In the western part of the Akaria Continent, inside the Bounty Hunters’ Guild of Qatar City—

Alusa slipped the coins she’d earned from hunting monsters into her pocket, shouldered her bow, and headed out.

“Yo, Alusa-chan, thanks a ton back there. Without your help, there’s no way we could’ve taken down that dire wolf!”

At the guild’s entrance, a young man with short black hair leaned against the doorframe and waved at her.

“It was nothing, just cooperation.”

Alusa shook her head and walked past him.

“What a beauty…”

Watching her figure grow smaller in the distance, the black-haired youth pinched his chin and muttered to himself.

Alusa had only appeared in the city a few days ago. Her insane hunting skills, fairy-like looks, melancholy aura—and on top of all that, she was an elf—naturally made her the center of attention.

But the elven girl had turned down invitations from countless bounty hunter parties. She always moved alone, only teaming up with others in special cases for a short while.

There was always a trace of sorrow on her face. No one knew what she was thinking about.

Leaving the Bounty Hunters’ Guild, Alusa followed the street deeper into the city.

It had already been ten days since she’d been separated from Albel. When she woke up, she’d found herself lying on the beach of a small island, and only made it back to the continent thanks to a passing fisherman who saved her.

Without Albel’s guidance, Alusa ran into all kinds of trouble in the first few days. But she never gave up on searching for his whereabouts.

Alusa firmly believed Albel absolutely wouldn’t die. He was that strong, the hero in her heart. He’d just been washed ashore somewhere by the waves, that was all.

So while she completed bounty jobs to earn money to live on, she also went from one large city to another in the area, searching for news of Albel.

Alusa stopped in front of what looked like a small shop. After hesitating for a moment, she went inside.

“Boss, still no news about him?”

She looked at the white‑haired old woman sitting at the counter. Don’t be fooled by her appearance—this granny was the most well‑informed person in all of Qatar City. Bounty hunters in the area all came here to buy intel.

“No. But something pretty interesting happened in Raynhal City recently. You might be interested.”

The old woman spoke slowly, eyes closed.

“What happened?”

Alusa’s eyes lit up. Since the owner put it that way, it had to be intel about Albel.

“Yesterday, a black‑haired boy was washed ashore along with a pile of monster corpses. He didn’t have a single injury. After he woke up, he headed straight into the city.”

The old woman paused, then continued.

“Yesterday a fisherman from Raynhal came to sell sea dragon horns and told me the story. I thought it might help you.”

“Then, where is Raynhal City?”

Excitement flashed across Alusa’s face. That had to be Albel—no mistake. Those sea beasts were probably all killed by him.

“Head south out of the city. It’s about half a day on foot.”

The old woman answered without lifting her head.

“Got it. Thank you.”

Alusa nodded hard, then turned and hurried out. She’d finally gotten news of Albel.

At the same time, inside Raynhal City—

“A girl with long golden hair named Alicia, with a golden sword at her waist. The other’s a forest elf with long brown hair, carrying a silver bow.”

Albel was describing Alicia and Alusa’s appearance to a Shinra family subordinate in charge of gathering intel, with Shinra Future accompanying him.

“Understood.”

The young man, who looked like a scout, nodded and left.

“Now we just have to wait for news,” Shinra Future said, smiling at Albel.

“Yeah, pretty much. Thanks, Miss Shinra.”

Albel scratched his hair. This was all he could do for now. He had no sources of information. Even with money, he’d be wandering blind outside. He had no choice but to rely on her.

“Until then, how about you stay here, Mr. Albel? Let me at least show some hospitality. I’d be more than happy to be on good terms with a strong person like you.”

“Then I’ll trouble you.”

Albel nodded. This girl’s house was basically a small castle, way more luxurious than his Demon King’s Hall.

Speaking of the Demon King’s Hall… now that he was off the island, he really had to contact Vera. Disappearing for days without a word—that girl was probably furious by now.

He’d have to find a chance to get a map, confirm where he was, then after finding Alicia and the others, figure out a route home.

“In that case, I’ll have a maid prepare a guest room for you. How about taking a bath and getting some rest first?”

Shinra Future’s ability to read people was sharp. Even though Albel’s clothes were shabby—anyone could see that at a glance—this young lady had picked up on his mental exhaustion from his tone and small movements.

“Sounds good.”

Albel nodded. When he’d climbed out of the sea, his clothes hadn’t been that bad while they were still wet, but after they dried, they gave off a weird, hard‑to‑describe smell. It was impressive this young lady could put up with it.

“Milady, can we really trust this guy?”

After a maid led Albel away, Yurei Amamiya walked up beside Shinra Future, asking with some concern. Albel’s origins were unknown, and he was strong. If they couldn’t tell whether he was friend or foe, he was a huge potential threat.

“Yurei, there are still more good people than bad in this world, you know. You’re way too on guard.”

Shinra Future smiled slightly. No one knew what she was really thinking.

“But…”

“Yurei, if you’ve got that much time to worry, it’d be better to go rest. I’ve got a feeling the storm’s about to hit.”

Yurei clearly wanted to say more, but Shinra Future raised a hand and stopped her. The blue‑haired girl, whose face always wore a smile, lifted her head and looked at the still‑clear sky, speaking almost to herself.

“Miss…”

Having grown up with Shinra Future, Yurei naturally understood what those words meant. After all, Shinra Future had the power to foresee the Future.

“This is what real life’s supposed to be~”

After his bath, Albel changed into a fresh set of sleepwear. He lay on the wide, soft bed with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh.

“I wonder what Vera’s doing right now.”

He thought of Verdandi back home, that girl who was always glued to him. How was she doing these days?

Lost in random thoughts, Albel drifted off without realizing it.

“Shu… we’ll meet again.”

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he jolted awake from a dream, suddenly sitting up and clapping a hand over his mouth, breathing hard.

He’d just dreamed of that line from ten years ago, during his final battle with the first Holy Maiden—the words the silver‑haired girl left behind before being sealed.

He’d never been able to recall it clearly before, but this time he remembered every detail. Combined with all the things that had happened recently, it felt like something was starting to stir.

“It’s already this late, huh.”

Albel glanced toward the window. Outside, the sky was already quite dark, the evening glow painting it in a fiery red.

Wait. That red didn’t look like sunset.

He rubbed his eyes, jumped out of bed, and hurried to the window—then froze in shock. That red was fire, not sunset. Not far from Shinra Future’s villa, flames were already roaring into the sky.

“A fire?”

Albel clicked his tongue. This blaze was way too serious.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, urgent knocking sounded from the door.

“What is it, Miss Yu—Yurei?”

Albel opened the door to see Yurei Amamiya standing there, chest heaving like she’d just sprinted all the way over.

“It’s a monster tide. The monster tide is here.”

Yurei spoke between breaths.

“Monster tide?”

Albel blinked. What was that supposed to be?

“It’s when monsters gather and attack a human city.”

Yurei shot him a glare, wondering if he was messing with her.

“Oh, so a monster siege. No wonder there’s a fire over there.”

Albel nodded thoughtfully. After all, he’d spent the last ten years in the demon domain, surrounded by monsters everywhere. He’d gotten used to it.

“The monsters are already heading this way. I need your help.”

Yurei had no idea what exactly Albel was talking about, but things were urgent. She couldn’t worry about that now. She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him along.

“Hold on, at least let me put on some clothes.”

“Hurry up.”

Albel struggled a bit, and only then did Yurei realize he was only wearing the bottom half of his sleepwear. She quickly turned around, urging him.

“A man shouldn’t be that fast, you know.”

While pulling on the clothes the maid had prepared, Albel muttered under his breath.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yurei clearly didn’t catch the implication.

“Ahem, nothing. I’m almost done.”

Albel coughed. If this violent girl understood what he meant, she’d probably cut him down on the spot.

“Are you still not done?”

Yurei urged him again, getting impatient.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Albel shrugged on his coat, then followed the already‑restless Yurei out of the room.

At the same time, in the northern branch of the Light Sanctuary—

“Your Holiness, this is bad! Raynhal City is under a monster tide. They’re requesting our aid!”

Alicia was in the middle of enjoying the delicious food prepared by the priests, living like she was in heaven, when a Light Sanctuary knight suddenly rushed in.

“What, a monster tide?”

Alicia’s fork trembled in her hand as she instinctively shot to her feet. She’d heard of monster tides before—hordes of monsters besieging human cities for unknown reasons.

“Your Holiness, protecting the people is the duty of our Light Sanctuary. Please lead us to slay the monsters!”

The high priest also stood up, pleading with her.

Alicia’s face still looked calm and composed, but inside she was already groaning. Just from the name, a “monster tide” sounded like a nightmare to deal with.

Why am I this unlucky… I only got a few days of easy living.