The next morning.
Seriously, what is going on?
Ren racked his brain, wondering who had orchestrated this situation and why. It was a thought that had plagued him since they had abandoned the fortress.
The flames on the bridge were targeting Lady Ignat... I think. If so, then every anomaly in this final exam was part of an attempt on her life.
If that were the case, the scheme had been set in motion long before the examinees had even arrived in the mountains. It had likely started before the magic ship had even set sail. Whoever was behind this had the power and cunning to strike at a prestigious house, specifically timing their move for a moment when the Academy Director, Chronoa Highland, was absent.
Yet, Ren had no memory of this incident. If a disaster of this scale had occurred, there should have been some record of it in the game's lore.
Right, the premise has changed.
In the original game's timeline, Fiona was already dead; there were no events to rescue her. It made sense that he was flying blind. He had to look at the situation from a different angle.
Who stands to gain from Fiona Ignat’s death?
He thought back to the group he’d considered recently—those seeking the Demon King's resurrection. If they killed Fiona, they could sow seeds of distrust between Marquis Ignat and the Empire, potentially sparking a civil war.
The part I don't understand is how they could manipulate the Baldur Mountains like this.
The conditions were far more extreme than anything in the game. In a matter of days, the Silver Peaks would be entirely swallowed by black-red lava. If the villains had possessed the power to terraform a mountain range like this in the game, they would have done it then too.
If Marquis Ignat had this power in the game, he would have used it.
He could have resurrected Asval and turned against Leomel without any interference from the game's protagonists. It always came back to Fiona. Her presence was the variable.
Ren looked at Fiona, who was walking half a step behind him.
"Lady Ignat, I have a question."
"Yes? What is it?" Fiona offered him a weary but kind smile, pushing through her obvious fatigue.
"The skill you used back at the fortress to treat those people—what kind of power is it?"
"Um, well..."
Seeing her hesitate, Ren winced. "I’m sorry. I know it’s poor manners to ask about someone’s skills."
"No, please don't apologize," Fiona said, looking pained. "It’s just... my father told me never to tell anyone..." She paused, then seemed to decide she could trust him. "Besides the ice magic I showed you, I have a power that allows me to interfere with the mana of others."
It was a skill Ren had never heard of.
"So that’s how you were treating the adventurers’ Pseudo-Vessel Cracking symptoms."
"Exactly. I only wish I could use it on myself. Unfortunately, it has no effect on my own body."
Ren nodded thoughtfully as they resumed their walk. It was possible her special power was influencing the mountain's volatile state.
However...
I doubt the mastermind knew about her skill.
Even if they had used the "sick" adventurers to lure her to the fortress, there was no guarantee she would stay to treat them. Fiona had stayed of her own volition, not because of some external command. Sabotaging the purveyors' guards seemed like a reach unless the mastermind considered their suffering a necessary step for some other reason.
Perhaps they intended to kill everyone at the fortress after they arrived, or perhaps they’d failed to kill them on the road. The logic felt inconsistent.
But then, a realization struck Ren like a physical blow.
He looked up at the sky and gave a wry, mirthless smile. He had been manipulated into coming here just as much as she had. Small points of discomfort finally connected into a potential truth.
"There's something I’ve realized I should tell you," Ren said, turning back to Fiona.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
After another twenty minutes of trekking, Fiona stopped and doubled over.
She clutched at her chest, her breathing shallow and ragged. Ren didn't know exactly what was happening, but she looked like she was on the verge of collapse.
"Are you okay!?"
"Ha... haha... I'm sorry. I think the exhaustion is just catching up to me."
Though she smiled bravely, large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. She truly believed her condition was just fatigue, and she couldn't offer any other explanation.
Just as she tried to pull herself together to continue, a voice called out.
"There you two are! We were worried sick!"
Meidas the werewolf stepped out from behind a snow-dusted tree, a look of profound relief on his face.
I knew it.
Meidas hurried toward them. Ren didn't relax. For every step the werewolf took forward, Ren took a step back, positioning himself firmly between the adventurer and Fiona.
"...It was just as you said, Ren," Fiona whispered.
"Stay close to me. Let me handle this."
Fiona nodded, her face pale. Ren had warned her that morning to be on her guard.
Meidas stopped, looking bewildered. "W-What’s the matter?"
"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Ren asked.
"What are you talking about? Are you upset because the rescue was delayed? If so, I’m truly sorry—"
"You went through a lot of trouble to set up those 'convenient' purveyors, didn't you?" Ren cut him off. He drew his Iron Magic Sword, his body coiling like a spring.
Seeing the blade, Meidas stopped. His mask of concern didn't just slip; it vanished. A crude, mocking sneer replaced his gentle smile.
"Impressive," Meidas said, his voice dropping an octave. "You’re even sharper than I gave you credit for."
Ren and Fiona felt a wave of pure revulsion.
"Was the messenger an accomplice too?" Ren demanded.
"Of course he was," Meidas replied, his white fangs flashing.
"The Steel-Eating Gargoyles... you orchestrated that too. You were testing me to see how I'd fight."
"Half-correct," Meidas chuckled. "Honestly, it would’ve been fine if you’d just died there. Your death would’ve been the perfect excuse to reopen the Given incident."
"So you were watching? Why didn't you attack me from behind?"
"There was a woman in priestly robes with you. I thought she might be a hidden guard sent by the Marquis, so I held back. I never did figure out who she was, but if I’d known she was a nobody, I would’ve finished you then."
He had been waiting for the perfect moment to take Ren's life.
"But taking our time paid off. We managed to trap you both in the end."
Ren narrowed his eyes. The pieces are finally fitting together.
If Ren had died fighting the gargoyles, Meidas would have killed the young adventurers—the only witnesses—and claimed Ren was assassinated by the Hero Faction. It would have sparked a bloodbath between the Clausels and the Ignats. Even Licia might have been driven to a dark path of revenge. And with Fiona dead in the mountains, the Empire would have been torn apart by political strife.
"So you lured me to the Baldur Mountains to kill me in the chaos?"
"That was the plan. Actually—"
"Your partner was supposed to kill Lady Ignat first, wasn't he?" Ren interrupted. "Then you were going to trap us at the bridge. If I’d taken that first escort quest, the order would’ve just been reversed."
Meidas’s eyebrows twitched.
"But you couldn't do it. Because for some reason, your partner had collapsed."
"...You really are a piece of work, kid."
"And the bridge incident wasn't part of the plan, was it?"
"So that was your doing? Or the girl's? It took us forever to track you down after that."
"Who knows," Ren replied coolly.
He was certain now that Meidas didn't know about Fiona's true power. They were just assassins. They weren't the ones causing the volcanic eruptions; something else was lurking in the mountains.
"What happened to your partner? Is he still playing dead?"
"Thanks for the concern," a raspy voice called out. Kai stepped out from the shadows of the trees behind Ren.
Ren shifted his stance, keeping both men in his sights while shielding Fiona.
"I have a bone to pick with that girl," Kai spat, his face twisted in anger. "My body went to hell just for being near her. But after she 'treated' me, I started to wonder what kind of freakish power she’s hiding."
Ren realized the truth from Kai's words. The adventurers hadn't just gotten sick; their mana had reacted violently to Fiona's presence.
"We were going to just kill all the examinees and be done with it," Kai continued. "But the moment I saw her, a pain like nothing I’ve ever felt ripped through my body. I had to crawl back to the fortress."
Meidas sighed. "I was waiting for him at the bridge, but he never showed. I found him collapsed back at the fort. We had to go back down the mountain and wait for him to recover just to rework the plan. A total waste of time."
The smoke signal they’d seen hadn't been a trap for Ren; it had been a genuine call for help.
Ren took a deep breath. There was no other explanation for why these two would be working together to destabilize the nation.
"I bet if I looked, I’d find the Mark of the Demon King Cult on your bodies," Ren said.
The two men froze.
"Your Demon King power reacted to Lady Ignat," Ren continued, his voice steady despite the sweat on his brow. "Kai’s mana went wild because of her, and then it spread to the others like a virus. That’s what caused the 'Pseudo-Vessel Cracking' back at the fort."
"Ren!? The Demon King Cult...?" Fiona gasped, clutching his sleeve.
"I’ve heard the rumors," Ren said. "They’re the ones who serve the Demon King."
He had hesitated to say the name aloud, fearing that speaking it would draw him closer to a destiny he wanted to avoid. But he needed to shake them. He needed to know the truth.
"Change of plans," Kai said, drawing his sword. "We're taking both of them back. We need to see what that girl can really do."
"Don't kill them yet," Meidas warned, raising his staff.
"I know, I know! Here I come!"
Kai lunged. His speed was incredible, far beyond any adventurer Ren had faced before. Ren intercepted him, raising the Shield Magic Sword.
The mana shield shattered instantly. The force of the blow was staggering, heavier than any monster's attack. Ren was outmatched, but he refused to give an inch. He threw up shield after shield, his Iron Magic Sword flashing as he parried a flurry of strikes.
"Damn! What an annoying skill!" Kai growled.
"It won't last!" Meidas shouted. "His mana will run out eventually!"
They were right. Ren couldn't keep this up forever.
"Kai! Finish it!"
Kai backed off for a split second, raising his sword in a high guard. A predatory grin stretched across his face.
"Ever seen an Art before, 'Hero'?"
His blade began to glow with a blinding white light. As Meidas launched a spell to crack Ren's defense, Kai lunged.
Ren held his Iron Magic Sword horizontally to block, but the light from Kai’s blade seemed to bypass his physical strength, draining the very energy from his limbs.
"Lightfall..." Ren gasped, his arms shaking. "For a cultist, you sure know your Holy Sword Arts!"
"Heh. You're well-informed. Too bad it won't save you."
He’s at least a Swordmaster, Ren realized. Only someone of that rank could use Lightfall. It was a terrifying technique that weakened an opponent's magical defenses.
"Meidas! Again!"
Ren was in trouble. He couldn't just keep cycling shields. He needed to switch to the Wooden or Thief's Magic Swords to find an opening, but he couldn't leave Fiona unprotected for even a second.
Then, he felt it.
A stinging, searing heat against his cheek.
"Don't look away, Lord Hero!" Meidas taunted.
"Give up and we'll make it quick!" Kai roared.
The heat intensified. Ren stayed on the defensive, his senses screaming.
"This is the end! Sleep for a while!" Kai lunged forward.
Suddenly, a gale of crimson flames tore through the clearing. It wasn't the lava; it was something else entirely. The wind sent Kai tumbling across the snow.
"What the hell!?" Kai scrambled to his feet, but his bravado vanished instantly.
A pillar of fire erupted from directly beneath him, surging toward the sky like a spear of god.
"What... is..."
Before he could finish the thought, Kai was gone. He didn't just die; he was erased. There was nothing left in the wake of the flames but scorched earth.
"Kai? Kai!" Meidas screamed, looking around wildly.
Ren didn't wait. He scooped Fiona up into his arms and bolted.
Magma began to spray from the earth like blood from a wound. More fire pillars erupted, encircling Meidas in a ring of absolute heat.
"This fire... no, it can't be—"
Meidas looked at Ren’s retreating back, then at the wall of flames closing in. He realized the truth. He and Kai were nothing. They were just the opening act for a power they couldn't possibly comprehend.
A self-deprecating laugh escaped his lips as the heat began to blister his skin. He finally understood what Fiona was.
"No wonder... no wonder she drove the mana mad," he whispered.
The last thing he saw was a world of pure, infinite crimson.
"That girl... she has the power of legend."
The light consumed him. The fire pillars were no mere natural disaster; they were crystals of pure heat that transcended human understanding. Meidas was gone before he could even feel the pain.