An outcast dropout, surviving on the frontier and rising to become an S-ranked counter-magician.

Run. Ride. Run. 

I was running around the base, and trying to get out anyway. I don't know what Mr. Bell meant by that. And I don't know where Princess Liane is. There are so many things I don't know. 

Miss Ellie is dead, and I'm the one who's going to be condemned as the guilty party or rather, the traitor. If this is the scenario described by a true traitor, then perhaps if I'm trapped I'm unlikely to see what's waiting for me from there on out, which is approximately a good thing. If I'm trapped, there's little action I can take. No, perhaps I was stuck in a jam when I went to that place. 

But even so, Mr. Bell let me go. He believed in me. Then I need to repay that. And besides I need to settle this here for Ellie-san, who is dead. 

Perhaps, but I believe that Ellie-san was killed because she was closer to the truth. From the research she is doing, she may have found something about the traitor. Even when she was talking to me, she said there were a lot of things that didn't feel right and that there was a good chance she would find them because of the traces. 

''........d*mn! 

I can't help but say so. The reason why Ellie-san came so close to the truth might be because of me. The content of the conversation with me is the cause........when I think about it, I feel even more despondent. But now is not the time to indulge in such sentiments. It's not too late to wait until after everything is over. Right now, anyway, we should look for Princess Liane. 

''Shouldn't we get out of the front...? 

Assuming that I'm being set up, they must be thinking about the possibility of me escaping.  

'There he is!　It's Julia Curtis! Restrain him! 

When I turned around, multiple antimagicians were already closing in on me. The fact that I've already escaped, and that I'm a suspect, has spread...this may be more difficult than I expected. 

I decide that I have no choice but to force my way through and walk out. 

''They're coming out! Get him!　That's a lot of people!　No matter how much of an expert opponent you are, you can't match the sheer volume! 

d*mn there's a lot of people. What's thirty people?　I'm not sure how many opponents are here... when I came here, there were almost no opponents... the situation seems more serious than I thought.  

''Hey, what's going on?　Ugh........ What... haha! 

And in the blink of an eye, the demons there were falling down. I looked at them to see what was going on, and at the center of it all was a familiar face. 

''Shelly........'' Julia. Thank God you're okay. 'Yeah but Shelly could be charged with treason too. 'It's too late. And there's no way Yulia is a traitor. I have faith in her. Speaking of which, how did you know about it? I just received a transmission from the doctor, and he just gave me the gist of it. He wants me to work with Julia to find Princess Liane. Did you give us the location of the princess? ...in the basement. They say it's underneath the castle. Underground? ''I don't know what to make of it since I was on the edge of communicating with the doctor, but I heard that the royal castle has a basement. I see... 

Underground. It's no surprise that it's there, but the question is where do I go underground? For now, I deployed the Twilight Sight. I perceive the magic element around me, hoping to find some clues. 

''Hm?'' What's going on?　Julia. 'Traces........it seems to be going on........' 

I followed the traces all the way to the inside of the castle, the traces of the magic element continued into the castle. The traces are so thick that you would think they were left behind on purpose. Could this be a message for you to follow me?　It is true that this is something that can only be understood with the singular ability 《extra》 that can perceive the magic element. It might be possible that this might be the case. 

You're going to be able to find the entrance to the basement. I think I can find the entrance to the basement. Okay. 

And so we entered the castle. There were a few guards, but we had no choice but to get them to pass out. We need to act quickly because we're running out of time. 

Following the magic element, we came to the storeroom. But this is where we lost all traces of it. 

''Julia, what's in the storeroom? No I don't know. But the magic element is cut off here. Maybe we can get underground from here. 

We both searched the stacks. We found what looked like scuff marks. 

"Sherry, here. Looks like he scraped something off. Can you shift it? Shall I try? 

We both shifted the bookcase. But what was there was just hard-poured concrete. Although it was completely unchanged, my eyes perceived a definite trace of it. 

''It's ... a magic circle. Can you see? It's cleverly concealed, but I can see it. Useful, those eyes. Well well.......... 

I drowned out the magic circle there. Then what looked like a square cut was drawn on the ground and with a gurgling sound, the stairs to the basement opened up. 

''It's open.'' Could it be a trap? It is. But it's the only clue we have right now. Let's move on. Well.... 

Sherry and I go straight down the stairs to the basement. Maybe it's because it's underground, but it's a little cold. And there was no light at all. But my twilight sight was able to grasp the structure of the surroundings. Magnesium is not only found in living creatures, but also inorganic substances to a greater or lesser extent. Because of this, my vision firmly reflected the surroundings. Shelly, on the other hand, had no such abilities, so I pulled back and led the way. Then we went down quite a ways and came out into an open area. 

The lights were on there, and the path led further in. At the same time, I was perceiving an even denser magical element. 

''U........'' Are you okay, Julia? No, it's a bit too much information. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Yeah. But still, this whole thing... it was so sudden. 'My guess is that it's because Ellie arrived at the truth... or maybe the other person didn't have time left in the first place. What do you mean? They were preparing for a major attack. I'm sure it was entirely intended to bring down the warded city, but it was prevented. The only option left is to run away, but we need to get rid of the remaining evidence, or maybe there's something else going on, but one thing is for sure, we've got it cornered. Even if they want to frame me as a traitor, the arrangements are too poorly arranged. They probably didn't have as much time as they did during the raid. And now that Ms. Ellie had gotten to the truth, it needed to go away. So she figured it was just in time for me to make contact with her, and then she falsely accused me of something... I guess. Well, that's just speculation. I'm pretty sure I'm on top of it, too. 

As we were talking about it, we came to an even bigger place. It's a circular area, but we found someone standing there. 

'Mr. Silas....' 'You've come this far, Julia, haven't you? Now, traitor, what are you going to do from here on out? I'm not a traitor. We'll hear about it later. I guess this is the only way to tell the story now. .... 

However, the one who came out in front of me was Shelly. 

'Yulia, go. I'll hold them off here. 'Shelly but...' 'Time is running out. We could deal with both of you, but time is running out. Reach the princess. Okay..... 

Shelly's words, already drawn out, were serious. She was going to challenge Silas-san, the strongest of the human race, all by herself. 

''You think I'm going to let her get away?'' 

But Silas-san's wires were already ejected towards me and Shelly. 

Fast!　Even though I was deploying Twilight Sight, even if I was deploying Twilight Sight, to catch its trajectory... or so I thought, but Shelly's sword was cutting both sides of the wire. 

'Yulia, go!　Quickly! Shelly, please! 

I put my body strengthening on full blast and walk past Silas-san. I don't even think about defending myself this time. It's a matter of trusting Shelly's skills. Then I pass by Silas-san in an instant and continue on to the back--. 

◇ 

You missed it........you're good, Shelly Amis. .... 

A momentary attack and defense. Silas's wires were definitely trying to entangle Julia's body. However, however, Shelly's sword strike was right in front of Silas. Therefore, Silas was forced to go on the defensive. 

Silas had inwardly licked Shelly. It wasn't conceit or pride, it was pure fact. He was the first rank in the special class anti-magician order, and Shelly, a first class anti-magician. Their strength is as clear as fire. Nevertheless, Shelly still stood up to them. Her courage alone is worthy of admiration, but what should be noted is her skill. 

That behavior that reminds me of Belle. No, this could be......... 

''After all, that factor was great........'' .... 

He said something vaguely to himself, but Shelly's consciousness had already detached itself from the unnecessary sounds. All I need now is the awareness to stand up to the strongest man in humanity. 

Consciously, let out a breath. Are you afraid?　If you ask me, I can only be afraid. Shelly has fought the demon race to a certain extent. Even in twilight, she has already gone to level 3 many times. And yet, she intuitively sensed that the man in front of her was more.......threatening than any demon she had ever encountered before. 

'Well, Shelly Amis. Am I right in thinking you're a traitor too? .... "I take your silence as an affirmation? Shh! 

Close the distance in an instant. Bell's teaching was to take control of the other person's consciousness. Always look at your opponent, read their thoughts, and dive into their consciousness. Then, with overwhelming speed, twist it down. That was her swordsmanship. 

''I see ... it's like Belle herself. Let's raise the alert level on this one. If truth be told, I'd like to scout you as a special class anti-magician here, but I'll have you prepared for some pain. G................... 

Yes, Shelly's sword had not reached Silas. It had been caught by the wire. I don't understand.  

''Well, let's get this over with. 

And she takes on the strongest.