Chapter 383: Midnight Has Come

As preparations for war pressed forward at a frantic pace, time marched on silently, inexorably.

DONG——!

The final bell of day tolled across the land.

The people of Bongisto couldn’t help but lift their heads to gaze at the horizon.

There, the last rays of twilight faded slowly below the edge of the world.

Night.

Had fallen......

The frontline walls of Bongisto.

Tap.

Hulim Heyerar’s feet touched down lightly on the cold stone battlements.

She stared out at the vast wilderness stretching before her.

WHOOSH——!

A cool night wind swept across the field, whistling past her ears.

It carried with it a faint, unmistakable scent of danger.

“Well, well! Look who’s joined the party, the new kid~!”

At the sound of that voice, Hulim turned to her right.

Several figures stood there, just as she did—silent sentinels atop the wall, all waiting for the final hour to arrive.

Hulim’s gaze swept over them one by one.

Some she knew, some she had only seen in passing, and others were complete strangers.

There was Monroe, Disciple of the Sword Saint—a familiar face. Even with the imminent battle hanging over them, he still had that lazy, carefree air about him. He was perched casually on the edge of the wall, sipping from a cheap bottle of wine.

When he noticed Hulim looking his way, he lifted his bottle with a grin and nodded—a lazy greeting.

Is he drunk again...... Hulim thought to herself.

After Monroe, the familiar faces included Dimik the Dragon Swordsman—the former exam proctor—and Snook the Starbreaker, another Rank A Adventurer she had met back in Himril City.

Then there were those she had only met earlier that day, but not yet acquainted with.

Yuris the Illusionist, a Rank A Adventurer of the Elf race. A fringe of emerald-green bangs fell over his eyes, which held an icy, detached gaze. His expression was perpetually stern and unsmiling. Rumor had it he was an incredibly powerful wind-element mage.

Uno the Lightbringer, also a Rank A Adventurer. She was a Black Hound Beastman, clad head to toe in a sleek black dress—even her wand was jet-black...... Despite her dark attire, she had been a prodigy raised by the Church in her early years. The story went that she’d stormed out of the Church in a fit of rage over its rigid rules, joining the Adventurer’s Guild to become an exclusive adventurer.

Last of all was a figure whose aura alone screamed Rank A—though Hulim was seeing her for the very first time. Her appearance was easily the most flamboyant of the bunch.

She was even shorter than Hulim, with two long, slender golden pigtails that reached all the way down to her ankles. She wore mismatched shoes—one of each style—and her outfit was so skimpy it blurred the line between shorts and underwear, paired with a tight-fitting top that barely covered her torso. Most outrageous of all was the colossal one-handed battleaxe slung over her shoulder—a weapon several times her own size.

“New kid? Oh, you must be Hulim Heyerar—the one who made Rank A today, right?”

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

The girl with the skimpy outfit spoke up, her voice bright and chipper.

“The name’s Liz Val. They call me Liz Val the Mountainbreaker. Don’t get the wrong idea—I’m not like you humans. I’m a Dwarf.”

“Ehh? U-Um, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Hulim Heyerar.”

Hulim stared at her in open astonishment.

She’d never seen a Dwarf like this before......

“Ahahaha~!”

Suddenly, Uno burst out laughing, doubling over with mirth.

“You got fooled by her looks too, Hulim~! Don’t let that cute face fool you—she’s actually an old lady!”

“HA?!?”

Liz’s eyes narrowed to slits, her temper flaring instantly.

“You perverted Black Hound! What did you just say?! Call me an old lady again, and I’ll split you in two!”

Uno’s laughter died abruptly, replaced by a sharp, dangerous grin.

“Oh my. Looks like you said something you shouldn’t have, you little grandma who’s trying to pass for a kid.”

“I’m not trying to pass for anything! I just stopped growing early, you pervert!”

“Says the one dressed like that! How dare you call me a pervert!”

“GRRR——”

“GRRR——”

ZAP! ZAP!

The two of them glared daggers at each other, neither willing to back down. Sparking tensions crackled between them, as if actual flames were leaping from their eyes.

“......”

Hulim turned to Snook beside her, a look of confusion on her face.

“Mr. Snook—is this the first time they’ve fought like this?”

“Of course not,”

Snook shook his head, a resigned expression on his face.

“Don’t pay them any mind. This is pretty much a daily occurrence. You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

“......Three of them?”

Hulim glanced back and forth between the bickering pair, then up at Snook in confusion.

Snook jerked his chin toward the space behind the two arguing women.

Hulim followed his gaze, peering past the heated standoff—only to see Yuris standing there, looking as cold and aloof as ever.

“Is something wrong with Mr. Yuris?”

Hulim turned back to Snook, still puzzled.

“Uh......”

A bead of sweat rolled down Snook’s forehead.

“It’s nothing. A kid like you doesn’t need to know about stuff like that.”

“?”

Hulim possessed the vast accumulated wisdom and experience of countless ancient sages. She was a master of virtually everything—from the intricacies of society to the depths of the human heart, to the tangled webs of politics.

But there was one thing she knew nothing about.

The reason for this gap in her knowledge was simple:

All the ancient sages who had stood at the very pinnacle of the world—regardless of their race or gender—were, to put it bluntly, lifelong bachelors.

Just then, Dimik walked over to her, a curious look in his eyes.

“Hulim—what are you most skilled at?”

His gaze flickered between the Seven Luminaries in her hand and the Helkem strapped to her back, clearly trying to gauge her fighting style.

“Me?”

The topic of the “three people” was temporarily forgotten. Hulim thought for a moment, then replied,

“I’m decent at a little bit of everything.”

“I-I see......”

Dimik looked a little taken aback.

“I’d assumed you were more of a mage.”

“Not exactly,” Hulim shook her head. “I can stand on the front lines right alongside you.”

“Wouldn’t that be pushing yourself too hard?”

“Don’t worry about it. I am good with magic—but I’m just as good at using it up close and personal.”

At that, Dimik let out a relieved laugh.

“It seems I was worrying for nothing.”

“By the way, I don’t suppose you know the fighting styles of the others here? Allow me to fill you in.”

“That would be much appreciated, Mr. Dimik.”

“Of course. First off—me. They call me the Dragon Swordsman because I can wield a fraction of a true dragon’s power......”

As Dimik began to explain the strengths of each of their allies,

time ticked steadily onward.

The preparations for war in Bongisto reached their final stages......

Adventurer's Guild Headquarters.

Firuvin Pohl Karl, the Rank S Adventurer known as the Adventure King, sat cross-legged on the roof of the guild’s tallest tower.

Above his head, the Destiny Cube—split into countless tiny squares—hovered in a slow, steady orbit around him.

If one looked closely, one could see that those squares seemed to be connected to something hidden in the void itself.

Occasionally, arcane magic array patterns would flare to life in the air around him—only to fade away without a trace after spreading a mere few meters outward.

At the very same moment.

Somewhere outside the walls of Bongisto.

A shadowy figure watched the city from the darkness, its gaze cold and calculating.

“Hehehehe......”

The shadow let out a sinister chuckle.

“As expected of the Adventure King—you’d choose to do things this way.”

“Humans really are as foolish as ever. You’d rather spare the worthless masses than eliminate the great enemy standing right before you.”

“But~, it’s precisely because you’re like this that my plans will succeed.”

The shadow lifted its head, gazing up at the darkening sky.

“By my calculations...... the time is almost upon us......”

Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock......

The massive clock tower of the Church chimed relentlessly, its hands ticking down to the final moment.

The countdown had begun.

An unnatural silence fell over Bongisto—a silence unlike anything the city had ever known.

Everyone held their breath, not a single word spoken.

It was the calm before the storm.

DONG——!!!

At that precise moment,

the midnight bell rang out, its deep, resonant tone echoing across every corner of Bongisto.

Every single person on the walls tightened their grip on their weapons, their eyes fixed unwaveringly on the wilderness beyond the city.

“They’re here!”