As the chime signaling the end of lunchtime echoed, I started walking away from the main school building, my steps naturally becoming heavier.
“…Alsace Fortress, huh.”
The place we once fought desperately to protect has now become a major stronghold for the Crusaders to extend their invasion. Just that fact alone stirs a chaotic mix of anger, fear, and regret deep within my chest.
The fortification progresses, soldiers gather. On the other hand, Spada is increasing its vigilance. There’s a sense of unrest regarding the rebellion movement happening in Daedalus.
It’s a relief that there’s no sign of Spada’s carelessness, which I worried about the most. However, it’s undeniable that the tension is rising to a level that can be described as pre-war.
It’s apparent just from the Crusaders’ lack of response to Spada’s messenger.
“How much time do we have left until they strike…”
Even as I mutter that, there’s no way to know the answer. There are limits to Spada’s intelligence capabilities, and the Crusaders would never openly declare battle like Dragon King Gavinal would. They always appear suddenly.
“I need to hurry.”
According to Wil, if there aren’t large-scale invasions this month, we should be safe until spring next year. The reason is simple: it snows.
In the central and eastern parts of Pandora, which resemble Japan with its changing seasons, the snow begins to fall as early as November, or at the latest by mid-December. By the way, November is referred to as the Month of Frozen Soil, while December is called the Dark Moon.
In any case, by that time, the only invasion route from Daedalus, the Galahad Mountain Range, will be shut off by relentless snow and wind. A severe cold wave that can truly be called the arrival of Winter General will strike Spada.
Well, I have yet to experience winter in either Daedalus or Spada, so I don’t really know what it’s like, but it must be true if Wil explains it so seriously. In fact, Gavinal had never launched an attack during winter.
Speaking of which, Fiona mentioned that the Sinclair Republic has faced battles suffering under Winter General many times. In every country, the difficulty of winter warfare is high.
“Still, we can’t afford to be carefree.”
The enemy is still approaching just beyond that mountain.
Four trials remain. Lust, gluttony, pride, jealousy—it’s unclear which attributes correspond to these, but ice, wind, water, and light should still be around. The dark attribute should be considered part of black magic, so it can be excluded.
Considering the enhancement abilities from Strength Enhancement Drive, Defense Enhancement Gear, and Concentration Enhancement Accelerator, at least Speed Enhancement should be achievable.
In the enhancement system of modern magic, there is also ‘Element Boost,’ but whether this effect can be realized or not is difficult to judge.
In any case, if I am to fight the Crusaders and face the Apostles, I want to achieve all trials and gain the true Demon King’s blessing.
At first, I thought the attribute change was “a bit lackluster,” but now that I know its true power, I can see how impressive it is. Combining such extraordinary enhancement abilities seven times should indeed enable me to not fall behind even when fighting the Apostles head-on.
It’s precisely because of that hope that I feel even more anxious.
“Where are the trial monsters… No, I guess I have no choice but to search quietly…”
For now, I’ll also gather information at the Adventurer Guild along with my shopping.
Now that I’ve reached the highest rank of 5, I can freely access the Upper District beyond the inner walls of Spada, where nobles reside. Additionally, I can also use the headquarters of the Spada Adventurer Guild.
Being a high-rank adventurer, the guild headquarters has much more information on monsters than the familiar Academy District Branch. Perhaps there could be a monster quest targeting the Rank 5 monsters that won’t be posted at the branch.
Despite everything, it feels like today’s schedule is getting busier, but well, that’s fine. With my current state of mind, being relaxed would only increase my anxiety.
By the time I gathered my thoughts, I found myself back at the dorm. The still shabby wooden front door greeted me.
I could have just gone straight to the town of Spada, but I thought I might check in on Lily and Fiona. Well, I’m not sure if they’re in the dorm; Lily might be at the corpse magic class, and Fiona is likely at the grand library. Just in case.
“I’m home!”
Saying my homecoming greeting almost reflexively, I opened the creaky door.
With no reaction, it seems the two of them aren’t here after all.
“…Ah… Older brother…”
However, from the lounge just ahead of the entrance, I heard a muffled voice.
“Oh, Simon is already home.”
My ears definitely caught the small voice coming through the door. I can distinguish Simon’s cute voice.
A quicker return than expected. Well, as long as he’s back, that’s all that matters!
With that positive conclusion in mind, I opened the lounge door and announced.
“Hey Simon, welcome back!”
The face of the beautiful boy elf, not the beautiful girl I had rescued at Ischia Castle, was right there.
“Ah… older brother… t-this is…”
Yes, Simon was there. But as close friends, it wasn’t a touching reunion.
“Ah, you must be the rumored Black Nightmare Berserker Chrono, pardon my intrusion.”
The reason is that there was an unfamiliar third party present.
It was a remarkably beautiful woman. With exotic brown skin and hair as pure silver as holy silver. Judging by her long, pointed ears, she must be a Dark Elf.
Yep, she’s definitely someone I don’t know. I don’t have any acquaintances among the Dark Elves.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve heard a lot about you, but this is our first meeting—”
See, I was certain it was our first encounter. To be honest, I didn’t care much about such things right now. What’s troubling is that there’s something much more concerning than speculating her identity.
Her outfit is incredibly revealing.
“—Nice to meet you. You can call me Sophie.”
She wore a costume reminiscent of an Arabian Nights dancer. Aside from the design, the high degree of exposure fits the description perfectly. Her tall figure and glamorous body, a manifestation of male fantasies, make the outfit fit her even more.
From the wide sheer veil, her voluptuous form could be clearly seen, which is beyond seductive.
The only thing practically hiding her body was a tight white top and a skimpy thong. The decorative cloth fluttering at her chest and waist teasingly revealed lingerie-like clothing, which was very hard on the heart, in a sexual sense.
“Hello, I’m Chrono.”
However, I somehow managed to keep my composure just barely as I responded.
Thank you, Mom, for letting me become used to seeing large breasts; it helped me not to be captivated by this Dark Elf named Sophie.
“By the way, Sophie, what brings you to my place?”
“I came to see Simon. Ah, don’t worry about my identity; Lily will vouch for me. I’m no suspicious person.”
“Uh, well… I was indeed introduced by Lily…”
From Simon’s very awkward testimony, it seems Sophie’s words might be true.
Actually, her face is partially covered by a face veil, concealing her expressions. The veil is sheer enough that her nose and mouth are visible, but for some reason, I can’t recall any details.
This strange sensation indicates that her face veil most certainly possesses some kind of perception-affecting magical ability.
If she’s hiding her face with something like that, she’s more suspicious than a man wearing a ski mask, but if Lily guarantees her identity, I suppose I can trust her. At the very least, the possibility that she’s a new type of thief trying to induce negligence with an erotic outfit has been eliminated.
Now that we’ve established that, it should be good to go.
“Is that so? Well then, please make yourself at home.”
I decided to leave the room quickly.
“Ah, thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
“Hey, wait, older brother!”
I continued to ignore Simon’s desperate shout to keep me from leaving as I hurriedly exited the lounge.
“Come back, older brooootherrrr!”
Listening to Simon’s painful cry as I firmly shut the door behind me, I thought.
“I’m sorry, Simon. I can’t possibly read the atmosphere there…”
I had done my utmost to read the mood. I was solely concerned about leaving Simon and Sophie alone together.
Why? It’s simple and clear. From the moment I barged in shouting, “Welcome back, Simon!” it was obvious.
At that moment, Sophie was tightly embracing Simon. A hot embrace, falling in love.
I have no romantic experience, but there’s no way to miss the atmosphere that those two were involved in a romantic relationship. It was conveyed far too clearly. It became incredibly awkward for any third party watching.
In other words, my intuition concluded, “Ah, this is a matter for the two parties involved.” Thus, I’m the meddler. Me and also Lily, the one who introduced Sophie. Naturally, it makes sense that we were both not present. It’s best to leave it to those young two.
“…Sigh, tonight’s drinking party might be canceled.”
While the image of Simon’s face buried in the valley of Sophie’s chest, turning bright red, resurfaced in my mind, I started walking again.
Looking up, I noticed that the bright blue sky had turned cloudy in the brief time I spent entering and exiting the dorm. In addition, my gaze landed on the thick gray sea of clouds pressing down over Spada, creeping in from beyond the Galahad Mountain Range.
“Looks like it’ll be rough tonight.”
After muttering that cool remark, I set out for the town of Spada to do some shopping, trying to forget everything else.