"Riku, you can't do this alone! Don't mess around!" Ivan's expression tightened; anxiety etched across his face. It's common knowledge that when encountering other races, someone must sacrifice themselves for the majority to survive. If Riku ventured out alone and encountered even the weakest of the Demons, he'd be slaughtered without a chance to fight back.
Humans are weak. Death might be a release but seeking it without purpose is an act of cowardice. To Ivan and Couronne, it seemed Riku was courting death.
Riku's talent was unrivaled. At just thirteen, he led their colony to safety through countless trials. In four years, he had managed to stabilize their numbers to 2,000, with only 46 lives lost—a miracle in this dark world. Among them, people would gladly lay down their lives for Riku, but he couldn't afford to die. He was their pillar of hope, their leader.
"Don't worry, I won't mess around," Riku replied, his tone calm and collected. "This mission is best handled alone."
"But—" Couronne started, her voice laced with concern, but Riku cut her off.
"Couronne, do you think I would let anything happen to you, my lovely sister? I haven't even proposed yet." His purple eyes locked onto her, a playful smile gracing his lips.
"W-What?!" Couronne gasped, her hands falling away from Riku's clothes, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Haha! That's a youthful confession!" Ivan chimed in, laughter bubbling up. "Honestly, you should have proposed ages ago!"
"Stop flirting with your sister, Riku!" Couronne retorted, both flustered and overjoyed.
"I'll honor my word," Riku said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and turning to leave. "Just wait for me to return."
"Really…" Couronne stretched out her hand in exasperation, a sigh escaping her lips. Though she didn't fully grasp Riku's thoughts, she felt reassured. Riku wasn't heading to his doom. But still, something feels different about him…
"Couronne, are we really not going with him?" Ivan asked, rubbing his beard thoughtfully.
"Let's trust him this time. He knows what he's doing," Couronne replied, gathering herself.
"Oh, I see." Ivan nodded. In past missions, they had often encountered treasures that drew greedy eyes, but Riku had always discarded those tempting items. They operated through 'Elemental' reactions, detectable by other races, and even when they could have brought unimaginable benefits, he had cast them aside without hesitation.
The ever-calm Riku must have his reasons for choosing this path. But even as they placed their faith in him, concern lingered. Riku hadn't shared any of his plans.
As Riku left the settlement, a dust mask covering his face, he gazed at the sky, lost in thought. It was a blood-red hue, as if the planet itself bled from the wounds of war and destruction. Against the backdrop of this crimson sky, turquoise flakes drifted down, settling on the ground.
Beautiful yet deadly, Riku knew the truth behind this 'black snow.' It represented the fallen Elementals—their bodies reduced to toxic remnants glowing with the last light of their lives. These 'Elemental Bones' were lethally poisonous to most living beings, including humans. Contact with the skin would burn, and if ingested, the body would dissolve from within.
Such captivating yet perilous beauty symbolized death.
"Humans are remarkably tenacious," Riku mused, a mix of admiration and resignation in his tone as he mounted his horse, setting off in a determined direction.
While his immediate goal was the wreckage of a Dwarf battleship, his true aim was to find treasure chests. He had heard whispers of a bronze chest located slightly off his path.
Three days later, Riku arrived at a hillside, the journey fraught with danger. He had encountered more threats than expected, dodging several low-level Demons from a distance. To avoid exhaustion, he had taken great care to steer clear of confrontation.
Fortunately, the Demons were of low intelligence, unable to hunt effectively, and Riku's cautious approach kept him undetected. If discovered, he would have to rely on Shambhala to navigate through space, but that would drain his physical strength.
Riku was just an ordinary person, lacking the extraordinary training of those in stories like Akame ga Kill!, and his physical capacity would only allow him to use the Teigu a limited number of times.
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