The forest was silent—too silent. The usual hum of insects and rustling leaves had vanished, swallowed by the suffocating weight of fear.
The corpses of the bandits lay sprawled on the ground, their bodies twitching as residual impulses ran through their nervous systems. Weapons, coins, and scraps of armor were scattered like discarded trash.
Luthar crouched beside one of them, pressing a thin metal device against the dead man's neck. A soft click. The body convulsed once before going still.
Faint pulses of energy flickered across Luthar's cybernetics as stolen memories, experiences, and knowledge flowed into his personal cogitator. Fragments of fear, greed, and violence passed through his mind like shattered glass.
He sorted through the chaotic mess, extracting useful details—geography, language, and local customs.
Adventurers descended into a dungeon filled with monsters for power and wealth. Gods ruled the city of Orario, each leading a Familia. Their blessings, Falna, allowed mortals to grow stronger.
Luthar exhaled through his mask. This was not the worst world he could have landed in. It was dangerous, certainly, but compared to Warhammer… DanMachi was a paradise.
First he took everything valuable belongs to bandits Then He turned his attention to the white-haired elf, still bound but unharmed. Pale skin, silver eyes, delicate features—like something out of a storybook.
Luthar stepped closer, observing her impassively. "You're awake," he said, his voice flat.
The elf blinked, her silver eyes unfocused before snapping to him. "Huh?"
She tugged at her restraints, realized they were still tight, then looked up at him with sudden clarity. Her ears twitched. "Are you with them"
"No."
He pulled out a knife and cut through the ropes in one swift motion.
She stretched her arms, wincing. Then, without hesitation, she grinned up at him. "Thanks! But you should give a burning first I almost thought you are going to cut me, by the way Are you an adventurer?"
"No."
Her ears perked. "Then how did you do that? Do you have a magic weapon?"
Luthar considered the question, then pointed to his gun. "No magic. Just good knowledge and engineering."
The elf tilted her head, studying it with curiosity. "But if it's not magic, how does it work?"
Luther didn't answer.
She pouted. "You're kind of mysterious, huh? Well! My name's Lyra!" She puffed out her chest. "I was on my way to Orario to become an adventurer! Then those bandits attacked me. I really thought I was going to be sold off..."
Luthar remained silent, already reconstructing a map in his head. There was a village nearby. It would be a safe place to gather more information—
"You're heading to Orario too, right?" Lyra interrupted, stepping closer. "Then let's go together!"
Luthar glanced at her. "I was considering a village first."
"No way! That's the opposite direction!" she huffed, shaking her head. "There's nothing there except farmers and boring people. If you want to have fun, you should come with me!" She paused, realizing how that sounded, then quickly corrected herself. "I mean, lots of fun things in Orario!"
Luthar raised a brow beneath his mask. "And why should I go with you?"
"Isn't it obvious? Saving a beautiful girl, going on an adventure together, becoming best friends—duh!" Lyra grinned, her silver eyes bright. "Oh! That reminds me—I can introduce you to Loki Familia! They're really strong."
Luthar immediately shook his head. "No."
"Eh? What do you mean, no? You don't want to join a powerful Familia? Or do you not want to be an adventurer?"
"Not interested in Loki."
Lyra frowned, then suddenly gasped, clapping her hands together. "Ohhh, I get it! You want to be like one of those ancient heroes!. But I still think you should join Loki they have really good family members.
Lyra grinned, bouncing slightly on her feet. "Just follow me—that village is really boring!"
He exhaled, adjusting his cloak; it took out a small bomb and put it around the bandits so it could kill them after they left. After this, he said, ...Fine." For Luthar, it didn't matter where he went, so following a cute elf is also a good choice.
"Yay! Let's go!" Lyra said with the cheerful voice nobody would believe she was kidnapped just a few minutes ago.
As they started walking, Lyra kept chattering beside him, filling the silence with endless questions.
And for the first time in a long while, Luthar found himself thinking about something other than survival.