Kagurazaka Chizuru walked along the prefectural road.

After finishing Reiko’s stream in her hotel room with Airi, Tooru’s own dungeon exploration stream began on his channel, just as he had declared. Chizuru kept watching the stream—though Airi got up to have lunch and stepped away a few times—until the broadcast ended, following Tooru as he defeated the boss on the thirteenth underground floor. She hadn’t moved from in front of the screen the entire time.

Hayasaka Tooru… had never looked that cheerful in front of them.

And that was natural. Chizuru and the others had merely been helped, asked him to assist, and explored the dungeon together, but during the subsequent “Dungeon Stampede,” they were helplessly saved once more.

Beyond paying money, they had given Tooru nothing. Even the money had only progressed after some complications, so there was no reason for him to feel any positive regard. Presumably, the rewards for the exploration, the Dungeon Stampede suppression, and even the five-headed hydra subjugation had yet to be paid. Despite the accidents, they had done nothing to atone for the last time they’d angered him—it was laughable.

Unlike Reiko, they couldn’t give anything to him.

They begged, clung, and exploited the Sword God… a shameful act of extraction.

The moment Tooru’s stream ended, Chizuru impulsively left the hotel. Thanks to habit, she had her personal magic bag with her, but she only realized she was still wearing her dungeon exploration gear, almost like underwear, when she noticed the shocked stares of passersby.

What am I doing?

She pulled a thin cloak from her magic bag and wore it, and slipped on a spare pair of combat boots since she was barefoot. Yet, her thoughts weren’t any clearer.

She walked unsteadily, and before she knew it, she was following a mountain road. She had no idea exactly where she was, having left her mobile terminal behind.

Inside her magic bag were exploration gear and emergency rations. The large-capacity magic bag used for the clan was in Airi’s possession.

…Well, whatever.

She continued down the road, half in despair. The morning had seemed sunny, yet now the sky was covered with dark clouds, and a light rain began to fall. Smiling wryly, Chizuru let herself get soaked.

That’s why you’re—

At the Kagurazaka household, it was obvious: she had no sword talent, no aptitude for combat. She had been no match for her elder sister, her elder brother, her younger sister, or her younger brother.

Then came the middle school dungeon exploration training, and everything turned upside down.

Despite being powerless with the Kagurazaka sword, her extraordinarily high mana affinity amplified her physical abilities beyond reason. The strength she generated when infusing her movements with mana was absurd, and in an instant, she became almost unbeatable in her family.

—a coward.

Yes, that was true. She had entered the Explorer Training School on the state’s dime with a half-trained sword. She had made friends, explored dungeons with them, and felt herself growing stronger.

Yet… this is how it turned out.

She had run from home, joined Anthem, and resolved to dedicate her life to the organization and the people. Or so she had thought.

Seeing the Sword God’s skill had shaken her resolve in an instant.

The ultimate of swordsmanship reached a height she had never known. She had thought she would never desire to climb it again, yet she wanted to—adore, envy, and cling to that Sword God, even though she had only caused him trouble.

…Ah, I really am a coward.

She envied Reiko—someone who could make Tooru laugh.

The thought made her loathe herself for its ugliness.

The rain had become heavier, soaking her from head to toe, yet Chizuru kept walking, unaware of it.

◇◇◇

Luck, misfortune, or mere coincidence—Chizuru could not tell which.

Though she had been walking in a daze, her steps were still those of an explorer. Before she knew it, she had covered a considerable distance.

Following the mountain road, she had unknowingly taken a turn toward the mountains, and eventually ended up somewhere strange.

The asphalt beneath her boots was torn and heaved, with patches of earth ripped out. The surrounding trees looked as if some massive creature had rampaged through, and one building lay completely collapsed.

A small clunk at her boot’s tip revealed a piece of a keyboard, likely from a terminal inside the ruined building. Not a house, but some kind of office…?

“Ah—this is the Sugai Dungeon.”

It was not a simile—It was truly a place where a colossal monster had rampaged.

Looking closer, about twenty meters from where Chizuru stood, a compact car sat with its rear door open. It was Tooru’s private car—the same one she had seen moving from the hotel to the Kamioka Dungeon yesterday.

He had probably driven it straight in to stop the Dungeon Stampede, regardless of damage. Chizuru had no idea how much money he made or how he lived, but for most people, a total loss of a private car would not be a laughing matter.

This absolutely requires compensation, she thought reflexively, then chastised herself. It wasn’t even her money—what right did she have to think about compensation?

“Hahaha… I really do look like a stalker,” she muttered.

By now, Tooru’s group would likely be emerging from the Sugai Dungeon. On the lower floors, they could traverse from staircase to staircase in an instant.

“…I have no face to show him…”

Tears threatened, but even feeling like crying felt selfish, driving her into deep self-loathing.

What should she do?

She knew she couldn’t just stand here, letting the rain soak her, yet the thought of returning quickly to the hotel and waiting for Megumi and the others felt impossible.

Someone, anything, show me the way.

What would Megumi say? Airi? Sanagi? Or perhaps Irselia? Nanami? Or… yes, “Teacher”?

Her companions flitted through her mind. She knew she would probably disappoint them.

But this was Chizuru Kagurazaka.

The woman who had desperately tried to maintain appearances, insisting her life was for the nation, was revealed in all her flawed truth.

“…‘Anthem’s’ Chizuru Kagurazaka…?”

A voice called out.

Before she realized it, Chizuru had reached the side of Tooru’s abandoned compact car. Beyond the ruined debris, the entrance to the Sugai Dungeon gaped wide.

And standing between her and the dungeon entrance was a man.

In a dark gray suit, ignoring the pouring rain as if it did not exist. His slightly long black hair was slicked back but still partially disheveled by the rain. His face was sharp and commanding, yet something about him felt… off.

“…You know who I am? Who might you be?”

Belonging to an idol explorer clan like Anthem, it wasn’t unusual for someone to recognize her while she had no idea who they were.

Yet the man in the dark gray suit did not look like someone thrilled to have met an Anthem member by chance. If anything, he seemed bewildered—why was someone here at all? And it was Chizuru who should be asking that question.

This was the site of last night’s Dungeon Stampede.

No ordinary workers had entered to clear the wreckage; the Sugai Dungeon’s safety was not yet confirmed. Reiko had used her connections to investigate under the pretense of research—but this man?

“I’m from the S City Dungeon Division. I came to inspect the aftermath of the ‘Stampede’…”

“Do you have identification?”

For some reason, his words felt unconvincing. Chizuru’s earlier exhaustion and daze vanished, replaced by a prickling instinctive caution. She stepped closer to him.

“I… don’t have anything to show immediately… my apologies.”

“Walking alone in this rain to inspect the aftermath? I wouldn’t criticize a government official, but surely no bureaucrat would come on foot. Why aren’t you carrying a camera if you’re investigating? And how can you not show identification while on duty?”

“……”

Two steps, three steps, four.

With every step she took, his expression grew taut. Simultaneously, she clearly felt the mana emanating from him. Calmly, she retrieved her belt with a sword attached from her magic bag and fastened the buckle over her coat.

A motion she had repeated countless times—she could do it with her eyes closed.

“—Who are you?”

“Tch! Clever little girl. Just so you know, I’m not your enemy. I came to check for any traces left behind… but why is an Anthem explorer standing here at the Sugai Dungeon entrance… on foot?”

Dropping his feigned courtesy, the man ran a hand through his rain-matted black hair and slicked it back into place. He showed no fear even as Chizuru’s hand hovered near her sword.

“That’s a maiden’s secret. I’ll ask again—who are you?”

“Then that’s an industrial secret. I’ll let you go if you don’t step closer, little girl.”

“I cannot simply overlook someone this blatantly suspicious. Soon, the Kujou girl and Tooru will return. I was concerned about forgetting my mobile terminal, but if I restrain you, the Kujou girl… no, the butler can notify the proper parties. One last warning: will you state your affiliation and purpose?”

“My affiliation is the evil secret society. My purpose is world peace.”

The man stuck out his tongue with a grin. Chizuru mirrored his smile—then stepped forward, drawing her blade.

—no, she couldn’t draw it.

The man had closed the distance in an instant, his hands pressing against the pommel of her sword. Smirking as if he had the upper hand, Chizuru relaxed her grip just enough to break the stalemate. The man, trying to prevent her draw, ended up pushing her—and the sword—forward with his own body.

She spun—shoulder-first—into a body slam.

Techniques like this were standard in classical swordsmanship. Even as a castoff of the Kagurazaka family, Chizuru could manage such a maneuver with ease.

Without looking away from the man who flew back as if hit by a car, she drew her sword this time. She detonated the mana stored in the scabbard, increasing the speed and power of her draw while launching a secondary mana slash.

The airborne man was struck by the mana slash—but he deftly twisted mid-air, deflecting it from below with his bare hands.

“You’re a scary one. If I hadn’t blocked that, I’d be in two,” he muttered, landing lightly on his feet.

Chizuru gripped the hilt with both hands, lowering her stance and sweeping the tip of her blade behind her.

“With your mana defenses, that attack shouldn’t have been fatal. I don’t know who you are, but you’re at least higher than an upper B-rank explorer.”

“I told you, I belong to an evil secret society. So naturally, my true identity’s a ‘phantom’,” the man replied with a carefree, taunting grin.

Despite his provocations, Chizuru made no reckless attack. She would unleash a flying slash if he tried to flee, or meet him head-on if he advanced. Her half-exposed stance was a prelude to a surprise strike and a countering posture.

“…What, not coming at me? Seems you don’t intend to let me go either. Fine, I’ll take the initiative. Show me what the youngest A-rank explorer can really do,” he said, lifting his arms lazily and ruffling his slicked-back hair.

Simultaneously, the mana pressure emanating from him clearly intensified. Like tweaking a gas burner just a notch, the man’s aura shifted from an upper B-rank to mid A-rank… perhaps even rivaling an upper A-rank.

—A shiver ran down her spine.

Every pore tingled with a premonition of danger. His skin had taken on a faint purple hue, and his slightly slanted eyes had turned a piercing blue.

“Idiot.”

A voice—flat, bored, almost disappointed—whispered right next to her.

He had closed the distance faster than a blink. Because her sword had been held in a back-handed stance, she could not react in time. Against such an initial assault, there was no chance to take a proper counter; she would have to respond on the fly.

Chizuru let out a sharp breath—and in an instant, released her grip on the sword. The man’s “claw strike,” delivered like a bear tearing at its prey, was deflected at the wrist before its full force could land. It was roughly the inverse of the earlier failed draw—awkward, but effective.

Of course, simply deflecting wasn’t enough. Using the flow of his force, she combined footwork and body movement in an aikido-like motion, throwing him with the momentum. She hadn’t grabbed his arm—not that she could have, given her lack of composure at that instant.

“Ooh—!?”

Just before hitting the ground headfirst, he slammed the earth with his other hand, forcibly creating a counter-reaction and avoiding a fall.

Chizuru stepped back to catch her sword just as it was about to touch the ground. She arched her body like a figure skater, bringing her back parallel to the ground to dodge his kick. But the maneuver had been too large, giving him the initiative.

Boom—a heel drop.

Just when she thought she had evaded a roundhouse, a heel came down from above. She judged it less dangerous than the previous claw and absorbed it with her abdomen. She still slammed onto the ground on her back, but at the strength level of an A-rank explorer, whether gravel or concrete, it was like landing on a gym mat. Water would have been worse.

The moment her back met the ground, Chizuru swung her sword. The strike was crude, no formal form—but imbued with mana. The man naturally chose to evade.

With a single bound, she jumped about ten meters away. The faintly purple man tried to smile—then winced. Why?

Countless enormous thorns erupted from the ground, encircling him.

Thump—the bizarre sound of birch-thick “stone thorns” thrust from the ground. He tried to dodge, but there were too many, too fast. Choosing to leap upward proved fatal; in moments, he was trapped inside a cage of what seemed like stone buds.

And then—a surge of mana pressure from behind.

Instinctively, Chizuru drew her sword back into its scabbard, storing mana, and turned to face the threat. The intrusion came from the side opposite the dungeon entrance.

A man in a leather jacket and a detective-style hat.

A woman with long, dark hair, shadowed and somber.

Familiar figures. Not close friends, but known.

“What are you doing in this rain, Kagurazaka Chizuru? I expected you to be exploring Noumi Dungeon by now… And it doesn’t look like you’re fighting monsters that spilled from Sugai Dungeon either. Who were you facing?”

“…The Hunter, Souma Kengo-dono… and Maisaka Risa of the Libra. Were you both here in the city?”

Souma’s left hand held a plastic cup, likely from a fast-food chain, slurping through a straw. With his right hand, he gently patted the brim of Maisaka’s hat.

Chizuru’s mind flooded with questions, none of which could be answered.

Turning back toward the pale purple man, now surrounded by giant thorns, she caught sight of another group approaching the Sugai Dungeon entrance.

Kujou Reiko. Her butler, Kashizaki Jouichirou.

The Holy Sword spirit, Tia.

Hayasaka Tooru.

“—Oh look, a demonkin,” Tia said, like a child pointing at a vapor trail in the sky.¹

1. There’s two types of ‘demons’ in this novel. One is a type of monster like the previous dungeon boss, 悪魔 (kanji is read ‘Akuma’ but the given pronunciation in this novel is “demon”), and now there’s also 魔族 (Mazoku) as in demons as a demi-human race you typically see in isekai novels. To avoid the confusion, I’ll be using ‘demonkin’ for the latter.