“—So you’re saying that the person or party who defeated the Majin is completely unknown?”

In a luxurious reception chamber, a white-haired old man spoke quietly.

He was Germain, the king of the Laguni Kingdom. His nation was also one of the seven great powers said to possess the greatest military strength in the world.

Those summoned were the Grand Guildmaster of the Adventurers’ Guild, the Commander of the Laguni Knights, the Great Saintess of the Supreme Temple Sefiria, and the Chief Court Archmage among the royal court magicians.

“Yes, that is correct. This is the detailed report. I believe everyone here has already reviewed it, but I have summarized the key points again.”

Important Case Investigation Report

Regarding the discovery of high-density magical traces and the corpse of a Majin within the Ancient Ruins Temple.

Reporter: Leader of the A-rank Adventurer Party ‘Silver Scales’.

Reinvestigation Team: Joint search unit consisting of the Royal Court Mage Corps, the Saintess Church, and the Royal Knights.

1 Circumstances of Discovery

While carrying out the Adventurers’ Guild request ‘Artifact Search’, abnormal magical traces and lingering mana were detected inside the Ancient Ruins Temple.

At first the presence of a dungeon boss or superior-class entity was suspected, so the party leader independently decided to conduct a pursuit investigation outside the scope of the mission.

2 Situation at the Scene

At the deepest part of the temple, scattered flesh and blood that had lost all original form were discovered.

The mana density at the site exceeded normal measurement limits, and analysis of remaining eyeball tissue strongly suggests that the remains belonged to a Majin.

At the time of discovery, the target had already died, and it appeared that some time had passed since the battle had ended.

3 Post-Incident Verification Results

Following this report, an on-site investigation was conducted by the Great Saintess, the Court Mage, and the Knight Commander.

Analysis by the Special Arcane Search Unit confirmed that a Majin had been defeated by an unknown party.

4 Conclusion

There is a high possibility that an unidentified slayer or faction exists. Information gathering will continue.

While reading the report, Germain frowned.

Then he spoke.

“…Isn’t that amazing? Seriously? Someone like that actually exists in this world?”

He sounded incredibly casual about it.

“Yes. Seriously. I was shocked too. The Adventurers’ Guild is buzzing about this topic.”

“Same here. I’ve been the Knight Commander for many years, but the knights are so excited they keep clanging their armor loudly.”

“The Saintess Order is in chaos as well. People are saying the goddess herself delivered divine punishment. It’s practically a festival now.”

“The court magicians are celebrating too. They’re firing magic projectiles into the sky nonstop.”

The Grand Guildmaster, the Knight Commander, the Great Saintess, and the Court Archmage—every one of them was excited.

And that was only natural. Majins were the common enemy of the entire world.

A disaster-level monster capable of destroying nations simply by appearing. Everyone feared them, and everyone wished for their defeat.

If someone from the Laguni Kingdom had truly defeated one, the nation would instantly rise to the top in global military power.

But beyond that, everyone simply loved strength at a fundamental level.

“Hm… but why have they not come forward? Did they perhaps perish in a mutual kill? Was no body found?”

“King Germain, may I speak?”

“You may.”

“I believe it was most likely an S-rank party from the Adventurers’ Guild. The reason they haven’t reported it is probably because they suffered severe injuries. Adventurers are proud people. Once they recover, I believe they will appear dramatically.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

“May I speak?”

“You may.”

“I believe it was a unit of the Knights. They may have acted independently outside their assigned mission and now feel guilty. Therefore we are spreading rumors saying, ‘You won’t be punished, so please come forward.’ We expect contact eventually.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

“I shall speak as well. It must have been one of our saintesses. The reason they did not report it is simple—defeating evil is only natural. Glory is unnecessary. That is the duty of a saintess.”

“I see. That makes sense.”

“As a court mage, I would like to—”

“You’re persistent!”

The mage who had adjusted his glasses at the end lowered his shoulders.

Germain once again made a displeased face.

“Calculate the estimated date of the Majin’s death based on the residual mana and identify individuals with strength equivalent to A-rank or higher who were active at that time. Once the list is narrowed down, you may bring them to the royal castle for questioning. Listen well. Defeating a Majin is a heroic act. But at the same time, anyone capable of killing a Majin is also a potentially dangerous individual. If anyone attempts to leave the country, investigate them first. Until we discover why the achievement was never reported, suspect even your own allies. Even your grandmothers. Now go!”

“Yes sir!”

Everyone rushed out of the room at once.

Left alone, Germain sipped his tea while rereading the report.

‘Hmmm… no matter how many times I read it, it’s impressive. If possible, I’d like them to become my right-hand man.’

* * *

“My right arm hurts! But hey… I’m finally getting some feeling back in it.”

It still hurt, but I could finally do push-ups again.

My body had gotten completely stiff. Ever since waking up, I’d been stuck in this mansion the whole time.

It’s not like I’m imprisoned, but since Lesley and the others are searching for a healer, it doesn’t feel right to go outside selfishly.

The purple markings on my right arm continue creeping toward my shoulder day by day.

It’s like a countdown to my death.

I’ll become a Majin again.

I want to do something about it before that happens.

I worked so hard to defeat one. It’d be ridiculous if I became a monster myself.

Ah… what should I do.

…Should I go to a deserted island alone?

…That might actually work.

My head is filled with the map of this world.

There are islands that belong to no nation and are never visited by anyone.

I feel bad for the three of them… but that would be the safest choice.

Because the worst possible scenario has come to mind.

What if this is the game’s correction force?

Lesley, Sophia, and Eleanor were destined to become Majins.

It was an unavoidable scenario.

That’s why I defeated the Majin. But what happens if I become one instead?

Wouldn’t it just return to the original storyline?

The more I think about it, the more that explanation makes sense.

Honestly, the fact that I survived at all is strange.

And the three of them acting so gloomy and blaming themselves… that’s all DWS’s fault too. Damn it.

I gathered my belongings, preparing to leave this room immediately—

Creak.

“Ray.”

Oh, Lesley. You look as beautiful as ever today.

“Ray.”

Why hello there, Eleanor. Still smiling as always.

“Ray.”

Sophia, thank you so much for healing me. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things since then, but I truly appreciate it.

“”Don’t even think about going alone to a deserted island—””

“…okay?”

“No.”

“Absolutely not.”

“You are not allowed.”

Only the endings of their sentences overlapped perfectly.

As expected of my mentors. The fact that I managed to slip past them once before must have been a miracle. Their intuition is too sharp.

Hmm… it looks like Operation Deserted Island might not be happening anytime soon.