Chapter 1 - Chapter 0: The Magic-Otaku Succumbs to Twilight in the Midst of Mortal Combat
Saki Adoni Arcalai sighed heavily as he followed the narrow path winding through the rugged mountains.
"Monster subjugation in a backwater like this isn't exactly what a legitimate magic user does, y'know," he muttered.
This was a mountain trail far to the northeast of the Hanoku Kingdom, deep within the Central Mountain Range dividing the eastern region north and south. The path was barely visible, only faintly traceable by the rare passage of caravans.
Cloaked and burdened, he looked like a seasoned traveler. He appeared to be in his early twenties, though his features were obscured by his hood. Still, his soft golden hair and piercing blue eyes were visible, betraying his youth and intensity alike.
"Don't get careless. This is officially dangerous territory," a somewhat monotone young woman’s voice called from behind Saki. She, too, trailed him in traveler’s garb, though her hood was down, revealing her face fully.
She was strikingly beautiful. Her jet-black hair was woven into a single thick braid that reached her waist. Her face was flawlessly pale—not tanned in the slightest—with a soft rosiness hinting at youthful blood. Large obsidian eyes, fringed with thick lashes, gave her a semi-closed, feline elegance. Perched on that striking face was a rare sight in the Hanoku Kingdom—even possibly the only—pair of spectacles.
Her lips, pressed into a thin line, were petite yet lustrous. Overall, she possessed a captivating beauty, though her reserved expression lent her an aloof air. Her cloaked figure concealed her form, but her petite frame was evident.
"Even so, we’ve been climbing this mountain for two days straight, treading that trade route, ups and downs non-stop. I’m so done with this," Saki grumbled as he stopped and turned to face her, lowering his hood to reveal his own well-defined features—a face that would earn him countless admirers, if he ever kept his mouth shut.
"It’s about to get interesting. Just keep walking."
"Still so blunt. At this rate, no woman will marry you."
"Don't need one."
The woman’s retort was equally sharp.
"That’s exactly my point. After all these years…" Her voice trailed off abruptly as Saki’s gaze snapped toward the path ahead, his expression turning instantly tense. Dropping into a defensive stance, he hissed,
"Armor. Shield. Magic Armor. Magic Wings."
As he muttered, shimmering patterns flickered and vanished before him, coating his body in a faint white glow after each incantation.
The woman behind him was also casting. "Resistance. Fire Protection. Spell Barrier. Spell Reflection."
With each incantation, intricate glyphs danced in the air before fading, bathing her in protective auras. At this level, they could skip drawing physical sigils entirely, and the abbreviated casting was purely for signaling what spells they were using.
"Here it comes!!"
Saki roared, leaping skyward. Crossing the treetops just as the colossal shadow slammed down where he had stood.
A deafening roar echoed through the mountains as the massive creature manifested before them. Easily ten meters long, it resembled a winged lion but with goat and dragon heads sprouting from its shoulders, and a snake’s head forming the end of its tail. Flames leaked from its three snarling mouths. "A Chimera," Saki whistled, impressed despite himself by the immense magical energy radiating from it.
The Chimera swiveled its three heads, searching for prey, before locking onto the two airborne figures. Saki and the woman instantly backflipped away as it lunged, their wings of solidified gold propelling them high above the monster.
"Seriously reliable, this Air Elemental," Saki smirked, folding his arms, as the creature was repulsed mid-flight—clearly an invisible barrier at work.
"Meet me halfway," the woman shot back, thrusting her arm forward, her fingers weaving a complex pattern that shimmered with golden light.
"Evocation/Airth Elemental!"
She finished her cast, and the ground shuddered beneath them. Soil and rocks erupted violently as an Earth Elemental—triple Saki’s height—manifested, instantly grappling the Chimera’s lion head to the side and pounding the goat and dragon heads with its free hand.
"Yes! Hold him there!" Saki roared, then rapidly traced a pattern in the air.
"Demonstration majors doubly involved."
He concluded just as the Earth Elemental released the Chimera's heads and backflipped away. A bolt of lightning from the clear blue sky Speared the monster below—a torrent of electricity scorching the mountain face and trees.
"No forest fires."
The air around them suddenly turned icy. Next came hailstones, each as thick as a human fist, slamming down with brutal force, snapping trees and gouging the earth.
"Whoa—seriously?"
"Still kicking."
The hailstorm ceased, leaving the Chimera standing amidst the wreckage, its body scorched, wings mangled. But all six eyes blazed with fury and hate as it roared at the trio.
"You know, I’m seriously starting to think magic users shouldn’t have to do this job. When do I get to lock myself in a tower and just research?"
"Don’t die."
The wounded Chimera dodged the elemental’s renewed attack and lunged airborne toward the duo above. The fire in its mouths intensified—a clear indication of an impending Fire Breath attack.
"That’d be real bad. I'm leaving a heavy burden of a fiancée back home. Can’t die here."
Saki cracked a light tone, but his eyes never left the deranged Chimera.
"Man, how’d I even end up doing this?"
While silently ordering the air elemental to intercept, Saki Adoni Arcalai absentmindedly recalled the strange journey since his reincarnation into this world.
This part was originally published later, inserted as a prelude before the actual first chapter. The next chapter will be the real beginning of the story. Thank you in advance for your support.