"My father...! Waaaah!"
"Sophia, it's going to be all right...."
Leo did not know what to do, but he patted Sophia's back calmly all the same. Just as his uncle did when he himself cried.
"And Master Hallon?"
"He said he was going to go rescue him right away, so he's in the kitchen now...."
"You're here?"
Before Matthew had even finished, Hallon came out holding a large kitchen knife and looked at Alex.
[His face was fierce enough already, and with a kitchen knife in hand the intimidation is no joke.]
"Grandfather!"
"Sophia, stay here with Matthew and Leo. Grandfather will bring your father back."
Hallon soothed the bawling Sophia. Leo helped diligently as well.
Seeing the three of them, a certain memory suddenly came to Alex's mind.
***
The 'future.'
It was something that happened at the inn where sixteen-year-old Leo stayed when he left the village and arrived at the lord's castle.
Foul-tempered mercenaries had harassed the inn's employee and Leo had stopped them. And the old, thin innkeeper had expressed his thanks along with his granddaughter.
"Are you hurt anywhere, Sophia?"
"I'm fine. Thank you, Leo."
Leo, who was staying at this shabby inn for the mercenary qualification examination, was able to hear the story of Sophia and the old owner, Hallon.
"When the south gate dungeon formed, my father was sucked in. It was a lowest-grade dungeon so we thought he'd come back right away, but who would have thought it was a corrupted dungeon.... Back then it was rare enough that the term 'corrupted dungeon' didn't even exist, so no one saw it coming."
Sixteen-year-old Sophia spoke with a sorrowful face.
"In the end my father died, and from the shock, my mother and the sibling in her womb died too."
When his son, his son's wife, and a grandchild whose sex he never even learned had died, the once-healthy Hallon had become a gaunt old man in no time at all.
The inn, which the soldier Kane had protected, was threatened this way and that from then on, and business became difficult.
Matthew, who had been the employee, became a soldier in order to protect the inn in Kane's place, but he died in an accident.
"I see."
Leo, aching for them, helped out a little around the inn.
Just then.
An urgent bell rang out across the whole lord's castle.
A 'dungeon break,' with monsters pouring out of the south gate dungeon as though exploding, had occurred.
"It should have been properly managed!"
"A corrupted dungeon having a break?! That's never happened before!"
The area in front of the south gate fell into chaos in an instant.
Kiyeeek—!
Because of the attacks of the lower-middle-grade demonic beast that used poison magic — a goblin shaman whose right shoulder was covered in black tumors — the area around the south gate dungeon was reduced to scorched ground. If it dragged on any longer, the whole Kaldis lord's castle would be in danger.
—!
The mercenaries and mages gathered before the south gate dungeon, and Leo along with them, all took on the goblins bursting out of the dungeon.
It was his first battle, but Leo fought without fear and in the end cut off the goblin shaman's head with a sword imbued with pure white divine power.
And so the south gate dungeon vanished completely.
House Kaldis expressed its thanks to Leo and the mercenaries who had resolved the dungeon break.
"Thank you, Leo."
"We're truly grateful."
With the south gate dungeon — which had killed her father and swept away her mother and sibling too — annihilated, Sophia and Hallon offered their thanks with considerably lighter expressions.
"Don't mention it. I only did what needed doing."
'Our Leo is the best!'
Sophia and Hallon packed a boxed meal for the departing Leo, filled with their gratitude.
Leo ate that meal happily under a tree. And beside him, of course, was his ghost uncle, Alex.
***
'And yet....'
To think that had been this inn.
Alex looked around the clean, warm-looking inn with fresh eyes. And he looked at the inn's owner, Hallon, who was comforting Sophia.
'No wonder his face seemed familiar.'
Part of it was the resemblance to Kane, but it seemed it was because they had met before, in the past.
He had not recognized him because his build was different. It seemed the heartache in the 'future' had been severe.
Whew.
Alex let out a light sigh.
Knowing a 'future' like that, he could not ignore this.
What was more, hadn't Hallon, Kane, and Sophia treated him and Leo well?
Whether in the 'future' or in the present.
'And for Leo to be happy, Leo's friend has to be happy too.'
Alex looked at Leo, Sophia, Hallon, and Matthew, then opened his mouth.
"I'll go."
At those words, everyone looked at Alex with startled eyes.
"Master, Matthew, please look after Leo and Sophia here."
"But...."
Hallon looked at Alex worriedly — he seemed even less capable than himself, who had done nothing but cook his whole life.
"It's all right. I'm a mage."
Saying that, Alex raised a hand.
"「Fire」."
A flame made of mana bloomed above that hand.
"Whoa!"
"...Wow!"
At the flame, small yet blazing away, Leo's and Sophia's eyes went round. Hallon's and Matthew's expressions were the same, of course.
[Ohh. This is exactly the reaction you get when you reveal your identity!]
"Uncle, you could use magic!? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to learn some cool magic and surprise you."
At Alex grinning, Leo's eyes shone as he said,
"That's right! I was really surprised! Wow, my uncle was a mage! Amazing!"
At Leo looking at him with sparkling eyes, Alex smiled and bent one knee.
"So don't worry, Leo."
He met Leo's sky-blue eyes.
"I'll bring Mister Kane back safely."
The problem he had briefly forgotten in his surprise at his uncle being a mage came back to him. Leo worried for a moment, but at his dependable uncle's face he nodded with all his might.
"Understood!"
His uncle was a tremendously amazing and wonderful person, so he would take care of mere monsters in one blow.
"I'll leave Leo to you."
"Don't worry."
"Be careful out there, Uncle!"
"Please... please bring my father back...!"
Over Sophia's young face as she pleaded earnestly, the Sophia of the 'future' came to mind. A girl who was stout-hearted, and yet somehow looked worn down and lonely.
Thinking of her innocent face now, he hoped it would not come to that.
Alex headed straight for the south gate.
The closer he got, the more the disarray increased.
[But they said earlier that they weren't gathering mercenaries.]
[Is it all right to go?]
"I have to go. This dungeon is a corrupted dungeon. And a lower-middle-grade demonic beast comes out, so it's beyond the soldiers."
Alex answered Two Hundred's question.
[Oh. A lower-middle-grade demonic beast in a corrupted dungeon?]
[Then it'd be beyond you too, Alex?]
"I don't intend to fight. Once I've saved the people, I'll run right away."
[That is the better plan.]
[But how did you know that? Nobody else seemed to.]
It was a question he had expected.
But to prepare for a 'corrupted dungeon' and a 'lower-middle-grade demonic beast,' he would have to tell Two Hundred about the 'future.'
For the sake of what lay ahead, too.
"I'll tell you about that later. More importantly, teach me some defensive magic."
[Hm. All right, understood.]
Knowing that Alex's words were true, Two Hundred agreed readily.
[The activation word is 「Shield」. Literally, a shield.]
[Think of it as a shield made of mana. You place it in front of your body.]
[And you hold the image that it absolutely will not break.]
[Of course, that doesn't mean it really won't break.]
[As I said, will is what matters in magic.]
While he was listening to Two Hundred's explanation.
Before he knew it, Alex had arrived in front of the south gate.
The area before the gate was in disarray with one knight and some soldiers, people who had come looking for family, and onlookers.
"But the other knights haven't come? And there are few soldiers too."
When a mercenary who had seen the Kaldis domain's knights said so, the mercenary beside him answered.
"The Viscount went to another domain, so some went with him and some went to inspect the border area. And one went to a southern village with soldiers because a wolf appeared there."
Alex's eyes went wide.
[Isn't that about our village?]
[The knight and soldiers we passed on the way.]
He had no idea when it had become 'our village.' But it was certainly about Bello Village.
"They'll be back soon, though. They say someone was sent."
"Is there a need to call them? It's only a lowest-grade dungeon."
"They say that knight was invested as a knight last week."
"...Ah."
[No wonder.]
[I said he looked young — no, downright childlike.]
Two Hundred cut into the mercenaries' conversation. Though of course no one knew it.
"Of all times, now...."
The knight who looked young — no, downright childlike — was trying his best to stay calm.
Ordinarily he would not have been tense over a mere lowest-grade dungeon, but with the young lord's life at stake he could not help being anxious.
The one saving grace was that it was a lowest-grade dungeon. With the forces here, they should be able to rescue them quickly.
'Entering quickly will do more for the young master's safety.'
Only a few soldiers had been swept in, so protecting the domain's people as well as the young lord would be beyond them.
"We move out!"
At the young knight's shout, the soldiers formed ranks. Alex quickly headed there too.
"I believe we said mercenaries weren't needed?"
When a soldier who had seen Alex's mercenary-like clothing said so, Alex offered no further explanation and cast 「Fire」.
"I'm a mage."
At the flame that came into being in midair, the soldier's expression turned to shock, and then he quickly called for the knight.
"Sir Loren! A mage has come!"
In that instant.
Everyone's gaze converged on Alex.
Then they looked around him and turned back to Alex again.
"...He has no robe?"
There was no one wearing the long robe that could be called the symbol of a mage.
"Doesn't he just look like a swordsman?"
"And a country bumpkin mercenary hopeful straight up from the sticks, at that."
[Bwahaha!]
[Got it exactly right.]
Two Hundred cracked up.
The knight, Loren, approached Alex. The 「Fire」 was still burning.
A mage.
Even Loren, who had been a squire until recently, had almost never encountered one.
'The clothing is different, though.'
He had no idea why a mage was dressed like a mercenary and wearing a sword.
'Well, he's a mage.'
Having convinced himself of that, Loren asked,
"What brings you here, mage?"
"An acquaintance was swept into the dungeon. Would it be all right if I went in with you?"
Loren's eyes went wide.
Such a polite mage.
To Loren, who had only ever heard stories about mages with no manners, it was a shocking thing.
Loren quickly brightened and answered.
"Of course you may! If anything, we'd like to ask for your help!"
He did not know how skilled he was, but a mage would be a great help. It was only a lowest-grade dungeon, after all.
Surely the whole affair would be over in the blink of an eye.
"We enter immediately!"
The knight Loren, bolstered by the mage's joining, raised his voice. The soldiers went into the dungeon entrance with light steps too.
[Oooh! An otherworld dungeon!]
[I'm curious what it'll be like!]
Alex, who had been gazing at the dungeon entrance glowing dark blue, moved his feet into the dungeon as well.
***
The moment they passed through the dungeon entrance, everyone took up a wary stance.
"A forest. In a forest like this it'll be slimes or goblins."
Loren, having looked around quickly, said to Alex.
"We need to find the people first — would that be possible with magic, mage?"
The most urgent thing was to find the young lord and the domain's people.
"One moment."
At that, Alex stepped a few paces away, covered his mouth, and muttered as though chanting an incantation.
"Is it possible?"
[To learn that kind of magic you'd have to raise your circle a bit more. It takes a lot of mana.]
When Alex looked disappointed, Two Hundred chuckled.
[But is there a need to use magic?]
[You've got my mana detection ability.]
!!
Alex quickly closed his eyes and tried feeling the mana around him.
He could feel the surrounding mana.
Grass, trees, insects... and at the edge of the range, the mana of monsters and the mana of people. They seemed to be in a standoff with each other.
"That way."
At the word that he had found the people, everyone brightened.
"As expected of a mage! We move out at once!"
The knight and soldiers set off in the direction Alex had pointed. Alex followed behind them.
Just then, Two Hundred muttered.
[...? Huh?]
[Why can I feel my own mana?]