Published: March 21, 2026
When I saw Amelia still had some magical power left, and the amount of blood that was clearly a mortal wound, something inside me snapped.
That said, I didn’t let my anger run wild and smash things around.
I just felt a surge of anger at myself for failing to protect Amelia, followed by helplessness and sorrow, and I was briefly disoriented.
No sooner had I come to than monsters appeared — it was utterly incomprehensible.
I felt like a child whose landmarks had disappeared, wandering helplessly.
“Shadow Magic, activate.”
Still, maybe I wanted to take out my frustration on something, because my shadow magic came out rougher than usual.
Honestly, I couldn’t control it.
“Master. I’m going to rampage now. When it’s over, stop me.”
While I was distracted by the shadow magic, Yoru had already become a Cerberus.
Like in the labyrinth, only famous monsters that even I knew were appearing.
As a Cerberus, Yoru said that much and lunged out.
Blood spurted from the throats of the monsters Yoru attacked, soaking the ground.
The three heads bit different monsters and in an instant the carcasses piled up.
“…Alright. Control acquired.”
Of course, I wasn’t just standing by.
I calmed the shadow magic inside me that wanted to rage, and made its power my own.
The potential of the shadow magic is still unknown; even I don’t know its limits.
It’s a power too strong for me, yet strangely I didn’t want to let it go.
I used shadow magic to form footholds and jumped over monsters toward Yoru.
Cerberus Yoru drooled from its mouth and seemed to have no reason left — just pure destructive impulse.
I praised Yoru and joined the fight.
He probably wouldn’t understand anything I said right now, so I figured I’d tell him later, and with daggers imbued with shadow magic I pierced the monsters’ vitals with precision.
The shadows moved as they pleased and devoured the surrounding monsters.
They swallowed them whole, so “swallow” might be a more accurate description than “eat.”
“…Ah, hey, Yoru!”
When I noticed, Yoru was far away.
Though we could still see each other, it was too far to reach to help quickly.
I’d thought earlier that the monsters were acting more coordinated, but perhaps they’d been moving to separate us.
“…Demon Clan, huh.”
The only race that can command monsters.
Hated by other tribes for that power, they were driven to the harshest environment on the Continent — Volcano. A pitiful people.
Their movement meant only one thing: the demon king had begun to move.
I have no idea what the kings in Reytis are planning, but the timing of the twenty-eight of us being summoned to another world didn’t seem entirely unlucky.
“Aurum Trace.”
I spoke the name and clenched my fist.
The shadow magic writhed.
“I won’t forgive this.”
Suddenly, I realized I’d never been in love in my world.
My mother and my sister Yui were of course important.
But other girls were always afraid of me and I had no contact with them; I didn’t have a beautiful childhood friend.
Actually, I didn’t have childhood friends at all.
Besides, I was too busy with part-time work to waste time on romance.
So Amelia was my first love, the first woman I’d ever cared for.
Even knowing she was a princess didn’t change this feeling; I refused to let her die. Even if she did, I wouldn’t love anyone else.
I wanted to cherish her, to protect her.
When I showed an embarrassing side in front of Amelia, I sank more than usual.
She was now someplace beyond my reach.
I didn’t even know where she was.
Maybe she was in terrible pain.
Maybe she was calling for help.
And yet I couldn’t rush to her side.
No matter how many monsters I defeated in front of me, I couldn’t reach Amelia.
“Aaaaaaaaaaa!!”
That thought made my emotions explode.
The sky, already darkened, blackened further and bled into shadow.
The shadow magic expanded beyond capacity and kept growing.
“Shadow Magic, Shadow Hell.”
The monsters gradually sank into the blackened ground.
Like an ant-lion pit, they couldn’t escape the shadows.