The Land Forsaken by the Gods.
The world was dark and silent. Lightning occasionally split the sky, briefly illuminating the desolate, lifeless land below.
The wilderness was littered with rubble, abandoned buildings, and dead trees. Every so often, a hideous, corrupted monster flickered through the distance.
Death, extinction, distortion, emptiness.
And yet, even in a world this hopeless, a faint glimmer of hope remained.
A city stood upon the land, its inner glow outlining its silhouette and making it resemble a lighthouse in the darkness.
Warriors of extraordinary height, averaging well over six and a half feet tall, stood guard at the gates and along the walls. With their long, powerful limbs and weapons at the ready, they protected the safety of the city-state.
This was the City of Silver, the proud homeland of its warriors.
Even in an age this dark and hopeless, its people remained steadfast in their faith in the Lord. They believed that salvation would come eventually, and that a brighter tomorrow awaited them. Recently, that long-held dream had begun to feel closer than ever.
The exploration of Afternoon Town had already begun.
During an earlier expedition, the Chief had brought back little Jack, a boy from the outside world and living proof that a path out of this dark land truly existed.
Using the route the boy had described, the Chief had already begun a focused advance.
The City of Silver, Afternoon Town, the Giants' Royal Court, the sea, and beyond that, the outside world. The road to salvation was finally coming into view!
Because of this, the residents of the City of Silver had grown more enthusiastic than ever.
When Chief Colin Illiard led part of the expedition team back through the gates, every resident who was not occupied with work hurried over to line the road and welcome them home.
"Finally, we're back..."
Surrounded by a welcome as warm as anything they might receive from family, the exhausted members of the expedition team could not help smiling.
The monsters they had brought back in chains were far less pleased. Frightened by the light and noise, they twisted and thrashed against their restraints, releasing piercing shrieks and roars.
The long procession was escorting a large group of hideous, snarling monsters, each one tightly bound.
The expedition team had captured them alive during their journeys to and from Afternoon Town. After placing them under strict control, they had transported them back to the City of Silver together.
"That's a lot of them... but it's still nowhere near ten thousand..."
Standing among the welcoming crowd, Derrick watched cart after cart loaded with twisted monsters roll past and could not help thinking to himself.
The procession continued forward. At the very rear walked an old man with deep laugh lines and two swords strapped across his back. His steps were steady and measured, and his attention remained fixed on the path ahead.
Colin Illiard.
"Chief!"
The moment Derrick saw him, he hurried over and bowed in greeting.
"Hm. Derrick, is it?"
Hearing his voice, Colin turned his head and glanced over. His tone was calm and even. Without slowing down, he remained at the rear of the procession and continued escorting it onward.
Wait, hold on!
Chief, there's still something I need to discuss with you!
I still haven't finished the task Mr. Temperance gave me...
Growing anxious, Derrick pushed through the crowd and caught up with the Chief, following him all the way to the underground holding cells.
The monsters would be temporarily confined there and restrained with specialized items until they could be used as ritual materials by Elder Lovia.
"Make sure their condition remains stable. Most of these monsters can survive for a long time without food or water, but a few will need to be fed on a regular schedule..." Chief Colin told the guards on duty as he handed them a small booklet.
"Follow the instructions in here when caring for them."
As a formidable Monster Hunter, he understood the habits and traits of these creatures thoroughly.
"Chief, sir!"
Derrick finally caught up just as the last few monsters were being led into their cells.
"What is it? Is something bothering you?"
Colin glanced at him, his tone calm.
"Well... I..."
Derrick froze, suddenly unsure how to respond.
He had planned to approach the Chief directly and use the formula Mr. Temperance had given him as leverage to persuade him to hand over Lovia's records.
But now that the moment had arrived, blurting it out felt far too abrupt. With his poor communication skills, he had no idea how to express his true intentions with any subtlety.
Colin watched him calmly.
"Is there something you need?" he asked, taking the initiative.
"Huh? Oh, yes. Yes, there is!"
Derrick looked startled for a moment, then quickly understood and nodded firmly, following the opening the Chief had given him.
The Chief is guiding me toward the subject himself... He knows there's some unusual power supporting me, just as Elder Lovia has the Fallen Creator behind her... He's probably already realized that I need his help and that he'll receive something in return...
For the sake of the City of Silver's future, the Chief had always carefully maintained a balance between the two sides.
Once Derrick understood that, he finally managed to calm his nerves.
Recalling what the Hanged Man had once taught him, the Sun student did his best to organize his thoughts and said, "It's like this. I've been studying the ancient texts over the past few days.
"While researching them, I found a clue. It might be possible to locate the Sequence 3 potion formula for the Warrior pathway somewhere in the old records..."
By the time he finished, Derrick could feel his face burning.
That excuse sounded completely ridiculous...
Judging from his expression, the Chief standing across from him clearly thought the same thing. He studied Derrick closely for several seconds before finally speaking in a slow, measured voice.
"I see. Hm. That's a very... productive line of thought."
His agreement was obviously rather strained.
"So, Chief, sir, if I could gain access to more of the classified texts, I might be able to uncover additional clues..."
"..."
Derrick braced himself and finally revealed what he truly wanted.
I'm deeply sorry, Mr. Temperance. I really can't lie to save my life. That excuse sounded painfully stiff...
Filled with guilt, he watched Chief Colin's face and waited for an answer.
Colin remained silent for a moment before reaching into his robes.
Scritch, scritch.
He pulled out a piece of animal hide and used a finger as sharp as a blade to carve several characters into its surface. Then he handed it to Derrick.
"Take this to the keeper of the archives. He'll grant you a higher level of clearance."
"Yes! Thank you so much!"
Overjoyed, Derrick accepted the note, bowed gratefully to Colin, and hurried away.
Colin stood at the entrance to the holding cells and watched the young man's figure recede into the distance.
"He can't even come up with a convincing lie..."
He shook his head in disappointment, looking like a teacher watching an exceptionally hopeless student.
...
Silas walked through the darkness.
He knew perfectly well that he was dreaming. Moving at a brisk pace, he headed toward the tall tower rising in the distance.
But when he entered the tower, the enormous scaleless serpent was nowhere to be found. Instead, he saw lines of Loenese arranged across the floor with Tarot cards.
They read:
I will not answer any questions concerning that existence. Give it up.
And while you're at it, tell Sherlock Moriarty to stop bothering an infant who hasn't even been born yet.