Chapter Summaries

Eris woke beside Rudeus in the ruins of Roa and remembered the losses that brought them there, along with the dangers they had survived together. She decided to stay with him, and they reassured each other of their bond before sharing a kiss as morning broke.

• Eris recalled that Alphonse had told her Grandfather Sauros, Father, and Mother were dead, and that House Notos wanted her as a concubine.
• Eris remembered how Rudeus had protected and supported her during their journey and how the Dragon God had nearly killed him.
• Eris decided she would not leave Rudeus and told him she was still there when he woke.
• Rudeus asked whether she was truly staying, and Eris embraced him and kissed him.
• Rujierd looked into the tent, left them alone, and returned to announce that breakfast was ready.

After Rujierd left the tent, Rudeus asked Eris if she would stay with him, and she promised to remain by his side while growing stronger. The pair shared their feelings before joining the others outside, where Ghislaine announced she was leaving for the Sword Sanctum.

• Rudeus worried that Eris would leave him, and she assured him she would stay wherever he went.
• Eris told Rudeus she would grow stronger alongside him rather than train alone at the Sword Sanctum.
• Rudeus thanked Eris for staying and said he was happy, and Eris quietly thanked him in return.
• Rujierd welcomed Rudeus outside and told him breakfast was ready.
• Ghislaine said she was leaving, asked Rudeus to take care of Eris, and departed.

Eris recalled the three years she, Rudeus, and Rujierd had spent traveling together, remembering how they faced danger and learned to trust one another. As they reached a town, Rujierd said Eris was one of the few people he could comfortably leave his back to.

• Eris remembered how Rudeus stayed awake beside her during their first frightening night on the Demon Continent and later returned from meeting Kishirika with the Demon Eye of Foresight.
• Eris recalled fighting desert scorpions alongside Rudeus and trusting his warnings to guide her through battle.
• Eris remembered rescuing five kidnapped beastfolk children with Rudeus and realizing why she wielded her sword.
• Eris recalled teaching Minitona and Tersena human speech while admiring their ears and tails.
• Eris asked Rudeus if he had been afraid during their first days on the Demon Continent, and he admitted that he had hidden his fear for her sake.
• Rujierd told Eris that she was one of the few people he could trust with his back, then stopped the group as they reached a town.

Rikarisu City marked Rujierd and Rudeus and Eris’s parting after three years of traveling together. Rudeus and Eris decided to search for his family at the Adventurers’ Guild and continued on without Rujierd.

• Rujierd said he had to search for the scattered Superd and clear his people’s name, and Rudeus promised to help spread the truth once he found his family.
• Rujierd told Eris she was better suited to protect Rudeus than he was, then asked Rudeus to take care of her and rode away.
• Rudeus and Eris mourned Rujierd’s departure, and Eris asked where they would go next.
• Rudeus said they would look for Paul and check the Adventurers’ Guild for messages, and Eris agreed to go with him.
• Rudeus set out with Eris, determined to live seriously and protect the people close to him.

After Rujierd left, Eris and Rudeus registered as the Dead End party and completed their first request together. Rudeus then found information suggesting his father might have left a message at Zant Port, giving them a new destination.

• Eris and Rudeus registered the two-person Dead End party at the Adventurers' Guild and accepted a request to hunt forest wolves.
• Eris led the way into the woods, where she and Rudeus defeated five forest wolves in less than a minute.
• Rudeus bandaged a scratch on Eris's arm, and Eris resolved to become faster and stronger so she could protect him.
• Rudeus found a notice about Zant Port and told Eris that his father might have left a message there.

Rudeus found Paul’s missing-person notice at the Adventurers’ Guild in Zant Port, directing him to Milishion in the Holy Country of Millis. Eris promised to go with him and revealed a message carved into his wand, and they headed for the docks to continue their search.

• Rudeus and Eris reached Zant Port after four days of travel and went to the Adventurers’ Guild to search for Paul.
• Rudeus found Paul’s handwritten notice asking him to come to Milishion, where Paul was waiting for his family.
• Rudeus told Eris that the journey would be long and dangerous, but Eris insisted that his family was hers too and comforted him with a hug.
• After they left the guild, Rudeus discovered Eris had carved into his wand, “Rudeus, Eris will protect you from now on.”
• Rudeus and Eris headed toward the docks to travel to the Holy Country of Millis.

Rudeus and Eris earned enough money in Zant Port to board a ship for the Millis Continent, where Paul was waiting. During the voyage, they shared a quiet conversation under the moon before a huge creature approached the ship from below.

• Rudeus and Eris completed eleven commissions in four days, earning enough for tickets, supplies, and meals.
• Rudeus and Eris boarded the Tailwind and began the seven-day voyage from Zant Port to West Port.
• Rudeus practiced wind magic at sea and learned to keep the sails at a favorable angle.
• Eris told Rudeus about seeing the sea as a child, and they promised to travel together after finding his family.
• Rudeus denied ever having been somewhere far away, and Eris called him a liar before falling asleep against his shoulder.
• A huge shadow moved beneath the ship, and an unusual wave tilted the vessel as Rudeus warned Eris.

Rudeus and Eris fought off an A-rank Deep-Sea Giant Tentacle Beast attacking the Tailwind, severing three of its tentacles and forcing it to retreat. After the captain granted them free passage, Eris asked whether Rudeus had seen a vision of her death, and he promised he would not see it again.

• Rudeus froze the sea around the ship and told Eris to attack the weak bands at the tentacles’ bases.
• Eris severed the first tentacle while Rudeus used his Demon Eye and magic to help her avoid the beast’s attacks.
• Rudeus and Eris severed two more tentacles, and the wounded Deep-Sea Giant Tentacle Beast withdrew.
• The captain thanked Rudeus and Eris by offering them free passage and a letter of recommendation for an inn in Milishion.
• Eris asked Rudeus if he had seen a vision of her dying, and Rudeus lied that he had not before promising her he would not see it again.

Eris and Rudeus arrived in Milishion, where they encountered the Millis Faith’s strict customs and prejudice against beastfolk. The next morning, they learned that Paul’s search party was near a refugee camp where beastfolk children had recently been kidnapped.

• Eris and Rudeus entered Milishion, and Rudeus warned Eris not to draw attention in the conservative Holy Country of Millis.
• Eris watched guards shove and drag away a beast-eared man, but she restrained herself after Rudeus reminded her they needed to find Paul.
• Rudeus and Eris checked into an inn and learned that Paul’s search party was their next destination.
• Eris practiced sword moves while Rudeus worried about seeing Paul again after three years apart.
• The innkeeper told Rudeus and Eris that the search party was near a refugee camp south of the city and that traffickers had kidnapped several beastfolk children.
• Eris tightened her grip on her sword when she heard about the kidnapped children, and Rudeus did not stop her.

Rudeus and Eris tracked the abducted beastfolk children to an old warehouse in Millis and attacked the traffickers holding them. The children were alive, but the chapter ended as Eris confronted the kidnappers on the first floor while Rudeus prepared to deal with those upstairs.

• Eris learned that traffickers had abducted five beastfolk children from the refugee camp and decided to pursue them despite the risks.
• Rudeus hesitated because they were in Millis, where unauthorized fighting was forbidden, but recalled Rujierd's lesson and chose to help.
• Rudeus used earth magic to follow two carriages to a warehouse and detected ten people inside, including the five children.
• Rudeus found no bows or crossbows upstairs, then fired a Rock Bullet to block the stairway as Eris entered through the main doors.
• Eris cut through a kidnapper's sheathed sword and warned the others not to move.

Eris rescued five beastfolk children from kidnappers in a warehouse while Rudeus blocked their escape, then waited for the guards with the children. A monkey-faced demon recognized Rudeus as his senior, leaving Rudeus staring at him as if trying to remember who he was.

• Eris stormed the warehouse and defeated the kidnappers, while Rudeus trapped the last fleeing man with Rock Bullets.
• Eris comforted Mina and learned from her older sister that the kidnappers had beaten the young girl.
• Eris restrained the unconscious boss after Rudeus warned her that the guards would arrive and they could get into trouble.
• Eris led the children outside, and Rudeus praised her before going to fetch the guards.
• A monkey-faced demon called Rudeus his senior, and Rudeus looked at him as if he recognized him but could not remember where they had met.

Rudeus met Geese outside the refugee camp, and Geese led him to the search party where Paul was waiting. After hearing how Paul searched for him and left messages at more than thirty Adventurers’ Guilds, Rudeus entered Paul’s tent and faced his father.

• Rudeus recognized Geese, who explained he had waited outside the camp for him and had seen him arrive in Milishion.
• Geese learned that Eris was Rudeus’s fiancée and agreed to take them to Paul.
• On the way to camp, Geese told Rudeus how Paul searched for survivors, waited for his family, and left more than thirty messages for Rudeus at Adventurers’ Guilds.
• Rudeus explained that he found Paul’s message in the Zant Port guild register, and Geese laughed that he had predicted Rudeus would check it.
• Geese led Rudeus and Eris to Paul’s tent, where Paul saw Rudeus and said his name.

Rudeus reunited with Paul after three years apart, and Paul welcomed Eris for bringing him safely home. Paul introduced Rudeus to his younger sister Norn, while the map and messages in the tent showed that Paul was still searching for their missing family.

• Rudeus and Paul embraced and cried after recognizing each other.
• Rudeus introduced Eris as his fiancée, and Paul thanked her for caring for him and welcomed her back.
• Paul introduced Rudeus to Norn, who asked Eris to teach her swordsmanship.
• Paul praised Rudeus for crossing the Demon Continent with Eris, then studied the marked routes and messages from his search.

Eris met Norn, who asked her to teach her swordsmanship, while Paul told Rudeus that Zenith had been found in the Teleportation Labyrinth and that Lilia and Aisha were missing. As the family prepared to enter the labyrinth, Roxy arrived at their camp.

• Eris crouched beside Norn, answered her questions, and agreed to teach her swordsmanship if Paul approved.
• Paul showed Rudeus the map and revealed that Roxy’s search party had located Zenith near Rapan in the Begaritt Continent, while Lilia and Aisha’s whereabouts in Shirone remained unknown.
• The group ate Geese’s soup, and Norn asked Paul to have Zenith make her a raspberry cake when they rescued her.
• After Norn fell asleep, a rider arrived at the camp, and Eris recognized the short, blue-haired woman as Roxy.

Paul and Rudeus reconciled after Paul recounted his years searching for his family, and Paul revealed that Zenith was trapped in the Teleportation Labyrinth on the Begaritt Continent. Roxy arrived at the camp as they prepared to discuss entering the labyrinth.

• Paul told Rudeus how he carried Norn to safety after the Teleportation Incident and searched across the continent for his missing family.
• Paul apologized for his past mistakes and admitted he feared Rudeus hated him, but Rudeus said he did not and praised Paul's efforts to find them.
• Paul told Rudeus that Zenith was inside the Teleportation Labyrinth and that Roxy had gone to investigate it.
• Paul welcomed Rudeus back and said they would discuss entering the labyrinth when Roxy arrived.
• Roxy arrived at the camp on horseback.

Roxy, Elinalise, and Talhand arrived at camp, and Eris saw how nervous and eager Rudeus was to meet his former teacher. Roxy explained that Zenith was trapped in the Teleportation Labyrinth near Rapan City and that its dangerous floors and Hydra guardian required a careful plan.

• Roxy arrived at camp with Elinalise and Talhand, and Rudeus greeted her with obvious excitement and nervousness.
• Rudeus introduced Eris Boreas Greyrat as his fiancée, and Roxy congratulated them before leading the others into the tent.
• Roxy showed Rudeus and Eris a map locating Zenith in the Teleportation Labyrinth near Rapan City on the Begaritt Continent.
• Roxy described the labyrinth's teleportation traps, poisonous fog, mana-enhanced monsters, and S-rank Hydra on the sixth floor.
• Roxy revealed that two search parties had been lost and said they needed a complete plan before sending anyone else into the labyrinth.

Paul assembled a seven-person party to enter the Teleportation Labyrinth and rescue Zenith, outlining the dangers and assigning roles. After the group prepared to leave the next morning, Roxy asked Rudeus whether he could protect Eris, and he said they protected each other.

• Paul explained the labyrinth's teleportation traps, poisonous mist, powerful monsters, and the Hydra guarding the sixth floor.
• Paul assigned Eris and himself to the vanguard, Rudeus and Elinalise to the middle guard, Roxy and Talhand to the rear guard, and Geese to scouting.
• Talhand doubted that Eris was a Sword Saint, but Roxy vouched for her and Eris lowered her hand from her sword.
• Paul told the party to prepare to leave the next morning and warned them not to die.
• Roxy asked Rudeus if he could protect Eris, and he replied that they protected each other before hurrying after her.

On the night before entering the labyrinth to rescue Rudeus's mother, Eris received a handmade charm from Norn and a spare sword from Paul, then accepted Rudeus's marriage proposal. Elsewhere, a white-haired girl at Ranoa University of Magic quietly wondered where Rudeus was.

• Eris sharpened her sword while thinking about the next day's rescue mission, and Roxy returned the sword after examining it.
• Norn gave Eris a handmade charm and asked her and Rudeus to come back safely.
• Paul gave Eris his spare sword and asked her to look after Rudeus.
• Eris told Rudeus she would protect his family, and he proposed to her; she accepted and punched him when he asked to kiss her.
• At Ranoa University of Magic, a white-haired girl studied voiceless magic and whispered Rudeus's name, wondering where he was.

Rudeus and Paul’s group reached Rapan and learned that the Teleportation Labyrinth’s traps had grown more dangerous. Paul then discovered that a search party was stranded on the fifth floor, and Rudeus recognized Lilia’s name among them.

• Rudeus, Eris, Paul, Roxy, Elinalise, Talhand, and Geese crossed the desert and arrived at Rapan.
• Rudeus and Paul visited the Adventurers’ Guild, where they learned that teleportation traps in the labyrinth had nearly doubled.
• Rudeus spoke with Eris in the inn courtyard about the previous night and remembered proposing to her.
• Paul told Rudeus that a search party had been scattered through the labyrinth and that several members were trapped on the fifth floor.
• Rudeus read the stranded party’s names and froze when he saw Lilia’s name.

Rudeus tells Paul he already knows Lilia is Aisha’s mother and focuses on rescuing her and Zenith from the Teleportation Labyrinth. Eris studies the labyrinth routes and organizes the group’s plan for entering it the next day.

• Rudeus reassures Paul that he has known about Lilia and Aisha and will not blame him, then agrees to enter the labyrinth the next day to rescue Lilia.
• Paul thanks Rudeus and tells him to treat Eris well before returning to the inn.
• Eris shows Rudeus a route that avoids several teleportation traps and reviews notes about the fifth-floor safe zone where Lilia may be.
• Eris assigns the group’s positions for the descent, with Elinalise and Talhand waiting on the second floor and Geese carrying word if trouble arises.
• Rudeus and Eris study the maps together, and Eris tells him to stay behind her and get to bed early before the expedition.