I turned back just in time to see the Duke standing high upon the balcony of his castle, overlooking the burning streets of Dymland. From that height he could see everything... the chaos spreading through the city, the civilians desperately fighting back, and his knights riding through the streets like a tide of steel. Below him, armored soldiers charged forward on horseback, their blades flashing as they cut through the crowd while magic circles flickered beneath their hooves..
"CHARGE! WE ARE THE KNIGHTS OF HIS MAJESTY!"
The sound rolled through the streets like thunder.
And then everything collapsed into chaos.
Citizens grabbed whatever they could find. Rusted weapons, broken wood, even stones and fought back against the charging knights. Fire spells clashed against steel armor, screams echoed between buildings, and within seconds the peaceful streets of Dymland turned into a battlefield. I stood there for a moment watching the madness unfold before slowly rubbing my face.
"…Why am I still here?"
Thinking about it for a second, this wasn't even a real battle. It was a slaughter waiting to happen. Every single knight the Duke brought with him was a Grandmaster-tier magician. Against ordinary civilians, it was less of a war and more of a delayed execution.
"Well… not my problem."
I turned around to leave the city. If I ignored the scenario, I'd probably just get some kind of penalty. Annoying maybe, but manageable.
Right as that thought crossed my mind, a translucent window appeared in front of my face.
■■■ Scenario
New Penalty: Failure will result in death.
Objective: Kill the Duke
Reward: 1000 Coins
I stared at the screen for a few seconds.
"eh."
"…I am going to kill Akyros."
With a sigh, I began running through the alleyways, my mind racing for any possible way to deal with an army of Grandmaster knights. Fighting them head-on was impossible. Sneaking through them was even worse. I needed something ridiculous. Something unfair.
Then I saw a figure sprint across the rooftops.
At first I assumed it was just another terrified civilian escaping the massacre, but the way she moved was strangely confident... leaping across the tiled roofs like someone who had done this a hundred times before. She landed in the alley ahead of me with a clumsy thud, dusting off her cloak as if nothing unusual had happened.
Messy dark hair. A long coat that looked a little too expensive for someone running from a battle. And a magician's staff strapped lazily to her back.
Ah.
So it really was her.
"Hey," I called cautiously. "Are you Beatrice?"
She slowly turned her head and squinted at me.
"…Who are you?"
"Oh uh I-"
She waved her hand impatiently. "Never mind. You're taking too long."
I resisted the urge to curse my past self for writing her personality this way.
Instead, I reached into my pouch and tossed two gold coins toward her.
She caught them instantly.
Her expression changed faster than lightning.
"…Alright," she said, suddenly polite. "State your request."
Money really did solve everything.
I pointed toward the battlefield. "Burn them."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
I tossed her another 2 gold coins.
Her eyes lit up like someone had just handed her the keys to a treasure vault.
"Understood."
Beatrice stepped forward into the open street and raised her hand toward the sky. Magic began gathering around her instantly, swirling like a storm forming out of nowhere. The air vibrated as a blazing sphere of fire appeared above her palm.
It kept growing.
Five meters.
Ten meters.
Fifteen.
The heat alone was enough to make the nearby walls melt. Even I instinctively stepped back.
…Right I muttered under my breath. I remember writing this.
Beatrice wasn't skilled. She wasn't strategic. In fact, by most definitions she was technically the worst magician in the world.
But her raw magical output?
Completely ridiculous.
The fireball she was forming had a temperature that could rival dragons.
"Alright," she said casually. "Consider them dead."
She snapped her fingers.
The fireball shot forward.
For a brief moment, the battlefield went silent.
Then the explosion swallowed everything.
A miniature sun erupted in the center of Dymland. The shockwave shattered windows across the district, and the ground trembled violently as flames consumed the battlegound in seconds. When the light finally faded, nothing remained except burned armor and drifting ash.
Beatrice stretched lazily.
"So," she said, brushing dust off her coat. "Anything else?"
"Just one thing."
I walked slowly across the ruined battlefield, taking the sword of a random dead soldier and walked until I reached the Duke. He was barely alive, coughing blood while trying to lift his sword again.
"I wanted to make this place better…" he rasped.
"I know," I replied calmly.
"But I always hated the way you did it."
His eyes widened.
"…Wait."
He stared at me in confusion.
"Are you-"
I drove the sword straight through his chest.
"That's right," I said quietly. "It's me."
The system notification appeared immediately.
■■■ Scenario Complete
Reward: 1000 Coins
I pulled the sword out and returned to Beatrice, who was examining the melted armor with curiosity.
"So what now?" she asked.
"Nothing," I replied, picking up my bag. "Leave the city before it collapses."
I walked toward the city gate.
Behind me, Dymland burned.
I had only taken a few steps outside the walls when I heard someone shouting behind me.
"HEY! WAIT!"
I turned.
Beatrice came sprinting down the road, slightly out of breath.
"…Let me join you."
"…Why?"
She grinned shamelessly.
"You look rich."
I sighed.
"…Fine."
Honestly, I only wanted her power anyway.
After several hours of walking, night fell and we set up camp in a quiet clearing. We built two separate tents, and the moment my head touched the pillow I drifted into sleep.
Which lasted exactly five seconds.
"Welcome home… dad."
I opened my eyes.
The void again.
"…I'm hearing things now," I muttered.
"You're not dreaming" Akyros said from somewhere in the darkness. "Stand up."
I groaned. "Can I sleep for once?"
Then something occurred to me.
"Hey… I've never actually seen your physical form before. Can you show it to me?"
"No."
"…Wow. Harsh."
Akyros sighed.
"Fine. But remember... you might die."
"…What?"
The darkness tore open.
A deafening noise filled the void, something so loud my ears instantly began ringing. My vision blurred, blood trickling from my eyes as something slowly appeared within the darkness.
Four enormous eyes.
That was all I could see.
Just four massive, glowing eyes staring into my soul.
My lungs stopped working.
My body froze.
I couldn't breathe.
"…This can't be happening," I thought weakly.
"This is the void… I can't die here…"
Everything began fading.
Then suddenly-
"Wake up already."
Pain exploded through my body as Akyros slammed me into the ground.
"AHH! WHAT DO YOU WANT?! I'M DYING!"
"Relax" he said calmly. "You can't die here."
"…What?"
"You'll feel pain" Akyros continued. "But your body won't break. Not until I say so."
A cold laugh echoed through the void.
"…Great."
When I opened my eyes again, it was morning.
Back at the camp.
I stepped outside and noticed Beatrice was still asleep, so I grabbed my axe and started chopping wood for breakfast. Years of summer navy camp finally paid off. Soon a fire was burning, and I started cooking the steak I had bought earlier from Totally A Meat Store™... which, in hindsight, might have been the worst name I had ever come up with.
The smell must have woken Beatrice.
She stumbled out of her tent, rubbing her eyes.
"…Hey," she said awkwardly. "I think I won't join your adventure after all. Sorry."
She paused, sniffing the air.
"…But before that… can I eat?"
I stared at her.
"You want to abandon me and still eat my food?"
"That's right!"
Right then, another system window appeared.
■■■ Scenario
Objective: Eliminate 2 living organisms
Excluding: Plants
Reward: 500 Coins
Failure: Player will be eliminated
I slowly looked up at the sky.
…Just when I thought things couldn't get worse.
I clenched my fists.
I swear I'm going to kill you someday, Akyros.