Sevens Gaiden Prologue

Prologue「My Name Is Lyle!」

Time flows by and several hundred years later, it was an era where humanity lived within colonies, surrounded by walls[1].

With the development of powerful magic tools, humanity achieved greater power than ever before. However, in order to pursue even greater power, humanity confined themselves within walls several hundred years ago. The areas outside of the colonies were referred to as the monster’s territory.

There was a time when mankind prospered and ruled over all the lands.

However nowadays, their living environment was just within the colonies. Many humans spent their entire lives confined within those narrow and confined colonies.

Even in that kind of situation, there were a few humans who dared to venture out of the colonies to fight against the monsters. Previously they were called adventurers; now they call themselves [Hunters].

Many of their members had control over the colonies, it was the way the guild showed its power in the battle for supremacy.

That was the current state of the world.

The world where once upon a time, Lyle and his company fought to restore peace to the world world and just narrowly emerged victorious.

The 13th Colony.

It was a colony with a population of 2 million; just a regular pipe-type colony[2].

The ones that could afford to be in the sunlight were greatly limited among the 2 million because only the wealthy were allowed to live in upper strata.

In the shoe locker room of the school located in the middle strata of that colony, a boy stood in front of his shoe rack.

Despite it being graduation day, the boy was alone. His shoe rack was vandalized and had trash thrown into it.

Even in the graduation atmosphere, that environment made it impossible for a grand celebration. The parents that came to pick up their children; could that be considered to be a small luxury? There were students who were boasting that they were going to have dinner with their family.

But, for the boy— for the boy with the quirky orange hair, he had no parents to congratulate him.

The orange haired boy was a little sad. When he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, his pupils regained a bit of their shine. He brushed off the trash from his shoe rack and retrieved his shoes.

There were the words「Underdog Hunter」 written on his shoe with a magic marker. It was the alias of his father.

「My father was not an underdog.」

That was muttered by the boy called 【Leo Walt】. He’s 12 years old. Though his height was a little below average, he was actually a boy who was more suited to lovely smiles. But, recently, his smile had diminished.

Underdog Hunter. The 13th Colony, the guild region that was located in a place once called 【Beim】, was where his father once worked as a hunter.

Leo admired his father since very young age but, in the end, his father was just a 【C-Rank】hunter. Moreover, he was called underdog since he couldn’t use magic tools. He heard that occasionally, when he received bullying from his cla.s.smates.

Because of recklessly diving into the labyrinth, many monsters ascended to the 13th Colony. Moreover, his father also went to fight them. But, what came back was only a bloodstained silver pendant. Embedded in the pendant was a blue gem; currently that was Leo’s most important treasure[3].

At the age of 10, his mother, who raised him, pa.s.sed away. It was because of a hunter riot in the colony; she died while protecting Leo from a collapsing building.

Thereupon, he heard his cla.s.s from inside the cla.s.sroom.

「Oi, underdog!」

「Seriously! Oi, underdog!」

「Stop it already, it will make us seem close and will affect us. Moreover, since his parents were also trash, papa and mama said not to get close to him[4].」

Leo was really annoyed, hearing the jeers of his cla.s.smates. He turned his head back and spoke to his cla.s.smates.

「HE WAS NOT AN UNDERDOG! FATHER FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE! HE FOUGHT AS A HUNTER! MOTHER TOO, SHE WHO DIED TO PROTECT ME…… AREN’T TRASH!」

Their lives weren’t in vain.

Living inside the narrow colony was extremely harsh for a weak person. Everyone yearned for the upper layer and sought relief in seeing the ones lower then them.

Living in the under layer was gloomy. As a weak person, Leo became an easy target for bullying in such an environment. Thereupon, three boys left the cla.s.s and walked towards Leo.

「Huh? Repeat what you just said, underdog. I’m gonna beat you if you don’t say anything.」

The one who arrived to beat Leo was the leader of his bullies. Leo made a fist and swung it at the bully’s face.

His fist sank into the face of the bully and blew him away from where he was standing. Leo trembled and looked at his fist. He had never hit anyone up until then.

Even though he had endured up until then, he could no longer restrain himself.

「Ow. It hurts! Y— You, my elder brother is a【B-Rank】hunter. I’ll tell him to get my revenge![5]」

C-Ranks were the lowest ranked Hunters, while B-Ranks were platoon leaders and after them were the A-Ranks. Sitting at the top of the pyramid were the strongest representatives of the guild: the S-Ranks.

And, speaking of B-Rank hunters, it meant that they were successful as a hunter. A-Ranks were made up of a small handful of the Hunters and S-Ranks were exceptionally rare.

Hearing that, Leo’s clenched fist faltered.

「SO WHAT!? It’s also what I want to do! I’ll also become a hunter! SOMEDAY I WILL CLIMB TO THE TOP, AND BECOME THE STRONGEST HUNTER!」

Thereupon, the cla.s.smates in the surroundings began to beat him. The girls took a little distance, looking at that scene while giggling at him[6].

「Can you do that, underdog!?!」

「Let see how you do that! Despite your low suitability level with magic tools![7]」

「――Is he an idiot? Despite being a failure.」

Leo had become tattered. His cla.s.smates soon lost their interest and left. Afterwards, Leo spat out the blood from the cuts inside his mouth.

Tightly he grasped at the pendant, which was his family heirloom. It was just a little, but he felt warm.

「Father wasn’t an underdog. Father was…」

In his heart, he recalled the words spoken by his father when he was still alive.

『Father became a hunter so that, someday, I could protect people. Though I’m still weak right now, someday I will definitely reach the top and become an S-Rank hunter.』

Thereupon, his mother had been surprised when she heard that.

『Before saying that, please start by aiming for B-Rank first. Look, it’s time for a meal』

It was a cheerful family. The house was narrow. Leo was raised under artificial light and never saw the sun’s light. The stories of his father fighting monsters that appeared outside were more exciting to Leo than any adventure story.

Leo swore in his heart that he too would become an adventurer someday.

But, reality wasn’t so kind.

「…What’s with that suitability level. That I can’t use almost any magic tools… that doesn’t mean that I can’t become strong. I’m just bad at aiming, is all. That’s why my suitability level is so low.」

Suitability level was a compulsory examination for people who lived in the colony. It was to check their compatibility with magic tools; if they possessed a high apt.i.tude then they would receive a summon from the guild. With a few exceptions, while people could become a hunter without taking an examination; generally they were strengthened by magic tools. That was why suitability level had such importance.

Working in the colony after graduating from school was not unusual.

For the parentless Leo, it was necessary for him to find a job immediately. That’s was why he was thinking about becoming a hunter. Without doing so, he would be driven out from the house he was currently living in.

He somehow able to live alone with the money left by his parents, but that money was almost all used up.

At that rate, he would ended up being sent to the colony’s lower layer. Becoming a forced laborer wasn’t that unusual there. So to Leo, right after graduation was his chance; his only chance.

Leo stood up and headed home, slowly dragging his bruised body.

He returned home while chewing on his frustration.

「I don’t know. Never seen it, either.」

「Is that so? That’s regrettable. Then, if you’ll excuse me.」

An elderly man operating a street stall saw off a strange woman. Looking at her back, Leo let out a sigh.

She was a lovely young lady. In one hand she held a suitcase. Her posture was unmistakably a well-mannered one. There was not a single person like her in the vicinity of the old man’s stall.

「She really stands out in a place so close to the lower layer.」

The public order in the place could not be said to be good. A girl like that to walking by herself was literally an invitation for thugs.

This was the middle layer. Furthermore, the level closest to the lower layer had bad public order. It wasn’t a place for a girl who looked like a servant working in the upper layer.

Despite being warned, she still wore her red maid outfit and black boots. The girl with blond twin tails and wearing a white ap.r.o.n, only said “It’s alright”. Her red eyes were striking.

The old man returned to his stall and sat down.

「But, blue gem embedded in silver pendant, huh? What are you going to do when you find it?」

「――EH?」

Leo saw it, the scene of the worn out, one room apartment; his home. In there was the leader of the bullying group and several men who seemed to be hunters.

They were wearing silver plate armour and full body black suits. It was the 13th colony’s hunter uniform[8].
「T— that’s the guy, big bro!」

Then, a man with tattoo on his face, a mohawk, and a cigarette in his mouth appeared from the door, which was kicked open. In his hand was the crushed photograph of Leo’s dear family.

「WHA, WHAT DO YOU WANT!?」

At Leo’s shout, the man with cigarette, spat out his cigarette.

「You’re the one who hit my little brother, huh? Though I don’t know what your problem with this guy is, your att.i.tude p.i.s.ses me off. Are YOU trying to pick a fight with me?[9]」

When he said that, the other hunters came out from the room, one after another. They held weapons in their hands. The patterns engraved in their swords was the result of inserting a small tube into the sword to move the liquid of a magic gem at the handle part.

They were hunters equipped with sword-type magic tools; moreover, there were three of them.

「Captain, do we really need to kill him?」

To his subordinate words, the mohawk man spoke with foul eyes.

「It’s a warning. To how what happens when someone goes against against the guild.」[ED2: so punching your brother is rebelling against the guild huh.]

The subordinate shrugged his shoulders and walked towards Leo. Leo couldn’t move his body.

（I— I’m going to be killed！）

He was vexed.

It would end, just like that… when he thought that, he heard a voice come from somewhere.

『……Seriously, it was just me alone when I woke up. Also, aren’t things getting really interesting out there?』

Whose voice was that? Though he heard it from nearby, there was no one other than the man, who was approaching him with a sword in hand, near Leo[10].

Even when he looked at his surroundings, currently there were only the people who were trying to kill him nearby. The apartment’s tenants also hid themselves. It just showed how fearsome the existence called hunters were. Using magic tools, they fought against monsters.

With only that, they were an abnormal existence from the standpoint of an ordinary person.

『Well then, I should introduce myself this time ………. oops, did I just miss the timing, where’d that guy come from? Oh well, saves me from various troubles then.』

The voice was, for some reason, grumbling and speaking to Leo. They spoke with an overly-familiar manner.

『You’re my direct descendant, right? But, I wonder how many years has been pa.s.sed since then… oh well, it’s not a big deal. Oi, boy』

「EH?」

The voice said that, as if enjoying it a little, to the curious Leo.

『Shout out loud if you want to leave this place in one piece. That one will definitely come. Whether you’re in the bathroom, or the toilet, that one will come no matter what. It’s fine already; that one’s name is――』

While Leo was at a loss, the C-Rank hunter before him, swung his sword. While looking at Leo, who had become rigid since a while ago, he seemed to think that it was due to fear. It seemed like he couldn’t hear that man’s voice.

「Well, you just have bad luck, give it up.」

The man said that and swung his sword towards him. Leo then hurriedly shouted aloud; calling that name.

「MO— MONICAAAAAA!!!」

And then, in front of Leo was a red dress— no, it was the twin tailed blonde haired girl wearing red maid clothes from before, giving a flying kick to the hunter.

The blown away hunter was unconscious and crashed against a building in the narrow alley. Her long skirt gently floated, and he could see her socks up to her white thighs. Leo averted his line of sight, sensing his face turning red. That girl landed with beautiful form.

She then, set aside her suitcase, and did a pose.

「In response to the voice who just called me; the cute Monica is here! Oops, nevertheless, who’s the idiot that just called my name in an overly familiar manner? The only ones who can call this Monica’s name without honorifics, amongst humans are… very few.」

She was pondering while keeping her pose— in front of Monica, Leo was astonished. And then, though the mohawk hunter was also astonished, he was glaring at Monica. He was holding a revolver type magic tool in his hand.

「Wa— watch out！」

Though Leo jumped to protect her from the bullet, Monica didn’t even flinch.

「Hmm!?」

And then, he embraced Monica to protect her from the bullets fired by the mohawk hunter— it stopped, the pointed end was dented, as if hitting something in the air, and fell to the ground.

Monica turned her red pupils towards Leo.

「I will be embarra.s.sed if you suddenly embrace me. This Monica has already decided to give her heart to someone since 2000 years a— UOooooooooooo!!」

Monica suddenly turned in an astonished pose. In the meanwhile, the bullets attacked Monica. But, they never reach Monica. Even so, since she thought it was annoying, she snapped her left hand’s fingers.

「It’s annoying, you know」

And then, something resembling a white feather manifested in the air and beams of light shot out of it dissolving the mohawk man’s magic tool.

「Y— You bitcchhhh!! WHAT DA h.e.l.l ARE YE DOING WITH THAT, GORAa!」

Ignoring the man with the mohawk, Monica looked at Leo.

「…Muu, it’s unexpected that I would find one in this kind of place. This is certainly the work of fate, right?」

When Leo was still bewildered by the embraced Monica; he heard such voice. The voice of that man.

『……This girl’s the same as ever』

It was an astonished voice.

But, Monica’s eyes then went wide open, as if in reponse to that voice.

「It— It can’t be… Chicken d.i.c.kwad[11]!」

Monica said that with fumbled words. And then, the mohawk hunter rushed at Monica with a sword in his hand.

「DON’T GO JOKING AROUND, GORAaaa!!」

And then, Monica’s right hand formed a fist and, carrying Leo with her left hand, she knocked away the mohawk hunter’s sword. The mohawk hunter was then blown away and crashed into the same building[12]. Seeing that scene, the lackey hunters were agape, with their jaws wide open. Leo’s cla.s.smate, the younger brother, fell on his b.u.t.t.

『Ooh, he was blown away quite far, huh. By the way, don’t these guys look a bit strange?』

When the man’s voice said that. Monica glared at the remaining two lackeys.

「I’m in hurry right now. Please leave this place and don’t forget to retrieve the two who were blown somewhere.」

Both of them ran away, retrieving their fellows and leaving that place. The onlookers then appeared from the narrow roads and windows; they were looking at Leo and Monica.

All around were people who knew nothing, but light of common gossip hung in that place*. Though Monica’s appearance was also quite striking, in its own way, the stimulus for their curiosity was towards the blown away hunters.

Monica sighed.

「Well, Since a detailed conversation is needed, the rough outline is…… huh?」

And then, raising her right hand, Leo was unconscious. Moreover, coming out from his T-shirt was a silver pendant. Its blue gem regained its light; Monica let out a smile on seeing that.

「Though I’ve slept for quite a while, I met the successor of chicken d.i.c.kwad right after I woke up… this person’s behaviour is also really good, right? Well then, I should tidy up this area.」

Monica hung her suitcase on her left hand, and moving away while carrying Leo with the other arm. She spoke while looking at the fainted Leo.

「……Every one of them, there are so hopelessly adorable. Oops, my drool almost came out」

Monica was grinning from ear to ear while looking at the unconscious Leo.

When he woke up, he was in an unknown place.

It was a circular room with round shaped table, with chairs set facing each other. And then, another man besides Leo was sitting in a chair, the man that was sitting before him had blue coloured hair which reached his shoulders.

The man wore a blue garment with white fur on its shoulder. When he stood up from his chair, Leo also followed him and looked at his surroundings.

In that place, were floating silver weapons. There was eight of them.

「A, Uhm！」

『Wa— wait a minute. I know that there’s so many things that you want to ask, you want to know what kind of place this is, right? But, let’s first start with self-introductions』

His age seemed to be in the middle of his twenties. The man, who had blue coloured hair and pupils, was wearing extremely extravagant clothes. There was even something like a golden circlet on his forehead. The gem encased by that circlet was truly beautiful.

『Let’s start with my name first. My name is【Lyle Walt】— that’s right, I’m probably one of your distant ancestors of the Walt family! …By the way, is your family name Walt? It would be quite embarra.s.sing if it’s not. As your distant ancestor.』

Leo nearly fell off his chair at the last unconvincing lines but somehow managed to understand that the ones before him were his distant ancestors.

「I’m Leo. Leo Walt! E~r, eer could it be that Lyle, that… was from the empire era, a long time ago?」

Lyle hoisted both his arms, and turned towards the ceiling.

『Ossu! I’m a big shot! That’s right ……….. That Lyle, IS ME! Lyle, the founder of the empire[13]. YOUR ANCESTOR-SAMA! Pleased to meet you.』

Leo was unable to keep up with the situation. And then, though he thought that there were various things he needed to ask Lyle ………..

『Well then, how many years have pa.s.sed now? Or rather, it was strangely narrow outside, there was also something like a ceiling, right? This, where is this? I also just awakened, so there are many things that I don’t understand.』

There were so many dubious things about that Lyle person.