The girl blankly stared at the man before her.

A man wrapped in blue lightning.

Before him, the followers of Baarma had already begun to gather.

At first, there were dozens.

Then, hundreds from afar.

!!!

After the horn, which sounded like a human scream, blared, an uncountable number of followers gathered at this “priest.”

Just like when they attacked her village—

“R-Run—We have to run—”

Overwhelmed by instinctive fear, she forced out the voice that wouldn’t come.

The eyes of the playthings, who had also been running away until just a moment ago, were now filled with despair.

The fact that so many of them had gathered here meant one thing: no one would survive this place today.

That was why—

She let out a pained sigh as she watched the followers reach the man’s front before she even realized it.

Numbers were an overwhelmingly important factor in war.

No matter how strong an individual was, they could never defeat the masses.

Just like her village.

Just like her parents.

…Just like her entire race.

No matter how exceptional one’s power was, a single hand could not block ten.

Before the violence of overwhelming numbers, even the strongest was reduced to a mere individual.

With an expression full of fear, the girl looked beyond the man.

Already, countless followers were charging forward, enough to fill the vast passage, all with the intent to kill him.

The thunderous sound of their footsteps, like an overwhelming roar, sent her into a panic.

Their screams repeatedly resurfaced the traumatic memories buried deep within her.

And then—

At the very moment when the soldiers reached the man and swung their spears—

She saw it.

The man, wreathed in lightning, suddenly shone brilliantly.

And then.

Crackle—!

The lightning clutched in the man’s hand—

It spread its greedy tendrils in all directions as if it sought to consume the entire world.

The followers who had charged at him to kill him— were incinerated in an instant.

And then, the man threw the lightning.

A simple, short motion.

Yet—

A decisive one.

And then, after a burst of pure white light so blinding it nearly robbed her of sight—

“…Ah?”

A pristine landscape lay before her.

No more followers remained in her view.

No longer did she see the bloodstained weapons they had carried.

No longer did she see the cruel decorations they had crafted in devotion to their faith.

Only the man stood there.

With an utterly calm and indifferent expression—

The man who had swept away her fear and terror.

The white-haired girl blankly stared at the man’s back.

As if trying to carve it into her memory.

Blankly.

####

Rumble—!

In the ashen world, a golden crown, still shining in brilliant gold, was bent and broken here and there.

Right after the last of the approaching men were slain—

“…It’s over now. I don’t sense any more enemies.”

“…I see.”

Penia, who had just been using magic to scan the surroundings, reported.

Alon let out a deep sigh as he looked around.

Everywhere his gaze landed—

Those who had just moments ago been slaughtered like playthings by those wielding weapons—

Now looked at him with a mix of bizarre hope and fear.

‘…Was this the right choice?’

Seeing their expressions, Alon unconsciously questioned himself.

From his own standpoint—

It was hard to say that the choice he made today was the right one.

He didn’t even know who exactly he had just killed.

Nor did he understand why they had been so cruelly hunting these other races as mere toys.

In other words, Alon had saved these people without any special knowledge.

But that didn’t mean he had done it thoughtlessly.

From the beginning, the reason Alon had come down to save them was—

Because, with the help of Rine’s “eyes,” he had confirmed in advance that no overwhelming threats existed here.

Of course, even with that confirmation, choosing to oppose an unknown force in an unknown land, without knowing their full strength, was never a wise decision.

But even so—

Alon did not regret his actions.

Even if it wasn’t the best choice—

He believed it was the right one.

“Um—”

Just as he was lost in thought—

A faint voice called from behind.

When Alon turned around, a wolf beastman with a long scar over his right eye stood there.

As soon as Alon turned to face him, the beastman suddenly dropped to his knees.

“Thank you for saving us!”

His head struck the ground with a loud thud.

While Alon was momentarily caught off guard—

“I—I truly thank you.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you.”

“Thank—”

One by one, the other beastmen followed the wolf and knelt, offering their thanks.

Men and women, young and old—

All bowed their heads to the ground.

Watching this, Alon spoke.

“Rine, can you remove their restraints?”

“I just finished analyzing them. They can be undone right away, Guardian.”

“Then, please do.”

“Yes.”

Rine moved her hands lightly, murmuring something under her breath.

Then—

Clang—

The restraints binding the beastmen’s hands began to fall away.

“The—the restraints—!”

“They’re gone!”

The chains that had bound them vanished in an instant.

As they looked down at their now-free hands, they were overcome with emotion.

Alon judged that the priority now was to leave this dreadful place.

“We must leave here at once.”

####

“If you are looking for a place nearby where the Baarma fanatics won’t find you, leave it to me.”

The first to step forward was the wolf beastman who had bowed his head to Alon in gratitude.

As soon as his restraints were removed, he moved eastward with practiced ease.

They walked for nearly an entire day before arriving at a cave.

“If it’s here, the fanatics won’t find us. The divine blessing in this area prevents them from entering.”

The wolf beastman led the other non-humans and Alon into the cave.

Only then did Alon finally hear his introduction.

“I apologize for the delay in introducing myself to my savior. I am Rangban, a warrior of the Azure Fang Clan.”

“I am Alon Palatio.”

Rangban bowed deeply.

Then, after some hesitation, he carefully spoke.

“May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Did you come from the Human Federation to aid us?”

“The Human Federation?”

“…I see. You are not.”

At Alon’s reaction, Rangban let out a deep sigh, as if he had expected that answer.

There was a faint trace of resentment on his face, prompting Alon to ask,

“If possible, can you explain the situation to me?”

“Explain, you say?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, we are not fully aware of the current state of affairs.”

“…What do you mean?”

Rangban tilted his head in confusion.

Alon hesitated, wondering if he should reveal the truth, but soon decided to be honest.

“We ended up here due to an unforeseen accident from the Allied Kingdom.”

“…The Allied Kingdom?”

Rangban spoke as if he was hearing something utterly foreign.

Alon responded,

“Yes. Do you not know of it?”

“I apologize, but this is my first time hearing of such a place.”

“It borders the Empire.”

“…I’m sorry, but I’m not sure where you mean.”

At Rangban’s words, Alon felt a sense of unease.

‘…Is this not part of the Empire?’

Alon had assumed it was.

He knew that ‘Calypsophobia’ was set in the Empire, filled with grotesque and brutal tales.

Yet Rangban had no knowledge of the Empire.

Something was off.

‘I’ve heard there are primitive tribes and even islands far from the Empire in Calypsophobia… But could someone really not know about the Empire at all?’

As he pondered this,

“…Regardless, since you seem unfamiliar with the situation, I will explain.”

Rangban began his explanation.

It lasted for quite some time.

“In summary, humans who worship the god Baarma have declared war on non-humans, slaughtering them mercilessly to gather faith?”

“Yes, that is correct. That is why we formed a coalition to resist Baarma, but we are being utterly overwhelmed.”

Rangban grimaced, as if recalling terrible memories.

‘A fanatic cult that slaughters non-humans indiscriminately to gain faith… Baarma, huh?’

Alon repeated the name in his mind but found nothing familiar.

‘Was there ever a cult named Baarma in Calypsophobia?’

He shook his head.

He had never played the game.

But he had seen plenty of spoilers and discussions about it.

If Baarma had been a significant faction—

At the very least, he would have remembered its name.

Even a similar name should have come to mind, yet nothing did.

What troubled Alon even more was—

The sheer scale of the war between Baarma’s cult and the coalition.

‘If it’s this massive at this point in time… I should have at least some memory of it…’

As he pondered, Rangban moved.

“For now, would you wait here a moment? I need to properly conceal the hideout, just in case. We came in a hurry and didn’t set up proper defenses.”

“I thought you said the divine blessing prevents entry?”

“Preparation is never a bad thing. I’ll be as quick as possible.”

He bowed and then walked off.

‘Come to think of it… would Rine know something?’

Alon’s thoughts turned to Rine’s library.

When he looked toward her, she wore a serious expression, as if something had come to mind.

Just as Alon was about to call out to her—

“U-Um—”

A voice interrupted.

The white-haired girl had approached without him noticing.

Her purple eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, like reflected moonlight.

She hesitated, rubbing the front of her dirt-stained dress.

“T-Thank you for saving me.”

Then, she bowed deeply.

Her trembling voice echoed through the space.

As if trying to suppress her unease, she fidgeted with her soiled dress.

Alon, looking down at the girl’s white head, noticed a wound that had remained despite Penia’s healing magic.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah— Y-Yeah, I’m fine!”

She exaggeratedly puffed out her chest, as if to prove her strength.

It was both pitiful and endearing.

“What’s your name?”

“R-Ryanga.”

When he asked, her shoulders shrank slightly.

“Ryanga… Ryanga.”

Alon repeated her name a few times in his mouth.

It was a good name.

And then—

“…Ryanga?”

“Y-Yeah… Is something wrong?”

A strange sense of déjà vu brushed past his mind.

Alon— knew that name.

Yes.

He definitely knew it.

As he searched his memory—

“…Ah.”

He realized whose name it was.

His eyes widened instinctively.

Silence filled the space.

Once he calmed his thoughts, Alon carefully asked,

“Ryanga, can I ask you something?”

“Uh, yeah? It’s okay.”

“…What is your race?”

“M-My race?”

“Yes.”

At his question, Ryanga’s expression turned slightly anxious.

Then,

“…I’m a Demonkin.”

She mumbled quietly.

At that answer, Alon let out a quiet breath and looked at her forehead.

There—

A small but unmistakable horn had grown.

“The Demonkin… They are known to use unique, non-repeating true names among their kind, correct?”

Just to confirm, Alon asked again.

“Y-Yeah… But how does a human know that?”

Ryanga looked slightly surprised.

Alon let out an involuntary chuckle.

Because he had realized who she was.

He knew the name.

And—

As far as he knew, there was only one white-haired, purple-eyed Demonkin with that name.

“…Ha.”

One of the Four Great Powers.

The ruler of the Hundred Ghosts— Hyakki

“Godfather, I believe… we might be in the past.”

“The past?”

“Yes. Approximately 700 years ago…”

Because it was the name of the Demon Lord.

Only then did Alon understand.

This place— was 700 years in the past.