As preparations for war pressed forward at a frantic pace, ti marched on silently, inexorably.
DONG——!
The final bell of day tolled across the land.
The people of Bongisto couldn’t help but lift their heads to gaze at the horizon.
There, the last rays of twilight faded slowly below the edge of the world.
Night.
Had fallen......
The frontline walls of Bongisto.
Tap.
Hulim Heyerar’s feet touched down lightly on the cold stone battlents.
She stared out at the vast wilderness stretching before her.
WHOOSH——!
A cool night wind swept across the field, whistling past her ears.
It carried with it a faint, unmistakable scent of danger.
“Well, well! Look who’s joined the party, the new kid~!”
At the sound of that voice, Hulim turned to her right.
Several figures stood there, just as she did—silent sentinels atop the wall, all waiting for the final hour to arrive.
Hulim’s gaze swept over them one by one.
So she knew, so she had only seen in passing, and others were complete strangers.
There was Monroe, Disciple of the Sword Saint—a familiar face. Even with the imminent battle hanging over them, he still had that lazy, carefree air about him. He was perched casually on the edge of the wall, sipping from a cheap bottle of wine.
When he noticed Hulim looking his way, he lifted his bottle with a grin and nodded—a lazy greeting.
Is he drunk again...... Hulim thought to herself.
After Monroe, the familiar faces included Dimik the Dragon Swordsman—the forr exam proctor—and Snook the Starbreaker, another Rank A Adventurer she had t back in Himril City.
Then there were those she had only t earlier that day, but not yet acquainted with.
Yuris the Illusionist, a Rank A Adventurer of the Elf race. A fringe of erald-green bangs fell over his eyes, which held an icy, detached gaze. His expression was perpetually stern and unsmiling. Rumor had it he was an incredibly powerful wind-elent mage.
Uno the Lightbringer, also a Rank A Adventurer. She was a Black Hound Beastman, clad head to toe in a sleek black dress—even her wand was jet-black...... Despite her dark attire, she had been a prodigy raised by the Church in her early years. The story went that she’d stord out of the Church in a fit of rage over its rigid rules, joining the Adventurer’s Guild to beco an exclusive adventurer.
Last of all was a figure whose aura alone scread Rank A—though Hulim was seeing her for the very first ti. Her appearance was easily the most flamboyant of the bunch.
She was even shorter than Hulim, with two long, slender golden pigtails that reached all the way down to her ankles. She wore mismatched shoes—one of each style—and her outfit was so skimpy it blurred the line between shorts and underwear, paired with a tight-fitting top that barely covered her torso. Most outrageous of all was the colossal one-handed battleaxe slung over her shoulder—a weapon several tis her own size.
“New kid? Oh, you must be Hulim Heyerar—the one who made Rank A today, right?”
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The girl with the skimpy outfit spoke up, her voice bright and chipper.
“The na’s Liz Val. They call Liz Val the Mountainbreaker. Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not like you humans. I’m a Dwarf.”
“Ehh? U-Um, it’s nice to et you. I’m Hulim Heyerar.”
Hulim stared at her in open astonishnt.
She’d never seen a Dwarf like this before......
“Ahahaha~!”
Suddenly, Uno burst out laughing, doubling over with mirth.
“You got fooled by her looks too, Hulim~! Don’t let that cute face fool you—she’s actually an old lady!”
“HA?!?”
Liz’s eyes narrowed to slits, her temper flaring instantly.
“You perverted Black Hound! What did you just say?! Call an old lady again, and I’ll split you in two!”
Uno’s laughter died abruptly, replaced by a sharp, dangerous grin.
“Oh my. Looks like you said sothing you shouldn’t have, you little grandma who’s trying to pass for a kid.”
“I’m not trying to pass for anything! I just stopped growing early, you pervert!”
“Says the one dressed like that! How dare you call a pervert!”
“GRRR——”
“GRRR——”
ZAP! ZAP!
The two of them glared daggers at each other, neither willing to back down. Sparking tensions crackled between them, as if actual flas were leaping from their eyes.
“......”
Hulim turned to Snook beside her, a look of confusion on her face.
“Mr. Snook—is this the first ti they’ve fought like this?”
“Of course not,”
Snook shook his head, a resigned expression on his face.
“Don’t pay them any mind. This is pretty much a daily occurrence. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”
“......Three of them?”
Hulim glanced back and forth between the bickering pair, then up at Snook in confusion.
Snook jerked his chin toward the space behind the two arguing won.
Hulim followed his gaze, peering past the heated standoff—only to see Yuris standing there, looking as cold and aloof as ever.
“Is sothing wrong with Mr. Yuris?”
Hulim turned back to Snook, still puzzled.
“Uh......”
A bead of sweat rolled down Snook’s forehead.
“It’s nothing. A kid like you doesn’t need to know about stuff like that.”
“?”
Hulim possessed the vast accumulated wisdom and experience of countless ancient sages. She was a master of virtually everything—from the intricacies of society to the depths of the human heart, to the tangled webs of politics.
But there was one thing she knew nothing about.
The reason for this gap in her knowledge was simple:
All the ancient sages who had stood at the very pinnacle of the world—regardless of their race or gender—were, to put it bluntly, lifelong bachelors.
Just then, Dimik walked over to her, a curious look in his eyes.
“Hulim—what are you most skilled at?”
His gaze flickered between the Seven Luminaries in her hand and the Helkem strapped to her back, clearly trying to gauge her fighting style.
“?”
The topic of the “three people” was temporarily forgotten. Hulim thought for a mont, then replied,
“I’m decent at a little bit of everything.”
“I-I see......”
Dimik looked a little taken aback.
“I’d assud you were more of a mage.”
“Not exactly,” Hulim shook her head. “I can stand on the front lines right alongside you.”
“Wouldn’t that be pushing yourself too hard?”
“Don’t worry about it. I am good with magic—but I’m just as good at using it up close and personal.”
At that, Dimik let out a relieved laugh.
“It seems I was worrying for nothing.”
“By the way, I don’t suppose you know the fighting styles of the others here? Allow to fill you in.”
“That would be much appreciated, Mr. Dimik.”
“Of course. First off—. They call the Dragon Swordsman because I can wield a fraction of a true dragon’s power......”
As Dimik began to explain the strengths of each of their allies,
ti ticked steadily onward.
The preparations for war in Bongisto reached their final stages......
Adventurer's Guild Headquarters.
Firuvin Pohl Karl, the Rank S Adventurer known as the Adventure King, sat cross-legged on the roof of the guild’s tallest tower.
Above his head, the Destiny Cube—split into countless tiny squares—hovered in a slow, steady orbit around him.
If one looked closely, one could see that those squares seed to be connected to sothing hidden in the void itself.
Occasionally, arcane magic array patterns would flare to life in the air around him—only to fade away without a trace after spreading a re few ters outward.
At the very sa mont.
Sowhere outside the walls of Bongisto.
A shadowy figure watched the city from the darkness, its gaze cold and calculating.
“Hehehehe......”
The shadow let out a sinister chuckle.
“As expected of the Adventure King—you’d choose to do things this way.”
“Humans really are as foolish as ever. You’d rather spare the worthless masses than eliminate the great enemy standing right before you.”
“But~, it’s precisely because you’re like this that my plans will succeed.”
The shadow lifted its head, gazing up at the darkening sky.
“By my calculations...... the ti is almost upon us......”
Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock......
The massive clock tower of the Church chid relentlessly, its hands ticking down to the final mont.
The countdown had begun.
An unnatural silence fell over Bongisto—a silence unlike anything the city had ever known.
Everyone held their breath, not a single word spoken.
It was the calm before the storm.
DONG——!!!
At that precise mont,
the midnight bell rang out, its deep, resonant tone echoing across every corner of Bongisto.
Every single person on the walls tightened their grip on their weapons, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the wilderness beyond the city.
“They’re here!”
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