Chapter 70

After the battle had subsided, the players began searching the area to ensure no stragglers remained. From the side where the earth spirits had been leveling the ground, two shadows crawled out of a hole on the third level, looking disheveled. One was the headless withered tree demon Shubez, and the other was the four-armed black dragon-type demon Drekduvai.

"I thought I was going to die..."

"Indeed, one of the thirteen guardians. To have been defeated so easily by you is no small feat!"

Drekduvai, who had once been defeated by Kena, was summoned back to Opus due to the removal of the "summon penalty for death." He had been assigned to guard the deepest level of the dungeon where Opus had been hiding, which had become a ruin. However, why was he here?

"This concludes the secret mission from our master, Shubez."

"No, there's still the task of leaving this place quietly..."

"Hmm, I have a question for you two."

A low voice came from behind the two. They cautiously turned around to see a demon standing with a statue of an Asura as the background, surrounded by the text "Gogogogogogogo." Shubez and Drekduvai let out small screams and quickly knelt, assuming a submissive posture. Opus, who had been watching their actions with a cold eye, asked them a question.

"I recall entrusting Drekduvai with guarding the dungeon?"

"Ah! I was doing just that. But then Shubez came and said he had a secret mission from the master."

"Secret mission?"

"To control the monsters lurking underground and set them against the master's companions to make them easier to defeat. I've just completed that task!"

Opus frowned and glared at Shubez. The skull in his left chest cavity avoided his gaze and lowered his posture. As a moment of silence stretched between them, Drekduvai suddenly realized something and stared at Shubez.

"You don't mean the 'secret mission' was just your lie?!"

"R, rude! Who do you think orchestrated the plan to set the monsters against them?"

"Of course, it was you. I was just sitting back and watching."

"Y-Yes, that's right... Huh."

Words led to more words, and Shubez, who had let slip a lot, felt a chill run down his spine from the ominous aura emanating from nearby.

"So, because of your reckless actions, Kena has made unnecessary assumptions, and some of the suspicion is now directed at me."

"N-No, I would never do anything to put the master in a disadvantageous position..."

Opus turned his back on Shubez, who was frantically trying to explain, and raised his right arm, snapping his fingers.

The snap, neither loud nor soft, summoned a red dragon that had been waiting nearby. It landed behind Shubez, stirring up dust, its thirty-meter-tall body gleaming with ruby scales. Its emotionless eyes surveyed the two demons. Drekduvai looked at Shubez and then at their master, shocked. "Me too?"

"Wait, at least send us back normally."

"Let's make it quick and painless..."

"Joint responsibility!"

Immediately, the two demons were incinerated by a flame so hot it could melt iron, leaving no trace. They hadn't been permanently lost, so they could be summoned again.

Later, when Opus explained the entire situation to Kena, she slapped him, exclaiming, "What are you doing to the heroes?!"

---

"Is there such a thing as a combination spell?"

"No."

"Wh-What!?"

"That doesn't exist. At the beginning of the game, you buy the seven basic spells from the item shop of your starting country. If you check the item list again later, it will appear. So it's not a quest, and you can't copy or transfer it, sorry."

"In a way, it's a hidden item or overlooked secret information, isn't it?"

After rescuing those who had fallen into the sea and searching the area to ensure no stragglers remained, the players resumed their activities. The earth spirits, who had survived the explosion by burrowing underground, resumed leveling the ground. The three skill masters sent the dragon back and moved on to the skill transfer process. Kena had the wind spirits deliver letters to the three kingdoms, informing them that the incident had been resolved. Shining Saber was to return to Felskeiro and report the details, while Koilrog was to do the same for Helsper. Outaros Quest was the only one Kena planned to visit in person.

According to what Kena later heard, Helsper and Outaros Quest had been on high alert at the border under the pretext of a drill. In reality, the incident was resolved before the troops even reached the border. Felskeiro, being closer to the ruined city, had been attacked before and had implemented martial law, preparing thoroughly. Despite some public dissatisfaction during the tournament, most people were convinced by the high priest Scalg's speech about a revelation from the goddess. The appearance of an angel in the sky over the capital also reinforced this revelation, as Kena learned from her son. The angel's mostly incomprehensible statements contributed to this.

At the entrance to the now fully leveled capital, everyone was relaxed, exchanging business cards and chatting. Most of them were meeting other players for the first time or had given up on finding anyone else, so the atmosphere was particularly lively.

"By the way, Sahana, you should go to Outaros Quest, right?"

"Why, Lady? I don't have any business in any country..."

"Your daughter has been working tirelessly for two hundred years for the country, so you should at least visit to show your appreciation."

"......Daughter?"

"Adopted daughter, Sahara Shade. She came to say she modeled herself after you."

"......"

"......"

Sahana froze with a strange expression. Kena watched her with amusement. Since it wasn't a secret, those around them joined in.

"Ah, Sahana is a queen. You're in the ranks of the powerful now."

"Secure retirement?"

"High elves don't really have a retirement age... The country might collapse first."

"And then you'll be caught in a bitter succession struggle."

"Ending up assassinated with a poisoned soup."

"......What a loss."

"Be quiet!!"

When Sahana shouted, everyone scattered with a "whoa." A few laughed at the scene, which resembled a kindergarten.

On the side, Opus stood awkwardly in his black coat. The black mist effect rising from his rare equipment made everyone wary, and no one approached to receive a skill. In reality, he was just unsure how to interact with regular players, as he usually acted alone or with hardcore players. Feeling lost was his secret.

The skill transfer went smoothly with Kena and the hidden demon, as the number of participants was manageable. Most chose daily-use skills like "Warm Water" or "Pure Water," which were considered dead skills in the game. Only a few, like Coral, were making a living as adventurers.

Some even advertised their businesses, like "I run a clothing shop in Helsper, so I can do custom orders," or "I have a bar in Felskeiro, so come by anytime!" Kena chuckled, realizing they were all closer than she thought.

"What is Yager doing now? He mentioned something about getting married."

"Oh, he's just at the item shop. He can make small potions."

"Small potions" were a game abbreviation for the basic potion given to beginners, which restored 50-80 HP. The "micro potions" Kena usually made, "Potion II," restored 150-200 HP. In the game, magic was cheaper and more effective, so only beginners and intermediate players used potions. In this world, "small potions" were considered high-tier items, and Yager's creations were highly valued.

"Yeah, potions are time-consuming and expensive to make in this world."

"Three silver coins is ridiculous."

Kena nodded, recalling the potion-making process she had seen at the academy. Spiraal, who had been listening, also nodded. Spiraal was involved in seafood processing in a fishing village in the northwest of Helsper. The skill he obtained was "Create: Carriage."

"Now that the bandits hindering trade have been defeated, I can create a refrigerated carriage!"

"That's great to hear..."

Spiraal's enthusiasm made Kena slightly uncomfortable. The former bandits, who had been listening, looked around nervously. Several shop owners joined in, expressing their frustration at the bandits' disruption of trade. The bandits had been captured and executed, so everyone was in high spirits. Kena, not wanting to bring up the past, warned Koilrog not to slip up. "But," Koilrog stammered, and a gray hand grabbed his head from behind.

"Hey, kid. Don't ruin Kena's efforts by saying something unnecessary. If they hear the truth, they'll beat you up, and you'll have only yourself to blame. Hey, Opus!"

Exis grabbed Koilrog's head and called Opus over. Koilrog let out a small scream as Opus approached with a sullen expression.

"What would you do if I told you to beat him up?"

"Use 'Spear of Annihilation' at full power."

"Using a high-level lightning spell on a level 400 would vaporize him!"

"Combine it with 'Neither Alive Nor Dead' to leave him with 1 HP, no problem."

"Ah!?"

Koilrog let out a pained cry, realizing Opus's intention. Repeatedly healing and then half-killing him. Having experienced fighting Kena and facing the guillotine, Koilrog knew the agony of not being able to die.

"Hey, are the skill masters ganging up on someone? That's not nice."

Coral, misunderstanding the commotion, came to Koilrog's defense. Shining Saber looked at Kena with suspicion. "I don't think Kena would do that, but you..."

Opus smiled, as if expecting this reaction.

"Shining Saber, the demon here is a knight of Helsper. Koilrog, the dragon-type is the captain of the Felskeiro knights."

"Oh, fellow knights. I'm Shining Saber, nice to meet you."

"Y-Yes. I'm Koilrog, nice to meet you!"

Kena had told Shining Saber about the bandit hunt but not that Koilrog was one of them. She wanted to leave it to Koilrog to decide whether to reveal the truth.

---

"Anyway, let's wrap this up. I'm scared of my mom waiting at home..."

Everyone laughed at Yager's trailing off. Kena would use "Transfer" to send everyone back to the three capital cities. Others, like Sahana and the hidden demon, could also use "Transfer," but Kena was the only one who had been to all three. The hidden demon would return the same way he came with his sisters, and Sahana would create a path from a nearby forest to her hidden village. Spiraal would continue north on the road, and Yager would fly to Outaros Quest and then travel to his village. His home was in the dungeon village, which made Kena and Opus burst out laughing.

They all added each other as friends and agreed to stay in touch in case of emergencies. Spiraal had suggested forming a guild.

"Should we form a guild?"

"Hey, the great organizer! You're always on top of things!"

"Skill masters can just handle it, right?"

"Maybe..."

"Is this a pass-the-buck situation!?"

This was a rather trivial moment.

The hidden demon and his sisters boarded a dragon-drawn gondola airship, saying, "Safe travels." One of the sisters threw a tantrum about going with Kena, and the sisters looked exhausted. "You can visit anytime; there's a room for you," Kena said, preventing her from becoming a stalker. Feeling the girl's intense determination, Kena chuckled.

"Then, Lady. I'll visit once my village duties are done."

"It would be nice to meet Sahara Shade then!"

"Ugh... Well, eventually... Ah, ha."

"You created her, so it's your own doing. Accept it and meet her. It will be a touching moment, I'm sure."

"That's none of your business!"

In the hidden village of the high elves, duties like hunting and patrols were rotated, so Sahana couldn't leave often. She responded with a strained smile to her sister's cheerful suggestion, while Opus laughed. If Kena's thoughts about their relationship were known, she would strongly deny it.

Exis and Quorke, living nearby, decided to accompany Spiraal part of the way. Koilrog and a few others chose to use "Transfer." Since more were returning to Felskeiro, Opus offered to take them.

"Shining Saber and I will fly to Felskeiro. Kena, go back to the village first and reassure Luka. Siren, go with Kena."

"Understood."

"Umm, don't do anything weird while I'm not around, okay?"

"Perhaps we need to have a thorough talk about what you think of me?"

"Always ends in a deadlock..."

Kena smiled and dodged Opus's angry stance. Shining Saber and the others, finding their interaction terrifying, urged Opus to hurry. Siren, with a sinister smile, told Opus to "get going." Opus's companions shuddered, finding her even more terrifying. Watching Opus disappear in a black vortex of "Transfer," Kena sighed in relief.

"I'll stay in the village for a while."

"Kena-sama, there's not much you can do by staying in the village, is there?"

"Well, maybe. It seems like trouble always happens when I leave the village..."

Kena muttered, and Siren nodded without comment. Feeling strongly affirmed, Kena slumped.

"Don't let it get to you, Kena-sama."

"Speaking of masters and servants... Anyway, let's go back and spend some time with Luka."

"Be careful not to smother her. Luka-sama can be difficult."

"Got it."

Holding hands with Siren, Kena used "Transfer." Emerging from the black vortex, she found herself in the familiar peaceful border village.