While Yu was carrying Alice and desperately fleeing from Vester.

  At the Coliseum, a fierce battle had unfolded between the joint forces of the Magic Corps and Sword Corps against the attackers. After the sacrifice of many civilians and several squad members, almost all the attackers were either dead or arrested.

  All except one—Vester.

  A subordinate reported to Eric Barton, who was commanding the troops.

  "Suppression complete. However, the ringleader appears to still be at large. According to eyewitness reports, he uses a mysterious explosion magic. What are your orders?"

  Eric, listening with a grim expression and arms crossed, immediately barked out instructions.

  "Deploy search parties immediately!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  At that moment, a man stepped forward into a position where he stood out even among the surrounding soldiers.

  He had short, neatly trimmed silver hair and a body forged of steel. A large scar ran across his right cheek. He appeared to be middle-aged. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, and a magnificent sword was strapped to his back.

  "Regarding the search for that man—would you leave it to me?"

  "Oh! You are!"

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  "The Hero, Clam Selenberg!"

  "The Dragon Slayer!"

  "You were here!"

  Voices of welcome rose from all directions.

  Clam Selenberg.

  It was the entrance of the Sword Corps' strongest fighter, the hero hailed as the Dragon Slayer.

  Several years ago, a massive Black Dragon had attacked the vicinity of Sacris. It possessed special scales that were almost impervious to magic, rendering mages completely helpless. Those who wielded swords capable of piercing the scales could not get close due to the dragon's terrifyingly wide-range breath attacks.

  Just when everyone had fallen into despair, it was this man, Clam, who evaded the breath with god-like agility and pierced the dragon's heart in an instant. His exploits were still the stuff of legend.

  Feeling an immense sense of reliability from him, Eric naturally accepted his proposal.

  "I am grateful. If it is you, Clam-san, I can rest easy leaving it in your hands."

  "Is that so. Then I accept the task. I shall head out immediately."

  Leading several subordinates, Clam walked out of the Coliseum with a dignified stride.

  After seeing Clam and his group off, a young man with hair like burning fire appeared before Eric.

  It was Argus. He had just finished a grand rampage against numerous attackers and was finally taking a breather.

  "You're Eric from the Barton family, right?"

  "Lord Ozbein's eldest son, is it? Without your efforts, the casualties would undoubtedly have been much higher. Thank you for your cooperation in the suppression."

  "Whatever. It's not something I need thanks for. More importantly, do you know the status of a kid named Yu Hoshimi? She was my opponent in the finals."

  Looking at the report compiled by his subordinate, Eric spoke in a businesslike manner as an official.

  "According to the information at hand, she went missing in the midst of the confusion."

  "Missing, you say?"

  Recognizing Argus's inability to hide his shock, Eric let his personal feelings bleed through his expression.

  "I am her homeroom teacher. She is a serious, good kid. I hope she is safe, but..."

  "Yeah... Thanks for telling me."

  "Right."

  Walking away from Eric, Argus muttered a few words, worry clearly etched on his face.

  "Yu... I hope you managed to get away safely."