Chapter 146: An A-Rank Adventurer, In Pursuit
Under ordinary circumstances, the sky above the port town stretched out in a flawless expanse of blue—clear, boundless, and radiant beneath the unrelenting brilliance of the sun. Light would pour down in golden torrents, glinting off the sea’s surface and setting the harbor ablaze with life.
But today was different.
A thick ceiling of gray clouds smothered the heavens, dimming the world beneath them. The air felt heavy, the sea darker, as though the town itself had been placed under a quiet spell.
Seafarers were simple creatures at heart—uminchu, bound to the moods of the ocean and sky. Their vitality rose and fell with the weather. And so, under this oppressive overcast, even the normally boisterous port seemed subdued. The laughter was softer. The footsteps slower. A faint gloom clung to the streets like mist.
From the Adventurers’ Guild emerged a single figure.
A long sword hung at his waist, worn but meticulously maintained. His bearing spoke of countless battles—shoulders steady, gaze forward, steps measured. There was no wasted motion in him, no restless fidgeting. Every line of his frame seemed honed by survival.
—Louise, the only A-rank adventurer in this town.
From the shadows of a nearby alley, two suspicious figures watched.
Both wore hooded cloaks that obscured their faces, but the intent in their posture was unmistakable.
“Oi, Red. That man’s the final target.”
“Whoa… I can feel it. That pressure’s on a whole different level. Heh… finally looks like this’ll be fun.”
The Demonfolk were, by nature, battle junkies. Conflict thrilled them. Strength excited them. Blood stirred something primal in their veins.
“A-rank adventurers rarely take on requests. We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. Move—now.”
“Yeah. Let’s go, Blue.”
The compensation for an A-rank adventurer was astronomical. One completed request could fund months—sometimes even half a year—of idle luxury. Unless pressed by necessity, they worked only sparingly. If the Demonfolk failed to seize this chance, the next opportunity might not come for months.
And so, Red and Blue began their careful pursuit.
◇◇◇
“Ryu. That’s him—the A-rank adventurer, the swordsman Louise.”
“As expected… A-rank stands apart from the rest. It’s not just skill—it’s presence. His very aura is different.” Ryu narrowed his eyes slightly. “He smells like someone who lives by the blade.”
“I know, right?!” Lily whispered excitedly. “When you see an A-rank mage, it’s their mana—you can feel the sheer difference instantly. But swordsmen? It’s that quiet pressure. That silent dominance. It’s so cool!”
“For what it’s worth,” Ryu added casually, “I happen to know the very pinnacle of swordsmen.”
“Seriously?! I wanna meet them! As a fellow warrior!”
“I wouldn’t recommend that.”
“Eh? Why not?”
“You’d freeze in terror and fail to take a single step.”
“No way! You’re underestimating me!”
Their lighthearted exchange ended abruptly when two hooded figures emerged near the guild and began trailing Louise.
“…Bingo.”
“Wow! They really showed up!”
“Well, hooded adventurers aren’t exactly rare. Could just be acquaintances coincidentally appearing at the same time.”
“Let’s follow anyway!”
Thus, two hunters followed their prey—unaware that they themselves were being hunted.
“That cloak… enchanted with mana concealment?” Ryu muttered.
“Yeah, I thought so too. Their movements are refined, but their mana output doesn’t match. It’s off. That’s not a magical tool from this continent… maybe Demon Continent craftsmanship?”
“No idea. But when we kill them, give me one.”
“We’ll split it! Deal?”
“Deal. And I’ll take a horn for a souvenir.”
“Sure thing~.”
Though the higher-ups had ordered capture, Ryu and Lily both knew the truth. The current Kingdom apparatus was utterly incapable of containing Demonfolk. Even if captured, they would inevitably break free—perhaps even rampage in the capital.
Better to end it here.
“One or two horns as proof should satisfy the upper brass,” Ryu said calmly.
“They say Demonfolk survive even after being decapitated, right?” Lily tilted her head.
“Rumors.”
“Then we confirm the rumor and bring back horns. Perfect.”
“Far better than them escaping some research facility and slaughtering civilians.”
“Exactly! …Though knowing the current leadership, they’d probably blame me anyway.”
“For following their orders?” Ryu blinked.
Lily sighed faintly. “They’d say, ‘Lily knew the danger and still brought them to the capital.’ That’d be enough.”
“…Maybe this country deserves to fall.”
“Hey now~ the civilians aren’t at fault.”
Ryu exhaled quietly. For once, he found himself genuinely sympathizing with her.
“Even if we kill them, I’d like to extract information about the Demon King.”
“Right! We have to stop his resurrection!”
“Resurrection or not… we can’t even reach the Demon Continent. For all we know, the Demon King’s already been born.”
“…Okay! Let’s just do our best!”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”
Together, Ryu and Lily followed the cloaked figures out of the port town and into the depths of the forest.
◇◇◇
Louise’s request was straightforward in wording—search for missing adventurers.
Recently, disappearances had plagued the guild. One by one, adventurers vanished. And most recently, even a B-rank had gone missing.
Louise chose to begin with the B-rank case—the one with the highest theoretical chance of survival.
He advanced carefully through the forest where the B-rank had disappeared.
(For a B-rank to fall… either a rare B-rank variant monster, or an A-rank specializing in stealth. Though listed as “missing,” the reality is likely grim.)
He knew all too well what “missing” meant in a forest like this.
Death.
The atmosphere shifted.
Danger zones in forests were predictable—areas of dense mana that distorted detection, regions cluttered with blind spots, or territories near powerful monsters’ nests. Louise checked each one methodically.
No traces. No remains. Not even signs of a struggle.
Of course there weren’t.
Because the culprit was—
“……Who goes there?”
“So he finally noticed us. Would’ve preferred to fight deeper in.”
“I was confident in my stealth… as expected of an A-rank adventurer.”
From the brush stepped two men—one red-haired, one blue-haired.
From each of their foreheads rose two magnificent horns.
Louise’s grip tightened on his sword.
“You… Demonfolk.”
“Ooh~ correct! You’re well informed!”
“I’ve heard the rumors. The horns. And your hostility toward humanity.”
Louise drew his blade fully, steel singing in the gloom.
“Were you the ones who attacked the B-rank adventurer?”
“B-rank? Ohhh, that pathetically weak human? Yeah, killed him and buried him somewhere around here.”
The red-haired Demonfolk laughed, carefree and cruel.
“Red. You’re talking too much,” Blue admonished. “Have you forgotten our objective?”
“You’re such a buzzkill. Two-on-one ain’t exactly honorable warrior conduct… but whatever. Let’s enjoy this.”
His knuckles cracked, echoing sharply.
Louise raised his sword, stance flawless.
“Very well. I’ll carve you to pieces and return you to the soil.”
Swordsman versus brawler and mage.
The advantage overwhelmingly lay with the Demonfolk.
Silence descended upon the forest.
The next sound would signal the start of battle.
…but it was not the sound anyone expected.
“Okay, stop! Stooop! No fighting just yet~!”
“Huh. The horns are real after all. Might be useful for some kind of potion.”
—Ryu and Lily had crashed the battlefield.