Chapter 64

"Haa, geez, coming all this way only to end up like this... I'm worried about what's to come..."

The group, who had hardly moved from the site of the battle, set up camp right there. The area was covered by a sturdy [Barrier] that Kena had cast, and the perimeter was guarded by a thunder lion spirit the size of Cerberus. Izunae stood straight, serving as a lookout for any danger. Being right in the middle of the road, they were easily discoverable by monsters from the forest. However, Kena thought it was better to set up camp in the open rather than in the forest, where they would be more vulnerable to high-level enemies. My My, blushing, immediately agreed, leaving the other three with no choice but to follow. There were no particular objections, either.

Incidentally, the sulking Cerberus had already cheered up thanks to a large piece of hornbear meat that Kena had taken out of her item box.

"Didn't we have so few monsters with the level cap removed?"

My My, pouring tea from Kena's tea set, the group had calmed down. Herau, who had taken off her armor, was sharpening her greatsword, and Ark, glancing at her, squeezed out a distant memory. Sfulut was absorbed in making soup with the endless water Kena had created. After clearing away the tea set, My My helped Sfulut.

"Maybe the monsters in the ruined city have been freed from the game system's constraints and have increased in number?"

"......"

Kena's casual remark, based on her conversations with Ops, froze everyone on the spot. It wasn't entirely out of the question, especially since they had just encountered such a monster. The sheer number of them suggested that her speculation might be close to the truth. Imagining endless goblins and orcs appearing one after another sent shivers down their spines. But what if it were chimeras or dinosaurs? That would be beyond the capabilities of the four of them, and Kena, deep in thought, would have to take action.

"But if that's the case, can they coexist in the ruined city? They would need food if they're independent of the system. Looking at the dinosaurs from before, maybe they're being controlled by spellcaster-type monsters, or perhaps a monster kingdom has been established? No, that might be a bit far-fetched, but..."

As Kena muttered about even more terrifying possibilities, the four of them pretended not to hear, maintaining a calm facade.

"Let's eat, let's eat!" My My forcibly changed the subject. Seeing her mother calmly savoring the vegetable stew, she felt relieved. She was afraid that if they continued, Kena might say something even more terrifying, like "We should nip this in the bud." The most worrying part was the possibility that Kena might use her most destructive magic to obliterate the ruined city.

Of course, it would be the quickest solution to eliminate the problem for the future. However, the issue was what would happen afterward. Even My My, who had never seen Kena's most powerful magic, knew that if it were used at full power, it might not just destroy the ruined city. It could leave the worst possible mark on the continent's future, or it might not. Besides, beyond the ruined city lay the vast ocean. If Kena's magic caused linear damage, what would happen to this well-known fishing ground? The questions were endless.

Unaware that her daughter was treating her as a goddess of destruction and pondering how to dissuade her from using force, Kena was chatting with Ark about something completely unrelated.

"Hmm, you were working as a waitress in a tavern for a while, huh?"

"Yes, I wandered around for a bit after coming here, and I ran out of money..."

Kena chuckled at Ark, who tilted her head and placed her hand on her cheek. If she had a thousand gil in the game, it would be equivalent to a thousand silver coins in the current world. At thirty copper coins per night for a cheap inn, she should have been able to survive for about 1,600 days. According to her story, she had woken up in the location of the capital of the Blue Country (now a forest) and wandered the continent for about half a year before running out of money. Meeting Coral and Exis among many adventurers might have been an astronomical coincidence, Kena thought.

"So, I ended up eating without paying because I was hungry... and the tavern lady hired me. I really felt the kindness of people."

"Well, you should try using the Adventurer's Guild to earn some money. I agree about the kindness of people, but..."

As the sky darkened and night fell, the campsite was illuminated by the light of the campfire and magic. The only sounds besides Ark and Kena's conversation were the chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves. My My, a bit disappointed, didn't interrupt their conversation.

"After working there for about a year, one day the captain came and scouted me to be a knight. I was surprised because it was sudden. I'm not good at fighting, but the tavern ladies thought it would be better for my future and sent me off."

"Did they use [Search] to find out you were a player and decided it would be better to keep you around? Impressive, Kyoichiro's right-hand man. Shining Saber is also very thorough."

"...Huh?"

"Eh?"

The cheerful face of 'I was lucky' turned rigid and negative when Kena commented.

"...[Search]?"

"Players have it, right? When you use it on me, you can't see my level, but you should be able to see which country I belong to."

With a creaking sound, Ark turned to look at her two colleagues behind her. Herau and Sfulut also looked puzzled, wondering what was so shocking about the conversation. Only My My exclaimed, "Ah!"

"What's wrong, My My?"

"Um, maybe... Ark didn't know that Lord Shining Saber was a player?"

My My raised her hand and answered her mother's question. The four people present focused their gaze on Ark, who nodded after a moment of silence.

"Ah, I see..."

"I just assumed you knew... I'm sorry."

Herau covered her face and made a bitter expression, while Sfulut bowed deeply to Ark with a truly apologetic look. Seeing their reactions, Ark quickly waved her hands.

"It's okay, don't worry! I should have noticed too."

"Well, if you heard 'I'm looking for players' in the city, everyone would probably tilt their heads in confusion. I understand it's hard to bring up. But why did Herau and Sfulut know you were adopted?"

"We offered to tell them. We thought they might know our master."

Sfulut answered Kena's question honestly. It seemed that both of them had a connection to players as servants. Kena's friends, who were all adopted, had relationships like 'sister' or 'customer' or 'product made at the same time,' so she didn't have much to say about it. She didn't know how many players were still around in the current world, but it was a miracle that she had met the children safely. Ark, a bit teary-eyed and dejected, was comforted by her two colleagues when Kena stepped forward to help.

"Kyu!"

"Grrrrr!"

Izunae, who had been sniffing the air, suddenly turned her nose westward and bristled. Cerberus and the thunder lion, who had been patrolling the perimeter, leaped to the front of the [Barrier]. Cerberus, with his three heads bared, growled at the darkness, and the thunder lion, following suit, roared, sending sparks from its body. The sparks illuminated two human-sized shadows on the road ahead.

"That's...!?"

"An ambush here!?"

Herau and Sfulut drew their swords, and My My raised her staff. A moment later, the dejected Ark shook her head and set up her crossbow. Kena, however, walked out of the [Barrier] without any panic, holding her precious staff, a strategic-level magic item that would turn the area into a wasteland the moment it was used. My My, sensing her mother's seriousness, felt a chill. Unaware of her daughter's sense of crisis, Kena called out into the darkness.

"Hey, you two! If you're hostile, I'll turn you into ashes in an instant!"

"...It sounds like a threat..."

"Well, that's Mother for you..."

Herau and My My felt deflated by the harsh words. They didn't lower their guard against the other side. The command of the knights was entrusted to My My, but she followed her mother, so the knights were free to act on their own judgment. However, they didn't rush in because they recognized that this place was like a den of wild beasts.

There was no response from the other side, and they moved closer until their shapes were visible in the bright sparks.

"Wh-what!?"

"Oh my..."

The knights and My My were speechless, while Kena alone widened her eyes in surprise. Standing before them were an angel and a demon. One was a female angel with four white wings, and the other looked like a headless wooden doll, with a white skull in the void where its neck should be. The knights and My My, bristling with caution and ready to attack, were calm, but Kena, who knew the angel and demon, faced them as usual.

"Oh, to meet 'Argent' and 'Old Man' here..."

The wooden demon stumbled next to the relieved angel.

"U, 'Old Man'? What's that supposed to mean!? I'm a 'Shubes' species, you know!"

"Was that your name, Key?"

'Yes, I remember that.'

'Old Man' was a nickname used among players, derived from the demon's appearance as the 'Elder of the Void.' It was classified as a demon and appeared in the Demon Realm area, with an average level of 400-500. While relatively weak in the Demon Realm, it often appeared with 800-level monsters and constantly cast debuffs and curses on players, making it a very annoying monster. When a party encountered a group of these, the mages would prioritize destroying the Shubes while the frontliners held off the main monsters. Since its body was made of wood, it was common to use mid-level fire spells to take it down.

'Argent' was a monster that guarded the temples in the Heaven Realm area. It looked like a female angel with four white wings and had a level of 700. However, it wasn't suited for combat; Argent's role was to maintain a barrier around the temple, while the surrounding angels took the brunt of the attacks. When Kena and her guild, the Cream Cheese, cleared the area, they had to repeatedly break through the barrier, defeat the angels, and weaken the inner angels before the barrier regenerated.

These two didn't seem hostile, so Kena ordered her summoned creatures to stop their threats. She winked at My My, who was about to shout a warning, and faced them. The moment she pointed her precious staff at them, Argent and Shubes knelt and bowed their heads.

"We are summoned by Oppekten Schulteimer."

"We have no intention of attacking Lady Kena, who is an ally of the other one."

"Ah, I see."

"Wh-what!?"

Kena smiled wryly and turned to see the four of them exclaim in unison.

"In fact, I was informed by Ops that Lady Kena would be here."

"You could have just told me the situation yourself."

It turned out that Kena's actions were almost entirely under the surveillance of Shubes. Shubes had been watching her movements since the day she first visited Felskeiro, not to report everything but to prevent unexpected interference from outside. The only time it had taken action was when a dark organization targeted Kena, and it had tricked the organization into destroying itself by pretending to be one of the 'Five Dukes.' The truth was dubious, but it had been proven harmless.

The others remained inside the [Barrier], still unsure of the threat. The summoned creatures continued to guard the perimeter.

"I see, so Argent was maintaining the barrier around the ruined city. That explains why the contents were leaking out intermittently."

Kena, who had fought Argent many times, understood its nature and deduced the situation before it was explained. Argent's body was visibly worn out, suggesting it was reaching the limit of its summoned state.

Once summoned, Argent would be accompanied by a group of low-level angels. It was an excellent defensive unit, with the angels handling external threats. Argent's special skill, [Barrier], was a unique version that players couldn't possess. While a player's [Barrier] would collapse when its durability ran out, Argent's [Barrier] was made of hexagrams, with durability distributed across each part. This allowed for easy repair as long as there was enough MP. Initially, monsters that broke through the [Barrier] were likely dealt with by the angel army. Ops occasionally summoned Argent for maintenance, but the angel army had been heavily depleted over the years, reaching its limit. As a result, monsters had spread across the continent, causing trouble for Kena.

Kena frowned, having deduced why Argent had appeared.

"Your disappearance... is near, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right. If I disappear, perhaps Lady Kena could summon me again?"

"...Hmm. I think it's a good idea, but I don't think it will solve the problem."

"Mother, really?"

My My, who had been listening, was surprised by her mother's negative response. Summoning Argent would ensure the continent's safety, though some maintenance would be necessary. However, there was a flaw in this solution.

"My My, think about it. If a powerful monster is born in the ruined city while we're away and easily breaks through the [Barrier], who will deal with it?"

"Th-that's..."

My My, unable to answer, looked down. Kena, not wanting to discourage her, patted her and said, "Sorry." She believed it was better to eliminate the problem here and now rather than leave it for the future.

"Tomorrow, everyone should leave this place as quickly as possible!"

"What? You intend to handle it alone!?"

"Yes. Besides, can you deal with a large group of monsters at your level?"

"Ugh..."

The knights and My My, silenced by her words, remained quiet. They were reluctant to leave Kena alone, but they knew they would be a hindrance. As Ark panicked, Kena sighed deeply.

"You should inform Shining Saber and set up a defensive line near the capital. I can't deal with all the monsters in the ruined city, even if I summon Ops. Some will likely spread out, so inform the other countries to strengthen their defenses. My My can use [Telepathy] to tell Keirick, right? Tell him it's a crisis for the continent and to provide military funds."

"Mother, you're quite resourceful..."

"I've been trained in various ways. I won't say by whom."

Ops seemed to avoid directly telling Kena the truth, preferring that she discover it herself. Kena recalled how, during their in-game interactions, Ops had said, "You should see and hear things for yourself." Perhaps it had foreseen this from the beginning. Given the circumstances, Kena's current situation seemed to prove it.

"Is everything just in the palm of the Buddha...?"

Kena felt a bit annoyed at the idea of being manipulated.

---

Meanwhile, in Felskeiro, Ops was preparing for the final quest.

"Hmm, everything is ready. It seems Kena has been informed, so we can start the final quest now."

Ops smiled slyly, deep in the midst of its sinister plans.