----Do you believe in legends?
The voice came as if from a dim ocean's depths, an ancient water spirit calling out from the gloom.
The old woman wore protective charms against curses all over her body. From beneath her deeply hooded cowl, her eyes glinted.
The legends are facts that have been passed down in Straval since ancient times.
Two hundred years ago, when Magic Beasts were first confirmed. In the Great Emergence Period -- the first Magic Beast Front -- a man named [Hero] Reil Bluehold was the most active of all.
Over thirty years as an adventurer, Reil had slain more than one million Magic Beasts. Among them were 142,231 A-class (though such classifications didn't exist back then) and 11,622 Calamity-Class (S-class). Even two hundred years later, that record remains unbroken.
But there's a reason Reil is regarded as a legend.
He became an adventurer at age forty-five.
That's right -- after he'd already become an old man.
The numbers listed above were the accomplishments he amassed until his death at seventy-nine. Needless to say, they were astonishing for a man in the twilight of his life.
Incidentally, Reil's cause of death was said to be old age.
Because the tale was so absurd, Reil's story had become an "urban legend."
Some said it was propaganda to boost the morale of a humanity exhausted by the Magic Beast Front. Others claimed it was a clerical error. Still others insisted it was a case of mistaken identity. There were even those who believed he was immortal.
The controversy had raged for a long time, but no resolution had ever been reached.
Even on the shared carriage heading toward the sea, opinions were split between those who believed the legend and those who didn't.
Two adventurers in light armor, each carrying a polearm, snorted.
"Obviously that's bullshit. I heard Reil had a habit of lying and purposely inflated his age."
"Even then, that's way too much. He's just some geezer, right?"
"Gyahahahaha!"
A young boy argued back. Beside him sat his mother, looking uncomfortable. They'd been talking earlier about how they were heading to a town ahead to join the boy's father, who worked there alone.
"Reil would never lie! He must have trained super hard and gotten strong!"
The boy's eyes sparkled.
This led to the old woman's opening question. But before anyone could answer, the two adventurers grinned.
"You're pretty old yourself, aren't you? Forty? No, even older, I'd say. Which means it's just about time for you to retire, yeah? ...You get it, don't you?"
The average retirement age for adventurers was said to be thirty-seven. Muscles weakened with each passing year. Reflexes dulled. Illness struck more often and healed slower. Experience accumulated, but it became harder to make sound judgments.
"Maybe so..."
"Right? Becoming an adventurer at forty-five is just a fairy tale."
"But I believe in legends."
"Huh?"
"No... not 'believe,' exactly. I guess I want to believe. That I can still do this."
Silence fell. It quickly turned into the adventurers' roaring laughter.
"What was that? You don't want to retire yet, old man? Give it up. You'll just be dead weight."
"Dreaming's fine, but do it somewhere we're not around."
"Gyahahahaha!" they laughed, mouths wide open.
Beside them, the boy's mother offered a strained smile. The boy puffed out his cheeks and sulked.
Eventually, the old woman raised her head. She'd said she was a fortune-teller who traveled from place to place.
"You've got a good look in your eyes. Somehow, you remind me of Reil."
The man shrugged.
"Cut it out, granny. If you were an elf, maybe, but you're human, aren't you?"
"Hohoho... I was teasing about the elf bit, but the good eyes part is true. If only I were younger..."
"Don't tease me. Sorry to say, granny, but you're way off from my type."
"That's too bad--"
"----!"
Suddenly, he felt a faint tremor. Just a slight vibration. The other passengers didn't seem to have noticed. They continued their chatter.
"Driver! Stop the carriage!!"
He shouted. Following his command, the coachman pulled the reins. The horses reared.
The shaking grew stronger. Finally, the other passengers began to notice. The mother and child huddled together. The adventurers panicked, scanning their surroundings.
In the next instant, the ground ahead bulged upward. A pillar of earth rose with a deafening roar, showering stones and sand onto the canopy. The horses, agitated, neighed as if crying out.
"It's a Death Worm!!"
It was a giant centipede.
Large enough to swallow a small house whole, its elongated body consisted of countless segments, each sprouting legs. A pair of antennae jutted from its head. Its hard, armor-like segments emitted a constant, eerie sound like grinding bones, vibrating through the air.
A Death Worm -- a B-class insect-type Magic Beast. Given its massive size and tough hide, even A-class adventurers above its recommended level would struggle against it.
"Hey! Driver! Turn around! Run!!"
The adventurer's shout was tinged with tears. The coachman immediately cracked his whip. But the horses wouldn't move. They were frozen solid by the Death Worm's overwhelming presence.
"Damn it!"
"Hey! Don't go out yet!"
"Shut up!"
Ignoring the warning, the adventurer shoved aside the women and children, scrambling out of the carriage ahead of everyone else. Seeing this, the coachman also threw down the reins and fled to the rear.
That was a mistake.
Another pillar of earth rose. Another Death Worm blocked the path of those who had fled.
It was the nature of these Magic Beasts to move in mated pairs. Where one appeared, a second was always nearby. And this one had been behind the carriage. Being trapped between them meant they'd already fallen prey to the beasts' tactics.
"Waaaaah!"
"H-help me!!"
"A-ah... ahhhhhhh!!"
Screams of agony echoed. The Death Worm opened its massive mouth and swallowed all three humans whole in one gulp. Its digestive fluid could dissolve even rock. Once swallowed, a victim would be stripped to the bone in an instant.
All that remained was a nauseating stench of decay.
"All bark and no bite, were they..."
The old woman clicked her tongue.
"If you're going to run, then run. Leaving an old woman behind won't do you any good. But you're an adventurer. I'm sure you'll avenge our defeat. Right?"
As the old woman spoke, the mother stepped forward. Her shoulders trembled, tears flooding her eyes.
"Please. At least my son... at least take my son with you... I beg you!"
She held out her son as if offering a sacrifice to the gods. The boy, however, clung to his mother's neck, refusing to let go. Unlike the earlier adventurers, he bravely insisted on protecting her.
The man scratched his cheek. With a slightly troubled look, he tilted his head.
"Well... running away is fine, but..."
It's not like I can't take them on, right?
"Eh--?"
The mother was speechless. The old woman's eyes went wide as she swallowed hard. Only the boy's eyes sparkled. The man gently patted his head.
"Take care of your mom."
He stepped out of the carriage. His hand rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
The Death Worm that had appeared behind them let out a fierce threat at the sight of the middle-aged man.
It made a sound like grinding bones as it moved its body with fluid grace. Like a wave approaching. It let out a shriek and spread its two fangs wide. Digestive fluid dripped from its maw. The Magic Beast's head closed in, its snout nearly touching him.
In that instant, he drew his steel sword.
One single------SLASH!
The flash of his blade was too swift to follow. Before anyone could register it, the Death Worm's massive body was cleaved vertically in two. The bisected corpse sprayed bodily fluids like a split fig, toppling slowly to the ground. The man stood frozen in the after-battle stance.
"Keeeeeeeee!!"
A piercing shriek came from behind. Having lost its mate, the remaining Death Worm, enraged, lunged at the man. It dove at his back, its two fangs poised to strike.
Simultaneously, the man pivoted at the waist. He swept his blade in a horizontal arc.
The Death Worm's head flew off like a ball. Even as the headless body kept moving, he struck again.
A four-strike barrage in an instant!
Like slicing bamboo, the Death Worm was cut to pieces. It crashed down, its bodily fluids staining the ground. Amidst the thick stench of decay, a deafening silence fell.
Shing. The only sound was his blade returning to its sheath.
"Are you hurt, granny?"
"Y-yes..."
She replied numbly. Behind him, the boy kept shouting "Awesome!" but the mother's face had turned pale. She looked ready to faint.
"Sorry I couldn't save your masters."
The man patted the horses' necks to calm them down. The horses were still agitated, snorting roughly. After checking that the carriage had taken no damage, he climbed onto the driver's seat himself. With a crack of the whip, the horses began to walk slowly.
"W-who are you?"
The old woman asked fearfully. The man's strength had long surpassed anything her fortune-telling could divine.
The man answered without turning around.
"Wolf. ...Nikaras's Wolf."
And so--
Summary:
A carriage journey becomes a stage for legend and skepticism, where a middle-aged adventurer's quiet confidence is tested by the sudden appearance of two B-class Death Worms, revealing his true power and identity as "Nikaras's Wolf."
Trivia:
1. The hag's opening question about believing in legends frames the entire novel's thematic conflict.
2. Reil Bluehold became an adventurer at 45 and killed over one million Magic Beasts across 34 years.
3. The Death Worms move in mated pairs, making encounters doubly dangerous.
4. The man's "one single slash" technique is described as being too fast to follow, reflecting his overwhelming skill.
5. The boy's unwavering belief in Reil contrasts sharply with the cynical adventurers who are eaten.
6. The man apologizes to the horses for not saving their masters, showing his empathy extends to animals.
7. "Nikaras's Wolf" is a title that implies a backstory not yet revealed in this chapter.
8. The legend of Reil is treated as an "urban legend" with multiple skeptical explanations.
Notes:
• Wolf - A 42-year-old former A-rank adventurer now operating at SSS-rank levels, he retired to Nicalas Village to raise his daughter, Reminia, as a humble farmer and craftsman. Though soot-stained and calm, this protective, curly-haired father possesses immense, beyond-human strength. A pragmatic, understated mentor, he leads by example, balancing quiet devotion with the quiet authority of a seasoned guardian.