…Not good enough? I could stab Kanami’s older brother with this, you know. Wow, you’re surprisingly troublesome, Rainer. It doesn’t work even if I provoke you. It doesn’t work even if I threaten you. It doesn’t work even if I pretend to surrender. Ah, well, if that’s the case, the hostage strategy is the only way! It was effective in the Cathedral! I learned how to deal with knights like Rainer. Thank you, Fedelt! Fortunately, I’m good at kidnapping!”
She pokes at people’s flaws, blames others for her actions, and continues to laugh at people nonchalantly. She’s just like Palinkron, as if reflected in a mirror… but not exactly the same. Like a mirror, there’s an incongruity, as if the essential nature is reversed.
“…Taking my older sister hostage would be futile. Rustiara too. If you try, I’ll kill you along with her.”
“Really? Really, really? You, who were always silent, insist on this because you can’t do it, right?”
I’m starting to understand things little by little. It’s likely that Ragune is just imitating the superficial aspects of people she considers strong, just to see what happens. She’s reproducing them with the casual thought that they must be strong tactics because strong people used them.
Hearing Ragune’s words didn’t make my blood boil, but her unscrupulous “fighting style that kills enemies easily” was unpleasant to watch.
“Haha, don’t make such a scary face! Got it! I admit, kidnapping is too unfair, so I’ll stop this time! But, in return… will you tell me who taught you that skill to see me? Of course, I won’t ask about its effects. If you just tell me how you acquired it, I won’t kidnap you or anything.”
The way she presented the terms of this request as easy to fulfill was also something I had experienced somewhere.
I was indignant that she thought I would be fooled by such a thing. At the same time, thinking that Christ was killed by Ragune, who fought with such means—I couldn’t contain my emotions.
“All this time you’ve been…! Lies, lies, lies, lies…! Everything you say is insincere! I understand that kind of thing! Don’t underestimate me!!”
I had once respected Ragune Kaikuola, my senior knight, which is why I can’t stand to see her now. I let out a cry as if a dam had broken.
“Are you okay with that…? Are you really okay with that!? Are you satisfied with that way of life and fighting!? Ragune!!”
“Satisfied…?”
Ragune showed a surprised expression at my words.
And then, she, who I thought would never be moved by words—suddenly changed.
“…It’s fine. Of course, it’s fine. Because this is a fight. Anything goes if it means winning. The one who loses is evil. The one who dies is an idiot. It’s only natural!”
She became even more talkative and began to curse rapidly.
“That’s right. This is a fight. Yet, he… even when fighting me, he was honorable. He took my words seriously, thought about them like an idiot, and believed in me until the end… How suspicious…!”
“—!”
“He mimicked me until he was on the verge of death… This is a joke, a joke, a joke, a joke. Did he know my mom when he did that…!”
Now it was my turn to look surprised.
Ragune had provoked me relentlessly. Presumably, her goal was to exploit my lapse in composure.
Ragune herself, who had adopted that tactic, seemed to have lost her composure after just one provocation.
Thinking this sudden change might also be an act, I hesitated to react rashly.
“He, he, he, he…! Tell him if this is okay…! It’s fine, of course it’s fine…!”
For some reason, Ragune suddenly appeared unstable. She was scratching her head, her face looked like she was about to have a hysterical fit.
There was no trace of the suspiciousness from moments ago.
It didn’t look like a clumsy imitation anymore.
At the same time, it was too far removed from the “Ragune who killed Christ” persona I had envisioned in my mind.
While bewildered, I inferred one possibility from her appearance.
Perhaps Ragune was more physically and mentally exhausted from her battle with Christ than I thought. Come to think of it, when she defeated Maria, she had stopped her hands in surprise at an unexpected turn of events.
The Demon Stones of the “Thief of Principles” she possessed likely gave her not only power but also some demerits. For instance, her mind approaching that of the “Thief of Principles”—that seems plausible. The current Ragune reminds me of the weakened appearances of Rowen, Aid, and Titty.
Her intimidating presence might all be a facade.
To confirm the enemy’s trap, I reluctantly chose to try and shake her with words.
“Ragune… Did Christ believe in you until the very end?”
“…That’s right. Unlike Rainer, Kanami’s older brother completely fell for the initial appeasement tactics. Hahaha. So, it was really easy to kill him.”
The moment Christ was mentioned, Ragune’s expression returned to normal, and she became a little boastful.
Accustomed to her erratic, dice-rolling attitude, I calmly continued.
“Ah, Christ must have truly believed you were a companion… Probably, even that unfair 《Dimension》, you could easily escape just because you were a companion…”
“It was a pathetic sight, even Rainer should have seen it. From the start—”
“But surely there was an easier way. By deceiving that foolish master, deceiving them again and again, and continuing to use them, it would have been much, much easier. Or rather, wasn’t that your intention at first? You planned to use that hero to gain power, get promoted, and eventually become an important person who could influence the country… Isn’t that what you thought? But why? Christ is the kind of person who would risk his life to help a companion in trouble. Before doing something like this, you could have just asked for help sincerely! You could have easily deceived Christ! Ragune! But why?!”
“Help…? From Kanami’s older brother…? That is…—”
She faltered.
Sensing the enemy’s hesitation, I immediately played one of my trump cards.
“—《Wind》! Please!”
The ‘evil sensation’ hadn’t stopped, but I judged it was worth a try. Relying on the power within me, I increased the number of my wind arms behind my own, extending one more. Furthermore, I clad my legs in wind and ran up the blood-dripping stairs.
On the way, the ‘evil sensation’ detected an invisible threat. Seven blades of killing intent floated in the air on the path to Ragune.
Dodging them all, I closed in on Ragune and swung my dual swords, ‘Sylph Ruf Bringer’, towards her neck.
“—Ngh!?”
Naturally, Ragune blocked the attack with the crystal and red sword she held. However, just then, the ‘Helvirshine family’s Holy Dual Swords, One Wing’ brought forth by a hidden arm attacked, aiming to sever the enemy’s defenseless neck.
“—《Quartz》! And the Star Principle!!”
In a split second, Ragune conjured a crystal from her shoulder, protecting her neck from the blade. Furthermore, the crystal wriggled, biting at the wind arm like a beast’s jaw.
I tried to dissipate the wind arm before it touched the crystal, but it was too late. As if torn apart by a beast, the wind arm dissipated into mist. Seeing this, I prepared for the same faintness as Maria. Deciding to end the battle before that happened, I decided on a direct attack.
“Dieeeeeeeeee!!”
“—Ngh!? That’s not a power to… make one faint—!?”
When Ragune’s crystal magic touched my wind magic, a smile of victory flickered across her face. However, seeing me still moving without stopping and forcefully pushing my dual swords, she muttered words of confusion and moved to parry the attack.
Ragune chose the skill ‘Swordsmanship’. At the crucial moment, she relied not on ‘Thief of Principles’ magic, but on the skill she had honed over many years. As a result, Ragune shifted her body sideways, expertly deflecting the power of my dual swords. I, maintaining my momentum, almost fell but managed to overshoot Ragune and ascend about five stairs.
I quickly turned back, keeping Ragune below me in my sight, and checked my own condition. My limbs were working. My consciousness wasn’t blurring. I thought I might faint like Maria when I touched Ragune’s magic, but it seemed I was fine.
However, there was definitely a change. When I tried to summon the wind arm again, my body gave no response. I felt as if one of my powers had fallen asleep due to some abnormal force.
While confirming this, Ragune angrily berated her own magic, the crystal.
“Haa, haa, haa—The power of principle! It’s not usable!! …N-no, more importantly than that—”
Then, she continued to monologue, staring at her own arms with a pale face.
“I… I panicked first…? Even more than Rainer, who just lost Kanami’s older brother? Me, who has endured this for so long until today…!?”
She must have been confident of victory in a battle of wits—a battle of mental strength. That’s why she carelessly chose to imitate Palinkron and provoke me. However, Ragune was the only one who actually faltered and created an opening.
She couldn’t believe her own mistake, and just like when she defeated Maria, she started questioning herself mid-battle.
“Something’s strange…! I meant to do the opposite, but it became the opposite of the opposite…!! This way, it’s just like Nosfy-san—”
Another opening. I felt like I could easily kill her now.
Of course, there was a possibility that Ragune was just pretending to be crazed. Therefore, I stepped back and ascended the stairs one by one. With my previous reckless charge, I had lost one trump card and dealt no damage to the enemy. However, I had gained an advantage in positioning. I had also bought enough time. Escaping up the stairs like this was a very viable option.
However, as I cautiously retreated, Ragune’s demeanor gradually changed. The already immense magic of the ‘Thief of Principles’ she wore began to swell even further.
“It’s… dark…! I haven’t even ‘chanted’ yet…!”
Ragune’s transparent and silent magic began to dye itself in the same color as the magic she had used against Maria. It was a strange, muddy black, a mixture of four attributes and four colors. Wrapped in her own black magic, Ragune’s vision was impaired.
At that moment, my retreating feet… grew heavy. I immediately understood why. My body was being drawn towards Ragune’s black magic. All the blood dripping from the walls and stairs had been flowing towards her. Even the handrail of the spiral staircase creaked and bent, drawing slightly closer to her.
I had an idea of what this phenomenon was. It was the star attribute magic used by Rouge and Noir, the ‘Magic Stone Humans’. It resembled that strange ‘pulling magic’. More accurately, the magic power itself was exhibiting power equivalent to star magic. It was a phenomenon that could be called magic based solely on its nature, without any incantations.
Seeing this, I honestly felt that Ragune was being overwhelmed by the magic she had stolen from the other ‘Thief of Principles.’
Ragune, groaning, tried to move while enveloped in black magic. Simultaneously, she tried to control the swords made of materialized magic that she had placed on the stairs.
However, with a *clink*, most of the swords hit the wall. Thanks to the ‘evil sensation’, I could discern the trajectory of the swords. The swords were trying to orbit around Ragune, but their arcs were too wide, and they hit the walls of the Great Void and fell.
Ragune, no longer looking at me, focused entirely on controlling her magic swords and shouted at someone other than me.
“—I became the ‘First Place’ with my own power! I am not used by power! I use the power—!!”
Her gaze fixed on the empty air was as frantic as that of other ‘Thief of Principles.’ While the magic she wore was tremendous, it was overwhelmingly unstable. Ragune had completely changed, as if her formerly carefree attitude was a lie.
And her instability made me decide.
“—《Wind Gale Rush》!”
I had no intention of touching this dangerously unstable magic of Ragune’s. It was best to leave her in her unstable state rather than provoking her unnecessarily.
Moreover, I was confident in my speed. With this current opportunity and my position, I was confident I could create an ideal distance. Turning my back on Ragune, I ran up the stairs, received the aid of the wind, leaped, and used the walls of the underground void as footholds to head for the surface.
“Rainer-aaahhaaa!? It’s your fault! Don’t run awayyyy—!!”
Along with that voice calling out to me, the aforementioned power pulling at my back strengthened. I knew without looking back. Ragune had further expanded her black magic and, in her even more unstable state, was likely chasing after me as I fled. Ignoring it, I ran up the blood-stained wall with all my might, vertically.
***
The eighth volume of the series will be released on November 25th.
Benefit details are listed in the activity report. This time, all benefits are in a gag style. Especially the massage and academy arc.
And on the Overlap Bunko HP, you can now see the frontispiece for volume eight. A thousand years ago!
This preview section is almost entirely new material…? It should be. Especially for those who like Palinkron.
