“Just keep doing what you’re doing. Use your knowledge of the original story and move forward however you see fit. That way, the ‘move’ will occur.”

  “The move?”

  “I can’t explain the details right now. But when the time comes, I’ll return to explain. By the way, you won’t get the kind of protagonist perks Rogue had in the original story. After all, Alfred is still the villain, and you’re an irregularity in this world. So, as before, I recommend relying on your companions and improving little by little. Oh, and Rogue still retains his original specs despite the personality shift. Just don’t expect any protagonist privileges.”

  I see. So Rogue won’t be getting those convenient, protagonist-driven developments. That might explain why he keeps getting scolded for his rude behavior toward royalty.

  But I still can't bring myself to fully trust Torimaki.

  No, there’s just no way I can trust him.

  Even if he's supposedly a god... seriously, isn't he way too careless for a god?

  "Just so you know, I’m not going to follow your plans without question. I don’t care if you’re a god—if it goes against my will, I’ll resist with everything I’ve got."

  "Fair enough. Perhaps it's that very strength of will that made you the chosen one. Well then, I think it's time to wrap this up."

  "Wait, before we finish, there’s one last thing I want to know."

  "And what might that be?"

  "Your pen name, Torimaki No. 8—what does it mean?"

  "This form you see now... the bird is my symbol. As for the 'eight,' when you flip it sideways, it becomes the symbol for infinity. In other words, I’m the god of infinity."

  So, it actually had a meaning after all... Honestly, I thought he just made it up on the spot.

  And with that, I woke up.

  "...What a strange dream. No idea if it was real or not."

  Just as I was thinking that...

  "Mmm... Good morning, Master."

  "Alf... No cheating, okay? Mmm."

  At some point, Shizuku had snuck into my bed, and Pico was asleep on my chest.

  "D-Damn these heroines..."

  There was just no controlling them.

  Chapter 49: An Unexpected Reunion

  "Do Shizuku and Pico even understand the meaning of the word'reflection'? Grumble, grumble."

  Inside the transport wagon, Shannon had been complaining non-stop.

  "Hmm. I’ve heard that those two act like this almost every morning. While it's admirable that they hold Commander Alf in such high regard, this behavior is a bit excessive, don’t you think?"

  Even Kanade, the newest member of the group, frowned in agreement, chiming in.

  Once again, the source of Shannon’s dissatisfaction stemmed from the fact that, as always, the heroines had been sleeping in my bed this morning. Each time, Shannon scolded them, and while they pretended to reflect on their actions, there were no signs of actual change.

  Anyway, as of now, our group, The Bond of Unity, has embarked on a journey to hone our skills. We've hitched a ride with some merchants on their wagons. To be precise, we've taken on a quest to escort them to their destination.

  "Well, it’s not like they mean any harm... But yeah, I’ll talk to them more firmly about it."

  By the way, Shizuku and Pico aren’t with us right now. I figured the atmosphere would get tense if they were, so they’re riding in a different wagon with the other members of the group. At this moment, it’s just me, Shannon, Pearl, and Kanade here.

  "Yes, I trust you, Alf. But as a man, there's always the chance you might get tempted. Especially with Shizuku... She's not only incredibly beautiful, but that figure... Even as a fellow woman, I have to admit she’s something else... grumble, grumble."

  "It’s true they’re both quite innocent, but particularly in Shizuku’s case, she seems to lack awareness of how she might affect men. I share Shannon’s concerns; it’s probably only because it’s you, Captain Alf, that no problems have arisen."

  I fully understood what Shannon and Kanade were trying to say.

  Shizuku, being the main heroine of this story, possesses a truly staggering level of "girl power." On top of being a stunning beauty with a voluptuous body, she’s also a slave who’s utterly obedient to me. In the original story, Rogue constantly took advantage of accidental perverted moments, peeking at her in the bath or "accidentally" groping her chest and butt—it all made sense now.

  Looking back, I’m sure Rogue did that on purpose. And honestly, if Gaizen wasn’t sleeping next to me, I probably would’ve messed up already.

  "As for Shizuku, since I took her in as a slave, her behavior is partly my responsibility. But I treat her like an important comrade, just like the rest of you. I’ve even considered removing the slave mark at some point, but I’ll have to see how she feels about it. Anyway, thanks for trusting me, Shannon. You too, Kanade."

  "Yes, hearing that puts me at ease."

  "As expected of Captain Alf, I also believe in you."

  Both Shannon and Kanade smiled warmly at me.

  They trust me so much more now than they did a year ago—it's hard to believe. That trust just makes it even more impossible for me to betray them.

  Especially Shannon. Does she still think of me as more than just a comrade? Come to think of it, before I was expelled from The Sacred Sword of the Hero, there was that accidental but quite intimate moment between us... and we never really discussed our feelings after that. Now that things have settled down, and with Rogue out of the picture, maybe it’s time to...

  "Hey Alf, where are we headed again?"

  Pearl, who had been silent up until now, suddenly asked in a quiet voice.

  I snapped out of my thoughts and answered.

  "Oh, right… We’re headed to the Holy Nation of Orsea."

  The Holy Nation of Orsea is an ally of the Kingdom of Rumirio. It's about a ten-day journey by wagon. There’s a facility there where we can undergo rigorous training, straight out of a comic book.

  Suddenly, the wagon came to a stop.

  "What's going on, driver?"

  "It’s… it’s bandits, adventurers!"

  The merchant driving the wagon shouted in a frightened voice.

  Bandits, huh? Well, they shouldn’t be a problem for us now.

  "Got it. We’ll take care of it. Shannon, stay here. Pearl, inform Gaizen and the others in the other wagon. Kanade, you're with me as an attacker."

  "Understood."

  After hearing their responses, I jumped down from the wagon. At the same time, Gaizen and the others had also dismounted.

  But…

  "Hey, Alf… what the hell is this?"

  "Yeah, the bandits are already taken care of. But by who?"

  In front of us, about ten bandits lay on the roadside, all of them severely wounded as if they'd been slashed by something. Fortunately, they were still alive, though just barely.

  I shifted my eyepatch and used the power of my right eye, The Bewitching Eye. This eye not only charms people but also acts as a magic sensor. In the original story, the idiot Alfred never once used this function, but it’s actually pretty useful.

  "These wounds weren’t caused by magic... but I can sense a strong magical presence... from above!?"

  I looked up at the sky, and there it was—a beast with the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of a lion, soaring through the air.

  ―Griffon, the Lion-Eagle.

  A highly ferocious carnivore, said to dwell in the mountains.

  Its sharp claws and beak are formidable weapons, and it excels at wind magic.

  This high-level monster’s strength is such that it can even drive away dragons.

  Even though it's just one, can we really handle something like that...?

  As I braced myself, the Griffon flapped its wings, descending and drawing closer.

  It finally touched down on the ground.

  Kanae, Gaizen, and I readied ourselves for battle.

  Wait... is that a human figure on the monster’s back?

  White hair, glasses, and a calm demeanor... I know this guy.

  It's Raoul Fabre, a first-class adventurer and solo tamer.

  "―Alfred, it’s been a while."

  "Raoul? What are you doing here? And... what’s with the monster?"

  "This Griffon? It’s one of my tamed creatures. Cute, isn’t it?"

  Cute? It looks terrifying, like it’s about to attack us any second... and it’s glaring at us with those razor-sharp eyes!

  While we stood frozen in shock, Raoul calmly dismounted from the Griffon.

  The Griffon made a low growling noise, rubbing its head affectionately against him.

  To think this fierce, high-level monster is acting like a pet... this is what it means to be a first-class tamer, huh?

  It's like something straight out of a light novel.

  Raul smiled softly and stroked the Griffon with gentle care.

  "I was just passing by on this one when I noticed a group of bandits lying in wait, ready to ambush that carriage over there. I couldn’t help myself, so I dealt with them. I was going to leave after that, but then I saw your face, Alfred, and thought I'd stop by to see little Saku-Kichi."

  As he explained, Raul glanced at Saku-Kichi, who was perched on Shannon’s shoulder.

  This glasses-wearing guy still had an overwhelming love for monsters.

  "I see. You really saved us back there... Where are you headed?"

  "―The Holy Kingdom of Orsea."

  "Oh, we’re headed there too. So, Raoul, are you on a training journey as well?"

  "No, it's my homeland... though when you say ‘training,’ are you referring to the Tower of Lada?"

  "Yes, why?"

  "That place... it's not exactly suited for training right now. That’s actually part of the reason I’m returning."

  Raul’s tone suddenly became hesitant.

  Could something be happening in the country we're headed to?

  "Raoul, if you don’t mind, could you tell us more about what’s going on?"

  "I suppose it’s fine to share it with you, Alfred. Would you mind if I traveled with you all the way to Orsea?"

  "Of course, you’re welcome to join us... but what about the Griffon?"

  "Don’t worry about him―‘Sealed Hand Card.’"

  Raoul pulled out a white card from his pocket and held it up toward the Griffon.

  In an instant, the Griffon was engulfed in light and vanished, sucked into the card.

  On the card, there was now an image of the Griffon.

  "My unique skill, ‘Sealed Hand Card.’ With it, I can store the monsters I tame into cards and summon them whenever I want."

  That's incredible. it’s like some kind of card game, but with real monsters.

  No wonder he didn’t have any monsters with him when we met before.

  And so, with this unexpected reunion, Raul joined us on our journey.

  Chapter 50: The Tower of Lada

  According to my memory, Raul Fable is an original character, like Maka, Roka, and Mika, and does not appear in the original work or comics. In short, he is an "original character" or "OC."

  That night at the campfire, we were informed about the recent disturbances occurring in Raul's homeland, the Holy Kingdom of Orsea.

  “Until recently, the Tower of Lada was a pilgrimage site symbolizing Orsea, where many adventurers, like Alfred and his companions, trained and faced trials,” Raul explained.

  The Tower of Lada.

  A towering structure of fifty floors, it was once a sacred temple owned by the state, where gods were believed to have resided and managed the world.

  The first floor housed an Adventurers' Guild, and the general public could only access the facilities and commercial areas up to the tenth floor.

  Floors beyond that were considered "trials bestowed by the gods," guarded by the "Holy Armored Knights," known as the Armored Knights. They prevented entry to the highest floors.

  Thus, only adventurer parties of Silver Class or higher were allowed to attempt it, and the tower was usually sealed with powerful locks.

  It was said that a holy weapon, similar to the "Sacred Sword Grandar" I possess, was placed on the top floor and awarded to anyone who reached it.

  Adventurers from various regions gathered to test their skills and obtain the holy weapon, aiming for the top floor.

  Naturally, the Holy Armored Knights became increasingly formidable on higher floors, and no one had yet reached the top. Most adventurers gave up midway, turning back. The Armored Knights did not pursue those who fled, making the tower a suitable place for testing one's strength or training.

  The original story also mentions events related to the Tower of Lada.

  I recall that the protagonist, Rogue, whimsically decided he wanted to see the view from the top floor, leading to a seemingly trivial visit.

  As a reader, I considered it a pointless side quest that didn’t impact the main story. I thought, “It’s fine to skip this. It’s an irrelevant story.”

  However, Rogue stubbornly insisted on wanting to see it, which led to this training ground being chosen for this time.

  But Rogue messed up even here.

  In the middle of the night, they illegally entered the tower by using thieving skills obtained from Larisa, with the trivial motive of enjoying the night view with the heroines.

  As a result, Shizuku and Saku-Kichi fought desperately against the attacking Holy Armored Knights, while Rogue, the main culprit, casually showed off his cheating skills with maximum luck, thanks to Pico's "Fortune" skill.

  Rogue and his party easily conquered the Tower of Lada and reached the top, all while claiming “It was a piece of cake.”

  (The original Shizuku and Saku-Kichi were reported to be in critical condition and had to be healed.)

  At the top floor, they found the holy weapon left by the gods, which Rogue and his companions secured.

  It was a rather pointless episode.

  As expected, the comments section was filled with complaints. Anti-readers criticized, saying things like, "These guys did it again," "They are practically a criminal organization," and "The protagonist illegally entered just to fool around with heroines."

  On the other hand, devoted fans argued, "What’s wrong with enjoying the view with the heroines?" and "The result was the same, and no one was harmed!"

  The opinions were as divided as ever.

  The writer, Torimaki-sensei, ignored the uproar, as he was busy preparing for a new release.

  In the afterword of the light novel, he explained, “Even with proper procedures, Rogue and his party would have cleared it easily. Their intrusion was due to their fixation on the night view,” and added, “To make a work sell, one must push boundaries. Even if it’s a bit immoral, the successful works are those that reach the public. After all, isn’t it the same in other genres, where there are questionable elements too?”

  His arguments were as problematic as ever but setting that aside.

  According to Raul, the situation with the Tower of Lada had significantly changed.

  “About six months ago, an unusual event occurred, and now the Tower of Lada has transformed into a labyrinth inhabited by monsters,” Raul said.

  “What? That’s completely different from the original story!”

  I exclaimed in shock, unable to contain my surprise.

  I quickly covered my mouth and corrected myself, “Sorry, forget I said anything…”

  “So, Raul, is that why you were called from Orsea?”

  “Yes. The country decided it couldn’t ignore this situation and has gathered skilled adventurers from various guilds. I was specifically summoned due to my connection to my homeland…”

  Being a top-class adventurer, he couldn’t avoid being called.

  However, he seemed to show an awkward expression.

  “Is there some issue with returning to your country?”

  “Well, there were some past issues... I think Alfred would understand, given his experience with being expelled from his former party, but it’s not something easily discussed.

  Raul answered ambiguously, indicating that there was a deeper story, but as an original character, his personal circumstances were unclear.

  Still, considering this recent disturbance... I recalled Tanaka Daichi’s words from my dream.

  (Is this part of the “move toward collapse”?)

  —The protagonist of the story, Deus Ex Machina.

  It seemed that was my role in this other world.

  Ten Days Later

  We arrived safely in the Holy Kingdom of Orsea.

  We passed through the checkpoint without issue and parted ways with the merchants. We could collect the reward for the escort quest at Orsea’s Adventurers' Guild.

  We headed to the guild and decided to check out the problematic “Tower of Lada.”

  True to its name, the capital city of Orsea exuded an air of purity. However, the people we encountered looked like adventurers rather than typical citizens.

  “Everyone here seems to be adventurers aiming for the tower's summit... I heard the request came directly from King Vile,” I remarked.

  “A direct quest from the king... That means the reward must be substantial, and those who conquer it will be hailed as heroes,” Gaizen replied.

  Moreover, since every party member would receive a holy weapon, the stakes were high.

  Soon, we saw the towering structure in the distance. Despite being quite far away, the white tower reached high into the sky.

  So that’s the Tower of Lada.

  It looked unchanged from the outside.

  Approaching the Tower of Lada, we headed to the Adventurers' Guild on the first floor.

  Monsters had infested the tower starting from the twentieth floor, and they didn’t seem to venture below or outside.

  Still, if monsters were nesting above, the guild must be quite concerned.

  Inside the guild, knights clad in white armor were recruiting adventurers to join them in climbing the tower to combat the monsters.

  “Seeking brave adventurers with courage and determination!” they announced.

  “Shall we collect the reward first and then sign up?” I suggested.

 

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