During their investigation, the three of them arrived at the small mountain, which still exhibited a high concentration of magical energy.
Maiol’s [Detection] continued to pick up the high density of magical power. From a hemispherical scan, magical concentrations could be seen intermittently deep underground. What was more arming was that the deeper they descended, the more intense the magical density appeared to be.
“Attalos, there are seven magic reservoirs underground, and the further down we go, the higher the concentration of magical energy. I will continue to search deeper underground—”
“Wait!”
Attalos shouted with a change in his expression, trying to stop Maiol, but it was already too te.
“Wha—!?”
What Maiol had detected with her skill was not just any magical energy—it was a creature, and not just any creature, but one far more powerful than any they had encountered before.
“Maiol, what did you see!?”
“It’s a monster! A monster so powerful I’ve never seen its like before!”
“We may have been detected. We need to flee!” Attalos ordered urgently.
A sudden tingling sensation ran through their bodies, as if an invisible force was charging the air.
“Dodge!”
Just as Attalos shouted, there was a loud BOOM, and something rge emerged, bursting through the mountainside. A Cyclops, a towering, one-eyed giant, stood before them.
Attalos and Seneca skillfully evaded the attack from below, but Maiol, unfortunately, was caught off guard and sent flying.
The Cyclops charged straight towards Maiol, seemingly intent on finishing her off.
Attalos acted swiftly, using a sub-skill to rush towards Maiol with all his might.
"[Swift Movement], [Light Sword]!"
Normally, a Cyclops was a hulking beast, proud of its physical strength, but the one before them was different. Its body was thin and dark-red, and its movements were unnaturally fast.
Realising the Cyclops was faster than expected, Attalos abandoned any thought of defending. His only priority now was to prevent Maiol from becoming its next victim.
He enveloped his body with all the magical energy he could muster and charged forward.
“Maiol!!!”
The Cyclops, upon seeing Attalos approach at incredible speed, grinned menacingly, its lips curling upwards. It swiftly changed its stance and, with explosive force, struck Attalos with a powerful blow.
“Attalos!!”
Seneca, seeing Attalos being struck, immediately fired five magical needles at the Cyclops’s rge eye.
BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!
The Cyclops, startled by the unexpected attack, overcompensated, performing an exaggerated defensive motion to avoid the projectiles.
Seizing the opportunity, Seneca grabbed the unconscious Maiol and began to run towards the direction Attalos had been knocked.
Attalos managed to get back to his feet, albeit shakily, with blood dripping from his mouth. Upon closer inspection, his left arm was twisted unnaturally, though it emitted a faint glow, likely from some form of recovery magic.
“Seneca, orders. Take Maiol and run.”
Attalos spoke with a firm, almost commanding tone.
“But—” Seneca hesitated.
“RUN!!!”
Attalos’s voice, imbued with magical power, thundered in Seneca’s ears. The force of his words vibrated the air, sending a shockwave through her body.
Seneca’s mind went bnk, and without another thought, she hoisted Maiol onto her back and fled. Seeing her do so, Attalos took a brief, relieved breath before narrowing his gaze at the Cyclops.
“I swear, I will kill you, even if I have to die with you.”
The towering Cyclops, unable to comprehend the human’s words, grinned again, preparing itself for the next attack.
...
Seneca, with Maiol still slung over her back, was running.
Behind her, the sounds of a fierce battle echoed. Attalos was no doubt fighting with everything he had, likely on the brink of exhausting himself.
Seneca ran until she was sure she had put enough distance between herself and the battle site. She then gently id Maiol down beneath a rge oak tree.
She checked on Maiol’s condition. Her ribs and arms were broken, but her head seemed unharmed, and her breathing was steady. Though she would need professional medical attention, it appeared that her life was not in immediate danger.
“Ugh…”
“Maiol!”
Maiol groaned, but did not awaken.
Seneca propped Maiol’s upper body up and reached into her pouch for a mid-tier potion made by Kito. Opening the bottle, she brought it to Maiol’s lips who seemed to stir slightly as the liquid was poured into her mouth.
As she tipped the bottle, Maiol’s body glowed faintly, healing the surface wounds on her skin.
After a moment, Maiol’s eyes fluttered open, and her body seemed to regain some strength.
“...Seneca.”
“Maiol!”
“I... I was blown away suddenly, and then... What about Attalos?”
“He’s fighting the Cyclops variant. Probably risking his life to do so.”
At that, Maiol’s eyes widened for a brief moment.
“Seneca, go. I’ll be fine...”
“But—”
“Please, if you put Kito’s monster-repellent magic around me, I should be safe for a while. Just let me rest for a bit... go help Attalos...”
Without waiting for a response, Maiol closed his eyes again, this time seemingly drifting into a peaceful sleep.
Seneca, hearing Maiol’s words, felt lost. She didn’t know what the right thing to do was.
She needed a moment to think.
She gently id Maiol back down, took some rge leaves, and covered him with them. As instructed, she sprinkled the pungent monster-repellent powder around the area.
With all that had happened, with so many things to worry about, Seneca felt unable to think clearly.
What should she do?
What was the right choice?
The time she spent deliberating, although no more than thirty minutes, felt like an eternity.
The first thing that came to her mind was her parents.
Seneca’s parents had been the ones to defeat the Orc King. The Orc King was a beast that required a gold-tier adventurer party to confront. It was widely believed that four silver-tier adventurers stood no chance, yet those four heroes had stood their ground and succeeded in its defeat.
That had been Seneca’s pride.
Her dream was to one day be strong enough to stand alongside them.
Then her thoughts turned to Lucius.
He was a kind but timid boy with a talent for swordsmanship.
Yet, one day, Lucius would surely find himself standing in front of an opponent he couldn’t defeat on his own. And Seneca would be there, by his side.
That had been her vow, made that night.
Next, Seneca thought of Kito.
When she had been left out and alone, it was Kito who had helped her. After Lucius disappeared, it was Kito who had supported her.
Seneca had always wanted to be someone Kito could be proud of.
She had vowed never to do anything that would make her unable to face Kito.
Finally, Seneca thought of Maiol.
Maiol had promised to sy the dragon, to become a hero. Seneca would never forget the joy and tears they had shared when they talked about their future together.
Lucius and Maiol—both future heroes. What action would be worthy of standing by their side?
What would make her worthy of reporting back to her parents and Kito?
“The answer is clear.”
Seneca, without even realising it, began to run.
Her hand brushed against the hilt of her sword.
The handle was still a little too thick for her hands.
But it gave her strength.
The night she had heard the news of her parents' deaths was when she had first gripped this sword. She had already made her resolve that night. Seneca reminded herself of this.
She was scared.
Her body trembled.
She almost tripped over an insignificant dip in the ground.
Is this what it means to be a hero?
Am I really so powerless?
Seneca felt these emotions acutely.
A tear slid down her cheek.
She realised that her spirit was wavering.
She spoke to herself again.
“I’m not crying out of fear. I’m crying because I’m happy to be getting closer to becoming a hero!”
With that, her spirit calmed, and her resolve firmed.
The further she ran, the louder the sounds of battle became.
The battlefield was close.
