Chapter 21

“W-well then, M-Miss Lorna… These one hundred Phantom Leafs come to a total of five million shil…” “Whooo!” One week after returning from the Hidden Village of the Elves, Lorna paid a visit to the Adventurers Guild headquarters. In the end, Elmina had decided to resume her post as guild master. She handed Lorna a bag stuffed with shil. Lorna had harvested more leaves using the infinite duplication trick and brought them to the guild a week prior, but they’d sold for such a hefty sum it had taken a while to put together the money. I’m just glad I was able to sell them all… Lorna felt a sense of relief as she accepted her massive bag of cash. Phantom Leaf might sell for a lot, but she wasn’t sure how much of a demand there was for it. The leaf was practically on the level of an urban legend, after all. It rarely, if ever, found its way to the market. When Lorna showed up to sell her wares, the employee at the guild had enthusiastically thanked her and said, “I’ll buy every single one you have!” But when she pulled out a thousand of them, the employee got cold feet. “I… I couldn’t possibly buy that many…” This should be enough to get me started on my journey, though, so all’s well that ends well. The town of Aiphoné was under the direct influence of the Guugelheit family. Lorna, whom they had abandoned, wanted nothing more than to get as far away from their domain as she could, as quickly as possible. Lorna was finally heading out, and that meant it was time for her to bid farewell to Elmina. “I’ve decided to leave town,” she said. “…You have?” asked Elmina. “Really? Truly?” “Yes, I’m afraid so. That’s why I wanted to come here and say good-bye… Thank you for being so kind to me! I’ll never forget you!” “……” Elmina stared at the girl, dumbfounded. Uh… What? When was I ever kind to you? Elmina was drawing a blank. As far as she knew, she’d only ever gotten in Lorna’s way. And that meant the girl’s words could only mean one thing. “S-so… That’s it, then…?” she asked. “Y-you’ve got no more use for me…?” “Um. What?” Lorna stared at her blankly. She had no clue what Elmina was talking about. What’s that supposed to mean? Lorna wondered. Uh, should I ask her? Oh no, there’s a line forming behind me… Oh dear… If I don’t say something, she’ll think I’m being rude… And so… “Eh-heh-heh… Yeah. I guess so!” …Lorna gave her an innocent, noncommittal answer before turning around and making her way out. “……” Elmina stood for a moment in shocked silence. “That’s it… I’m done for,” she moaned. “She’s going to wipe me from existence…” “Mistress Elmina, are you all right? M-Mistress…? Mistress Elmina! Are you unwell?!” A commotion broke out behind Lorna, but she was too focused on her own concerns to notice. Okay, okay… Now that I’ve got some money, I can finally prepare for my journey. Putting together everything she needed to set out on her adventure would cost, at minimum, thirty thousand shil. Originally, in order to get out from under the thumb of the Guugelheit family, Lorna was hoping to put together at least one hundred thousand shil. Right now, she had five million. What’s more, she still had about nine hundred Phantom Leafs in her Item Box—worth about forty-five million shil in total. Not that she could sell the whole lot of them all at once, mind you. But with this much money, Lorna could buy whatever her heart desired. She could even go on a gourmet tour of Aiphoné, just as she’d dreamed of doing when she first arrived. Heh… Heh-heh-heh… I’ve got enough money on me… No harm in checking out a few of the food stalls before I leave, right? Lorna made up her mind, wiped the drool gathering on her chin, and began her shopping spree. She popped open a map on the internet and kept her eyes trained on it as she wandered from shop to shop. And as she did… “Hyuk-hyuk-hyuk… You’re Lorna Hermit, are ya?” “No hard feelings, sweetie, but we got direct orders from the Guugelheits.” “Nothin’ personal, but you’re not leavin’ this town alive, girlie.” Mmm-hmm-hmm! What could be better than a gourmet tour of Aiphoné? Let’s seeeee, where to next…? “Take thiii—! What the—? My sword broke on her!” “Holy sh—! She’s repelling my magic and my arrows!!!” “C-calm down, stupid! It’s one little girl. Let’s all just rush her!” If I store it in my Item Box, it looks like I can keep food fresh as long as I want… I might as well stock up on all the tasty treats this town has to offer before I leave! That way, I’ll have all sorts of yummy stuff to eat during my trip, too. “Hi-yaaaaaah! G-gaaaahhh! My hand! She broke my hand!” “Dammit, this chick’s as hard as rock! Start pelting her with status ailments!” “I-it’s no good! Poison’s not working! And I can’t seem to blind her with Darkness or put her to sleep, either!” Oh, darn it, another pop-up ad… Ugh… Why are these silly little Xs so hard to tap? …Actually, hold on a second… This ad’s kind of funny… “She’s laughing? She broke your hand, and she’s laughing?!” “Eep…! Wh-what the hell is this chick?!” “Sh-she can’t be human! I’m not letting a freak like her out of— Gyaaaaaah!” “…Whoa!” Lorna came to an abrupt stop. It seemed she’d accidentally bumped into someone. She must have hit the man pretty hard, because he’d been knocked to the ground. Trembling, he looked up at her. “Oh my goodness! I am so sorry about that!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t even see you there, and I—” “You didn’t even notice me…?!” The man’s body shook all over as he struggled to get to his feet. “I… I can’t do this! I can’t deal with this monster! I’m gettin’ the hell outta here!” “Wh-whoa, what the hell?! Ya can’t just leave us behind!” “No… Nooooooo! Forget those damn Guugelheits; I don’t want to die!” The men around Lorna made quite the commotion as they ran off as fast as they could. She stared blankly after them as they disappeared into the distance. “…I guess he was in a hurry,” she said with a confused tilt of her head. Whatever it was she had just witnessed, Lorna had learned a valuable lesson. “I should stop staring at the internet while I’m walking. It’s really dangerous!” Not long after, Lorna finished preparing for her journey. All that was left was to chuck everything she’d bought into her Item Box. When she first came to Aiphoné, she was worried that the Guugelheits would try something, but… …I’ve had such a nice time here. She had only spent about a week there, but she had come to love the rustic town and its simple pleasures. Of course, her fond feelings might have been inevitable—it was the first town she had ever visited, after all. For now, she still wanted to put as much distance between her and her former family’s domain as she could, but… I’d love to come back here someday…once things settle down a bit. Lorna wistfully held that thought in her heart as she prepared to move on. “So…you’re finally on your way, then?” Lorna was at the town gate, saying her farewell to Reinharte. The guard looked at her like a lost puppy, left behind by its master. “In my time as a guard, I’ve seen many people off on their journeys. Still, it always leaves me feeling lonely…” “Well, I’m sure I’ll be back someday, so don’t get too down in the dumps.” “Well, then. Where are you planning to go first?” “The capital.” Lorna had given a lot of thought to her destination over the past week, and she’d finally settled on the royal capital. There were lots of dungeons nearby, and she was sure to find plenty of jobs for an adventurer and nice spots to tour around. What’s more, as the old saying goes, “All roads lead to the capital.” With so many highways spiraling out in all directions, it would be the perfect hub from which to visit other towns. “My plan is to head to the capital and make that my base for future travels.” She didn’t have any particular goal or final destination in mind. But she couldn’t go wrong starting with the capital. “I see. That does make sense. The monsters around the capital are quite strong, but I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you.” “Right. Also, a relative of mine lives nearby…” Lorna hadn’t had much contact with her mother’s side of the family, but she had met her aunt Millishira Hermit and her cousin Mina Hermit a number of times. She worried about how they might receive her now that she’d been ousted from the Guugelheit family, but she wanted to at least drop by and say hello. She and Reinharte chatted at the gate for a while. Then, when Lorna was about to leave, he stopped her. “By the way. I’ve decided to take the adventurers exam again,” he announced. “I’ve been out of the game for five years now, so I’ll probably have to start over from Iron rank… But once I join back up, I hope to meet you again somewhere, as a fellow adventurer.” “Of course! I’m sure we’ll share lots of grass once we do.” “…Grass?” They lapsed back into conversation for a while, until… “All right,” said Lorna. “It’s about time I headed out.” “Indeed. I pray your travels will be full of joy.” Reinharte sent Lorna off with the same warm smile he had greeted her with when she first came out of the forest. “Phew.” Lorna sighed as she stood in the grassy plains outside town. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but her heart seemed much lighter now than when she had first arrived. Come to think of it, I guess I’m way stronger than I was back then, she thought, popping open her status window. Lorna Hermit, Lv. 44 HP: 468/468 MP: 99,999/288 ATK: 46 (+360) DEF: 94 (+746) M-ATK: 181 (+3,600) MIND: 181 (+1,666) SPD: 92 (300) LUCK: 94 (+400) Equipment Weapon: Staff of World Tree (SSS) Armor: Apocalypse Dragon Ragnarobe (S) Armor: Reckless Boots (B) Accessory: Elf Queen’s Amulet (A) Accessory: Substitute Doll (F) Skills Internet (SSS) Terra Drain (SSS) Enchanted Wings (S) Reckless Rush (B) Magic VIII (D) Giant Killer III (D) Art of Slaughter II (E) Dragon Slayer I (C) Alchemy V (D) Plant Killer I (F) Titles The Abandoned One Yggdrasil’s Chosen Calamity Witch Lord Slayer Apocalyptic Conqueror Queen’s Heart Rose Exterminator “…………Huh.” Perhaps Lorna shouldn’t have checked after all. Whatever the case, she was strong. Even stronger than she’d realized. She felt like she was looking at some stranger’s stats. And to think that, just a week ago, I was struggling to kill a Slime… Lorna’s journey had begun only a few days ago. At this rate, what would her stats look like in a year? Am I even still human…? She tried to picture herself in the future, but the exercise only made her eyes glaze over. That said, a big part of her was excited to see where she would end up. “…Anyway.” Lorna closed her stats screen and looked ahead of her. Grassy plains sprawled out as far as the eye could see. A refreshing breeze was blowing, and the light around the sun formed a gentle halo. She had enough money for her travels, and she had been freed from the confines of the Guugelheit estate. The world was Lorna’s to explore as she wished. Lorna took in a slow, deep breath. And then… “Reckless Rush!” …she activated her boots’ equip skill, doubling her speed. Then Lorna brought her fingers to her mouth and whistled as she sped off at a breakneck pace. “Huuuuuh?!” Reinharte cried out in shock from behind her. Anyone watching might think the girl had lost her mind. But according to the internet, this was a little trick called Whistle Sprinting—a movement technique passed down since time immemorial. It really works, just like the internet said. As long as I whistle while I’m running, I’ll never get tired! And I can avoid getting airsick from using Enchanted Wings. This is great! And so… “Fweeet… Fweeet… Fweeet…!!!” Taka-taka-taka-taka-taka-taka-taka-taka!!! Lorna raced across the grassy plains, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as she went. She was moving at double her normal pace, and even without the technique, Lorna’s speed stat far outclassed that of any regular human. She caught up with some other adventurers in the field, and they gawked at her as she tore past them like some kind of terrible speed demon.