I was woken by a small sound.
The surroundings were dark, and cramped.
This space was cramped.
After dozens of teleportations, I had arrived at a space as narrow as a cradle.
It was barely large enough for one or two people to lie down.
The ceiling was low too.
Just barely tall enough to accommodate my own height.
At this height, in this cramped space...
As long as I was here, no monster would teleport in.
I sat at the edge of the space, leaned against the wall, and stared at what lay before me.
There was a magic circle.
A magic circle glowing faintly blue-white.
A teleportation magic circle.
Place just one foot on it, and I would be sent who-knows-where.
Most likely to a nest of monsters.
To a deathtrap teeming with double-digit numbers of them.
One month ago.
I had made a blunder.
I could make excuses — say it was unavoidable.
In the midst of battle, I dodged an incoming attack, tried to take a step back, and tripped over a stone.
My foot faltered.
The teleportation magic circle had been right there.
Even though I had checked for traps before the battle began.
I had stepped right into the thing with absurd ease.
And at the other end of the teleportation, there were hordes of monsters.
Twenty — no, there had to be thirty.
I was a magician.
I considered myself a competent one.
I couldn't use incantation-free magic, but I could shorten my incantations and cast faster than most magicians.
I was used to facing large numbers of enemies.
I didn't panic.
I quickly reached my conclusion: I would annihilate them all.
But the monsters kept coming no matter how many I defeated.
From the edges of my vision, more and more kept appearing.
The monsters in this dungeon knew where the teleportation circles led.
This was a monster's lair.
A trap designed to prey on hapless victims.
I prepared myself for death.
Monsters could be defeated.
But mana was not infinite.
I would exhaust my strength and collapse eventually — I sensed it instinctively.
I knew my own limits.
When my mana dropped to thirty percent — no, below twenty — the enemy numbers had not diminished at all.
The pile of corpses had grown, but the monsters kept pouring in.
It was completely hopeless.
No rescue would come.
Had I been abandoned?
If I were in their position, I would have left behind a clumsy woman like me, too.
No matter how skilled a magician she was, someone stupid enough to fall into a trap was dead weight.
No — I didn't think they would abandon me on purpose.
Or perhaps
Maybe they had been forced to retreat due to insufficient forces?
In any case, no help was coming.
I was on the verge of tears, but I fought desperately all the same.
Feeling my mana drain away, bit by bit.
And in the midst of it all, I found a glimmer of hope.
Of the six magic circles in this wide room, one of them had no monsters emerging from it.
Perhaps beyond that circle, there were no monsters.
It was do or die.
I used every last drop of my mana to break through the horde and leaped onto that magic circle.
That was how I had arrived here.
I had managed to survive.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
Water could be created endlessly with magic.
I had packed some food in my backpack, too.
I would rest here, recover my mana, and find a way to escape.
That was what I told myself, and I spent the day.
The next day, I stepped on the teleportation circle.
It took me to an unfamiliar corridor.
The circle seemed to teleport randomly.
But there was no sign of anyone nearby.
I mapped the area by myself and pressed onward, trying to find my way out of the dungeon.
I had considered waiting for rescue, but there was a possibility Paul and the others had all perished.
Teleportation traps were that terrifying.
I walked through the corridors and discovered three teleportation circles.
I marked the nearest rock and stepped on one.
It took me to another unfamiliar corridor.
I repeated this process several times.
In a labyrinth of teleportation, this was the only way to make progress.
I watched carefully to avoid stepping on traps, kept an eye out for circles hidden behind rocks, and pressed forward.
I couldn't tell if I was advancing or going backward.
In a labyrinth of teleportation, you couldn't even keep track of your current position.
Your senses were useless.
I was anxious, but I had to keep moving.
My food supply was dwindling.
I killed monsters, ate their meat, and pushed onward.
On one of my teleportations, I ended up in a monster's nest.
I fought for my life, found another magic circle that no monsters came out of, and came back.
To this cramped space.
How many times had I repeated that?
Five times? Ten times?
The destination beyond the circle before me was always different.
But eventually, I always ended up back here.
I was completely drained.
Even I had finally worn out.
According to my internal clock, a month had passed.
A month, with nothing to show for it, going around and around in circles.
The fighting was never easy.
Not once had it been easy.
I had taken countless hits, lost consciousness from blood loss more than once.
At some point, the monsters had begun positioning themselves to guard the circle I would flee into.
They were more intelligent than I had expected.
Breaking through took everything I had.
I could feel myself being cornered.
Every part of my body ached.
I had run out of food.
The monsters here were tough and tasted terrible.
They were so foul that I had to use detoxification magic just to eat them.
I could feel my physical strength declining.
The only thing I had in abundance was mana.
I didn't know what would happen next.
If there had been just a few more enemies...
If their coordination had been just a little better...
My mana would run dry, and the monsters would tear me limb from limb and devour me.
And even if I miraculously broke through, I would only end up back here again.
Just thinking about it made me unable to step onto the circle before me.
The monsters probably knew of my existence.
They knew I was trapped in this cramped space.
And that when I stepped on the circle here, I would return to their nest.
They were surely lying in wait.
Waiting for me to make a fatal mistake.
I had a premonition.
That the "next time" would be the end.
"..."
For the first time, I truly contemplated death.
My body would probably never be found.
Nothing would remain of me.
I would die, leaving nothing behind.
I was afraid.
I was terrified.
My back teeth were chattering without my realizing it.
I gripped my staff tight, fighting the urge to scream.
I had seen death many times before.
As an adventurer, I had witnessed people die before my eyes.
I had seen a mighty warrior cut clean in half by a monster, like a dry branch.
I had seen a brilliant magician crushed flat by a monster, like a tomato.
Skilled thieves, swift swordsmen.
I had watched them die before my eyes.
On days when I saw such things, I would vaguely think that someday it would be my turn.
At the same time, I believed I would be fine.
But now that I was actually facing it — it was terrifying.
I had done nothing yet.
There were things I still wanted to do.
I had dreams, too.
Yes. Dreams.
I wanted to become a teacher.
I enjoyed teaching others.
I had no talent as a teacher, but I loved it.
So when this was all over — when I had safely rescued
A school teacher.
My old master was at the magic university.
My master, with whom I had parted on bad terms.
Perhaps I would quarrel with them again.
But I felt that now, surely, I could get along even with that master.
...They had been rather vain, but by now they might have become vice-principal or something.
I wanted to experience a normal happiness, too.
Yes. If I became a teacher, I could get married.
Marry a man I loved, live together, and spend passionate nights together.
I was a demon race woman with a childlike appearance and a flat chest.
But even so, there had to be some chance.
"Ha."
A bitter laugh escaped me.
To think that in a situation like this, I could still conjure up such dreamlike fantasies.
I was going to die.
Neither dream would ever come true.
I would die pathetically.
At this point, there was no saving me.
I didn't know a single person who had survived a situation like this.
......I didn't want to die.
But I stepped on the magic circle.
Because I didn't want to die.
--- My premonition came true.
I teleported to an unfamiliar corridor, moved through several more magic circles bearing unfamiliar marks, and was naturally deposited into a monster's nest.
The instant I saw it, I knew it was impossible.
The monsters had piled dead bodies on top of the teleportation circle.
So they really wouldn't teleport into that cramped room.
That meant I had no choice but to move the pile and leap through.
"Fight through this horde at the same time?"
What a beautifully arranged formation they had.
The mountain of corpses guarded the teleportation circle — my only escape route.
Monsters were arranged in a radial pattern around it.
Iron Crawlers at the front moved in a defensive posture, while behind them, Scarlet Spiders spat silk to slow my movements.
Behind those stood enormous Mud Skulls, hurling boulders at me.
It was like facing an army, I thought, as I wove my magic.
"Clothe me in the solemn armor of the earth!
*Earth Fortress*!"
An earthen fortress materialized around me.
Eventually it would cover the top of my head and form a dome to protect me.
But at a certain height, I released control.
I didn't need a ceiling.
Chest height would be enough to stop the Iron Crawlers from charging.
"Scatter the falling droplets, let the world be covered in water!
*Aqueous Mist*!"
Countless water droplets materialized around me and scattered outward like bullets.
But the offensive power of this spell was extremely low.
The monsters were only slightly delayed.
I knew that.
Immediately, I chanted the next spell.
"O azure goddess descending from the heavens, swing your sacred staff and freeze the world!
*Frost Bind*!"
The surfaces of the water-drenched monsters crackled and froze solid.
*Aqueous Mist* and *Frost Bind* combined — *Frost Nova*.
The monsters in the front line came to a complete halt.
Into that opening, I unleashed another spell.
An advanced spell.
"King of Frost. Great sovereign of the vast snowfield.
Cloaked in pure white, reaper of all warmth — sovereign of zero.
O cold king who commands death, freeze them all!
*Frozen Spear Blizzard*!"
The abbreviated incantation was complete.
Normally, ice spears would be released in all directions.
Instead, they shot forward in a radial pattern.
The ice spears pierced through the frozen front line one by one, striking the monsters behind.
I deliberately left the front line standing.
While the ice statues served as a wall, I chanted an advanced spell and struck the back ranks.
With this tactic, I had once cleared a dungeon near the Kingdom of Shirone.
It was a surefire strategy.
But...
"...As I thought."
The moment the back-line monsters died, more kept emerging from the teleportation circle.
Stepping over the fallen, the room filled with monsters in the blink of an eye.
"It's no good?"
In an instant, the room was packed with monsters.
My heart filled with despair.
At the same time, panic set in.
This was bad.
I couldn't break through without clearing that pile of corpses.
But I didn't have enough hands.
"Damn it!"
From long range, a Mud Skull's boulder came hurtling toward me.
It shattered part of the Earth Fortress, and sluggish Iron Crawlers began squeezing through the gap.
A cold sweat ran down my spine.
"With a scorched blade, I shall cleave the enemy!
*Flame Strike*!"
A blade of fire flew forth, red-hotting the Iron Crawler's carapace.
The Iron Crawler writhed in agony before perishing.
Iron Crawlers were weak to fire.
But using fire underground was no brilliant move.
It would end up choking me with smoke.
But I had no choice.
"Clothe me in the solemn armor of the earth!
*Earth Fortress*!"
I created earthen walls once more.
My remaining mana was plummeting.
I was panicking.
What should I do?
How could I survive?
I thought.
I thought, while relentlessly cutting down monsters.
But I couldn't figure it out.
Wasn't this a dead end?
Wasn't this already the end?
Was I going to die here after all?
Even as I thought that, I mechanically continued killing monsters.
"...Ah."
My footing wavered.
My head felt fuzzy.
I could feel my mana running dry.
A few more shots and I would faint.
"I don't want to..."
I gripped my staff.
I didn't want to die.
I didn't want to die.
And yet, even as I thought that, memories flooded through my mind, one after another.
Being born. Becoming aware. My parents wearing disappointed expressions.
Living in a quiet village, realizing I was the only one who couldn't talk to anyone.
My pitying parents taught me words.
A traveling magician who visited the village inspired me, and I learned magic.
Armed with elementary water magic, I left the village.
In my travels, I met three young boys.
I adventured with them for years.
One of my companions died, and the party disbanded.
I traveled the Central Continent.
Met all sorts of people, and learned of the magic university.
I enrolled.
For the first time, I attended classes, and was deeply moved.
I scored well on tests, produced results in practical exams, and attracted the envy of those around me.
I chatted with friends in the dormitory, lounging about.
In my senior year, I met my master.
My master taught me saint-tier water magic, which I mastered easily, and I got carried away.
My master lectured me about all sorts of things, and I got angry.
After graduating, I left without even saying goodbye.
Thinking my abilities would be sufficient even in the Kingdom of
When I couldn't find work, I gradually drifted to the frontier.
Even at the frontier, I couldn't find work, and fell into despair.
That was when I found a posting for a live-in tutor.
I met Paul and his family, and
I witnessed Paul and his wife's intimate moments and was flustered.
I was amazed by Rudy's talent, and jealous.
Seeing that Rudy never got carried away, unlike me, I developed something like respect.
I taught Rudy saint-tier water magic and departed.
I began exploring dungeons near the Kingdom of Shirone.
Clearing one earned me a position in the Kingdom of Shirone.
I taught Prince Pax magic, and was reminded once again of Rudy's extraordinary talent — and my own lack of teaching ability.
I received a letter from Rudy and worked hard on a textbook for the demon god language.
I grew disgusted with various things and left the Kingdom of Shirone.
And then, I learned of the teleportation incident.
I met
I was shocked by the free-spiritedness of Elinalise and Talhand.
I traveled the Demon Continent.
I reunited with my parents and confirmed that they truly loved me.
I met Kishirika.
And then, and then...
Those scenes flowed through my mind in an instant.
An Iron Crawler was bearing down on me.
The heat from the earlier fire magic had warmed the room, weakening the effects of Frost Nova.
It was over.
I didn't want to die. I didn't want this.
I didn't want this.
"Aaah — nooo!"
I thrashed my staff pathetically.
Sticky silk flew toward me and coiled around it.
In an instant, I lost my grip.
"I don't want to die — h-help — someone...!"
I stumbled backward, but the wall was behind me.
Iron Crawlers were closing in.
So many. So many.
There was nothing left I could do.
Was I going to be eaten alive, just like this?
No — I didn't want that. I didn't want that.
"Someone, please help me..."
Ah.
...Ah.
(I'll never see my mother again, will I?)
The last thing I thought was something like that.
As the monsters closed in before me, I squeezed my eyes shut.
--- No matter how long I waited, that moment never came.
Or perhaps I had died instantly and was already dead.
That couldn't be.
But I couldn't even hear a sound anymore.
This might already be the afterlife.
Trembling, I opened my eyes.
Before me spread a spectacle beyond imagination.
A world of ice.
The Scarlet Spiders, the Iron Crawlers, the Mud Skulls.
Every last one had been turned into a pristine white ice sculpture.
The Mud Skull in the back snapped apart with a sharp crack.
The skull that formed its core hit the ground with a clank and shattered.
Frozen to the very core.
The difference in power was incomparable to my Frost Nova, which only froze surfaces.
There were probably no living monsters left.
"...Huh?"
I didn't understand what had happened.
Still dazed, I bent to pick up my staff.
"Ah!"
The staff was as cold as ice, and I dropped it involuntarily.
Clang. The sound echoed through the silent world.
As if responding to that, a voice reached my ears.
"Oh, thank goodness..."
Winding his way between the ice sculptures, a young man walked toward me.
The instant I saw him, I felt my heart race.
My ideal man was right there.
Soft-looking hair, gentle features.
He was tall, and wore robes — yet despite being a magician, he looked solidly built.
Clad in a gray robe, carrying a large staff, he walked toward me.
With an openly relieved expression, he looked down at me, "Eh? Ehh?"
And pulled me into a tight embrace.
Warm, strong, reliable arms.
A faint scent — a little sweaty, but somehow nostalgic.
He crouched down, buried his face against my neck, and drew a deep, overwhelmed breath.
"Sniff..."
"...!"
And that was when I realized something.
For the past month, I hadn't even bathed.
"Oh!"
The moment I realized this, I shoved him away.
"Huh?"
He looked at me, surprised.
Oh no. I had done something rude.
After he had just saved me.
But I didn't want him to think I stank, either...
Ah, wait — was that really what I should be worried about right now?
Huh?
My thoughts couldn't keep up.
"S-Sorry, I must smell terrible..."
"You... smell? I'm sorry —"
He sniffed his own sleeve with a hurt expression.
"No! It's me who smells! I've been in a place like this for a month!"
"Oh, is that so? Well, it doesn't really bother me—"
"Bothers *me*."
I shouldn't be doing this.
None of this mattered.
First, I had to thank him.
And ask his name.
"Thank you so much for saving me."
"Oh, it was the least I could do."
The least he could do?
He had no obligation to rescue me from an army of monsters like that.
Right — his name. I needed to ask his name.
"Ahem... Nice to meet you. My name is
If possible, may I ask yours?"
When I said that, he froze like a statue.
Had I said something strange?
"N-Nice to meet you...?"
"Eh? Oh — have we met somewhere before?
If so, I'm terribly sorry, but I... don't remember..."
Now that he mentioned it, he did look somewhat familiar.
Where had I seen him before?
He bore a slight resemblance to Paul...
Would I forget someone like this?
"I don't... remember..."
His face had gone pale.
Had I angered him?
No — I was sure we had met somewhere before.
His face was familiar, and years ago, definitely...
"I don't... remem... ber..."
He shook his head faintly, staggering back a few steps.
And then, abruptly, he covered his mouth...
"Blgh."
He threw up.
--- I learned that this young man was Rudy — Rudeus Greyrat, all grown up — a little while after that.
Paul and the others, who had caught up shortly after, took me into their care, and I was given a second chance at life.