We follow Father Luke into the hole in the floor to find a staircase made from packed dirt. After heading a few steps underground, I hear a sound coming from above, and the opened floor begins to automatically close. Furthermore, the steps disappear from the staircase behind us as we continue to descend.
“Is this…magic?”
“Yes, this is Eich’s earth magic. There are a few other entrances to our underground settlement within the town, but they are made so that the beastkin won’t be able to come inside even if they find them.”
It looks like they had some mage named Eich use their earth magic to create an entire settlement for humans underground. With just enough heat, earth magic can create vast underground caverns. However, you would still need the extremely rare and unique gift to do so. Father Luke regards my expression and smiles as if he knows what I’m thinking.
“Eich is the younger sister of the legendary mage Colt. That’s why.”
Colt…I’m pretty sure that was the name of the sorcerer who fought by Seiya’s side against Ixphoria’s Demon Lord…and was devoured by the Demon Lord just like I was in my past life…
Every few steps, there is a light on the wall to the side of the staircase. Unlike lamps or torches, these lights are buried in the dirt and illuminated like glowing rocks. I can only assume they’re glowstones.
While walking down what seems like an endless staircase, Seiya asks the priest:
“Why did you decide to hide underground, though? Wouldn’t you be able to skip town if you used that earth magic?”
“We cannot leave Galvano. As long as Bunogeos has the spell stone, any human who steps outside of the town will turn to ash. Regardless, even if we could escape, there is no place in Ixphoria where humans can live in peace.”
“Oh! Maybe that magic item’s the reason we can’t return to the unified spirit world!”
After explaining how there was a wall inside the gate, Father Luke tells me I’m probably right.
“Bunogeos, the monster who holds the spell stone, was created after the Demon Lord took over the world and received the Dark God’s Blessing. He now works for the Beast Emperor Grandleon, who rules over this continent of Rhadral.”
I’m taken aback by what I hear.
“W-wait, wait, wait! Bunogeos isn’t the boss of this continent?”
“Bunogeos only rules this town. The one who rules over the continent is Grandleon, a monster with powers that far surpass Bunogeos’s.”
But Bunogeos already has better stats than the four generals in Gaeabrande! Is he telling me the ruler here is even stronger than that?!
Oblivious to my concerns, Seiya bumps his chest with a fist.
“Hmph. A worthy opponent.”
“Oh, Chosen One! We are ever blessed by your presence!”
The priest seems ecstatic, and…um…I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this Hero is all talk. He wouldn’t even be able to defeat Bunogeos in his current state. He’d be utterly destroyed. No doubt.
“We have arrived.”
The long staircase finally comes to an end, and we now stand before a giant double door. As if giving a secret signal, the priest thumps the door with the metal door knocker with absolutely no rhythm. With that, the door opens before us.
“Whoa…!”
I gasp in admiration as I gaze inside. The settlement is so vast that it’s hard to believe we’re underground. The high ceiling sports countless glowstones, illuminating the private houses lined up below. I can even see luscious green fields with crops in the distance. Seiya nods as if impressed.
“Hmm. Impressive. It’s like an entire other town underground.”
“We grow our own crops, and while they aren’t much, we’re self-sufficient. The food we grow isn’t exactly the healthiest, though, due to the glowstones being our only light source…”
It appears everyone was told in advance that the priest was going to bring us here. Dozens of men and women of all ages line up before us. I smile and wave at them, but they don’t respond.
“H-huh?”
The people of Gaeabrande had great respect for the Goddess and Hero, but everyone here glares at us distantly. Just as I start to feel a little uncomfortable, a young man outfitted in steel armor emerges from the crowd and approaches us. He has short hair and a piercing gaze.
“This is Braht, the leader of Little Light—”
Even though the priest is introducing him, the young man continues walking straight for Seiya, then grabs him by the collar. In a threatening tone, he says:
“That face… I knew it! You’re still alive?!”
“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?!”
The priest is taken aback as well.
“Braht?! What is the meaning of this?!”
Braht’s eyes are locked on Seiya, but he yells to the priest:
“Father Luke! You don’t know?! This is the Hero who lost to the Demon Lord a year ago!”
“What?!”
Father Luke gasps. Braht then continues spewing hatred.
“I hear that Colt and Princess Tiana from the Kingdom of Termine were killed by the Demon Lord as well! But the Hero ran away and went into hiding! And yet he has the audacity to show his face here like nothing happened?!”
After I died as Princess Tiana, I was reborn as a goddess and spent the last hundred years in the spirit world where the flow of time moves more slowly. That’s why I look completely different from the Princess Tiana I saw in the crystal ball. But for Seiya, all this happened only one year ago. His appearance has hardly changed. In other words, everyone who has ever met Seiya will instantly recognize him.
Braht violently pushes Seiya back.
“Seiya?!”
I rush over to help him up, but the other townspeople behind me start yelling as well.
“H-he’s right! I saw the last Hero a year ago, and that’s the same guy!”
“You’re right! Leave it to me, my ass! You talked a big game, but then you lost to the Demon Lord and Ixphoria was destroyed!”
“It’s all your fault! My family is dead because of you!”
Almost everyone in the settlement begins pelting Seiya with insults and complaints, and before I know it, we’re surrounded by people with clubs and rakes.
Wh-what?! Not only are the abnormally strong enemies our enemies, but all the humans living in Ixphoria are as well?! I-is this what it means to be an SS-ranked world?! What’s Seiya going to do?!
But Seiya looks back at me in a relaxed manner.
“Hey, Goddess, is what these people are saying true? Have I been to this world before?”
Keeping it a secret won’t help anything. I tell him the truth.
“Yes… This is the second time you’ve come to Ixphoria, and the first time you came…you failed.”
“I see…”
Seiya instantly throws his head to the ground.
Whaaaaaat?!
I never imagined he’d ever do that! That rude Hero is bowing before them! And he speaks up in a deeply troubled voice, to boot!
“I’m sorry. I beg your forgiveness.”
N-no! I can’t take it anymore! I don’t want to see Seiya groveling! What he’s doing might be admirable, but…but…I don’t want to see him like this!
The townspeople briefly fall silent in reaction to Seiya’s sudden apology, but it isn’t long before a man begins trembling.
“Th-this is bullshit! Apologizing isn’t going to fix what you’ve done!”
“Colt and Princess Tiana are dead because of you! You killed them!”
“Yeah!”
Somebody throws a rock at Seiya, which he doesn’t even attempt to dodge. The rock hitting his head starts a ripple effect, and in the blink of an eye, the people of Little Light raise their hands against him.
“H-hey?! Stop! Stop it!”
“Shaddup!”
I try to end the violence, but somebody pushes me to the ground.
“I told you to stop! Don’t you dare lay another hand on Seiya!”
I scream, but the violence doesn’t abate. Old women coldly glare at me as I panic.
“Hmph. Some ‘goddess’ you are. You’re no different from us humans.”
“That redheaded goddess from last time was worthless, too. I heard the Demon Lord ate her. How pathetic.”
“Don’t you dare talk about Aria that way!”
When I glare at her, she looks back at me with an even fiercer stare.
“The world wouldn’t have been destroyed if you ‘goddesses’ weren’t so useless!”
The old men slowly approach me.
Ahhh! Are they gonna hit me, too?!
As I shiver in fear, Seiya manages to get up and stand in front of me.
“Stop. This is my fault.”
“S-Seiya…!”
“Leave Recycle Bin out of this.”
Who are you calling “Recycle Bin”?! He’s getting worse with each guess!
At any rate, it looks like he made the townspeople even angrier by defending me, and they start hitting him again. Seiya’s at level 50. His defense is high, so the damage should be minimal…but even so, I can’t watch.
Why is this happening?! We came to save this world! What did we do to deserve this?! As the tears begin to well in my eyes…
“Enough.”
A high, dignified voice radiates, and the townspeople instantly freeze. They turn their gazes at a young girl of tender years. She’s dressed in rags like the others, except for the accessories around her dainty arms.
Out of nowhere, somebody murmurs:
“Eich!”
“Everyone, that is enough. My brother, Colt, wouldn’t have wanted this.”
Eich, the mage who used her earth magic to create this settlement, is even younger than I imagined. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s around six or seven years old. The girl, who is even younger than Elulu, silences the entire settlement with only a few words.
“Th-thank you…”
I thank her, but she gives me a frigid stare.
“Goddess, Hero, I would like to thank you for coming. However, I do not expect anything from you, for there is no one who can defeat the Demon Lord Ultimaeus.”
Demon Lord…Ultimaeus…!
The moment I hear the Demon Lord’s name, an indescribable chill shoots through my entire body. My soul must be reacting to the name of the monster who killed me in a past life.
“This world is beyond saving.”
Eich turns on her heel and leaves. The citizens spit at us and click their tongues before leaving as well. Only Father Luke, Braht, a battered and bruised Hero, and I remain. Braht shoots me a glance.
“Goddess…Recycle Bin, was it?”
“No, it’s Ristarte…”
“Whatever. What I want to know is if you’re serious about defeating the Demon Lord and saving this world.”
“That’s…the plan…”
“And what can you do?”
I want to tell him that I have the ability to heal, but that power is currently sealed away.
“…Appraisal.”
A look of disgust flashes across Braht’s face.
“Great. So can I. Is that seriously all you can do?”
“I—I have wings. I can fly.”
I should be able to use Rista Wing if I can just get permission from Ishtar!
“Order!”
I yell out, but nothing happens.
…Yep. I figured it wouldn’t work. I’ve lost contact with Ishtar. It was pretty obvious that this would be the case, seeing as I can’t even return to the spirit world.
“You’re useless!”
As his stare bores a hole in my heart, I sharpen my tone.
“I—I can’t die! Goddesses can’t die!”
“So you’re immortal? Is that true?”
Braht looks to Father Luke by my side for answers instead of me. He nods.
“According to legend, gods cannot die. I believe she is telling the truth.”
Heh! How do you like them apples? So what does he think about me now? Oh…! B-but now that I think about it, I could die if the enemy uses Chain Destruction…and that werewolf and Bunogeos can both use it, so…
I decide to tell the truth.
“Actually, I can die sometimes.”
“…?! ‘Sometimes’?! What does that even mean?! So you’re not immortal after all!” Braht screams out.
A few moments go by, and he heaves a sigh as he scratches his head.
“A goddess who can ‘sometimes’ die and a Hero who failed once already. What a joke. Looks like the heavens have no intention of saving Ixphoria.”
Braht turns his cold gaze on us again.
“But you’re going to make yourselves useful now that you’re here. You claim you’re here to defeat the Demon Lord, so at the very least, you can kill Bunogeos, right?”
“Th-that’s, uh…”
Seiya was already at max level when he defeated the powered-up emperor in Gaeabrande, so there is absolutely no way he’s going to be able to defeat Bunogeos, who boasts similar stats. He’s only at level 50.
“All right. I’ll go take care of him.”
Seiya, who was probably listening the entire time, sits up despite being bruised and battered.
“Bunogeos created a market on the outskirts of town to buy and sell humans. He raises slaves there. Go defeat him and free the slaves.”
Whether or not we can defeat Bunogeos is beside the point. For now, we just need to get out of here as soon as possible. However, the outside world is swarming with powerful monsters.
“At least let us prepare!”
I beg Braht. If we’re going to leave Little Light, we’ll need some weapons and armor.
Braht scoffs. He then pats Father Luke on the shoulder before taking off. Wearing a gentle smile, Father Luke points at a man sitting on a mat slightly in the distance.
“That’s the item shop.”
Ishtar handed me some currency before we came to Ixphoria just like she did before we left for Gaeabrande. I take the pouch of money out of my pocket and head toward the item shop…but the wares lined up on the mat are mostly either glowstones or farming tools. Other than that, all I see are daily necessities on display. I was hoping there would be something I could use to cure Seiya’s amnesia, but it doesn’t even look like there are any healing or antidotal herbs.
I end up just purchasing hemp clothes and get Seiya to change out of his T-shirt and jeans, if only to make sure he doesn’t stand out any more than he already does.
“Hey, Father Luke, are there any weapon or armor shops around here?”
“Unfortunately not. We simply do not have the resources.”
It’s just like Aria said. There are no easy ways to get equipment in Ixphoria anymore. As I drop my shoulders, I hear a guttural voice call out to me.
“Hey, you. Ever think about changing your class? Just let me know if you’re interested.”
Father Luke introduces the old man with almost no front teeth.
“This is Enzo. He’s Little Light’s baptist. If you want, he can change your class for you.”
Seiya gives a quizzical stare.
“Is my class not Hero?”
Enzo shakes his head.
“There aren’t any Hero classes in this world… Let me have a look. Hmm… It says here you’re a Spellblade and you specialize in fire magic.”
Seiya learned a lot of fire magic in Gaeabrande, so it’s no surprise that fire magic is part of his base class. He’s already relearned powerful fire-sword attacks like Phoenix Drive and Phoenix Thrust as well.
Enzo flashes his gums.
“It’s an advanced class that combines both the Warrior and Mage classes. Heh. I guess that’s why you’re the Hero. But if you switch jobs, you’ll be able to choose two different classes… So what’ll it be?”
Personally, I wanted to ask him what other kinds of classes there were, but…
“I’ll stick with what I’ve got.”
Seiya doesn’t think twice. If he was still cautious, he would have asked for details and carefully examined his choices, but… Well, I agree he shouldn’t change classes as things currently are. A Spellblade is an advanced class, and there probably aren’t many other jobs like it. Plus, it would probably take some time getting used to a new class, and time is something we don’t have.
“All right, then. Let’s head out.”
Getting impatient, Seiya goes on ahead and makes his way back to Little Light’s entrance. However, when we reach the door, Father Luke says, as if suddenly remembering something, “Please wait here for a moment,” and jogs off. After some time passes, he comes rushing back with a sheathed blade in hand.
“Please take this sword with you. It’s rusty, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Th-thank you so much!”
I thank the priest, and he waves. After that, I glance to my side to see Seiya’s face light up as he holds the rusty sword in the air.
“Perfect. I’ll have no problem winning now with this.”
“You make it sound like you just got Excalibur. That thing is a rusty hunk of junk.”
“Everything’s gonna be okay.”
“I’d rather hear you say, I’m perfectly prepared…”
“Why would I say that?”
“Sigh…”
I retire from Little Light, carrying this overpowering anxiety with me.