Miss Cool Beauty—or Ralua Goldol, to use her actual name.
She was apparently the fourth-ranked Hero Candidate. Considering Leonis was the 7th Rank, she was likely a literal monster in terms of power.
With those thoughts swirling in my head, Licia and I followed behind Ralua as we trekked through the forest.
"…Ralua, where exactly are we heading?"
"Toward the magic I sensed. It is likely Sera."
Oh, that was right—Sera was a Hero Candidate too. Leonis should be around here somewhere as well; I hoped both of them were safe.
"Luca, you’ve been walking since this morning. Are you holding up okay?"
"I'm fine. Licia, you're the one who should tell me the moment you get tired, okay?"
"Well then, since my feet are tired, won't you hold my hand?"
Quite the logical leap there. But… well, if it was just holding hands, I suppose it was fine.
"Come on. If you don't hurry, my feet are going to undergo necrosis."
"Don't say such unsettling things. Fine, here."
As I lightly grasped her hand, I felt a soft, warm sensation. Come to think of it, we’d hardly ever held hands before.
"The moment you feel any hand sweat, let go immediately, okay?"
"In that case, I’ll just grip you hard enough for our skin to fuse."
Haha, what an "interesting woman"… I thought to myself in despair.
"…Are you two lovers?" Ralua asked.
"Yes, we—" "No, we aren't."
"……"
I felt bad for answering so instantly, but please don't glare at me like that, Licia.
"I-I see," Ralua said. "You two seemed quite close, so I wondered."
"Well, it's true that we’re close, but…"
"Luca is just shy. Don't make him say it out loud."
Sera… save me.
◇
"Stop. It's here."
…A cave?
The entrance was quite large, leading into a pitch-black void where I couldn't see a foot in front of me. It looked like one of those massive stone arches you might see in a photograph of a foreign country.
"Is Sera inside here?" I asked.
"…Yes. However…"
"Is something wrong?"
"The scent of death… No, several people have already died."
"…What?"
"Died…?"
"Yes. And judging by these bloodstains, someone managed to escape."
I was glad at least one person had survived, but more importantly…
"Are we actually going in…?"
"I am. You two may remain here," Ralua stated firmly. "Since there is a possibility that Hero Candidates have been killed, only I or a higher-ranked candidate can handle what's inside."
…That was a valid point. Licia notwithstanding, I would definitely be a hindrance if I went.
But they might be dead. Leonis, who had helped me so many times, or Sera.
"Wait, what about Sera? Isn't she inside…?"
"She is. Or rather, it might be a case of 'she was.'"
Times like these made me truly want to curse my own powerlessness.
"…Licia," I started.
"I'm fine either way. If Luca is going, I'm going too."
Licia really did have a spine of steel.
"Ralua, we're coming with you."
"Are you certain? I doubt I will have the leeway to protect you."
"I can at least defend myself," Licia countered. "Besides, I'm the one who protects Luca."
It was pathetic to hear, but I was truly grateful.
Ralua stared at us for a few seconds, then let out a small sigh.
"…Understood. However, if I judge the situation to be even slightly dangerous, you are to fall back immediately."
"Roger."
"I'll do my best."
With Ralua in the lead, we stepped into the cave.
The moment we entered, a chill completely different from the outside air brushed against my skin. The rock walls were damp, and the only sound was the rhythm of water droplets falling from the ceiling.
And then—the piercing smell of iron hit my nose.
The scent of blood.
"Ugh…"
I instinctively grimaced. As my eyes began to adjust to the darkness, I saw something lying on the ground.
It was a person.
A man clad in armor was slumped against the wall. No, he wasn't just slumped—he had been discarded. A massive laceration ran across his chest, and there was no sign of life left in him.
"……"
Ralua's grip on her weapon tightened. He must have been one of the Hero Candidates.
I found myself at a loss for words. It wasn't my first time seeing a corpse, but it wasn't something you ever got used to. This wasn't a game or a manga. The reality of death was right there in front of me.
Ralua quietly closed her eyes. "We shall bury them afterward. We won't be able to rest easy until we deal with whatever is further ahead."
She scanned the area and began walking again. As we moved deeper, the number of bodies increased.
Two. Three. Five.
Some had fallen while trying to flee; others had died with their weapons still raised. There was no doubt that a fierce battle had taken place.
"…What did they even fight?" I muttered, though I wasn't asking anyone in particular.
It was then that Ralua came to a halt.
"There."
At the end of her gaze was a wide cavern. I felt my breath hitch.
In the center of the dimly lit space stood a single girl. She had long, platinum-blonde hair like mine and wore the robe of a Hero Candidate.
There was no mistake. It was Sera.
"Sera!" I shouted instinctively.
But there was no reply. Sera didn't move an inch; she just stood there like a statue staring at something.
And at her feet, numerous corpses were scattered about. The floor of the cave was stained a reddish-black with blood.
"No way…" My voice went hoarse.
Licia glared at Sera with a sharp, guarded gaze. This… it was almost as if…
It looked like Sera had killed everyone herself.
That was impossible. Absolutely. Not Sera. Not the girl who looked like she’d hate even the thought of hurting someone.
"…No," Ralua muttered lowly beside me. Her gaze wasn't on the corpses, but directed further back. "Luca, don't look."
There was a tension in her voice I had never heard before. But before she could even finish her warning, I had already seen it.
On the other side of the pile of corpses, slammed against the giant rock wall, was a grotesque monster. It was a massive creature, three times the size of a human, covered in a black shell and sporting broken horns.
And in the center of its chest was a giant hole, as if it had been pierced through by some immense force.
It was already dead. Nonetheless, my legs trembled from its mere presence.
"A High-tier Magical Beast…?" Ralua whispered, her eyes filled with disbelief. "No… are you saying she subjugated it alone?"
In that moment, Sera's shoulders, which had been motionless until then, gave a small tremble. She slowly turned around. The light was almost entirely gone from her eyes.
"……"
Sera looked toward us and spat out a cold, detached command.
"Kill it."
With those two words, I realized the situation was far worse than I had imagined.
The Magical Beast's eyelids slowly opened. In the depths of its eye sockets, gray flames were burning.