The Former Child Prodigy Is Targeted Again

“—So, we’ve finally caught up.”

In the evening, Travas stood atop a small hill overlooking a tiny grove. The radar in Travas’s possession—the light dot indicating the location of the “Eye of the Netherworld,” and the central dot indicating Travas’s group’s current position—had drawn so close they looked ready to overlap.

“It seems they intend to camp in the grove.”

“So they are not staying at an inn.”

Yuri, standing beside him, replied that way.

“I think there should be a town if they walk a little farther.”

“They have likely realized it as well—the curse of the ‘Eye of the Netherworld.’”

Travas smiled faintly. The “Eye of the Netherworld” brought misfortune to its owner, and furthermore attracted the dead. Anyone with a conscience would naturally consider the harm it could bring to other people.

“…Well, I suppose having no witnesses helps. It means we can do as we please too…”

Travas cast a glance over his shoulder.

There, the subordinates Travas had brought with him were readying their weapons.

Yuri spoke.

“Are you going to negotiate and ask them to return it?”

“No, that will not be necessary. We kill them.”

“…That is hardly a peaceful approach.”

“They may be part of a hostile organization. More importantly, now that they have seen the ‘Eye of the Netherworld,’ we cannot let them leave alive.”

Hearing Travas’s resolute words, Yuri furrowed her beautiful brows.

“…I am not used to this.”

“You will have to get used to it. Regrettably, the work of an adventurer has its public side and its hidden side.”

Though speaking curtly, Travas added as if to reassure her.

“Besides, we do not have much time. We cannot question the other party’s true intentions—and then judge whether they are telling the truth.”

“…What do you mean?”

“If my calculations are correct—then tonight, the Gate of the Netherworld will open. Regrettably, we have no time for questions and answers.”

The moment Yuri heard Travas’s words, she caught her breath.

“…What happens if it opens?”

“You will witness a moment that will be carved into history.”

“Is there no way to stop it?”

“I will stop it.”

Naturally, the genius Travas had considered even the worst-case scenario. He prided himself on having established a technique for transporting the “Eye of the Netherworld,” but there was always a chance something could cause it to fail.

Preparing for that was only natural.

With a soft chuckle, Travas continued.

“If I dropped a meteor from the heavens, surely that would do the trick, no?”

Surrounded by tall trees, Fiona and I sat around a campfire.

“…Will you be taking the night watch again today too, Ilvis-san?”

“Of course. I am your guard, after all.”

“No, no, no! Let’s take shifts, okay? Ever since we left town, you’ve been taking the night watch the whole time, haven’t you? You’re going to collapse from lack of sleep!”

“No, I’m fine. I do sleep properly.”

I said it in an unconcerned tone. It was true that I had been keeping watch every night, but I really was getting sleep on my end, so there was genuinely no problem.

“No, no, no! You are not sleeping, are you!? The whole time—ghosts have been appearing every night, haven’t they?”

Just as Fiona said, ghosts attacked us every single night. Their numbers increased with each passing day. Last night, I think I defeated around thirty of them.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re secretly sleeping either!?”

“No, I am secretly sleeping. Like… in one-minute increments, using little gaps of free time.”

I could do segmented sleep. If I slept for one minute sixty times, that was equivalent to one normal hour of sleep.

Back when I was a student, I thought about how I could nap without the teacher noticing, and that was how I arrived at this method of sleeping in tiny intervals. It paid to try things out.

Fiona tilted her head as though she found it impossible to comprehend.

“Whaaat, sleeping in one-minute increments…? I don’t think that’s even possible.”

“Is that so? Isn’t it normal?”

“That is not normal!”

Is that so? I thought anyone could do it if they tried—

Well, this was no longer the time to be leisurely talking about that.

I took my eyes off Fiona— and called out to the presences concealed by the trees and the darkness of night.

“You lot over there, if you’ve got business with us, why don’t you come out?”

The reply was— a silver flash.

A dagger came flying at my face with incredible speed.

I did not panic.

If anything, I was glad it had been me. If Fiona had been the one targeted, covering for her would have been a pain.

With the back of my right hand, I casually knocked the dagger aside.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

“You’re pretty good!”

As he said that, five people—probably men, judging by their builds—emerged, positioning themselves so as to surround us. The reason their gender was uncertain was because every one of them had cloth wrapped around their heads, with only their eyes exposed.

I quietly moved to stand in front of Fiona.

“And who are you people?”

“You have the red gemstone, don’t you? The one that was in the depths of the Ariscit Ruins!”

“…Y-yes, th-th-that’s right, but!?”

It was Fiona who answered the question laced with anger. She clearly had no idea what was going on, but she had probably replied by reflex without thinking.

I picked up where her words left off.

“…And now you’re going to tell us to hand it over?”

“No. I won’t say that.”

At the same time he spoke, the men drew the swords at their waists.

“Sorry, but you die here!”

The men charged at us all at once!

In the next instant—

I beat down all five of them.