Year 21 of the Blood Era

These past three years, much has occurred.

Moving from town to town, traveling always along paths that avoided proper roads—days spent on treacherous, unmarked trails.

Upon reaching a town, the master would immediately unshackle his drinking, resulting in daily intoxication.

No day passed without physical or mental strain.

Why deviate from the main road?

The answer became largely apparent over these three years.

The master dislikes people.

He chooses routes devoid of people to avoid contact.

His expression remains fixed, but his demeanor clearly shifts—unease manifests when near crowds.

Otherwise, he would not resort to magic to obscure his form.

At some point, the master began concealing his appearance with magic.

I, who was always with him, noticed too late. I cannot determine when the magic began.

The effect of the magic allows perception of the master only as "white."

Unless observed with exceptional care, no other impression emerges—only the sensation of "white."

Thus, when encountering people in the city, they perceive nothing beyond "white," with no recognition of facial details or associated impressions.

Thanks to this effect, the situation does not escalate to the point where every passerby stares intently, as was the case before the magic was used. Instead, attention lingers only briefly, then fades.

I, having already fully recognized the master from the beginning, appear to be unaffected by this magic.

The fact that the master resorts to such magic indicates a strong aversion to humanity.

He avoids contact with people whenever possible.

Exceptions are myself and Ariel. Melazofis is treated better than most others, though slightly more roughly than us.

It is as if he is partially ignored.

We are forced down a difficult path based on personal preferences—this is no small burden. Yet, walking this path has improved our physical endurance and skill level.

This may have been the intended outcome.

I have realized, over the past three years, that my master is deliberately cultivating me.

I believe I have grown stronger over these three years.

Believe, because I have not yet experienced actual combat. My assessment remains purely objective data derived from skill levels and status attributes.

Under Ariel’s presence, monsters rarely approach. Thieves, when they appear, travel only along unmarked paths off the main road. Encounters are minimal.

When they do occur, my master or Ariel deals with them immediately.

I am aware I have grown stronger over the past three years. Yet, I cannot imagine a scenario in which I might defeat my master or Ariel.

They are that exceptionally strong.

My master is the Sacred Beasts. Ariel is the Demon Lord.

I was shown, without illusion, the truth of those words.

I think I had refused to acknowledge that truth somewhere within myself.

Yet the power of the two was undeniable.

I could not deny it.

Neither of their strengths could be assessed through evaluation.

My master: Evaluation Impossible. Ariel: Evaluation Interference Detected.

In these three years, I raised my Evaluation skill level to nine.

This was the result of practicing the ascetic ritual my master once casually mentioned—maintaining constant evaluation to increase skill level.

When drunk, my master occasionally offers advice or recounts past events.

Most are useless, but some are genuinely useful.

Evaluation is one such case. My master once said they had been saved by evaluation on multiple occasions.

So I attempted to activate the constant evaluation that my master had used.

My head felt like it would split open.

I was overwhelmed by intense pain and could not sustain the evaluation for long.

Thanks to pushing myself to the absolute limit multiple times, I acquired the new skill: Divine Domain Expansion. But at that moment, I was on the verge of losing consciousness—there was no room for anything else.

Thanks to enduring that hardship, I managed to raise my level to nine within just three years.

My master reached level ten in evaluation in less than a year—but the benchmark is flawed, so I do not consider it valid.

My master’s past stories and advice must be taken with half a grain of salt.

Not because my master lies, but because the parameters are so far beyond standard that they are only partially applicable.

What is this—spending time in a lava bath to increase fire resistance, or keeping magic active at all times to raise skill level?

"Try it," they say casually. But only someone like my master could actually do that.

The Elro Great Labyrinth was apparently a formidable magical domain.

Without pushing beyond normal limits—beyond what seems utterly reckless from a standard perspective—one could not survive.

How many times have I heard the phrase, "I thought I was going to die," at the drinking table?

They truly endured near-fatal experiences.

Considering that, I feel fortunate now.

I am alive only because of my master. I was pushed to extremes, but that also made me moderately strong.

On that point, gratitude is not unwarranted.

But—still!

Please stop eating people's bodies just because you're drunk.

Why must I fight to the death every night—why?

And lose every single battle!

And then, without fail, forget it all by morning!

Why must I endure a more dangerous night inside the city than outside, where no one drinks alcohol?

Isn’t that absurd?

Ah, damn it.

If only that weren’t the case, I could feel genuine gratitude.

Healing magic restores what’s lost. But it does not erase the fear and pain of being carved upon.

At first, it was only licking. Then it became gentle biting. The pressure increased slowly—little by little—until finally, flesh was taken.

How did it come to this?

Now, every time I drink, I’m inevitably devoured somewhere by the end.

Without Ariel maintaining the barrier, the inn would have collapsed every night from the intensity of the battle.

Is this also considered practical experience?

Level remains at one, though.

Such was the chaotic journey we endured—until now, finally entering the demon territory.

Despite my reservations, I decided to stay close to my master and Ariel, entering the demon territory.

Yes—I’ve stopped thinking in terms of petty divisions like human or demon.

I’ve personally experienced that this world contains incomprehensible, unjust entities.

Having come this far despite everything, I believe I can survive in demon territory too.

That’s my feeling.