“It’s not like I can undo being a sinner now. I’m scum. So, since I’m headed for hell no matter what I do, I might as well enjoy myself like this. Ahh, wondering why I’m telling you all this? Call it mercy. I want my victims to know who’s killing them before the end.”
He giggled, rambling about things no one asked to hear, smiling to himself. Then, he placed a hand on my forehead—but I couldn’t feel it. I only knew it happened because I saw it. The only other thing I registered was the taste of blood in my mouth from the blade plunged into my throat.
Terror. Is this what dying feels like? Being stolen away, piece by piece—until I disappear.
Scaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscaredscared.
“……Hey, you probably can’t hear me anymore, right?”
His lips moved, but no sound reached me. Then—my vision plunged into darkness. No sight, no sensation, no smell, no sound. Even the last metallic tang of blood on my tongue faded.
Just moments ago, I’d been laughing with my comrades, clapping each other on the back, breathing in the scent of alcohol, exchanging encouragement, tasting blood—
Now, only blackness. Nothing. Helpless, with nothing left but terror.
Where, where, where, where is this…? Even that thought slipped away. By the time I noticed—no, before I could even process the realization—
There was nothing left.
All that remained was a man sprawled on the ground, a dagger lodged in his heart. His limbs torn off, his throat crushed, his eyes gouged out. No longer human—just a grotesque, mangled husk, discovered the next morning.
[Day 2: Synchronization of Light]
In The Chronicles of the Round Table Heroes, the spin-off protagonist Alicia woke in an inn. Her beautiful blonde hair stuck out in sleep-mussed tufts.
Her face, equally lovely, bore dark circles under her eyes from exhaustion. The fatigue of her first dungeon dive had piled up—the unfamiliar cityscape, the grueling journey to the Free City—none of it had been easy.
Yet despite the exhaustion, sleep eluded her. Every time she closed her eyes, he appeared in her dreams—the blood-soaked demon with the black right arm. Over and over, haunting her rest.
How could anyone sleep like this?
“At this rate… I might never sleep properly again…”
She muttered the words into her pillow. A creeping dread whispered that peaceful sleep might be forever out of reach.
“Calm down, Alicia. You’re capable. You’re amazing. You’re talented. You’ll become someone everyone admires. You can’t let some rookie scare you. You’ll overcome this. That demon.”
Whispering affirmations to herself, she rose from bed, freshened up, and stepped outside.
(…If I can conquer that devilish demon, I feel like I’ll reach greater heights. Well, more like—if I don’t, I’ll never sleep again, so I have to.)
(Where is he, anyway? I know he’s staying at the same inn… Maybe I’ll ask if he’s already left or if he’s still asleep.)
Alicia approached the elderly woman at the front desk. Oddly, the old lady wore a nervous, almost fearful expression.
“Excuse me, have you seen that scowly guy around?”
“Ah, that one… He left early this morning…”
“Oh… So he’s already gone.”
“You should be careful, dear.”
“Huh?”
“This morning, an adventurer was found dead—brutally mutilated. The whole city’s in an uproar.”
“I… see.”
“We’ve never had a corpse turn up outside the dungeon before. The mood out there is ugly… Newcomers like you might get accused of things. Stay sharp.”
“…Thanks for the warning.”
Alicia stepped outside. The sunlight was blinding, the air stifling—yet it felt murky, as if tainted.
Everyone eyed everyone else with suspicion. The entire city had become a den of unease.
As she wandered, searching for Fei, she noticed sidelong glances thrown her way. She pretended not to care, but her eyes kept darting toward the suspicious gazes before flicking away.
I must look guilty just by acting like this. But she couldn’t stop.
(This city’s atmosphere is vile… I wonder what Fei thinks of all this?)
Her search continued—until she spotted him.
“Ah …… ”
A dark-haired man’s back, walking ahead without a care for the stares around him, heading straight for the dungeon.
She hurried after him.
“…Morning.”
“…You.”
“You!? Rude much!?”
“Doesn’t matter. What do you want?”
“Uh, well, I just…”
(How do I say, ‘The mood’s so bad I can’t handle being alone’ without sounding pathetic…?)
Under Fei’s hawk-like glare, her confident posture faltered. She lacked the courage to admit she was lonely—and admitting weakness was out of the question.
So, she bluffed.
“I-I just felt sorry for you, all alone like that!”
“…I intend to stay solo. Your concern is unnecessary.”
Without another glance, Fei strode toward the dungeon. She noticed something then—unlike her, he didn’t spare a single thought for the people around him.
Even when others doubt Fei, Fei does not doubt them. One might even think he knows nothing about the murders. But in a free city where the atmosphere has grown so tense, it’s impossible for him to feel nothing.
This is a major incident—there’s no way he doesn’t know. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the free city today is nothing like it was yesterday.
And yet, Fei alone remains untouched, so much so that one might suspect he’s still living in yesterday’s free city—or that he has no emotions at all.
(…This guy only sees himself, doesn’t he?)
That was her conclusion. Fei lived by his own rules, detached from the world. A recluse, if she had to put a name to it.
She wanted recognition, praise, admiration—to be doted on.
They were polar opposites.
And that intrigued her. What kind of person was this man, so different from her in every way—beliefs, path, everything? Was he just a devil? A monster?
She had to know.
Matching Fei’s strides, she called out.
“Wait up!”
“Still here?”
“…I’ll only say this once! Fine, I’ll grace you with a party!”
“…No thanks.”
“No thanks!? Excuse you!? I’m a future hero!”
“…”
“H-Hey! Don’t ignore me!”
(Huh… I think this is the first time I’ve ever spoken my mind like this…)
(Is it because he’s the type to say whatever he wants too?)
“Hmph! Even if you ignore me, I’m sticking with you!”
“…”
“…”
Despite Fei’s silence, Alicia planted herself firmly beside him. To an outsider, they might’ve looked like a brother and his clingy little sister.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Alicia “stalked”—no, joined Fei’s party, and the two descended into the dungeon together.
Ahead of them—three goblins.
“Take this, this, and THIS!”
Alicia conjured bullets of fire, water, and wind, pelting the monsters. Her Star elemental manipulation and magic aptitude far surpassed ordinary humans.
They found the path to the second floor, where an Ogre—a hulking, green-skinned brute resembling an enlarged goblin—appeared.
“Hraaah!!”
She buried it under a wave of earth, clenched her fist—and the compressed dirt crushed the Ogre instantly.
“…”
Fei watched silently. Noticing his gaze, Alicia puffed out her chest proudly, her curves accentuated under her clothes.
“See? I’ve got aptitude in all elements. Impressed? Amazing, right? A genius, right?”
“…Sure.”
“‘Sure’!? That’s all you’ve got!?”
Fei remained impassive. His refusal to acknowledge her grated on her nerves.
Time passed as they fought through the second floor. Fei carved through enemies with his blade, while Alicia trained herself with a mix of magic and swordplay.
“Whew… Hey, don’t you think we’ve done enough for today?”
“…I’m staying.”
“Fine…”
(Thought about inviting him to eat, but… He’d just say he’s not interested. Ugh, I can’t figure him out at all.)
She kept stealing glances at Fei. Like a certain golden-haired protagonist, understanding him wouldn’t be easy.
(Going back alone feels… off. Maybe I’ll stick with him a bit longer…!?)
Just then—
BOOOOM!
A deafening crash echoed through the chamber. Unlike the first floor’s maze-like paths, the second floor was an open plain where dungeons spawned.
The sound came from something massive. Something here.Her combat instincts kicked in. Whatever approached was nothing like the foes they’d faced so far. A gulp. Tension spiked.
Through the settling dust—a shadow moved.
Small.
Almost… human-shaped.
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