I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

After waving energetically, Sophia switched to 'battle mode', pulled down the mask with the LCD screen, and led the group to run around the streets and alleys.

After wandering around for about ten minutes, seemingly both changed and unchanged, the four members of the game club stood once again in front of the tavern with its peculiar architectural style.

"Strange... Was this how the tavern looked yesterday?"

Even if Momoi was slow to realize things, she would notice something was wrong at this point.

They've taken completely different paths... Besides, weren't the buildings on either side of this tavern a market and a potion shop yesterday?

How did it turn into a blacksmith shop (engineering department) and a training ground (training department) today?

The location of the 'tavern' in front of her, and the environment it was in, made her slightly question her own perception.

Little Green wholeheartedly agreed with her sister's opinion: "Indeed... I remember the tavern wasn't built here..."

After observing the surrounding environment, Yuzu, holding the staff, put forward an opinion that was 'unreliable but reasonable'.

"Is this... a RogueLike element?"

“That’s right, this really is a Roguelike element. You can simply think of it as a ‘random map’... Every time we come to Elidu, the street environment and so on change…”

"Let's skip the details for now and go straight into the tavern."

As Amamiya spoke, he pushed open the salon door of the tavern.

'Jingle Bell--'

"Welcome back! Find a seat by the fireplace, please."

"What would you like, sir? Our Beritas Heroes' Tavern's Claw Energy is absolutely top-notch... Ah, it's you guys."

The person in charge of 'business' behind the bar has changed today.

Her long, straight red hair cascaded down her back and front, and the combination of her double braids and long, straight hair gave her a unique charm that was somewhere between the gentleness of a young girl and the handsomeness of a young man, making her stand out from her real-world counterpart.

However, it was obvious that she knew about Amamiya and her group, so she greeted them naturally.

"Hello everyone... I'm the member in charge of managing the bar today. Just call me Maki Koto."

Amamiya was a little stunned.

To be honest... he never expected that Maki, who looked so 'tomboyish', could have such a... girlish charm after letting go of her double bun hairstyle.

Her heroic spirit remains undiminished, but simply changing her hairstyle makes her exceptionally 'unique'.

Not only Amamiya, but even the game development team members who frequently dealt with Beritas didn't immediately recognize who she was.

"Um... are you Maki?"

"That little Maki Tori... I remember she didn't have a bun hairstyle, she looked like... emmm..."

"Those are just stereotypes."

After waving away Momoi's question, Maki said with a hint of helplessness, "Actually, it's kind of a personal disguise..."

"Let's not talk about that now."

She pointed to the stairs leading up to the side.

"The real 'tavern owner' is waiting for you up there..."

"Thank you."

Amamiya flicked out a gold coin, which landed on the bar with a clinking sound, a crisp sound symbolizing wealth.

"One thing at a time, it's just a transaction."

Guided by Maki in the shadows, Amamiya led the four members of the game club up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

Compared to the noisy first floor, the second floor was much quieter. It seemed like just a short walk upstairs had shut out all the noise.

There was no standard arrangement of tables and chairs... but the figure of a girl in a wheelchair, carrying a soul lamp with a faint blue flame, was clearly visible.

"Welcome... to our store."

As the wheelchair gradually turned, the four members of the gaming club saw clearly that the person sitting in the wheelchair was none other than the 'Great Sage of RPG Games' they remembered.

"I am the only great sage on this continent who has obtained the 'Omniscience' degree... Himari, the star. I've been waiting for you here for a long time..."

As Himari spoke, she swept her gaze over Amamiya and the other members of the game club, finally settling on Alice.

"Especially you..."

Alice, feeling the gaze upon her, instantly became slightly bewildered and at a loss.

"……I?"

“Ahem…”

The pale-faced girl was about to say something when her expression suddenly changed, and she immediately took out a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose.

After coughing a few times, her face turned even more ashen, and she casually placed the handkerchief stained with dark red blood on the edge of the table.

Despite appearing incredibly weak, Himari's eyes shone brightly under the gaze of Amamiya and the other members of the game club.

"That's right... it's you."

"Only you are the key to solving all of this..."

Chapter Seven: Ancient Weapons Buried in the "Mountains"...?

"Only you hold the key to solving all of this..."

Riju's unwavering confidence, as if saying, "You, only you, it's you, you are the one destined for me!" left the three members of the gaming club somewhat bewildered.

Momoi opened her mouth slightly in surprise, and after a long while, she finally managed to utter a sentence: "...So, Alice really is the legendary 'Hero of Destiny'?!"

Little Green didn't speak, but instead looked at Alice with a 're-examining' gaze, who seemed somewhat bewildered and at a loss, as if she remembered something but also seemed not to.

Yuzu, on the other hand, noticed Alice, who seemed lost in thought and particularly interested in a certain keyword in the sentence.

"...Are you alright, Alice?"

Alice, seemingly waking from her 'dazed' state, had a slightly complicated expression.

She lowered her head slightly, not letting anyone see her expression, and responded to Yuzu's concern in a somewhat dull tone, lacking her usual energy.

"Thanks for Yuzu's help... Alice, there's nothing wrong."

As for Amamiya... he was paying attention to the key words in Himari's words.

'The Universe...?'

The twenty-second card of the Thoth Tarot, which is also the card number XXI of the Major Arcana.

Equivalent to the well-known "The World (XXI.The World)".

Amamiya couldn't help but recall a little-known fact she had learned from Futaba when she was studying basic programming.

"Hey Jok, here's a little-known fact. It's said that... over 90% of programmers in the world wrote 'hello World' as their first program."

Is it possible for Alice to become a "universe/world"?

Having obtained this keyword, Amamiya didn't feel there was anything to be happy about.

You see... the last "Cosmos" card he knew was the gateway to sealing the Mother Planet of Death and humanity's collective subconscious yearning for death... it was hung in the sea of ​​humanity's heart as the "Great Seal"...

The idea of ​​liberating the inner universe at the cost of one's soul, thereby sealing away the future of some evil entity... that kind of thing was still too cruel for Alice.

"...Let's get straight to the point... *cough cough*...I don't have much time, but I'll try my best to help you understand the current situation..."

After coughing weakly a few more times, Kagehiko, sensing that something was wrong, quickly began to recount her 'background story'.

"You foreigners... since you've come to defeat the Demon King, you should at least know about the Demon King who built his castle..."

"She was known as the 'Dark Demon Queen of the Seminar,' tyrannical, self-centered, and militaristic, her crimes were too numerous to mention."

After using several adjectives, Hijiri's complexion seemed to improve slightly.

"We used to be best friends... but I don't understand why she gradually turned out like this... sigh..."

"She currently resides deep within her self-built 'Demon King's Castle.' If you wish to defeat her, you must acquire the most crucial 'weapon'..."

"Legend has it that this 'weapon' was once used by a hero and a demon king... It can be awakened by anyone. Sometimes it is called the holy sword that saves the world, and other times it is called the demon sword that destroys the world..."

With a deep gaze, the shadowy figure of Hijiri waved his hand and released a 'manifestation spell,' bringing up a map.

"Look... this is where the 'weapon' is now..."

"Remember... when you awaken it, you must first express your intention to 'save the world'... otherwise, this sword will transform into a demonic sword that devours everything... *cough cough*..."

Shadowy Himari seemed to want to say something more, but her frail physique made it seem impossible for her to continue expressing her thoughts.

"...Not...a weapon."

"...to find...myself."

After speaking intermittently for a couple more sentences, Riju sighed deeply, extinguished the soul lantern in her hand, and waved to the thoughtful members of the game development department, indicating that she really couldn't go on.

Momoi, Midori, and Yuzu exchanged glances, and then, without prior arrangement, the three of them bowed deeply to the Great Sage, Shadowy Himari, who, despite her life being as fragile as a candle in the wind, still stubbornly insisted on telling them the truth.

Shadowy Riju did not respond, but a wriggling shadow suddenly appeared beside her.

The shadow eventually coalesced into an assassin dressed in a sexy Shadow Dancer outfit and wielding a short knife.

"My lord is not well enough for today and needs to rest..."

"Come back another day after you've retrieved the 'weapons'."

Shadow Dancer Amy spoke coldly and rudely to Amamiya and the four members of the game club.

Startled by the gaze, Yuzu quickly pulled down her hat brim: "Sorry... I'm sorry to bother you..."

Momoi, who had originally wanted to say something, could only shut her mouth reluctantly at Midori's prompting.

"Well then... thank you for your hospitality, 'Great Sage'."

Amamiya pulled a test tube from the sleeve of his magician's coat and tossed it to the shadow dancer, Amy.

"This is the secret medicine that can cure your lord. Consider it our reward for providing intelligence support this time."

There was indeed a vial of medicine in the test tube... however, it was a special drug developed by an 'unlicensed doctor'.

[The Ultimate Medicine for Warriors]

[Type: Medicine/Consumable]

[Description - This is a super-effective medicine created by Dr. Takemi (Tsuyu Takemi; XI.Death), seemingly a 'forbidden drug' specially prepared for my activities in this other world. When used in this other world, it can restore all health points, remove all abnormal effects, and revive fallen allies.]

Shadow Dancer Amy caught the test tube steadily, uncorked it, smelled it briefly, and nodded to Amamiya.

"You can leave now."

……

After leaving the "Beritas Hero Tavern", Momoi realized that she and her companions seemed to have found a definite direction.

"So next... our goal should be to set off for the coordinates marked by the Great Sage and obtain the 'weapon', right?!"

Having grown accustomed to Sofia's powerful navigation abilities, she immediately moved closer to Sofia and asked with some curiosity, "Can you find the destination?"

"can."

Sofia answered decisively: "While you were interacting with the 'Great Sage,' I had a brief conversation with Maki Kotobuki on the first floor."

"After paying a gold coin, Maki Kozue gave me a topographical map of the land near Elidu..."

Sophia's pixelated screen on her mask flashed emoticons (*▽*), and she continued, "According to the map, the coordinates given by the Great Sage Riju are located in a range of mountains outside of 'Elidu'..."

After identifying the direction, Sophia pointed in a certain direction: "It's probably over there. If you stand on high ground, you should be able to see a long mountain range in that direction... The 'weapon' that the 'Great Sage' mentioned is hidden there."

After estimating the direction Sophia indicated, Amamiya thought to herself, "Just as I thought."

Sophia's directions matched Amamiya's guess—corresponding to the wasteland area known as the "Ruins" within the millennium-old jurisdiction of the real world.

Moreover, if things go as expected, Himari's so-called "weapon" actually refers to Alice.

Now that’s interesting…