★

Mary Lobart lamented her misfortune.

The new successor to the Silver Sword Saint, Dudley Claise.

Growing sick of him, Mary left the Macba household.

She wasn’t the only one. Many other maids had also left the Macba household.

That said, Mary had nowhere to go.

If she had to name one place, it would be Rastal Village.

She had heard a rumor that the 《Possessor of a Useless Skill》 had headed there.

Perhaps, Arios might be there.

— Here, take this, so don’t cry. I made it just for you. —

She could never forget.

The former candidate for the Silver Sword Saint, who had kindly handed her a handkerchief with a gentle expression.

— Along the way, she was abducted by a mysterious group.

She didn’t even have the chance to scream or resist.

Before she knew it, her hands and feet were restrained, and she was dragged to an unknown place.

Neither their motives nor their identities were known to Mary.

However—

“Ku ku ku, a fine woman indeed. You’ll be quite…useful.”

“Kh…!”

Mary was currently bound.

She was made to stand against a wall, with both her hands and feet chained.

Having no power of her own, she had no means to resist.

“You were a resident of the royal capital, weren’t you? Ku ku, you’ll make for excellent material.”

“You…!”

Mary glared at her captor.

A man cloaked in gray robes, his face completely concealed. She had also spotted several others dressed the same way.

Who were these people? Why had they kidnapped her?

She had no answers.

Bound and helpless, Mary could do nothing.

“But for now, let us savor the joy of having such a beautiful woman before us. Ku ku ku…”

The man’s hand slowly reached out toward Mary.

“No… stop…!”

At that moment, the face that surfaced in her mind was none other than his.

Arios Macba.

If it were possible, she wished she could see him just one more time—

“Mary!!”

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice.

A gentle voice that had always watched over the crybaby she once was.

What a joke.

To think she was so fixated on him that she was now hearing hallucinations in such a dire situation.

“Oooooooooh!!”

No—

This was different.

This wasn’t a hallucination.

This familiar yet dependable voice—!?

“Arios-sama!?”

He was a candidate for the Silver Sword Saint, but he possessed a 《Useless Skill》.

In the royal capital, everyone gossiped about how he had fallen.

However— The sword technique he displayed in the next instant held an intensity that could overwhelm not only Dudley but even Leon, the Silver Sword Saint himself.

“Engen Style—Swift First Slash!!”

“Nu… Gwaaaaaah!!”

The robed man’s scream echoed throughout the room.