The Beastmaster, who had been lying in wait for Ren and Licia, looked up at the night sky. A smirk played across the lips visible beneath his hood.
"Sorry, but I have a contract to honor."
The ground, blanketed by the grasses and flowers that filled the rolling hills, began to tremble. In every direction, the earth began to bulge, and shrill, piercing shrieks echoed from beneath the soil.
"You aren't the type to give up, are you? In that case, I'll take you by force. And if that doesn't work, I’ll just have to kill you."
Two black vortexes swirled into existence behind the Beastmaster. From within them, Mana Eaters crawled out, their clawed hands dragging their bodies forward. As the Mana Eaters let out ferocious howls, a horde of monsters erupted from the ground surrounding Ren and Licia.
They were a grotesque variety of creatures—some insect-like, others resembling giant rats.
(They're E-rank at most.)
Since they were all monsters he recognized from the game, Ren grasped the situation immediately, but the sheer volume of them was overwhelming. There were nearly a hundred of them closing in on him and Licia.
Suddenly, voices drifted from the forest behind them.
"There they are!"
It was Viscount Given's knights. However, their triumphant shouts were quickly replaced by screams of terror.
"Wh—what?! Hey! Why are they coming toward us?!"
"Stop! Wait! We’re on your side—Guaaaaaah!"
The men who had been pursuing them were swarmed in an instant, attacked alongside their horses. It looked as if they were being swallowed by a pitch-black cloud. Mixed with their screams, the sound of something hard being ground to splinters echoed across the hills. Ren’s grip on the reins tightened.
"My orders wouldn't have reached them in time since they arrived so suddenly... well, it doesn't matter. They wouldn't have been useful in this fight anyway. They’re much more valuable as bait."
The Beastmaster’s cold words held no trace of camaraderie. With the screams at his back, Ren frowned, his eyes never leaving the cloaked figure.
"...Ren. Lend me a sword?"
Licia’s voice was taut with tension, her focus entirely on the coming battle.
"I’m sorry. This one is—"
"No, not your mysterious sword. The dagger you used when we were making camp is fine."
"Understood. In that case, take this."
Ren handed Licia the dagger he had received from Weiss. At that exact moment, the surrounding monsters kicked off the earth and lunged. Ren pulled the reins, maneuvering the horse to dodge while swinging his Wooden Magic Sword.
A dull thud echoed as he struck the first monster square between the eyes.
"Gugih?!"
Another creature leaped from the side, but Licia sliced its throat with a clean, effortless motion of the dagger. Even though they had easily dispatched two, an uncountable number remained.
Ren spurred the horse forward, slaughtering the monsters in his path. He used his Wooden Magic Sword to sprout barriers and obstacles, attempting to control the flow of the battle on the uneven terrain.
"Hmm. As I expected, even in a swarm, monsters of this level are..."
The Beastmaster sighed, watching the spectacle from his vantage point. His voice didn't reach the pair. Ren and Licia were too busy galloping across the hills, engaged in an overwhelming struggle against the endless tide of monsters emerging from the earth. They had no room to think about anything else.
(It’s okay. We can do this.)
Monsters fell one after another. In their wake, dead creatures lay scattered across the grass. Because they were fighting while constantly moving, the carcasses were strewn across the hills.
"Ren!"
"Yes! I see them!"
Licia shouted as a fresh wave of monsters approached from the front. Ren swung the Wooden Magic Sword, causing thick, gnarled roots to burst from the ground. They formed a defensive wall, maintaining their advantage.
"The blade is short and hard to use, but I'm making it work!" Licia cried.
She was impressive. Having trained relentlessly over the winter, her skills had reached a new level of reliability.
"You’ve gotten even stronger!"
"Of course! I had to, if I ever wanted to beat you!"
(That’s right... we couldn't finish our last duel because of her illness.)
She wasn't even at her best, and she was using an unfamiliar, short blade—yet she was magnificent. The Saint, Licia Clausel, was as strong as she was beautiful. Her swordsmanship was fluid and elegant, a match for her refined features. Ren, who guarded her back, found himself amazed time and again.
"But you’ve gotten stronger too, Ren! How is that possible?! I’ve worked so hard!"
"Even if you ask me why...!"
Despite the chaos, the two were strangely calm. Though they knew it wasn't the time for idle talk, they kept speaking, perhaps using the conversation to steady their nerves.
"Listen, okay? You are absolutely giving me a proper rematch later!"
"...Yes. I look forward to it."
His reply carried the weight of his resolve. He had to get her back safely. Losing this battle was not an option. He thought of his father and mother, hoping they were safe. Amidst these swirling thoughts, Ren looked at Licia's back.
...As long as she’s here, we can make it.
As they fought, he found himself drawing strength from her. Licia felt the same.
...If I’m with him, I won’t lose.
Just like Ren, her heart was bolstered by his presence. She had trusted him long before this night, but now that feeling was intensifying, anchoring her soul in the heat of battle.
"Ah—I'm sorry!"
A monster Licia hadn't quite finished lunged forward, its sharp claws grazing Ren’s cheek. He dispatched it instantly, but Licia’s body stiffened with regret at her lapse.
"I’m fine! Don’t let it get to you—just fight however you want!"
Ren’s immediate reassurance worked. The tension drained from Licia’s limbs.
"...Honestly, you’re too kind. Hey, when we get back to Clausel, why don't you just come live at my manor?"
"That’s a bit sudden! Where did that come from?!"
"Because then we could spar every day! And when Weiss or Father scold me, I feel like you’d take my side, Ren—right?!"
She swung her dagger as she spoke, fighting with renewed vigor and forgetting her momentary lapse. Countless monsters now littered the hillside. Suddenly, she let out a resigned sigh at a looming presence ahead.
"...Could you take care of that one?"
The creature emerging from the earth was a Worm several times larger than their horse. It burst through the soil, snapping its pincer-like mandibles as it lunged.
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Ren didn't flinch. He dispelled the Wooden Magic Sword and summoned the Iron Magic Sword. Gripping it with his free hand, he spurred the horse straight toward the monster. As they crossed paths, he unleashed a single, blinding flash of steel.
The shockwave from his strike reached even the Beastmaster in the distance.
"Wha... impossible!"
Licia gasped alongside the Beastmaster. She was seeing a level of overwhelming strength from Ren that he had never displayed during their practices.
"...Hey," she whispered.
The Worm, frozen in place by the passing strike, suddenly split in two. Its massive body collapsed onto the hillside with a heavy thud, staining the earth with its fluids and releasing a pungent, rotting stench.
"Ren, you've become much stronger than me."
"I'm honored by the praise."
"...You are definitely sparring with me when we get back. Promise?"
Ren gave a dry laugh. "Understood."
However, the moment of respite was brief.
"Kih!"
"Ki—!"
The Mana Eaters hissed, as if urging the Beastmaster to act.
"Haha," the man laughed, stroking the two creatures. "It’s time."
His voice resonated across the rolling hills. The reason they were moving now was clear: they had waited for Ren and Licia to tire themselves out against the horde, and now the Mana Eaters were coming to finish the job.
But despair did not touch the two children. Courage still blazed in their eyes as they watched the Beastmaster descend.
"Tell me the truth, Ren. Do you think we can win like this?" Licia asked as the remaining monsters closed in.
"I'll do my best."
"...No, I told you to be honest. I need to know the truth so I know how to play my part!"
"Your part...?"
"Just tell me! Can we win or not?"
Ren didn't want to waste time, so he gave her the blunt reality.
"Honestly, if those two Mana Eaters join the fray, our chances of victory are slim."
He knew those creatures were equivalent to D-rank. Yet, Licia didn't falter. Even with her life on the line, she simply murmured, "I'm glad to hear that."
"Ren, do you remember? I’m a Saint."
"I could never forget, but..."
"Then watch. Here I go."
Small orbs of light began to drift from her hands. They merged into Ren’s body, sparking an immediate transformation.
(This is...)
"...Good. It's the first time I've used it on someone else, but it seems to have worked."
This was the power Ren had remembered the moment he first met her.
"Is this... Holy Magic?"
Licia gave a silent, determined nod.
(Is it really this incredible?)
The buff from the Holy Magic pushed his stats to an unrecognizable level. His body felt lighter than on his best days. He felt like he was in a different league entirely. Power surged through every fiber of his being, drowning him in a sense of omnipotence he had never known.
Meanwhile, the Beastmaster made his move.
"Hunt. You can go all out today."
"Kih! Kikih!"
The two monsters, the same rank as the Thief Wolfen that had nearly killed Ren’s father, spread their wings and took to the night sky. But to the empowered Ren, their flight seemed sluggish and heavy.
(With this—!)
He could fight. No, he could win. He felt a certainty of victory anchoring his soul.
"Ren, I’m sorry... but can I focus entirely on the Holy Magic?"
"Yes! I’ll handle them!"
In that moment, Ren failed to notice the signs. He didn't see that Licia’s skin was burning with fever, or that she was drenched in sweat just like when she had been ill. Her voice was thin and strained, but his focus was locked on the enemy.
"Grrrrh!"
A beast-like monster lunged from the side, but Ren’s Iron Magic Sword cleaved it in two before it could even get close. The scene looked the same as before, but Ren felt the difference. It wasn't just his strength; the sword’s sharpness itself was on a different level. He felt as if he could cut through the world itself.
"...Impossible. How can he have that much power?"
The Beastmaster was shaken. The boy fighting on horseback appeared like a towering, inescapable presence. This wasn't the combat of a child. As Ren approached, effortlessly crushing every monster in his path, the Beastmaster’s feet instinctively stepped back.
"Ki—!"
One of the Mana Eaters dived like a hawk, moving at a speed the human eye shouldn't have been able to follow. It opened its maw and roared, its timing perfect.
However...
"Get back."
Ren’s voice was cold. He swung the Iron Magic Sword above his head. In the dark of night, a splash of black blood sprayed as the creature’s wing was torn open. It spiraled out of control and crashed into the hillside.
Ren’s horse didn't slow down for a second, charging straight for the Beastmaster. He ignored the wounded Mana Eater crawling behind them.
"Tch... Burn! Burn them to ashes!"
Responding to its master, the other Mana Eater unleashed a torrent of Hellfire. The night air turned into a searing heatwave, pouring down on them from above.
(Keep moving!)
The only way to escape was to reach the Beastmaster. Ren pulled the reins tight.
"Kuhaha! Burn to nothing!"
"You...!"
It was too fast. The heat was going to hit them. Just as Ren felt a flicker of doubt, Licia spoke.
"Keep running... I’ll protect you...!"
She raised a hand toward the sky, draped the horse in a veil of white light. The Hellfire struck the barrier and was held back, though cracks immediately began to spiderweb across the light.
"Ugh...!"
Licia’s body jolted. The veil shattered like thin ice, but the flames had spent their strength just in time.
"No way!"
The Beastmaster’s shock was palpable. Above him, his Mana Eater hovered, its shoulders heaving.
"Lady Licia! Thank you—"
Ren finally stopped. He finally realized what was happening to her.
(Don't tell me...)
She had used too much mana while her body was already weakened by fever.
"Lady Licia...!"
Sensing his worry, Licia turned to him. She looked pained, but she forced a brave smile.
"I’m fine! Ren, don’t look back...!"
Even so, continuing to use magic was dangerous. But she wouldn't stop. If she did, they were both dead.
"I see... the power of the Saint. Holy Magic! That’s what changed him...!"
The large rock where the Beastmaster stood was within reach. Ren gripped his sword and narrowed his eyes.
"Then it all makes sense! Kuhaha... you certainly have a way of surprising me!"
"Keep being surprised! Because this is over!"
The horse leaped. Reaching the top of the rock, Ren raised his blade.
"It’s over—Beastmaster!"
The Iron Magic Sword flashed, cutting from the man's neck down to his abdomen. But the cut was shallow. Jelququ had stepped back half a beat before the steel could bite deep. Or rather, Ren’s own body had been pulled back ever so slightly.
(What was that?)
It wasn't a Mana Eater. Before he could process it, the horse galloped off the other side of the rock, its momentum too great to stop.
"Hah... hah..."
Licia’s condition was deteriorating rapidly. Ren bit his lip, cursing himself for failing to deliver the finishing blow.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"No... it wasn't your fault..."
Her weak reply only made his heart ache more.
"Good grief, that was close."
Ren looked back up at the rock and stiffened. He saw the remains of a vine on the man’s back—the thing that had pulled him away at the last second.
"Ren Ashton. Don't make me push myself like that."
"You..."
"My seals aren't broken yet. Using Nature Magic without a staff is a heavy burden."
(So that’s why he didn't fight me back in the forest... because I broke his staff.)
The man’s robe had been torn by the earlier strike, revealing his face. Long, golden hair fluttered in the wind, and a handsome, symmetrical face was twisted into a smirk.
Ren knew that face. Even though they had never met, he knew his name.
"...I should have known it was you. That's why you can use Nature Magic on top of being a Beastmaster."
"Oh? You speak as if we’re old friends."
Ren did know him. But there was no point in hiding it now. He wouldn't catch this man off guard twice. If anything, he could use the knowledge to rattle him.
"Jelququ. What is someone like you doing here?"
The man on the rock recoiled in genuine shock.
"How do you know my name?"
"Who knows."
Ren’s evasive answer only served to irritate him.
Jelququ. He was an elf born with a heart full of cruelty, a murderer who had killed his own kind. Normally, he would have been executed, but since elven culture forbade it, his powers were sealed and he was exiled. In the game The Legend of the Seven Heroes I, he was a mid-game boss.
Ren had studied Jelququ’s fighting style many times after being reincarnated—first when he saw the Nature Magic effect on his Wooden Magic Sword, and again when he fought the Thief Wolfen. It was a bizarre twist of fate that the very boss he had used as a reference was now standing before him.
(And he's working for Viscount Given...)
Ren leveled his sword at the Mana Eater crawling toward him.
"Giaaaaah!"
The creature was wary of the Iron Magic Sword now, keeping its distance. It was howling and lashing out, but as a D-rank monster, it was still dangerous.
"Fine! No more mercy! Burn them!"
The other Mana Eater opened its maw to spit fire again, but the flames were weak. Whether it was exhaustion or the proximity to its master, the fire lacked its previous lethality. Ren easily steered the horse clear.
"Tch... what are you doing?!"
Jelququ swung his arm in frustration. Ren caught sight of the intricate patterns engraved there.
"You made a deal with Viscount Given, didn't you?"
"What?!"
"You wanted information on how to break the seal! The Elven Seal on your arms isn't something just anyone can undo!"
Jelququ’s eyes went wide. "How can you possibly know that?!"
"I know plenty! I know you've been wandering this continent looking for a way to break it! That’s why you became an adventurer!"
The patterns on his arms weren't tattoos—they were powerful seals that drained his mana and suppressed his stats. It was the reason he couldn't use two skills at once without a staff.
In the game lore, Jelququ eventually targeted the Academy Principal of the Imperial Academy—the world’s greatest mage—to find a way to break his seal. Realizing he couldn't win a direct fight, he began targeting students during their field exams to use them as hostages.
(Whatever his reasons, my task remains the same.)
Ren readjusted his grip on the Iron Magic Sword.
"Hah... hah..."
Licia was struggling. He had to end this right now. Ren spurred the horse into a final charge toward the rock. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered.
"This is the end."
A flurry of sword strikes lashed out. The rock was sliced into pieces in an instant, and the ground beneath Jelququ’s feet gave way.
"You...! That cursed Holy Magic!"
Jelququ tumbled down amidst the falling stone. The horse was at its limit, but Ren gave it one last command. He leaped from the saddle into the falling debris. Slicing through the rocks that blocked his path, he finally closed the distance.
"Die!"
He lunged forward, aiming the tip of the Iron Magic Sword straight for Jelququ’s throat. Jelququ, clearly drained, couldn't use his Nature Magic. Instead, he screamed a command.
"Protect me!"
The Mana Eater with the intact wings threw itself between them. It intercepted the blow meant for its master, the Iron Magic Sword sinking deep into its chest.
But the monster didn't die quietly. With its final breath, it slammed its massive body into Ren’s horse, sending it flying. Licia was thrown from the saddle into the air.
"No! I have to catch her!"
Ren abandoned his position, leaping through the air to grab Licia. They tumbled onto the ground together. Fortunately, the piles of monster carcasses acted as a cushion, breaking their fall. The horse had landed nearby; it was shaken, but otherwise unhurt.
"Ugh... Lady Licia! Are you okay?!"
No response. She was breathing, but she had lost consciousness.
(The Holy Magic is gone... she reached her limit.)
Ren’s heart pounded. One Mana Eater was dead, but if Jelququ had the strength to summon another, they were finished. Then, he saw the light.
Jelququ was on his knees near his fallen summon. His shoulder had been pierced deeply—the bone was visible through the crimson mess.
"Heh... heh..."
Jelququ laughed, blood pouring from the wound.
"It reached me after all."
The Iron Magic Sword had passed clean through the Mana Eater and into Jelququ’s shoulder.
"Kuhaha... hahahaha! Look at all this blood! Is all of this really coming out of me?!"
His manic laughter drew the attention of the remaining Mana Eater, which hissed at Ren in a protective stance. The sight of Jelququ laughing with bloodshot eyes made Ren’s skin crawl.
"I haven't killed enough. I was going to break these seals, even if they've rotted the bone, and kill so many people to make up for all the time I've wasted... Ah, but now I won't be able to kill anyone, will I?"
"That's right. You're finished."
Ren spoke, but his own body was at its breaking point. He couldn't even stand up to finish the job.
"I'm finished? I can't kill anymore?"
Jelququ paused, then turned to Ren and the unconscious Licia with a hideous, depraved smile.
"I wonder why it is. Seeing the faces of people right before they die... it gives me a pleasure I can't describe. It's better than any woman, better than anything."
"So what?"
"Heh... nothing. I just wanted you to know why I love it so much."
Jelququ’s voice suddenly became eerily calm.
"Mana Eater. Devour both my arms."
At that horrific command, Ren could only stare in speechless horror.