The only hero of SageWorld and known as the strongest of humanity.
Iara Un.
After losing to the Pig King, she was imprisoned in a dark cell made of mud.
And unable to do anything, she could only watch the horrific scene of nine humans being slaughtered.
Iara blamed her powerless strength and once again realized she was just a frog in a well.
Then, suddenly, she remembered her fleeing companions.
The companions who flattered her while following along.
When Iara faced danger, they fled without a moment’s hesitation, abandoning her.
This was the first experience of such betrayal.
No one truly believed in Iara until the end.
No matter the circumstances, they firmly protected Iara’s back.
To the people of SageWorld, Iara Un was like an unbreakable giant shield.
And rightfully so, as Iara had never been defeated. She was the world’s strongest woman.
‘… The fact that they ran as soon as I lost means their true nature was to abandon me.’
What they had believed and relied on was merely Iara’s strength.
If they had been with someone else instead of Iara,
and that person had been in danger in the original world, they would have coldly abandoned and run. A bitter disappointment washed over her.
‘I told them not to follow, but it’s still a bit bittersweet. I never thought they would ditch me without a second thought.’
Ha ha…
Iara let out a hollow laugh.
Of course, her sense of betrayal wasn’t as strong as at first.
When she was abandoned, curses involuntarily escaped her lips, but after some time, she thought that at least her companions were safe.
‘Right, as long as they survived, that’s what matters.’
Deciding to forget about her companions,
Iara sighed deeply and looked up to survey others around her.
‘… More than that, everyone looks terrible. I don’t think anyone’s in their right mind.’
The cell was filled with terrified people.
Normally, Iara would comfort them, but she didn’t even have the energy for that right now.
Not that she was exhausted from betrayal and defeat.
It was just that she found herself in a hopeless situation without any trace of hope.
‘I guess I have no choice but to peacefully accept my death. Those pig monsters are unbeatable regardless of who comes.’
Iara thought that while other monsters residing here might be different,
there was no way the monsters would willingly help humans.
If they were to help, it would be only to snatch up the food for themselves.
Just then, as Iara was about to sink into despair like everyone else,
‘… Huh? What’s this?’
A strange sensation of weakness washed over her body.
‘Did my strength weaken…?’
It wasn’t an illusion.
Her strength had indeed weakened.
In a panic, Iara asked those around her.
If they felt anything unusual in their bodies.
No one could answer that question.
Everyone was in a state of panic.
Even without receiving a response,
Iara could guess that no one was experiencing the same symptoms as her.
What have the pigs done to my body?
Or did I hit my head on the ground earlier and cause some brain damage?
While all sorts of thoughts flitted through Iara’s mind,
［Squeesh!!］
［Squeesh!!!］
Noisy sounds echoed from outside the cell.
Iara’s heart raced at the thought of her companions possibly returning to rescue her.
However,
［Oink!］
［Oink!!!］
Upon hearing the pigs’ desperate screams,
Iara immediately dismissed that thought.
‘Could it be that other monsters have invaded?’
Caught up in curiosity, Iara tried to see what was happening outside the cell, but a giant Pig King blocking the entrance obscured her view.
‘Can’t you move a bit…?’
Just then,
The Pig King guarding the prison trembled its arms and then, let out a roar and dashed forward.
‘Oh. Now I can see… huh?’
In an instant, an unbelievable scene unfolded before Iara’s eyes.
New types of monsters she had never seen before appeared, slaughtering the numerous Pig Kings like insects.
Words failed her.
It was an unimaginable sight.
Is there something stronger above?
What are those monsters that can take down such strong pig monsters in one hit?
Filled with awe, Iara gaped in amazement, watching the monsters battle.
Amidst the chaos,
A figure that seemed out of place captured Iara’s attention.
In the midst of the chaos,
‘Daddy! Can I eat all the blood?’
“Leave one. Merino said she could make something delicious with it.”
A single male human stood calmly with his arms crossed.
The man scanned the area and then shifted his gaze to the cell, locking eyes with Iara.
“Oh, there they are. The drifters.”
At that moment, a flicker of hope ignited in Iara’s eyes.
*
After dispatching all the Pig Kings,
I took the imprisoned drifters to my hideout.
Ten were F-Class,
And one was a woman who had weakened from B-Class to D-Class.
The total of eleven drifters began devouring the octopus bread prepared by Merino, not doubting it for a moment.
“Enjoy your meal!”
At first, they were too terrified to act seeing our monsters, but when food was placed in front of them, their attitudes changed completely.
Of course, survival comes first.
“It’s delicious…”
“Ugh, ugh.”
“Thank you… truly, thank you!”
I also generously offered drinks from Neo Japan.
Just in case they choked.
I saved the Pig King meat separately.
Surely feeding humans the pig that had eaten them would make them uneasy.
I don’t care, though.
Anyway, while they were eating,
［Now, relax! You are safe! Doo Doom Bar!］
A pretty hedgehog took the lead to reassure everyone individually.
Continuing to mention that we were harmless.
The reason I didn’t directly speak was simple.
It was better for a cute hedgehog to step forward rather than a rugged man like me approaching people who were terrified.
Most people easily open their hearts to cute animals.
Ah, by the way.
The girl named Iara Un expressed her gratitude to me, yet she didn’t lower her guard for a while.
She probably thought I brought them here to eat them.
Fortunately,
As we posed no threat at all, Iara’s guard gradually relaxed over time.
After the drifters finished their meals,
I summoned Melody Fox to sing them a lullaby.
［Kyuuh, uuuu, uuuu, uuuu, uuuuuuu~］
They must have been mentally exhausted from the terrible experience, so a nap would do them good.
The story could wait until later.
*
*
*
All the drifters woke from their nap.
I gathered them in one place and began to explain about the area as I had done with Merino.
Including my introduction and everything about explorers and drifters.
We talked for quite a while,
And one by one, the drifters began introducing themselves.
First, the ten drifters were from a world called Normalia.
From what I gathered, it seemed like a world not much different from ours.
And the last one.
【Pururu】─Arahara~
The woman named Iara Un introduced herself as a hero of SageWorld, claiming to have once wielded the strongest power of humanity. She spoke in past tense because she realized she was just a frog in a well since coming here.
【Mysticism】─🧐
In terms of Elemenzia standards, B-Class wouldn’t even qualify as a hero.
But in another world, it could’ve been entirely possible.
B-Class is certainly not a weak grade.
I’m currently B-Class too,
And even S-Class monsters have weakened to B-Class right now.
If a B-Class monster were to fall on Earth, it would be akin to a catastrophe.
As I continued conversing with the drifters,
I started capturing the image of Iara in my notebook.
“By the way, why are you drawing me?”
“Just because.”
“Because she’s B-Class.”
Iara Un
─Actual Danger Level: B-Class.
─Current (Nerfed) Danger Level: D-Class.
─Ability: Magic.
─Special Note: Hero of SageWorld.
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