Chapter 2: Chapter 1
However… this is my story.
So let me tell you what really happened on that fateful day—the day my life shattered and dragged me into something far beyond survival.
---
It was a Saturday.
A normal one… or at least, I thought it was.
In this world, Saturdays meant one thing for adventurers—cash-in day. The day we dragged ourselves to the Guild House to exchange blood, sweat, and near-death experiences for a handful of bronze.
That day, I had done decent work.
Thirty arched-back goblins.
Ugly, miserable creatures. Tougher than they looked. I still remembered the feel of it—the resistance when I drove my blade in, the warmth as I tore out their hearts. Disgusting work… but necessary.
Each heart should’ve gone for about five bronze GS chips.
That was the rate.
Or at least… it used to be.
---
The clerk barely looked at me as I handed over the sack.
He opened it, sighed, and counted through lazily.
Then he spoke.
“I can give you two bronze per piece. That’s about it.”
…
For a moment, I thought I misheard him.
“…Two?” I repeated, my voice tightening. “The rate was five just two weeks ago! What’s Gaia done now…?”
The name slipped out like poison.
The clerk didn’t react.
Didn’t even flinch.
He leaned back in his chair behind the thick protective glass, arms behind his head like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“I don’t make the rules, kid…”“I just follow ’em.”
---
I grit my teeth.
There was nothing I could do.
No appeal. No argument. No justice.
Just the cold reality of life under the Gigantic Senate.
So I took the money… and left.
It was barely enough—rent, and maybe three days of food if I starved myself properly.
Still… I told myself I was lucky.
---
…That’s when everything changed.
The sound hit first.
Low. Heavy. Mechanical.
Police ships.
They roared down the street, engines screaming as they came to a sudden halt. People scattered. Doors slammed shut.
And then I saw him.
“Kyle…?”
My chest tightened as they dragged him from his home.
Bound. Struggling.
Afraid.
---
I ran forward without thinking.
“Kyle! What’s going on?! Officer—what did he do?!”
One of the officers turned toward me, his grip tightening on Kyle’s restraints.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“This individual has committed a grave offense.”“He made inappropriate statements online regarding the Supreme Priority’s wife…”“…The great Anastasia.”
---
The air froze.
People nearby gasped. Some covered their children’s ears, others looked away as if simply hearing it was dangerous.
Kyle trembled.
I stepped forward, desperate.
“T-this has to be a mistake! Maybe his account was hacked, or—”
“Silence.”
The officer didn’t even look at me when he said it.
There was no negotiation.
No room for doubt.
Just judgment.
---
“…These stupid laws…” I muttered under my breath, anger slipping through despite myself.
“…Protecting that… freakin’ demon succubus…”
---
That was my mistake.
The officer turned sharply.
Eyes locked onto mine.
Cold. Sharp. Dangerous.
“…What did you just say?”
My blood ran cold.
Before I could respond—
“You are under arrest.”
---
Everything went blank.
I was 19.
I had barely started my life.
Six months living alone… barely surviving as it was.
If they took me—
I’d be made an example.
I knew it.
Everyone knew it.
---
So I panicked.
My hand moved before my thoughts could catch up.
Steel flashed.
And—
I struck.
---
The officer collapsed where he stood.
Silence.
Then chaos.
---
“HE’S ATTACKED AN OFFICER—!”
“SEIZE HIM!”
“CITIZENS, CLEAR THE AREA—!”
People scattered in every direction.
And then… I heard it.
“K-kill him! Officers, he’s over there!!”
…
Kyle.
---
I didn’t stop.
Didn’t think.
Didn’t look back.
Didn’t feel guilt.
Didn’t feel anything.
I just ran.
Freedom… I just want my freedom…
---
“If I can make it to the Grey Dunes…” I muttered between breaths, my lungs burning.
“…maybe—just maybe—I’ll be safe…”
---
I ran until my legs screamed.
Until the city disappeared behind me.
Until sand replaced stone.
---
The Grey Dunes stretched endlessly before me.
And as I crested a hill—
I saw it.
A small camp.
A fire.
And a single figure.
---
A girl in robes sat calmly, turning meat over an open flame as if the world wasn’t collapsing behind me.
I stumbled down the slope toward her, nearly falling as I approached.
“M-my lady…!” I gasped, dropping to one knee. “Please—you must help me! The Gigantic Senate police are after me! If you could just let me hide—I’ll owe you my life!”
---
The rumble of engines grew louder.
Closer.
Closer.
---
The girl glanced toward the horizon…
Then back at me.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Very well,” she said softly. “I shall grant your request.”
She pointed toward her tent.
“Hide inside that chest. They will not think to look there.”
---
I didn’t question it.
Didn’t think.
Didn’t hesitate.
I scrambled into the tent, threw open the chest, and forced myself inside, shutting the lid as quietly as I could.
---
Then—
Silence.
Followed by footsteps.
---
“State your identity.”
A voice. Harsh.
Official.
“Have you seen a young man pass through here? He is a criminal of the state.”
---
The girl answered calmly.
“No. I am traveling alone.”
---
My heart pounded.
Footsteps approached the tent.
Then—
The creak of fabric.
They were inside.
---
“Well,” another voice said slowly, “if that’s true… you wouldn’t mind if we searched this chest, would you?”
…
My entire body froze.
---
The girl sighed lightly.
“You may, if you wish.”
A pause.
Then—
“However… I warn you. You may find yourself embarrassed.”
Her tone shifted—playful.
“It contains personal garments… for me and my girlfriend.”
---
Silence.
Then murmuring.
“…Tch. Freakin’ lesbian…”
“Not worth it…”
“Let’s move.”
---
Footsteps retreated.
Voices faded.
Engines roared back to life.
And then—
They were gone.
---
I stayed still for a few more seconds…
Then slowly pushed the lid open.
Light poured in.
---
I climbed out, breathing again for the first time in what felt like hours.
“…Do you think they bought it?” the girl asked casually.
---
I blinked at her.
“…Bought it?”
---
She smiled, pulling back her hood.
Beautiful. Composed. Sharp eyes that seemed to see straight through me.
“Gigantic Senate officers are notoriously homophobic,” she explained. “If you give them a reason to feel uncomfortable… they tend to back away.”
---
Confused, I looked down into the chest.
And froze.
Photos.
Clothing.
Underwear—very specific kinds.
All themed.
All… undeniably suggestive.
---
I jumped back.
“W-What the—?!”
---
She laughed softly.
“Relax. It’s just a disguise.”
She waved a hand dismissively.
“I am not actually a lesbian.”
---
Then, after a brief pause, she straightened slightly.
Her tone shifted.
More formal.
More deliberate.
---
“Allow me to properly introduce myself.”
She placed a hand over her chest.
“I am Lady Sefcet—Holy Knight of the Kingdom of Mīreen.”
---
as I lifted my head and looked at the girl again—really looked at her—something clicked.
A memory.
A name.
A face I had only ever seen in passing… in stories… in rumors whispered long after her kingdom fell.
My eyes widened.
---
“W-Wait…!” I stepped forward, my voice catching in my throat.
“You’re… the princess of the former Nation of Mīreen… Your Royalty…!”
---
Before I could think better of it, my body moved on instinct.
I dropped to my knees.
Head bowed to the sand.
---
But then—
A hand took my shoulder.
Firm. Gentle.
She lifted me.
---
“Please… do not bow to me,” she said softly.
I hesitated, slowly meeting her gaze.
Her expression was calm—but there was something else there.
Something… distant.
---
“I am a princess no longer,” she continued. “And more than that… I am a dethroned noble.”
She gave a small, elegant curtsy—almost out of habit rather than pride.
“…But I thank you for your respect.”
---
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Only the wind filled the silence, sweeping across the dunes.
---
“May I ask for your name?” she asked.
---
My chest tightened.
A simple question.
A dangerous one.
---
My thoughts raced.
Do I lie?
If she hands me over, I’m dead.
But… she already saved me…
Why would she do that… only to betray me now?
---
I swallowed.
And made a choice.
---
“My name is… Haturen,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm in my chest.
Her eyes sharpened slightly at that.
I noticed.
---
“It’s… good to meet you,” I added quickly. “Princess.”
Then, almost instinctively—
“And don’t worry… I’m not with the Gigantic Senate.”
---
The words felt heavier than they should have.
Like a line drawn in the sand.
---
“But…” I hesitated, glancing around the empty dunes.
“…What are you doing out here, Lady Sefcet?”
---
She didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, she looked away—toward the horizon.
Toward that faint violet glow stretching across the distant sands.
---
For the first time, she seemed… unsure.
---
“…If you must know,” she said after a pause, her tone quieter now.
“I am… simply adventuring.”
---
I blinked.
“…Adventuring?”
---
A faint, almost bitter smile touched her lips.
---
“I don’t have the means to return to what was once my home,” she admitted.
“My country is gone.”
“My people… scattered.”
“And the capital…” She paused.
“…You already know what became of it.”
---
I did.
Everyone did.
---
She exhaled softly.
“So… I travel. I take work where I can. I earn what little I need.”
Her eyes drifted back to me.
Sharp again.
Focused.
---
“…And now,” she added quietly, “I suppose I find fugitives hiding in my luggage.”
---
For a moment—
There was silence.
---
Then she tilted her head slightly.
Studying me.
Not as a passerby.
Not as a stranger.
But as if… weighing something.
---
“You’ve made quite the mess for yourself, Haturen.”
Her tone was calm.
But there was no mockery in it.
Only truth.
---
“The Senate will not forget what you’ve done today.”
A pause.
The wind howled softly between us.
---
“…So tell me,” she said, her violet eyes locking onto mine.
“What do you plan to do now?”
I lowered my gaze.
The sand shifted beneath my boots as the wind brushed past us, carrying grains across the dunes in restless waves.
“…In all honesty…” I muttered, my shoulders rising in a small, helpless shrug.
“I have no clue what I’m going to do.”
The words felt hollow as they left my mouth.
“I don’t have a home to go back to…”
I clenched my fist slightly.
“…and the full force of the Gigantic Senate is after me.”
---
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
---
For a moment, I thought she might turn away.
Leave me there to figure it out myself.
After all… that would have been the logical thing to do.
---
But instead—
I noticed it.
A faint smile.
---
Sefcet looked at me—not with pity…
…but with something much steadier.
---
“Well,” she said lightly, as if the situation weren’t crushing in the slightest.
“If you don’t have anywhere to go…”
She took a small step closer, her armor catching the dim violet glow of the horizon.
“…then why not come along with me?”
---
I blinked.
“…What?”
---
“It’s simple,” she continued, her tone calm but firm.
“It would be safer if we stayed together.”
Her eyes flicked briefly toward the distant horizon—toward the direction the Senate forces had come from.
“…Just in case the Gigantic Senate decides to continue chasing you.”
---
For a moment—
I couldn’t respond.
---
“…You’re serious?” I finally asked.
---
She tilted her head slightly, almost amused.
“Of course.”
Then, after a brief pause, she added:
“…Or would you prefer to wander the Grey Dunes alone while being hunted?”
---
“…That’s not what I—”
I stopped myself.
Because she wasn’t wrong.
---
My mind raced again.
This is too convenient…
Why is she helping me this much?
What does she gain from this?
---
“…Why?” I asked quietly.
---
For the first time since we met—
Her expression shifted.
Just slightly.
---
“…Let’s just say,” she began, turning her gaze away once more, “I have no love for the Gigantic Senate either.”
The wind picked up, tugging gently at her hair.
“They’ve already taken more than enough from me.”
---
Her voice didn’t shake.
But something beneath it did.
Something buried.
---
Then she looked back at me.
Eyes sharp.
Clear.
---
“And you…” she continued.
“…have just made yourself their enemy.”
---
A pause.
Then—
---
“So it would be… mutually beneficial.”
---
I let out a slow breath.
---
There it was.
Not kindness.
Not charity.
But something real.
---
“…Mutually beneficial, huh…” I repeated quietly.
---
I looked out across the dunes.
Endless.
Empty.
Unforgiving.
---
Then… back at her.
---
A dethroned princess.
A holy knight.
A stranger… who had already saved my life once.
---
And behind me?
A world that wanted me dead.
---
“…I don’t really have a choice… do I?” I muttered.
---
A faint smile returned to her face.
---
“No,” she said simply.
---
I exhaled.
Then nodded.
---
“…Alright.”
I tightened my grip slightly.
“…I’ll come with you.”
---
The wind howled softly between us.
Carrying the weight of that decision into the endless dunes.
---
And just like that—
Without fully understanding why…
Without knowing what lay ahead…
---
I had taken my first step away from survival—
…and toward something far, far more dangerous.
- - -
It was strange how quickly something unfamiliar could become routine.
At first, traveling with Lady Sefcet felt… unnatural.
A dethroned princess. A holy knight. A stranger who knew far more than she let on.
And me?
A fugitive. A nobody. A man who killed an officer and ran.
---
Yet somehow—
We adapted.
---
The Grey Dunes became our road.
The wind our constant companion.
And survival… our shared objective.
---
We took whatever work came our way.
Small contracts. Monster hunts. Escort jobs when we could find them.
---
Arched-back goblins. Sand wyrms. Crystal scorpions that shimmered beneath the dunes like living blades.
---
At first, I struggled to keep up.
Not physically—
But in experience.
---
Sefcet was… different.
Precise. Efficient. Calm.
Every movement she made carried purpose.
Her blade didn’t swing wildly—it decided.
And whatever it decided…
Died.
---
There was one moment I couldn’t forget.
A sand wyrm had burst from beneath us, splitting the earth, its massive body spiraling through the air like a living storm.
Before I could react—
She stepped forward.
---
One step.
One breath.
One strike.
---
The creature fell in two.
Clean.
Silent.
---
That was the moment I understood.
---
She wasn’t just strong.
She was something else entirely.
---
And yet—
She smiled.
She laughed.
She joked as if none of it weighed on her.
---
“…You’re staring again,” she said one evening, glancing over her shoulder.
---
I looked away quickly.
“…You fight like it’s nothing.”
---
She paused.
Just for a moment.
---
“…It isn’t nothing,” she replied quietly.
Then, almost instantly, her usual expression returned.
“But we still have to eat, don’t we?”
---
And that was that.
---
We didn’t talk about it again.
---
A month later—
We found ourselves standing at the edge of a small desert town.
---
Wooden structures. Dust-covered streets. Lanterns hanging from crooked beams.
---
Nothing impressive.
But it had what we needed.
---
“Food,” Sefcet said simply.
“And supplies.”
---
My stomach growled in agreement.
---
“Right,” I muttered. “Let’s just get what we need and leave.”
---
She glanced at me, one brow slightly raised.
“…Still nervous?”
---
“…We’re being hunted,” I replied flatly.
---
She smiled faintly.
“…Good. That means you’re learning.”
---
The tavern was loud.
Warmer than the outside, filled with rough voices, clinking mugs, and the smell of cheap alcohol and roasted meat.
---
We took a seat near the corner.
Out of the way.
Where we could watch without being watched.
---
I kept my hood low.
---
“…Relax,” Sefcet said, already signaling for food.
“You look more suspicious when you act like that.”
---
“…Easy for you to say.”
---
Before she could respond—
A voice nearby caught my attention.
---
“…I’m tellin’ you—it’s real.”
---
Another voice scoffed.
“Yeah? And what, it just hands out gold too?”
---
The first man slammed his mug down.
“I’m serious! There’s a beast out in the dunes.”
---
“…Another one?” someone muttered.
---
“No—this one’s different,” the man insisted.
“They say it’s sittin’ on some kind of treasure. Something magical.”
---
At that—
I froze.
---
And beside me—
Sefcet moved.
---
Slightly.
But enough.
---
“…Treasure?” she repeated quietly.
---
That faint smile returned.
Not warm this time.
Not casual.
---
Interested.
---
Before I could stop her—
She stood.
---
“…Sef—” I began.
---
Too late.
---
She walked straight toward the group.
---
Confident. Calm. Unbothered.
---
“…Excuse me,” she said, her voice cutting through the noise just enough to command attention.
---
The men turned.
One of them blinked.
“…Yeah?”
---
“You mentioned a beast,” she said.
“And a magical treasure.”
---
The man shifted slightly, eyeing her armor.
“…Maybe.”
---
“Tell me everything you know.”
---
No hesitation.
No buildup.
Straight to the point.
---
I let out a quiet sigh, watching from my seat.
---
She doesn’t waste time… does she…
---
The man scratched his beard.
“…Ain’t much to tell.”
He leaned back.
“Few days ago, a group of scavengers went out. Said they spotted somethin’ movin’ under the dunes—big. Real big.”
---
Another man chimed in.
“Not just that—they said it was glowin’. Like it had somethin’ with it.”
---
“Magic,” the first one added. “Has to be.”
---
Sefcet’s eyes sharpened slightly.
---
“…And where is this creature?” she asked.
---
The men exchanged glances.
---
Then the first one shrugged.
“…We don’t know.”
---
Her expression didn’t change.
But the air around her… did.
---
“…But,” he continued quickly, “someone does.”
---
That caught her.
---
“…Who?” she asked.
---
“ actually… that man right over there…”
---
He pointed toward the far end of the tavern.
---
My gaze followed.
---
There, sitting alone at the end of the bar, was a man who immediately stood out from the rest.
He was tall—easily taller than anyone else in the room—and built like someone who had survived more battles than he cared to count. His skin was a deep brown, his head completely shaved, and resting against his side was a large spear, its shaft worn but clearly well-maintained.
He didn’t drink.
He didn’t talk.
He simply sat there… watching.
---
“…That must be him,” Sefcet murmured.
---
Before I could respond, she was already moving.
---
She approached without hesitation, her armor making the faintest sound with each step. I followed closely behind, my eyes never leaving the man.
---
He noticed us immediately.
---
Of course he did.
---
Sefcet pulled out a chair beside him and sat down as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
I took the seat next to her, quieter, more cautious.
---
“Hey,” she began simply.
“I heard you found the beast hiding the treasure.”
---
The man didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he kept his eyes forward for a moment longer, then slowly turned his head toward us.
---
“…It’s not a treasure,” he said at last.
His voice was low.
Measured.
---
“…It’s a weapon.”
---
I frowned.
“A weapon?” I asked.
---
He nodded once.
---
“Yes,” he said. “A sword of considerable power.”
He paused, his grip on the spear tightening ever so slightly.
---
“…They say it is capable of killing the Demon Princess… Anastasia.”
---
The moment the name left his mouth—
My body tensed.
---
“…You…” I started, my voice dropping slightly. “…You’re talking about her?”
---
It wasn’t just anyone he had named.
Not some rumor.
Not some distant noble.
---
Her.
The wife of Gaia Priority.
---
I leaned forward slightly, unable to hide my disbelief.
“…You’re against the Gigantic Senate?”
---
The man’s gaze sharpened instantly.
---
“…Of course I am.”
---
His hand tightened around his spear.
In one fluid motion—
He lifted it.
---
The tip angled toward us.
---
“…The real question is,” he continued, his voice growing colder,
“…are you?”
---
For a split second—
Everything froze.
---
Then—
I raised my hands slightly.
“…We’re not with them,” I said quickly.
---
Sefcet didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
---
She simply watched him.
Calm.
Steady.
---
“My name is Zeku Guren Xem Kyrenda,” the man said, his weapon still poised.
“…Prince of the former nation of Zekka.”
---
A prince…?
---
Of course.
Another one.
---
It was starting to feel like the Senate had wiped out more royalty than history itself could remember.
---
“…We’re not your enemies,” I repeated, my voice more grounded this time.
---
And this time—
I told him.
---
Everything.
---
The arrest.
The officer.
The escape.
The dunes.
---
And finally—
How Sefcet and I had ended up traveling together.
---
The tavern noise dimmed around us as I spoke.
Not because it had grown quieter—
But because, for that moment—
Nothing else mattered.
---
When I finished—
Silence followed.
---
Zeku lowered his weapon slightly.
Not entirely.
But enough.
---
“…I see,” he said.
---
His expression softened—just barely.
---
“…So you’re both being hunted as well.”
---
Sefcet nodded once.
“By the same enemy.”
---
Zeku considered this.
His eyes drifted between us.
Me.
Then her.
---
Then—
He leaned his spear against the bar.
---
“…Then it seems we share a common direction,” he said.
---
I felt it before he even spoke the next words.
---
An offer.
---
“…If that is the case,” Zeku continued,
“Why don’t we cooperate?”
---
I blinked.
“…Cooperate?”
---
He nodded.
---
“We are all enemies of the Gigantic Senate.”
His voice was calm—but there was a weight behind it.
---
“We are all survivors of nations they have destroyed.”
---
A brief pause.
---
“And we are all still alive… for now.”
---
His gaze hardened slightly.
---
“…If we work together, we increase our chances.”
“A party earns more, survives longer… and fights stronger.”
---
He leaned forward slightly.
---
“…We can take jobs.”
“Earn money.”
“And when the opportunity presents itself…”
---
A faint edge crept into his voice.
---
“…we strike back.”
---
Silence settled over the three of us.
---
I glanced at Sefcet.
---
She met my gaze.
---
There was no hesitation there.
No doubt.
---
Only agreement.
---
“…Sounds reasonable to me,” she said simply.
---
I exhaled slowly.
---
Another stranger.
Another risk.
Another step deeper into something I don’t fully understand…
---
But then again—
What choice did I really have?
---
“…Yeah,” I said at last.
“…I’m in.”
---
Zeku studied us both one final time.
---
Then—
He nodded.
---
“…Good.”
---
And just like that—
Our small, fragile alliance—
---
Became something more.
---
Something dangerous.
---
Because now—
It wasn’t just about surviving the Gigantic Senate anymore.
---
It was about standing against it.