Haruto woke up with the kind of groan only a man who's been emotionally drop-kicked by a god can produce.
The ceiling above him was old wood, uneven and patched with what might've once been chicken feathers or possibly turnip skins. The smell of dust and faint burnt rice filled the air. Somewhere, a goat was bleating far too confidently for such a low-stakes village.
He blinked.
Then hissed, grabbing his forehead.
"Ow…"
He sat up slowly and looked around. It was that same old house the dwarf had offered them to rest in—a simple, one-room structure with a table, a cracked window, and a bed made of straw and crushed dreams.
Haruto rubbed his head with a wince. "Okay… not a dream. I really passed out running into a tree after a breakdown over five buildings and a sarcastic goat…"
He let out a sigh.
"But… at least I know now where we need to go."
His eyes drifted to the rolled-up parchment resting beside him. The map. Glowing faintly. Definitely divine-grade mischief material. Riru's farewell was still ringing in his ears like the sound of a child laughing while pressing a self-destruct button.
Before he could reach for it—
BAM!
The door slammed open like someone had kicked it in with a "Maou-sama revival event" in mind.
"You're awake!!" Noelle cried out, charging in like a panicked nurse from a magical soap opera. "Are you okay?! Are you injured?! Do you remember your name?! What's nine times seven?!"
"I—I—wait, what?!"
Noelle flailed around, somehow managing to drop both her grimoire and a small bag of emergency cookies. "I've been practicing CPR and anti-undead revival incantations and—!"
"You WHAT?!" Haruto panicked, scooting back on the bed.
Just then, Kohana stepped in behind her, ears drooped in guilt, her tail swaying like a worried metronome. "Haruto… I was really worried… I-I tried to slap your cheek gently to wake you up and… um… I think I dislocated your soul…"
Haruto stared.
Then touched his cheek.
It did still sting.
"K-kohana," he said weakly. "Thanks for the… attempted assistance. And partial exorcism."
Before either girl could respond—
"Tch. He's still alive. Damn."
A flat voice echoed from above him.
Haruto turned his head.
Floating directly over the bed like an especially smug balloon was Yue, poking his forehead again with her ceremonial ghost-stick.
"Survived divine rejection and ran into a tree headfirst," she muttered. "Your durability stat might be the only good thing about you."
Haruto slapped the stick away. "Can you NOT?! I already died inside three times this week!"
Yue didn't move. She just raised one eyebrow.
"Correction: you died inside thirteen times this week. I'm counting."
Noelle knelt beside the bed again, panic still on her face. "W-we should test for post-dimensional trauma! You might be spiritually inverted!"
"I feel spiritually inverted," Haruto muttered.
"Your face is physically inverted," Yue replied.
"OKAY," Haruto shouted, flinging the blanket off and sitting up fully. "Everyone calm down!"
Everyone paused.
Even the goat outside bleated in confusion.
Haruto held up the glowing scroll. "Look, I got… something. While I was out. Divine message. Or curse. Maybe both. Either way, we've got a destination now."
Kohana leaned forward, peeking at it. "A… glowing map?"
"Yup."
"From a dream?"
"Yup."
"Given to you by a mysterious child deity sipping bubble tea?"
"…YUP."
Yue floated closer, unimpressed. "Sounds fake."
Noelle gasped. "You had another divine encounter?! Haruto-sama, you should've called us into the vision realm! I would've brought cookies!"
"There was no snack time!" Haruto groaned.
He held up the map like it was radioactive. "All I know is there's something marked on here. A legendary artifact, maybe. Or a trap. Probably both."
Kohana tilted her head. "You don't seem very confident."
"I never do!" Haruto barked. "Confidence gets people turned into turnips in this world!"
Yue raised her hand. "We have walked through three cursed turnip fields, to be fair."
"NOT THE POINT."
Haruto took a deep breath, holding the map tightly.
"…Look, we came here hoping to find the legacy of the Demon Lord, and all we got was five buildings, a goat, and trauma. So we follow this. It's the only real lead we've got."
He looked at the three girls—his disaster party.Noelle, still sparkly-eyed.Kohana, quiet but nodding.Yue, chewing a ghost marshmallow while maintaining maximum judgment.
They all sat around the old village table now.
The map was unrolled between them—hovering a few inches off the wood, glowing gently like it was enchanted with divine sarcasm. Lines shifted slightly when you looked away, and the red "X" in the center blinked ominously, almost like it was mocking them.
Haruto pointed at it with the cautious determination of a man who had learned never to trust magical glowing objects.
"So that's our destination," he said. "One big red X. Classic. Should we pack rations or just write our wills now?"
Yue floated above the map, arms folded, staring at it with narrowed eyes.
She hadn't said anything for a full minute.
Which was rare. And terrifying.
"…Yue?" Haruto asked slowly. "You good? You're usually halfway through insulting me by now."
Yue didn't respond immediately. Instead, she floated a little lower and leaned in, her ghost stick tapping the map's edge.
"…I thought it looked familiar," she muttered. "The symbols. The layout. The grid rotation."
Kohana tilted her head. "Wait, you recognize it?"
Yue nodded. "Yeah. This region… it's not just mountains. It's Cursed Dragon Territory."
Haruto blinked.
"…I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I think my brain auto-censored it for survival."
Yue's gaze sharpened.
"Cursed. Dragon. Mountains."
Haruto immediately held up his hand like he was pressing a magical 'undo' button.
"Nope. Stop. Go back. I want a different map."
Kohana's ears twitched violently.
"C-Cursed Dragon…?!"
Her expression changed like someone just turned off the comedy track.Her tail froze. Her pupils narrowed.
"I've heard of it before," she whispered. "When I was little, Alpha Grandma told us stories… bedtime horror stories. She said no one returns from that place. Not even ghosts."
Noelle's eyes widened.
"I studied that name in forbidden magic history… It's listed in a sealed grimoire as a location with residual Demon King-level sealing marks. And active cursed ley lines. A-and rumors of bone golems made of ancient dragons…"
Haruto stood up.
"Okay. That's it. Cancel the quest. Burn the map. I'm out."
Yue casually floated in front of him. "Sit down, potato. The map's bound to your soul now. Burning it might also burn your liver."
Haruto sat down very quickly.
"Okay. New plan," he said. "We just don't go. That's a plan, right? Can that be the plan?"
Yue ignored him.
She tapped the red X again.
"…That mark isn't just a place. It's a seal marker. Someone—maybe Riru—wants you to go there."
Noelle clutched her grimoire tighter. "It might be a test… or a trial… or a trap."
"Why not all three?!" Haruto groaned, faceplanting onto the table.
Kohana placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"…If we're going, we'll go together."
Haruto slowly lifted his head, and then with full face full of questions and said. "Even though it's terrifying and cursed?"
Kohana smiled nervously, hiding her worried gaze. "...I'm already used to terrifying."
Noelle slowly added. "And cursed."
Yue poked Haruto with her stick.
"Also, I want to see you try not to die in cursed dragon territory. It'll be fun."
Haruto sighed.
"This world is out to kill me. And my party is here for it....."