The Rune Bazaar, the central market of the royal capital Mystria, was brimming with life under the afternoon sun. The smell of sizzling meat fat, the steam of simmering herbs, the clang of a blacksmith's hammer. Every scent and sound mingled together, forming a whirlpool of heat and energy. "[cold]Buy that. Two hundred grams." A tiny figure with flowing silver hair, perched on Leon's shoulder, pointed imperiously. It was Lilia, the spirit of the Seven Great Grimoires, the *Black Apocalypse*. Since she wasn't materialized, to the passersby, Leon simply looked like a man talking to himself. "Two hundred grams... That dried meat is five copper coins per hundred grams. It's way too expensive." Leon scratched his head. Four days had passed since then. Under Lilia's brutal training regimen, his days were a cycle of completely draining his mana and then recovering it. Thanks to that, even just walking made his legs feel as heavy as lead. "[sarcastic]Pauper. Then earn more. If you become stronger, the rank of your requests will rise. Then you won't have to complain about such cheap meat." "Yeah, yeah, I'm just a poor D-rank adventurer, I know..." Leon sighed and was about to untie his coin purse when it happened. BOOM! From the direction of the nearby weapon shop, Ironforge Kamura, a thunderous roar, like something exploding, echoed out. "You bastard, don't screw with me!" "You're the one who tried to palm off a fake magic stone on me!" Along with angry shouts, two burly adventurers, locked in a brawl, crashed into a street stall. Fruit scattered everywhere, and screams rose from the crowd. In the blink of an eye, a full-blown brawl had started, with several B-rank and D-rank adventurers getting mixed up in it. (You've gotta be kidding me... More trouble.) Leon tried to back away, but just at that moment, the crowd parted sharply. As if sliced open by a giant, invisible blade. A single woman appeared. Her long, flame-like red hair was tied up high in a single ponytail, and she carried a greatsword as tall as she was on her back. Her sharp, amber eyes coldly looked down upon the brawl. The guild's number one most popular, S-rank swordswoman, Elena. She walked through the crowd with a gait as casual as if she were taking a stroll. Then, she casually grabbed the arm of a large B-rank man. "Gwah!?" The next instant, the giant man's body was sent flying through the air and slammed violently onto the cobblestones. "[cold]You drew your swords in a public place. That's a violation of guild regulations. Everyone, sheathe your weapons." A quiet, yet absolute command. The other adventurers faltered. But one man, with a scar on his cheek, flew into a rage and held his dagger in a reverse grip. "Shut up! Who cares if you're S-rank!" The man lunged at Elena from behind. "[whispers]Help her, Leon. That's an order." The moment Lilia's cold voice echoed in his mind, Leon's body was already moving. Faster than his consciousness could catch up, his right hand gathered black magical power. Space distorted with a warping sensation, and a spear of darkness took form. "Dammit, not again!" THUD! The shadow spear roared and accurately struck the back of the man brandishing the dagger. The man was sent flying. Elena turned around, her eyes widening slightly. "[surprised]That just now... was that you?" "Huh? Oh, yes! Sorry!" Leon reflexively started to bow his head, but immediately turned back to face the enemy. Several of them still had their weapons at the ready. The two of them ended up back-to-back. An astonishingly powerful heat radiated from Elena's back. "[cold]Let's go. I'll take the two in front. I'll leave the rear to you." "R-Roger that!" Elena moved forward. She was like the wind itself. In an instant, she closed the distance, struck the wrists of two men with her bare hands, and knocked their weapons away. Leon, too, under Lilia's compulsion, fired another shadow spear and blew away the last man who was trying to flank them. It didn't even take two minutes. The brawl was completely suppressed. Only the groans of the men rolling on the ground echoed through the area. "[sarcastic]Hmph. That woman is somewhat useful. Thirty points out of a hundred, though." Lilia whispered into Leon's ear. Leon gave a strained laugh. Meanwhile, Elena stood before Leon, folded her arms, and looked him over from head to toe. Her gaze became fixed on the black book clutched in his hand. "[serious]You... you possess the Black Apocalypse. That magic just now, that was it, wasn't it? So, how much of it can you use?" "Uh, um, well... not much at all, really. Just a little, I mean..." Overwhelmed by Elena's sheer intensity, Leon's voice cracked. "[cold]I see. Then it's decided. Come to the guild's training grounds this evening. We'll have a mock battle." "Wha, what?" "[serious]If you refuse, it means I'll have crushed your talent. If you're fine with that, then don't come." Having said only that, Elena promptly turned her back and disappeared into the crowd. "Hey, what about my schedule!? And what do you mean, talent!?" "[cold]Go. To throw away a chance to fight an S-rank is the act of a fool. This is also an order." Lilia immediately piled on. "I'm getting ordered around by both of you now, huh..." Leon slumped his shoulders in dejection. Among the crowd of onlookers was a small figure. Fluffy, flaxen-colored bob hair and large green eyes. It was Misha, the guild receptionist. Having slipped away from work to see what was going on, she stared dumbfounded at the sight of Elena cornering Leon. "[whispers]Elena-san... with Leon... why?" A sharp pang tightened in her chest. Even as she told herself she had to get back to work, her feet refused to move from the direction of the guild's training grounds. --- Evening. The guild training grounds were wrapped in a silence charged with heat. Amidst the swirling dust, Elena stood holding not a wooden sword, but a real sword with a blunted edge. Her fiery ponytail shone gold in the setting sun. "[serious]You came. Come at me with intent to kill. If you hold back, it's an insult to me." "W-Wait a second. I need some mental preparation—" Before he could finish his sentence, an impact struck Leon. CLANG! The short sword he'd used to block screamed in protest, and a numbing shock ran through his entire arm. It wasn't just fast. It was heavy, like being punched by a boulder. "Ngh...!" A second strike, then a third. Purely on the defensive, Leon was forced back each time, feeling the sensation in his arms begin to fade. (If I give up, it's over. She seriously believes in my talent or whatever. It's more than a coward like me deserves, but even so—) "[cold]Get up, small fry. Don't fall yet." Lilia's sharp rebuke flew at him. Leon squeezed out his mana. The contract crest on his right hand glowed black. THUMP. The space at Elena's feet, just as she was about to step in, warped and twisted. "[surprised]Oh?" Elena's stance crumbled for a split second. In that opening, Leon gained some distance. "Not bad." Elena's amber eyes narrowed, looking amused for the first time. But the next moment. Elena's figure seemed to blur, and then a storm of consecutive attacks assaulted Leon. This was on a completely different level. She was using her real sword. SLASH! THWACK! CLANG! With every strike, a shock ran through Leon's body. Unable to block them all, his legs tangled, and he fell clumsily to the ground. "Gwah!" Elena straddled Leon as he lay on his back. Her red hair, damp with sweat, brushed against his cheek. Her ragged breathing from swinging her greatsword washed over his face. "[whispers]I like you. Get stronger." Elena looked straight into Leon's eyes and whispered those words, low but certain. Thump, thump, thump. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat. His body temperature rose. Leon himself knew better than anyone that it wasn't just the heat of the training. Elena stood up, turned her back, and walked away. "[surprised]...This is bad. Seriously." Still lying on his back, Leon covered his face with his palm. "[sarcastic]Your face is red, idiot." Lilia fluttered down from the air and made a cold, pointed remark. --- BAM! At that very same time, an impact sound rang out against the outer wall of the training grounds. Misha, who had witnessed the end of the mock battle through a gap in the wall—specifically, the moment Elena straddled Leon—had slammed both her fists against it. "Wh-wh-what are you doing!? That's training!? Is training supposed to be that kind of close contact!?" Misha's face was dyed as red as her hair. "Leon, you idiot! You dense, big idiot!" Gnashing her teeth, she spun on her heel to flee from the training grounds. That very instant. "[cold]So you were watching, ordinary girl." At the entrance to the training grounds, Lilia stood with her arms crossed. "I-I wasn't watching! I was just passing by! It's a coincidence!" "[sarcastic]Your face is red. Your eyes are glistening. Is it jealousy?" "N-No, it's not! It's not jealousy! I was just... worried, that's all...!" "[cold]Then your worry is unnecessary. That man is being trained by me. He is not someone you need to worry about." "Wha...!" Invisible sparks flew between the two of them. Just then, Leon, staggering out from the training grounds, appeared. "...Whoa. How did this happen?" With a pale face, Leon grasped the situation and immediately regretted it. "Misha, you came! Uh, I'm not hurt! I lost the mock battle, but, how should I put it..." "I didn't come!!" Misha shouted that and then ran off like a startled rabbit. "[cold]Hmph. The ordinary girl can go home. You, on the other hand, still lack training." Lilia naturally took her place beside Leon. "...Did I do something?" Having genuinely no idea what was going on, Leon could only tilt his head in confusion. --- In a back alley near the training grounds. As the twilight deepened the shadows, a single man leaned his back against the wall, having watched everything. Dark brown hair, narrowed eyes. His mouth was twisted into the shape of a smile, but his eyes were as cold as ice. It was his former colleague, Zack. "[cold]A D-rank failure... going toe-to-toe with an S-rank, surrounded by women. Why him, and not me?" A sticky mutter. Jealousy and hatred pooled in his chest like murky water. His gaze fell to a small scrap of paper in his hand. It was a memo with the contact information for the black-market organization, the "Helgein Trading Company." The most abhorrent option he had been keeping warm for some time. "[whispers]I've decided. I'll take everything from him." Zack crumpled the paper in his fist and disappeared deep into the alley. --- On the way home, as the sky began to turn indigo. Walking towards the inn, the "Silver Moon Pavilion," Leon let out a deep, deep sigh to Lilia, who was floating beside him. "What am I supposed to do...? Elena-san has expectations of me, Misha's mad at me, I don't know what's what anymore." "[cold]I don't know. Figure it out yourself, small fry." "Stop calling me small fry!" Leon's shout was swallowed up by the dusky sky of Mystria. He still knew nothing of the dark shadow named Zack that had begun to move behind him.