Under the blazing sun, the roads shimmered with heat.Adonis walked alone, sweat trailing down the side of his face. His black cloak clung to him like a furnace.
"Stupid mask…" he muttered. The rune embedded in the mask flickered again — once visible, then suddenly gone.He hurried to pull the hood lower over his face.
"If I'd known it'd fail in one day, I would've spent extra on quality…"
Worse still, his finances weren't looking good.
"One potion, one storage bracelet, one broken mask… one silver left."
At this rate, he'd be begging his mother for funds before the end of the month — something his pride refused to allow.
Suddenly, a screech echoed through the trees ahead.
Razor Mantises.
He peeked over a small ridge and spotted them — long, jagged forearms like blades, hard green shells glinting in the light. One wrong step, and even a noble's knight would be sliced clean in two.
But… something was odd.
Instead of spreading out or ambushing like usual, they were all wildly chasing a small figure in purple.
"HELP! MURDER! THEY'RE GONNA KILL ME!!" the girl screamed in the most adorably panicked voice imaginable.
Adonis blinked. Preparing himself to help.
"…Is she yelling murder at insects?"
The Razor Mantises didn't care — they were in full pursuit. The girl ran in frantic zigzags, her purple cloak flapping, her silver hair bouncing wildly with each step.
Then — "AAH! MOMMY! THE PERVERTED MANTIS BIT MY BUTT!"
She leapt forward, hands on her backside, tears in her eyes.
Adonis stared.
"…She's… cute."
Snap. His concentration wavered.The golden swords floating around him flickered out in an instant.
"Damn it! Focus!"
He gritted his teeth. With a deep breath, five golden swords reappeared — and this time, a faint sixth flickered into view behind him. His hair fluttered with mana surge, the air trembling faintly.
He raised the sword in his hand — and the others followed.Like divine retribution, the blades spun down, grinding into the swarm of Mantis in a golden storm.Sparks and screeches filled the forest, followed by stillness.
The girl stopped running, eyes wide in awe.
Then—
"CLAP CLAP CLAP!""Kill it! Go! Go! Kill the perverted Mantis! Grind 'em into sushi!"
Adonis glanced at her from behind his half-working mask, stunned.She hopped in place like a cheerleader, hair messy, eyes sparkling.
Then she froze.Her gaze fell on the floating sixth sword — and her pupils dilated.
"…W-Wait…" she muttered, her cheer fading into silence.
Adonis dispersed the swords with a wave, flickering into golden light. He wiped sweat from his brow and walked over.
"Are you alright?"
The girl blinked. "Yeah. Totally fine. Thanks to you, Mr. Goldy-Blades."
"...Don't call me that."
She tilted her head with an innocent smile. "Then what do I call you, mysterious masked stranger?"
Adonis paused.
"…Just call me Ad—"
Zzzt.His mask rune glitched again — vanishing entirely.
The girl gasped.
"Oh nooo~ I saw your face! Now you'll have to marry me~"
"…What?" Adonis deadpanned.
"I'm joking, relax. But seriously—" her expression grew serious for a moment, "—those golden swords… are you maybe…"
Adonis raised his hand.
"You saw nothing."
"I saw everything." She smirked.
He sighed. "You're not from around here, are you?"
She laughed. "I'm from all around. But today, I guess I'm just a damsel who was nearly sliced in half by angry bugs."
Adonis glanced down at the pile of wrecked mantis limbs.
"...You'll attract more trouble if you keep yelling murder in a forest."
"And you'll attract weirdos if you keep flashing golden magic like that. Trust me, people like that don't go unnoticed."
She dusted herself off and extended a hand.
"Name's Elora. And I owe you one, Masky."
Adonis hesitated, then shook her hand. "Adonis."
"Cool name. Cool swords. Lame mask."
"…Don't push your luck."
Elora grinned.