“We’ve received word from the Guild.”
The Sword Saint Vitalianus’s lips opened heavily.
At what he relayed, tension settled over the entire area.
A grim resolve appeared on the faces of everyone gathered.
“They sent in an advance party and have even identified the type of raid.”
New Gates had appeared once more all across the world.
The 53rd floor had opened. The Empire, which had been waiting for this, immediately moved to take control of every Gate discovered, and the possessors also acted swiftly, sending in an advance party.
It had been decided that the possessor side would handle all advance parties tasked with identifying the floor type.
After all, they possessed the absurd ability called logout.
For the Empire to send in an advance party, it needed to secure a retreat route, divide scouting forces and escort forces, and commit a large number of troops and a great deal of time. The possessors, on the other hand, only needed a few people to enter, identify the type, and log out.
And so, the type they discovered—
The information conveyed by the Guild was this.
“The Floor of Infinity, or the Floor of Hardship. That is the name given to this Demon Realm.”
The Floor of Hardship, also called the Floor of Infinity.
“We will discuss the details when we meet again, but what is certain is that this raid will once again require overwhelming martial force. Therefore, every member of the Royal Knights will be deployed for this raid.”
“By every member… do you mean the new recruit as well?”
At Damon’s question, Vitalianus’s gaze turned toward Claire.
Though she stood ramrod straight, tense to the point of stiffness, an even greater flame than when they had first met burned fiercely in those red eyes of hers.
The Floor of Hardship, the Floor of Infinity, the Guild, the raid—she had no idea what any of it meant, yet she could grasp the general feeling.
There had to be a reason even the Royal Knights were tense and the Sword Saint himself was cautious.
All questions and mysteries would be there, and that place would be the origin of every incident. And if it was such a place, then surely he would be there as well.
That was why Claire’s will burned away fear, scorched even her tension, and grew ever larger.
Confirming that, Vitalianus nodded.
“Did I not say it? Every member of the Royal Knights will be deployed for this raid.”
To advance greatly, one had to be prepared to accept great risks.
Those who had left the Royal Knights were people who had not been ready for that, and Claire, though she had only joined yesterday, was already prepared.
“Damon, you take responsibility for telling her what she needs to be careful of. We set out tomorrow morning, so rest well until then.”
“Yes. Understood.”
That did not mean Claire felt no fear at all.
Her excitement and tension were simply that great; fear, too, clearly existed within her.
The horrifying horde of monsters that had attacked Imenia a few months ago.
To think that she would personally set foot in the source said to be overflowing with such things to the point that one might kick them underfoot—the place that would come to be called the Demon Realm—and would have to sweep them all away.
How could she not be afraid?
Even after leaving Vitalianus’s office, that tension remained.
The atmosphere of the entire imperial palace had sunk beneath a dense pressure.
It was a tension that could never be felt outside.
Had she been attending the Academy as usual, she would likely have had no idea that something like this was even happening. But now, it was different.
She was part of this calm before the storm, this unsettled atmosphere, this immense tension.
“If you enter the Demon Realm, the thing you have to be most careful about is keeping a firm grip on your mind.”
“A firm grip… on my mind.”
“Right. The energy flowing there is full of curses. When we went, it wasn’t that severe, but you never know what might happen, so you must never let your mind go.”
“Yes! Understood!”
“And also…”
The more Claire heard from Damon about just how dreadful the Demon Realm was, the more bizarre it all sounded.
Everything he said was utterly impossible to understand through common sense.
There had been a gigantic castle that reached all the way to the end of the sky, and they had pierced through tens of thousands of monsters to reach the top of it.
Then, at the top, they had defeated a monster powerful enough to stand against the Sword Saint and completed the raid.
Just hearing the story made it impossible to imagine.
“The place we’re going this time is called the 53rd floor. Each floor has its own type, and you clear it in a way suited to that type. You heard earlier, right? This floor’s type is the Floor of Hardship. That’s the kind of method it’ll have.”
“Then… does that mean you’ve done this fifty-two times already?”
“Well, yes.”
“Who on earth… Ah.”
Claire cut herself off and let out a small sigh, as though she had realized the answer.
Wasn’t it obvious who it was? As always, only one name came to mind.
Her goal, her idol, whose activities she could never understand, nor why he was always so busy.
He must have fought.
Alone and lonely. No less than fifty-two times.
“In any case, we leave the minor things to the other knight orders. Once we enter the Demon Realm, there’s only one thing we have to do.”
The Royal Knights, an order made up of a select few elites.
The mission given to them once they entered the floor was one and only one.
“Obey Lord Vitalianus’s orders absolutely.”
Carrying out the Sword Saint’s orders as the highest priority and assisting him from the closest position—this was the mission they had to fulfill.
And separate from that, what she needed to be careful of and keep in mind was—
“As I said earlier, no matter what happens, you have to keep hold of your mind. Don’t be startled. Stay calm.”
“Do things that frightening happen often?”
“No, well, it’s not necessarily that they’re frightening, exactly… How should I put it? Sometimes something happens that shocks you so much you end up dazed without realizing it. What you need to be especially careful of is…”
What could inflict a particularly great mental blow was not the monsters of the Demon Realm, nor its eerie atmosphere.
“Beware the Guardian Knight.”
It was the Emperor’s Guardian Knight and mage, Hio Pavlenko.
“You never know what he’ll do this time.”
A man who had been tossed into the air by undead monsters carrying him in celebration.
A man who had ridden on a monster’s back, escorted by them, and suggested they leisurely look around as they traveled.
Watching what he did could make one’s mind go blank, and if one was careless, one might even sink into the energy of the Abyss.
At Damon’s solemn warning—
“…Pardon?”
Claire had no choice but to tilt her head once again.
* * *
At the clattering sound, Hio’s eyes slowly opened.
“Uhaaam…”
As he stretched with a long yawn, his mind quickly became clear.
“…I feel refreshed?”
His body felt astonishingly light.
Perhaps it was because it had been his first proper sleep in a while.
Ever since reaching the 5th Circle, he had abandoned comfortable sleeping arrangements and had hardly slept properly.
Most of the time, he either stayed up two or three days and nights in the Magic Tower before collapsing into sleep, or dozed off without realizing it.
It had been an extremely long time since he had come up to his room like this and deliberately gotten a full night’s sleep.
Because he had put in that much effort and passion, he had even managed to learn “Flare.”
Here, “learned” did not mean he had simply succeeded in casting it once. It meant he had mastered it.
It meant he had trained in the complicated process until it was ingrained in his body, practicing enough that he could use the magic at any time.
This, too, had only been possible because talent—his genius for mana sensitivity x2—and effort had come together.
With this, he had completed a total of six 5th Circle spells.
Excluding Blink, no fewer than five of them were all attack spells.
If he had had his way, since he had already started, he would have wanted to hole up in the Magic Tower until he learned every spell. But there was only one reason he had left after learning only up to Flare.
It was about time for a new Abyss to open.
The previous floor had been set in a necropolis, so it had been easy to clear, but no one knew what would pop out on this floor.
A labyrinth might suddenly appear like on the 50th floor, or a variable where logout became impossible might occur at any time, like on the 51st floor.
So he had to manage his condition.
He could not go to a raid and be nodding off there.
After sleeping and waking up like that, his body felt strangely light.
Even the minor aches and stiffness that had lingered were completely gone… It was so refreshing it felt as though he had received a massage while he slept.
“I guess sleeping well really is important.”
Thinking such things, he came out of his room, and Ailights, neatly wearing an apron, greeted him along with the savory smell of food.
Ailights was surprisingly good at cooking.
Even in a world without the internet, he somehow found ingredients on his own and cooked quite well.
In particular, after this house for the divine mage had been newly built, he had spouted nonsense about becoming a full-time househusband, and perhaps because it had become a full-fledged hobby, his cooking skills were improving by the day.
“Hehehe.”
Seeing Hio’s face first thing in the morning, Ailights smiled suspiciously.
Hio had long since given up trying to guess what went on inside that small head of his, so he gave a perfunctory greeting, passed by, and sat at the table.
He had probably put up some strange sign somewhere again, secretly calling the place their newlywed home or something.
“Oh, this looks good.”
“Right!”
The source of the savory aroma was meat.
On top of thick, tender-looking flesh was an unnamed sauce, and around it, even flowers of unknown origin had been arranged as garnish.
It was a dish that might be somewhat heavy to eat right after waking up.
But Hio familiarly cut off a piece of meat and put it into his mouth.
At the same time as the tender texture met his teeth, the juices burst out and filled his mouth.
“Is it good?”
“…It’s the best.”
What was this? Had he awakened into cooking skill? Hio knew Ailights had cooked a lot on his own ever since he was young, but producing this kind of flavor in another world with different ingredients belonged purely to the realm of talent.
“Hehehehe. This is Nonyom deer meat, and if you wrap it well, steam it for a long time, and then grill it, the juices are preserved and it becomes incredibly tender. I poured a special sauce made by mixing liver mushrooms and ratter sauce on top, and there are rumors that eating it like this is good for boosting stamina. Also, Nonyom deer meat is actually good for virility…”
As Ailights chattered away and Hio savored the flavor while praising his cooking skill—
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded.
Not from inside the house, but from outside. And the number of people who would go out of their way to come to this ordinary house was limited.
A voice came softly through the crack in the door, as though wary of being heard by those nearby.
“Is the Saint here? It is I, Frederick.”
The Church had come looking for Hio.
The purpose was obvious, and Ailights’s expression sank coldly, as if it had never been bright in the first place.
“…Hio, finish your meal. I’ll go out.”
“You need to go out with a bright expression, all right? Frederick is a kind priest.”
“Okay!”
At Hio’s words, Ailights rose from his seat with a smile on his lips and headed for the front door.
He undid all twelve layers of locks and gently opened the door.
At the very top of the front door, a plaque reading 〔Hio and Ailights’s Newlywed Home♥〕 was hanging in plain sight.
Frederick, pretending with effort not to see it, smiled brightly and greeted Ailights.
“It has been a while, Brother Ailights.”
Ailights also answered with a radiant smile.
“Yes. It has been a while. But what brings you here?”
“Ah, is the Saint inside by any chance? This is somewhat urgent…”
“Oh dear, what should we do? Hio isn’t here right now. He said it would probably take at least a month before he returns.”
“Pardon? But I definitely heard voices from inside…”
“…Oh dear. It seems your hearing has worsened with age, Priest. If you’ve reached that point, you should simply rest at home instead of going outside. Why did you go out of your way to come here… How pitiful.”
Ailights spoke with an expression of sincere pity, lightly placing a hand over his mouth.
Unfortunately, however, Frederick was a priest of deep discipline who would not be shaken by that much.
“It is truly important, so I will just confirm inside for a moment, Brother.”
“Brother? Why am I your brother?”
“…Please do not change the subject. Saint! Are you there? It is I, Frederick!”
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to get beaten and leave, or just leave?”
“…Pardon?”
Before anyone knew it, Ailights’s expression had turned cold.
A vivid crimson gleamed in his pretty eyes as they sank deep—
Thwack!
“…Ow.”
In the end, Hio came all the way to the entrance, flicked him on the forehead, and Ailights had no choice but to pout and step aside.
“Ah, Saint. So you were here after all. I came in such haste because there is something I must deliver to you.”
And the news that came through Frederick was, as expected.
“The next floor has opened.”
It was news that set Hio in motion.
* * *
“Sit out this raid.”
That was what Hio told Airaits, though he hadn’t said it with much expectation.
After all, Airaits hated being apart from Hio to an extreme degree.
That was exactly why, when Frederick had come bearing the news, she had even tried to send him away with a lie that would never work on him.
So, naturally, Hio had expected her to shake her head and insist on following him no matter what.
“Okay. Got it.”
“Right, then this time too, you can travel with the priests and…… Hm? You got it?”
Unexpectedly, Airaits obediently nodded.
It was truly an answer he had never imagined.
“Uh…… yeah?”
“Why? Now that I’m saying I won’t go, you’re disappointed! Right? I knew you couldn’t do without me!”
“……I’m just a little surprised. You made the right choice. It’s not exactly a short trip there and back, so stay home and rest.”
Hibernia and the Empire might be neighboring nations, but there was no way the distance from one capital to the other was short.
Hio could move in an instant using portals, and he had Phantom Steed as well, so he was fine, but Airaits had no such means of transportation. It wouldn’t be easy for her.
But Airaits shook her head as if that wasn’t the issue.
“Distance isn’t what matters. Even if I go, it’s obvious I won’t be any help this time either.”
Whether it took days or months, no matter how far apart they were, none of that was a problem at all.
What was truly a problem was herself, falling further and further behind like this until she eventually became useless.
That was the biggest problem.
“I’m going to practice and train hard too, just like you. So when you come back, teach me magic too.”
“Magic? Last time, you said you couldn’t do it and ran away almost immediately.”
“Of course, learning as deeply as you do would take too long and probably be impossible, but couldn’t I at least make one of those rings you mentioned?”
“……One ring. Then that would be the 1st Circle…….”
Mana was needed even when using skills.
In other words, skill users were handling mana without even realizing it.
The people of this world had lost magic forever due to a law that was like a curse, but Airaits was a soul who had escaped that law, so she should be able to learn magic.
And she had always been quite skilled at handling her own skills.
“If it’s just that, all you need is to get a feel for handling mana…… It shouldn’t be that hard for you.”
At Hio’s answer, Airaits’s expression brightened.
“Yeah! That’s my goal. As long as I have one Circle, I can use portals, and I can go with you to that Mage Tower or whatever it’s called!”
“That’s certainly…… not bad.”
The Mage Tower’s portals were an exclusive privilege and power that only mages could use.
Even Freya, who had created an incomplete 1st Circle—a hollow shell of a Circle that could not actually use magic—had been able to use portals.
So if Airaits reached the 1st Circle, she would naturally be able to use portals as well.
That meant they would have one more way to respond flexibly to future variables.
After all, it would mean gaining one more powerful person capable of freely traveling across the vast continent.
“Good. I’ll teach you when I come back after finishing this raid.”
With that promise, he turned his back.
He opened the basement door and went deeper from the underground chamber where the traces of the holy mage remained intact. When he reached the 4th floor, a familiar portal appeared.
He placed his hand on it and poured mana into it.
「Transferring to Imenia Magic University (1) - ‘The Magician’s House.’」
There was not the slightest hesitation in his actions.