Episode 5 — We Are Only Uninvited Guests

1

Alano wandered through the maze.

Strange creatures pressed her from all sides.

Darkness.

The darkness she hated most closed in from every direction.

Creaking sounds echoed.

3rd-class.

Despite her considerable achievements for her age, her entire body froze with fear.

Whew-.

Indeed, under this pressure, it was difficult to cast spells.

The stark difference between theory and practice hit her hard.

‘I can do it. I can do it.’

She hated fighting.

The Harrison family was that kind of place.

Foolish, gentle, soft-.

But because of that, they could become stronger.

Those born with a weak disposition hated losing things more than dying.

The sense of loss from losing something made the family even more resolute.

[To protect without taking. For that, we need power. The power to overcome everything is the power to protect what’s ours.]

If the Caesars were a family of conquerors, the Harrisons were a family of protectors.

Alano, too, inherited the family’s blood strongly.

A place that liked to be kind and considerate of others.

To protect, they could become stronger than the Caesars.

Of course, protecting included their own lives.

Everything stems from oneself.

You must know how to protect yourself to have the leisure to protect others.

[Hmm!]

“Where is this path leading?”

[Glacia]

The flower she bloomed was full of thorns.

A beautiful but deadly flower mercilessly pierced the demon’s heart.

Creak-!

The demon’s entire body froze and shattered.

Alano caught her breath and gathered her mana.

“How could this place exist… and he’s wandering around here alone-.”

[Hmm!]

A demon’s sound was heard in the distance.

Was it coming this way?

Alano quickly moved, following the path in front of her.

What would Manus be thinking, wandering alone in this dark maze?

Her faint childhood memories surfaced, making her heart race.

Caesar.

Even though he came from the family of conquerors, Manus was really a weak child.

He was gentle and calm.

A child who suited the name Harrison more than Caesar.

‘Wait. Just a little longer.’

The Harrisons never sever ties first.

Alano moved along the wall.

She froze every obstacle in her way, searching for her childhood friend.

[Kik-?]

How long had she wandered aimlessly?

A shiver of cold ran down her spine.

Alano slowly, and quietly, turned around.

A chilling sound rushed at her.

[Kikikiki-!]

Nothing was there, but she heard the sound.

She could feel it.

Something huge was patrolling the tower.

-It’s dangerous.

Instinctively, Alano quickened her pace.

How long had she been here?

What if whatever was patrolling the tower had detected her?

What if what she encountered was an overwhelmingly powerful resident?

‘It’s dangerous.’

Boom-.

A sound was heard.

Clank-.

The sound of chains, as if ready to hang an intruder, made her whole body tremble.

Could she escape?

[Kikik-!]

The sound grew louder.

Each step tightened the grip of death.

‘…No-‘

She would not die.

Protecting her life.

The basic mindset a Harrison should have was at work.

She unleashed her latent power to dispel her fear.

――――――――!!

Crash-.

The booming mana attracted the attention of the nearby demons.

But she couldn’t stop.

A greater danger was approaching her every moment.

Alano ran without looking back.

Instinctively, she knew.

The moment she stopped, her life would end in this deserted place.

Her sharp mind assessed the situation and forged a path for survival.

She had to go forward since she had come from behind-.

[Glacia Boost]

She summoned mana and wove a spell.

Her legs became ice flowers, propelling her forward.

Glacia Boost.

A magic that encased the user’s legs in ice to move forward.

The sharp wind brushed past her, giving a sense of speed.

The sound gradually faded.

But, as a countereffect, numerous demons started swarming.

Alano gritted her teeth.

Demons reached out to grab her clothes.

The chilling sensation from their near misses sent shivers down her spine.

She had no idea how to shake them off.

But she wouldn’t give up.

She had come to help and didn’t want to leave without achieving anything.

“-I won’t be a burden.”

She kept running.

To be the winner of a tag game that seemed endless.

2

Manus ran, his cloak fluttering behind him.

He had told her not to come-.

‘The sound came from quite a way down.’

It was either the 1st or 2nd floor.

The 1st floor’s layout wasn’t complicated.

The maze was small.

But from the 2nd floor, even without the random element, the entire stage’s system started applying.

Do you know the ghosts from the old game Bubble Bobble?

Do you know the strong boss that appears to prevent you from stalling? (TL Note: This is very common in old dungeon crawlers, in which if you stall, “Death” will show up. If you have played Person 5, it’s that Death that shows in the car sectio)

This game had something similar.

A penalty if you didn’t quickly move to the next stage.

An invincible hidden boss that couldn’t be killed until late in the game.

Alano must have been unable to find the stairs leading upward since it was her first time here.

‘Fortunately, the tutorial boss is slow and weak.’

Still, it was a boss that the playable characters couldn’t defeat.

Its presence was just a message urging you to quickly pass through the maze.

The hidden boss in the tutorial was programmed to patrol only a specific section.

In other words, it was easy to shake off.

Caesar’s instincts began to awaken.

His senses sharpened, and his desire to seize what he wanted grew.

Harrison Alano.

Should she be taken by the god of death before she could even bloom?

Alano was a top-tier character among the protagonist’s companions.

Her immense attack power and debuffs made her the first choice for any party among players worldwide.

The original story hadn’t even properly started yet.

He couldn’t let the butterfly’s flap become a storm.

A storm that would take innocent lives should never happen.

He retraced his steps.

And then-.

“Manus!”

“-Duck.”

Alano, skating like a blur.

Caesar’s mindset urged Manus again.

What would he do if this were a game?

[Ignis]

Whoosh-!

Flames surged from his outstretched hand.

1st-class.

The most basic magic, but Caesar’s 1st-class was different.

It was on another level.

[Ugh-!]

The demons pursuing them were engulfed in flames.

They were nothing but mere nuisances.

There were many of them, but clearing the path wasn’t difficult.

[Glacia]

An ice spear pierced through the inhabitants of the dark.

In an instant, a broad path opened up, revealing the dark interior of the tower.

“Run to the other side.”

“Huh? Are you sure— Ah!”

Manus roughly grabbed her shoulder, turning her direction.

Then he pushed her back.

“If we move to another floor, it will disappear.”

Manus gritted his teeth and ran.

The discrepancy between his immense passive skills and his frail body tormented him.

To maintain his top student position, he needed to eliminate this gap.

Sweat poured, and his legs grew numb, but he kept running.

He remembered the path perfectly.

Soon, the demons regained their senses and started pursuing them.

The creepy laughter had long ceased.

The figure had already moved to another section.

“Do you know the way?”

“Of course.”

Manus replied briefly and navigated the path confidently.

Turning corners, going straight-.

They disappeared down the stairs leading to the previous floor.

It looked like they were diving from the mortal realm into hell, but sometimes hell was a better place.

“They’re still following us!?”

“Run to the lobby.”

The lobby wasn’t far from the 1st floor.

They narrowly disappeared down the stairs leading to the lobby.

The swarming demons halted at the top of the stairs.

The eerie masked pursuer stood still as if it had lost its purpose in life.

[Ugh-.]

Was that a sound of regret?

Or relief?

They left a faint sound and slowly vanished.

The residents scattered to welcome the next uninvited guests.

In the tower created by the god of death, the living were unnecessary.

Those who could climb the tower paid the toll with their souls.

3

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes, somehow I survived.”

“-Indeed. You are reckless.”

Alano lowered her head.

Ignoring his warning and entering the tower was clearly wrong.

She looked at the sweat beading on his face.

This man had run through the darkness alone to protect her.

The man called a tyrant might have been lonelier than anyone else.

Had he spent a year preparing to throw himself into danger by himself, all while shunning affection?

“-You.”

“Huh?”

Alano stood up straight and asked.

Her blue eyes sparkled faintly in the dim light.

“Are you okay? You went in before me.”

“As you can see.”

Manus answered calmly.

His posture was straight, and his face was serene.

The sweat had evaporated, leaving his face smooth.

A noble.

How could those who saw such a sight not be amazed?

Thinking about the past year, a surge of unknown emotions welled up.

“Don’t come here alone. There’s no need to tell the teachers either.”

“Don’t tell the teachers?”

“They wouldn’t understand even if you told them. They wouldn’t want to know. Think about why I was here alone…”

“But-.”

Manus didn’t wait for a reply and walked away.

He had said everything he needed to.

He wanted to talk more, but his body couldn’t hold out much longer.

‘I need to grow quickly too.’

She watched Manus’s retreating figure in a daze as he disappeared without waiting for her answer.

Her legs trembled with the release of tension.

So, this is how terrifying real combat is.

‘Manus.’

What on earth are you-?

She followed the path he had taken.

Carefully moving her body, she stepped through as if passing through a mirror, feeling the refreshing air hit her lungs.

The clouds started drifting again.

The wind blew, and the ominous green sky disappeared.

There were no places filled with strange mana, and she saw the darkened school lobby.

“Still… someone must know about this phenomenon.”

This phenomenon is dangerous.

Alano recalled the demon she had desperately fled from.

If such creatures were to rampage outside…

It would result in irreparable casualties.

Mythos Academy would not be able to continue its legacy.

The countries wouldn’t sit idly by with such a serious issue.

Alano resolved not to forget today’s events as she returned to the dormitory.

While everyone else was winding down for the day.

Someone was taking a step closer to the truth of the world.

Returning to the dormitory, Manus collapsed without even washing.

His fingertips still ached as if the remnants of magic lingered.

From a world where humans could do nothing, he had fallen into a world where only humans could do everything.

‘Magic…’

He couldn’t forget the thrilling sensation.

It was entirely different from pressing a game pad and watching flashy effects on a monitor!

A completely different feeling.

So, this is what being alive feels like.

[Interference confirmed.]

[Destiny is altered.]

[Affects Alano’s growth rate.]

[Affects Manus’s growth rate.]

“A bit unsettling, but-.”

It might actually be good.

Alano had gained valuable experience and would become a reliable supporter for Kael.

If the butterfly’s wings flew in the opposite direction, it could be a good thing in its own way.

–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt