When I turned around, there was a man standing there.
He was the kind of person who would make anyone — regardless of gender — catch their breath at first glance.
Gently flowing golden hair. Sharp black eyes that conjured images of a bird of prey.
And a striking, handsome countenance. He carried an androgynous aura that bordered on the divine.
A young man whose beauty seemed carved by a master sculptor.
Clad in a red mantle over pristine, mysterious white armor, simply standing there made him look like a painting.
That was the kind of man he was.
His name was Alveld von Luitbert.
A Class-I Delver. Known as "the Ruin Breaker."
Alveld stared at me for a moment, then broke into a grin—
"Crash."
"Banish."
Two Relics collided, and a heavy metallic ring echoed through the space.
"Your skills have really deepened, Wof."
"That's quite the greeting, Alveld von Luitbert..."
I glared at him.
Alveld spoke without a care in the world.
"We first met in this same spot, didn't we, Wof?"
"Was that so?"
So it was here.
There were so many similar back alleys and spots that I could never tell them apart.
"By the way, the ones you took out were members of the Kuun Hunt clan."
"All of them?"
"That's right."
"...Aren't they a bit too terrible, quality-wise?"
"I suppose so."
Alveld nodded as if it were someone else's problem.
You. You're the clan master of the Kuun Hunt, so these are literally your people.
"So you know they're clan members, even though you don't seem all that interested in them."
"I only know because I was informed."
"...Informed?"
"With the Kuun Hunt weakened, some of the lower ranks have been doing as they please."
"I see..."
So he does acknowledge they've been weakened.
"Apparently, Bobbigg's faction was especially bad — going far beyond acceptable limits. They used the Kuun Hunt name to commit atrocities. That's why I was tracking them down to deal with personally."
"I ended up stealing your prey, then."
"It's fine. A trivial matter."
As long as the job gets done, that's all that matters. Whether you'd call that pragmatic or cold-blooded...
Same as always.
"What are you going to do with the Kuun Hunt now?"
"The current Kuun Hunt is an obese, ugly pig. It needs to be slimmed down. First, we lance the boil."
"The rot goes deep, I think."
"The very first thing I did was cut out the biggest boil — the Barsleit Grand Ducal House."
"...Weren't they the biggest sponsor?"
"Have you never wondered, Wof?"
"Wondered about what?"
"That despite Alveld von Luitbert being clan master, the reputation and quality of the members were abysmal. Have you never felt that way?"
"...Honestly, I have."
He was actually admitting that himself.
I was exasperated, but also understood he wasn't being arrogant about it.
There was something that had always struck me as strange, and it only deepened since I'd gotten to know this man.
"Even though I was called clan master, it was in name only. Through family connections, I'd lent my name — I had almost no involvement. The only ones who mattered were my loyal Forkat and his subordinates."
Forkat. One of the four who swore loyalty to Alveld, if I remembered right.
The so-called Four Heavenly Kings. I'd heard they were formidable.
I'd only ever met one of them.
"I know you were almost always deep in dungeons and rarely came back."
"That's the nature of being a delver. It's to be expected. But it ended up letting that guy grow bold."
"That guy?"
"The second son of the Barsleit Grand Ducal House. Iwan Barsleit."
"So he was the root cause?"
"He was like a textbook example of an incompetent with power."
Reading the past tense in his words, I asked.
"Did you kill him?"
"...That was an unfortunate accident."
"I see."
Nothing more needed to be said.
"Wof. I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
Alveld, asking for a favor?
I tensed slightly. This man was not someone you could let your guard down around.
"I'd like to forge ties with the Tasan family. Would you act as intermediary? I heard you're close with them."
"Well, if it's just talking, I can manage that much."
Something like that was easy enough.
But the next thing he said stunned me.
"Also, I'm interested in the dungeon you're building in Heizen."
"...You know about that?"
It wasn't even public knowledge in Heizen yet.
The Zennera family and the Gouro family both kept their mouths shut.
"Sorry, but I have to keep my sources confidential."
My wariness shot to maximum.
So Etrange wasn't known to him.
It couldn't be known. Absolutely not.
It had perception-blocking in place, so its defenses should have been tighter than anything else.
"Understood. When you visit Heizen, please contact me."
"I look forward to it."
"Um, may I ask one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"Alveld — can you achieve True Apotheosis?"
"Oh. Where did you learn about that?"
His aura shifted.
Like gentle ripples drawing inward, his presence pressed down on me.
I smiled and spoke.
"I'll keep my sources confidential."
For just an instant, Alveld's eyes widened in surprise.
Then he let out a small laugh.
"I see. You're right. Let me talk a bit. I knew there was something beyond Pseudo-Apotheosis, but I couldn't even find the trigger to reach it. However, Wof — when I fought you, I caught a glimpse of it. It's still rough, but one day I'll master it."
"Why do you pursue strength so relentlessly?"
Alveld pursued power greedily, cunningly, and with ruthless efficiency.
It was obsession. He gave a soft laugh.
"I have a purpose."
"...May I ask what?"
I felt like Alveld's black eyes had taken on a deep, murky gleam.
He nodded slightly.
"To kill a treasure-class monster."
"Treasure-class..."
The highest rank of monster. A single one could slaughter an entire nation with ease — they were even called gods.
"That monster is called a Kuun."
"The Kuun Hunt — don't tell me..."
"The clan was created for that purpose alone. But because of my... foolishness, it became badly distorted. So I'll return it to its original form. Hunting Kuun. From now on, that's the only purpose this clan will serve."
Alveld's words were a declaration.
That's how they sounded to me.
If anyone could do it, he would.
Late that night.
When I suddenly came to, I found myself in a mysterious white space where fog billowed across the night sky.
"..."
I was all alone in this enigmatic space.
Wait — could I get here by using Etrange?
Oh — I'd never noticed before, but looking closely, there were pillars.
Slender black cylinders placed at regular intervals. No, I really hadn't noticed them at all.
Well, now that I had, so what?
But still, to come at this timing...
Look — she's here.
Light green hair streaked with black. One eye hidden by her hair, and black cat ears atop her head.
She wore a translucent white nightdress loosely, and two black tails of differing lengths swayed behind her.
A beautiful cat-girl.
She approached with unsteady, swaying steps — slowly was an understatement.
"ZzzzZzzz... mumble mumble... so... sleepy... ZzzzZZzzzz... ZzzzZ..."
Who the—?!