Chapter 99

CHAPTER 2 Supplies and Preparation Papau’s Snowmoon Wraps… Gugauga store… We really are in a fantasy world,” said Mai. “The names don’t tell me anything at all about what they serve.” “Yes,” agreed Yuuto. “And it feels weird to understand it even though it’s all written in a language I don’t speak.” “Guys, you already said that the first time we were here,” I reminded them as we all walked down the busy street. “Oh, did I?” replied Yuuto. “I guess the shock of what came afterward caused me to forget…” “I remember, dear brother. I believe I voiced my concern about some of these places back then as well; they can’t be very hygienic. Are they aware they’re serving paying customers, or are they just playing house?” “Keep it down, o sister of mine. I don’t want you to get us blacklisted.” Well, it wasn’t like I couldn’t understand her plight. There was no food standards authority in this world. Some places reheated and served soup made the previous day, spicing it up with a few fresh ingredients. If they dropped food on the ground, most stalls would just wash it off and place it back on the shelves, and stale and fresh items were mixed together, so you never knew what you were getting. Most vendors seemed to think there wasn’t a problem as long as the food tasted fine, so they would just heat it up or add some herbs and call it a day. You had to be careful if you wanted to avoid an upset stomach. “Some establishments do run a tight ship,” I remarked. “Plus, monster meat is usually replete with mana, so it doesn’t go bad as quickly.” Perhaps that was the reason food standards were so sloppy in this world. Anyway, after spouting my unnecessarily expository explanation, I cast my eyes across the fare on offer. Just as I expected, there are a lot of mercenaries around these days. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find information. Grinning on the inside, I guided us through the streets before finally arriving at the Adventurers Guild. “Now that I’m looking at it again—boy, if this building isn’t big compared to the others,” said Yuuto, staring up at its imposing structure with awe. The guildhall in this town was even more impressively built than usual. That was mainly due to the proximity of the dungeon, its difficulty, and the rarity of the materials found there. The guild here was very profitable and could afford to flaunt its wealth. “…I’d rather not go in if we have to speak to that rude woman again,” Mai said, sighing. When we’d first arrived, we’d come here to register Mai and Yuuto as adventurers. The receptionist at the time had left quite an impression on my little sister, and not in a good way. “Just bear with it,” I told her. “We’re only here to sell our materials. We won’t be staying long.” That was, of course, because the guildhall was where you could expect to run into all manner of tedious and involuntary side quests. Merely setting foot inside was asking for trouble, and that was discounting how I had gone out of my way to draw attention to myself in the dungeon. Speaking of which, I hoped that wouldn’t attract more trouble than I bargained for. If the town were a little busier, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such measures, but it was understandable, given that the demon war had already started. I pushed open the doors, which creaked as I entered. Yeah, it’s almost empty inside… The guildhall was mostly filled with the same dry, dusty air as outside, and there weren’t many people populating the vast space. Lunchtime was when the quest boards got updated, so normally, the halls would be teeming with eager adventurers looking to take the best pickings right about now. But all the big-name adventurers had left Zolkia to fight in the war, and the only ones who remained were, for want of a better phrase, a bit crap. That fact also contributed to the lazy atmosphere that infected not only the adventurers, but the guild staff as well. “Let’s see…ten goblins, here’s your reward. Thank you, come again.” The weary receptionist practically tossed the coins onto the desk before a seedy-looking adventurer. “Come on, Johanna, warm up a little, eh?” the man said. “The streets have been gettin’ pretty dangerous lately—want me to walk you home tonight?” “Spare me the jokes,” the woman replied. “Your face is enough of one already. If you want my attention, then you’ll have to make better use of your time than slaying goblins. How about you try talking to me once you’re B-rank, okay? Assuming you can even make it that far. Door’s over there. Next customer, please!” “Damn, well, you’re no fun. Guess I’ll grab some cheap booze and hit the hay…” The adventurer man reluctantly slunk over to the guild’s bar. “Guess we’d better stand in line,” I said. Even on a quiet day like this, a small queue had formed within the building. But just as we started to make our way over to it… “Hey, look over there!” “Huh? Is that the guy you were tellin’ all them tall tales about?” “I swear, this guy’s the real deal!” “Pfft, yeah right, nobody could ever…” …I heard hushed whispers discussing us. As I predicted, I had become quite the hot topic around town by now. We waited in line for a few moments, and soon we were called to the desk. “Oh, I remember you,” said the receptionist lady, upon seeing our faces. It was she who had processed Mai’s and Yuuto’s registrations. I figured she would have forgotten about us entirely, if I was being honest. However, her interest went no further, and she quickly resumed going through the motions. “Come to accept a quest, have you? I’m surprised you’re still alive.” I heard Mai suck on her teeth behind me. Now, now, don’t be like that. Learn from Yuuto, who let it flow over him like water off a duck’s back. Well, I understand how she feels… I thought back to the woman’s appalling attitude when we’d first approached the register. “Registration? Let’s see, party rank D, personal rank E, is that right? Very well. And these two are registering as new adventurers? I see. A dungeon entry form? Excuse me, but are your C-rank party members, Miss Minnalis and Miss Shuria, not with you? …Oh, no, I can issue it because you’re the registered leader, but just to confirm, you’re only seeking permits for yourself and the lady and gentleman with you at present? You are aware the guild is not liable for harm suffered in the dungeon, up to and including death, correct?” The woman had been unable to take “yes” for an answer for the longest time. It had taken much to convince her that I did, in fact, know what I was doing. I bet she thought I was a useless freeloader who left everything to my party members. Well, it’s partly my fault for not showing my face around here a little more, I guess. We had gotten through to her eventually, although only by being so insistent that she seemed to give up, as though it were no skin off her nose if we died in the dungeon. She probably thought we’d deserved it. And given that we’d spent almost two weeks down there, maybe she assumed we had. “So? Did you learn something about how dangerous it can really be out there? You should count yourselves lucky you came back at all. You need to work your way up by picking challenges that are on your level.” I mean, she’s not a bad person… “Danger is an adventurer’s bread and butter, but not if it leads to an early grave, remember that.” Her sermon went on with no end in sight. It was all good, sound advice, of course, but… “She’s getting a little too full of herself, isn’t she…?” Even I was feeling myself beginning to lose my cool at this point. My vengeance was so close that I could almost taste it. Plus, I was worried about Minnalis and Shuria. I was at my wits’ end, with no patience for fools. “There’s no way the stories are true. I mean, did ya hear that? He’s E-rank!” “Imagination get the better of you, did it?” “Th-that can’t be! I saw…” “Yeah, yeah, that’s the last time I listen to one of your tales.” By this point, even the other adventurers were starting to doubt the rumors they’d heard. Now, that’s a problem, I thought. “Yes, yes, all right,” I said to the receptionist. “That’s enough chitchat, don’t you think?” “Haven’t you been listening to me? I said—” With a tired old cliché, I drew our argument to a close. Ker-lunk. Dun-dun-dun-dun. Trundle… I upturned my bag, emptying its contents—our spoils. Fangs of the Great Wyvern, cloaks from the Lesser Phantom, Flying Viper wings, the toxic spines of the Poison Bisher Rabbit, the eyes of the Persona Goblin, Woody Bear paws, Lamia scales, and Flame Leo manes. The trophies formed a messy pile on the receptionist’s desk. The cherry on top was the jewel from the Emperor Dragon, a boss that appeared after I’d killed a lot of the elemental dragons. Just like them, its body disappeared after death, but for whatever reason, it left this gem behind. ““““…”””” The room was stunned, stupefied, dumbfounded. “Now, how much will you give me for these?” I asked, my voice the only one audible amid the silence of the hall. My name is Johanna, and I’ve been working as a guild receptionist for XX years now. It was meant to only be a temporary gig until I found a husband, but now the other girls are starting to refer to me as a veteran, and…no, no, no! There’s still time! I’m still young! I’m still pretty! Deep breaths… I was in a bad mood one day. In fact, I had been like that for a while. You see… “Oh, man. Haven’t been able to afford any girls lately. If I don’t find some decent scraps, my prick’ll fall off.” “I get ya, man. Hope the big shots make it back soon.” “All these military guys are startin’ to cramp my style, too.” What a load of useless idiots! I could hear their voices from my desk—indolent adventurers with no drive to improve. Day after day, the only thing they did was search the dungeon for scraps that other, better adventurers had deemed too heavy or unimportant and left behind. Prince Leon had taken the good adventurers away to fight the demon threat, and now all that remained were these lowlifes. Three out of ten. Three-and-a-half out of ten. Two out of ten. Oh, when is my life finally going to start? None of the men around here even got a passing grade. Feigning politeness with them was too much trouble when they had nothing to offer in return. “Let’s see…ten goblins, here’s your reward. Thank you, come again.” “Come on, Johanna, warm up a little, eh?” the man said. “The streets have been gettin’ pretty dangerous lately, want me to walk you home tonight?” The aging adventurer flashed me what he apparently considered a prizewinning smile in an attempt to cover his mountain of failings. Not even on a bad day. “Spare me the jokes,” I replied. “Your face is enough of one already. If you want my attention, then you’ll have to make better use of your time than slaying goblins. How about you try talking to me once you’re B-rank, okay? Assuming you can even make it that far. Door’s over there. Next customer, please!” “Damn, well, you’re no fun. Guess I’ll grab some cheap booze and hit the hay…” Why not go check on your equipment instead? This is why you’re stuck in D-rank, you know. I side-eyed the adventurer as he slunk off. Sigh. Looks like I’m never going to find a handsome A- or B-rank at this rate. I might as well give up on that and look out for someone with promise instead. I resumed handling the usual suspects and their uninspired tasks. “Oh, I remember you,” I said, as a familiar trio of fresh-faced adventurers appeared before me. It was the leader of a D-rank party named “Scorn Road,” accompanied by two people who had only registered as adventurers the other day. They were a memorable bunch—their dark hair and dark eyes were quite striking. I had filed their registrations and produced dungeon entry permits for the three of them, and they had left a rather poor impression on me. Entry permits were available to anyone who had achieved D-rank or joined a D-rank party. That meant that technically, the three of them were eligible. But given that the other two registered members of this party are C-rank, and he’s only E-rank, it seems quite obvious that the leader was kicked out of his original party and teamed up with these newbies instead. I’m betting he wants to secure entry to the dungeon before his party disbandment paperwork goes through. At the time, I had been reluctant to grant the leader his request. It wasn’t strange for beginner parties to contain some disparities in rank that only became more apparent as time went on. In those cases, the heel-draggers were often kicked out, but many found it difficult to adapt and refused to lower their standards to something more attainable. They lived above their means, losing money as quickly as they made it, dreaming of the day they’d get their big break, and ruining those around them in the process. But it looks like this guy’s not as stupid as I thought. None of them are hurt, so perhaps they only took a quick dip in the dungeon to see what it’s like. I’m not sure why that took them half a month, but regardless, he’s not a total lost cause. Every so often, exile from a party would inspire an adventurer to turn over a new leaf and strive for greatness. Those people were few and far between, but perhaps this bunch had only been dropped due to poor circumstances, and their day in the sun was yet to come. “Come to accept a quest, have you?” I said. “I’m surprised you’re still alive.” I was impressed by the party leader’s resilience, but I couldn’t allow this small victory to go to his head. If he could recognize his shortcomings, then there was hope yet. Then again, his partners still seem fresh, and I don’t sense any urgency about him. Perhaps he’s a lost cause after all. I thought this after the girl in the back sucked her teeth at me and the leader barely reacted. The other boy seemed like he’d been dragged into all this against his will. They didn’t exactly smell like team spirit. “So? Did you learn something about how dangerous it can really be out there? You should count yourselves lucky you came back at all. You need to work your way up by picking challenges at your own level.” Oh, I hope the demon war ends soon. I’m taking heavy casualties on my own battlefront here! As I went on, my thoughts turned to my dismal matchmaking prospects. I needed better pickings, and I needed them yesterday. “Danger is an adventurer’s bread and butter, but not if it leads to an early grave, remember that.” Why is it always me? That girl was such a bother the other day, plus my friend quit and married a craftsman. Meanwhile, that bitch from upper management somehow wrangled an officer, leaving me the oldest one here!! All my frustrations came back to haunt me, while my tongue carried on and on. I was so used to delivering sermons like this that I didn’t even have to think about it anymore. I knew it hurt to hear, but some people needed the wake-up call. Besides, it made me feel a lot better. However, that boy just sighed and interrupted me. “Yes, yes, all right,” he said. “That’s enough chitchat, don’t you think?” I gave a sigh of my own in response. This was precisely why I hated dealing with newbies. “Haven’t you been listening to me? I said—” Ker-lunk. Dun-dun-dun-dun. Trundle… ““““…”””” The leader upturned his bag and emptied out the contents. The room went so quiet, I could almost hear myself blinking in surprise. Huh? Wh-where did he find these? Even just a cursory glance revealed materials I’d never seen before in this city. Others were so high rank, they hadn’t crossed my desk in years. They were all from the dungeon. “Now, how much will you give me for these?” His question dragged me from my stupefied trance back into the chaos of reality. “E-er, just a second, please.” I grabbed my material qualities checklist and began going down it. Great Wyvern fang: rank A. Lesser Phantom cloak: rank S. Flying Viper wings: rank S. Poison Bisher Rabbit spine: rank A. Persona Goblin eye: rank A. Woody Bear paw: rank S. Lamia scale: rank SS. Flame Leo manes: rank A. What in the world? My desk was fairly large, but the mountain of materials filled it. I’d given up on seeing specimens this rare after all the decent adventurers went off to war, but here they were before my very eyes. Those blowhards drinking over at the bar could fight all day until their legs gave out, and they’d never see a single one of them. And I’ve never seen so many at once! Even my best party before the war never brought back a haul like this! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Now that I think about it, there was that one rumor… A few days prior, the whole town had been buzzing about an adventurer fighting off hordes of monsters in the Gambler’s Gauntlet by himself. When I heard that, I thought my customers had been hitting the tavern a few times more than was healthy. Monsters in the dungeon always appeared in groups of at least three, usually numbering anywhere between five and twenty. The smaller the group, the more powerful each individual specimen was. It was simply impossible to fight by yourself for an extended period of time. But…what if that rumor was true? Some claimed the stranger was a man, others a woman, or a pretty girl, or a beastfolk. One person even claimed they were a demon. Of course, there wasn’t a grain of truth to be found in any of the tall tales these fools concocted over their drinks. But one of the stories really took the cake. “The Dragonslayer,” they called him. An adventurer so powerful, he didn’t even need a fancy nickname. According to the tales, he was a swordsman who’d climbed the walls of the Gambler’s Gauntlet and used hitherto unheard-of magic to obliterate the dragons that appeared. A swordsman who used magic and could fight off a swarm of dragons by himself? It sounded like something out of a children’s book. A fairy-tale hero. In fact, I don’t think anyone would even dare put a tale so absurd to paper. However… “Gulp…” I came at last to the final material, a jewel cloaked in golden light. I had never seen one up close before, but I knew what it was. Its perfectly spherical shape and mysterious markings told me it was a treasure known as a Dragon’s Eye. I’ve only ever seen sketches… It was a mark of power, seen only rarely in the foreheads of intelligent dragons and some of the more powerful unintelligent species. And this is a large one, too! It looks about the same size as the one harvested from the Kaiser Dragon, defeated by the hero over 200 years ago. But if it is, it’s far too valuable for us to handle by ourselves… If the man before me had really obtained this himself, he would be one of only twenty people in the world to be valued at S-rank. Of course, there’s more that goes into adventurer rank than just combat ability, but still… “Excuse me, but could I ask you to come this way for me?” I told him, after a moment’s hesitation. “Wait in this room, and I’ll go fetch the guildmaster.” I wasn’t sure what else I could do. This was way above my pay grade. “Sure,” the man replied. And then… I felt my neurons firing. Yes, my marriage-seeking neurons! “And…,” I said. “I’m deeply sorry for any offense I may have caused, sir.” I bowed as low as I could. I hadn’t figured out which of the two men to aim for, but for now I sought to clear the slate of my unfavorable first impression. I screwed up big time! But it’s not over yet! Not while I can still claw my way back into their good graces! “I didn’t realize I was dealing with an adventurer of your esteem,” I went on. “Please accept my sincerest apologies.” “Oh, it’s fine,” the leader replied. “You just did what any well-meaning guildwoman would do. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I’ll let it slide, this time.” “Thank you, sir. Your words are most gracious.” Grr! I wish I’d just kept my advice to myself now! I tried not to let the regret show on my face. “Please step this way, sirs, madam,” I said, guiding the three of them to our reception room. “Please wait here, if you wouldn’t mind. I shan’t be long.” First, I’ll offer to make it up to him by inviting him out to dinner, and then—! “Aieee!” I squealed as a sharp pain ran through my foot. “Whoops. Oh, I’m sorry about that. It was an accident.” The girl in his group, who had always been casting me unfriendly glances, now stared at me with such disdain that I thought my heart would freeze over. The blatant insincerity in her apology sent a shiver down my spine. She leaned a little closer and whispered in my ear, “But that’s not nearly as hard as I would tread on any worms who attempted to get close to my dear brother.” “Erk…” I guess I’m fated to be alone forever… I attempted to keep up a smile, but on the inside, I was weeping. The room the woman led us to was a reception chamber for noblemen and other visiting dignitaries, so it was far tidier than the other rooms of this squalid place. The tables and chairs were all crafted from a fine fantasy plant and hummed with faint traces of mana, and into their blue wood were carved sculptures of the Goddess, imbued with a purification spell. The ceiling was high, the room was large, and it all came together to leave a rather striking impression. It was clearly built with consideration in mind for both the religious sensibilities of the See, which worshipped the Goddess Lunaris and valued asceticism, and those of the beast lands, which worshipped the Great Spirit, Luna. These tasteful trappings were far more in line with my preferences as a humble Japanese than were the gaudy gold and silver of the kingdom. “That was very ‘Main Character’ of you, dear brother,” said Mai. “More like ‘Major Pain in the Ass,’” added Yuuto. “I had to deal with customers like you on the night shift. Hated every second of it.” I turned to my two compatriots and cast a deathly glare at them. “…Is this still because of that training?” I asked. There was no gain to be had in acting polite for politeness’s sake. I was fully prepared to fight fire with fire if the situation called for it. However, I couldn’t deny that hearing that evaluation from my oldest friends and family hurt a little. “Still, you guys are right. I’m nothing but a pain in the ass at this point.” It had taken losing my memories for me to realize just how much my journey had changed me. Whether I was dealing with my sworn enemies or just with someone I didn’t like, no conscience could stay my hand or my tongue. If that wasn’t the very definition of an asshole, then what was? “No, I’m more than your garden-variety jerk now. I’m a monster.” That was more fitting for this world. A term that far better encapsulated the terrible power I wielded and had decided to bring to bear against those who crossed me. “Dear brother… I didn’t…” “Kaito…” “…Well, that’s enough of that. It’s almost time for our meeting.” It seemed like the two of them wanted to speak further, but as I had previously told them, they were to remain silent during the negotiations. After all, I wasn’t going to get away with just bluff and bluster here. I needed to use this opportunity to get close to Leon. To do that, I would have to stay calm and polite. Well, as I just finished saying, I could stand up for myself if I needed to, but there was no sense in casting the first stone when there were friends to be won. Presently, the door creaked, and an aged Cetaceanid beastfolk walked in. “Thank you for waiting,” he said. “You must be Mr. Ukei. And these, I presume, are Miss Ukei and Mr. Kanazaki.” The top half of his face was deep blue, like a whale’s, and he possessed a bushy white mustache alongside a pair of large, goggly eyes. He stood at almost three meters tall, and he had a surprising force of will, given his advanced age. I could tell that Mai and Yuuto were shocked by his appearance. Whalefolk, as they were commonly known, were fairly rare, as were extreme deviations from the standard human build, like this gentleman’s. Male beastfolk more readily presented animal-like traits than did their female counterparts, but even by their standards, he was an exception. I still remember how surprised I was when I first saw him. “…That’s right, I was wondering if it was you…” I couldn’t help speaking my thoughts aloud. In my previous life, Leon had spared the Fey Queen, and she had granted him her Cursed Toxin. This was no ordinary poison, of course. It was unreproducible by any means and lost its potency after two weeks. In return, it was so powerful that even my inhuman resistances could not prevent its effects. One of the ingredients was fifty human hearts taken from those so steeped in anger and despair that they actively sought death. And though Leon had let her live, the Fey Queen was wounded in the battle, and there was no better place than this land for her to rest and recuperate. As for me, I had departed immediately for distant lands once the battle was over, telling nobody about the fey, for fear it would only make matters worse. That meant there was nobody left here who posed a threat to them. In other words, chances were, the poison used against me was created here. And if the Fey Queen was hiding out in the area around Zolkia… Fairies amplified their power by feeding on human emotions. The Fey Queen needed humans, both to heal her own wounds and to produce the toxin. But even in the midst of a war, that many humans going missing all at once would surely cause a stir. Which meant someone must have helped to obtain all those “ingredients.” Someone intimately familiar with people whom nobody would miss. Someone with plausible deniability as to why they had disappeared. It was you, wasn’t it, Valeria? A pale flame burst to life in the depths of my heart. “Hmm, is something the matter, sir?” “No, not at all. I was just surprised to see a beastfolk of your impressive stature. Pardon my discourtesy.” I cast my palm over the flame of my vengeance, shielding it from view. It wasn’t time. I couldn’t lose myself yet. Not before I proved beyond all reasonable doubt that he was the one. Starved of oxygen, the flame in my heart snuffed out. But if he was really associated with the Fey Queen in some way… “Ho-ho-ho. Well, I’m afraid I must be shrinking a little in my old age. You should have seen me last year! My name is Valeria, and I am the guildmaster here. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” The old man fired off a superficial greeting and sat down across from us at the table. “I do hope you won’t mind if I get straight to the point,” he said. “I would be exceedingly interested in finding out how you obtained that Dragon’s Eye.” “I just stood on the walls of the dungeon killing dragons until the big one came out,” I replied nonchalantly. “I took it down, and it dropped this. That’s all I know, honest.” “A simple, and if I may add, quite unbelievable story,” replied Valeria. “Still, your account lines up with what I heard, and I suppose if the item is here, that’s all that matters. Now then, I presume you would like the guild to purchase this Dragon’s Eye from you, is that correct?” “Obviously,” I replied. “I didn’t bring it here just to show it off.” “Quite. Well, I’d say we’re looking at a figure in the region of—” “Oh, I don’t want money,” I said, cutting him off. “I’d like you to increase my guild rank instead.” “Would you, now? Well, I suppose with an item of this quality, a jump to B-rank wouldn’t be out of the question…” “That’s not enough, I’m afraid.” “…You’d like to be made A-rank? I suppose I could pull a few strings…” “Nope. Still not enough,” I insisted. “I’m looking to snag a rank of S, if you don’t mind. Anything lower than that, and we’re just wasting each other’s time.” “My boy, you must understand that that’s simply not possible.” “Don’t be silly. You’re precisely the man who can get it done, aren’t you?” Valeria grunted. “I’m sorry, but what you ask for is beyond my power. An increase to A-rank requires only the consent of multiple guilds, but anything above that can only be granted via royal assent.” “Right, and you can sort that out for me, can’t you? After all, you’re all chummy with Prince Leon, right?” “…Oh?” ““Hrh!!”” The moment I spoke Leon’s name, Valeria’s entire demeanor changed. I sensed Mai and Yuuto freeze in their seats behind me. I, however, countered his intimidating aura with a menacing air of my own, like blackest night seeping from my pores. “Ergh…” “Don’t think that pathetic excuse for intimidation is enough to get rid of me,” I said. “If you’re going to turn this into a face-off, then two can play at that game.” “…My, my,” said Valeria. “I feel like you just played a joker to my ace. My old bones can’t take these games anymore.” “So?” I asked. “What’ll it be?” “I’ll do what I can,” he said, giving a deflated sigh. “But it will take some time.” I dismissed my aura of intimidation. An S-rank adventurer was entitled to lead their own force on the battlefield and was treated—for all intents and purposes—like a military general. That alone would bring me leaps and bounds closer to Leon. “That’s good to hear,” I said. The flame in my heart rose anew between my gently parted fingers, and I felt its tips turning black. Back at the inn, I checked my saved status board and saw something that confirmed Valeria’s betrayal beyond a shadow of a doubt. “Ah, that settles it, then.”