Beyond the Shadow of Defeat
"Jane, Belgard. How are you holding up?"
"Not good," Jane replied.
"It's a bit... complicated," Belgard muttered.
Though their words were discouraging, the fire in their eyes was very much alive.
"We're in bad shape, but we still have to do this."
"Exactly. Besides, this is much better than fighting monsters disguised as humans, like the White Mage or the Emperor."
Their resolve was steel-clad.
Roan turned his gaze toward Charbun.
The giant warrior was trembling like a leaf.
"Charbun, if you can't do it, you can step back."
"N-no...! I will do it!"
Charbun clenched his fists tightly, forcing the trembling to stop.
"I-it might look even thicker than the legendary World Tree I've heard rumors about...! B-but I will still try! I know I'll have to face many more things like this in the future!"
Roan nodded.
He was never one to hold his comrades back. If anything, he was the type to egg them on.
"Do as you wish," Roan said, not even looking back. "And don't worry about getting hurt."
Those words had once served as a painful reminder of their own helplessness. But this time, they didn't take them that way. It was simply a signal to begin. Nothing more, nothing less.
Receiving his signal, the three of them sprang into action.
Crack!
"O-over here!" Charbun shouted, striking the creature's carapace to draw its attention.
"Whew..." Jane and Belgard took deep breaths, focusing their minds as they prepared their attacks.
Screeech!
True to his word, Roan blocked the enemy's onslaught. He maintained his stance, careful not to lose his footing on the jagged crystals littering the ground.
...I don't have much mana left. Should I go for one massive strike? Or cast multiple smaller spells? In terms of raw damage, a single large spell is better... but if it misses or gets blocked—
I need to save enough holy power for our return journey. Since I only need to maintain the barrier up to our ankles, it's not an overwhelming burden, but that doesn't mean I can just squander it. So—
Jane and Belgard were overthinking. It was a hesitation born from their desperate desire not to repeat the same mistakes.
"Jane! Belgard!" Roan called out, sensing their inner turmoil even as he clashed with the beast.
Their bodies flinched instinctively, as if the command were engraved into their very bones. Without even looking back to see them flinch, Roan raised his voice.
"Just let it rip!"
A simple shout. Yet, it carried immense weight.
"...Jane," Belgard said, as if he had found his answer in that voice.
"What?"
"If we hesitate and falter here, we'll just be repeating the past, right?"
"...I guess you're feeling the exact same thing I am."
"Probably."
"Then there's no need to waste any more words, is there?"
"No. We combine our strength, just like last time. Right?"
"Right," Jane agreed readily.
Trying to keep up with Roan individually only made their shortcomings painfully obvious. But if they joined forces, their combined power would be more than enough.
Without another word, the two made their move. Belgard stepped forward first.
Rumble, rumble...
A low vibration shook the earth. It didn't come from the master of the canyon, but from the dense concentration of holy power Belgard was gathering.
"This is..."
"Charbun! Fall back now!"
Following Roan's command, Charbun scrambled backward. His eyes widened as he took in the unfolding spectacle.
A clash of titanic forces that seemed impossible for mere humans to wield. A massive mass of holy energy erupted from the ground, surging upward.
Though it lacked a defined shape, the sheer volume of energy it contained was staggering.
The sheer upward force of the holy energy caused the massive beast to tilt and lose its balance.
The monster flailed its claws and body wildly, shattering the surrounding crystals, but its desperate thrashing was completely shut down by Roan's sword.
In the chaos, the seams of its carapace began to pry open—the very spot from which it spewed the highly concentrated toxic gas.
"...Now!" Jane, who had been waiting for this exact opening, unleashed her magic.
Using the fragmented incantations engraved on the runestones, she deduced the spell's nature and structure. Then, she layered it with the newly acquired knowledge from the Wisdom of Uletul.
A massive, elongated skewer materialized, large enough to sweep across the entire cavern. Around it, sharp blades began to form like flesh clinging to bone.
An intense, biting cold swept through the area, freezing even the dispersed toxic gas. The freezing temperature severely sluggished the giant crab's movements.
The monster, hoisted by Belgard's holy power, lay exposed, its soft underbelly bare. Staring at her target, Jane flicked her wrist.
Crack! Slash!
The strike was instantaneous.
The colossal greatsword of absolute frost tore through the air, cleaving the enemy in half with a single blow.
The flesh hidden beneath the hard shell shattered into countless icy fragments. As they rained down onto the cavern floor, they looked no different from the crystal shards that had already been lying there.
Thud, crash.
A heavy silence descended as the creature's life signs vanished completely.
Despite its massive size and seemingly impenetrable defense, the monster had been unable to protect its soft interior. Such was the end of the canyon's master.
"Whew..."
"...Great job, everyone. Though we still have a long way back."
"That's not the point right now..." Jane said, pointing a trembling, exhausted finger toward a specific spot.
There, on the crystal tree, was a branch glowing with a distinct, brilliant light. It was unmistakably the Branch of Elpup.
"Ah...! I-I'll get it!" Charbun quickly rushed over and snapped the branch off.
It came off with surprisingly little resistance. It was lighter than expected, yet incredibly sturdy.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Then let's head back. Staying here will only drain our stamina."
Taking the branch from Charbun, Roan pointed toward the exit.
The Grebach Canyon—a treacherous labyrinth that even the most renowned adventurers struggled to survive. Yet, Roan's party had conquered it without suffering a single casualty.
"Aaaah... I'm alive..."
Outside the canyon, Jane collapsed onto the ground, basking in the warm sunlight and inhaling the fresh air.
Belgard did the same. Since holy power recovered much slower than mana, his exhaustion seemed even more pronounced.
"I-I'll head to Bebelhon first! I-I'll sell the crystals and secure an inn for us!"
Charbun, who still had plenty of stamina left, quickly scrambled to his feet.
His backpack was stuffed with the expedition gear they had brought and a few crystal shards from the canyon. It seemed he planned to raise some funds by selling the high-quality crystals they had gathered.
Watching Charbun dash off toward Bebelhon, Roan turned to look at his two exhausted companions.
"You guys..."
And then, he finally let out the emotions he had been holding back.
"What was that?! How did you do that?! That was seriously amazing! Incredibly amazing! Like, mind-blowingly amazing!"
Roan blubbered, tears and snot streaming down his face as if he had lost all vocabulary except for the word "amazing." He was a man of deep emotion and easy tears. Perhaps that was why his usual, overwhelmingly powerful demeanor felt even more striking.
Whatever.
Whether it was due to sheer exhaustion or because she had simply grown used to it, Jane waved her hand dismissively, no longer bothered by his antics.
"Um..." Belgard, finally catching his breath, called out to Roan. "So, are we going to make the staff now? Are we going to that master blacksmith, or somewhere else?"
"No." Roan shook his head and pulled out the Branch of Elpup. "Why did we come looking for this in the first place? We needed a catalyst to fuse the staff. Now that we have the material to bind the components together, we don't need to find a master blacksmith."
"So, I'll make it myself."
"What? You actually have crafting skills?" Jane asked, genuinely surprised.
Roan replied with a grin. "Can you give me the runestones and gems? It's time to show off my skills for my newly improved comrade."
"...I have a bad feeling about this," Belgard muttered, but Jane had already handed over the materials.
Clank, clatter.
Roan busied himself a short distance away, crafting something. Soon, he returned with a proud, triumphant smile.
"Oh? Judging by your face, it must have turned out well?"
"Yeah. I guess we worried for nothing—"
"I'm so sorry!"
Roan bowed deeply in apology as he thrust a staff-like object toward them.
It was incredibly crude.
The shaft was the Branch of Elpup. A runestone was stuck to the tip, and a gemstone was loosely attached right next to it. Bound tightly with rough fibers, it looked less like a mage's staff and more like a shaman's crude totem.
"Uh..." Belgard trailed off, thinking to himself, I guess there are things even Roan is bad at.
Jane stared at the staff and then at Roan with a similarly bizarre expression. Roan looked thoroughly embarrassed and apologetic.
What do you know, he's just a regular human after all.
Seeing his reaction, Jane found her past self—who had been consumed by self-pity and a sense of defeat—utterly ridiculous.
He was a human with red blood running through his veins. He might act tough, but he expressed his pain when he was hurt, complained when he disliked something, and was simply someone who had been through a bit more than others and didn't want to be hated.
Jane took the staff from Roan. She inspected its flimsy, clumsy craftsmanship, and then—
"It's great!" she declared, offering a brief, positive affirmation that sounded suspiciously like someone else's catchphrase.
"Thank goodness..." Roan collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of jelly, completely relieved.
The expedition to Grebach Canyon was officially over.
Equipment acquired: Jane's new staff, utilizing the Branch of Elpup.
Overall achievement: Overcoming the sense of helplessness that had plagued his comrades' minds.
However, given their exhausted lungs and physical fatigue, the party decided to take a well-deserved rest in Bebelhon first.
"Oh, he must have made a decent amount of money."
Jane praised Charbun as she looked around the spacious room with comfortable beds. The lodging was large enough to be split comfortably between the men and the women.
Though the surrounding area was noisy—as was typical of Bebelhon—this was an exceptionally nice place to stay.
"Ah, right. Since we're all gathered, there's something I should mention."
Roan stood up as if something had just crossed his mind.
The others naturally cleared a space in the center of the room. Charbun, now fully integrated into the group, politely stepped aside as well.
"Alright! What was the goal of our expedition this time?"
"Uh... isn't it to crush the seeds of destruction?" Belgard asked.
"That's our ongoing mission! I mean this specific canyon expedition!"
"S-so... it was to gather materials for Lady Jane's equipment, right?" Charbun offered politely.
"Exactly!" Roan nodded at Charbun's response.
"She tried to hide it at first, but in the end, she spoke up. And as a result, we were able to get our hands on some incredible materials."
Roan was incredibly proud of Jane. He wanted his other comrades to speak up without hesitation whenever they needed something as well.
He conveyed his thoughts openly, and Belgard and Charbun nodded in agreement. It was a warm moment that drew the companions even closer together.
"Then, for now, we'll rest in Bebelhon while keeping an eye on the continent's—"
Just as Roan was about to finish his sentence, his backpack suddenly vibrated violently.
Roan's brow furrowed as he instantly realized which item was causing the vibration.
"I guess resting will have to wait. It looks like we have a situation."
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a fragment of Lowell's armor. It was vibrating intensely, as if desperately trying to warn them of its master's impending peril.