Danger Knocks On The Door

Edward and Peter had finally finished their daily training. Belchior was once again criticizing Peter’s fighting style.

“You leave too many openings, that’s dangerous. Why do you always end your attack sequences with a downward punch?”

“Haha, about that…” Peter placed a hand on his chin. “I always try to combo with everything I have, so before I lose balance and fall to the ground, I throw my strength into my arm to finish with a punch.”

“Hmm… Looking at it that way, it almost seems like a good trick.”

“Oh, he actually praised me!-”

“But in a real battle, that trick could cost you your life if you miss!”

“Guess you celebrated too soon,” Edward said, glancing at Belchior. “I think today was a productive day.”

“Yes, you’re practically ready. We just need an opportunity to test you on a real battlefield.”

“I look forward to it,” Peter said with an optimistic stance and a bright expression on his face.

...

As they rested, Edward and Peter watched Arya return, carrying some boxes and bags with the help of two village women.

Edward observed her closely, his mind reflecting on the conversation he had with Belchior. “Will I be strong enough?” he wondered to himself.

Arya had no idea what was going through Edward’s mind, but she noticed something had changed in the way he looked at her.

She didn’t know what it was, but she felt it was a positive change—the sparkle in his eyes seemed more radiant than usual.

She returned his gaze with a warm smile on her face and a slight wave of her hand.

Edward felt a little flustered but waved back, while Peter whispered just low enough that Arya wouldn’t hear.

“You two go together so well. Don’t you think it’s time to make a move?”

“I don’t want to rush things and end up ruining everything… But don’t worry, I’ll do it very soon.”

“Good luck!” Peter said with a grin as he stood up. Their break had been long enough—it was time for the daily patrol.

...

Every day, after finishing their morning training session, the boys were tasked with the “daily patrol.”

Leaving Belchior’s house, they followed a trail leading toward the beach. This was the same path Belchior had used when he found the two young men collapsed on the shore.

After returning from the beach, they would walk through the forest surrounding the village in a clockwise direction. Along the way, they had to check each of the “amulets.”

The amulets were small metal spheres infused with magic, used to invoke the “Utopiosphere.” There were six amulets in total, each fixed onto small altars that vaguely resembled a mailbox or a lantern post.

Belchior had crafted the altar structures from metal so they would be firmly fixed to the ground, capable of withstanding strong winds or occasional impacts. They were distributed in such a way that their locations formed a sphere covering the entire village.

The Utopiosphere was a complex sealing magic and one of the essential skills required to graduate from the Magic Academy. It was the kind of knowledge every mage needed before setting off on a journey, though very few specialists or proficient users existed.

It was primarily used in situations where an area needed to be isolated from demon attacks, such as villages or cities, but had little use in direct combat.

The Utopiosphere was a kind of pact, formed between the mage and the place they wished to protect. The user would deposit some of their magic into six objects of their choice and then position them in the shape of a six-pointed star.

The mage needed to have a good sense of spatial awareness and plan some calculations to determine the correct placement of each point, as removing the amulets from their positions would deactivate the barrier.

The magic extended beyond the marked area, forming a sphere around the points, also preventing demons from simply destroying or moving the amulets with ranged attacks.

The Utopiosphere was not an impenetrable barrier, but even elite demons had great difficulty passing through it, while lesser demons were easily repelled.

“We’re almost at the last one. They were all in perfect condition as always,” Peter commented.

“I won’t lie, doing this every day is a bit boring,” Edward replied, placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed pose.

“I think so too, but the old man already made it clear how important all of this is.”

“Well, since we’re not fighting demons, I guess the best we can do is lighten Belchior’s workload.”

“Hey, Edward…” There was something Peter needed to ask his friend. “Do you think she’s okay?”

At first, Edward thought he was talking about Arya, but the way Peter was acting didn’t quite make sense.

“You’re talking about Lana, right?”

“Yes. Seeing you talk about Arya earlier woke up a part of me that had been asleep. She wasn’t with us back then, so I doubt she ended up on the same path as we did, but still…”

“It’s been a while since we ended up here. She must be worried about us too.”

“I dream about her from time to time. When I wake up, I feel an overwhelming desire to go back home and see her again.
I’m afraid that when I return, it will already be too late…”

“Hey, don’t be so depressing, that doesn’t suit you.”

“But…”

“Even though she has fragile health, I highly doubt she’d give up that easily.
At most, she’s probably just feeling lonely without you around, pestering her.”

“What do you mean? All I ever did was show her how much I love her!”

“And yet, she never accepted you as her boyfriend.”

“About that… It’s a bit complicated. She has a difficult temperament to deal with…”

“A classic tsundere, that’s true. But still, that’s exactly why I said you’re unreliable when it comes to love!”

“But I’m doing my best!!”

The two boys continued their conversation absentmindedly, laughing about how neither of them knew how to handle the hearts of the girls they loved.

— FWSSH! … TCHINK!

There was no prior warning. Had they not been so caught up in their conversation, they might have noticed the approaching danger earlier. But now that it had arrived, all that remained was their reaction time as fighters.

Just seconds before, a shadow had been dashing through the forest on all fours, weaving swiftly between the trees, relentlessly searching for a target.

The moment it spotted the two boys, it leaped toward them, launching its body forward and aiming its sharp fangs at a vital point.

Peter threw himself to the side, dodging the attack, while Edward, who carried his sword, used it to block the demon’s jaws from reaching his neck.

In mere seconds, Peter planted his left arm on the ground for support, sprang up, and rushed toward Edward, using all his strength to land a powerful punch on the demon, sending it flying backward.

“You okay?” Peter asked.

“Yes! Not even a scratch.” Edward stared at the demon as it stood up. “So this is one of the beast demons Belchior mentioned…”

“It looks nothing like the demon we met before.”

The creature that had attacked them could easily be mistaken for a wolf or a fox when seen from a distance, but up close, its size was considerably larger. It moved on all fours like a canine, with thick white fur and black markings on its legs and around its mouth—along with the dirt and blood staining its coat.

Its head was elongated into a triangular shape, with pointed ears and rows of sharp teeth in its maw. Its eyes had no pupils, just a deep crimson filling the entire eyeball. It had two long tails, which swayed and spiraled around each other in an unnatural way. But none of these features were that flashy.

The undeniable proof of its demonic nature was just above its eyes: a pair of horns. Two long, crimson horns that warned any human of what it truly was—a demon. After all, all demons have horns. That is an absolute rule.

“What now? What do we do?” Peter was slightly panicked.

“Retreat toward the village—we must have stepped past the barrier,” Edward said, glancing at the nearby amulet from the corner of his eye. They were definitely outside the Utopiosphere.

“Are we just going to run? Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”

“I said retreat, not run away. We can’t let this thing roam freely near the village, but we don’t have to be reckless either.”

“Got it…”

The two boys stood side by side, facing the demon while slowly stepping backward. The tension in the air grew thicker, and adrenaline surged through their veins.

The demon carefully watched their movements, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Just as they were about to step back into the barrier’s protection, Peter tripped over a tree root, falling onto his back.

It was the perfect opening for the demon to lunge at him, not caring whether Edward’s sword would strike it.

A beast demon acts almost purely on instinct, following only its urge to kill humans. There was no “strategic thinking”—the moment it saw Peter lose his balance, it simply charged toward its next prey.

But before the demon could reach its target, it was stopped by the magical barrier—because even with the fall, Peter had already entered the limits of the Utopiosphere.

Edward tried to seize the opportunity to slice off the demon’s head, but it reacted quickly, dodging and returning to its menacing stance.

“That was way too close!” Peter shouted.

“We’re safe now,” Edward sighed in relief. “I’ll try to keep its attention here—you go inform Belchior as fast as you can.”

“I refuse!”

“What?”

“I refuse to run from a fight! I’m staying, you go tell the old man!”

“Now’s not the time to play hero.”

“Just go already!”

“Ugh, fine.”

Just as Edward was about to turn around, a voice called out from behind them.

“That won’t be necessary.” ... Arya slipped through the trees.

The girl's arrival caused a moment of panic in Edward. His eyes quickly scanned her body, searching for anything resembling a flute, but he found nothing.

“The professor has already been informed,” she added. “I was helping the villagers when we spotted the demon running through the forest. I asked them to warn the professor while I ran after it to keep it in sight.”

“Well, that solves things,” Edward commented.

Footsteps were heard, and then Belchior emerged, running through the trees. His urgency faded when he noticed the two boys were also there.

“Looks like I came all this way for nothing,” the old mage said.

“Huh? What are you talking about? We were waiting for you to get here…” Peter replied.

“Didn’t you two want some experience? Now’s the time to prove what you’re capable of.”

“Ugh…” Edward sighed. “I was just waiting for permission.”

“It’s good to see you have at least a bit of common sense, but enough stalling! This is your final test!
You two have five minutes to defeat this demon—and you must use your magic. Otherwise, you won’t pass!”

Edward and Peter exchanged glances and then shouted in unison, “Yes!!!”

…

Beast demons have low intelligence and are the lowest-ranked among demons, but their sharp teeth and claws gave them an intimidating presence—especially since this was Edward and Peter’s first time fighting one.

Edward gripped his sword tightly, ready to strike, while Peter took a more aggressive fighting stance. Raising his right hand, Peter conjured a ball of fire. It wasn’t large, but it was enough to catch the demon’s attention.

The moment Peter stepped outside the barrier, the demon charged at him. Peter used his agility to dodge its claws and, with a swift motion, countered with a powerful punch, setting the demon’s body ablaze.

Meanwhile, Edward took advantage of Peter’s distraction to circle around the demon, searching for an opening to flank it. Using his magic, he extended a blade made of bone from his free arm. Now wielding two blades, he lunged forward, aiming to stab the demon’s back.

The demon let out a pained growl, like an animal under attack, then spun around in an attempt to strike back at its assailants. Edward jumped to the side, managing to pull his sword back, while Peter blocked the demon’s tail but was sent flying backward.

“Will they be okay?” Arya asked, concerned.

“Don’t worry,” Belchior mused. “They haven’t even started fighting seriously yet.”

Peter was a classic fire magic user, enhancing parts of his body with flames to complement his physical attacks. Edward had a bone-control magic that he used to aid his swordsmanship.

Realizing it was in trouble, the demon tried to flee. But as it turned, it noticed something wrapped around its leg—a bone chain, resembling interconnected vertebrae, held tightly by Edward.

Edward and the demon locked eyes, like two gunslingers in the middle of an old western standoff. Gripping his sword with both hands, Edward charged at the demon, which rushed toward him in return.

The demon snapped its jaws at Edward’s throat, but the boy was faster. He slid beneath the beast, slashing his sword as he passed. The demon staggered, but it wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

“Take this!”

Peter leaped over the demon, his fist engulfed in flames, and struck its head—right between the horns—crushing its skull.

That was the finishing blow.

…

“Yes! Congratulations! You guys did it!!” Arya ran toward them, pulling both boys into a hug, pressing their heads against her shoulders while bouncing happily.

“H-Hey, calm down!” Peter said.

“(So this is what they call a reward for slaying the monster…)” Edward thought to himself.

Meanwhile, in Belchior’s mind…

“(Something is bothering me… They fought well and met the requirement of using magic… But was that really magic?
It’s as if they were drawing their power from somewhere else rather than themselves. Well, my magic detection isn’t strong enough to investigate.)”

“So? Did we pass?” Peter asked.

“Hmm… Yes, without a doubt. It wasn’t an exceptional performance, but you handled it with ease.
You’re ready for a real battle. Congratulations!”

Peter extended his fist toward Edward for a fist bump—the two could finally celebrate their ‘graduation’ as Belchior’s apprentices.