Part 2
Kaito opened the front door, and the group stepped into the house for the first time.
Surprisingly, the place was tidy… and quite clean.
Eve stared at Kaito with intense seriousness.
"Master Kaito, I must return to the watermelon guild— I mean, adventurers' guild." "For those big, juicy… rewards," she added.
"Yeah, yeah… give them a big hug from me— I mean, go ahead," Kaito said, waving lazily toward the exit.
"Don't do anything indecent without me," Eve added as she left.
"Don't make this worse!!"
"Yes, yes! Go run off to that cow and never come back, you pervy automaton!" shouted Seri, clearly outraged.
Ayame looked at her innocently, then glanced down at her own chest.
"So Kaito likes… big ones," she murmured in surprise.
"Eh!?"
"EH!?"
"Look, a seagull!" Ayame suddenly exclaimed, pointing toward the window.
Both of them turned reflexively.
And in a flash, the kitsune bolted to the bathroom, red as a cherry.
"She's definitely fast," Seri said, clapping with mock respect.
Kaito walked over to the table and found a stack of books.
Each one had a name engraved in glowing magical letters.
He leaned closer and picked one up: For Kaito.
He opened the envelope beside it and began to read:
Young bearer of Lunaris Edge,As I mentioned earlier, I cannot train you personally.
But you have one week before classes begin.
I've left three books for you to read during that time.They are actually magical training tomes.
P.S.: Don't be an idiot—start with Volume I.
"Tch. How annoying. Everyone treats me like I'm stupid…" he grumbled, glancing at Seri.
But the elf was having her own crisis.
"Do you think?" she growled, showing him her letter—decorated with childish drawings.
"She left me an explanation with little doodles like I'm some kindergartener!"
Kaito burst out laughing.
"And the third one? Who's it for?"
"Ayame," Seri muttered through clenched teeth.
"Ayame? Mind coming here for a sec?" Kaito called out.
"I bet her letter has little fox prints on it," Seri hissed. "She's probably laughing at us…"
The kitsune came out of the bathroom, calmer now.
"Yes? What is it?"
"There's an envelope here for you—looks like part of the training. What does yours say?" Kaito asked, curious.
Ayame carefully opened the envelope and read it silently.
Then she looked up, perfectly composed.
"Mine says: 'You're smart. You'll figure it out. Not like your teammates.'"
Silence.
Seri clenched her fists, face turning crimson with fury.
"That damn witch—!!" she screamed, hurling her envelope to the floor.
"If I see her again, I swear she'll pay for this!"
"Just ignore it, Ayame," Kaito sighed.
"Seri's not having a great day."
He stepped up to his book.
On the cover, written in glowing golden letters, it read:
"Volume I: Introduction to Combat."
"…What does this mean?"
The moment he opened it, a blinding light engulfed him.
And in an instant—
He vanished.
Kaito appeared in a completely different place.
An enclosed room.
White. Magical. No windows. No doors.
"Where… am I?"
A voice echoed from above. Sweet and cruel all at once.
"Welcome to 'Introduction to Combat!'"
"This is the first of three personalized training volumes for Kaito Amakawa."
"Brought to you by your favorite instructor!"
"Morgana…?" he murmured, clenching his fists.
In front of him, a magical circle lit up on the floor.
From it, a sinister figure rose.
A skeletal soldier—sword and shield in hand—materialized with a rage roar.
"Seriously?!" Kaito exclaimed. "This wasn't in the contract!"
Morgana's voice returned, melodious and wickedly cheerful.
"Difficulty level: beginner."
"Goal: don't die within the first five minutes."
"Good luck~!"
Kaito summoned his sword with resolve.
The blade shimmered faintly. As if it, too, understood this was no longer a joke.
"Morgana doesn't mess around, huh…"
The skeleton roared again, raising its rusted shield.
And the two of them charged head-on.
Meanwhile, Seri was in her own training.
Her "room" was a forest.
Everything around her was green—alive, fresh.
The wind brushed gently through the leaves, and birdsong echoed around her.
It all felt real.
Seri walked through the trees, confused.
Was this a dream? A memory?
She didn't know if she had been teleported or trapped in an illusion.
No voice.
No warning.
No instructions.
Just nature.
Eventually, she reached a clearing.
There, bathed in sunlight, children were playing.
Elven children—from different tribes. Laughing together, casting soft spells that floated like bubbles of light.
It was something Seri had always dreamed of as a child…
Playing with friends.
No fear.
No strange looks.
She stood still, watching quietly.
A bittersweet smile formed on her face.
"Is this my training…? Just… watching what I never had?"
But then… A rumble shook the forest.
"What was that?" she said, turning around.
Another crash. A tree shattered like paper.
And then she saw it.
A massive reptilian claw broke through the last trees at the edge of the clearing.
A colossal creature emerged from the underbrush.
A King Swamp.
A bipedal crocodile over ten feet tall, wielding a giant axe in one hand… And eyes filled with bloodlust.
"Wh-why is there a King Swamp in the forest?!"
The creature roared, stomping forward with thunderous steps.
The children—frozen in fear—didn't move. Not even a scream escaped their lips.
Seri stepped forward, heart pounding in her chest.
"Get out of there!"
"I can't cast a strong enough spell if you don't move!"
But the children stood still.
And that monstrous creature kept advancing toward them—slow, unstoppable.
Meanwhile, Ayame was facing a very different kind of trial.
Inside her own book, she found herself in a dreamlike place, covered in soft mist.
A mature kitsune, dressed like an elegant geisha, stood on a wooden platform, watching her.
She held a long, ornate pipe, from which a thick, fragrant smoke rose in lazy curls.
"Little kitsune… Why do you dress like a priestess?" she asked, exhaling smoke toward her.
"Because I'm a devoted follower of Aurora," Ayame replied.
"And I believe this world deserves her kindness."
The older kitsune smiled. One of her tails gently stroked Ayame's cheek.
"How sweet… and innocent."
"We kitsune were created to seduce. Our purpose is to enchant, to dominate with desire."
Ayame shook her head, and the image of Lady Kaori appeared in her mind.
"Every kitsune chooses her own path."
The woman took another drag from her pipe and exhaled slowly in Ayame's direction.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"The world isn't as rosy as you imagine."
Then, two slavers emerged from the mist, formed from thick, black smoke.
Ayame stepped back instinctively. Her ears lowered in fear.
"That's what I thought…"
But something shifted.
Ayame closed her eyes, then raised her gohei with both hands.
Her expression turned resolute.
"When I was imprisoned…"
"I learned the value of freedom."
"The value of a warm meal."
"The value of an honest embrace."
She lifted her gaze, and her eyes began to shine with a deep, brilliant gold.
"Now there are people waiting for me. People who believe in me."
The elder kitsune watched her in silence.
"Such interesting resolve…"
She tapped the pipe to knock out the ashes.
Her hair slowly turned completely golden—reflecting Ayame's unwavering conviction.
"Then show me… that your will doesn't waver."
And so, their wills were about to collide.
Each of Morgana's books concealed a trial.
A challenge that went beyond logic or brute strength.
Beyond imagination.
A deeply personal battle.
One they each had to face and overcome…
If they truly wished to move forward.