[The Day of the Confrontation.]
Caressing his horse, Colin remained deep in thought. He still hadn't processed everything he'd experienced over the past days, especially last night. He had doubts—not about his companions, but about himself. Even so, he felt he had indeed grown stronger.
He had learned to manipulate his mana more deftly and had even dispatched several bugbears who would have easily torn him apart without Brighid's intense training.
The sun was just rising, and he was already ready, waiting for the rest of his party. Hearing footsteps, he turned to see old Betidor approaching with a few villagers.
"Woke up early, old man," Colin remarked.
The elder smiled and handed Colin a pendant that looked like a tiny piece of stone.
"I know it doesn't look like much, but I believe this will protect you against the demon."
Colin eyed the object suspiciously but accepted it.
"Thank you!" Colin said as he hung it around his neck. "You don't have to worry so much about me, old man."
"Of course I do. You are our last hope, lad. All the nobles refused us help, as did the knights' sons and mercenary bands—they all turned their backs on us."
"That doesn't surprise me, since the enemy is a demon, and honestly, the pay for this mission isn't great…" Colin sighed. "I suppose I should have asked for far more than a few coins."
The old man glanced over Colin's shoulder and saw the fairy fling herself around his neck, shouting, "Colin!"
Pinching her wings between his thumb and forefinger, Colin chided, "Want to wake everyone up?"
She pouted and looked away.
"Sorry…"
"Tch."
Safira followed close behind, yawning as she stretched. The elder looked at them gathered—a simple group that seemed unremarkable yet astonishingly harmonious. Creatures from different veiled species seldom got along as well as they did.
"Elf!" the elder called. Colin turned.
"Good luck."
He mounted his horse and offered his hand to Safira, who climbed up behind him.
"If we don't return in two days, consider us dead," Colin said bluntly.
The elder nodded.
"May the Twelve Divines guide you."
"Colin!" he heard behind him, and there stood Roseline beside her father.
Still wearing his scowl, the blacksmith was pulling a cart covered by a tarp.
"I brought some things that might help you!" Roseline said excitedly. "We didn't make them to fit perfectly, but there should be something here for you and Safira."
"And for me?" Brighid asked, irritated.
"Ah… I don't think we have anything that small…"
Roseline pulled back the tarp, and Safira was the first to step forward, eyes widening at dozens of weapons and pieces of armor. Colin approached the blacksmith.
"Thank you," Colin joked.
"It was Roseline's idea," the blacksmith said curtly. "She convinced me to help after she claimed my swords were stolen last night." He stepped closer to Colin, looking him in the eye. "I've warned you to stay away from her. I know your kind—fill her head with illusions just to have her for one night, then never show up again! My daughter will not bear the bastard child of a half-breed, do you understand?"
Colin sighed, scratching the back of his neck.
"And here I thought we were getting along…"
"These weapons and armor are all you'll get from me—so take them and go on your suicidal mission!"
Colin said nothing and merely nodded as the blacksmith walked away. He rejoined his companions, testing the armor. After a while, he was ready.
Colin wore an iron vambrace on his left arm and a mail shirt beneath a tight leather cuirass. He had black leather trousers and boots, plus a leg strap carrying a dagger.
A small cowhide pouch hung at his waist, containing small loaves of bread Roseline had baked for the journey, wrapped in embroidered cloth.
Safira wore a mail shirt over a white long-sleeved tunic, topped by leather armor fitted to her size.
She wore a shoulder pad on her left arm, black cloth trousers, silver greaves, and leather boots covering her calves.
Brighid wore her usual dress, though its hems were embroidered and as white as snow.
"Well, I think it's time to go."
"Please be careful…"
"All right. See you later, Roseline."
Roseline bowed in gratitude.
"I'll pray for your safe return—all of you."
"Thank you."
Colin nodded to the elder, mounted his horse, shook the reins, and rode away from the village. Brighid shot Roseline an angry glance, and the girl swallowed hard.
◊❱───────⸂◍⸃───────❰◊
In some ways, they were tense about what lay ahead, but Brighid remained perfectly calm. She played with a flock of little birds among the trees. Safira sat quietly, deep in thought. Normally, Colin would have let it go, but it was important she stay focused on the mission.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "What's the matter?"
Safira pursed her lips. She was hesitant to speak her mind, fearing Colin's reproach, but she decided to say it anyway.
"Well… I just think all of this happened so suddenly… First my village was attacked, then we met Elara's group, and they died, then we got involved with Renovich, trained together, and now we're going to hunt a demon… It's all happened far too fast."
"Do you want to quit?"
She shook her head. "I don't want to quit, I just… I'm a little nervous…"
Colin was nervous, too—especially because he was about to face a real demon. His previous encounter had not been pleasant. He didn't fear for his life so much as for the lives of his companions, whom he had come to care for like family.
"You don't need to be nervous. You're forceful, and you have Brighid. She's a monarch of two mana trees—we'll be safe with her."
"I know, but… even so…"
"What you lack is confidence. After a few more experiences like this, it'll be easier to face these situations. Strong people are confident, and everyone trusts the strong."
"You say that, but it isn't true."
Colin raised an eyebrow, and Safira pressed on.
"Brighid and I trust you, but that's not because you're strong… it's something else… I can't say what it is…"
"It's because I'm confident. Exuding confidence is a sign of strength, and you should try it—just don't confuse confidence with recklessness."
I think that advice applies to me too, Colin mused inwardly.
"Hm…"
"I have something for you." He bent forward, retrieved the mithril sword from the side of his horse, and handed it to her over his shoulder. "It's yours. Roseline said it can cut through anything."
"Oh… thank you!"
Safira believed absolutely everything Colin said, even if he was entirely wrong.
"All right, I can do this!" she said, determination shining in her eyes.
Colin merely smiled.
Brighid left her bird friends and fluttered over to him, pointing eastward.
"I sense a malevolent aura coming from there. It's sticky and cold…"
"Is that our demon?" Colin asked.
"That's not a demon's aura—it's the aura of a being drawn straight from the Abyss, and that is far worse," Brighid said, her expression grave—one Colin had never seen before. "I never imagined encountering an Abyssal creature outside the Abyss itself."
Colin reined in his horse and thought deeply. From the way the fairy spoke, Abyssal beings were powerful enough to frighten even a Two-Tree Monarch. He considered himself lucky to have escaped alive from the demon that had wiped out the mercenary village.
Would this creature also need banishing? At what cost? He wasn't willing to risk any of their lives lightly.
"All right!" Colin said. "We need a plan."
"I thought we already had one," Safira replied.
And indeed they did. Colin decided to place his faith entirely in Brighid, keeping Safira in reserve as a backup—provided Safira could wield her powers effectively.
Thinking further, Colin realized how foolish he'd been. Their small party lacked real combat experience. Perhaps if they'd stormed kobold lairs or hunted bandits instead of training with humanoid trees, their synergy would be stronger.
No… the training with Brighid was excellent. Kobolds are far too weak, and so are bandits. Without that training, I wouldn't have beaten the bugbears. Calm down, Colin, don't let your nerves show.
Silently, Colin continued weighing his options in this precarious situation. Brighid was their support—so it made sense she had support magics to aid them in battle. And what was so special about the Vacuum Tree? "Vacuum" sounded intimidating, he thought, and this Abyssal monster wasn't human.
The fairy could fight at full strength.
No banishing or sacrifices this time—this time we fight to kill.
Colin turned to Brighid.
"You have support spells, right? Is there anything that can enhance both mine and Safira's abilities? Something that doesn't require exhaustive training and that will save us time?"
She could—but among fairies it was taboo to use their abilities to bolster other beings in that way, for it unconsciously linked them as if Brighid were sharing fragments of her soul.
She paused, appraising her two new companions. One was an innocent girl burdened by great trauma who could become one of the most destructive beings in this world. The other looked like a dark elf—half-human, half-elf—but even she didn't truly know what he was. The most mysterious part of it all was that Colin had goals she could not perceive.
Her instincts told her to refuse, but something inside her refused to say no. Brighid had harbored other feelings toward Colin ever since he freed her from the chest—feelings she couldn't even understand. Those feelings insisted it was appropriate to help someone like him, even as another part of her screamed the opposite.
Deep down, despite her power, these two were the only beings she had lived alongside peacefully in centuries. She had grown attached to them, and her new friends needed her strength. She would rather not be considered useless.
"I have the support magic you asked for," Brighid said. "But your bodies aren't fully prepared for it. You might be destroyed if you remain enchanted too long…"
Colin noticed the weight in the fairy's voice and immediately realized she was serious. Even as a suicidal risk-taker, he cared about both their safety.
"I understand."
Safira saw Colin deep in thought, looking more serious than usual.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
His experience in games always taught him that facing an endgame-level monster at a low level meant certain defeat—and he had no choice. First, he would trust Brighid to handle the creature. If she failed, he and Safira would step in. If things became even more complicated, their only option was to flee.
What troubled him most was the fairy's warning that this being was far worse than a demon. Colin found himself in a moral dilemma: go after his prey, or not? Sacrifice himself and his companions, or only himself? Was confronting this enemy truly necessary?
Then he remembered the villagers. Even though most were not welcoming, he cared for them. The other two villages he'd visited had fallen into ruin, and he didn't want what Safira had suffered to befall the children who watched him with curiosity and admiration.
At last, he made up his mind.
"Let's move on!" he said, resolute. "If Brighid can't deal with it, we'll run. Understood?"
They both nodded.
"Brighid, lead the way."
"Right!"