Morning mist painted the edge of the ash-green forest white. Two hours since departing Lost Claret. The feet of three people now stood still before the entrance to an abandoned mine. An abandoned mine—once used for iron ore extraction in the areas surrounding Lost Claret, it had been closed ten years ago due to a sharp decline in mining output. Now, ancient magical residue drifted through it, and it had become a den for magical beasts more often than not. Crumbling wooden support pillars leaned at angles, and moss clung to the beams of the entrance. From within came the sound of something's wings. A dry, membranous sound of wings beating against air. "Bats after all," Leon muttered low. He clenched his left fist over his glove. He felt the imprint grow warm, but he held it back for now. Before relying on the imprint's power, he would use his head first. That was today's task. Luna placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she spoke. "Let's charge in from the front. Bats should hate light. If we drive them back with torches, we can finish them as they flee deeper inside." Sheryl tilted her head slightly. Mahogany-colored lustrous hair cascaded from her shoulders. Her amber eyes, gazing into the darkness of the entrance, narrowed as if somewhat annoyed. "A frontal assault? How inefficient. It would be better to set up a binding spell formula at the entrance to lure them out. That way there's no unnecessary injury or exhaustion. I can set it up in three minutes." Luna's fingertips trembled slightly. It was her habit. A sign that her emotions were stirring. "Luring them with a spell formula would be effective, but given the bats' nature, there's no guarantee we can lure all of them. Applying pressure with light from the front is more certain." "If that certainty results in all three of us getting injured, that defeats the purpose, doesn't it?" "We're prepared for injury. I think it's dishonest as adventurers to choose our methods out of fear of danger." "How admirable of you to say. Yet the reward is the same, isn't it?" Leon placed his hand to his forehead. After last night's argument at the tavern, it had started again this morning. Thinking this might continue every time made his head hurt a little. That said, both of their opinions had merit. He didn't feel like forcing a compromise. "It would be better to first confirm what's inside before deciding—" Both of them moved as if they hadn't heard him. Luna lit the torch and stepped confidently into the front entrance. Sheryl, on the opposite side, found a ventilation shaft in the mine and began walking toward it. Her fingertips moved lightly, tracing small spell formulas in the air. Leon watched them go, stood still for a moment, then circled to the north side of the mine. According to the mining map he'd confirmed, there should be another entrance on that side. Whatever those two did, blocking an escape route wouldn't be a bad idea. "...Well, let's give it a try." The inside of the mine was black, the smell of earth thick. The rotted smell of old wood mixed with a faint metallic odor. Leon advanced through the darkness by sound and sensation. A rustling sound in the distance. The feeling that Luna's torch was penetrating deep into the mine. The next moment, a great sound of wings echoed through the passage. Dozens of shadows began dancing in the darkness. Magical beast bats about fifty centimeters long—sharp fangs and yellow eyes that reflected light. The swarm fled deeper and deeper, hating the light of Luna's torch. There, Sheryl's binding spell formula waited, glowing faintly. Half the bats stopped moving as if hitting an invisible wall. The moment they struggled, the spell's light coiled around them, and they fell to the ground. The remaining swarm changed direction. Toward the north exit. Leon stood there. He felt the imprint grow warm. (Just a little. Just a tiny bit of release.) Power gathered in his left fist. It wouldn't go berserk. He steadied his breathing, controlled it, and used it. As the bats surged forward in a swarm, Leon moved to the side, struck down the three at the front, and deflected the next two with an elbow strike. A blow infused with magical power was far smaller than his former self, but far heavier than the strength of a mere human. The swarm collapsed. The remaining ones, having lost their escape route, collided with each other in the darkness and were ultimately caught in the aftereffects of the binding spell. It took less than five minutes to eliminate them all. Voices came from three directions. The three met face to face in the center of the mine. No one said anything. Luna's torch flame painted their faces red. Dozens of fallen bats scattered across the ground. Luna opened her mouth quietly. "...Well, it worked out in the end." "It was luck, pure luck. None of us were trying to coordinate anyway." Leon shrugged. "Even if it was luck, it wasn't bad." A strange silence fell between the three. Then Luna laughed, somewhat painfully. Sheryl lifted the corner of her lips into a smile. Leon's mouth relaxed in sympathy. They'd argued extensively, each acted on their own, and eliminated all the bats. It was ridiculous if you thought about it. But this was also the true strength of the three of them now. --- As the sun began to set, the three settled at the edge of a forest near the abandoned mine. Starting the campfire became Leon's role. They hadn't decided it explicitly, but Luna gathered firewood, Sheryl deployed light vigilance spell formulas around the area, and Leon started the fire. Each moved naturally, and before they knew it, the camp was ready. As the flames settled, orange light enveloped the three. Sheryl took dried meat and hard bread from a leather pouch, divided them equally, and casually said: "Hey, Leon. Where did you get that imprint?" Her tone was light. The same as if discussing dinner. But Leon felt a moment of caution. Sheryl saw his expression and laughed. "It's not a suspicious interrogation. I'm just genuinely curious. I don't often see spell marks that unusual." Luna also looked up from the flames and watched Leon quietly. Leon paused before answering. "I found it in the underground of the Silent Sanctuary. The moment I touched a stone tablet, it was carved into me on its own. Honestly, I still don't fully understand what kind of thing it is." The Silent Sanctuary—an ancient ruin deep within the ash-green forest, southeast of Lost Claret. A place where priests once severed language and communed with the divine in silence, now long abandoned. It had a structure spanning three underground levels and was known as a dangerous zone recommended for silver-rank adventurers—the second-highest rank in the adventurer classification system. A place ordinary adventurers shouldn't enter. Just the fact that he'd found it there caused Lun's expression to change slightly. Sheryl murmured "I see." Something other than lightness mixed into her voice. "Can I touch it? The imprint?" "...It might be dangerous." "I understand that much." Sheryl kept her smile as she extended her fingertips toward Leon's left hand. She gently rolled back the edge of the glove. The imprint floated into view in the firelight. Ancient geometric patterns pulsed faintly on the skin. Sheryl's index finger touched just the edge of the pattern. The next moment, she let out a sound. "Hot—!" She quickly pulled her hand back. She looked at her fingertip. There was no burn mark, but the part she'd touched had turned red. Surprise and a hint of fear seeped into her face. The usual composed smile had vanished. Leon clenched the imprint. "Sorry." "It's not something you need to apologize for, but... this really is dangerous." Sheryl stared at her finger, murmuring quietly. The usual provocative tone had left her voice. In that expression, Leon sensed something profound. —So this woman could make such an expression. Luna spoke in a low voice. "It might be the Sacrifice Imprint—Immolatio Signa—as it's called in old texts." Leon and Sheryl both looked at Luna. Luna continued quietly, still gazing at the flames. "In ancient language, 'Immolatio' means sacrifice, and 'Signa' means a carved mark. It's a spell formula that runs not on the user's magical power, but on life itself—lifespan as fuel. Each time it's used, a little of your lifespan is consumed. That's what the texts recorded. There are several examples discovered in ancient sanctuaries, and due to their danger, both the Church and the Mages' Association designated them as forbidden and sealed ancient relics." Leon looked at Luna in surprise. "You knew?" "I've only read about it in texts. This is the first time I've seen the real thing." Her pale violet eyes gazed at the imprint. In them was not fear, but deep concern. The campfire crackled softly. Silence fell between the three. A silence that was neither heavy nor light. A time when each seemed to sink something deep within themselves. It was Luna who spoke first. Still gazing at the flames, she said quietly: "I... once couldn't protect my comrades." Her voice was small. But it was certainly there. "I made a mistake in judgment. My choice resulted in losing someone precious." Her fingertips trembled slightly on her knees. It was her habit. But now the trembling was larger than usual. No one rushed her. Leon and Sheryl simply watched the flames. Leon paused before speaking low. "Me too. Since losing my power, I haven't protected anyone. More than that, I've become the one being protected." Luna looked at Leon's profile. Sheryl, still gazing at the flames, toyed with the dried meat in her slender fingers. After a while, she spoke quietly. "I'm also bound by the past. Even when I try to escape, it keeps chasing me. That's how these things are." The seductiveness and light banter of usual were thin tonight. In the flickering firelight, this thirty-five-year-old woman looked like nothing more than a tired human being. The three didn't speak in detail about each other. That was fine. There was no need to compete over the type or depth of wounds. Simply knowing that each carried something was enough. That was sufficient for tonight. The sky had grown deeply dark. Stars were beginning to appear beyond the ridge of the Ash Peak Mountains. Luna looked at Leon with a somewhat serious expression. "Tomorrow as well... would you accept another request with us?" Sheryl laughed softly. This time it was closer to Sheryl's usual laugh. The mole at the corner of her lips stood out in the firelight. "Well, it might not be a bad combination. A team that can pull off a surprise three-way pincer attack like that doesn't come around often." Leon looked at both their faces in turn. Luna's pale violet eyes. Sheryl's amber eyes. "Yeah, let's do that." The campfire illuminated the three gently. With each flicker of the flames, shadows danced between the trees. In the distance, the sound of wind rustling through branches. It was too early to call it trust. But something certain seemed to have been born here tonight. Leon placed his left hand on his knee. Beneath the glove, the imprint pulsed quietly. This power, he still couldn't control. There was still so much he didn't understand. The fact that he'd burned Sheryl's finger weighed on him anew. And the words Luna had spoken—"Immolatio Signa"—remained in the back of his mind. She'd said she'd only read about it in texts, but the expression in those pale violet eyes suggested she knew something more than that. Still, no one had told everything. That was fine. Tonight, this was enough.