A swing of cold steel. All too familiar to a certain man.

The sight around him that tortured his eyes and mind. He had returned inside of the body he had as a child.

Desperation placed in each and every step, the priority was to escape, yet that man with a height akin to a goliath.

...He would never let him go.

Fwiip.

The foot which had lost balance, slipped off the rock and fell to the side. A blade where the boy's head had been.

The hyperfocus from the dance of death, must have resulted in the cold sweat that acted as a lubricant for one of his open foot. Suspending in slow motion, the boy fell forward, a few strands of the hair at his back lost from the blade's edge.

BOOM! The thunderous crash of the sword resounded, creating a dust cloud.

"Cough cough..."

The boy closed his eyes to avoid the dirt from getting into his eyes, while he heard the giant black sword lifting itself up from the earth, removing bricks of earth from where it had indented.

(...Fuck... fuck... fuck...!!!)

This taste of metal in his mouth. The dust that clogged his nostrils each time he breathed. And the cries of death.

They were all signs that he had returned again to this place. Perun felt his heartbeat rising.

The Awakening War that took place 28 years ago.

On the day that it began, this was the nightmare that never ended.

The goliath swung his pitch black blade around again like a scythe, tearing everything apart. Blow after blow, the only weapon in the boy's hand... the knife had already been chipped so much that it no longer had any use. He merely ducked and dodged, feeling the gap between the two shorten.

Too much. The boy could never hope to stand up against him. He was going to die if he continued running.

What kind of expression did the boy make, Perun felt a twinge of disgust in his head.

This body in his recollection, was far too weak as compared to him now.

An empty stomach, burning throat, and even his eyes seemed to hold a large amount of fatigue. Had he been sent to the field under such feverish conditions? What was he thinking when he was younger?

The opponent merely snickered at the sight of a dead man. Another trophy to his collection. The battlefield, that was a place where murder could go by freely, and he would be hailed as his country's hero for winning! How much more joy would it bring to kill this boy, so brilliantly elusive and so desperate to live...?

The goliath grinned sinisterly. He wanted to kill him so badly.

Not making a single concession for the age difference, nor the fact that he was about to kill another human being. There were no morals in that battlefield. The gap shortened before long, and the blade came near him again. The boy knew very clearly he had just ran out of chances.

(Ah.)

The moment had arrived. When it would change the world forever. He thought he had been prepared, yet Perun’s heart still froze when he saw the blade swing right towards his skull. As expected, it was a deep scar in his heart.

Just an inch closer. The murderous intent threatened to split his body vertically into two.

Desperate, and yet still reluctant to admit his powerlessness. The boy was far too weak, he could not avenge anything. Deep within his heart, he had already felt it.

He closed his eyes. Not from acceptance, but in grievous regret. He was powerless, thus he shut his eyes from everything else. He didn't dare to face his death head on.

Just a little more now- The blade approached him frame by frame.

"...Soma…!"

His final cry, full of emotion that it seemed to signal the start of a change.

As he had finished, those pair of dead-fish eyes started to crackle cobalt blue. As if an electric current had zapped him out of that haziness, Perun suddenly felt the boy's body turning lighter. The wounds on his body were also starting to heal at a rapid pace.

"Re...covery...?"

He saw the impossible. The deep cuts that had severed most of his tendons were healing themselves.

Telekinesis? Magic?

In addition, his opponent had literally frozen still. The black blade stopping right in front of him, unable to deal the finishing blow. The man who originally assumed that he had already won was stiffened with astonishment.

“[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]?!”

The voice that Perun could never remember, shouted at him.

And then-

“A..aahh...ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The boy screamed both in pain and fury, tears falling off his cheeks as if reminding him of the pain that began coursing through his body a brief moment after that shock.

(My...bod...y!!! It burnss...!!!)

Both the goliath and the boy’s expression changed for varying reasons.

The blade that was just an inch away from Perun's head had been wrapped around a veil of translucent blue, the connection could be clearly felt at the tip of his fingers. There was a connection to a powerful energy source, something that he had never felt before.

As his eyes opened, enduring the heat that was permeating throughout his entire body, the boy saw a whole new world. A blue aura that covered the wastelands. As far as he could see, everything around him was sparkling blue.

The shock, surprise… and wonder the young Perun had felt, as he saw the cloudy skies decorated with those surreal hues.

“Jin…”

“M… Jin…”

“Master… Jin…”

“...”

Perun opened his eyes groggily.

He felt sick in the head, but there were signs of his usual symptoms loosening up as if he had taken an aspirin. The man quickly came back to his senses and knew that he had fallen asleep in the car.

At the side of him was Mia, who bowed gently with his well-endowed features. While she was still driving, Mia did not make any sharp movements, with every action exuding a fair amount of elegance like a professional maid.

“We’re arriving soon, Master Jin.”

“...Ah.”

Perun stared at the roof of the vehicle. How pathetic was he to be drained of his strength in front of an old colleague. Even if he had retired a long time ago, the man still knew that he had to keep up the appearance of the fourth ranker in the world assigned under his official name, Jin Bathory. Of course, the name "Perun" was what he preferred to use in his private life, there was a certain meaning behind how Mia and the public addressed a famous war veteran like him.

Beginning to feel that he was getting a little too comfortable, Perun straightened his back and refocused sharply. It was clear that the atmosphere around him had changed in an instant.

(I'm the guildmaster... and yet I'm leaving everything to the girls... haah... I really need to assess myself again soon.)

Perun thought painfully, thinking about what he had been doing ever since the establishment of Kuromori. He grimaced, after realizing that most of the work allocated to him were paperwork. Had the girls noticed it and was doing this deliberately? Maybe, he had become too lax around his family. It was no wonder that he had rarely stepped outside for such a long time.

(Hmm...? Living like this... it's as if... I'm being confined, aren't I... haha...)

(...It probably is just a coincidence, isn't it. There's no way those lovable lasses would do that. The girls are just watching out for me in case I got hurt... Mm, that's it I think. I'm getting older after all, but it doesn't affect my appearance because of my mana quality. My physical strength too... Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'll just go out for some fresh air tomorrow, maybe I'll take up some guild requests after so long.)

While Perun was stuck in contemplation in setting up his future schedule to work out, the vehicle had already stopped.

He looked around to find himself in a basement that seemed to be an underground parking lot for VIPs.

Mia unfastened her seat belt at the side and turned towards Perun with a courteous smile.

"Hm? Is there something wrong?"

"N-no, well..."

Mia laughed softly with a hand covering her mouth, and proceeded to procure a handkerchief from the breast pocket of her suit.

“Did you sleep well, Master Jin?"

“... You jest.”

Catching on to her suggestion, Perun sighed. He held up his palm to stop her approach, and wiped the liquid stain around the corner of his mouth with his shirt sleeve.

While doing so, he could feel the chuckle from Mia who had returned the cloth promptly.

The liquid tasted like a medical disinfectant. Perun was misled that he had been drooling in his sleep.

"..."

Clutching his hair and pushing it back, Perun sighed as he felt the sweat on his forehead being cooled by the car’s air-conditioner.

“...You applied it... for me.”

“... ...Yes."

The atmosphere changed. Mia had lowered her head and remained silent after nodding once.

"...Thanks. But-"

Mia returned the man with a meaningful gaze, and held a hand over his. Perun tried to avoid her stare, but he had unintentionally focused onto the puckered lips of hers.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

"Mia. Don't do this, we're already adults."

“...”

The prescription that Perun was returning to his ex-employer to receive. The one who had applied it while he was unconscious. Perun was not an oblivious man for his age. From the flushed expression on Mia's hazy face, he knew the signals of an interested woman when he saw one. For his past fame, Perun was used to dealing with the infatuation of being hailed as the country's hero.

Furthermore, he had left things with Mia on vague terms a long time ago. Had his decision come to haunt him now? It didn't matter. Perun was already married. The image of Pixie smiling made Perun recall her warmth that remained.

The man quickly moved his hand away, and Mia could feel his refusal through this action.

“I’m sorry, I just…”

Perun could tell that the woman before him was stifling her tears.

Perun shifted his gaze somewhere else. This was exactly why he hated to lead women on. In a way, he was indecisive at times when it truly mattered. Feeling that it was partially his fault, Perun spoke his mind.

“...Mia... don't cry for my sake."

"..."

"You're a good woman, I've worked with you long enough to know your good points. You deserve better."

Mia twitched her body upon hearing that, but she was crying louder than before.

The atmosphere between the two remained as awkward since their reunion, and Perun had no choice but to wait for her.

"I'm sorry for my previous appearance. It must have been rather unsightly, please forget about it."

Mia was grabbing her left shoulder weakly while saying so.

"...Let's get going. Thanks for accompanying me here. A big shot like you should be rather busy huh, the other guys must have objected your sudden leave."

"...Don't worry, I was the one who insisted to escort you here."

"Haha..."

White smiled wryly.

As they continued to walk slowly towards a large exit in the underground parking lot, White decided to make some idle chatter.

"You're doing paperwork these days?"

"..."

"Mia?"

"Oh, ah... Yes."

She rubbed her shoulders, as if indicating that she was tired from doing menial labour all the time.

"There's nothing much to do on-site after being promoted. The work I handle usually are administrative ones."

She explained without much vigor.

In a way, every working hierarchy in this world were the same. The higher you go, less physical risk was taken but more pressure would be placed on getting results through ordering subordinates as a superior. It was just like Perun's position in his underground work as the guildmaster. He needed to approve many things and decline the ones that seem to be detrimental to the guild. But even that kind of work was relegated partially to his daughters, who had a discerning eye over their clients.

It wasn't a good thing to mention to others about murder and other illegal activities that Kuromori did, and only a few people knew of how to contact them for their services. Since it would lead to unhealthy development for his daughters, it was usually the eldest daughter Soma and him who handled things on-site. Since he was handling the paperwork in recent years, White was a little worried about his eldest daughter's condition.

Perhaps he should check up on her later tonight as well. There were many things that he needed to do, now that he had gone outside for a fresh perspective. As expected, he should be talking to people more often.

Mia seemed to be in the wrong mood for a conversation however, so Perun stopped in consideration of her feelings. The two reached the front of the large black doors with a sleek metallic texture to them. At the top of the door was a display panel which had two arrows indicating up and down.

This was the elevator that connected the other floors to the basement.

As Perun was already outside of his house, he had already begun to be conscious of mana around him. He could feel the mana of 8 individuals behind a few hidden doors around the elevator. They did not seem to be particularly hostile to him. Perun could tell that they were either trained escorts or personnel guarding the elevator.

There was already a man expecting Perun and Mia who was walking with high-heels behind him. The man had the appearance around the mid 20s, with an almost identical black suit like the one Mia was wearing. It seemed to resemble a gakuran* or what a bellboy at a hotel lobby would wear.

There was a golden name tag above the breast pocket with carvings for his name. He was bending his body in a 90 degrees just like Mia. Yural de Kalseig. That was the name on his tag.

(Kalseig? ...Hmm.)

It was the bearing some connections to nobility in this post-mana world. Of course Perun was aware of such a name while working as a guildmaster. There were some requests before that wanted the head of the family dead. It seems like the Kalseig family had created some deep grudges with the people.

If he recalled, the bloodline of Kalseig held strong connections within business trades within this country. People who handled business lines would usually be a target, sometimes indiscriminately for unscrupulous fools whom benefited from their downfall.

In any case, the new world was filled with people like these.

“We have been expecting you, Master Jin."