There existed three great magical beasts that ravaged this world: the White Whale, the Great Rabbit, and the Black Serpent. People generally believed they had been created by the Witch of Envy, but in truth, they were creations of the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne. Their original purpose was not to bring chaos to the world.
Strange as it might sound, she had created them simply to satisfy her hunger.
The pitch-black mist now covering the moon and stars was precisely the killing ground created by the "White Whale." Within it, Lillian had already become prey—no more than a morsel for the beast's appetite.
"I have to be faster…"
He glanced down at the earth dragon beneath him. The creature possessed a certain degree of intelligence, and at this moment it seemed to sense the White Whale's terror. Its entire body trembled slightly, and even its running speed had begun to falter.
Lillian drew his sword and scanned his surroundings, but all he could see was endless darkness. Gritting his teeth, he recognized how perilous his situation was. With his strength alone, he could not possibly contend with the White Whale—especially considering that it possessed part of the Witch of Gluttony's authority: the Mist of Annihilation, capable of devouring a person's very existence.
Woooo—
The cry sounded closer. Lillian suddenly turned his head and saw a massive shadow gliding indistinctly seven or eight meters away at his side. Even that partial glimpse was enough to reveal its terrifying scale—a colossal monster fifty meters in length.
Why had it appeared now?
Lillian could not understand. According to the timeline, it should not have appeared until several days later. Perhaps it was another butterfly effect. But no matter what, he absolutely could not allow it to devour his name. If that happened, everyone except Subaru would forget him, and everything he had done so far would become meaningless.
"Faster!"
He urged the earth dragon onward. Fighting was out of the question. If he could only escape the range of the mist, he still had a chance to flee.
Woooo—!
This time the sound was even closer. Along with the cry came a thunderous rumbling—the grinding of its immense body against the ground. Its enormous, razor-sharp teeth devoured countless chunks of earth and stone as it charged forward in a frenzied gulp.
Seeing this, Lillian quickly pulled the reins, forcing the earth dragon to change direction. The next instant, the White Whale's massive body swept past within a meter of him. Its enormous amber eye rotated slightly, fixing its gaze upon Lillian, and a fierce gale suddenly erupted.
Bang!
A gigantic tail, hidden within the black mist, lashed out without warning. Carried by the violent wind, it struck Lillian and his mount, sending them flying. In midair, Lillian barely managed to adjust his posture and land on his feet—but the earth dragon was far less fortunate. The tremendous impact smashed its head against the ground, reducing it instantly to a bloody pulp.
There was nothing more to say.
After steadying himself for only a moment, Lillian raised his sword and sprinted forward. Though his own running speed could not match the earth dragon at full gallop, it was not far behind. He could not fight—at least not within this mist, where he could see nothing. One careless mistake would result in being swallowed whole.
Lillian could not understand why the White Whale had targeted him alone. It was entirely unreasonable. The creature typically attacked large caravans or groups. Given its enormous size, devouring a single person would hardly even fill the gaps between its teeth—so why was it pursuing him so relentlessly?
Woooo—!
Hearing the sound behind him, Lillian leapt with all his strength. The next instant, the enormous body skimmed across the ground beneath him. From midair, he glanced down and saw the glowing white halo above the White Whale's head, shining conspicuously in the darkness. He guessed it was some kind of magical formation—perhaps the very mechanism that allowed such a massive body to fly.
Could it be destroyed?
As he descended with his sword, he slashed toward the halo. His movements were swift—after all, he had fought countless gigantic monsters in Sword Art Online, and he felt no panic now.
Buzz—!
Just as the blade was about to strike the halo, a wave of light rippled outward, forming an invisible barrier that prevented the sword from advancing even an inch further. Gritting his teeth, Lillian withdrew, reversed his blade, and carved a massive wound into the creature's body beside the halo.
Enraged by the attack, the White Whale twisted its body, attempting to crush him beneath its weight. Seeing through its intention, Lillian used the recoil from his strike to push off its body, launching himself away and continuing his desperate escape.
So the halo can't be destroyed?
As he ran, Lillian pondered the matter. That invisible barrier was clearly a protective measure, seemingly formed of mana. If a sword could not break it, perhaps mana itself might disrupt the barrier—and thereby destroy the magical formation.
It had to be said that humanity possessed very little information about the three great mabeast. The White Whale, in particular, could devour existence itself, making the collection of intelligence exceedingly difficult. This was also why, in the original course of events, Subaru had been able to secure reinforcements merely by providing information.
As for the so-called concession of mining rights, Crusch had not cared much about it anyway—and she believed that Subaru had no authority to promise such things.
After all, as the Margrave, Roswaal was the true ruler of the Mathers domain. What right did Subaru have to promise another party the mining rights of Roswaal's territory without his consent? Even Emilia, who was nominally Roswaal's lord, did not possess such authority.
So, Crusch agreed to cooperate with Subaru solely for the merit and prestige of subjugating the White Whale, and to allow her subordinate—the Sword Demon—to avenge himself. From this, it was clear that intelligence on the White Whale was of the utmost importance, and now Lillian had gathered even more information.
Wuu—Wuu—
The White Whale's enormous body floated into the sky, and soon clusters of mist descended from above, slamming into the ground and easily blasting massive craters into the earth. Relying on his agility, Lillian did his best to evade the attacks. After five or six minutes, he finally broke free from the shroud of black fog.
He turned back to look. The White Whale had not pursued him; instead, it had drifted away in another direction. This sudden abandonment of its attack left him somewhat puzzled, but it was ultimately a good thing. If it had continued chasing him and he had been sprayed by that so-called "Mist of Annihilation"… he would likely have been forced to kill someone just to reset the timeline.
Putting the matter aside, he immediately sprinted toward the royal capital. Meanwhile, the White Whale roamed through the sky into the distance before descending and landing before a short figure.
---
By the time Lillian reached the royal capital, it was already dawn. He first returned to his rented residence to take a bath, then went straight to Priscilla's estate. When he found her, she was intently studying something written on sheets of paper. Nearby, Al sat miserably at a desk, holding a tablet in one hand while writing something onto paper with the other.
The moment he saw Lillian arrive, Al rushed toward him as though he had just spotted a long-lost relative.
"Brother!" he cried, grabbing Lillian's arm in distress. "You've really done me in this time!"
"…Huh?" Lillian had no idea what he meant. He glanced at the items on the desk and asked, "What are you writing?"
"A novel," Priscilla answered, lifting her gaze toward Lillian from where she reclined on a long chair draped with soft furs. "You've arrived."
"A… novel?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Al's voice suggested that the face behind his helmet was on the verge of tears. "It's all because of that tablet you brought! The reading app on it came with several light novels… and the princess is forcing me to translate and copy them out for her to read!"
"… "
Lillian found himself at a loss for words. It made sense, in a way. Although the tablet came with several entertaining mini-games, anyone would grow bored of them after playing for a while. The songs and videos included on the device were merely short demonstrations and not very numerous either… so she had turned to the novels.
Understanding the situation, Lillian patted Al on the shoulder. "Well, do your best."
"Hey, don't act like it's so easy!" Al protested. "Those lousy light novels add up to several million words! No way—you're helping me translate too. You brought this thing here, so you—"
"Al!" Priscilla shot him a glare. "I'm almost finished with this chapter. Is the next one translated yet? If not, hurry up!"
"… "
Al froze, then let out a deep sigh. Turning back to the desk, he resumed writing furiously. Watching him, Lillian felt a pang of sympathy. Translating the unique style of Japanese light novels into this world's language was certainly no easy task… Wait—his actual business.
The interruption from the two of them had nearly made Lillian forget why he had come. Taking a few steps forward, he addressed Priscilla.
"I have something important to discuss."
Priscilla raised her eyes to him and set aside the manuscript in her hands. "My time is very precious. What is it you wish to say?"
Precious enough to spend reading light novels? Lillian thought. As one of the royal candidates, shouldn't she be busy making preparations? The others were all consolidating their forces and seeking additional support.
Still, he merely shook his head. Since Priscilla herself showed no concern for such matters, there was nothing for him to worry about. Besides, he personally felt that if she ever became king, the country would likely be doomed anyway.
"The important matter is that I've discovered the whereabouts of the White Whale and the Witch Cult," Lillian said. "Eliminating them should bring considerable prestige."
His words caused not only Priscilla to frown, but also made Al, who had been copying text at the side, raise his head.
"You said… the White Whale?"
To the people of this continent, the White Whale symbolized suffering and crushing defeat. Its very name inspired hatred and fear, yet at the same time people prayed never to encounter it. Even after paying such a tremendous price, they had inflicted no real damage upon it—and worse, they remembered nothing. The tombstones of the fallen bore no names, because no one could recall who their dead comrades had been.
"Yes." Lillian nodded firmly. "It's on the eastern plains, and—"
"Wait, wait, brother," Al interrupted in surprise. "You're saying you encountered the White Whale… and still made it back alive?" Priscilla also stared at him in astonishment. It was indeed difficult to believe.
"That's right… I was just fortunate," Lillian replied. "For some reason, it suddenly abandoned its attack, which allowed me to survive and gather some information." He looked at Priscilla and proposed to the thoughtful young woman, "Let us be the ones to eliminate this monster that threatens the world. It will serve as a stepping stone for your ascent to the throne…"