"Sword Saint" Al Cranel.
The man who had achieved countless feats and stood atop the hierarchy of adventurers—revered as the hero of the age—was now ──────── prostrating himself on the floor, pressing his forehead against the tiles.
This took place inside an Orario tavern. The waitresses stared as he ground his head into the dirt. Fortunately, the establishment had not yet opened for the day. No customers were present, leaving only Al and the staff; regardless, such behavior was unbecoming of a Level 7 hero.
"You, what were you thinking when you hurt my girl?"
Certain individuals existed whom Al ── a man said to achieve the impossible and solo Floor Bosses in the deepest reaches ── simply could not face. One was Amid Teasanare, whom the gods described as the Sword Saint's sister. The other was Mia Grand, the proprietor of The Hostess of Fertility. Despite her strength rivaling that of legends, she ran the tavern like a dominant commander. She was the woman before whom Al now bowed his head.
Mia, the former captain of the Freya Familia, was a formidable Level 6 warrior. She was the only follower who had not sworn absolute, fanatical loyalty to Freya. Instead, she was the powerhouse who controlled the eccentric Familia members with her own iron fist. Mia was one person no one dared to provoke. She had sat upon the throne of the Freya Familia since before the downfall of the Zeus and Hera Familias. Though currently retired, her strength remained legendary. She stood as one of Orario's strongest candidates, with power equal to or exceeding the leaders of the Loki Familia.
Al's fear of her stemmed from an old incident at the tavern. Members of other Familias, jealous of his record-breaking speed, had started a brawl. Mia had promptly rendered everyone unconscious with a single, merciless blow. Since then, a trauma-like fear had taken hold of him. He simply could not stand his ground against her, a feeling that persisted even after he reached Level 7.
"A-Auntie Mia. I was the one who insisted on going. As for the injury, the Dian Cecht Familia already treated it..."
"So, do you think you can work starting today? Impossible. I know you too well. If you force yourself to work, you'll just end up doing something stupid in front of the customers, won't you?"
"Eh, ah, no....."
Mia was speaking of her "injured daughter" ── the clumsy elf, Ryuu Lion. Because the Corrupted Spirit's magic had wounded Ryuu during the battle on the 24th Floor, she would be unable to work as a waitress for a while. More accurately, she had recovered enough to move, but Mia knew Ryuu's natural clumsiness would only worsen in her current state, likely leading to spilled food and broken dishes. Mia's assessment was spot on.
"And you, don't you have anything to say? I trusted you to some extent, but it seems I overestimated you."
"Truly... it is my responsibility. I will do anything. Just please, forgive me."
What a disgraceful sight. Was this truly the appearance of a hero?
"..... Anything, huh? Fine. You'll work here in place of this fool until she recovers."
"Yes, ma— ── Eh?"
●○●○●
Cassandra Ilion saw Prophetic Dreams.
This was a Unique Ability, neither a skill nor magic. It granted her glimpses of a future hidden even from the gods, manifesting as seventeen poetic verses accompanied by vivid imagery. Although it was a power bordering on the miraculous, it felt like a curse. As a sacrifice for this sight, no one ever believed what she saw in her dreams.
Consequently, everyone viewed her as an eccentric girl who blurted out nonsensical, sudden warnings. She eventually earned the epithet "The Pessimist."
She often considered her power a curse she was born with; she was forced to see what she did not wish to see and remained unable to share it with anyone else.
Her most terrifying dream had occurred years ago, when the god Apollo set his sights on Al, the world's fastest record-holder.
"The brightest silver star arrives, bringing the twilight with him."
The images following that verse depicted a certain massacre.
The brightest silver star ───── a miniature "Twilight of the Gods" caused by the Goddess Freya.
The moment she saw that scene, she woke from her dream. The blood drained from her face, and a wave of nausea hit her as her heart constricted as if gripped by an invisible hand.
She saw an elven mage crushed by the massive blade of a boar-man, turning into a flower of flesh. she saw a dwarf blacksmith torn to pieces by two elves, one black and one white. She saw a beastman swordsman annihilated by knights of the small-stature race.
Then, she saw a girl with copper-colored hair lying in a pool of blood. Beside that girl stood a beautiful woman with shimmering silver hair.
That enchanting beauty, wearing a revealing black dress, looked toward her and smiled. But her smile held no mercy; it was the mocking, furious laughter of a demon because someone had dared to touch her property.
Her gaze said clearly: You have laid hands on what belongs to me.
The dream ended with the image of a cat-man's spear attacking her. Cassandra realized then that her god had stepped on the tail of a tiger that should never be touched. She tried to convince her god, her Familia members, and even the copper-haired girl of what she had seen, begging them to retreat. No one listened.
Her god's obsession was absolute. He did not care that his target belonged to the city's largest Familia and continued to interfere in their affairs. The result should have been that nightmare.
But she did not give up. To change the scene of the nightmare and avoid the tragedy following the prophecy, she kept moving.
Eventually, she met the only person in Orario who knew the future exactly as she did.
Everyone survived the nightmare. She met that boy when she was suffering from insomnia, unable to purge those images from her head. The boy with white hair and red eyes—the very cause of the nightmare—did not reject her words or mock her when she lost her composure and began speaking nonsense. Instead, he treated her with kindness.
He whispered to her: "I have a similar power."
He told her he saw things resembling her prophetic dreams.
It wasn't a full prophecy that defied divine logic like her own, but rather the result of an Advanced Ability that enhanced the sixth sense to its limit, combined with knowledge he had no way of knowing.
Even so, simply sharing the future with someone else was a source of hope and joy she had never felt before.
Thus, the nightmare's future changed. Before the Goddess Freya's wrath could explode, the situation shifted into a War Game between the Loki Familia and the Apollo Familia.
The Apollo Familia stood no chance against the city's largest faction. However, under special rules, it evolved into a siege battle where the boy fought alone against over a hundred members of the Apollo Familia.
It was nearly impossible for a boy who had just reached Level 3 to triumph over a massive Familia containing dozens of high-level adventurers.
Yet, he flipped the scales. He seized victory through ruthless tactics: burning the area with magic enhanced by his skills, using a thunder spear resembling a siege weapon, and dividing the enemies to eliminate them one by one.
In the end, the catastrophic losses from her dream did not occur. The conflict ended with a "Restraining Order" issued by a furious Goddess Loki, forbidding Apollo from approaching the boy. The crisis passed peacefully.
Since then, Cassandra had become brighter. The thought that she had someone to consult honestly when she saw a terrifying dream, rather than carrying it alone, made her happier than anything.
She might have been just one of the many he saved, but for her, it was undoubtedly a fated encounter.
"────────Ah, oh.."
She saw a dream. A nightmare of a terrifying future—a vision of death more vivid and ominous than anything she had previously witnessed.
She woke up gasping for air. Sitting up in bed, she took deep breaths to steady herself. Cold, sickening sweat soaked her skin, but she ignored it.
"Oh, ah.."
This was a prophetic dream. It was clearer, more terrifying, and more hopeless than all the others. A sharp headache and nausea hit her. she covered her mouth as stomach acid rose in her throat.
She shivered from the cold. despite being wrapped in her duvet, she could not stop trembling.
"The King's Proxy bound by obsession." "The Celestial Wolf with shattered fangs." "The Wind Fairy with plundered wings." "The Hero who lost his pride."
.... "The Hero whose body receives destruction."
Those words appeared in the dream's poem. The image of the "Hero"—the white-haired boy—imprinted on her mind as ── things were done to him ──. At the end of that scene, she saw a woman.
"The King's Proxy bound by obsession" ──── A bewitching woman with beautiful red hair and eyes that glowed like emeralds. Her smile was full of pleasure, but her gaze was a mix of contempt, mockery, and rage. She possessed a beauty that chilled the spine—a beauty different from that of the Goddess Freya.
Who was that woman? Cassandra couldn't even see her face clearly in the dream; she appeared as a blurred image, her identity unknown. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't look away. She was as paralyzed as a frog beneath a snake's gaze.
She was terrified. The idea that this woman ── the red-haired woman ── would do that to the boy killed her with fear. Was the red-haired woman the one who would hurt him in the dream? Was the red-haired woman the one who would kill him? Was the red-haired woman the one who would assault him?
Something she didn't know was about to happen soon. She feared everything would end while she remained helpless.
It was truly terrifying.
Unable to endure it, she vomited. The filth spread across the floor, emitting a pungent odor, but she didn't care.
She had always moved to change the scenes of her nightmares, but not everything went well. Often, her actions produced the opposite results.
She had to think of a way to save him. As she tried to think, the phantom of that woman would not leave her mind.
Who was the red-haired woman, and what did she intend to do?
What was the connection between the boy and the red-haired woman? Questions swirled in her head without answers. Without her noticing, the sun rose, and night turned to morning. Though the light streaming through the window was bright and cheerful, the atmosphere inside the room remained bleak and heavy.
"Ah, Cassandra. Your complexion is worse than usual. Did you see something again?"
"..... Eh, really?!"
●○●○●
The day after the incident on the 24th Floor, Ais woke up with her mind still clouded. Loki enthusiastically told her that if she went to The Hostess of Fertility, she would see something interesting. When she arrived, she saw Al working as a waiter.
The tavern was usually crowded, but today the throng was even denser than usual.
The clientele consisted of 30% adventurers, 20% gods, 10% elves, and 40% Amazons. Gods seeking entertainment and Amazons who had heard the rumors gathered from everywhere.
The Sun God was spotted being dragged away by a beastman waitress for violating the restraining order. A Goddess of Beauty was seen hiding her face behind a cloak.
The Amazons, looking like adventurers, stared at Al as if they wanted to devour him. Their gazes were like those of predators stalking prey—or perhaps prey terrified of a predator but anticipating an attack.
(... This might be a bit scary.)
Ais thought to myself. But Al was never affected by those looks. With his usual stoic face, he took orders, served food, cleared empty plates, and wiped tables before returning to take new orders. His movements were fluid and without hesitation, like a seasoned professional.
He worked harder than a brown-haired beastman waitress with five years of experience. More importantly, his popularity was overwhelming. He wasn't just popular with women; the men liked him immensely as well.
At one point, an adventurer tried to invite Al to eat with him, but Al politely declined. Undeterred, the adventurer tried repeatedly, but every attempt failed.
Some gods went even further, trying to flirt and calling him "Al-kyun." The Sun God was dragged out a second time by a copper-haired human waitress who looked utterly fed up.
Incidentally, the Sun God winked at Al as he was being hauled away, but Al completely ignored him.
The elves, fewer in number, didn't dare speak to him boldly. Instead, they watched him from a distance with stolen glances.
Ais knew Al was multi-talented, but she never expected him to be proficient in service work. She felt a quiet sense of amazement.
She realized that even if he weren't an adventurer, he would have succeeded in any profession he chose.
After Al's shift ended and he was free, Ais asked him why he was there. He explained that the masked elf who had accompanied the Hermes Familia on the 24th Floor was actually a waitress here, and he had been forced to work to fill the vacancy she left. A tavern that forces a Level 7 to work.....
The two sat on a street bench as the air grew cold after sunset. After a short silence, Ais spoke.
"Why did you take up the sword, Al?"
Al knitted his brows and tilted his head, confused by the sudden and vague question. Ais continued without waiting for his response.
"I took up the sword because──── I wanted to get back my father and mother, whom the monsters stole from me."
The desire to become strong was merely a consequence of that reason. Only Riveria, Finn, and the others knew this. Monsters had taken Ais's parents from her.
For that reason, Ais had to become strong—to avenge her parents one day and to bring them back. So, why did Al pursue strength with such determination when he was already stronger than her? She wanted to know.
Confused by her sudden confession and unaware of her internal thoughts, Al answered.
"The reason, huh? There was something I wanted to see, no matter what. To see it, I had to become strong. That's all there is to it."
As he spoke with his usual expressionless face, Al looked lonely to Ais. She couldn't stand seeing him that way, so she moved closer to touch his shoulder.
"... Then, after you see what you want to see."
Ais conjured the images of her father and mother in her mind and voiced feelings she had suppressed for years.
"Will you become a hero for me, Al?"
To Ais Wallenstein, heroes were beings that existed only in stories. In reality, no hero would come to save her.
Knowing this, she had decided to take up the sword herself. But now, it was different. The boy before her had already saved her. And now, he was sitting beside her like this.
"I hope you meet your own hero someday."
She remembered her father's words. He surely meant this. Now, she finally felt she had met a hero in the truest sense. Al's eyes widened in surprise at her words. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
"My grandpa, who raised me, always insisted I become a hero. But I can't be a hero who fights for everyone, and I don't even want to. ───── However, fine. A hero for you alone? I can consider that."
He said this, his stoic expression softening slightly as he smiled at Ais.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Note:
Cassandra was not told about the knowledge of the original novel or a previous life. Instead, everything was blamed on the Instinct skill. After all, "Instinct" allows for a near-future prediction, so it isn't entirely a lie.
Based on novel knowledge (and Luck), the prophetic dreams were believed, and through "Instinct," Al empathized with her.
Instinct: Enhancement of the sixth sense and the ability to sense danger. Corrects reactions against attacks seen for the first time. Accuracy occasionally increases due to the Luck skill, making a pseudo-future prediction reaction possible. The difference between this and "Prophetic Dreams" is the ability to activate it somewhat consciously. It offers higher flexibility, but in terms of detail and accuracy, prophetic dreams are superior. Furthermore, prediction during combat occurs automatically through the Battle Instinct skill, which makes Al perform the optimal defensive reaction regardless of his consciousness.
[What he learned from the staff]
Ryuu Lion: Concurrent Chanting.
Chloe Rollo: Stealth.
Lunoire Faust: Close-quarters combat.
Mia Grand: Cooking.
Syr Flover: Abnormal Status Resistance.
Anya Fromel: "The spear isn't... no, facing Allen with Anya's techniques is fun."
°
•
°
👑 Get early access to 80+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Raven737
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!