Published: January 22, 2026
I lightly extended my left arm toward Gary, who was closing the distance, to gauge the range.
The moment my left fingertips touched Gary, I used the momentum of his charge to slip past him and circle behind.
Just as I was about to pin him to the ground, several pointed wooden sticks shot out from the ground again. I dodged them and leapt backward.
In effect, we swapped positions.
That meant the shrub that had just sprouted was now beside me.
Vines extended from the shrub and lashed at me like whips.
“...Tch.”
Distracted by the vine attacks, Gary closed in on me once more.
Even though I was prepared to counter, the vines interfered, preventing me from striking back.
Gary, now within striking distance, kicked at me.
I blocked with my left forearm but couldn’t hold, being kicked back.
After rolling to absorb the impact, I cast a healing spell on my left arm. Around me, red leaves fluttered.
Momentarily captivated by the out-of-season foliage, suddenly they exploded.
Fortunately, the impact was weak, causing little damage.
To clear my sight, I blew away the surrounding smoke, revealing Gary before me, swinging a massive wooden hammer.
“—!?”
I immediately activated the reflective barrier and bounced the hammer away.
The sudden reversal of the hammer’s trajectory threw Gary off balance.
Using the momentum, I slashed both his arms holding the hammer with my magic sword Schwarzhase.
I followed with a spinning kick to his abdomen, forcing him back.
(…Why am I hesitating? This Gary is no longer the explorer I respected. He belongs to the cult now; he’s my enemy.)
I muttered internally, convincing myself.
Though this version of Gary reflected features of the deep floor boss, it was nothing but a fake.
Far from the original.
If Gary’s consciousness remained, he would have been a troublesome enemy with both human intellect and demonic beast power. But now, I sensed no sign of life from him.
In all our past clashes, there were plenty of chances to finish him off.
Yet, I found myself hesitating.
“...Just kill me already...”
As I tried to clear such pointless thoughts with a deep breath, I suddenly heard Gary’s voice in my mind, as if through Ms. Selma’s supernatural ability, telepathy.
“Did I... Warren...? Why did I do such a thing...?”
His voice echoed again in my head.
I thought it was my imagination, but it wasn’t.
His tone was filled with regret and sorrow, as if lamenting his own actions.
“Gary...?”
I called out, but he didn’t respond. Instead, a new arm grew from the wound on his arm.
Regaining his arm, he charged at me again.
Dodging his punches and kicks, and the spells he cast to fill the gaps, I continued listening to Gary’s inner voice.
—He felt overshadowed by his comrades’ flashy feats but recalled they said he was needed.
—He cursed his own inadequacy after his comrades were killed by Amuntzarse.
—Thinking he’d be a hindrance in rebuilding the Golden Resonance (hero party), he distanced himself from Warren and Albert.
—While pondering his next moves, a man claiming to be a subordinate of the One-Eyed Swordsman who had helped them appeared and recruited him into the cult.
—During his time with the cult, Philly Carpenter, who joined around the same time, became his companion.
—His inferiority complex toward his comrades grew, and to prove his worth, he actively served the cult’s interests.
—Eventually, he killed the king of the Nohitant Kingdom and Warren, turning the kingdom and the empire’s war into a decisive conflict.
While his body repeatedly attacked me, his heart wished for his own death, endlessly expressing regret.
What Gary did was unforgivable.
But I couldn’t help feeling some sympathy.
If his inner voice was true, he had spent significant time with Philly Carpenter.
That was the same as Marquis Forgus, lord of Tsutolairu.
If so, wasn’t the greatest cause of his inferiority complex Philly Carpenter’s cognitive alteration?
He was just a pawn used by that negative influence.
The true villain was Philly Carpenter—and by extension, the Cyclamen Cult.