(Ryuta POV)
Nightfall.
There was nothing special to it except that it was one of the nights I had to rest.
The soft and warm sensation of the bed chained me down; the urge to start working once more was not strong enough to fight my fatigue.
But then the soft hum of magical circuits stirred me from sleep.
A faint blue glow pulsed from the small, rune-inscribed box sitting on my bedside shelf. It flickered rhythmically—subtle, but urgent. The kind of call that could only come from one person.
I groaned, rubbing at my eyes. "Can't he ever call at a decent hour?"
The Magic Tool—my own design—was a compact, one-way communicator attuned specifically to the device in Orsted's possession. It let him bypass the old method of letter drops and call me whenever he needed, without much delay.
The idea for this came after I first encountered one of the World Power monuments. They are like one-way monitors, something I want to implement into a tool that allows the exchange of text messages and eventually a video chat device.
The one I created now was simply convenient since it's more like a pager, but… very inconsiderate when used in the middle of the night.
Still groggy from my workout earlier, I pressed the activation rune on the top of the box. The glow dimmed, signaling a silent acknowledgment that I'd received the call and was on my way.
Sitting up, I took a deep breath, then closed my eyes.
The world around me melted away into sensation—ripples of mana, movement al over the city. My consciousness stretched outward like a net, expanding past the academy walls, beyond the city's borders, into the wild perimeter just outside the city.
There, northwest of the outer forest. A presence. Heavy, but silent.
"Found you."
I slipped out of bed and moved quickly, pulling on my gear in practiced motions: a leather robe, utility belt, boots, gloves, and everything else into my dimensional pouch—all the essentials for a night rendezvous with the Dragon God.
Once ready, I opened the window and stepped onto the narrow ledge.
"Let's make this quick."
With a soft, chantless pulse of Gravity Magic, I lightened my body, just enough to reduce my weight without floating outright. My steps became feather-like—no creaks, no echoes. As I dropped to the ground, I used Detection to sweep the path ahead, carefully mapping the locations of night guards and patrolling constructs. They didn't notice a thing.
Slipping through the campus shadows, I made my way out of the academy grounds. A jump over the outer wall, a brief glide using Wind Magic, and I was gone—vanishing into the night like a wraith.
Once I was clear of the city's edge, I increased my speed and headed for the forested area, where Orsted's presence loomed like a stone in water.
Whatever had him calling at this hour, it wasn't something minor.
***
I touched down in the clearing with barely a whisper, landing softly on a stone outcrop just as the tree line broke. The air was sharp, chilled by dew and the faintest trace of mountain frost. Ahead, a tall figure stood motionless against the dim forest light, the moon casting a pale halo around his silvery-white hair.
Orsted, wearing his white mantle with visibly no other gear, and his signature grumpy face.
His golden eyes locked onto me as I approached. "You were quick, Ryuta."
I shrugged, flexing the stiffness out of my fingers. "If you're calling me out this early, it's either urgent… or you got lonely."
Orsted didn't smile. He never did. But the faintest flicker in his aura told me he appreciated the jab—just a little. Deep down, he appreciates how I treat him as a person instead of a monster.
"There's something I remembered," he said, turning slightly to face me fully. "A mission I once let pass by in earlier loops. Due to the worldwide anomalies, it's better to intervene."
I straightened. "What are the specifics?"
He stepped closer, shadows clinging to him like a second skin. "There's an adventurer named Sara—a [Counter Arrow] party member. They'll take a mission soon near Rosenburg, a city in the Duchy of Basherant. A Snow Buffalo stampede cuts her off from her party during the mission. Later on, she gets captured by an Icefall Treant."
My brow twitched. "Icefall Treant? That's… not your average mid-tier threat. And you implied her fate isn't particularly remarkable?"
"Average," Orsted confirmed. "In most loops, she survives by a thread. But this loop… the probability shifted slightly due to the economic downgrade that the Asura Kingdom is experiencing. The number of those who travel to the Northern Territories has dropped. An adventurer party would have usually rescued her, but they appear to be staying south of the continent."
The problem that Orsted is describing is in connection with the mass murder of the Asura nobility and the attack against the second princess. In the latter incident, a slime monster took the princess hostage, and her guardians fought it and rescued the princess. However, many lives were taken during the fight.
The people of the Asura Kingdom doubted the level of security the country could provide, especially after Prime Minister Darius's scandal and manipulation was revealed. Noble houses have downright collapsed, and many merchants have cut off trades with the kingdom, and some of its citizens have left it altogether.
If it hadn't been for the mysterious masked man, who provided the restored Fittoa region with resources to flourish its fields and support from the second princess and her retainers, the kingdom would have faced a crisis.
Orsted and Perugius suspect the masked man to be the one who orchestrated the mass murder and attack on the princess, but his actions fell silent ever since.
There is also suspicion about his involvement in the Millishion incident, where half the Demon Expulsion faction got kidnapped, and the cardinal committed suicide. Still, things have settled better on that part now. In fact, the faction growing weaker plays well into Orsted's grand scheme.
"Has the number of adventurers in the north really dropped that low that our intervention is necessary?"
"As I said, the party that would have rescued her has stayed in the south. And if she dies—"
"—One of her descendants is lost," I guessed.
Orsted gave a subtle nod. "Correct. A descendant who usually proves useful in the future."
"Usually?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "You make it sound like there's a coin flip involved."
"There is," he replied plainly. "If certain conditions aren't met, that descendant may be turned into one of his apostles."
I felt a cold drop sink into my stomach. Hitogami's reach again.
Orsted unfolded a map and pointed to a narrow path outside Rosenburg, the Trier Forest—the snow trail likely to become the adventuring route.
"Intercept her after the stampede. Eliminate the Treant. Ensure she survives and stays with the rest of her party. After that, everything should proceed independently from that point forward on."
"Anything I should know beforehand?" I asked, already reaching into my pocket dimension.
"Keep watch of any Snow Buffalo herd. That particular Icefall Treant captures them at this time of year. The rest of Sara's party will soon search for her the next morning, but they will arrive too late. Any possibility of them turning into apostles is low, but keep interaction at a minimum if possible."
The weight of his words sank in fully—this wasn't just a rescue. It was another move in the game we were playing against Hitogami. Another life teetering on the edge, another thread in the web that could unravel everything.
"Understood," I said, voice clear now, the haze of sleep and emotion from earlier burned away by the chill of duty.
I stepped back, standing straight, and gave Orsted a short but firm salute—my own little sign of respect. Not because I was a soldier, but because I chose to follow him.
Orsted gave a single nod in return.
Without another word, I turned, crouched low, and surged forward with Touki enhancement on my legs and a burst of Wind Magic underfoot. My body launched into motion, the forest rushing past in a blur as I raced toward Rosenburg.
///