Chapter 25 …
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The 9th City. A battle city with a colosseum where many warriors gather.
It had a main circular arena, and several other venues around it where matches were held daily. Betting also took place, and I had been told by Ryuka, who had arrived earlier, that enormous sums of money moved through it every day. It was a lively, bustling metropolis filled with tough, rough fighters.
But even so, in the game’s history, it would later be half-destroyed, and the circular colosseum itself would be ruined by a Dark Dragon. Many casualties would occur. That kind of tragedy—no matter what—it had to be prevented.
On September 10th, around 10 a.m., we entered the city, and Ryuka was waiting near the outer gate. As always, he ran up and hugged me tightly. I was glad to be wrapped in Ryuka’s warmth, but there were many people around, so I wished he would restrain himself a little.
“Zagan, welcome back. I missed you. Are you okay? Were you lonely without me?”
“Yeah. I was fine, and I wasn’t lonely either.”
“You’re as cool as ever, which is reassuring… but that makes me a little sad. I was really worried and lonely…”
“We were communicating every night, were we not?”
Well, that might not be entirely accurate. It seemed the communication device had vibrated every night, but there were times I couldn’t answer. Because of that, I had worried him greatly.
When I was crafting magical tools last time, I often contacted him myself when I wanted a break. But when I was constantly fighting monsters, I entered a state of continuous tension and exhilaration—I even forgot to sleep.
And this time, the day after entering the dungeon, I found a massive miasma concentration. It was a so-called spawn room. Encountering such a rare phenomenon had excited me, and A+ to S- rank monsters kept spawning one after another. I lured them into the corridors, fought, lured more, and repeated the process. In the end, I fought continuously for three days without sleep, completely missing Ryuka’s calls.
I just kept defeating them—again and again and again. Then, when my tension finally loosened for a moment, the communication device vibrated.
“Zagan!? Are you okay!? Are you alive!?”
Ryuka’s voice came through in a panicked shout. Even though he should have known my strength, he sounded extremely worried. After I explained why I hadn’t responded, he let out a deep sigh.
“I was really worried, you know. I understand you’re strong, Zagan, but there’s no such thing as absolute certainty. Please don’t push yourself so hard—and make sure you sleep.”
That was true. There is no such thing as absolute certainty. And yet, that is precisely why there is hope that even the will of the world itself can be overturned.
Since I had indeed overdone it, I apologized—and was made to promise to respond every night.
I felt genuinely sorry for making him worry. So I made sure to rest properly at night afterward. However, he kept asking every night whether I was inside a safe zone, whether I had set up my tent, and whether I had eaten. Wasn’t that a bit overprotective? I’m the older one here.
“I am grateful that you worry about me. But do you really think something like that would bring me down? Don’t underestimate me.”
“Hm? You realize that fighting without sleep for three days is abnormal, right?”
“When I was living in the Great Forest, that was normal. Before I told you about the dark organization… even in the 6th Dungeon, I didn’t sleep much. And I was fine. It was just a bit of sleep deprivation.”
“Oh. So in other words, Zagan plans to keep doing reckless things. You want to keep making me worry so much… I see. You want to be punished again, don’t you?”
“…My apologies. I tend to forget sleep when I get absorbed in things. I’ll be careful not to do it again.”
His smile was terrifyingly sharp, so I obediently apologized. When you know you’re at fault, it’s better not to argue.
Ryuka stared at me for a while, then suddenly frowned in pain and hugged his head.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been asking you the same annoying questions every night. I guess it must have been bothersome. I just… like you so much that I can’t help worrying if you’re pushing yourself too far. Please don’t hate me for it.”
“It, it’s not bothersome. Being worried about by you… is… pleasant. I don’t hate it.”
“Really? I’ll be heading into the dungeon again starting tomorrow. Can I contact you?”
I nodded quickly. Maybe Ryuka thinks I prefer being alone? I’m alone because I have a dark attribute, not because I like being alone. I don’t dislike people either—well, large groups are difficult and I’m not good at communication.
But I have never once found talking with Ryuka bothersome. He is so good at communication that conversations never break, and even when they do, silence feels comfortable since we are often simply holding each other anyway.
And being worried about… is something I find genuinely comforting.
Worried that my feelings weren’t being conveyed properly, I shifted slightly and peeked at Ryuka’s face. When our eyes met, he smiled gently.
“Thank you for forgiving me. It’s hard to fix bad habits all at once, so let’s work on it little by little together. I love you, Zagan.”
It was his usual smile, so I felt relieved. Ryuka smiling gently like that is best. I don’t want to see him sad or angry—it hurts.
He kissed my cheek, and I accepted it for once. …We were outside, though. Near the gate, with many people passing by.
No, this is bad. Being seen like this is embarrassing. I pushed him away slightly.
“I told you not to kiss me in public.”
“S-sorry. I just couldn’t hold back because I love you so much. I’ll try to be careful. Please forgive me?”
“…Fine. I forgive you. Let’s move.”
It feels unfair that he adds “I’ll try,” but like he said, habits can’t be changed instantly. So I accepted it.
When I pushed his back to get him moving, he turned around and took my hand.
“Since we’re here, we borrowed the colosseum training ground. So we’re going there instead of the adventurer’s guild.”
“Is that so. The colosseum…”
“I asked the duke if there was somewhere I could train without being seen, while also discussing the dark organization, and he recommended it. As someone responsible for the fate of the country, I can’t have my training exposed… right?”
“That is true. A prince cannot be seen losing by others.”
“Za–gan? Well… you’re not wrong.”
“I know. I was joking. I am always grateful for your consideration.”
Because I am of the dark attribute, I have caused Ryuka many difficulties. Even so, the fact that he stays by my side makes me happy. I cannot help but be grateful.
As I said this, Ryuka rubbed his cheek against my head while walking.
“Zagan is too cute. I want to eat you right now.”
“…That’s a joke, right?”
“Who knows?”
“If I assume it’s a joke, nothing will happen.”
“It’s serious, so I’ll be doing all sorts of things.”
“I think I just heard things.”
“Zagan?”
“Fuh, I was joking.”
“…Ugh, this is hard. My chest hurts.”
“Eh? A-are you okay? Should I give you a high-grade potion?”
“Mmmnnn, your innocence is too cute.”
“…So you were just teasing.”
“Fufu, you’re blushing, Zagan. So cute.”
“Be quiet. Don’t point it out every time.”
We continued talking like that while holding hands and headed toward our destination.
The colosseum training ground was larger than the one at the Adventurer’s Guild in the 8th City. The magical barrier was also superior. This would allow full-power combat. However, I had no intention of hurting Ryuka, so I set rules.
“No sword techniques. Only small-scale magic. We’ll use our usual weapons, but I don’t want any injuries, so defend properly. If I judge it dangerous, I will stop the attack.”
“Understood. Let’s do this.”
We nodded and took our stances. Ryuka drew his sword and pointed its tip at me. His eyes sharpened, and the atmosphere tightened. A cold, still silence filled the space.
We observed each other, circulating mana through our bodies to enhance ourselves.
I stepped forward, sliding my foot against the ground, then kicked off and closed the distance.
Clang! Metal rang out. Our weapons clashed. Even though I was deflected, I cast magic before landing.
“Dark Arrow, Shadow Edge!”
Explosions of impact echoed. His sword came down, blocked by my magical barrier—but it was heavy. He had grown stronger.
I pushed back and aimed a dagger at his opening, but he retreated and cast magic.
“Lightning!”
I blocked it with my barrier and closed in again. Our blades clashed repeatedly, sparks flying.
Ryuka showed signs of pressure—but suddenly, his balance broke. Light tendrils wrapped around his leg. And a sword came down—too naive.
I extended my own shadow tendrils to restrain him. His were cut, but mine weren’t fully destroyed. He had grown far stronger.
“Shadow Edge!”
“Shining Ray!”
Our spells collided at point-blank range, cancelling each other. We both rebuilt barriers.
We exchanged blows again and again, neither giving ground.
Then—
“Dark Ball.”
“Ggh…!”
A close-range explosion. His barrier barely blocked it—but his restraints disappeared. I moved to finish him—
But his sword stopped mine.
I was surprised.
He stepped back, breathing heavily, yet still holding his stance.
…He is serious about protecting me.
“I win,” I declared, stopping my dagger at his neck.
Ryuka let out a shaky breath.
“I… thought I was going to die.”
“Sorry. My killing intent got too strong.”
“I’m fine… just tired.”
He smiled despite his exhaustion, then collapsed into a seated position with me.
“I lost… even knowing I would, it’s still frustrating.”
“You made me go all out. That is impressive.”
“So that was your full power… I nearly froze from the killing intent. You closed distance instantly and broke my barrier in one hit.”
“I was also surprised many times. You blocked so many attacks, and your power matched my magic at times. If I hadn’t been serious, I might have lost.”
“…So I passed?”
“Of course. I am counting on you.”
Ryuka smiled in relief and leaned against me.
I then took his right hand.
“Zagan?”
“Your sword felt like it exists to protect others. It felt comforting.”
“Really? Your sword… is very refined. Everything unnecessary has been stripped away… it feels lonely.”
“I have only ever killed. My body moves that way.”
I looked at my hand.
Then I clenched my fist.
Ryuka placed his hand over it.
“Don’t worry, Zagan. I will protect everything you want to protect. So fight however you want, with all your strength.”
His eyes were clear and strong.
With Ryuka by my side, I naturally felt—everything would be alright.
