Chapter 104 The Mystery of Reis
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Reis was dreaming—
A cold wind swept through the quiet street corner at dusk. It was in front of a small tavern he’d stopped by on his way home from work. Standing on the quiet cobblestone path, a step away from the bustle.
His face was haggard. His hair was dull.
The adventurer he once was was barely recognizable. But his eyes were still the same.
”…It’s been a while, Reis.”
The woman, slightly older than him, was an adventurer he’d once teamed up with. She was strong, straightforward, and somewhat reckless. Reis had admired her strength… She was also his first love, the first woman he had ever loved.
Before Reis could say anything, she gently shielded two girls behind her and said,
”These children… are yours.”
Abrupt words. A reality that made him doubt his ears.
The girls present there resembled her from long ago… Lilim, watching him quietly with eyes hidden by her black hat, and Lurua, clinging to her with frightened eyes.
”Wh-what are you talking about…!”
”Please… please. Protect these children…”
Saying only that, she turned on her heel without waiting for Reis’s reply—and vanished into the night streets.
Reis was left behind.
Confusion and doubt. Was it a joke, a trap, or some conspiracy?
But the girls were certainly there. Trembling with fear and cold, waiting for their mother, trusting her.
That night, he put the girls up at a nearby inn and used all the connections he had to search for her whereabouts.
Informants, old comrades, Guild records—
He searched for days, sacrificing sleep.
But he found her, ironically, in the worst possible way.
In the shadow of an alley.
On the wet cobblestones.
Stabbed in the stomach, she lay dead, staring blankly at the sky.
He just stood there.
He couldn’t do anything.
He couldn’t tell the girls anything, and from that day on—he chose to stay with them.
Lilim’s silence, and Lurua’s innocent smile.
Harsh journeys and countless dangers.
Eventually, he became the girls’ “father.”
Whether it was blood relation or the real truth.
It didn’t matter anymore.
In Reis’s dream, the cold wind of that night blew again.
The lost life and the entrusted wish.
He was still carrying it all on his back.
* * *
A quiet corner of the forest, dappled with sunlight.
In the place where the traces of battle still remained vivid, Lurua buried her face in Reis’s chest, sobbing.
Lilim silently gripped his arm tightly, refusing to let go.
”…Yeah, ah… I’m alive, huh…”
Reis opened his eyes hazily and blinked repeatedly in surprise at the two small faces right in front of him.
”Lurua… Lilim…?”
”Papa… Papa… uuu…!”
”…I’m glad… you’re safe…”
Reis gently extended his arms and embraced the two.
His arms must still have been in pain, but as if he had forgotten it, he continued to hold the girls for a while.
Kanata and Mirei, watching from a step away, were silent for a moment. Then, Kanata slowly walked over and spoke.
”…Can you tell us? About your relationship with those girls.”
Reis nodded lightly.
”It was 3 years ago. One day, she suddenly appeared. Haggard, in rags… she was unbelievably weak.”
His voice was a mixture of nostalgia and regret.
”‘These children are yours’—that’s what she said, and pushed Lurua and Lilim onto me… Honestly, I didn’t understand. But she disappeared after that…”
Reis looked down once and exhaled briefly.
”I searched desperately. But when I found her… it was too late. Stabbed in the stomach, cold.”
Who killed her, and why—he still didn’t know.
”All I understood was that she was carrying some big secret. And that it was highly likely related to the “Dungeon.” That’s all.”
That’s why he wanders through Dungeons. Chasing clues from the past, and to protect the girls.
After a moment of silence, Kanata gave a small, soft laugh and asked.
”So… are those girls really your children?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected question, Reis’s eyes widened for a moment. Then, the next moment.
”…Pfft, ahaha… hahaha!!”
He burst into hearty laughter from the bottom of his belly.
Lurua looked up with a surprised face, and Lilim frowned slightly in confusion.
When the wave of laughter subsided, Reis wiped his eyes as if wiping away tears and shrugged.
”Well, who knows? Honestly, I don’t know either. But—”
He gently placed his hands on the heads of the two girls and said calmly.
”…It doesn’t matter anymore. These girls are my irreplaceable ‘family.’”
At those words, Lurua’s eyes widened, and Lilim quietly closed hers. A look of certain relief appeared on the faces of the two girls.
Seeing them, Kanata nodded silently. Mirei also smiled softly.
—Blood ties probably don’t matter.
What exists between them now is another “truth” called a certain bond.
* * *
In the night forest, only the chirping of insects and the whisper of the wind echoed.
The party, facing the Dungeon, decided to rest in a corner of the forest for the night without overexerting themselves.
Reis’s barrier was solid, blocking the presence of external monsters and intruders.
Kanata and Mirei skillfully started a fire, and after a simple but warm meal, Lilim and Lurua quickly got into their sleeping bags and began to breathe quietly.
The flickering light of the campfire illuminated the faces of the three.
Listening to the crackling sound of the wood, Kanata, Mirei, and Reis talked about various things on their journey and trivial events without any particular topic.
”…But those two. They really are quite attached.”
Mirei said with a smile.
”It’s because my cooking is delicious.”
Reis shrugged with a playful air, and Kanata snorted.
A moment of silence. The night air seemed to envelop the campfire’s light, falling silent.
Eventually, Kanata suddenly opened his mouth.
”Hey, Reis. There’s something I want to ask.”
”Hm?”
”Titles like ‘Sword Dancer,’ ‘Holy Knight,’ ‘Black Mage,’ and ‘White Mage.’ Do you know of any Dungeons related to them?”
At those words, the lightness momentarily left Reis’s face. The campfire’s flames flickered in his eyes.
”…I see. You’re not just an adventurer, are you?”
”Not really. I just want to know.”
Kanata answered honestly. Mirei glanced at his face softly, but said nothing.
Reis crossed his arms as if thinking, and grumbled low.
”I’ve heard of it before. …The ‘Prototype Class.’”
”Prototype Class…?”
”Yeah. Most of the current professions—like ‘Magic Swordsman’ or ‘Saint Healer’—evolve by combining several basic classes. But, long ago, there were beings considered the ‘prototypes’ of these evolved classes. They say ‘Sword Dancer’ and ‘Holy Knight’ are remnants of that.”
”‘Black Mage’ and ‘White Mage’ too?”
”That’s right. They have ‘Mage’ in their name, not ‘Sorcery,’ right? That’s important. Ancient magic systems—they say they operated on completely different principles than now.”
Kanata nodded silently, staring intently into the campfire.
”And, about how that relates to ‘Dungeons’—honestly, I don’t know the details. But there are rumors of several Dungeons where equipment and records related to those prototype classes are said to be sleeping.”
”Where?”
Reis hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth.
”‘Labyrinth of Whirling Winds’—it’s a ruin deep in the western Wind God Mountains. There’s a legend about the ‘Sword Dancer,’ recorded as ‘The Memory of the Dancing Swordsman,’ apparently.”
”Anything else?”
”A ruined city called ‘Sanctuary of Stars.’ It’s said to seal the equipment of Holy Knights, and there’s a monument called the ‘White Prayer Stone.’ …As for the ‘Black Mage,’ rather than a Dungeon, there’s a rumor that a facility like a forbidden spell research institute called the ‘Deep Arcane Library’ remains underground.”
Kanata repeated each name in his mouth as if engraving it into his memory.
”Are you really going to search for them?”
”…Yeah. To find my friends.”
To that answer, Reis stared at the campfire for a while, then smiled faintly.
”Seriously, I’ve met some interesting people…”
Mirei also quietly nodded, narrowing her eyes at the flickering flames.
And the forest was once again enveloped in silence, and the night slowly deepened—.
.
.
.
”Hey, Faris…”
While everyone was asleep and Kanata was alone by the fire, he spoke to the sword propped up beside him.
’What is it?’
”About the story just now… what do you think?”
’About the Dungeons related to the Prototype Classes? It’s an interesting story. I don’t know the details because it falls under the category of missing information, but there’s a possibility it remains as a legend.’
”I see… But it’s not related to this current matter, is it?”
’……I can’t say it’s completely unrelated, but… the impact should be low…’
Faris speaks hesitantly, and Kanata frowns.
”It’s not clear.”
’It can’t be helped! The crucial parts are “lost information,” after all!’
Faris raises her voice, reacting to Kanata’s emotions.
’…I’m sorry.’
”No, it was my fault.”
Faris and Kanata apologize to each other.
After a while, Faris speaks.
’This is my guess… probably, in those “remaining Dungeons,” you can obtain something related to each title. That “something” might be the key to conquering that Dungeon…’
”…It’s possible. However, we don’t have time to go around checking them one by one. Speaking of the Otaku Trio, we still need to rescue at least Nanai and Ninim.”
’That’s right… The beacon’s location information hasn’t changed, so they are definitely captured. However, …’
”Ah, once this exploration is over, I’ll think about it.”
’That’s right, that’s best. More importantly…’
Faris hesitates, unusually.
He knows what she wants to say. The Dungeon connected to the ruins before him has already been “conquered.” Dummy Dungeons have been left behind, but this place is already part of Kanata’s Dungeon. If he investigates seriously, it will be revealed that its lowest floor is connected to Kanata’s Dungeon, which is not good.
”…, find some suitable equipment for Mirei and the girls, put it in the “treasure vault” on the fourth floor. And before that, place Golem as a Guardian. Strength should be around LvC.’”
Kanata instructs in a low voice, and Faris chuckles like medicine and murmurs ‘Understood’ in a small voice.
After that, Kanata spaced out until it was time to change the guard.
—
Meanwhile, at the Valkyria Headquarters, Tsubasa was holding her head.
”Ugh… Kanataaa, please come back soon…”
Sayaka watches Tsubasa’s distress with a slightly troubled expression, while Haruka watches with amusement.
Notes:
• Reis – A stoic swordsman and Kanata’s comrade. Prominent in dungeon arc, leads combat. Reliable fighter trusted by the team. Female.
• Lilim – A magic user in Kanata’s party. Appears during dungeon exploration casting lightning and dark spells. Loyal teammate, thoughtful in battle. Female.
• Lurua – A healer in Kanata’s dungeon party. Supports allies with healing spells. Calm, dependable, close companion to Lilim. Female.
• Mirei – An energetic adventurer joining Kanata’s party in Chapter 108. Appears in dungeon prep. Brave, impulsive, admires Kanata’s leadership. Female.
• Faris – A sentient intelligence weapon managing dungeon systems. Uses humanoid interface Faris-chan. Loyal to Kanata, logical, obedient support.
• Tsubasa – A classmate, and a gift holder of Creator. He has an androgynous charm, popular yet approachable, bonds with Taichi’s group. The only son of the Ninari Conglomerate family.
• Haruka – A classmate who have Harvester gift. She keeps her distance from Ichiro, focused on her role in training. One of Setsugekka.
• Saya – Orphanage sister of Maya and Miyako, later adopted into the wealthy Kitahara family for a political marriage. Holds rare Gift Princess Knight (Valkyrie): versatile fighter-leader with light magic, stronger than Morita’s Commander. Quiet in Class A but bound by childhood oath to protect Maya and Miyako. Torn between duty as Kitahara heir and hidden first love for Kanata.
• Sayaka – Athletic blonde with sharp presence, expert in multiple martial arts, Kanata’s lunch-time sparring partner and admired distant figure.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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