Haylin, a girl who had turned ten that year, had once lived an ordinary life.

Curious by nature, she had always enjoyed adventures. Not the grand adventures found in tales of chivalry, perhaps, but adventures exciting enough for a girl her age.

She would climb the mountain behind the village with friends her age, scramble up trees, find all manner of animals and insects to show off, and sneak out late at night to gaze at the constellations despite the adults’ protests. For Haylin, who lived in an isolated village, these were little acts of rebellion, little adventures.

Haylin could never understand why the village adults always warned her to be careful.

What could possibly happen in a village out in the middle of nowhere? Why did everyone worry so much?

Then something happened that shattered that belief.

“Huh?”

While exploring the mountain behind the village as usual, Haylin found an old man collapsed in the brush. He wore a robe stained all over, and his deathly pale complexion suggested he was in poor shape. Haylin brought the unconscious man back to the village. Had she received even the most basic education, she would never have done so.

Young Haylin had no idea how dangerous it was to bring a stranger into an isolated village. She did not know that the gray necklace around his neck marked him as an exiled mage, or that the brand on his wrist marked him as a fugitive from the Heavenly Empire.

That was how the tragedy began.

The old man Haylin had brought home ate some plain rice porridge and recovered his senses.

He opened his eyes, recited an incomprehensible incantation, and brought disaster upon the village with a single wave of his hand.

That day, Haylin saw magic for the first time in her life.

And for the first time, she realized how easily human beings could break. When she came to her senses, the village was a landscape of red. Blood and scattered entrails soaked the ground, and in their midst sat the old man she had brought home, his face expressionless.

He was sitting on the corpses of Haylin’s parents.

As though they were a chair.

But Haylin could not feel anger toward him. She was afraid of that horrifying scene, afraid of the disaster one gesture of his hand had wrought, afraid of the magic she did not understand.

“Thank you, child. You saved my life.”

And she came to hate herself terribly.

The cold eyes of the dead adults seemed to stare at her and speak.

Ah, Haylin.

Didn’t we always tell you?

You must be careful. There are so many frightening things in this world.

So please, stop doing dangerous things...

“I am Jerry Selpit, a noble mage from Belma, the Heavenly Empire, formerly of the 「Blue Raven Tower」. Thanks to you, my life has been prolonged when it might otherwise have ended so meaninglessly.”

But whatever Haylin was thinking, the old man, Jerry Selpit, simply continued saying his piece. It was a thoroughly ‘mage-like’ attitude.

“You are my cherished benefactor, child. You saved my life.”

“...”

“As a gift, I shall permit you to become my servant. You may attend upon my noble person.”

And so, that day, little adventure-loving Haylin’s fate was plunged into the gutter.

Haylin, who loved forests and stars, witnessed with her own eyes how evil a human could become under the name of mage. No cruel novel could capture the reality. To Haylin, Jerry Selpit was a devil wearing human skin.

Why did the great and righteous angels, who loved life, allow such a devil to roam the world? Haylin could not begin to understand.

Countless lives perished at Jerry Selpit’s fingertips.

He killed to satisfy his curiosity, killed for amusement, and sometimes killed for no reason at all. As she continued accompanying him on that horrific journey, Haylin eventually arrived in this backwater on the frontier of the Iron Kingdom.

“I like that manor. Let us settle here.”

Ever since their journey began, Haylin had always wished in her heart that someone would slay that devil.

And if that was impossible...

“That is a good, idea, sir.”

Please, let someone end this wretched fate of mine today.

* * *

“Jerry Selpit. A mage expelled from a place called the 「Blue Raven Tower」, you say. You don’t know how powerful he is? I’d like some more detailed information.”

I asked as I watched the back of the little girl, Haylin, walking ahead of us.

Throughout the journey, she had chattered away about things I hadn’t even asked. I couldn’t tell whether it was a ploy to win our sympathy or simply a child’s tendency to ramble on about every little detail.

“I-I don’t know what level of mage he is. I’ve never seen any mage other than my master. Besides, M-Master only ever went to places where there were weak people.”

“...”

“B-But one thing’s certain. Master isn’t a mage you can take lightly. He ran into a knight once, and even though the knight was wearing armor, he couldn’t do a thing. He died in an instant. He couldn’t even get near Master before he started vomiting blood...”

A knight, then.

That meant he was at least capable of instantly killing a 「sword walker」. I frowned at the ill-fated little Haylin.

I didn’t know much about mages myself.

Someone as illustrious as a mage would never visit this backwater, so I had never seen one in my life. The orc elder I had met recently was the first being I had encountered who wielded spiritual power. I hadn’t even heard many stories about mages.

This enemy was virtually a complete unknown.

I knew neither mages nor how to fight them.

“I-I wanted to ask you both something. Do the two of you really have to go see my master yourselves?”

“Is there another way?”

“H-How about reporting him?”

As I pondered the matter, Haylin offered a solution.

“M-Master is a dark mage. He was expelled from his old tower for breaking its rules, and he’s a fugitive being hunted by the Heavenly Empire because of the horrible things he’s done.”

“A fugitive.”

“I-If you report him to them, his pursuers will come and take him away. The Heavenly Empire will send some very frightening judges.”

A fugitive from the Heavenly Empire.

Haylin’s suggestion wasn’t bad.

Rather than recklessly fighting a mage I knew so little about, it would be better to leave him to others who had reliable information about him and were accustomed to fighting mages. I wouldn’t even have to pay them. They might actually reward me handsomely for reporting a fugitive. The people of the Heavenly Empire were famous for their generosity.

Besides, no one was more dependable when it came to getting a job done.

After all, Belma, the 「Heavenly Empire」, was the most powerful nation on this vast continent.

But there was one problem.

“I don’t know whom to contact in the Heavenly Empire or how to reach them. And even if we managed it, do you know how far away the Heavenly Empire is? We can’t wait that long.”

Haylin’s eyes trembled when she heard the problem I pointed out.

Soon, she spoke.

“B-But wouldn’t that be better than the two of you facing Master yourselves?”

“...”

“I-I saw you killing those golems earlier. I know you’re strong. B-But I don’t think you can beat Master. Master is... a devil. A devil.”

The fear rooted in Haylin’s heart seemed to be considerable. As I found myself looking with pity at her deathly pale face, Liam spoke.

「A devil? Ridiculous. Only someone who has never been to the ‘Land of Despair’ would say that. Ignorant fools who have never seen a real devil.」

“...”

「Young descendant, are you afraid? Afraid of facing this enemy called a mage, when you have never seen one before?」

I looked at Liam and murmured inwardly.

‘Yes, I am.’

「There is no need for fear. Let me tell you something interesting.」

「The blood of steel that flows through our bodies holds the power to bring despair to cunning creatures like those spell-flingers.」

Liam spoke as though he had heard the voice in my heart.

「That is why, long ago, mages called Caravan’s lands this.」

He grinned.

「The graveyard of mages.」

* * *

Guided by the beggarly little Haylin, we arrived near a hut concealed by thick brush. Sure enough, sinister energies seethed around it, far denser and stronger than those that had spread around the village. Before going in, I asked Liam a question.

“What do you think I should do?”

「About what?」

“He may be an unwelcome visitor, but he hasn’t actually harmed me yet. If there’s room for discussion, shouldn’t I try that? As I always have.”

「True. He hasn’t pulled any particularly nasty shit yet. All he’s done is snoop around your estate a little.」

Until now, my method had been to establish each other’s intentions through conversation before taking action. However vicious a dark mage he might be, killing him outright simply because he was a dark mage did not suit my way of doing things.

“But I’m not sure that would be safe.”

This enemy, however, was a mage.

The other unwelcome visitors had nothing but the weapons in their hands. This one was an unknown being who could conjure the arcane with a gesture. Was it wise to talk to someone like that and give him time?

Wouldn’t it be better to ambush him before he even noticed me and kill him in an instant? All manner of doubts arose. Then Liam spoke.

「Do as you wish, young descendant.」

“...”

「I will not condemn you if you creep in like an assassin and kill that dark mage by surprise. Nor will I condemn you if you reveal yourself openly, attempt to talk, and end up dying instead. Every choice is yours, and every outcome will be the consequence of your choice.」

Liam’s voice was sharp.

「Follow your own will. As straight and true steel should.」

“...”

「That is the Caravan way.」

Master was the same as ever.

He never forced anything upon me.

As I considered the matter for a moment, a question occurred to me.

“What would you have done, Master?”

「Killed him.」

The answer came without a moment’s hesitation.

「I would not have tolerated the fact that some mere spell-flinger dared entertain designs on my lands.」

“Was that the Caravan way in the past?”

「No.」

Master glanced at me.

For some reason, his eyes felt colder than usual.

「That was my way.」

“...”

「So make your choice in your own way.」

Liam’s eyes looked colder and harder than usual.

And at the same time, somehow lonely.

「Only then can you avoid regret.」

* * *

The dark mage Jerry Selpit bit his nails inside the dank hut.

It was a habit he indulged in whenever he was displeased.

“Why, in the world...”

Jerry Selpit did not like the current situation.

Not one bit.

“Why do things keep appearing to interfere with me?”

By good fortune, he had discovered a splendid manor in a backwater estate. It was shabby compared with the manor he had lived in back home, but considering his life since then, it could certainly be called luxurious. Until yesterday, he had been excited at the prospect of moving in, making a new home, and creating a magical labyrinth to serve as his own private hideout.

But everything had been ruined in an instant.

“Why?”

The magic Jerry Selpit had cast to seize control of the area had been dismantled with humiliating ease. His painstakingly constructed spell had collided with some form of spiritual power and shattered. He realized that the defense came not from a magical tool but from a shamanic one. Moreover, it belonged to a spiritual being whose abilities far surpassed his own.

“Why!”

Jerry Selpit immediately sent Haylin to dispose of the shamanic tools. Outstanding spiritual defenses but vulnerability to physical attack—that was the nature of shamanic magic. Whether that little brat was cursed and died from touching the tools was none of Jerry Selpit’s concern.

But Haylin had failed.

He realized this when every golem he had sent ceased functioning. That young 「sword walker」 girl was not the only one in the estate. There was someone else.

“Who dares interfere with my noble plans? Why in the world?”

Jerry Selpit’s anger slowly boiled up.

All his plans were ruined. By now, he should have entered the estate, washed his overheated body in the manor, changed into respectable clothes, and lain down on a soft bed. Wine and lamb would have made it perfect. He had dreamed of living that way just last night.

A dream of reclaiming the peaceful daily life those damned pursuers from the mage tower and the Heavenly Empire had denied him for more than a decade...

Jerry Selpit struggled to contain his overflowing rage. His eyes were so bloodshot they seemed ready to burst, and the darkness blanketing the dank hut began to writhe. Then an unfamiliar voice rang out, breaking the silence.

“I have a question.”

“...?”

“Are you an unwelcome visitor, or a neighbor?”

Jerry Selpit frowned and turned his head.

A handsome young man stood there, his face so pretty that at a glance he might have been mistaken for a woman.

“If you need food because you’ve gone hungry for a long time, I will share ours. If you simply need somewhere to stay, I will offer you an empty house. Our village has plenty of surplus food, and plenty of places to shelter someone with nowhere to sleep. So answer me.”

“What—”

“Are you an unwelcome visitor who intends to threaten this village? Or are you a neighbor willing to settle here if I provide the things I’ve just mentioned?”

As he listened to the young man’s aristocratic manner of speech, Jerry Selpit’s face twisted violently. He could sense some of the ‘traces’ he had spread clinging to the young man. Traces on his body meant one thing: this pretty boy was the one who had killed the golems Jerry Selpit had sent.

In other words, this bastard was the very culprit who had ruined his plans...

Jerry Selpit glared coldly at him.

“You do not decide whether I am an unwelcome visitor or a neighbor. That village is already mine. Because I have decided it shall be. Your question, therefore, is invalid.”

“I see you’re not someone who can be reasoned with.”

At Jerry Selpit’s words, the young man let out a long sigh.

That sigh of lament only enraged Jerry Selpit further. Rather than spewing his fury in words, the old mage put it into action. His lips moved as he recited a short incantation. In an instant, the Mana around him surged, forming a spell.

It was destructive magic that bound a designated living creature and tore its limbs apart. The arcane violence flew toward the young man concealed in the darkness the moment it took shape. As the magic poured toward him, he did not move a single step. He merely drew the sword at his waist.

In the pitch-black darkness, that blade alone shone, proud and aloof.

The sword moved gracefully, slicing through empty air. He had not suddenly begun practicing his swordsmanship alone. To Jerry Selpit’s eyes as a mage, the phenomenon taking place at its tip was clearly visible.

Mana was moving along with the sword.

Surging like waves, it gathered and narrowed, tracing a single line. That newly formed line met Jerry Selpit’s magic.

“Uh—”

And Jerry Selpit’s magic shattered without a trace.

Like glass struck by a flying stone.

“W-What?”

It was a phenomenon he could not comprehend with all the knowledge he had acquired over decades. The old mage’s eyes shook violently.

Dispelling magic with a sword?

Impossible. A swordsman at the level of a mere 「sword walker」 could never do such a thing. Just as a hand could not grasp flowing water, a sword could not cut through magic.

“This is easy to cut through.”

Indeed.

Jerry Selpit did not know.

“Throw another one at me. I’ve got the hang of it.”

He did not know that the young man before him was a 「Caravan」.

In other words...

“Come on. Again.”

A descendant of the steel that, in history now forgotten, had been called the natural enemy of all mages.