HACS 117

“Uuuugh… Can I really knock them all down? Me…”

“What even is a Royal Guard… I’ll become a Royal wriggler…”

“Magic Power 19. Magic Power 19. Magic Power 19…”

Today too, the convenience store was filled with anguish and distress.

At this point, even the Buddha who came to deliver enlightenment from the six realms of reincarnation would say, “Okay, this is a bit much”—it was literally a gathering of the dead.

Sigh…

“…Against Dexterity 22… I have to… face the opponent… is that what I have to do…”

And one more person joined that delusion.

Name: Wolfram von Lohengrin.

“…Can I even last one second? A third-rate villain sparring against the world’s greatest assassin. Haha… What a comedy.”

Ughhhhhhgrrrrrrngggggg

I’ll reveal every location in D/Z SAGA that I know. Even the location of the Moonless Echo that assassins so desperately desire. If I tell you that, will you spare me?

“Ughhh…”

Wah. I’m Wolfram, the third-rate villain.

The fourth corpse of this convenience store.

Save me.

—

It was a miscalculation.

The written exam—no, the written exam is obviously ‘no’ problem at all.

And since it’s the Magic Department, I thought there wouldn’t be any physical activity, and even if there was, I thought I could avoid it by invoking the ‘Imperial’ card.

But that wasn’t the case.

There are battles that people simply cannot avoid.

“……”

In my heart, I’m ready to forfeit in one second and throw myself into a super grand gesture begging for my life.

But what can I do about this.

I clearly told Rudika that.

To devote herself fully to her Academy life.

To give her best in this final practical exam too.

And Rudika seemed quite encouraged by those words.

“That’s the problem.”

If I tell her to do her best and then throw a 15GG, how would Rudika react?

She’d be hurt again, wouldn’t she.

“…Hmm.”

To be honest.

The children in this world, even from my perspective, have gone through experiences close to child abuse.

Millefeuille left her hometown at a young age and was looked down upon for her lack of ability in this foreign land with no one to rely on.

Nefty works hard to support her single-mother household and even save up for her siblings’ school fees.

Ayla… I don’t know. What kind of childhood did she have to become such a rebellion-babbler?

And Emily was practically cast out from her home too.

Same with Regina and Eve. Everyone has their own issues. Is Spica the only normal one?

Among them, the one carrying overwhelmingly the most messed-up backstory is Rudika Hassan Shadow.

I don’t know the details.

What kind of training could make you lose your senses like that?

But what I can say for certain is that Rudika handles her daggers as if it’s still a game, even in this reality where she only has one life.

Her combat style, which disregards her own life, is frankly bizarre.

“……”

And that girl said she’d try her best. Then as an adult, I have to do my best too.

My goal in opening this Zefflin convenience store was to become a big-brother-like owner.

The kind of older brother who would welcome neighborhood problem children and poor kids alike with a smile.

Not excessive care, not pity—just a good owner everyone could rely on.

The kids from my orphanage who came to see me also got a few meals from my brother.

But on that day, he charged them money again.

When I asked why, he said this:

‘Those kids have already received more than enough pity. What they need to learn isn’t pity—it’s equality. They need to learn that they are accepted as ordinary people, not as pitiful existences.’

Hmm. I think that’s a good saying. A good memory.

‘But since they have no way to pay, I’ll deduct it from Young-jin’s salary.’

What a piece of trash, honestly.

…

……

Anyway.

The reason I treat them to things and pay them well for their part-time work—I learned all of that from my brother.

Kids should grow up smiling, after all.

Anyway, the conclusion is this.

“Since I’ve come this far, I should at least trade a few blows with Rudika.”

A veteran versus the world’s greatest assassin.

Isn’t that the greatest battle lineup? Tickets would sell out, scalpers wouldn’t even need to scalp—they’d come in themselves to watch this battle of the century.

“She won’t kill me. Surely, after all that kindness… I trust Rudika.”

Really.

My heart is feeling so petty.

—

True veteran play is, after all, taking down monsters with infinite parrying using nothing but your bare fists.

But before becoming a veteran—back when you’re still a newbie with about a thousand hours of playtime—the playstyle is one-shot kills.

Wrapping yourself in all kinds of items, pumping up your stats, learning skills with high coefficients, rotating skill cooldowns, stacking infinite CC to kill bosses in one hit—that veteran playstyle.

I too once thought that was romantic, and I had those save files too.

Anyway, long story short.

It all boils down to this.

“Ayla. Get up. There’s somewhere we need to go.”

“Where? I need to solve the Magic Power 1 issue, so…”

“That’s exactly it. I’m saying we’re going to solve Magic Power 1 right now.”

“Eh, huh? Where to? Magic Power 1 has never been achieved by anyone in history…”

“Didn’t I tell you before? There is exactly one way.”

“Huh, huh? If you said it before, then that’s… the Blue Dragon in the desert…?”

Ayla recalled what I had said and let out a sharp gasp.

“Yes. We’re going to meet the dragon.”

“…Good. I’m mentally prepared.”

Oh. Impressive.

“Then let’s go.”

“…So soon? I, I mean, I am mentally prepared, but there are some things I need to prepare…”

“What is it?”

“Uh, hmm. I need to write a will to my parents, and I want to tell my siblings to take good care of the family… And we have to cross the Scorching Desert, after all. Could you give me just a little more time to prepare?”

“……”

Ah, right.

She still doesn’t know.

“The dragon is inside the Academy.”

“Huh?”

“So we’re going to meet her now.”

“Understood. I, Ayla Triasta, shall spread my magnificent jet-black wings and prepare for the most brilliant final rebellion of my life.”

Why are you suddenly going that route?

Why?

“Eve von Lohengrin doesn’t know, Regina Ciela doesn’t know—a crisis in Zefflin. A dragon’s incursion. The two of us joining hands to achieve the feat of dragonslaying. Truly, the dark hero of Zefflin… Wolfram. I too will stake my life on making this rebellion succeed.”

“……”

“As it happens, my childhood dream was to become a dragon slayer. If I can’t become one, I’ll just cut them down and prove that I’m greater. The time has come for that childhood dream of mine to be fulfilled.”

That’s not what this is about.

Ugh, what is it.

Where do I even start explaining.

“Listen carefully, Ayla Triasta.”

“Yes. I’m listening, Wolfram.”

“The dragon, you see.”

“Yes?”

“The dragon is my older sister.”

“……?”

This time, Ayla genuinely seemed not to understand, tilting her head.

I mean, I really don’t know how to explain this either.

So.

“…Wolfram, were you actually a dragonkin? Ah… Have I just discovered the hidden truth of 300 years of Lohengrin? Good heavens… A secret entwined with the history of Zefflin and Lohengrin that even I, Ayla Triasta, cannot catch up to. And you’re telling me this because… Ah. You want me to participate in that great undertaking too, Wolfram? Is that it?”

“No, so… Hmm. Well, that’s…”

Ugh, really.

I’ll explain on the way. On the way.

—

“…So there was such a story. The great First Emperor’s daughter is in Zefflin…”

“Mm.”

I gave her a rough summary of the First Emperor and the dragon’s story.

Just that the dragons were nearly extinct, and the First Emperor left the youngest dragon in Zefflin.

No matter what, talking about the Demon Realm gates and other settings seemed a bit…

Ayla is smart, and sometimes sharp.

That’s why it’s tricky to explain.

【Why is there a Demon Realm gate in Zefflin? It’s an artificial island built by the First Emperor? Why would the Demon Realm be in everyone’s place of learning?】

If she asks something like that—

What am I supposed to say?

I’d have no choice but to say, “I think so too!”

……

But you know. In my experience, other console games are the same, right?

Dungeons that only open after the second playthrough—you know, those endless grinding hardcore dungeons with names like ‘Tower of Time,’ ‘Dimensional Rift,’ or ‘World of Memories’—they usually don’t have much setting. At most, one NPC shows up and says something like, ‘An anomaly has occurred at the center of the world! Spacetime is distorted, and you might even encounter bosses you’ve faced before!’

D/Z SAGA did try to give some setting for that part, but explaining it would just make things more troublesome.

Anyway.

“So we’re going to meet… the great ancestor’s daughter. In other words, my older sister.”

“…Th-that’s right. I’m incredibly nervous.”

“Why?”

“That’s just how it is. …Ugh, should I have prepared a signed autograph? No, hmm. That’s already…”

“…?”

—

And so, we headed to Magic Department Building 7 Library.

As it happened, it was also the day Phitia had said to come see her, and Eve had been looking tired lately.

Eve really is such a useless one, isn’t she.

Getting all haggard just from being slightly tormented by Phitia, stressed out, and trying to shoot Light Spears at people.

She’s my bloodline mate, but what a troublemaker.

Hmm.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

From now on, unless there’s a special reason, I’ll keep sending Eve to handle her.

I won’t forgive her.

Anyway, having resolved to keep Phitia as Eve’s permanent assignment, I opened the library door.

“Welcome, little brother. I could feel your magic, so I was waiting.”

“Long time no see, big sis. Have you been well?”

“Yeah. Hehe. Our youngest is just so cute, you know. Hehe.”

I see. I’m glad the living sacrifice of a bloodline mate I offered seems to be to your liking.

“So who’s that one with you?”

“Ah, this person is…”

“Wolfram. Let me introduce myself. Nice to meet you. I’m Ayla Triasta.”

“…Yeah. So? What’s your relationship with my little brother?”

“I, Ayla Triasta, and Wolfram are engaged to each other.”

“…Wha, what?”

Phitia stared at me with wide eyes.

The emotions in her eyes were disbelief, bewilderment, doubt, astonishment.

In other words… she was asking if this girl is really my fiancée.

I didn’t avert my gaze and answered with a small nod.

“Th-that… Hehe. I-is that so. So you, you’re the cat who’s going to steal my family away…”

Oh dear.

Blue lightning flickered in Phitia’s eyes.

Dragon Eyes. The dragon’s authority she activated when we first met.

I’m enduring safely thanks to the Imperial Bloodline.

I’m fine, but what about Ayla…

“……”

She’s breaking out in a cold sweat, but she’s still enduring.

“…Phitia big sis.”

“Little brother, stay out of this. You, you said your name is Ayla Triasta?”

“Yes.”

“How much do you know about ‘me’? Did little brother happen to tell you?”

“…Yes. He told me.”

“I see. I don’t know how much he told you, but for three hundred years I’ve been watching over this Academy alone by Papa’s command, and I’ve finally just gained a family. And now you’re standing before me, saying you’ll someday take away the little brother I just gained.”

“……”

“I, Phitia Bluebreeze, how should I treat you, Ayla Triasta?”

“Phitia big sis.”

As I stepped in front of Ayla to shield her, the pressure of the Dragon Eyes came at me.

I countered it with the Imperial Bloodline and opened my mouth.

“Don’t you think that’s enough? If you’re going to apply more pressure than this, we’ll take our leave.”

“I told you not to interfere, little brother.”

“I can’t do that.”

“…Are you serious?”

“I’m serious.”

I opened the party window and immediately checked Ayla’s status.

If she had a status effect, I was planning to forcibly overwrite it with the Tier 1 skill Imperial Bloodline and then withdraw from this place. That was my thought.

“Oh my. Lady Phitia. It seems you have a misunderstanding.”

Ayla’s status window was perfectly normal.

“Me, steal Wolfram away?”

That wasn’t all.

Ayla slipped out from behind me, stood before Phitia, and smiled brightly.

“………?”

The lightning in Phitia’s eyes formed a question mark.

That’s a consciousness-linked magic, but it can make that kind of expression?

“Ahem, we haven’t given each other a definite answer yet. We’ve agreed to give our answers on graduation day.”

“…Even so, that’s only a year away, isn’t it? Then when my little brother graduates in a year…”

“Yes. And… if I were to have that… that con… no, that… b-bind… Ahem. This, deep bond with Wolfram!”

Is she really too embarrassed to even say the word “marriage”?

Even so, her romance knowledge hasn’t evolved since middle school, has it?

You weren’t embarrassed about it before at home—why suddenly now?

“…You can’t say the word marriage?”

“…I-I’ve said it when we’re alone! Saying it in front of someone other than family is a bit… It’s a major life event, isn’t it something you shouldn’t say carelessly?”

“Th-that’s right. …So, as much as I hate to imagine it, if that happens?”

“Th-then, if that happens… if that happens…”

“Hurry up and answer. My patience isn’t that long.”

With a bright red face, Ayla placed her right hand over her chest and spoke proudly.

“Wouldn’t that just mean one more family member?”

“?”

Phitia and I both tilted our heads.

Wait, you can say it that way?

“How about thinking of it like that?”

“…U-uh, hmm. Th-that’s logical, but… Ah, right. The reason I should accept you as family when you’re not of Father’s bloodline…”

“But Lady Phitia, you’re not of the First Emperor’s bloodline either, are you?”

Phitia closed her mouth tightly.