“What kind of place is the last location?”

  When Aira asked with bright curiosity, Pyrug answered evenly.

  “It’s the village sanctuary. Three hundred years ago, the leader of the hero’s party who defeated the Demon King… it’s a place that enshrines Sir Hakfreyon Igflare.”

  Rynel replied at once.

  “If it was the hero’s party from three hundred years ago… I’ve heard Creceria Prizen Amurti was with them as well.”

  “Right. You said you came from Bobre Village, didn’t you?

  I heard there’s a charity temple there that enshrines Lady Creceria separately.”

  Pyrug nodded and added,

  “But our village isn’t on that level.

  We just hold a quiet memorial ceremony once a year, out of gratitude.”

  Rynel pressed his lips together as if he wanted to say something.

  “…Actually, last year—”

  But Pyrug raised a hand and stopped him.

  “Not now. We’ve got something more urgent.”

  ◇

  On the road to the sanctuary.

  In front of the tree where Rynel and Aira had seen the man last night,

  the party halted at the same time.

  Pyrug drew in a quiet breath.

  “Wait a second. I know him. I’ll talk to him first.”

  He walked up to the tree alone.

  He was still there.

  A man stood with his back turned.

  “Igtyan… so it really was you.”

  At Pyrug’s voice, the man slowly turned.

  His eyes didn’t waver. If anything, he looked like he’d been waiting.

  “I let it pass up to now…

  Are you looking for the last flower, Pyrug?”

  Pyrug’s voice sharpened.

  “You bastard… did you know everything and still do this?”

  “That won’t bring Modia back.

  Life isn’t… something so light it can be swayed by a ridiculous flower.”

  Igtyan’s face twisted.

  “Shut up! What would you know!”

  He bared his teeth as he laughed.

  It sounded forced, like something boiling up against his will.

  “I… believe it. Piara will grant my wish.

  I can finally meet her again! Hahaha!”

  “You’re being fooled.”

  Pyrug clenched his teeth.

  “That’s an illusion Piara creates inside a dream.

  …You know what it takes for that flower to bloom. You know how it drains life.”

  “I don’t care!”

  Igtyan shouted, eyes wide.

  “Those villagers mean nothing to me!

  If she can come back… I’ll do anything.

  We can start over!”

  From behind, Rynel and Aira listened through the spirit stone, hearing every word clearly.

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  “…I had a feeling,” Aira whispered low.

  “He’s the one who brought Piara into the village.”

  Rynel’s eyes narrowed.

  “Stop. …Even she wouldn’t want this.”

  Pyrug stepped closer.

  “Igtyan. Stop. Even now—”

  But Igtyan curled his mouth and said,

  “The festival has already begun, Pyrug.”

  “The flower you’ve been desperate to find—”

  Srrk.

  At Igtyan’s feet,

  a single red flower quietly bloomed.

  Even in the dawn fog,

  that crimson stabbed the eyes.

  Pyrug’s eyes went wide.

  “……!”

  From farther back, Rynel swallowed hard.

  “That’s… the last one…!”

  And then—

  Deep within the sanctuary, beyond the village boundary,

  THUD!

  A massive shock hammered the ground.

  Thick tree-trunks slammed together.

  Pyrug bit down hard.

  “Damn it…… it’s happening.”

  He spun toward Rynel’s group and shouted,

  “The cursed dead tree is waking up…!”

  Beyond the ridge—

  enormous branches and roots surged up, revealing a monster’s shape.

  Red petals bloomed along its trunk,

  then spread like vines until they covered the whole body.

  Piara’s main body.

  The thing that showed humans sweet dreams,

  and grew by taking life as its price.

  Pyrug shouted sharply.

  “We have to evacuate the villagers, now!

  If we don’t stop it, the village is finished!”

  He drew a small sword from his belt and charged forward.

  Aira pulled out her spirit stone and followed immediately.

  Monero took a tight breath and whispered,

  “…This time… we might really have to risk our lives.”

  “We still go.”

  Rynel answered short,

  then sprinted toward the sanctuary with everything he had.

  But—

  Shadows blocking their path.

  “…?”

  Aira noticed first.

  “Those are… villagers…?”

  Hollow eyes.

  Staggering steps.

  Faint voices muttering under their breath.

  “Don’t go… don’t go…

  I don’t want to wake up…”

  “Modia is… coming back soon…”

  They were soaked in Piara’s illusion,

  standing expressionless as they barred the way.

  Rynel stopped, startled.

  “No way… them too?”

  Pyrug shouted,

  “Piara linked the whole village!

  They’re… temporarily being controlled!”

  Aira gripped the spirit stone and drew out power.

  A pale green aura spread, twisting the villagers’ movement out of line.

  “We can’t attack them!”

  Monero ground his teeth.

  “Then how do we get through this?!”

  “Please, step aside!”

  Rynel shouted,

  but the villagers shoved him with empty eyes.

  A hand slipped through the spirit’s pressure.

  A trembling old man grabbed Rynel’s sleeve.

  “…They said… she’s coming back…

  Why are you stopping it… why…”

  Hesitation flickered in Rynel’s eyes.

  At that moment—

  Piara’s dead tree pulsed another wave of red light.

  The ground bulged,

  and the beast’s body grew larger.

  Pyrug screamed, desperate.

  “If we don’t stop it now, everyone dies!”

  “No time! Push through!!”

  At that shout,

  the party stopped hesitating.

  Rynel stepped forward first.

  A blue haze thickened in his eyes.

  “……I’m going.”

  He raised his hand.

  The air trembled.

  Kiiiiiiiik!

  Telekinesis spread,

  and the villagers in front were pushed back smoothly, as if by a gentle tide.

  “I’ll make sure…

  no one gets hurt.”

  Rynel said low, teeth clenched.

  Aira shouted immediately.

  “Good, it’s open! Now!”

  Swoooosh!

  A sharp wind tore through,

  throwing their footing off.

  No wounds.

  Just balance stolen.

  “Monero! Now!”

  “Got it!”

  Monero lowered his body and slipped into the gap.

  Between staggering bodies—forcefully, but carefully.

  “Move! Sorry!! I’m really sorry!!”

  He nudged the old man’s shoulder aside with the edge of his hand,

  and guided a child out of the way as if he were pulling them into a hug.

  “Damn it… using kids as a wall!”

  Anger mixed into his voice.

  “Right side! More coming from behind!”

  Pyrug pulled out an old scroll from his belt.

  “Vines, rise—『Bind Root』!”

  THUD!

  Thick vines burst from the ground,

  wrapping the villagers’ ankles and wrists in an instant.

  Pyrug let out a short breath.

  “This’ll hold them for a few minutes. Move!”

  At last,

  they entered the final stretch of the narrow path to the sanctuary.

  Through the thin dawn fog—

  the beast writhed, stretching its limbs, plainly visible.

  Red petals fell in showers,

  and beneath them, huge roots and branches thrashed.

  Monero let out a short breath.

  “……That’s a real monster.”

  Pyrug unfurled another scroll.

  Flames flared at his fingertips,

  and fire shot toward the beast’s roots.

  “『Flare Seed』!”

  BOOM!

  A fireball exploded,

  and one of the beast’s thick limbs went up in flames.

  At the impact,

  the creature’s head snapped around and stared straight at them.

  Watching that, Pyrug said shortly,

  “Good… it’s recognized us.

  It won’t head for the village now.”

  Rynel lifted his fingers.

  Wheeeeeing—!

  Blue telekinesis coiled through the air.

  Snow, stones, broken branches rose up, trembling.

  “Collide.”

  BANG!!

  Compressed force detonated in an instant,

  slamming into the beast’s head from the front.

  The massive body lurched hard.

  For its size, it reacted far too sharply.

  Aira raised the spirit stone high.

  “『Sylphid Shield』!

  Everyone, back!”

  A curtain of wind covered them

  and knocked away the vine-like counterattack.

  “Thanks, Aira!”

  Pyrug shouted.

  “Monero! Now!”

  “I’m going!!”

  Monero leapt toward the beast’s leg.

  Mana gathered into his fist.

  “『Blow Strike』!”

  KWAANG!

  One of the beast’s limbs bent violently,

  its roots jolting as if the whole thing had been rattled.

  Pyrug bared his teeth and yelled,

  “Aira! I’ll fire—use wind to detonate it all at once!”

  “Yes, got it!”

  The red spell circle on Pyrug’s scroll blazed.

  “『Flare Seed』!!”

  KWAANG!!

  A fireball surged up

  and slammed into the beast’s limb.

  Aira gripped the spirit stone and thrust out her hand.

  A pale green magic circle spun into being.

  “Wind, carry the flames—『Wind Surge』!”

  SHOOOOOO—!

  A powerful gust wrapped the fire,

  driving it into the beast’s trunk.

  In an instant, the flames spread like a storm,

  one section of the dead tree roaring as it burned, then snapping away.

  “Nice!!”

  Pyrug shouted.

  And then—

  Monero burst forward.

  “Now!

  Rynel, shove me right in front of that tree monster!!”

  Rynel nodded.

  He stretched his hand out.

  “Acceleration, begin.”

  SHOOOOOOOONG!!

  Monero’s body shot through the air like a bullet.

  “Haaaah!!”

  Spin. Focus.

  His fist plunged into the burning limb.

  “『Blow Strike』!”

  KWAAAAAANG!!

  One of the beast’s limbs shattered into pieces.

  The shockwave rippled through the entire sanctuary.

  The creature’s trunk buckled,

  black smoke rising through the flames—

  And then, beyond the burning branches,

  Igtyan appeared again.

  His clothes were torn,

  and his eyes weren’t sane.

  With his lips curled, he muttered low,

  “Anyone who gets in my way…

  I’ll rip you apart in this world.”

  “Igtyan…!”

  Pyrug shouted.

  “What are you doing?!

  Stop it!! That’s a road you can’t come back from!”

  But Igtyan only smirked.

  One step. Another—

  he walked slowly toward the beast’s trunk.

  “Heh heh heh… you really thought…

  something like this could stop me?”

  He spread his arms and tilted his head back.

  “The real game starts now.”

  And—

  The center of the beast.

  Toward the heart where Piara had sprouted—

  Igtyan’s body slid forward,

  then was pulled in, as if being absorbed.

  “…He went in?”

  “…He’s… fusing with it?”

  The party’s faces hardened.

  “No way…”

  Aira swallowed and stumbled back.

  At that moment—

  pale, hazy particles began drifting through the air.

  “Powder…!”

  Aira raised the spirit stone,

  but her fingertips shook.

  “This is… paralysis pollen!”

  “Haa… my body… won’t move…”

  Monero sank to his knees.

  His lips stiffened, his eyelids grew heavy.

  Pyrug’s hand, reaching for a scroll,

  froze midair.

  “That bastard… paralysis pollen…”

  The air was filled with red petals

  and pale drifting dust.

  The beast went still for a heartbeat,

  standing there with a more menacing presence than before.

  And at its core—

  the shape of Igtyan, now one with the monster,

  slowly lifted its head.