If God could grant just one wish...
Frixell would undoubtedly ask to go back two months so she could beat those idiots senseless, one by one. The fact that they were throwing money away on a woman or dipping into the savings they had all painstakingly gathered—that would have been easier to stomach if it had stayed a private matter. She should have stopped them right then. She should have punched some sense into those fools with everything she had.
To think that their pathetic squabbling had caused a total stranger to suffer such a horrific injury.
To think they had dragged in a boy years younger than them and destroyed his life.
That, above all else, was the one thing that should never have happened.
It had all started more than six months ago. At the time, Flamberge was operating as a trio. Their long-time mage had retired to get married, so Frixell and her companions were picking up small jobs while searching for a replacement.
There was the party leader, a red-haired magic swordsman named Rex.
Then there was Dino, a blond heavy warrior.
And finally, there was Frixell herself, a female spear-wielder.
Lacking a rear-guard meant that scouting a new mage was their top priority. However, for an A-rank party with their level of experience, few candidates met their standards. As a result, the position remained vacant for a long time.
Then, out of the blue, Rex and Dino returned to the inn with a mage Frixell had never seen before.
"Frixell, we're thinking of adding her to the party. We met her by chance at a tavern, and it turns out she was looking for a group too."
"She’s a mage, and she’s got experience in an A-rank party. She’s a perfect fit, right?"
Rex had the sweet, gentle looks of a nobleman, but he was also indecisive and easily swayed. Dino was a mountain of a man, but he was crude and irresponsible. Frixell found herself wondering how these two—who were essentially all style and no substance—had managed to charm her. The mage was a woman so composed that even Frixell was impressed.
She looked to be about Frixell’s age, but her eyes were soft and her smile held a refined elegance—the polar opposite of Frixell’s notoriously abrasive personality. Her long, pale-purple hair was styled in light waves; it was the kind of lustrous hair that other women envied, looking as though fingers would slide through it without a single snag. Her grooming was impeccable—she looked less like an adventurer and more like a high-ranking cleric from some foreign land.
As it turned out, she was indeed a foreign mage who had recently immigrated to the country, claiming to have served in several A and B-rank parties. Frixell stared at her, mouth half-open.
"How did you two even get someone like this to listen to you? You didn't get her drunk and kidnap her, did you?"
"I'd never do something like that!" Rex protested.
"Dammit, what do you think we are...?" Dino growled.
"Two idiots with nothing but good looks."
"Hah?"
"What?"
"Hey now, don't start a fight..."
Frixell and Dino glared at each other until Rex stepped in with an exhausted sigh to play peacemaker. It wasn't that they were actually looking for a fight or that they hated each other; Flamberge had been like this since the day they formed. Usually, the hot-headed Frixell or Dino would start something, and Rex would follow along, nursing a headache and muttering under his breath. They were childhood friends who had known each other since they were brats.
The mage giggled, her voice sounding incredibly well-bred.
"Hehe, what a lively party."
"Lively? They’re just noisy. ...Well, I suppose giving it a try wouldn't hurt."
Frixell held out her right hand.
"I don't know what kind of sweet talk these two fed you, but I’ve got high standards."
The mage stared at Frixell’s hand for a moment, then crinkled her eyes and replied with perfect grace.
"I understand. I look forward to working with you, Frixell-senpai."
Frixell believed that bringing this foreign mage—Alphana—into the party was the catalyst for everything that followed.
It was hard to pinpoint exactly when things began to sour. At first, they carried out their activities normally, and Alphana never caused any specific problems.
But after a month, Rex and Dino had grown strangely close to her. Even then, Frixell thought it was just healthy camaraderie between teammates.
Then, somewhere along the line, it turned into something else.
By the three-month mark, the two men had begun showing Alphana blatant favoritism.
To be more precise, they had started lavishing her with money.
/
Frixell made her first major mistake about four months after Alphana joined.
"Frixell, I'm thinking of accepting a Clear Approval Investigation for a dungeon. What do you think?"
"Huh?"
The moment Rex returned to the inn and said that, Frixell’s voice rose in disbelief. He hadn't taken a request in nearly a week, so she had been waiting with some hope, thinking he’d finally found his motivation.
"Look... we’ve handled an Approval Investigation for another dungeon before. The Guild reached out to us because we have a track record."
"That's true, but..."
He wasn't technically wrong, but that "track record" belonged to the party before Alphana arrived. Now that she had replaced their old mage, the party’s dynamic had shifted significantly. Frixell was stunned that Rex was trying to jump into such a massive job under these circumstances.
Rex looked incredibly confident.
"It’ll be fine. The target is Gouzel... it’s a small-scale dungeon, and there are no reports of particularly strong monsters inside. Alphana won't have any trouble with a place like that, right?"
"That's not the point..."
Frixell shook her head in frustration.
"An Approval Investigation is on a completely different level of responsibility from a standard request. If something goes wrong, we could be demoted."
"It’ll be fine with Alphana."
There it was. Lately, every time Rex opened his mouth, it was "Alphana this" and "Alphana that." Frixell wasn't interested enough to meddle in his personal life, but the number of times he took her out to dinner had skyrocketed, and he seemed to be buying her all sorts of gear and items.
"Apparently, there are other parties being considered, so it’s first come, first served," Dino added.
He was no exception. He was mysteriously brimming with confidence.
"I’m for it. This is nothing for Alphana."
"Sigh..."
In short, Rex and Dino were completely infatuated with the beautiful woman who had joined their party. Coupled with the fact that they were technically her superiors, their desire to play the "protector" had been fully stoked, and they were feeling incredibly smug. Were they truly serious about taking on a high-stakes investigation in this state?
"Oh, dear. Rex, Dino, you’re both exaggerating..."
Alphana sat beside Rex, looking quite pleased with the praise. Frixell suppressed a headache.
"Hey... I’ll ask just in case, but you aren't doing this just because you’re blinded by the reward, are you? You’ve been spending a lot lately."
Because an Approval Investigation carried such immense responsibility, the pay was guaranteed to be far beyond typical requests. The two men had been on a spending spree for Alphana, and their wallets were likely feeling the strain.
"And? Do you plan to take Alphana to another fancy restaurant with that money?"
She wasn't saying it was inherently bad to take a job for the money. Adventuring was a dangerous profession; earning a fortune and living well was a fair trade for risking one's life. But there was a world of difference between taking a job responsibly and taking it recklessly out of greed.
At the very least, it wasn't the kind of job that should be handled by men who were currently being led around by their hormones. Frixell felt she had to put her foot down.
"Listen, you guys. You need to stop spoiling Alphana—"
"See, Rex? Just like I told you. She’s guaranteed to start squawking and complaining."
Frixell glared at Dino. It was normal for them to trade barbs, but his words just now carried a genuine, mocking edge.
Dino glared back.
"Frixell... you’ve done nothing but bitch whenever Alphana is involved lately. Since when did you get so high and mighty?"
"Maybe because you’re only doing things worth bitching about! How much did you blow on her yesterday? You’re so obsessed that I’m wondering if you can even focus on an investigation."
Dino looked away with a bored expression, picking at his ear with a long, theatrical sigh of annoyance.
"If you don't have the stomach for it, you don't have to come. Having someone who does nothing but complain just kills the mood."
"Oh... I see."
What was this? He had been impudent countless times before. Every time, they had traded blows with blunt, merciless words like neighborhood brats.
But she had noticed it. The closer the two men got to Alphana, the further they drifted away from Frixell.
Perhaps that was why... she felt like she had truly lost interest just now. Frixell turned her gaze to Rex.
"Rex... do you agree with him?"
"..."
Rex hesitated, his breath hitching, and then he looked toward Alphana. Why are you looking at her? I’m the one asking, and you’re the one being asked. Answer me with your own words.
Alphana gently took Rex’s hand in both of hers.
"Rex, it’s okay. I’m on your side."
And just like that, the hesitation drained from Rex’s eyes like a receding tide.
"Frixell... you’re being too short-sighted. You should be more like Alphana—"
"Forget it. I don't care, do whatever you want!"
Frixell didn't wait to hear the rest. she stormed out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the inn. She marched down the street in a fury before finally leaning against a railing by the canal, letting out a heavy sigh that felt like it was sinking into the depths of the earth.
"Honestly... it’s always Alphana, Alphana, Alphana."
It was true that Frixell was abrasive, lacked charm, and had zero femininity. Compared to her, it was probably natural to want to dote on someone as beautiful and pleasant as Alphana.
But even so, skipping jobs for nearly a week to eat at expensive restaurants and buying her not just gear, but jewelry that was useless in a fight... while being a "provider" might sound noble, they were just fawning over her.
She whispered to herself.
"I hope they fail miserably..."
Gouzel, was it? She hoped the dungeon hadn't actually been cleared. While it was rare for adventurers to misidentify a boss monster, it wasn't unprecedented. She hoped they got jumped by a surviving boss. She hoped they’d have to run back with their tails between their legs and face a grueling inquiry for their negligence in taking a shorthanded party into an investigation.
It would stain the party’s reputation, but it would be good medicine for those fools.
"Sigh..."
Frixell let out another heavy sigh—and then, a familiar set of voices from behind caught her attention.
"Honestly, Liesel-san and Atri-san are doing nothing but buying snacks..."
"Fufun, sweets go into a separate stomach, they do."
"Nn. Walking while eating is zero calories."
"No, that's definitely not how it works..."
"It is!" "It is."
(Ah... those kids.)
A small silver-haired mage, a girl with pale pink hair, a brown-skinned girl, and a young swordsman with long grey hair tied back.
It was Silvery Grey. Frixell didn't know them personally, and they certainly didn't know her, but she had recently taken a private interest in their party.
Were they taking a break from adventuring today to enjoy a holiday? Liesel and Atri were eating waffles as they walked, while Wolka and Yulitia followed slowly behind.
As to why Frixell was interested in them... the biggest reason was simple.
(Sigh... honestly, those kids are just so cute every time I see them. They’re such a healing presence...)
To put it plainly, Frixell had a massive soft spot for younger boys.
"It’s just past noon, so maybe even Yulitia should indulge for once?"
"I-I, well... I'll... g-get fat... so."
"I think you’re worrying too much..."
"That carelessness is fatal! Besides, lately, more than my stomach..."
"More than your stomach...?"
"N-N-N-Nothing! Ugh..."
That party seemed to have an incredible bond.
Of course, since they trusted each other with their lives, it was only natural for them to get along. But Silvery Grey felt less like "companions" and more like a "family." They were the kind of group that made you think they would stay together forever, never falling out.
Because Frixell was currently watching her own relationships crumble, their presence seemed all the more radiant.
"Wait, where did Master and Atri go?"
"Eh?"
While Wolka and Yulitia were talking, Liesel and Atri had already been lured away by another street stall.
"Hmph, young ladies... I recognize those waffles. Timothy’s shop, right? Well, mine aren't half-bad either. Give 'em a taste."
"Oho? Hmm, very well. I shall have one."
"Me too."
Wolka and Yulitia slumped their shoulders in unison.
"Ah, they’re buying more..."
"Honestly, you two! You won't be able to eat dinner at this rate!"
Before she knew it, a smile had crept onto Frixell’s face.
Her dark mood had lifted considerably just by seeing Silvery Grey. Honestly, she wanted to make her own idiots drink the dirt from under Wolka’s fingernails. He was surrounded by three cute girls, yet he maintained a peaceful party without a hint of trouble. Rex and Dino couldn't manage that if their lives depended on it.
"Alright! I need to change my mindset too."
Rex and the others would be gone for about a week on the investigation. Frixell would take that time to refresh herself. It was annoying to be called short-sighted, but perhaps she had been a bit too emotional. She’d try to have a real talk with them when they got back.
And so, Frixell did not accompany them on the Approval Investigation.
Looking back, that was her first mistake. She should have immediately reported the party’s current state to the Guild. While the Guild couldn't interfere in a party's private life, it would have put Rex’s investigation under a microscope.
The reason that thought never occurred to her was that, deep down, she had wanted Rex and the others to fail.
She thought that if they suffered a stinging failure, they would wake up. Even though it was her own party, Frixell had treated the situation like someone else's problem.
She had walked away, oblivious to the malicious smile Alphana wore as she left the room.
/
Her second mistake happened about a week later.
"Don't screw with me."
"Hah? Seriously, you’re looking for a fight right out of the gate?"
Frixell had stormed into a room in an inn on the north side of the Holy Court District—a place far too luxurious for mere adventurers.
The first thing Rex and the others had done with the massive reward from the investigation was move into this high-end inn, which was two ranks above their previous one. Naturally, they had left Frixell behind at the old place.
That didn't bother her much; adventurers weren't required to live together. Where they spent their money was their business. But the reason Frixell was confronting them was something else entirely.
"You guys dipped into the party savings, didn't you?"
Flamberge had been building up a nest egg for years with the help of a merchant friend. But these two had secretly withdrawn about thirty percent of the total—without so much as a word to Frixell.
In a room that was unnecessarily large, Dino lounged arrogantly on a sofa as if she were an annoyance.
"Our leader said it was fine."
"We needed a significant sum for something. Isn't that what savings are for?"
Rex looked completely unperturbed. They had Alphana sitting between them, and they were flanking her like servants attending to a princess.
Frixell slammed her fist onto the table, where half-empty wine bottles sat.
"Then tell me what you spent it on. Tell me, right here and now!"
It was obviously for Alphana. Those savings belonged to all of them; they included the hard-earned money of their former companion as well. Yet they were treating it as their personal slush fund.
"It doesn't matter what it was for. Besides, someone who skipped out on the last job doesn't have much of a say."
"If it was the reward money, you could do whatever you wanted with it! But the savings are different! That money wasn't saved so you could satisfy your pathetic vanity!"
Frixell had tried her best to be patient and talk to them, but nothing had reached their hearts. She couldn't believe it. It was as if they had both been brainwashed by Alphana. She couldn't see it any other way.
"Rex, you too... are you the same? Does it mean nothing to you after everything I’ve said?"
Honestly, she felt she had held her temper remarkably well. If these had been mere acquaintances, she would have beaten them into a pulp and sent them to the church for judgment long ago. The reason she had clung to a sliver of hope until the very end was because they were her childhood friends—the only companions she had ever known.
This time, Rex didn't hesitate.
"Frixell... honestly, your behavior lately has been excessive. You do nothing but complain about everything we do. Aren't you the one disturbing the party’s harmony?"
It had all been for nothing.
"Any more of this... and I’ll have to consider taking formal action."
"Rex, don't say that. I’m sure Frixell-senpai is just a bit emotional right now..."
"Alphana, you’re too kind."
"I wish someone else would take a page out of her book."
This party was no longer the Flamberge she knew.
It was over. Rex and Dino had been turned into spineless husks by Alphana. She suspected that even if a child were being attacked by a monster right in front of them, they would prioritize Alphana and let the child die.
The Rex and Dino Frixell once knew were gone.
"Frixell-senpai, I’ll give you one piece of advice."
At some point, Alphana had stopped using polite language with her.
"You should really think about your future. While you’ve been doing nothing but complaining, a massive 'gap' has opened up between us."
There was no trace of the refined lady Frixell had first met. There was only a hideous smile, twisted with the ugly pleasure of believing she was "above" Frixell.
Ah, I see.
So this woman’s goal, from the very beginning, was this.
"Enough."
The complete and utter disappointment Frixell felt was a cold, quiet emotion.
"Rex, Dino... I'm disappointed in you. From the bottom of my heart."
"Oh, how harsh. Rex, Dino, it’s okay. I’m on your side."
It made her want to vomit.
This was her second mistake. This was the final moment where she should have punched all three of them to stop them.
She wished her usual hot-headedness had taken over then. She wished she had just attacked them without thinking.
But her disappointment had made her strangely calm, and she simply chose to walk away.
/
"Fri-chi, you’re amazing! Seriously! You worked so hard. If it were me, I would’ve blown them all away with magic!"
"I-I see..."
Three days later, Frixell was in a tavern in the Royal Capital, venting to her former party member. Since that incident, she had come to hate being in the Holy City. After withdrawing her share of the remaining savings, she had boarded a ferry without a second thought and fled to the Royal Capital with little more than the clothes on her back.
But as it turned out...
"Actually, want to go back and beat them up now? My husband is researching combat magic at the Magisterica. Three against three is a fair fight. Let’s go to war!"
"No, that's really not necessary."
Frixell remembered then that this girl was even more hot-headed than she was. She quickly soothed her friend, who was already feeling the alcohol. Her friend drained half her glass in one go.
"I was wondering why you suddenly showed up in the Capital... so that’s how it was. What was her name again? Alpaca?"
"Alphana. Where are you getting alpaca from?"
Her friend laughed loudly and out of tune.
"I don't know what kind of woman she is, but Rex and Dino are definitely the villains here. The worst! Total disillusionment!"
"Tell me about it..."
Frixell let out every bit of air in her lungs and slumped onto the table, which looked like it had seen better days.
"So... is this it? Is it over for us?"
"You told them a dozen times and that was the result. Honestly, if it were me, I would’ve said 'bye-bye' a long time ago."
"You’re as blunt as ever."
She didn't mean it as a criticism, but it might have come out a bit sharp. Her friend didn't care, though; she just gave a playful, slightly drunken wink.
"Of course I am. I quit your party just to be with my husband, didn't I?"
"I envy your decisiveness..."
"Since you’re here, Fri-chi, why don't you find a good man? Forget those two. Marriage is the best!"
"Listen to you."
Frixell pouted. Her friend knew perfectly well she had no luck in that department.
"There's nobody like that..."
When she acted sulky, her friend leaned in closer, grinning.
"Oh, right. Fri-chi likes them younger. And she’s serious about it. It has to be a boy, doesn't it?"
"Don't—!"
Frixell almost shouted "don't be an idiot," but she caught herself. She immediately regretted ever discussing her tastes with this woman. It wasn't that she only liked children—that would be creepy—but she did think boys between fifteen and seventeen, in that awkward stage between childhood and adulthood, were quite nice.
"Fri-chi, I'll tell you this much—"
Her friend leaned across the table and lowered her voice with a mischievous smile.
"Keep the age gap within ten years. Anything more than that is genuinely off-putting. Higyah!"
Frixell promptly executed her friend by grinding her knuckles into her head.
And so, Frixell decided to spend her time in the Royal Capital, trying to forget about her fallen companions.
Eisen-Vista—as expected of the world's premier magical city, it was overflowing with magic tools she had never seen in the Holy City. There were shelves that dispensed goods when you put money in, inn doors that opened by themselves when you waved a piece of wood at them, streetlights that turned on and off at set times, automata that performed simple tasks, and a Grand Astronomical Clock that predicted everything from stellar movements to the weather. The list was endless.
The "Train," which had just been put into use the previous year, was especially breathtaking. It carried over a hundred passengers and raced across the ground at a speed horses and ships couldn't dream of. It only operated in major parts of the Capital for now, but if it ever connected the Capital and the Holy City by land... it would change the world.
And it wasn't just the magic tools that stunned her.
By pure chance, she had managed to catch a glimpse of the Third Seat of the Seven Flowers Canon, the man hailed as the strongest Holy Knight in the country—the Canon of the Saint—as he returned from a mission.
(Wow. What is that?)
Even from a distance, Frixell had to laugh. The difference in power was something she understood instinctively the moment she saw him. Even if a hundred of her attacked him at once, they wouldn't leave a scratch. He was a monster among monsters, someone who had stepped so far beyond human limits that he existed in a different realm entirely.
Before she knew it, a month had passed, and Frixell finally felt she could return to the Holy City.
She would go back and officially leave the party. Alphana would probably laugh at her, but with that level of spending, they were bound to go bust soon anyway. When the money ran out, the "love" would follow. It was better to cut ties before she got dragged down with them.
Don't come crying to me when you're penniless.
She returned to the Holy City, seeing her room for the first time in a month. She steeled herself and went to find Rex and the others, but they were no longer at that fancy inn. The staff said they had left two or three days ago and hadn't returned.
Had they run out of money already? She thought it served them right, but she decided to check the Guild just in case.
(—?)
The moment she stepped inside, she frowned. The atmosphere was strangely hectic, even for the Guild.
She wasn't sure; maybe it had always been this noisy. She figured she was just feeling it because she’d been away, so she approached a familiar receptionist.
The girl’s eyes went wide with shock.
"Frixell-san?! Where have you been all this time?!"
"Wait, what? What's going on?"
"You have to tell me everything! Don't you dare run away!"
Frixell was baffled.
"Run away from what? What’s with all the noise?"
"Noise? You—"
The receptionist looked at her as if she were insane, but then her expression shifted to one of intense seriousness.
"Do you really not know anything?"
"I’ve been in the Royal Capital for a month. I just got back."
"A month?! Then... you weren't involved...?"
"Hey..."
The receptionist leaned in and whispered into Frixell’s ear.
"A Clear Approval Accident happened in the dungeon you investigated! Your leader and the others vanished as soon as the news broke...!"
"What?"
It took several seconds for the words to sink in.
"What do you mean? What happened?"
"Where are the others? We’ve searched the whole city and can't find them. They’re under suspicion of desertion."
"..."
Ah, I see.
They finally fell that far.
"I'll go get someone who can explain everything!"
The receptionist ran off, and soon Fyuji, a staff member known for his mysterious laziness, arrived. He led Frixell to a private room on the second floor, a place she rarely visited.
There, she heard the full story of what had happened while she was away.
"No... way."
"I wouldn't joke about this."
Frixell would never forget that moment for the rest of her life. The phrase "the world went dark" wasn't a metaphor; it was a physical sensation that crushed her. Intense dizziness made her back buckle, her sense of balance vanished, and she gasped for breath, not even knowing if she was still standing.
The A-rank party Silvery Grey had been attacked by a massive boss monster in Dungeon Gouzel. They had managed to kill it, but a young man named Wolka had been on the brink of death. He had survived, but he had lost his right eye and his left leg.
Her heart thrummed loudly in her ears.
"Anyway, for now, we're taking you into Guild custody—"
The moment her vision cleared, Frixell kicked her chair back and grabbed Fyuji by his collar.
She screamed.
"Why?! Why them?! Why did this happen to them?!"
She saw the four of them in her mind—buying snacks, enjoying their holiday. Liesel, Yulitia, Atri, and Wolka.
Fyuji’s eyes widened.
"You know Wolka and his party?"
"Ugh..."
They weren't friends. They weren't even acquaintances. She had just taken a personal interest in them from afar—but even so.
She had wanted them to have a perfect adventuring life. She wanted them to stay together like a family, never falling apart like her own group. They were so good-hearted that they were a healing presence to her. They deserved that much.
And yet.
"It's my fault."
She hadn't cried in years.
"Because I didn't stop them!"
No, it wasn't just that she hadn't stopped them. That day, when Rex and the others had said they were taking the job, what had she thought? What had she wished for?
She had wished for them to fail miserably out of spite.
She had wished for the boss monster to still be alive, just to prove her point.
And look—her wish had come true.
Rex and the others had failed, the monster had been there, and because of that, those innocent, kind-hearted kids had—
"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!"
Frixell collapsed, still clutching Fyuji’s collar.
Frixell was the granddaughter of a knight. She had been raised on her grandfather’s strict code of chivalry.
One of his teachings was carved deep into her memory. He had told her many times when she was young.
The one thing an adult must never do.
It was to let an innocent child be sacrificed because an adult failed their responsibility.
"The Guild is desperately searching for your teammates right now. So, if you have any idea where they might be..."
"Let me help!"
Frixell looked up, her face wet with tears.
She forced her trembling knees to lock and stood up.
"I’m sorry. I don't even know how to apologize... so use me. Like a dog."
This was no time for crying. The ones who had the right to cry were those kids whose peace had been stolen.
So stand up, Frixell! You don't have time to be on your knees!
"I’ll find them. And when I do... I’m going to punch them until they can't stand."
The worst sin an adult can commit is to abandon their responsibility and let an innocent child pay the price.
And to turn away and keep running after committing that sin.
That was what her grandfather had taught her.