We were in the beginning of the town of Mira, where we went to the Steintei, a restaurant specializing in war steins.
　It was early in the morning and the place was packed with customers.
　The customers were whispering to each other that something had happened in Greberg.

　On the way here, we've passed many such townspeople and guards.
　Apparently, the black sphere that was fired into the royal castle at the end was also visible from the town of Mira.
　It's not a good idea to get side-tracked, I reflected a bit.

　A large round table was set up with a menu of Walstein steaks, salads, and liquor that didn't look like breakfast.
　Zeke and the others ate hastily as they were brought in.

'I was thinking, maybe you guys could have managed this raid on your own,'
As it turns out. But Aries is a formidable opponent. It shouldn't have happened like that.

　The three robes have been given recognition inhibition magic.
　So, if you say "Aries", the people around you won't think anything of it.
　Of course, my robe also has the same effect of blocking recognition.

　It's more important to note that I owe it to Toa, and it bleeds back badly.
　I cleaned it up with the Skill 《Washing》 that I got.

''In other words, Aries was good at assassination, right?
''Even though it's called assassination, Aries was so skilled that he was certified S-ranked in his line of work. This wasn't your average assassination.

　No matter how much I ask, I can't explain it.

'There's another reason I borrowed the power. I was most concerned about the existence of the summoned brave men. I had information about the brave man's whereabouts beforehand, but intervention was conceivable enough. I'm not sure why they weren't there this time. If there was a brave man there, your help would still have been needed,
Brave man that is, but what are you guys going to do now?
We're heading to Devil's Land next.
Witchland?
It's the land of the Witch King, just past the Great Forest. I didn't get the details, but my father asked for them.

　Demonland--maybe Toa's parents are there.
　I checked with Zeke for the direction of the demon country just in case.

'What about Nito?'
'I'm going to ... continue my journey back to Razhuisen, and I've made some friends. Come to think of it, I just remembered that you said something about abyssal magic on the grand staircase. What did you mean by that?
'It's just a fairy tale, I mean it doesn't exist. Nonsense, never mind.

　Zeke says it's not much of a story.

It's my own personal hypothesis. A fairytale is someone's creation, and the objects and people in it are the creators' imagination. But now I'm thinking that maybe not everything is like that.
What about now?
Yeah. Because talking wands are real, right?

　As Zeke said this, he looked at Vel, who was standing next to my chair.
　It's a cane, but this guy walks on his own without my support and stands on his own without my support.

You mean that Vel is in that book too?
'It's an adventurer with no name. It's the story of a nameless adventurer who also has a talking wand as a companion on his journey.
Hmmm, why doesn't it have a name?
'I don't know. I only had him read to me when I was little too...

　Eliza looked a little pensive.
　Did it remind her of something in the past?
　Then Alford inserted his mouth.

'That's something parents used to read to their children to train them. They said if you don't take care of your friends, they will forget you. That's what my mother taught me.
What is abyssal magic?
"At the end of the story, there's a sentence that says, 'A traitorous adventurer, obsessed with the magic of the abyss, fell into the abyss.' I don't remember the details either, but I'm pretty sure it said something along those lines.
Traitor...
'Well, it's just a fairy tale. It's not something to think about deeply. It's not something to think about in depth, and abyssal magic is not a term that refers to any particular magic in the first place. It's a kind of sarcasm or admonition to be used against those who abuse magic. It's not a good idea to fall into the abyss of magic," Zeke adds.
'That means don't be like Aries and Johannes. Those guys have fallen into a kind of abyss, if you will.

　I wondered if Alford, who had been family for even a moment, had any thoughts on this.
　I felt that sadness was still hidden behind Alford's eyes as he said this.

I've been listening to you for a while now, and you're saying whatever you want. You are terrible people. There is an abyss, of course.

　Then Vel looked at the three of them as if he was offended.

'What do you mean, "of course there is"? 'What do you mean?'

　Zeke's tone was calm, but he seemed more than a little confused.

'It means exactly what it says. I'm sure you'll be able to find out what I mean by abyss, and in this world, abyss means only certain beings. I don't want you to say that it doesn't exist, or that it's a fairy tale, or something else that's not good enough.''
Vel. You seem to know so much.
"Of course I'm half the master, right?
'Half a body?　For that matter, what's that master thing about? I'd rather you didn't if you could.
"Listen to your heart. I only call him master because he wants me to. Doesn't mean anything else.

　The three of them looked like they couldn't keep up with the talkative Vel.
　After that, they ignored it and turned their attention to the meat.
　Apparently, the abyss is such an insane thing.
　No matter how much Vel pleaded, Sieg only stammered and didn't look convinced.



You should still come with me.
... no. I'm going back to Rathhausen.

　We were at the main gate of Mira.
　It would be past noon by the time.
　The area had become even noisier than when we visited the Stein Pavilion.
　I could even see a glimpse of a Greyberg soldier here and there.

'I'm sorry for all that, I'm sorry for calling you out at such short notice. But you are saved. Thank you.

　It was Zeke who said that. He's a decent guy in spite of his face.

I don't mind. I'll get some experience, and besides, I might be the next one to call you.
If you do, feel free to tell me and I'll come to you.
'But I didn't think I'd end up storming the country with a bunch of guys I happened to meet.

　The three of them laughed as they said that, "I agree.

''Then I'll cast a transition spell. The location can only be flown to where Nito was before the transition, is that okay?
Yeah, I'll be fine.

　He suddenly stared out of the main gate and beyond the meadow.
　In the distance, I could see the Greeberg surrounded by a protective wall.
　Saeki and the other brave men are there, too. They're the ones who abandoned me.
　This inexplicable feeling that arose after killing Aries.
　My heart feels as if it's restless, and for some reason I feel a sense of loss.
　I don't know what it means.

　After killing Aries, I should have felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
　But what struck me afterwards was this inexplicable feeling.
　I don't know ... I don't know, but it's not a pleasant one.
　What did I do wrong........
　But I guess I did something wrong.
　That's why I'm still regretting it backwards.

'Vel.........'

　For some reason, he was talking to Vel.

"I wouldn't know what a master would know. But this isn't the right time, is it? Doesn't the master feel the same way?

　Vel replied immediately, as if understanding my mind.

'....maybe. But I don't know.

　The three figures standing behind me disappeared as we were surrounded by the light of the transition.
　I left the Grayberg territory without knowing what to expect.



-- 'Emergency Evacuation Alert!　Emergency evacuation alert!　An emergency evacuation warning is currently in effect. Residents are advised to evacuate immediately. I repeat. All residents are advised to evacuate immediately.

　Did I come back........
　As the light of the transition converged, what flowed into my head was some kind of noisy voice.

'Announcement.........'
Yes, it's a dangerous world.

　Vel yawned swiftly.
　Checking his surroundings, he was pretty sure this was the Eccarlato mansion.
　He was standing in his own room.

'What's that sound...'

　The repetition of the "emergency evacuation alert" -- the words urging residents to evacuate -- and the sound of this head-scratching bell.
　I could hear it echoing outside, like a hammer banging repeatedly.

　I leave the room and look around the hallway.
　But there's no one in sight.
　The bells just got a little louder.
　I check out the window and all I see is an uninhabited garden.
　I can't see the town from here.

　When I went down the corridor for a while and approached the stairs, I heard someone's footsteps coming up the second floor.

''Hm!　Isn't that Masamune?!

　It was Mr. Brown who appeared there.

'Where have you been all this time, I've been worried about you.
'Mr Brown, what is that sound?　Where is everyone going...

　Mr. Brown's expression darkens at my question.

''........A horde of monsters attacked the royal capital....
Eh....
'This siren is to announce the condemnation of the population. Sierra and Hilda are already on their way to the scene, along with all the other White King Knights. Toa-kun and Nem-kun ran out when they heard the alarm. I heard that the adventurers and kingdom knights are still fighting outside the walls of the royal capital,

　I've gone blank. I don't understand.
　How could it happen?
　What had happened in the last few hours when I was gone?

"The White King's knights, all of them? .....
Yeah but the people are not informed of the details. But I suppose it's that big of a deal.
'Both Toa and Nem are on the battlefield... what's the situation, what's the state of the war? I asked hastily.
''Well it's not so good, apparently. Apparently there are even S-ranked monsters in the area. That's why the evacuation has begun.
S-ranked....
'That wasn't the case at first. We were told it was just a monster outbreak. But then all of a sudden, things changed very quickly.
What happened?
'I heard that there were a number of spirit beasts called Nutkelaen that showed up. That was it. The whole country was under an evacuation alert. By that time, there was a lot of commotion in the town, with some deaths reportedly occurring.

　Mr. Brown's expression darkens.

'I evacuated my wife and those in the house first. I'm sorry, I had to stop them. But because I'm a warrior of the cat people I couldn't stop them. I'm sorry....

　I ran out of the house as soon as I could, leaving Mr. Brown stammering.

"Masamune!

　I can't wait to get to the others.
　I have to get to them. So...



　The peaceful and serene urban area that is usually bustling with activity.
　But it has already become a quiet residential area.
　As if swallowed up by the atmosphere of the town, Masamune's stunned footsteps become calm.

What a lonely town! Nobody is here.

　Vel was complaining about the lack of people.

'Leave that stuff behind!　

　Masamune saw the residents packing up.
　Most of the residents had already been evacuated, or there were only a few people to be counted.

'Dad, are you moving in?'

　Then a girl's figure appeared in Masamune's vision.

'Yes. But only for a little while, don't worry about it.

　The father stroked his daughter's head, trying not to make her feel uneasy.
　Masamune watched him as he walked forward.
　A few residents and what appeared to be merchants as they passed through the city center.
　Those who seemed to be travelers also passed by Masamune.
　Each of them seemed serious in their expressions.
　Then a familiar face appears to Masamune.

''You.......you haven't escaped yet?''

　Sharon was surprised when she looked at Masamune and her blood changed.

''Sharon-san........''
What's this old woman doing here?
It's a shame....I've lived in this country for a long time, but I can't do anything about it. But I can't do anything about it anymore.

　Sharon spoke as she stared around and stared somewhere in the distance.

'Some adventurers told me that they came back from outside the defensive walls...........I hear the battle isn't going well.
'It's not good for...Sharon!　We have Toa and Nem!　Even Sierra is here!
What! ...Toa, the son of that demon tribe?　Why do you have to go to Nem........

　Apparently Sharon didn't know.

'Really ... she's an idiot. She's a........

　Sharon had tears in her eyes.

'Bad luck old lady. Master, let's get the hell out of here before the smell of death spreads.''

　As Vel said this, I heard something crack.
　You'll find Sharon sitting on her ass and a jar cracking next to her.

'You ... what's that ... wand ...'

　Masamune leaves with Sharon at his side.

''Well, wait!''

　Sharon calls out to Masamune's back.

"You're not going to go, are you?
....
Don't do it!　You're just wasting your life, and there's nothing you can do about it as a healer!
'Hey master, what is this creature?　Maybe this is the monster?　Let's kill this S-ranked old lady right here!'
Let's move on.

　Masamune starts walking again.

'I told you to wait!　If you want adventure, you have to be brave enough to give it up!　You're still young!　No more deaths, please!

　So Masamune stopped in his tracks.

'Vel, it's going to be a bit longer from here to the outside of the bulwark.
How's this for flying?
Flying?
'That's what you were thinking, wasn't it?　Rather than using the Speed of God, the lazy master wondered if there was a better way to fly. Yes, we have a way to fly.
'Talk about having an S-ranked monster!　You're just fodder for them to eat you up in that place.　It's not a healer's act!
''It's still a long way to the main gate. Even if we use the Speed of God, we'll have to follow the building.

　At that moment, Masamune felt an itch in his back.
　And just as his back seemed to swell up, two red-black shadows broke through his robes and appeared.

''Guh........''

　Masamune feels an unknown sensation in his back.

'It's my lazy wings. It's going to be a short walk to the battlefield now.

　It was two wings.
　Huge wings like Masamune had ever envisioned.
　They seem to be painted black but have a faint reddish-black tinge to them.

''You....what the hell are you...?''
I think I can handle one of them.

　Masamune spread his wings and looked up at the sky.

''The three of you, I'll save you--''
The Age of the Abyss!　The times are calling us, man!

　As Vel was so enthused, Masamune soared into the sky with his black wings.

　Sharon was speechless and stood there for a while.
　Then he saw a single black wing drifting in the sky.
　It drifted through the air, wavering.
　And the moment it touched the ground, it turned into black ashes and disappeared.