《Beyond/Fantasy and Illusion [A Weak-to-Strong GameLit Isekai]》 1. Awakening "Save me." Hearing a voice, it felt as though the boy had just been woken from a deep state of comatose. For a moment he thought he might have just been sleeping, but somehow it didn¡¯t feel like that. His senses were dull and muddled, and he was having difficulty processing his thoughts. This was a completely different feeling from waking up after a nap or something. It was almost as if his entire body was shut down, including his brain, and he was only now being reeled back into consciousness. The first thing he could feel was his body swaying side to side. He was moving. He was sure of it. But...moving? How was he moving? Or perhaps the better questions to ask were: where was he and where was he moving to? His eyes were still closed, so he had no way of knowing. He was even weary of opening them out of fear of announcing his awakening. He had no idea what was nearby watching him or if he was in some form of danger. Something could have been waiting for him to wake up. Unlikely perhaps, but he had no reason to suspect otherwise. So he decided to listen first, tentatively, in case there really were perils lurking about. ¡°...don¡¯t know, either?¡± There was a voice. It sounded human, he thought, and it came from right next to him. If there were other humans around, then maybe that was a good sign. There was only one way to be sure. The boy slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing that came into his sight was a pair of pale legs in front of him. Not only those, but others lined up beside them. They were human legs. He felt slightly relieved at that revelation. ¡°Hey, are you awake?¡± he heard somebody ask. The voice came from a young man seated beside him. He had a fair, lengthy face that was partly framed with brown hair and eyes that were currently regarding him curiously. The boy did not recognise who this person was. ¡°Y-yeah...,¡± he replied hesitantly. His vision was still steadily adjusting to his surroundings. He rubbed at his eyes as though that would help speed the process. ¡°Where am I? Who are you?¡± ¡°We were just about to ask you that,¡± another person, this one a boy with wild auburn hair tied into a ponytail, chimed in. ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¡°You were the only one still passed out.¡± When Ponytail said that, the boy glanced at all of the other people around and counted twelve of them. Including himself, there were seven boys and six girls, and they were all seated in what appeared to be a wagon. A wagon... I don''t remember getting on a wagon. When the boy tried to think about it more, a dull throb pounded in his head, rendering him ditzy. ¡°Ow...¡± He clutched his head, wincing. ¡°I take it that means he doesn¡¯t remember anything, either,¡± said a bespectacled young man. He folded his arms and appeared rather vexed at that. The stranger next to him gently placed a hand on the boy''s back. ¡°Take it easy,¡± he assured him. ¡°Can you remember anything? Anything at all? What about your name? We can start there. I¡¯m Mahiro.¡± A name. His own name. Surely he remembered something as rudimentary as that. ¡°...I¡¯m Keisuke¡­I think. Or is it something else¡­?¡± No. Somehow, he was sure of it. ¡°It¡¯s Keisuke. My name is Keisuke.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Keisuke-kun.¡± Mahiro smiled at him. This person seems like a nice guy, was Keisuke¡¯s first impression of Mahiro. Keisuke shook his head in an attempt to gather his bearings and wake himself up. ¡°I''m struggling to remember anything. Did something happen? I think I was asleep or something, so I don¡¯t know...¡± ¡°We were all passed out,¡± Glasses replied matter-of-factly. ¡°We found ourselves here just like you. Nobody seems to have any idea where we are, apparently.¡± When he said that, his eyes slowly hovered over everyone in the wagon, seemingly suspicious of them. ¡°Yer in Altear, ¡®f course! The western kingdom in the nation of Valentia. Seriously, ye young''uns don¡¯t even know that much? This generation is lost. Truly, truly lost, I say.¡± The reply came from none of the other passengers but a man without the wagon¡ªthe teamster, it looked like. He was a short and pudgy old man with magnificent white cheek whiskers and a nose that seemed to cover half of his face. He was shaking his head gravely, apparently disappointed that none of them knew where they were. But that aside, Altear? Valentia? None of those names rang any bells to Keisuke. He was certain that he¡¯d never heard of them before. They sounded foreign. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain much at all, old man,¡± said a girl dressed in a black high school sailor uniform. She gave the impression of a student council president¡ªsomeone stern and poised. Wait. Keisuke¡¯s brain came to an abrupt halt, as if it had just collided headlong into a brick wall that appeared out of nowhere. High school? Student council? ¡­ What are those? Strange. He had mentioned those things as if he knew what they were, but all of a sudden he realised that he hadn¡¯t the slightest clue whatsoever.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. He was sure he knew¡­but apparently, he didn¡¯t after all. It was a disturbing feeling. Deep down, Keisuke felt like they were obvious things to know. At least, he got the feeling that he should¡¯ve known. But no matter how deeply he thought about it, his mind was an empty sheet of paper. ¡°We have no idea who you are or what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Student Council President continued. Keisuke decided that he would keep calling the girl by that name for convenience''s sake. ¡°How did we end up here? Where did you find us?¡± By the sound of it, Keisuke was not the only one who couldn''t remember a thing. Everybody else on the wagon appeared to be in the same predicament as him. Weird. The entire situation was weird. The old man snorted. ¡°Silly question after silly question. I picked ye up, didn''t I? Ye all arrived here by ship in Rivington. Wasn''t too long ago, so how have ye all gone and forgotten already? But I s¡¯ppose ye were all so puckered out ye passed out right after hopping on! I spent half o¡¯ the ride nattering with m''self before I even realised! Ha-ha-ha!¡± The man laughed. He was the only one finding all of this amusing, however. ¡°By yer jolly accents, I take it ye come from somewhere beyond the sea? We¡¯re on our way to Fortuna now. That''s where I was instructed to take ye.¡± ¡°Instructed?¡± Mahiro raised an eyebrow. ¡°By whom?¡± ¡°The pretty woman who hired me, ¡®f course.¡± The boy with the ponytail mussed up his hair as though desperately trying to stimulate his brain. ¡°Huhhhh? A ship...? What ship? I don¡¯t remember a damn ship! What the hell is going on here?¡± ¡°Take it easy, Noburu-kun.¡± Mahiro tried to calm him down. ¡°Getting riled up won¡¯t help us right now.¡± ¡°How could I possibly take it easy?! Am I the only one bothered by all of this? No, no, clearly you¡¯re all just as confused as I am, so why aren¡¯t you panicking right now? Like, seriously!¡± The ponytail boy, whose name was Noburu, was being loud and brash. But Keisuke couldn¡¯t fault him for his reaction. He couldn¡¯t remember a ship, either. Everything the teamster had said was news to him. His own name. That was about all Keisuke could remember. Anything other than that was a complete loss. He had forgotten everything. No, that didn¡¯t feel quite right. Saying that he had simply forgotten did not accurately explain the tumult that was going on in his mind at all. It was like whenever he tried bringing up a memory or something crossed his mind, it quickly turned to dust before he could get a firm grasp on it. It was as if something in his brain was actively trying to prevent him from remembering anything. ¡°Keep it down. You¡¯re getting on my nerves,¡± a low and husky voice intoned. It came from a boy seated nearest the entrance of the wagon. He had wild blonde hair, piercings on his ears and brow, and a broad and bulky build. From Keisuke¡¯s honest perspective, he looked like some sort of delinquent. ¡°If none of us can remember anything, then it¡¯s obvious whoever is behind this doesn¡¯t want us to.¡± Whoever is behind this. How the boy had chosen to word that made Keisuke feel uneasy. Who would be behind this, and for what purpose? And how would they even have the means to rid all of them of their memories? It seemed a bit too far-fetched to be somebody''s doing to Keisuke. ¡°So there¡¯s a smart pup among the litter,¡± commented a boy with shoulder-length silver hair, his arms crossed and a slight smile playing on his lips. At a glance, he could have easily been mistaken for a girl. He had the soft features and slim physique to pass off as one. However, despite that, he was definitely a boy. ¡°Still, it''s strange that absolutely none of us can remember anything other than our names.¡± Student Council President placed a finger on her chin and appeared to ponder the situation. ¡°I can¡¯t make sense of any of it. Could this be truly planned in some way?¡± ¡°I-I''m scared...¡± A timid-looking girl shook her head and whispered in a soft, barely perceptible voice. She was relatively small and unremarkable in terms of appearance. At least, Keisuke could tell that was how she wanted to be perceived. From the dull and baggy clothes that concealed her womanly features to the cap and brown bangs that were used to hide her eyes, it was clear that this girl was the bashful type. ¡°D-does anyone know what¡¯s going on?¡± Nobody replied. Unless they were all deliberately ignoring Timid, then that meant none of them knew. By the looks of everyone, Keisuke noticed that they all must have been around the same age. He tried inspecting each of their faces to see if he recognised any of them. But that proved fruitless. I don¡¯t know anyone here, he thought. They¡¯re all strangers to me. Or that was what Keisuke initially believed. One of the passengers caught his eye, and he found himself staring at her more than anybody else around. It was a girl sitting directly in front of him. Graceful features. Long, flowing dark hair. She was merely sitting there, just like everyone else, but somehow was completely different. She had sharp, feline-like eyes and skin as white as new-fallen snow. She was captivatingly beautiful. And not just your average, garden-variety beauty, but the type that seemed ethereal and only existed in fantasy stories. Like a flower you were too hesitant to touch out of fear of it crumbling in your hands, vanishing without a trace. And yet, peculiarly enough, that was not what seemed to allure Keisuke to her. It was something else. Something about the girl tugged at his memories, yet they remained out of reach. He was almost certain he did not know who she was. He had no reason to. She must have sensed Keisuke ogling her because she turned her head his way and looked him square in the eyes. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± she asked him directly, with a brusque tone and a bitingly cold gaze that inspired nothing but apprehension. That caught Keisuke off guard, and he immediately lowered his eyes and nervously swallowed the rapidly forming spittle in his mouth. ¡°N-no! Uh, sorry...¡± What a scary woman... Keisuke had no idea who that girl was. He didn¡¯t know why he thought he might have. ¡°Ye foreigners be a funny lot,¡± the teamster¡¯s laugh echoed in the cramped wagon, yet it felt hollow as if concealing some secret. ¡°Always so chatty and confused. It''s all the same with ye, I swear. ¡®Where am I? How did I get here?¡¯ It never gets old!¡± Student Council President asked, ¡°Us foreigners?¡± and tilted her head quizzically. ¡°What, are there more like us?¡± The teamster nodded. ¡°Aye, didn¡¯t ye know? Ye ain¡¯t the first group I picked up today. But I¡¯m sure yer the last. Ehh, ye are, right? Aye, aye, I''m sure." ¡°Excuse me? We aren''t the only ones? Just what exactly do you mean by that?¡± That small statement fed on the growing feeling of unrest among the passengers. Some of them exchanged uncertain glances, failing to fully comprehend what the teamster had implied. There were others like them. Were they also in a similar predicament? Keisuke did not know. But one thing was certain to him and everyone else: something was amiss here. It didn''t help that they possessed no memories, but they had no idea where they were or how they ended up there, either. All he could remember was his own name. ¡°Just who am I, exactly...?¡± Keisuke wondered aloud, staring at his hands as if somehow they held the answers. ¡°And where do I come from?¡± It was then when their reality and all they believed or thought they believed were shifted sideways. 2. Nightmare and Despair, Part One A sudden jolt rocked the wagon, violently throwing around everyone inside, sending them tumbling and colliding against each other. ¡°Uwah...?! You old geezer! What¡¯s going on?!¡± Noburu shouted at the teamster as he stumbled about struggling to pick himself up from the floor. ¡°Oy, did you fall asleep on the wheel? Oy!¡± ¡°Is everything okay out there?¡± Mahiro was about to look outside when something struck the wagon at a high velocity, piercing through the grey canvas enveloping it. ¡­Huh? A jolt of pain shot through Keisuke¡¯s left shoulder. At first, the sharp and burning sensation didn¡¯t register in his brain the instant it happened. It was only when he looked down and saw an iron stick ripping through his flesh, fresh with blood, that his arm went ablaze. Keisuke screamed, and a wild commotion ensued. The passengers broke into a panic as strange, loud noises began to rise outside like a tide. ¡°¡­Whoa, whoa!¡± Noburo stammered, wide-eyed. ¡°Wait a minute. The hell? That¡¯s an arrow¡­right? Why is there an arrow¡ª?¡± ¡°Gnolls...!¡± The teamster interrupted Noburu with a long, hoary rasp. ¡°Everyone, be careful!¡± The wagon¡¯s canvas ripped open and before them appeared some beast-like creature. It had the head of what Keisuke could only describe as a hyena; greenish-grey skin; a dirty yellow mane; and dark fur scattered with black spots. It glared at every one of them inside the wagon with beady black eyes. Then it roared, and the sound was gruff and fearsome and sent shivers down the length of all of their spines. There was a shrill scream from one of the girls. The beast reacted violently, pulling her by the hair and dragging her out of the wagon. More of the creatures stood outside, barking things in a language that consisted of nothing but guttural bays and growls. Everyone in the wagon was dragged into the night, and upon further observation, Keisuke noticed that although the beasts had the heads of hyenas, their bodies were almost humanoid, and they stood at about seven feet in height. There were several of them, and they were all armed with various types of weapons: axes, curved longswords, and bows. It was clear. They¡¯d been ambushed. The wagon¡¯s wheels were broken, and they were surrounded on all fronts. The creatures appeared seemingly out of nowhere, under the cover of darkness. They were hostile and aggressive and cared for them not. The pulsating pain in Keisuke¡¯s left shoulder was indubitable proof of that. The hyena-like beastmen howled and cackled. They issued incomprehensible commands at them, forcing everyone into a line on the ground. One could almost taste the distress in the air at the sight of the beasts. The entire group of thirteen was shaken, quivering within their qualm. They all had this feeling that none of what was happening should have been real. That none of it should have existed within their realm of possibilities. And yet it was and did. Their lives were at stake, and that was the current reality they faced. They all realised that much instantly. ¡°...Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, maaaan. W-what are these things¡­? Why are they attacking us?¡± Noburu was on the ground along with the rest of them. He had his back pressed against the wagon, perhaps trying to make himself small. ¡°Th-they are attacking us, right? This¡­ What is this¡­?¡± ¡°You,¡± Delinquent whispered menacingly at him, ¡°stop talking before you get us killed.¡± ¡°Stop talking¡­? B-but¡ª¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡± Delinquent gave him a serious look with a dark edge to it, and Noburu decided to swallow whatever words he had with a strained gulp. ¡°I only see six of them,¡± Glasses said in a hushed tone. He must¡¯ve been counting the beasts the moment they were forced outside. ¡°And they¡¯re all armed,¡± added another boy with swarthy skin. ¡°Could there be more hidden somewhere?¡± ¡°I doubt it. There¡¯d be no reason for them to hide at this point." Are we going to die here? was what Keisuke was thinking. His mind was a mess of panic and dread. He was struggling to get a hold of himself, and apparently, that was the same for Noburu, who looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of provoking Delinquent again. The timid girl also looked like she was having a difficult time. She was battling to keep her breathing under control but couldn¡¯t manage to calm herself down. She must¡¯ve been terrified. No¡­ Keisuke was sure that they were all terrified. ¡°Heh,¡± Delinquent¡¯s lip curled into a sinister smirk. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you people, but I¡¯m not planning on dying to some mutts. If you feel the same, follow my lead, or else stay out of my way.¡± ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Delinquent didn¡¯t reply to Glasses. He was carefully scrutinising the beastmen around them. There was no way they were going to do something¡ªKeisuke found the mere thought of that absurd. Their attackers looked savage and wild. Not to mention they had the means to kill all of them in an instant, and they had no way of defending themselves. ¡°How¡¯s your shoulder?¡± Mahiro leaned in to ask him. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine,¡± Keisuke said, but that was far from the truth. He could barely move his arm without triggering excruciating pain. And he did not even want to attempt to remove the arrow. He was aware that would do more harm than good, especially since he wouldn¡¯t know what to do afterwards. ¡°L-leave us alone, ye dogs!¡± the teamster shouted at the beastmen. ¡°We''ve done nothing to ye! Yer threatening the peace of Altear!¡± One of the beasts snarled at the old man. Saying nothing, it kicked him so hard everyone could hear the breaking of ribs on impact. It continued mercilessly stomping on the old man, crunching and cracking sounding underfoot until it looked like he could move no longer. The other beasts were cackling, amused by this horrific display. When it was done, it spat on the teamster¡¯s body and left him there in anguish, bruised and battered, although what happened next caught¡ªnot only it¡ªbut everyone else by surprise. The old man suddenly sprung forth off the ground with defiant vigour and threw himself at the beastman''s legs. The beast let out an unexpected whine of pain. It looked like the old man had stuck a knife in its foot and was plunging the blade deeper into the wound, twisting and turning it. The beast snarled and kicked the teamster off, then stomped on him again. It was even more enraged now, striking with greater force and deadlier intent. They all watched as the teamster was brutalised before them. Keisuke wanted to help, but any words of intervention caught in his dry throat. He got the feeling that he would be next if he did say anything. He was sure that feeling was mutual for everyone. So, all they did was watch without daring to utter a single word.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The beastman then grabbed the old man¡¯s bloodied head and raised its curved longsword to the sky. It roared something harsh and throaty, and then with one sure stroke, the blade came flickering down. Keisuke heard a gasp. When he looked, the old man''s head had been cut from his shoulders. At first, there was no reaction from any of the onlookers. They were all in complete, stumped silence. Around them, the beastmen were chanting and howling as the teamster¡¯s head was raised to the sky for all to see like some sort of trophy. Even Keisuke refused to believe what he had just witnessed. But no matter how many times he blinked, the scene before him did not change. They had just witnessed a man be killed. The proof was in the headless carcass lying on the ground and the river of blood sinking into the soil, turned black as sin by the moonlight. ¡°No!¡± A scream from one of the girls pierced into the night, and she tried to run away as fast as her legs would take her. A beast quickly grabbed her by her flaxen hair before she could get more than a couple of steps away and threw her to the ground. It began tearing at the girl¡¯s clothes and stripping her naked. The girl''s wails hung in the air like a cruel threnody as she desperately struggled beneath the beastman¡¯s heavy clutches. ¡°Stop it! Get off! Get off! Stop, please!¡± Noburu stood up without a moment¡¯s hesitation at the sight of this assault. ¡°Let her go!¡± he demanded, his voice resolute even in the face of such danger. He was admirably brave in this situation. Or was it just plain stupidity? Keisuke didn¡¯t know the difference in this instance. One of the creatures regarded Noburu as though he were nothing short of an insect, and it treated him no less like one. It walked up and grabbed the boy by his face and ferociously slammed him into the ground. Noburu could barely offer little resistance to the sheer power of the beast as he was knocked out cold. As the commotion continued to rise and stir, Keisuke noticed some of the other passengers stirring like ghosts in the shadows. Delinquent was slowly sneaking up behind one of the beastmen, and the other boys were following his lead. At that same moment, Student Council President suddenly rose to her feet. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± she yelled out for all to hear. The beasts all turned their attention to her. She stood her ground even as the centre of attention, unbent and unwavering, but Keisuke noticed how she crossed her arms to try and conceal the fact that her body was trembling. ¡°Leave those girls alone. Now.¡± The beastmen were not impressed by that. One of them grabbed Student Council President by the neck and ran its long and slimy tongue across the girl¡¯s face. The sensation alone must¡¯ve been overwhelmingly revolting and intolerable, yet the girl barely flinched, her face a stone mask. What the beastmen had failed to realise, however, was that it was all a ruse. In the very next instant, Delinquent appeared with a giant rock in his hands and smashed it against the beastman''s head. The creature stumbled forward awkwardly but managed to stay on its feet, though it was disoriented. Immediately after, Delinquent wrapped his arms around the creature¡¯s waist and, with a mighty yell and incredible strength, managed to raise it off the ground and flip it over his head. That tall and burly creature must have weighed over one hundred kilograms, and Delinquent lifted it with barely any struggle at all. Keisuke was astonished by that raw display of power. The boy with dark skin quickly acted on Delinquent¡¯s attack and moved to disarm the fallen beastman of its axe. He managed to get a hold of it, but the weapon seemed too heavy for him to wield, so he could only drag it along the ground. The rest of the beasts reacted violently to this blatant act of boldness, and the situation only escalated from there. One of them charged towards Delinquent with a roar but suddenly lost its footing and crashed into the dirt like a pillar of stone. It was tripped over by the boy with silver hair, who had been hiding in the blackness until then but now showed himself, and the look on his face made Keisuke think that he was somehow finding all of this amusing. ¡°Kerguh!¡± The beastmen howled and cried in their crude animal jargon and began relentlessly attacking everyone as they all tried to run for their lives or fend them off as best as they could. Meanwhile, Keisuke could only spectate, completely immobile and petrified for his life. He looked down at his shoulder where the arrow was still lodged through. Slowly, he tried pulling it out, but just like he thought the pain proved to be too unbearable for him to see it through. During the midst of all the turmoil, a girl was walking around casually¡ªcarefree almost. She had long, ashen hair and feline-like eyes. She and the boy with similar coloured hair looked almost completely identical. They had to have been twins, Keisuke thought as he watched the girl with curiosity. No one noticed her as she strolled, not even the beastmen. It was as if she were completely invisible, moving silently, gliding through the disarray like a phantom. Something about the way she moved was oddly captivating. Keisuke could not take his eyes off of her, as though he¡¯d been placed under a spell. The girl came to a stop behind one of the beasts and released a silver object from the sleeve of her jacket into her hand. It was the teamster¡¯s knife. When had she gotten her hands on that? Keisuke didn¡¯t see her anywhere near the old man''s body. He didn¡¯t recall seeing her moving at all. Had she somehow retrieved it without anybody picking up on her at all? It was the only explanation but seemed so unlikely. But that was undoubtedly the same knife, stained with blood from the teamster¡¯s previous usage of it, and she was planning on using it again now. With deft and clinical precision, the ashen-haired girl stuck the blade into one of the beastman''s Achilles tendons and ripped it open to the calf. ¡°¡ªGuarghh!¡± The beast, now crippled, yelped and stumbled to a knee. One of its comrades witnessed this and sent itself headlong at the girl with its giant axe in hand, ready to carve her open like a butcher would its meat. ¡°Watch out!¡± Keisuke warned her, but it looked like she didn¡¯t even need his help. She must have seen the beastman coming even sooner than he did because as soon as it lunged at her, the girl swayed to the side and avoided the attack effortlessly. She then ran the blade in her hand against the creature¡¯s abdomen before flipping away to put in some distance. The beast touched the gash in its torso, almost surprised to see blood seeping out of it. It must¡¯ve not been expecting to get hurt. It then turned to the girl, howled viciously, and began to barrel at her once more. The girl simply crouched low, twirled the knife in her hand, and calmly prepared herself for combat against something that was over twice her weight and size. And that was when another arrow left its bow from behind all of them. It whistled like a tune through the air and struck the beast the ashen-haired girl was fighting in the nape, killing it nearly instantly. It was dead in what felt like the blink of an eye. Keisuke heard footsteps in the nearby distance. Based on how loud and deep they were, he doubted that they were human. They sounded like horses galloping, heading in their direction, and they were getting closer and closer by the second. Everyone turned their attention to the source of this sound, and soon they saw a group of people riding towards them. One more arrow flew past and, with precise accuracy, struck its target in the throat. Just like that, another beastmen was killed. Before any of them could realise what was happening, the newcomers were there. The rider at the forefront of them all was a man with fiery red hair and intense eyes that were fixed on the beastmen. He leapt gracefully off his horse and toward one of them, wielding a longsword that rippled like water in the moonlight. The creature could barely react in time as the man hacked it down at blinding speed. The rest of the beastmen were attacked by the other riders who followed suit. One of them, a woman on a grey horse, charged into them fearlessly. She chanted something in an obscure tongue and ice crackled and formed at the tip of the long stick she was holding and struck a beastman, riddling it with a mess of frozen shards. The other four riders ran the remaining creatures down while Keisuke and everyone else watched this all unfold, both amazed and terrified at the same time. Before they knew it, all of the beastmen were disposed of, and the entire incident was over just as quickly as it had begun. The strangers that came to their aid were all that remained. Or had they even come to help them? Keisuke gulped. They were all human, so maybe that was a good sign. The man who¡¯d rode in first cleaned the blood from his sword and then turned to everyone. He was tall, maybe one-hundred and eighty centimetres or so. And was dressed rather peculiarly. Is that¡­armour? It looked skin-tight, but Keisuke was certain that it wasn¡¯t made from any elastic fabric. It was as hard as any metal. The hue of it was black as a shadow, with patterns of a dim, orange substance flowing throughout the set like something half-alive. Whoever this man was, he looked very dangerous. But any fear Keisuke might have had disappeared with the smile he gave them. ¡°My name is Ren,¡± he said. ¡°Is everyone all right?¡± 3. Nightmare and Despair, Part Two ¡°Nanako-chan, please see to this one¡¯s wounds,¡± the man called Ren asked one of his companions. A short girl in a white robe decorated with gold and blue patterns and embroidery approached Keisuke. She crouched down before him and examined his shoulder. ¡°We will have to remove the arrow and staunch the bleeding,¡± she said. ¡°Ren, give me a hand. I can close the wound, but I can''t do anything if he bleeds out.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Ren crouched beside him. ¡°This is going to hurt, but you have to bear with it for a bit, okay?¡± Keisuke nodded. The arrow needed to be removed; he understood that much. But nothing could have prepared him for the amount of pain that shot through his shoulder when Ren snapped the arrowhead off. It was all Keisuke could do to grit his teeth and try not to cry. ¡°He¡¯s going to remove it now. Here. Bite on this.¡± Nanako folded what looked like a handkerchief and put it in Keisuke''s mouth. He braced himself. ¡°One¡­two¡­three!¡± Keisuke''s muffled screams carried into the night. ¡°Quickly, Ren, apply pressure on the wound.¡± Ren pressed a hand on the entry and exit points of the wound and pressed. Keisuke was biting down on the cloth as hard as he could. He tried his best not to look at the gush of blood spilling from the wound and onto Ren¡¯s hands. ¡°O¡¯ Lady Lucilla, I bask this one in your heavenly radiance... [Cure Light Wounds].¡± A warm light gleamed from the girl¡¯s hands and sealed up Keisuke¡¯s wound in an instant. It was as if a lamplight was being held directly over his shoulder, and he could feel a light pinch as the holes closed and his skin healed. ¡°¡­H-huh?¡± He tried touching the spot where the arrowhead had been, but there was nothing but blood left. It didn¡¯t even hurt anymore. ¡°How¡¯s that... What did you do?¡± The girl rose to her feet and went to the next person who needed attention. All of the other passengers like Keisuke were also left stupefied by this. ¡°It doesn¡¯t take much to realise that wasn¡¯t normal,¡± commented Student Council President, whose name she had revealed to be Makoto. ¡°Care to explain what that was?¡± ¡°Magic,¡± replied Ren evenly and clearly. He rubbed his bloodied hands on the dirt and stood up. ¡°It''s common here in Altear. But I understand it may come as a shock to you.¡± Magic? Did such a thing even exist? It seemed unlikely, and yet they had all just witnessed it with their own eyes. There was almost no doubting it. Keisuke couldn¡¯t help but gulp as he stared at his now completely recovered shoulder. ¡°I see. So, was that ice she used earlier magic as well? A spell of some sort?¡± Ren nodded at Makoto''s question. ¡°Right. Nice catch. Lian here is what we call an evoker. She¡¯s a type of sorcerer that specialises in manifesting elements, among other things. Nanako-chan over there is a cleric who knows healing magic, as you¡¯ve all just seen for yourselves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said the lady named Lian. She was an older woman, probably in her mid-thirties, with elegant features and an air of eroticism about her. ¡°But you needn¡¯t worry yourselves about that right now. Is anyone else hurt? Nana will see to your wounds.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Don¡¯t exhaust me or anything.¡± The girl named Nanako flicked one of her twintails with her hand. ¡°This spell uses a lot of mana. I won''t be healing simple scratches, you hear me? Just rub some spit on it.¡± Ren chuckled nervously. ¡°Try not to be too harsh on them, Nanako-chan. They were just attacked, you know?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but none of this makes sense...¡± A girl by the name of Alice shook her head. One of Ren''s companions had offered her a cloak to cover herself after the beastmen had attempted to assault her. ¡°What on earth were those things that attacked us? W-were they going to¡­¡± ¡°Those were monsters known as gnolls,¡± Ren explained. ¡°They¡¯re a hostile race in Altear. They¡¯re a strong race, albeit a dying one. They often attack wagons like this in search of women. They would''ve captured you and used you to breed more of their kind.¡± The girls shuddered at the thought. ¡°Then it¡¯s a good thing you came along when you did.¡± Makoto folded her arms and cast a long glance over their saviours. She still seemed rather sceptical of Ren and his group. ¡°Who are you people, anyway?¡± Ren introduced himself and his party as a group called the ¡°Crimson Dawn¡±, and he was their leader. There were six of them in total, three men and three women, and all of them were armed and armoured to the teeth. If Keisuke was to be honest, they looked quite frightening. But if it were not for these people making it to them in time, who knows just how bad things would¡¯ve gotten here? The teamster had been beheaded right in front of them, and, according to Ren, the girls amongst them would have been violated. Just saying those things, it honestly seemed unbelievable. ¡°If you will allow it, we will escort you the rest of the way.¡± Ren climbed on his horse. ¡°These roads can be perilous, especially at night. Please allow us to accompany you.¡± ¡°The rest of the way?¡± Mahiro looked at Ren questioningly. ¡°Where are we going? Where are you taking us?¡± ¡°To the city of Fortuna. If we move now, we should arrive by sunrise.¡± Makoto knitted her eyebrows. ¡°And why should we follow you?¡± Ren smiled at her. ¡°Trust me, it''s in your best interest. I promise no harm will come your way.¡± The third girl in Ren''s party chortled darkly. ¡°Wow, they don''t trust us. Even after we saved their lives.¡± ¡°And we''re grateful to you for that,¡± Mahiro nodded with acknowledgement, ¡°but you must understand our caution here. We don''t even know you people.¡± ¡°Your caution is warranted but mistaken,¡± said Lian. ¡°I would recommend you follow us, but you may otherwise do as you please. We will be returning with or without you.¡± And so Ren spurred his horse round, and he and his party began to ride off. Keisuke and the others were unsure of what to do at that point. Following Ren was probably the best thing to do from their position, but it wasn¡¯t without its red flags. After all, they did not know these people, and even though they were human, putting all of their trust in random strangers wasn¡¯t exactly something to be done lightly. Keisuke even had questions about their sudden appearance and how easily they killed those gnolls, but he had decided against voicing them. It seemed as though everyone shared Keisuke¡¯s doubts and concerns because nobody moved. It was Delinquent who took the initiative and decided to follow Ren. He said nothing and simply began trailing behind them. Everyone else was still debating whether that was the best course of action or not. Keisuke looked around, trying to gauge the consensus, but it seemed mixed. ¡°Well, what else are we going to do?¡± Glasses shrugged. ¡°If they''re taking us to a city, then we''ll be better off. Beats standing here in the middle of nowhere waiting to be roadkill.¡± ¡°He has a point.¡± Mahiro looked at Keisuke. ¡°Shall we?¡± Keisuke nodded, noticing that everyone seemed to share that opinion. As the group prepared to leave, Keisuke glanced at the scene they''d left behind. Ren had asked one of his companions to gather the remains of the teamster''s body to take with them wherever it was they were going. For a proper burial, he said. Other than that, there was nothing but corpses and blood remaining¡ªevidence of this aberrant situation they found themselves in. Fortuna... Keisuke didn''t know a city by that name. What was this place and where did they come from? He didn¡¯t have a single clue. But...there was one thing Keisuke was certain of... There was no magic or strange beasts known as gnolls in that other place. He was, without a shadow of a doubt, certain of that. 4. Without Knowing Anything It was daybreak when they arrived, with the sun slowly rising over the horizon and the people of Fortuna waking up, yawning and stretching, to meet the day. Ren and his party led the group of thirteen through the city as an escort. There were high, solid walls encompassing the entire city of Fortuna that seemed to stretch out several square miles. The cobblestone streets twisted and turned, and some of the houses and buildings were made of stone and others of wood. It was a pleasant change in scenery, to say the least. On their way to the city, they¡¯d mostly found nothing but empty fields and forests. There was a rise in farmsteads and small houses once they got closer, and they would spot large stone structures in the distance. Ren explained that those were holdfasts and forts and that some had been abandoned, claimed by either nature or other beasts. Other than that, the surrounding land was barren. They¡¯d entered the city through a large black gate where a handful of men in steel armour stood sentry beneath, leaning on their spears. When Mahiro asked someone from Ren''s party about them, he confirmed that they were the City Watchmen, responsible for keeping order in Fortuna. A foul stench had begun to hang over the air like a damp blanket when they got closer to Fortuna. It was likely the smell of excrement, and now that they¡¯d entered the city, they were deep in the stink of it. Keisuke had to stop himself from gagging every so often. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it,¡± Lian had told them. I¡¯m not sure I want to, thought Keisuke, covering his nose with his forearm. The deeper they travelled into the city, the more foot traffic they encountered. In the shadows of the walls, farmers and merchants were setting up stalls. One of them, an old man in rustic clothing, had one of the wheels of his cart break off. Apples, melons, oranges, and other fruits spilled onto the street, ripe for the taking for any who dared. A group of barefoot boys did in fact dare, leaping at the opportunity and getting their hands on whatever they could before running off, laughing and hooting. ¡°Get back here, you miscreants!¡± yelled one of the guardsmen, attempting to give chase, but could scarcely keep up in his heavy suit of armour. Makoto managed to grab one of the little thieves by the wrist, stopping him in his tracks. ¡°Stealing is wrong. Return what you took and apologise. Now.¡± The boy must¡¯ve been frightened stiff because he did as he was told with little fuss. The rest of his friends, however, had scampered off somewhere. ¡°So, uh, is it just me or does this place feel...off, somehow?¡± Noburu was glancing about as they passed through the streets. That would be putting it lightly, Keisuke thought inwardly. This entire setting feels out of the norm, somehow. ¡°I have a similar feeling.¡± Mahiro shared the angst. ¡°Like, I should be surprised by all of this. It''s weird, isn¡¯t it?¡± They had been the centre of attention the moment they stepped through the gates. People were sparing them glances as if they were something they had never seen before. To be fair, Keisuke and the others were doing the exact same to them. The people of the city all stood out as peculiar to Keisuke. They were dressed in plain and simple clothing, unlike himself and the rest of the group who looked overdressed in comparison. Hold on. They¡¯re the ones who are peculiar? Compared to them, we stand out the most here, if anything. It¡¯s not even just how they¡¯re dressed, either, but how they all look. Most of the people in the city¡¯s hair and eye colours were unique, standout colours, and their facial features were also distinct. The difference between them was so glaring it was almost as if Keisuke had just stepped into another world entirely. Alice asked, ¡°What is this place, exactly?¡± ¡°Another nation, I¡¯m assuming?¡± Glassed turned his head to assimilate his surroundings. ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t even remember my own nationality.¡± ¡°My nationality, huh...?¡± Noburu looked down at the ground and clawed at his chest, thinking. He frowned when he couldn¡¯t seem to remember. ¡°Nah, it''s no use. I still can¡¯t remember anything. What about you guys? Any ideas?¡± Keisuke shook his head. Everyone else was on the same boat as well, it seemed. ¡°Nothing is coming to me but my name, even now. My mind feels completely blank.¡± ¡°Our names¡­¡± Noburu looked around the group. ¡°Come to think of it, not all of us introduced ourselves earlier. Like you, tall guy! Hey! I¡¯m talking to you!¡± The boy Noburu was referring to was indeed a giant of a man with buzz-cut hair and dark skin. ¡°Me?¡± His voice was deep. It matched the cool and composed look he had. ¡°Yeah, you. You¡¯re the tallest one here. It should¡¯ve been obvious who I was referring to, right?¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°If I say so? What¡¯s up with that response?¡± The boy remained silent for a moment. ¡°My name is Pinto,¡± he said after a while. ¡°Pinto? The hell kind of name is that? And what was with that dramatic pause? Were you trying to be cool or something?¡± ¡°Pinto is my name. And I was deciding whether I wanted to tell you or not. I might regret it now.¡± ¡°What, you got a problem with me or something?¡± Noburu eyed Pinto up and down, stretching his neck to do so. ¡°How tall are you? You¡¯re, like, competing with the trees out here, man...¡± Pinto took a second to think about it. ¡°I think I''m one-hundred ninety-six centimetres. More or less.¡± One-ninety-six... That was over twenty centimetres taller than Keisuke. He doubted Pinto was the same age as everyone else based on that but, facial appearance-wise, he didn¡¯t seem that old at all. ¡°Almost two-hundred...?!¡± Noburu made a show of tripping over himself, like a pratfall. ¡°The hell? Isn¡¯t that too tall? Aren¡¯t you overdoing it? Just a bit?¡± ¡°Maybe. Or maybe you should just get taller.¡± ¡°Excuuuse me?! Get a load of this beanpole, belittling me when he barely knows me. The audacity! For your information, one hundred and sixty-nine centimetres is average, Beanpole. Average! You¡¯re just built like a damn streetlamp, is all. That¡¯s right, you¡¯re the abnormality here!¡± ¡°One-sixty-nine isn¡¯t really average, though...¡± Keisuke found himself commenting despite himself. With a sigh, Noburu suddenly placed a hand over Keisuke¡¯s shoulder and shook his head, no, repeatedly. ¡°Hey, man, listen. If you want to be the straight-man then you have to do it with more zest. Like, more energy. We¡¯re not going to impress anyone if you don¡¯t put in the effort.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Straight-man...¡± Keisuke was confused. ¡°What are you talking about? Who are we trying to impress?¡± ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that you need to work on your delivery. If you don¡¯t, it¡¯ll make things harder for me as the guy who decided to play the fool for you.¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s something you decided to do?¡± Mahiro asked with just a hint of a smile. ¡°Huh? What are you implying, bucko?! Say it with your chest! Come on, out with it!¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing. Forget I said anything.¡± Alice somehow giggled at this embarrassingly poor attempt at comedy. ¡°You guys are pretty funny.¡± Upon hearing that, Noburu''s face brightened, and he puffed his chest out proudly as if it was all according to plan. Keisuke shook his head. What a clown. Pinto seemed to be a man of few words, whereas Noburu was full of them. Keisuke looked over at Delinquent who was walking behind Ren. He was curious what his name was but was too intimidated by the man to ask. Instead, Keisuke turned to Timid beside him as an alternative. ¡°How about you? What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± The girl seemed taken aback by his sudden inquiry. ¡°Oh...um, my name is F-Fumiko...I think... Sorry, my head is still a bit fluffy.¡± ¡°Do you mean fuzzy?¡± Fumiko¡¯s face turned a bright shade of red and she shrunk into herself. ¡°R-right...! Sorry...¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. You don¡¯t have to apologise, so you can take it easy, okay?¡± She nodded, but the action itself was tiny and it was obvious that ¡°taking it easy¡± was not something she could simply do. This girl is way too shy, Keisuke thought to himself. He didn¡¯t mind the shy types, but girls like that were often easy to take advantage of. He couldn¡¯t help but worry for her. She was the type of girl he instinctively wanted to protect. Excluding Fumiko and Pinto, there were five others whom Keisuke didn¡¯t know the names of. That was Delinquent, the Twins, Glasses, and the Mysterious Beauty. He glanced at the Twins. They were walking furthermost away from the rest of the group. Almost everything was similar about the pair, even down to the way they were dressed. They were both in all-black nylon outfits, almost like tactical gear specially designed for combat. Even their faces were pretty much copy and paste save for a few features. As if to help tell them apart, they wore single matching earrings on opposite ears. The boy wore his on his right ear and the girl wore hers on her left. Despite their uncanny similarities, there was a glaring difference in how they both carried themselves. The boy looked more carefree, whereas the girl was practically impassive. Keisuke found himself staring at her out of pure curiosity. Out of everyone in the group, she was the one he found the most unsettling. Even more than Delinquent. He thought back to earlier when they were ambushed by the gnolls and something didn¡¯t sit right with him about the entire incident, particularly how she had carried herself throughout it. No matter how you looked at it, that was a terrifying situation to be in. Any normal person would have been startled by that. And yet that girl was totally unbothered. She acted as naturally as she breathed and even challenged one of the beasts to a fight, knowing the stakes involved. There was no way she was like the rest of them. Something about those two made Keisuke want to stay as far away from them as possible. They were both trouble. Nearest to them was the girl named Alice. She was flaxen-haired with ocean-blue eyes and small facial features. She even spoke with an accent, so Keisuke thought that if anyone amongst them was a foreigner then it must have been her. She must¡¯ve still been shaken by what the gnolls had attempted to do to her. She was stripped naked and almost defiled, after all. Even now she had a cloak wrapped around her to make up for the tatters her clothes were left in. But you would not think that if you looked at her. She was smiling and giggling along with Noburu and Mahiro. She''s tough, Keisuke thought to himself. Anyone who could laugh so soon after such an experience had to be. ¡°H-hey...¡± Noburu suddenly cleared his throat and spoke up. ¡°Not that it matters, but¡­w-what¡¯s your name...? It would make it easier to talk to you, I mean. Y-you don¡¯t have to tell me, of course. Ha-ha. Ha¡­¡± Apparently, he was trying to talk to the Mysterious Beauty. And was failing miserably. ¡°Excuse me? Do you mind speaking clearly? I couldn''t understand you through all of your stammering.¡± ¡°R-right!¡± Noburu straightened his back and gulped so loudly that Keisuke was sure everybody had heard it. ¡°...What''s your name?¡± ¡°Oh. It''s Akame.¡± Akame? The moment Keisuke heard that, he felt a tight knot inside his chest. He didn¡¯t think he recognised that name. He didn¡¯t think that he did. But he''d been having a hard time thinking about anything lately. Keisuke had heard the others'' names, but for some reason that one stood out the most to him. He didn¡¯t even know this girl, and yet¡­ The more Keisuke tried to remember, the less he seemed to know. His head felt like it was swimming in a dense cloud of fog. He couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of anything that was happening or being relayed to him at this point, never mind fish for a specific memory. Noburu''s shoulders loosened as he let out a deep breath of relief, almost as if he hadn¡¯t been breathing at all up until then. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to breathe in.¡± Mahiro teasingly placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Oh, shut it!¡± Noburu shrugged him off. ¡°That kind of thing is difficult, you know? Girls like that are scary. You never know what they¡¯re thinking. They could be judging you and telling you to go and die in a ditch somewhere, all behind a sweet and innocent smile. I¡¯m telling you, I know these things from experience. You can take my word for it!¡± Somehow, Keisuke had his doubts. ¡°From experience, you say?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Where I¡¯m from, I¡¯m a bona-fide ladies¡¯ man. They call me a young Casanova! I¡¯ve had over one hundred girlfriends. That¡¯s the truth, okay? No one knows more about women than me.¡± ¡°Where you¡¯re from? And where¡¯s that exactly?¡± ¡°Huh? Obviously, it¡¯s...well...oh, right, I can¡¯t remember anything. I forgot about that.¡± This guy¡¯s really just a bonafide idiot, Keisuke decided. ¡°It¡¯s no use. I still don¡¯t know any of you,¡± Makoto said suddenly, sighing and clicking her tongue. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise this damn city, either.¡± Mahiro turned to her. ¡°Sorry?¡± She shook her head. ¡°I thought that I would at least recognise one of you if I knew all of your names. Or I would know where we were once I saw this Fortuna. But nothing. It¡¯s honestly infuriating. None of us know anything? Really?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m not hiding anything,¡± Noburu shrugged. ¡°Neither am I,¡± added Mahiro. ¡°I don''t think anyone is. I trust everyone is telling the truth. I mean, there¡¯s no reason to lie, is there?¡± ¡°Then your trust is cheap.¡± Glasses removed his spectacles and began cleaning them. Makoto looked over her shoulder. ¡°Can you say the same for everyone?¡± she asked. She was looking at the Twins, clearly referring to them. One of the Twins, the boy, noticed this and understood her implication. He raised both of his hands up placidly, smiling. ¡°We know nothing, either. You have my word.¡± ¡°The word of a complete stranger who''s barely said a thing and hasn''t yet introduced himself.¡± Makoto retaliated. ¡°Sorry if I''m just a tad bit suspicious.¡± ¡°Well, I don''t think knowing my name will solve anything. But if you really would like to know, then all you have to do is ask. I''ll happily tell a pretty girl like you.¡± Makoto snorted and said nothing else to him after that. ¡°There¡¯s no use scrambling your brains about it,¡± Ren interjected, ¡°it''s something that happens when you arrive here. For now, try not to let it bother you too much. ¡°...Something that happens when we arrive?¡± Makoto''s eyes narrowed dubiously. ¡°You sound like you¡¯re speaking from experience. Is there something you aren¡¯t telling us?¡± Ren shook his head. ¡°I''m sorry, but I really have no answers for you. Not right now, at least.¡± Not right now. Keisuke picked up on that. Did that mean he had an idea of what was going on but, for whatever reason, could not disclose anything? It certainly implied that. It seemed like Keisuke was not the only one who thought that, either. Delinquent was watching Ren closely, and Makoto looked like she still had some questions of her own. For now, though, none of them said anything. They must¡¯ve decided to keep following him. 5. Scouting Legion ¡°We¡¯ve been trailing behind you and your friends for a while now,¡± Glasses said. ¡°Just where are you taking us?¡± One of Ren¡¯s companions, a man in mail armour and a large, round shield on his back, replied, ¡°We''re taking you to the Altear Recon Corps.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± After hours of walking, they eventually came to a stop in front of a two-story, reddish-brown brick building with what looked like years worth of wear and tear. Above the door of the building, billowing gently in the wind, hung a red and black flag with an odd symbol sitting in the centre. Keisuke didn¡¯t recognise the symbol, but it somewhat resembled a moon that had been placed on its back and had an arrow piercing through it. ¡°What¡¯s all of this about, then?¡± Noburu tilted his head sideways at the sight of the building and the flag. ¡°Come on in and see for yourself.¡± Ren opened the doors and led the group into a big hall with tables and chairs and a counter with multiple booths¡ªalmost like a reception¡ªat the far end. Immediately upon entering, they discovered that they were not the only ones there. Spread around the interior of the building were several other people: some seated, others leaning against the walls, and the rest standing. Keisuke couldn¡¯t count how many of them there were, but if he were to give a rough estimate, he would say between twenty to twenty-five. They all turned to look at them as they entered. ¡°At long laaast! You¡¯re finally heeere! Took you long enough,¡± a voice sang out. It sounded like a little girl¡¯s voice, but Keisuke noticed no little girls around. It came from neither their group nor any of the people already gathered around the hall. They all glanced around for the source of the voice. ¡°Well, did you find them, Ren?¡± ¡°We did. Here they are.¡± Ren gestured at them. That was when a head peaked out from behind the counter. ¡°Huh? There was someone there this whole time?¡± Someone from the other group sounded genuinely surprised. The head behind the counter seemed to belong to the voice as well. It was a girl, and she narrowed her eyes as she looked at Keisuke and the others. She looked relatively young, with crimson hair, blue eyes, and light freckles scattered across her nose. ¡°Is that all of them?¡± ¡°Yes. They were ambushed by gnolls on their way here, but luckily we made it in time to help them.¡± ¡°Ohh. And none of them died? That''s good! Maybe these ones will have potential.¡± The girl clapped her hands together. ¡°We can finally begin. Please, everyone, gather around. Chop, chop! Lucy doesn¡¯t have all day, you know? She''s waited long enough as it is. Okay? Okay!¡± Everyone in the room was beyond perplexed. Based on how they were all similarly dressed and their reactions to Lucy''s appearance, Keisuke assumed the other people in the room were the rest of the foreigners the teamster had mentioned. ¡°We will leave you to it then, Lucy,¡± Ren said before he and his party left the hall. They closed the big brown doors behind them and somehow the sound of the hinges twisting felt oddly discomforting. Once the doors were shut, the inside of the hall immediately became darker and more ominous, and all eyes turned to Lucy as the centre of attention. Reluctantly, everyone else gathered around the girl by the counter. She slowly ran her eyes over everyone, almost as if she were examining them one by one. With a ¡°Hm, hm¡±, she nodded her head a couple of times and cleared her throat. ¡°First thing first, introductions! Welcome to the Recon Corps. Lucy''s name is Lucy and¡ª" ¡°To hell with all that.¡± She was abruptly interrupted by Delinquent, who shoved people aside so he could walk right up to the front. ¡°I¡¯ve been walking for hours, and I think it¡¯s about time I get some answers. Why was I brought here? And why can¡¯t I remember anything? I assume you know something about this.¡± Lucy eyed Delinquent down with interest. ¡°My, you¡¯re a lively one. Rude, too. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ryoma.¡± ¡°Well, Ryoma, if you would let Lucy finish then she could explain your current situation. May she? Or are you prone to more rude outbursts?¡± ¡°I¡¯m prone to many things if my patience is tested. Like violence, for one.¡± ¡°Eep!¡± Lucy hid herself behind the counter. ¡°I-if you hurt Lucy, then she won¡¯t be able to explain anything. That would defeat the entire purpose, no?¡± Ryoma simply crossed his arms and clicked his tongue. ¡°Go on, then. But my patience is wearing thin.¡± ¡°Good! As Lucy was saying, her name is Lucy and Lucy is the commanding officer of the Altear Recon Corps, otherwise known as the Scouting Legion.¡± ¡°Scouting Legion?¡± Keisuke parroted. For some reason, his words didn¡¯t sound like his own. ¡°That''s what Lucy said, didn¡¯t she? We¡¯re a subdivision of the military that dedicates itself to exploring the kingdom of Altear. Fighting hostile creatures and defending the Vilelands, completing missionary requests, we do it all.¡± Someone said, ¡°Military? Like, the army?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with us?¡± asked Pinto. Lucy twirled her finger and pointed it at the tall, dark young man. ¡°Consider this an offer of opportunity,¡± she declared. ¡°An offer?¡± ¡°Like Lucy said, her guild dedicates itself to exploring Altear. One might say we even help people like you. In fact, this guild was formed by very people like you in the first place. You aren¡¯t the first to arrive here with no memories of who you are or where you come from. Ren, that man from earlier? He was just like you at a point. So were many others before him and others before them. It''s a repetitive cycle. Honestly, Lucy doesn''t even know when it began.¡± ¡°And? I assume you¡¯re going somewhere with this. If not, then quit wasting our time.¡± This time the comment came from a boy with short hair cut into a crop. ¡°And Lucy will tell you what she¡¯s told the thousands of others who¡¯ve come in here time and time again,¡± Lucy stretched her arms wide, ¡°the kingdom of Altear is vast. So vast that a great chunk of it remains uncharted. Somewhere outside of these city walls and deep within the kingdom lies the answers you¡¯re looking for. Lucy thinks. She means she doesn¡¯t know for sure. She could be wrong. Lucy has been wrong about many things before. If so, at the very least, you can join the guild as a means to take care of yourselves. We pay well.¡± The answers they were looking for... They all understood what she had implied by that. But still, it all felt so weird. How did Lucy know about their group and where to find them? Keisuke had many doubts and questions. There seemed to be a lot more to everything than what Lucy was letting on. Makoto asked, ¡°You mentioned earlier that this guild was formed by people like us. Just what did you mean by that?¡± ¡°Exactly what Lucy said. A long, long, time ago, a group of people arrived here in Altear, and they didn''t remember a thing about who they were and where they came from. Sound familiar? In search of answers about what happened to them, they formed this guild for other people who were going through the same thing." ¡°So, basically, you''ve dealt with people like us before,¡± the comment came from the male twin. ¡°And the main issue here is where we all come from and why this seems to be a recurring thing.¡± Lucy smiled. ¡°Tell me, in detail, what does this army do, exactly?¡± ¡°We fight," Lucy answered Makoto¡¯s question frankly. ¡°We¡¯re soldiers, but unlike the soldiers in the regular army, we hunt monsters, beasts, and even humans if the situation calls for it.¡± Even humans¡­ Just what kind of situation calls for the hunting of humans? Keisuke couldn¡¯t help wondering. ¡°To summarise,¡± Pinto started, ¡°you''re saying that if we join this guild of yours, then we will be able to explore outside of these city''s walls. And somewhere out there we¡¯ll find answers regarding our current predicament and how or why we arrived here. But we have to fight monsters along the way. Is that it?¡± ¡°That''s exactly it! Nice job. Want a cookie?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Monsters like those gnolls, I''m guessing?¡± said Mahiro. ¡°What¡¯s stopping them from killing us?¡± Lucy turned her head to look at him. ¡°Ren said you were attacked, correct? Lucy is assuming he and his party saved you. Did you see how they fought? How strong they were? You¡¯re all still standing here right now so Lucy is sure you did. Well, we trained them, and that¡¯s how they¡¯ve gotten this far without dying.¡± ¡°You trained them? How?¡± ¡°Not Lucy herself, you silly goose. Shucks, Lucy is incapable of fighting. Lucy is just the cute commanding officer." Lucy struck a pose with her tongue out. ¡°You see, our guild has branches that we call ¡°unions.¡± Such as the fighter¡¯s union, the spellcaster¡¯s union, and several others. By joining us, you will be granted access to a union of your choosing where you will be taught to defend yourself. That¡¯s how we, as scouts, learn to fight and survive.¡± ¡°And?¡± Ryoma challenged. ¡°What happens if we refuse?¡± ¡°Nothing, really.¡± Lucy shrugged her small shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re under no obligation to join us. If you have no interest in this, then please feel free to leave. We won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°T-then I guess we should just split, huh," Noburu said and slowly made for the door. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t like this one bit¡­ It all feels so convenient, you know?¡± ¡°Think that if you want. But like Lucy said, you aren¡¯t the first people to arrive here. This guild has existed for many, many years. If anything, we''re trying to help you." ¡°I...¡± ¡°Let Lucy warn you, though,¡± Lucy lowered her head and her voice deepened, ¡°if you choose to leave then we are not accountable of you. You are on your own. If you think finding work will be easy, who is going to hire someone who does not even remember where they¡¯re from? If you ask Lucy, this is as good an offer as you will get. But no one asked Lucy, did theyyy...? Oh well!¡± Makoto suddenly chuckled. ¡°When she puts it that way, it¡¯s almost as if we have no other choice.¡± Lucy shook her head. ¡°You do. You aren¡¯t being forced, you know? This is completely optional. You can leave if you so wish.¡± ¡°You say that but it doesn¡¯t feel remotely true at all, does it? I want to find out what¡¯s going on, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m joining. But something is telling me I would have joined regardless. You¡¯re a very mysterious little girl.¡± Lucy pointed to her own face and widened her eyes. ¡°Lucyyy?¡± she said with exaggeration. ¡°How could you say such a thing? Lucy is as lovely as a rainbow! Look. See? Her hair is red, her eyes are blue...¡± Crop Top suddenly clicked his tongue. ¡°You know, your speech style is very annoying, girl. I¡¯ve been putting up with it until now, but it¡¯s getting on my nerves.¡± ¡°Huh? But this is how Lucy speaks. She can¡¯t help it, you know?¡± ¡°How about you knock it off before I make you?¡± Lucy ¡°eeped¡± once more and hid behind the counter again. Somehow, though, Keisuke got the feeling that she wasn¡¯t really afraid, and it was all just an act. ¡°So, how do we join this guild of yours?¡± Pinto defused the situation. ¡°I-it¡¯s simple,¡± Lucy peeked her blue eyes from behind the counter and gestured in front of her. There were several badges spaced neatly on the countertop, ¡°take one of these and you will be considered a scouting legion trainee. That will then grant you access to the guild''s unions.¡± Makoto, without a hint of hesitation, was the first to retrieve a badge. This incited reactions from the others who hesitantly followed suit. As everyone walked up to get their badge, Keisuke found himself slowly being pulled in by the crowd as well. It wasn¡¯t like he was fully convinced about all of this. But what would he do otherwise? Lucy brought up some valid points. Surviving in this city would be difficult. And, as conveniently as this was placed on their laps, it seemed to be their only hope for survival. But, even if that wasn¡¯t the case, everyone else seemed to be fetching a badge. Even if they were all just following the consensus, maybe it was best to follow the crowd here. Honestly, he didn''t know. But he did know that he didn''t want to be last in this situation. With that in mind, Keisuke retrieved a badge as well. Lucy continued explaining the procedures. ¡°Once you decide on a union, you will be given two weeks¡¯ worth of basic training. After that, you will be allowed to take on simple enough requests. Which you will need to do if you wish to carry on as scouts because the only way to graduate from being a trainee is through silver. Life isn¡¯t cheap, you know? You should be grateful that the trainee internship itself is free.¡± Once everyone had received a badge, Lucy clapped her hands in delight. ¡°Congratulations! You¡¯re now all trainees! Work hard to become real scouts and don¡¯t be shy to come to Lucy for any advice, okay?¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± Ryoma asked. Lucy put a finger on her chin, seeming to think about it. ¡°Is Lucy forgetting somethiiing...? Nope! That¡¯s everything she knows.¡± When Lucy was done speaking, a loud bang suddenly drowned out every voice in the hall and caught everyone within by surprise. When everyone looked to the source, it was apparently Crop Top who had slammed his fist on a table. ¡°Okay, listen up,¡± he started once he¡¯d seemed to gather everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°My name is Hidenori. I don¡¯t know what the hell all of this is about, but I¡¯ve decided to do things my way from now on. Some of you are going to join me. By join me, I mean follow my lead and do everything that I say, of course.¡± Silence befell the hall. Everyone started exchanging glances, uncertain of what to make of this abrupt declaration. If anyone else had said that Keisuke was sure nobody would¡¯ve taken them seriously. But Crop Top came across as different. He was the type of person that commanded people to not regard him lightly. Ryoma suddenly let out a chuckle of a laugh. ¡°What a shitty sales pitch. What makes you think anyone would join a buffoon like you?¡± Keisuke could see Hidenori bristle at those words. He turned to face Ryoma and eyed him up and down, measuring him. ¡°Because I¡¯m the strongest one here,¡± he proclaimed with utmost confidence. ¡°As far as I can tell, nobody here can take me in a fight.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ryoma accepted the challenge boldly. The two locked eyes and it looked like a fight would break out at any moment. Hidenori was taller, but Ryoma was slightly bigger. If the two did clash, Keisuke wasn¡¯t sure who would come out on top. ¡°Hold on,¡± Makoto intervened, raising her hand, ¡°we don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s worth it for people to work together. Is there any point in forming groups?¡± ¡°There is.¡± Lucy had been watching the interaction unfold quietly with her face in her palms. When Keisuke looked at her, she appeared mildly entertained by it. ¡°People like you get together all of the time. They form what we call parties of five or six, typically. Parties make adventuring Altear easier. In fact, it is highly recommended that you join one.¡± ¡°Hear that?¡± said Hidenori, addressing everyone. ¡°Stick with me and you might survive.¡± There was an extended pause. Until ¡°I''ll join you,¡± someone said. It was Glasses. He walked up to Hidenori and bowed his head. ¡°My name is Takahashi. Nice to meet you, Hidenori-san." ¡°I-I¡¯ll join you, too¡­,¡± another person added. "I think there¡¯s safety in numbers. At least, I''d feel better not being by myself.¡± Hidenori nodded at his new followers. Two more people joined him, and the more people did the more the others seemed to consider it as well. Of course, Keisuke also gave the idea some deliberation. Surely joining Hidenori would be easier for him. He seemed like a capable person, and in such situations, it was better to rely on those who were strong. Ultimately, Keisuke decided against it. He felt like he would have a difficult time keeping up with someone like that. ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°Me too!¡± Alice ran up to Hidenori. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you as well. My name is Alice. I¡¯ll try my best not to slow anyone down.¡± Hidenori eyed her over curiously. ¡°What happened to your clothes?¡± ¡°I¡­Um¡ª¡± ¡°I don''t need whores following me around. Get out of my face.¡± ¡°Whoa there,¡± Noburu intervened. ¡°E-easy, man, she was actually¡ª¡± ¡°What?¡± Noburu quickly backed down under Hidenori''s gaze. "...Nothing." He must''ve thought better of provoking him. Hidenori took a longer look at Alice. ¡°Huh. On second thought¡­¡± The way he was looking at her made Keisuke feel uneasy. Alice had her eyes downcast, and she was shaking slightly. Hidenori¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk. ¡°I suppose you''ll come in handy. Come with me, then. But be prepared to make yourself useful.¡± Alice nodded stiffly. Hey¡­are you really going to be okay¡­? Keisuke wanted to ask her. Even Mahiro and Noburu looked worried for her. Five people had joined up with Hidenori. He turned to address them, ¡°Let''s get one thing straight. I¡¯m in charge here. You¡¯re all going to do as I say with no objections. If you prove to be useless, I will kick you to the curb. I don''t have time to lug around baggage. Am I clear?¡± They all nodded without any argument. Keisuke wondered if they would be all right. Hidenori seemed like the type of person who would seriously hurt them if they disobeyed him. But they all seemed to understand that yet still decided to stay. Hidenori then turned his gaze to Ryoma and a smug smirk came over his lips. He was publicly mocking him. With a grunt of disdain, Ryoma stormed out of the hall. Makoto followed suit, followed by Hidenori and his newly acquired entourage. One by one, everyone around began to disperse. But where were they going? Keisuke felt like he could only watch them. He still had no idea what was going on. Lucy rested her face on the counter. ¡°Lucy doesn¡¯t hate people like them, you know? But they¡¯re so difficult to deal with...¡± She turned to look at Keisuke. ¡°You. Hey, you. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°E-eh? Me...? My name is Keisuke...¡± ¡°Keisuke, are you waiting for some divine intervention or are you going to get a move on as well? You¡¯re getting left behind.¡± Keisuke placed a hand on the back of his head. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m still not sure what it is I¡¯m supposed to be doing...?¡± Lucy sighed deeply. ¡°Every batch has its share of lost causes, Lucy supposes..,.¡± she murmured softly. ¡°Remember what Lucy told you about unions? Your priority should be finding one that best suits you. You can even explore the city first to find out more about it. Really, Lucy doesn¡¯t give a hoot what you do. But she does care if you just stand there looking stupid. Now, shoo! It¡¯s time for Lucy to break her fast and she does not intend on sharing.¡± The girl behind the counter shooed Keisuke away. ¡°R-right...¡± At those rather harsh and uncalled-for words, Keisuke left the Recon Corps building looking like a beaten dog. The moment he stepped outside by himself, everything felt bigger. There he was, all alone in a foreign city that he knew nothing about, with no memories of where he came from and nobody to turn to for guidance. Keisuke took a deep breath and slumped his shoulders. Where do I even begin¡­ 6. Lost and Confused Everything was definitely bigger on his own. Once Keisuke had left the guild hall, he stood outside the Recon Corps building for a couple of minutes with no clear objective in mind. There was nobody else around, either. They¡¯d all disappeared, and he had no idea where they¡¯d gone. Saying that Keisuke felt completely lost would''ve been an understatement. He was well and truly beyond it. Eventually, he started walking for the sake of it. He thought that, at the very least, he could try exploring the city of Fortuna and see what he could discover about it. It was better than simply standing around doing nothing, after all. Unfortunately for Keisuke, that would prove difficult. It was well into the morning, and every street was filled with people, making it challenging to navigate and get a clear sense of the city¡¯s layout. At some point, Keisuke was aimlessly wandering about like a headless chicken, following the din of crowds. I have no idea what I¡¯m doing, he thought to himself depressingly. Keisuke thought that he would at least get an inkling of an idea of what to be doing if he had some sort of purpose in mind, but nothing came to him. He wondered how everyone else was doing. Somehow, he doubted that they were having as difficult a time as he was. Keisuke got the feeling that they were all doing just fine and he was the only one struggling. He was wandering around mindlessly for a while when he came across a tall, white building where a throng of people were going in and out of. The building was fairly large and possessed a serene, almost sacred, aura about it. A gold and white banner stirred gently in the wind afront the building, and in the centre of it sat a flower-like symbol. Keisuke felt a vague sense of nostalgia wash over him. That was his impression as he gazed at the building. He could just faintly hear singing coming from within. Wait...is this a church? His mind dawned on that realisation. It must have been. Keisuke was almost certain it was. A church. He wondered if he should go inside or not. He was oddly curious about what he''d just discovered, as if he''d just stumbled on the single thing so far that vaguely reminded him of where he came from. His eyes were drifting across the courtyard when his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure. Makoto¡ªthe ¡°Student Council President¡±. She was engaged in conversation with a blonde-haired woman dressed in a suit of steel armour with a long, white cape clasped to her shoulders. Makoto finished speaking and bowed her head before turning to walk in Keisuke''s direction. This might have been Keisuke''s only chance to learn something from someone in the same predicament as him. He took a deep breath and stood in front of Makoto''s path when she drew near. ¡°H-hey!¡± Makoto stopped and looked at him curiously. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Y-yes...? I mean, eh, your name is Makoto, right? From earlier?¡± ¡°From earlier?¡± She cocked her head to the side. ¡°Oh. You¡¯re the boy who got hit by the arrow. I remember now.¡± ¡°R-right...¡± ¡°So, what is it?¡± ¡°Well... I was walking around and I saw you. To be honest, I''m a bit confused. I''m still not sure what I''m supposed to be doing, exactly... So, I figured I''d talk to a familiar face. I guess? Something like that¡­¡± There was an uncomfortable pause, with Makoto just studying Keisuke¡¯s face. She suddenly chuckled. ¡°I knew it. You really are hopeless.¡± ¡°¡­Sorry?¡± ¡°Everyone that we arrived here with left an immediate impression on me. It¡¯s how you root out who¡¯s going to be useful and who isn¡¯t. In a situation like this, it¡¯s good to know and separate those kinds of people so you don¡¯t involve yourself with the latter. You and that timid girl didn¡¯t impress me much. It seems I was right to think that.¡± ¡°I...¡± Keisuke was at a loss for words. Is that what people think of me...? ¡°You look surprised,¡± Makoto said. ¡°What, am I wrong? When we were attacked by those gnolls, you didn''t do anything, did you? You just stood there like a stump while everyone else risked their lives.¡± She was right. He had done nothing at all. But how could you blame him for that? To Keisuke, everyone else who could act in that situation were the strange ones. That''s not fair¡­ He wanted to say, but the word stuck in his throat. He didn''t have the courage to utter them. Makoto began walking away. ¡°I don¡¯t remember your name, but sorry I can¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°R-right... Sorry for bothering you...¡± he said meekly, but she probably didn¡¯t hear him or didn¡¯t care to. Keisuke was left standing there. He had just been called useless to his face and didn¡¯t know how to react. I mean, she isn¡¯t wrong... She¡¯s right, isn¡¯t she? I am hopeless. I ended up asking someone on the same boat as me for help. Honestly, what was I hoping for? But, I mean, I have some right to be hopeless... I can¡¯t remember anything but my name. What the hell is that about? And I was suddenly thrust into this situation. It makes no sense. That¡¯s right, it doesn¡¯t make any sense. As I see it, I have every right to be hopeless right now. Everyone would be, right? Even as Keisuke told himself that, he wasn¡¯t too convinced. It felt like he was just making excuses. He eventually noticed that he was standing in the middle of the street, and people all around were glancing at him. Keisuke must''ve looked quite pathetic. ¡°I should just go...¡± He started moving again, dragging his feet along the street, until he ended up at a section of the city teeming with life and stalls assembled on either side of the street. The number of people hustling and bustling around was disorienting, to the point where he had to be cautious of where he stepped to not bump into anyone. It was the market square, Keisuke noticed. It was the same place they''d passed through with Ren earlier when they arrived in the city, only this time there were a lot more people. There were more stalls placed and farmers standing beside their wagons, bellowing out, "Apples and oranges, the best apples and oranges, two for the price of one," and "Melons, sweet as honey," and "Onions, carrots, cabbages, here you go. Onions, carrots, cabbages, here you go." Being dragged by the crowd like waste in a river current, Keisuke waddled about examining the many carts, wagons, and stalls. A captivating aroma whirled around his nose, and he was lured toward it like a shark sensing blood. It came from one of the stalls where a brown-skinned man was grilling meat and onions on a hot firestone. Keisuke¡¯s stomach wailed at the sight and smell. He watched the man skillfully cut the meat into thin slices and place the strips on a piece of flatbread. He then added the onions, rice he had kept in a bag beside him, grated cheese, and tomatoes and lettuce. The man opened a jar and scooped out a spoonful of what looked like sauce and spread it evenly across the length of the flatbread. When he was done, he deftly folded the flatbread and the contents into a roll, looked up to see Keisuke watching intently, smiled, and said, ¡°Twenty coppers for a chicken wrap, my friend. You will find nothing else like it around here, I promise,¡± the man behind the stall said, almost routinely. He spoke with a heavy accent. ¡°Twenty coppers...?¡± Keisuke¡¯s eyes widened, and he reflexively reached for his pockets. They were empty. That¡¯s right, he wouldn¡¯t have any money. ¡°I don¡¯t have it...¡± The man looked at Keisuke as if he were stupid, tilting his head to the side. ¡°What was that? I cannot sell this to you without any money. I am trying to run a business here, you know.¡± I know that, but it¡¯s not like I can help it¡­ ¡°How do I...¡± Keisuke cleared his throat to talk clearly so he could be heard over the hundreds of people around. ¡°How do I get money?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± The man looked Keisuke up and down. After coming to some realisation, he snapped his fingers. ¡°Ah, yes! Are you one of those legion trainees?¡± Keisuke nodded. ¡°Of course, of course. Every time.¡± He pressed the inner corners of his eyes in exasperation. ¡°You scouts in Altear earn your money by completing quests or selling whatever strange things you find out there. Well, you are no scout yet. You might want to find a union and get yourself proper gear first.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. A union. Keisuke recalled Lucy mentioning something like that. ¡°How do I join these unions?¡± ¡°I do not know the procedures, my friend. I just sell wraps and kebabs. Shouldn¡¯t you be one who knows these things?¡± ¡°R-right...¡± The man sighed deeply. ¡°Your best option is going to one and finding out for yourself.¡± He pointed west. ¡°You should find them if you go down that street. They¡¯re big buildings with signs in front of them. They should be hard to miss.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Do not mention it,¡± the man said. ¡°And here. Take these.¡± He handed Keisuke a bag with three chicken wraps. Keisuke didn¡¯t know how to react. ¡°I said I don¡¯t have money...¡± ¡°Just take, my friend,¡± insisted the man, practically shoving the bag at Keisuke. ¡°You can pay me back once you get yourself sorted. You must be starving. Hell, you were drooling all over my stand when you walked over." Keisuke smiled and bowed his head so deeply that the man thought he was going to tip over. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Keisuke made his way out of the market square, scarfing down the chicken wrap as though his life depended on it. The rich taste exploded with multiple flavours in his mouth, all of which came together into a beautiful crescendo that only escalated with each bite and was held together by the finely cooked meat and the sauce, which was not too spicy and just sweet enough. It was more than good. He decided he would certainly buy more once he acquired money. Keisuke had taken his last bite and savoured it when he heard multiple voices emanating from a nearby alleyway. The sound immediately caught his attention. Despite himself, Keisuke decided to take a peek. ¡°Come on, tell us your name. We won¡¯t bite, ehehe.¡± ¡°P-please, let me through...¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t from around here, are you? I¡¯d remember a pretty girl like you. Won¡¯t you come spend time with us? We can show you around.¡± There was trouble brewing. By the look of it, a bunch of vandals had cornered a girl and were harassing her. ¡°Ah...¡± Keisuke even recognised the girl herself. She was part of the group that arrived here with him. The shy and timid girl who tried to hide herself behind bangs and baggy clothing. Realising that, it was scarcely surprising that she was being taken advantage of. She didn¡¯t seem the type to defend herself. At the rate things were going, it was definitely going to end badly for her. Unless, of course, Keisuke tried to help her. But what could he do? There were three of them and only one of him. The odds were not on his side. Involving himself might even make matters worse. And yet... ¡°Ngh...!¡± ¡°H-hey!¡± All it took was one of the boys touching the girl inappropriately, and Keisuke acted on impulse. ¡°Leave her alone...¡± he ordered, but it sounded too frail, too flat. His voice lacked any form of conviction. The boys turned to face him. At the sight of Keisuke, they looked rather annoyed. ¡°Are you lost?¡± asked one of them, a boy with flimsily cut yellow hair and a nasty scar across his face. ¡°N-no, but...you look...it looks like you¡¯re bothering that girl...¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t bothering her. Right?¡± The same boy placed a hand over Timid¡¯s shoulder. She trembled at the contact. No, you¡¯re definitely bothering her... ¡°Why don¡¯t you get lost, then? This has nothing to do with you. Clearly. Or are you looking for trouble?¡± Keisuke didn¡¯t know what to say to that. They were right. This had nothing to do with him. He didn¡¯t even have the guts to stop them. Keisuke slowly turned around and started to walk away. I¡­.can¡¯t help her, he thought. I should just leave before I get myself hurt, along with her. I know, I¡¯ll ask someone else for help, maybe one of those City Watchmen. But me on my own am of no use here. Keisuke was leaving when his head felt like it was splitting in two. ¡°¡ªUngh!¡± The sudden influx of pain sent him sprawling to a knee. It was excruciating, as if someone had cut open his brain, filled it with razor blades, and shook his head as hard as they could. Everything around him seemed to stop as Keisuke could only focus on the sheer pain throbbing in his head. Even his senses were all scrambled for a brief moment. Then Keisuke heard sobbing. He was not sure, but it sounded like it came from nearby. ...Huh? Nearby where? He opened his eyes, and what he saw was a completely different scene from where he last was. It was much darker now. Night-time, maybe? But that didn¡¯t make any sense. How could it have gotten dark so fast? Keisuke looked around and found that he was in the same alley, only this time the hour of day had changed. Not only that, but the bustling sound of the city had ceased, and it was much, much quieter. All save for the quiet sobs echoing nearby. Those sobs are coming from...that girl...over there. Keisuke saw her. It was Timid. She was crouched against the wall, her face a mess of snot and tears. Her clothes were ripped apart, and she was desperately covering herself with the parts that were still intact. Keisuke could only imagine what had happened to her. W-when exactly is this? Before Keisuke could make sense of anything, the fierce headache ceased, and he found himself back where he was, clutching at his head. It was midday once again, and he was back in that alley, about to walk away from an ongoing assault. The rambunctious sound of the city was back, and it was as if Keisuke had not been in another place at all. Huh...? Keisuke was beyond perplexed. What the hell was that...? I saw... Just what did I see? ¡°You''re still here? Are you looking for trouble, asshole?¡± That was when Keisuke put two and two together. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t entirely sure what it was he saw, but he understood its implication. Keisuke had to stop those boys. He saw what they were going to do with Timid. Whether it was real or not, or just a potential outcome, the image was embedded in his mind. He could not leave the girl alone after seeing what could possibly become of her. He wouldn¡¯t be able to live with himself if he did. Keisuke turned back around to face the ruffians once more. They were fiddling with the girl''s clothes, giggling, completely uncaring of her soft pleas. ¡°P-please stop¡­¡± Timid whispered, but the boys showed no signs of respecting her wishes. ¡°Leave her alone. She wants nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°What was that?¡± A boy with shaggy black hair looked angrily at Keisuke. ¡°I said leave her alone. You¡¯re scaring her. Don¡¯t you realise that much?¡± ¡°And I told you to get lost. This has nothing to do with you. What¡¯s the matter with you? Are you an idiot or something?¡± Keisuke gulped. Ignoring the boys, he held his hand out toward the girl. ¡°Come.¡± She looked like she wanted to run to his hand more than anything, but the boy in charge held his arm across from her, preventing her from doing so. They were not going to let her go that easily. So, Keisuke started edging towards them. ¡°Don''t be a hero, friend. Come closer, and we''ll kick your ass. Seriously, we¡¯ll do it.¡± Keisuke ignored the threat. He kept walking forward, his eyes looking only at the girl. He reached out his hand and, without saying anything, grabbed her arm. A fist pummeled into the side of Keisuke''s face, sending him colliding into the brick wall. ¡°You¡¯re persistent, aren¡¯t you? Why won¡¯t you just go away?!¡± Keisuke picked himself up. Again, he grabbed the girl¡¯s arm and began walking away. Another fist slammed into his face. ¡°That''s it, teach this idiot a lesson!¡± The three boys began assaulting Keisuke, stomping on him mercilessly. ¡°S-stop...! I''m begging you!¡± Timid pleaded, her voice a whisker above a whisper. They were not going to listen to her, though. They continued their assault on Keisuke until another voice echoed throughout the alley. ¡°Hey!¡± it shouted. The boys immediately stopped. ¡°Help! Guards!¡± the voice cried out again, and Keisuke could sense the panic that shot through the boys when the voice said that. ¡°Shit! Let¡¯s get out of here!¡± They quickly fled from the scene like the lowlifes they were. ¡°Keisuke-kun!¡± The voice from earlier called out frantically, and Keisuke heard footsteps hurriedly approaching. It was a boy¡¯s voice. He rushed to Keisuke''s side and held his head up. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Huh...? You¡¯re that boy from before. The one with the nice-looking face. You remembered my name? ¡°It¡¯s me, Mahiro. Can you stand?¡± Keisuke nodded. He was in pain, but he wasn¡¯t seriously injured, it seemed. He could still move. Mahiro helped Keisuke to his feet and held him against the wall. ¡°Thank you," Keisuke said, ¡°that could''ve gone really bad.¡± ¡°What happened? Who were those guys?¡± Keisuke glanced at Timid. ¡°Are you okay?¡± She managed a stiff nod, tears welling in her eyes. She was still trembling. ¡°They were going to...¡± Keisuke was about to explain but couldn¡¯t find the words. ¡°I couldn¡¯t let it happen. I just couldn¡¯t.¡± Mahiro took note of Timid¡¯s condition and quickly deduced what happened. ¡°Ah... I see.¡± His expression softened. ¡°You did well, Keisuke-kun. You too, Fumiko-chan. Come, let''s get out of here.¡± 7. Wishy-Washy Recruitment "And that¡¯s about everything I¡¯ve learned so far.¡± Mahiro concluded. They were standing on a small bridge above a tributary, and Mahiro was informing Keisuke and Fumiko of what he¡¯d discovered about Fortuna. According to him, the city was located in the kingdom of Altear¡ªalthough they both knew that much already. It had a population of half a million currently residing within it, so it went without saying that it was a fairly large city. Fortuna was split into three districts for the poor, the middle-class, and the wealthy. These districts were more commonly referred to as the Rat, Plain, and Marble Districts. The area they were currently in was the middle district, the Plain District, where a lot of merchants and farmers sold their wares. It was the busiest district in the city because of this. A lord by the name of Bram governed Fortuna, and he lived here in the city, in a keep that was inaccessible to the public. There existed a higher power even greater than this Bram, and that was the monarch who ruled over all of Altear. His name was King Oren. He did not live in Fortuna, but in an even larger city in the distant north. ¡°Wow, you¡¯ve already learned that much...?¡± Keisuke was impressed. Mahiro laughed sheepishly. ¡°I asked around. Some of the people were kind enough to tell me what I needed to know. Others, not so much, ha-ha.¡± ¡°Yummy...¡± muttered Fumiko. She was eating one of the chicken wraps Keisuke had received and was thoroughly enjoying it too, by the look of it. Keisuke had decided to share the other two wraps with them. ¡°It''s really good, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It is. I didn''t even realise how hungry I was. Where did you get this?¡± Mahiro asked him, taking a bite himself. ¡°There¡¯s a street with a lot of stalls back there. They sold a bunch of things, but I didn''t have any money. Luckily, the guy gave me these for free.¡± ¡°Right, money...¡± Mahiro leaned over the bridge, thinking. ¡°We don''t even have a cent, huh? It feels like the more we discover things, the more lost we seem to be.¡± Mahiro had taken the words right from Keisuke''s mouth. He''d felt the exact same way. No matter how much new information he learned, they just made him feel smaller and smaller every time. ¡°I feel so out of place here...,¡± Fumiko said. ¡°It''s scary. I don¡¯t know what to do.¡± She inhaled sharply, and when Keisuke turned to look at her, he saw her shoulders trembling. ¡°It''s all right, Fumiko-chan.¡± Mahiro quickly moved in to comfort her. ¡°You can rely on me and Keisuke-kun. I think it¡¯s best if we work together anyway.¡± Fumiko looked back and forth between Keisuke and Mahiro. ¡°R-really? I can rely on you two?¡± ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t have to be alone. We¡¯ll work things out together. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re all better off that way.¡± Mahiro smiled at her. ¡°Well, I say that, but I¡¯m not really sure where to start, either...¡± ¡°We could stop by one of those unions,¡± Kiesuke suggested, remembering what the stallkeeper had said. ¡°Apparently, it''s where people like us go.¡± ¡°Unions? Is that what the girl at the guild was talking about?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s how you train to become a scout. From what I''ve heard, becoming a scout is one of the only ways people like us can earn money around here. I was on my way to find one when...when I ran into Fumiko.¡± Mahiro placed a hand on his chin. ¡°Scouts, huh? It¡¯s true that we need money to survive. But it sounds dangerous... How do you feel about it, Keisuke-kun?¡± ¡°I...don¡¯t know. I know I need money, at least. And we did take those badges earlier. It kind of feels like we don¡¯t have a choice at this point.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right...¡± Mahiro mulled the idea over for a bit. He pulled out the badge they¡¯d gotten back in the Recon Corps hall and examined it. After a short while, he nodded and tightened his fist around it, then looked over at Fumiko. ¡°You don¡¯t have to become a scout if you don¡¯t want to, Fumiko-chan. It might be dangerous. We¡¯ll look after you. Right, Keisuke-kun? ¡°Right.¡± He honestly had no problem with that. Somewhere inside him, Keisuke had already decided that his protective instincts had triggered for Fumiko. Fumiko looked down at the ground, then shook her head. ¡°N-no... I¡¯ll be a scout, too¡­ I don¡¯t want to let you guys do everything. I-I''ll do my part.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Mahiro asked her. She nodded her head. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s settled. Our first priority is finding a union. We can split up for now and meet up again afterwards. Sound good?¡± They agreed, and with that, their paths were decided. Keisuke now found himself wandering the streets once again, searching for a union that he could join. Mahiro and Fumiko had left his company to go seek their own, and Keisuke was tasked with the same thing. He¡¯d been walking around for some time and none of what he¡¯d found stood out to him. There were five unions in total: the warrior''s union, rogue''s union, hunter''s union, spellcaster''s union, and priest''s union. Each of them had various professions¡ªcommonly known as classes¡ªunder them that one could choose between. Despite so many to choose from, Keisuke didn¡¯t know which to join. There were plenty of options, and that was showing itself to be a problem for him because he wasn¡¯t too confident in his ability to decide on his own. What was best for him? What did they all do? He had so many questions, which just made his anxiety of picking one even worse. Keisuke¡¯s first stop was the paladin profession under the warrior¡¯s union, but he didn¡¯t get far because Mahiro was already there and they saw no point in them being the same class. Keisuke¡¯s second option was the barbarian profession, also under the warrior¡¯s union. He immediately rejected that one upon seeing the type of people queued up to join it. They were far bigger and stronger than he. All of the other unions went along those same lines of Keisuke not feeling confident enough to join them. It was nearing sundown, and Keisuke was still mindlessly dragging his legs around. At this rate, I won¡¯t join anything... Maybe I should just pick whatever and stick with it. Mahiro has already found his, and I¡¯m sure Fumiko has as well. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m the last one... Keisuke was ready to just choose whichever union he stumbled upon next and be done with it. As long as he just joined one, he was sure everything would work out. Maybe. What if it didn¡¯t? I mean, I don¡¯t fully understand why I¡¯m joining these unions anyway. Apparently, it¡¯s so we can survive in this world? I don¡¯t really get it.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But I¡¯m here now, and I don¡¯t have much of a choice. I promised Mahiro and Fumiko that I would join one, so let¡¯s just get that done for now. ¡°Hey, you!¡± a voice suddenly called out. Keisuke stopped in his tracks. He wasn¡¯t sure if the voice was even referring to him, but he looked around anyway. He saw a woman with short, brown hair standing in front of a big warehouse-like building. ¡°Me?¡± Keisuke pointed to himself. ¡°Mhm! You. I don¡¯t see anyone else around. Come over here.¡± The woman beckoned him over. Keisuke was reluctant at first. He looked at the woman. She seemed modest enough. At least, she didn¡¯t look sketchy. Reluctantly, he walked towards her. ¡°What''s your name?¡± she asked him. ¡°It¡¯s Keisuke...¡± The woman placed a hand on her chin and began examining him. ¡°Keisuke, hm...?¡± she murmured. This action left Keisuke uncomfortable and confused. ¡°Huh...? What is it? Is there something on me?¡± ¡°You caught my attention earlier today, Keisuke,¡± she said, still eyeing his body. ¡°Earlier...?¡± ¡°The way you stepped up to help that girl.¡± She was talking about that incident with Fumiko. But Keisuke didn¡¯t recall seeing this lady. ¡°You were there...?¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t do anything?¡± ¡°I was going to. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to let them do anything to the girl. But then you stepped in, so I decided to watch. If things got too out of hand, then I would¡¯ve intervened.¡± ¡°I see...¡± But I got beaten up quite a bit. Wasn¡¯t that out of hand already? he wondered. ¡°Still,¡± the lady regarded Keisuke with interest. ¡°I didn¡¯t think someone like you had it in him to do something like that. Your kind always seems too passive to do anything.¡± Keisuke scratched the scruff of his neck. ¡°Someone like me, huh?¡± And what did she mean by ¡°his kind¡±? ¡°Someone as scrawny and doesn¡¯t stand out as much as you. I mean, I doubt I would have ever noticed you if it wasn¡¯t for that. Ha-ha-ha!¡± ¡°Gee, thanks...¡± ¡°But it¡¯s fine. Scrawny is good. I can work with scrawny.¡± The lady then raised Keisuke''s arms high and poked at his stomach. ¡°You¡¯re not very fit, are you?¡± ¡°Eh...? No... Sorry...¡± ¡°Hm...¡± The lady continued measuring his body for whatever reason. When she finally stopped, she put her fingers on her chin and looked to think deeply about something. Keisuke was standing there, lost and confused. ¡°Who are you anyway? And what¡¯s all of this for?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it! I¡¯ve decided!¡± She suddenly snapped her fingers. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you under my wing and train you! Congratulations! I don¡¯t often recruit people, so you should feel honoured, okay?¡± ¡°Huh...?¡± Keisuke was dumbfounded. He blinked a few times before asking, ¡°Your profession? You¡¯re under a union? Like, in the scouting legion?¡± ¡°Precisely that! Specifically, the warrior''s union. I work under the fighter class.¡± Keisuke was still struggling to see where he fit in. ¡°And you want me to join? Why?¡± ¡°You¡¯re perfect! I¡¯ve decided that I can make great use out of you, Keisuke. Someone like you doesn¡¯t come around often, you know?¡± ¡°Someone like me...?¡± ¡°Yes, someone like you. So, what will it be? Will you join the fighter profession? Will you be my plaything?¡± ¡°Excuse me, what was that last part?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing! Come on, now, the clock''s ticking. I might retract this generous offer!¡± There were a lot of alarm bells ringing in Keisuke¡¯s head right then. The loudest being whether or not he could trust this random woman and what she was saying. ¡°Why me?¡± he asked her, trying to fish for a hint of credibility from her. He wasn¡¯t convinced at all. ¡°Like I said, because I can make use of you,¡± she said simply. ¡°And you stood out to me. Is that a good enough reason?¡± Keisuke examined the woman¡¯s appearance. She was well-kept and had on a long white blouse which she folded at the sleeves and brown woollen trousers. She had no visible weapons on her, which comforted Keisuke a little. She didn¡¯t look like a thief or a trickster, but with no weapons and armour she didn¡¯t look like she belonged to any of the unions, either. She must be lying, Keisuke thought. He had no reason to believe her, after all. And if he was careless here, he could walk right into a trap of some kind. He didn¡¯t know how this city worked or the dangers that lurked within it. For all he knew, people like him were taken advantage of very often around here. Heck, he just recently stopped a couple of scoundrels from assaulting Fumiko. Keisuke would be stupid to blindly follow some woman who appeared out of nowhere, making claims that he didn¡¯t know to be true. With all of that in mind, Keisuke took a couple small steps backwards. ¡°I-I''m sorry, but I think I¡¯ll look elsewhere. I appreciate your offer, though. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find someone else who will be of better use than me, ha-ha. After all, like you said, I¡¯m weak and scrawny. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be much help.¡± He was bumbling awkwardly and pedalling backwards at the same time. The woman was watching him the entire time, saying nothing, her face a stoic mask. When Keisuke was further back enough, he turned on his heel and said, ¡°Sorry!¡± then tried to hurry off as quickly as he could. He¡¯d only gone as far as a single step when the woman called out to him. ¡°Hey,¡± she said. Keisuke stopped, his heart now drumming in his chest. Did I piss her off? he wondered. Maybe she was finally going to unveil her true intentions and was done trying to fool him. ¡°Y-yes¡­?¡± He turned back around slowly. ¡°Look.¡± The woman reached into her blouse and pulled out a round medallion that was hanging around her neck. It was a glossy platinum colour that seemed to shimmer in the light. When Keisuke looked closer, he noticed a symbol engraved into the medallion. It was a half-crescent moon with an arrow piercing straight through it. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°The symbol of the Scouting Legion, yes.¡± The woman finished his sentence for him. ¡°I assume you had doubts about whether I was telling the truth or not and if I was really from the guild like I said. Understandable.¡± She let go of the medallion, and it fell and rested on her chest. ¡°This is a medallion from the Recon Corps. Only official scouts get them, and it¡¯s a serious crime for non-scouts to have one by any means. So, I wouldn¡¯t be showing this to you if I wasn¡¯t the real deal.¡± Now that Keisuke knew what that was, he vaguely recalled Ren and his party also wearing something similar around their necks, although theirs were a different colour. So, this woman didn''t appear to be lying after all. She was truly from the guild and worked under a union. There was still a great chance she was bluffing and trying to trick him, but somehow Keisuke doubted it. Deep down, and perhaps it was just a gut feeling, Keisuke knew this woman was authentic. ¡°So, Keisuke,¡± The woman looked at him with an expression he couldn¡¯t quite read, but it affirmed his feeling that she was very, very serious. Her eyes were locked directly into his, and a slight smile played in the corner of her lips. ¡°I ask you again: Will you be my plaything?¡± Keisuke gulped so hard for a second he thought he had swallowed his Adam''s apple. This was what he wanted, wasn¡¯t it? Keisuke got the feeling that if he didn¡¯t accept this offer here and now, then he would have a difficult time finding something else. Feeling a wide range of emotions, one being extreme trepidation at the woman¡¯s gaze fixed on him, Keisuke slowly nodded his head. Whether he fully intended to or was intimidated by the woman in front of him into doing that, Keisuke didn¡¯t completely know himself. But he did know that he had just agreed, and he got a feeling in his gut that there was no going back now. ¡°Great!¡± The lady clapped her hands excitedly. ¡°Now, step this way, please.¡± She opened the doors to the warehouse and gestured for Keisuke to enter. ¡°By the way, my name is Koto. We¡¯re going to have loads of fun together. I promise!¡± Keisuke took a deep breath and went inside. Interlude: The Excitements of Union Life I Whether Keisuke was indeed having fun was up for debate. During the first week of training, he¡¯d oftentimes wished that somebody¡ªanybody¡ªwould¡¯ve warned him about what he was getting himself into. Maybe an informative flyer? Perhaps a tour of the guild and how it operated would have sufficed. But somehow, he doubted anything could''ve prepared him for the pain and suffering he was going to be put through. ¡°¡ªDodge! ¡ªParry! ¡ªLunge!" Koto barked instructions at him, but Keisuke did not know how to do any of those things, so he got smashed with a wooden sword right across his face. ¡°Nurgh¡­!¡± He fell to the ground, having had the daylights knocked out of him. Koto sighed. "That''s no good, you know? If you''re going to block, do it with your sword, not your face." ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to block, though¡­¡± Blood was dripping from his nostrils, and the pain was excruciating. His nose didn''t feel right, either. When he tried touching it to examine the extent of the damage, the pain shot through his entire body and stung even more. It was broken. His nose was broken. One hit from Koto had shattered the bridge of it. The pain was so great that Keisuke''s eyes were watering. ¡°What are you doing? Get up, we aren''t done,¡± Koto said. ¡°Ah¡­ My nose. I think it''s broken.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And¡­well¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we pause so I can stop the bleeding, at least¡­?¡± Koto pointed her sword at him. ¡°Do you think an ogre will give a damn about your bloody nose? Hm? Or maybe if you ask nicely for a truce, a gang of goblins will be kind enough to let you bandage all of your wounds. Perhaps they will even lend a hand. Is that what you think?¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°No,¡± Keisuke said. He spat out a sputum of blood, the salty and metallic taste lingering in his mouth. ¡°Exactly. Enemies will show you no mercy. If something as paltry as a broken nose is enough to stop you, then you¡¯re as good as dead. Out there, the fighting does not stop until all of your enemies are defeated. And here will be no different. Now, wipe it off, get on your feet, and raise your guard.¡± Keisuke bit his lip in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to give up right there and tell Koto off. Things had been going on like this for the past couple of days, with her hurting him, breaking his bones, and refusing to heal him until after their training session had ended. Sometimes, if he performed too poorly in training, she wouldn¡¯t let the clerics heal him at all. If Koto was trying to make Keisuke despise her, she was doing a very good job at getting there. He had absolutely no fighting experience, not even the basics, and yet she hounded him incessantly trying to drill all of it into him in such a short amount of time. It was insufferable. Keisuke tightened his fists around the hilt of his sword and slowly stood up. The blood from his nose had dripped onto and around his mouth now, sticking to his face like warpaint. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his nose with the underside of his sleeve, and then raised the sword in his hands and pointed it defiantly at Koto. He stared at her, and perhaps because of his growing ire, did not waver. ¡°Good,¡± Koto returned his gaze like a predator stalking its prey. Her lips curled upwards, flashing her teeth, and Keisuke would come to fear that smile. ¡°Here I come.¡± There was a flash and a blur, and Koto was on him. Keisuke could not block any of her attacks in time and was riddled with a flurry of blows all over his body. ¡ªThwack! Thwack! Thwack! Keisuke went to bed that night bruised and bloodied. And every night after that, he would add a new scar to his tally. Yet even as he lay in bed, sleepless from the pain, writhing in his sheets, he would not give up. Even when his body begged for him to stop, that they could not do this any longer, Keisuke forced himself to wake every morning. It wasn¡¯t stubbornness or willpower that fuelled him, nor was it some faux form of desire to get one in over Koto. It was something else. Something Keisuke himself could not explain or put his finger on. But it was there. Somewhere within him and somewhere around him, following him, clinging to him like a shadow. It was there when Keisuke dreamed and it lingered when he woke. Something. That was the only way he could describe it. Something. And whenever Keisuke closed his eyes or whenever he was on the verge of giving up, he could feel it. I hope Mahiro and Fumiko are doing okay... he thought to himself as he drifted off into sleep. 8. The Paladin, the Fighter, and the Cleric In the two weeks that followed, Keisuke underwent extensive training under the fighter profession. He worked tirelessly for five days a week, and on the days he received off, he would perform a long list of chores and could scarcely get any rest in. It was honestly brutal at times, to the point where Keisuke would collapse from exhaustion. Koto-sensei¡ªshe insisted on being called this¡ªwas a complete and utter sadist. Keisuke was sure that a demon was residing within that woman. The moment they started training, her demeanour shifted entirely. She showed no mercy, doubly so since Keisuke was her only student. ¡°You should consider yourself lucky.¡± Koto-sensei licked her lips. ¡°I hardly ever take on students. This is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you know?¡± ¡°...Thank you, sensei...¡± Keisuke wheezed. She was sitting cross-legged on top of his back at the time, and he was tasked with doing fifty push-ups. When Keisuke complained, she asked if he was calling her fat and then jumped up and down. Her butt was soft, at least. It wasn¡¯t that Keisuke was the only trainee there. There were other teachers, each with their own students. Keisuke was simply the only one training under Koto-sensei at the time. Apparently, she rarely ever took anyone in, and as for why she decided to train Keisuke, she wouldn''t tell. But Keisuke suspected it was because she saw him as an easy target to pick on. There were times during the training period where Keisuke had even thought of quitting. But Koto-sensei made sure he didn¡¯t, threatening to hurt him in ways that would leave a man scarred for life. Keisuke was not keen on finding out what those ways were. There was no denying her skills, however. Despite her cruel and intense teaching methods, Koto-sensei was a very talented fighter. She was apparently one of the highest-ranking scouts in Altear, with a platinum medallion to her name. So Keisuke learned a lot from her, even if they were merely the basics. The training was essentially just showing Keisuke the basics of being a fighter. Keisuke was a novice, and to rank up required gold and prestige. The next step was to register himself as a scout and take on quests to earn money and build up a reputation. From there, he could grow as a class and even have Koto-sensei or another teacher train him into a specific subclass of the fighter profession. How Koto-sensei put it was that at the moment Keisuke was just the base class, but once he became an official member of the scouting legion and earned a fair amount of money, he could train under any one of the many classes that fell under the fighter profession and further enhance his skills. It sounded straightforward enough, but these quests meant fighting hostile races. Keisuke knew the basics of his class, sure, but applying what he learned in actual combat was a different story. Is this going to be okay...? Keisuke thought to himself as he headed to his destination. They''d agreed to meet up at the guild hall after their training, and that was where Keisuke found them standing outside. Mahiro was dressed in chain mail armour with a longsword strapped around his waist and a shield attached to his back. Fumiko stood beside him, and she had on a long, white robe with a staff in her hands. ¡°Ah, Keisuke-kun! Over here!¡± Mahiro noticed him and gestured Keisuke over. For some reason, a smile came over Keisuke''s face when he saw Mahiro and Fumiko. It was true that his training had been difficult, but Keisuke often wondered whether Mahiro and Fumiko were also going through the same thing. Thinking that they were all struggling for each other''s sake brought him some solace, which was admittedly weird considering Keisuke barely knew them. But still, it was good to know there were people who were with him in all of this and that he wasn¡¯t entirely alone. Keisuke wondered if that feeling was the same for them. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you guys,¡± Keisuke said. ¡°To be honest, I couldn¡¯t wait to get out and see you again...¡± ¡°I-it''s good to see you, too...¡± Fumiko was using her staff to hide herself. She still seemed pretty shy, but that was a welcoming sight to Keisuke. ¡°You couldn¡¯t wait to see us again?" Mahiro laughed. ¡°Just how harsh was your training?¡± Thinking back, Keisuke shuddered. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it. I¡¯m convinced my instructor was a devil posing as a beautiful woman...¡± ¡°Well, at least you had a beautiful woman! My instructor was a man who enjoyed picking on me. I wasn¡¯t the strongest among the other trainees, so...¡± ¡°I-I also made a lot of mistakes and got shouted at...a lot...¡± ¡°You guys had it rough too, huh...?¡± Knowing that brought Keisuke some relief. ¡°But we all made it out!¡± Mahiro playfully jabbed Keisuke on the shoulder. ¡°So, I¡¯m the paladin, Fumiko is the cleric, and Keisuke, you¡¯re the...?¡± ¡°Fighter. I, uh, ended up joining it through...scouting? Is that all right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect, actually. With you, we have quite a lineup. I¡¯m not entirely sure how it all comes together yet, but apparently those roles are essential for any party.¡± ¡°Party...?¡± Fumiko parroted in a soft voice. ¡°A party is what they call a group of scouts, or in our case trainees, who work together to complete requests. It¡¯s like a team.¡± Mahiro answered her. He seemed pretty knowledgeable about all this stuff already. Unlike Keisuke, who had little to no idea. ¡°How do you know all this?¡± ¡°Some of the other trainees in my union told me. All of them were just like us, but they happened to know a bit about what was going on.¡± ¡°I see...¡± That made sense. Keisuke didn¡¯t have any other trainees with him. He was Koto-sensei''s only student, after all. He could hear others undergoing training, though, and he''d even run into a couple of them when running errands, but he never had a conversation with any of them. Mahiro was different, though. He actively searched for information to help improve their situation. Keisuke was glad he had someone like that to rely on. If Keisuke had been on his own, he would have been struggling right now. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan now?¡± ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, we should go to the guild hall. We can get our quests there.¡± ¡°Quests, huh...?¡± Keisuke scratched the scruff of his neck. ¡°Do you have any idea what to expect?¡± ¡°Honestly, not really. I know we¡¯ll be fighting, mostly. But that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Fighting...¡± Fumiko¡¯s eyes lowered. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know how well I¡¯ll do. They taught me things, but I might struggle in the actual moment, you know...?¡± Fumiko raised a valid point. Keisuke had felt the same way. Thinking about fighting and doing it were two completely different things. Keisuke had the basic skills but zero field experience. He¡¯d wondered if there were any quests that required no fighting, and, according to Koto-sensei, there were. But, as a scout, expecting to make a living out of those quests was unreasonable. So, fighting was basically inevitable for them. ¡°I understand how you guys feel. I feel the same.¡± Mahiro regarded them thoughtfully. ¡°But we don¡¯t have much of a choice right now. This is something we¡¯re going to have to do. We can start off small. We won¡¯t do anything we can¡¯t handle and slowly find our feet together. Okay?¡± Mahiro''s words were oddly comforting. When he said, ¡°together¡±, somehow it made Keisuke feel at ease. ¡°Sure!¡± Keisuke raised his fist. ¡°We can give it a try.¡± Fumiko nodded her head slightly. ¡°O-okay... If we''ll do it t-together, then I''ll do my best.¡± Mahiro smiled at them. ¡°Great.¡± When the party of three entered the guild hall, there were a lot more people there compared to the first day they''d come. Only now, they were all dressed in the gear of their respective classes. ¡°It seems like everyone went through the same things we did.¡± Mahiro was looking around and observing the room. ¡°Anyway, I think we should speak with that girl first. Lucy, was it?¡± There were also more receptionists other than Lucy working at the guild hall now. People were gathered around them, probably also seeking information. Keisuke and the others stood in line as they waited their turn. ¡°Oh, it''s you,¡± a voice suddenly said. Keisuke turned around to see Makoto approaching him. She was dressed in a long, blue robe and carried a staff on her back. ¡°Ah...yeah...¡± Keisuke nodded, not entirely sure how to respond.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Makoto eyed him down curiously. ¡°I see you managed to join a union. I must say, I¡¯m surprised. I thought you were a lost cause for sure.¡± ¡°...Ha-ha. Yeah.¡± Keisuke didn¡¯t have a reply for that, either. It was all he could do to try and casually laugh it off. ¡°Well, good luck out there, Arrow-Fodder,¡± said Makoto. ¡°I have a feeling you¡¯ll need it.¡± With that, she took her leave. Arrow-Fodder¡­? Is that really how people view me¡­? ¡°What was that all about?¡± Mahiro asked him. All Keisuke could do was shrug. ¡°Nothing, probably...¡± Mahiro replied with a curious ¡°Hm¡± and left it at that. Their turn finally came, and they approached Lucy at her booth. ¡°Hi, hi. How can Lucy help you?¡± ¡°Hello, Lucy-chan.¡± Mahiro spoke as the group¡¯s leader.¡°We joined unions, just like you said. But now we aren¡¯t quite sure what to do next. We were hoping you had some advice for us. On what to do from here.¡± Lucy nodded her head repeatedly. ¡°Yes, yes, this happens a lot. Lucy can help, yes.¡± Lucy reached under her desk and pulled out what looked to be a register of sorts. ¡°Your first priority should be buying your official scouting licences.¡± ¡°Our official licences?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You see, right now you¡¯re still trainees. You aren¡¯t recognised scouts under the guild yet until you buy a licence. Once you do, Lucy will add your name to this here register, and you get a shiny medallion that shows your rank in the legion.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Mahiro glanced over the book. ¡°And how do we get these licences?¡± ¡°You buy it. You complete quests, earn money, and buy it. It costs two-hundred silver, so you should earn that amount fairly quickly. Almost everyone does, at least.¡± ¡°What are the benefits of having a licence?¡± Keisuke asked. ¡°I mean, what¡¯s the point?¡± Lucy flipped a page in her book and explained, ¡°With a licence, you gain access to more quests and have your information added to the legion¡¯s catalogue." She held the book up for them to see the many names written on it. "That means you can participate in guild raids and rank up. The more you rank up, the more quests you have access to, and the more gold you can earn. At the moment, you only have access to beginner quests. Eventually those will run out, and you won¡¯t be able to take on any more quests. Any official ones, at least. You could become an independent scout, but then you¡¯ll have to self-train as well because you can only learn more from your union the higher your rank is.¡± ¡°Buying these licences is pretty important, huh¡­,¡± Fumiko said. ¡°Then I think we should make that our main goal right now,¡± Keisuke suggested. ¡°You said something about beginner quests?¡± ¡°Yes, you can find them in their own section in the request board at the back of the hall. Lucy recommends starting small. Wolves and kobolds are usually easy enough.¡± Mahiro nodded. ¡°I see. Thank you, Lucy-chan. This was very helpful.¡± The request board was at the back of the guild hall. There were many other trainees like them who were also gathered near it. The board was split into different sections for each rank. On the far left there was a list of beginner quests, and at the very end was a section titled ¡°S-ranked¡± quests. They were only able to do beginner quests for now, so that was where they went to look. There were a bunch of papers hung on the board, each with different requests and, in some cases, heavily worded demands for people to do. ¡°See anything?¡± Keisuke asked Mahiro. Mahiro placed a hand on his chin and went, ¡°Hmm¡± as he carefully scrutinised each of the requests. ¡°Goblins, huh?¡± ¡°Goblins?¡± repeated Fumiko. ¡°It says here that a gang of goblins have been spotted near the city. The reward for clearing them out is thirty silver.¡± ¡°W-what are they? These goblins...¡± Mahiro shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Somehow, though, I feel like I do? I can¡¯t quite explain it, but I feel as though they aren¡¯t totally unfamiliar to me.¡± Keisuke felt the same way. ¡°I feel the same,¡± he added, putting a hand behind his neck. ¡°Like I¡¯ve heard the word before. Weird.¡± ¡°At any rate,¡± Mahiro walked past that request, ¡°we aren¡¯t familiar with these things, and we don¡¯t know how strong a gang of them are. It might be too risky. We should look for something else.¡± As they carried on searching for something that even they could do, the doors to the guild hall suddenly swung open. Everyone turned their attention to the source and then entered a group of people. There were five of them, and they were all dressed like scouts. The one at the front was the one who drew the most attention. He had spiky blonde hair and piercings on both ears and his nose. He was wearing brigandine armour, and above his right shoulder was the hilt of a greatsword, a weapon that required incredible power to use. The man was very remarkable. At a glance, you could tell that he was the leader of their group just by the way he carried himself. It wasn¡¯t that he was ugly or particularly handsome; there was a certain something about him that was intense. Keisuke got the feeling that anyone that looked at those almond eyes would crack under pressure. What was more, Keisuke knew who he was. It was Delinquent¡ªor Ryoma, as he understood his name to be. He was part of the group that arrived in Altear with him. Somehow, though, he looked completely different now. The people trailing behind Ryoma were also impressive. On his left was a girl in shorts and a jacket that was cut at the sleeves. She was very gaudy in her appearance, brazenly showing off her legs, arms, and her cleavage as well. She could very well get away with doing it since she had the figure for it. There was a tall and rather lanky boy looming on Ryoma''s right. His face was partly concealed by the hood he donned, but Keisuke could see enough to tell he was male. Based on the way he was dressed, he must''ve been a mage or something along those lines. Suddenly appearing in front of Ryoma, pushing her way through everyone to get to the front, was a short girl with her hair tied into pigtails. She had her hands placed behind her head and carried a carefree attitude about her. She immediately struck Keisuke as some brat just by how casual she appeared. The last person to enter was a boy with a long ponytail atop a clean-shaved head. He was dressed in a leather outfit and had no visible weapons on his person. A large, noticeable scar ran across his face. He looked like the type of company you would expect Ryoma to keep. Birds of a feather, Keisuke mused. It was best he kept that comment to himself. Those two honestly looked like they would beat him to a pulp if they heard him joking about them. This particular group stood out in the guild hall and caught everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone found themselves staring in wonder. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Keisuke, Mahiro, and Fumiko,¡± said someone suddenly. When Keisuke looked beside himself, he saw Noburu approaching, waving his hand and smiling at them. ¡°Yo.¡± ¡°Oh, Noburu-kun. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Mahiro was the first to greet him. Fumiko gave him a soft ¡°hello¡± as well, but not before slightly hiding herself behind Keisuke first. ¡°You remember our names?¡± Keisuke asked, honestly surprised. He didn¡¯t think anyone from their group that arrived here would. Noburu tilted his head to the side. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°I see you also managed to join a union,¡± Mahiro noted as he examined Noburu''s equipment. ¡°Oh, yeah. I joined the fighter¡¯s union, and I¡¯m working to be a samurai. Pretty cool, huh?¡± He was wearing a grey robe and had a katana strapped to his waist. ¡°Samurai, huh¡­?¡± Keisuke placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Yeah, somehow I feel like that doesn''t suit you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± There were low whispers growing around Ryoma''s group. It seemed that everyone in the guild hall was admiring them. ¡°That guy is a bit too amazing, isn¡¯t he?¡± Noburu nodded his head at that group as well. ¡°How so?¡± Keisuke asked. ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? He joined a union around the same time we did, and yet he was released a week earlier. Apparently, he was too good, and there was no reason to keep him for the entire training period.¡± ¡°Really¡­? That¡¯s kind of crazy¡­¡± When Keisuke thought back to his training, all he remembered was pain. He found it difficult to imagine someone being ¡°too¡± good for it and being released earlier. When he considered his own experiences, it was almost impossible. Just how far ahead of him was Ryoma¡­? ¡°Yep,¡± continued Noburu, ¡°he formed a party recently and they¡¯ve already been seen taking on strong monsters. They¡¯ve all even bought their official badges.¡± ¡°That is impressive,¡± said Mahiro, looking at the group. Ryoma walked up to the counter carrying something in his hand. He stopped before Lucy and placed a round cloth on the table. Lucy gave Ryoma a quizzical look. ¡°What''s thiiis?¡± With a grunt, Ryoma unveiled the contents within the cloth, and everyone¡¯s immediate reaction was shock and disgust. It was a head. Ryoma had placed the head of some beast on the table for all to see. Keisuke didn¡¯t know of what creature, but it was clearly the severed head of some beast. ¡°Eeek!¡± Lucy squealed and jumped from her chair. ¡°Why?! Why?! Whyyy?!¡± ¡°It''s an ogre!¡± proclaimed a voice, and everyone gathered around Ryoma with bubbling curiosity. ¡°Wow, an ogre? Already?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t this guy just start with the rest of us?¡± ¡°That''s crazy¡­¡± ¡°I want to join his party. They must be super strong.¡± Everyone was making a bunch of comments directed at Ryoma''s group. Keisuke didn¡¯t really understand, but apparently an ogre was a tough creature. It did look like it. The head was almost three times the size of a regular human''s, and it had large teeth protruding out of its mouth. ¡°Well, seems like we have a lot of catching up to do¡­¡± Noburu sighed deeply. ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys around. Good luck out there, okay?¡± ¡°See you around, Noburu.¡± Keisuke waved him off. Mahiro turned back to the board and pulled off a piece of paper. ¡°Says here there¡¯s a lone wolf lingering in a nearby forest. That seems like a good start for us.¡± Keisuke turned to him and nodded. Fumiko also nodded, though she seemed unsure. ¡°It¡¯s settled, then.¡± Mahiro folded the paper and put it inside his pocket. ¡°We¡¯ll start with this.¡± Their first quest was decided. Keisuke found he couldn¡¯t help but glance back at Ryoma''s group. Will we be fine out there? he wondered. 9. Getting Started/From Zero, Part One Beyond the walls of Fortuna stretched vast lands known as the Wild Vilelands. This name was used to refer to the great woods and series of mountains and plains all around Fortuna, up until the distant north where the Whispering Woods began. This region of Altear earned its name because of the many hostile races and creatures that inhabited these areas. Many scouts earned their living exploring these forests and mountains, slaying whatever monsters they encountered. South of Fortuna rose the Frostback Summit, an icy mountain biome that was incredibly cold and inaccessible. Beyond that was a grey mystery, but apparently there was a race of demi-humans that occupied the area after the mountains. Altear made up a single half of the greater nation of Valentia. There existed another independent kingdom in Valentia called Elysia, which was to the west. Long ago, Altear and Elysia were once under a single kingdom and governed by two demigods, named Lucilla and Rhaegal. The two of them were siblings who had fought each other bitterly for an age on account of their differing views on how to rule. Lucilla was passionate in her belief that mankind should be left to their own devices, without the two of them getting involved and forcing their ideals on them, but her brother was of the opinion that they were to be ruled over with absolute dominion. After centuries of conflict, the two siblings eventually decided on a divine accord that would see the kingdom of Valentia split in half. Lucilla would have regulation over the east and Rhaegal would oversee the west. With this agreement reached, the strife between the two God siblings ended. For a time. Lucilla, who ruled over the eastern kingdom of Altear, saw her people thrive under her guidance. She wanted the best for Altearans, and so they were blessed with fertile lands by the Goddess. Their land didn¡¯t experience war or famine, and the kingdom of Altear was a joyous and prosperous place as a result. On the opposite end of the spectrum, in the distant west, Rhaegal ruled over his people with fear and hardship. The people of Elysia were raised on the harsh teachings of their war-god. In contrast to Altear, their lands were brutal and often barren. The Elysians were brought up without love but a fierce belief that conquering was what they lived for. As a result, the Elysian army grew into one of the fiercest armies in the world. They even raided neighbouring kingdoms constantly and were more than often successful. Over one hundred years ago, the divine accord between the two kingdoms was broken. Elysia, in an attempt to conquer their neighbours, invaded the kingdom of Altear. This attack was led by King Olgierd II in the name of Rhaegal. Olgierd believed that Altear belonged to the one true god and sought to unify Valentia like the days of yore, but this time under his singular rule. A vicious war that lasted years broke out between the kingdoms, with Altear desperately trying to defend against their invaders. It was painfully clear which of the two armies was stronger, however. The Elysians had grown cold to human emotions, which had become their strength, whereas the people of Altear had become spoiled by Lucilla''s blessings. And so Altear looked powerless to avoid defeat. That was until Lucilla herself descended to defend her people and her land. Having grown anguished of watching her beloved people suffer, she aimed to put an end to the war. Her brother, however, did not want it to end when victory was so close, and so the two renewed their age-old conflict once more. The battle ended with Lucilla getting the better of her brother Rhaegal. At the sight of their god falling, the Elysians lost all hope and retreated back to their kingdom, and the war ended as a victory for Altear. Lucilla was gravely injured after the battle and not long after disappeared without a trace. Reports claim that she had returned back to the planet and the only remnants of her was the magic that flowed throughout the kingdom of Altear. Magic that many of her followers harnessed and used, and continued to exist to this day. Some believed that Lucilla was gone for good, while others were certain that she was still watching over them. But nobody knew for sure. Incidentally, all of this was explained to them by Mahiro. He¡¯d found out a lot of information regarding Altear and its history, so much so that Keisuke was envious of how capable he was. Keisuke doubted that he would have acquired such information on his own. At least, not quickly as Mahiro did. He was really on top of things. ¡°So, apparently there are wild animals that inhabit the forests,¡± Mahiro went on to explain as they walked down a main path quite a fair way from the city of Fortuna. ¡°There are wolves, goblins, even rabid dogs. Oh, and Slimes.¡± ¡°S-slimes?¡± Fumiko pulled her staff closer and looked around frantically. ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure, either. Apparently, they¡¯re small, gooey creatures that attack you on sight. I heard they aren¡¯t very strong, just annoying.¡± Slimes? Keisuke didn¡¯t entirely know what they were, but he got a faint idea just from the name. ¡°They sound gross.¡± ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Mahiro chuckled. He looked down at the map he¡¯d gotten from Lucy at the guild hall. ¡°The farmstead we¡¯re looking for should be nearby.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. They were currently searching for the owner of the farm who had issued the request. According to Lucy, they had to meet with the quest giver and gather details regarding the quest first before acting on it. This wasn¡¯t always the case or necessary, but it helped beginners like them to get a better understanding of what to do. There were many different types of quests. This one was a simple ¡°Hunt¡± quest. A search and destroy, as Lucy phrased it. ¡°Is that it over there?¡± Fumiko pointed to a rather large farm on the outskirts of the forest. ¡°Ah, yes. That must be it. Nice job, Fumiko-chan,¡± said Mahiro. Fumiko''s face turned pink at the sudden appraisal. They walked up to the small house in the centre of the farm and knocked on the door. ¡°Yes? Who is it?¡± a voice inside answered. It was an old man''s voice. Mahiro replied, ¡°Sorry to bother you, but we¡¯re scouts from the Recon Corps. We came to ask you about a request? A wolf?¡± The door opened. A balding, elderly man in a grey tunic appeared from inside. ¡°Yes, finally!" he exclaimed. "I put that request up weeks ago but no one has been coming. Please, come in!¡± ¡°Sorry, but we don¡¯t want to impose on you,¡± said Mahiro. ¡°It''s no big deal!¡± The old man waved them in. ¡°I never get visitors, so I don¡¯t mind at all. Are you thirsty? I have some sweet milk that I made myself.¡± An expression of genuine glee brightened the old man¡¯s face when they eventually agreed. He must¡¯ve really never had any visitors. He lived quite a fair way from the city, so that made sense. The old man brought three wooden cups of iced milk sweetened with honey. Keisuke took one and drank politely. It was pleasantly cold and sweet, much to his tastes. ¡°Delicious,¡± Fumiko whispered. ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± The old man smiled. ¡°It''s from one of my oldest cows. There¡¯s more if you like.¡± ¡°Um, Fumiko? You have some milk on your lip.¡± Keisuke pointed out. ¡°E-eh?¡± She quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± ¡°My name is Mahiro. This is Keisuke and Fumiko, my companions.¡± ¡°I see, I see. Quite the youngsters you are. My name is Joseph.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Joseph-san,¡± Mahiro said and bowed his head respectfully. Keisuke and Fumiko followed his lead. ¡°We came here regarding the notice you put up at the scout¡¯s guild.¡± Joseph took a seat and sighed gravely. ¡°Ah, yes, that pesky wolf. It¡¯s been bothering me for three weeks now. I sent that notice the first week and I only got a reply now." ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Mahiro bowed his head again. ¡°We¡¯re here to try and take care of it now. Could you tell us more about it?¡± Keisuke noticed how they¡¯d mostly let Mahiro do all the talking for them. It wasn¡¯t decided or anything, but it was as though he was the group''s leader. Even though there was no hierarchy, was it fine for him to let Mahiro take up all that burden by himself? It¡¯s probably fine, he thought. Keisuke knew he didn¡¯t have it in him to take over the reins like Mahiro did. If everything was left up to him, they would have still been in Fortuna right now. So, it was probably for the best that Mahiro led them. Fumiko must have felt the same because she was also very quiet and merely listened to things they said. She was the shy type so she probably felt like she would get in everyone¡¯s way if she said anything. ¡°Yes, well, it first came three weeks ago,¡± Joseph explained. ¡°I managed to fend it off some days but on others I would fall asleep and it would manage to get one of my animals. Recently it¡¯s started coming every day. If this keeps up, then I won¡¯t have any livestock left...¡± ¡°Is it just one?¡± Joseph nodded his head. ¡°Aye. It¡¯s just the one. Which is strange because the nearby woods are home to packs of wolves. So, it must¡¯ve been kicked out of its pack for whatever reason. It must be struggling for food. I feel sorry for it, but...¡± ¡°Poor thing...¡± Fumiko seemed to feel genuine sympathy for the wolf. Mahiro thought about it. ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to have to deal with it. Any thoughts, Keisuke-kun?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s just one, then we could probably handle it, right...?¡± Keisuke said, although he wasn''t convinced. A wolf was a dangerous animal regardless of if it was on its own or not. ¡°Yes, you should be right. Don¡¯t worry, Joseph-san, we¡¯ll deal with this wolf for you.¡± Joseph clapped his hands in relief. ¡°Thank you! Finally, my animals will rest at ease at night.¡± ¡°Do you have any clues as to how we might find it? It¡¯s a big forest and searching for one wolf would be an issue...¡± ¡°Well, it only ever comes here at night. Other than that, I don¡¯t know much.¡± ¡°At night, huh¡­¡± ¡°We could wait here?¡± Keisuke suggested. ¡°Joseph said it¡¯s been coming by every night, right? Maybe we could use that to our advantage? ¡° ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great idea! Joseph-san, do you mind if we wait here until nightfall?¡± ¡°No, not at all!¡± Joseph said, clearly excited that they would be spending more time with him. ¡°Please, help yourselves to some more milk.¡± And so, they decided that they would wait until nightfall. 10. Getting Started/From Zero, Part Two Before they knew it, dusk was upon them. They''d spent the day talking with Joseph and helping him with errands around the farm. When the sun was beginning to set, he¡¯d asked the party to help shepherd his animals into the barn. When all of that was taken care of, all that was left was to deal with the wolf. They waited for it near the barn, hoping it would show itself soon. ¡°Nothing yet.¡± Mahiro shook his head. He¡¯d gone out and searched for any signs of it in the forest, but apparently there was nothing yet. ¡°It should be here soon, though. Joseph said it¡¯s been coming every night. Are you guys ready?¡± Was Keisuke ready? Frankly, he had no idea. He wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about the whole ¡°killing¡± thing. It¡¯s what was expected of them, and he agreed to the quest knowing that, but still. The thought of taking a life lingered in his mind the entire time. ¡°I¡­guess?¡± Keisuke replied, though with growing uncertainty. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll have an easier time once we get to fighting it. But right now I¡¯m pretty nervous.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can¨C¡± Fumiko started but abruptly stopped. She was fidgeting apprehensively. ¡°U-um, I don¡¯t know if I can k-kill animals...¡± Apparently, she had shared Keisuke¡¯s concern. It was a pretty normal thing to be weary of, right? None of them had any experience with that sort of thing. At least, it felt that way. Mahiro nodded his head in agreement. ¡°I understand. To be honest, I¡¯m quite reluctant as well. But this is just something we¡¯re going to have to do sooner or later.¡± He stopped and took a breath. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to enjoy it. Actually, it¡¯s reassuring that you¡¯re both so worried. All I ask is that you trust me.¡± The look Mahiro gave them was gravely serious. Keisuke and Fumiko were both uneasy about the whole thing, but Mahiro was right in that they had to do it sooner or later. As scouts, it was just a matter of when. They both knew that much. ¡°I-I''ll try my best...¡± Fumiko nodded her head a little and clutched her staff. A couple minutes passed and there were still no signs of the wolf. According to Mahiro, this would¡¯ve been easier if they had a ranger in their party. They were a union that trained in forestry and animal handling. That included the hunting and tracking of animals, along with how to survive in the woods. They knew everything there was to know about wildlife. But neither of them were rangers, so this was the best option available. If they wandered in the forest this late, they might get lost. So, all they could do was wait for the wolf to come to them. A few more minutes passed until they heard a rustle in the woods. ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Mahiro was the first to sense something. He quickly stood up to scout the surrounding area. Keisuke and Fumiko followed his lead. As soon as they stepped out of the barn, Keisuke noticed a dog-like creature in front of Mahiro. It was the wolf. It had dark grey fur and yellow eyes that shone in the night. Keisuke immediately took notice of the wolf''s size. It was big. And not as in slightly larger than a regular wolf, but almost twice over the size of one. It wasn''t a normal wolf, that much was certain. ¡°They didn''t say it was a dire wolf...¡± Mahiro muttered. He was standing in front of the wolf and the two were staring each other down. The wolf shifted its oval eyes over Keisuke and Fumiko. Fumiko was shaking like a new-born fawn. It was almost as if the wolf could sense this, as it bared its fangs and let out a low growl. ¡°Watch out!¡± Mahiro suddenly shouted, and then the beast pounced. It was lunging at Fumiko with bloodthirsty intent. It moved so quickly that Keisuke had barely any time to react. If it wasn''t for Mahiro, Fumiko would''ve been killed right there. Mahiro slammed into the wolf with his shield, stopping the wolf¡¯s advances and knocking it away. ¡°Get ready, you two!¡± Mahiro shouted and that snapped some sense into Keisuke. ¡°R-right!¡± Keisuke drew his longsword from over his shoulder and aimed it at the wolf. This was happening. This was seriously happening. Keisuke¡¯s heart was pounding in his chest and his hands were shaking. He was even struggling to keep his sword upright. But he knew he couldn''t afford to waver now. This was a matter of life and death. The wolf raised its head and howled and the sound was bone-chilling. When it was done, it looked down at the three of them, and then attacked. It launched its attack directly at Mahiro first, charging at him with its fangs bared. Keisuke could barely see it properly as it moved. It was like a grey flicker in the night. He heard it collide into Mahiro''s shield. It looked like Mahiro had managed to cover himself. ¡°Attack it now, Keisuke!¡± Hearing that, Keisuke was spurred into action. He charged at the wolf and swung his sword across. The wolf backed away from Keisuke''s attack and his sword sliced through the air. ¡°We have to work together to kill it,¡± Mahiro said. He glanced over at Fumiko who was terrified and left trembling. She was in no state to fight whatsoever. Noticing this, Mahiro looked at Keisuke. ¡°It¡¯s up to us. Stay behind me, okay? I''ll protect us.¡± Keisuke nodded. He was terrified as well, but he knew it had to be done. ¡°I''ll attack first!¡± Mahiro ran at the wolf and swung his sword at it. The attack and movement itself was a bit messy and uncontrolled. It was evident that he was still an amateur.Stolen novel; please report. The wolf avoided the attack almost effortlessly. It settled and glared at both of them through its yellow eyes. Keisuke decided to follow up on the attack. ¡°Hungh!¡± he yelled out and swung at the wolf. His attack was also sloppy. His teacher had made it look so easy when she was beating him to a pulp everyday. But now, the weight of the sword, the heat of battle...it all felt too real. The attack missed again. But as the wolf reeled back, Mahiro used the opportunity to strike. He brought his sword down to the wolf''s side, and there was a yelp. Mahiro had managed to get a hit in. The proof was in the line of blood now coating his longsword, and the stain of red spreading like dark wine on the wolf''s fur. ¡°I-I hit it...¡± Even Mahiro sounded surprised. He looked at his sword and Keisuke could see his hands trembling slightly. Fumiko gasped behind them. The sight and thought of harming an animal must''ve been too much for her to handle. Keisuke couldn''t blame her. He couldn¡¯t say he was having an easy time, either. His heart was pounding like a drum in his chest and he hadn''t realised it until now but he was sweating profusely. If a strike from the sword was that easy to draw the wolf''s blood, then just how easy would it be for the wolf to tear them apart? That thought frightened him the most. The thought that at any moment the wolf could lock its fangs around one of their throats and just like that it would be over. ¡°Keisuke, watch out!¡± He heard Mahiro''s voice suddenly shouting at him. When Keisuke snapped out of it, his eyes refocused and he caught a grey blur fluttering before him. When he looked again, the wolf was on him. He knew he should''ve kept his guard up. He knew that. He was trained to position the sword across his body to prevent attacks like this. But in the heat of the moment that was the last thing on his mind. Keisuke immediately thought to protect himself, and his first reaction was to use his arm. The bite was deep. Keisuke felt fangs sinking into him and piercing into his bone. He fell to the ground. The wolf was on him. It had his right arm in a vice and Keisuke could feel the power of the wolf as it pulled on him. Blood was spraying everywhere and the pain was immeasurable. ¡°ARGHHHH!¡± Keisuke screamed so loudly his voice cracked. ¡°GET IT OFF! GET IT! PLEASE, PLEASE, IT HURTS! IT HURTS!¡± He tried hitting the wolf with his other arm but it was no use, it wasn''t budging. The wolf was viciously mangling him. It was determined to rip Keisuke''s arm apart. He could feel the bite getting deeper and deeper. "Get off of him!" Mahiro came charging in with his shield in hand. He slammed into the wolf, and Keisuke felt its weight leave him. Mahiro had managed to knock it off. Keisuke coddled his arm. It was severely wounded and bleeding profusely. Not to mention the pain was unbearable. Mahiro grabbed his longsword and edged towards the wolf. It looked like the beast was still disoriented from his previous attack and couldn''t defend itself in time. Now was the time. Mahiro could end it here. ¡°S-stop it...¡± He raised his sword in the air. Almost as if to psych himself up, Mahiro screamed. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± And then he brought the blade down. But just before he could deal the blow, another voice screamed out. ¡°STOP IT!¡± Fumiko''s voice took all of them by surprise. Mahiro stopped his attack mid-swing and turned his attention to Fumiko. The wolf seemed to notice this. It used the opportunity to slip away from Mahiro as his guard was down. The beast ran away and disappeared into the trees. ¡°Damn it!¡± cursed Mahiro as he watched the wolf flee. That was their chance to finish it and it was now gone. His attention was immediately redirected, though, when he heard a sob. ¡°Keisuke-kun!¡± he called and rushed to his side. Mahiro crouched down beside him and examined the injury. His face contorted into a wince. ¡°This is bad. If we don''t do something about this...¡± Keisuke''s entire body was quivering, growing hotter and hotter. He was losing a lot of blood and his vision was getting blurry. Is this how I die¡­? Wow, that¡¯s not even funny¡­ ¡°Fumiko-chan,¡± Mahiro turned to her. ¡°You can heal him, right? Please, he needs help quickly. My spell Lay On Hands can''t mend a wound like this.¡± But Fumiko seemed to scarcely hear him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn''t mean to... I''m sorry...¡± She kept repeating those words over and over. ¡°Fumiko-chan, please. Keisuke is...¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorr¡ª¡± ¡°Fumiko!¡± Mahiro shouted at her. That seemed to work. Fumiko snapped out of it and she looked at Mahiro. ¡°Keisuke needs healing. Please.¡± Fumiko looked down at Keisuke and she seemed to only now realize what was happening. Almost immediately, she rushed over and dropped before Keisuke. Fumiko held both of her hands over Keisuke''s arm. ¡°M-Mother Lucilla, I call upon your power. Mend this one so he may fight again... [Cure Light Wounds].¡± Fumiko¡¯s hands began to exude a bright, blue light. Keisuke felt a gentle warmth come over him. It felt exactly like what that girl from Ren''s party had done to him, but the potency was different. Keisuke could feel the bite marks on his skin closing and the pain subsiding. When it was done, his arm looked as good as new. There were no wounds from the bite mark left. He''d still lost quite a bit of blood, so his head was woozy. The pain didn''t seem to be all the way gone, either. ¡°Sorry, I''m not a high level cleric yet. My healing spells can''t get rid of all of your pain...¡± Fumiko had her eyes cast downward. She said that in a small voice. She sounded pretty disappointed in herself. ¡°It''s okay,¡± Keisuke assured her and smiled. ¡°This is more than enough. Thank you.¡± Fumiko looked really distraught. Keisuke heard her sniffle, and when he looked at her face, he saw tears rolling down her cheeks. ¡°I''m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I couldn''t help. If it w-wasn''t for me you would''ve¡ª¡± ¡°If it wasn''t for you, Keisuke''s arm would be worse off. Mahiro placed a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You were scared. It''s okay to be scared. Neither of us blame you.¡± Fumiko kept crying. ¡°We should head back to Fortuna,¡± Mahiro said. ¡°Keisuke-kun, can you stand?¡± Keisuke nodded. And so, they made their way back to the city with nothing to show for their efforts but Keisuke''s bloodied sleeves. 11. Getting Started/From Zero, Part Three ¡°No can do!¡± Lucy raised her finger to her head and shook them both fervently. ¡°The request was to kill the wolf. If that wasn''t done then Lucy can''t pay you.¡± They''d returned to the scout¡¯s guild hall after their encounter with the wolf to try and get compensation for their efforts. But, according to Lucy, they could not because they didn''t manage to kill it. ¡°But we managed to chase it off... Is that not good enough?¡± Mahiro tried to convince her, but she didn''t seem to be having it. ¡°Nope. You were supposed to kill it. Kill it. That''s completely different from chasing it away, isn''t it?¡± That meant they would not be given a single copper. Zilch. Nothing. Keisuke looked down, defeated. ¡°Then that means we don''t have any money at all. What are we supposed to do now?¡± Lucy shrugged. ¡°Lucy doesn''t know. But she cannot give you the reward if the quest wasn''t completed. That''s how it works. There are no leeways!¡± ¡°Right¡­,¡± Mahiro said and they all waddled off. The three party members were seated at a table in a corner of the guild hall. It was late at night, so it was fairly busy. The guild also served food and drinks, so it filled in as a tavern for scouts. Naturally, that was who it was occupied with. People were sharing stories of their quests and drinking the night away. Keisuke''s group could not join in on the fun, however. They looked down and depressed seated at their table. Why wouldn''t they be? Their first quest had ended in failure, after all. It seemed like they were the only ones, too. Everyone who''d arrived with them seemed to have had success on their quests. They were all basking in tales of each other''s glories. Meanwhile, Keisuke, Mahiro, and Fumiko couldn''t even afford food. All they could do was sit and watch everyone else and listen to how they managed to attain success. It was beyond depressing. The three of them sat in strained silence for almost ten minutes. ¡°Who would''ve thought it was going to be that hard, huh?¡± Keisuke said. He was running his finger over his right forearm, recalling the wounds that were there but an hour ago. All of it was real. The pain, the experience, the wolf. It was just like that time he got struck by an arrow. He could''ve easily been killed both times. ¡°I¡¯m hungry...¡± Fumiko placed her arms around her stomach. ¡°I know,¡± said Mahiro, sighing. ¡°We will eat soon, okay? I promise.¡± Keisuke eyed the hall from table to table. He noticed a couple of familiar faces. Ryoma and his party were seated on the second floor of the hall. They were surrounded by other scouts who were showering them with high praise. Apparently, they had completed yet another difficult quest. Keisuke''s table was suddenly approached by someone they knew. ¡°You guys look miserable,¡± said Noburu. He took a seat beside Keisuke. ¡°Noburu-kun... How did your first quest go?¡± Mahiro asked him. Noburu outstretched his arms wide, and smiled even wider. ¡°Well! I joined a party and we hunted down a couple of goblins. You get five copper for bringing in one of the weird necklaces they wear. I got three of the bastards!¡± Fumiko asked, ¡°What are these goblins...?¡± ¡°Yeah. Short, green, ugly things. They¡¯re kind of like¡­little children? No, that sounds wrong.¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy your first quest was a success, Noburu-kun.¡± Mahiro smiled but there was grief behind it. ¡°And? How did yours go?¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Keisuke placed a hand over the bite marks on his arm. Fumiko said that they would disappear eventually, but at the moment they were clear to see. ¡°Not so well, to be honest with you.¡± ¡°Yeah, we couldn''t even get any money.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean you couldn''t even get any money?¡± ¡°We didn''t really complete our quest, see,¡± Mahiro said. According to Lucy.¡± ¡°Don''t tell me...!¡± Noburu suddenly stood up and slammed his hands on the table. ¡°You guys! Have you eaten?!¡± Keisuke was ashamed enough not to answer. Mahiro and Fumiko couldn¡¯t bring themselves to reply, either. It was embarrassing to admit that they couldn''t afford to feed themselves. ¡°Seriously?¡± Noburu looked stunned. Mahiro managed to put on a brave smile. ¡°It¡¯s all right. We''ll get our act together tomorrow.¡± ¡°Don''t give me that.¡± Noburu raised his hand. ¡°Hey! Excuse me! Can I get help here?¡± ¡°Um, Noburu-kun? What are you doing?¡± ¡°What does it look like I''m doing, Mahiro? I''m getting you guys something to eat. Duh.¡± Mahiro blinked a few times, then waved his arms around. ¡°Wait, what? No, no, you don¡¯t need to go that far!¡± ¡°Shut up, man.¡± Keisuke also wasn¡¯t sure about this. He opened his mouth to voice protest, but Noburu stopped him before he could, noticing. He frowned at Keisuke. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± he said. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Fine, then. You two may be fine with no food, but is Fumiko?¡± Keisuke¡¯s eyes widened. Right, we have Fumiko to think about as well, he remembered. He turned his attention toward her. She was looking down at the table, saying nothing, but her face was telling. Mahiro must¡¯ve noticed that as well because he nodded his head stiffly and said, ¡°Thank you, Noburu-kun. We will pay you back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. The food is cheap here, anyway. So, just eat up, okay?¡± Three bowls of thick stew of barley, carrots, and onion, hot and freshly-made, were brought to their table by one of the guild hall¡¯s serving wenches. The savoury smell had caught Keisuke by surprise, filling his nostrils, and he realised just how hungry he had been by the watering of his mouth. Noburu had truly done them a service. The stew was served with thick black bread and a jug of water. Noburu promised to treat them to ale some other time, but Mahiro vehemently refused, saying this already was plenty. Keisuke had to agree. Before he attacked the stew, Keisuke bowed his head, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together. ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± When he opened his eyes again, everyone else was staring at him. A single eyebrow raised, Noburu asked, ¡°Eh? Like I said, don¡¯t mention it. You don¡¯t have to be that sincere. You¡¯ll make me blush¡­¡± ¡°What? No, I was¡ª¡± Keisuke couldn''t finish what he was saying. All of a sudden, he realised that he didn¡¯t really know himself. ¡°Um. Huh? I think it''s like¡­ I don¡¯t know, actually¡­¡± ¡°This guy,¡± Noburu sighed. ¡°Are you sure you can work with someone like this, Mahiro? He doesn¡¯t seem all there. Like, you know, mentally.¡± He tapped a finger on his temple as if to say Keisuke had a few screws loose up there. ¡°Th-thanks for the food,¡± a voice muttered. It was Fumiko. Apparently she had bowed her head and did as Keisuke did. Noburu looked at Fumiko, then back at Keisuke back and forth. ¡°Huh? Am I missing something? Is this some important thing? ¡­Wait, um, I guess it is?¡± ¡°Somehow, it feels natural,¡± said Mahiro, bowing his head too. ¡°Thanks for the food.¡± Noburu scratched his temple with his forefinger and looked up at the ceiling, thinking. ¡°Hmm. Now that you mention it, I guess it does feel familiar. Thanks for the food, huh¡­¡± When they were done offering their thanks to whoever, Keisuke rolled his sleeves and attacked his bowl like a starved animal. He broke off a heel of bread and dipped it into the soup, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it. In terms of taste, it was nothing spectacular, but that didn¡¯t matter to Keisuke. During his time in the fighter¡¯s union, he¡¯d been fed three times a day. The food was mostly tasteless gruel and porridge, with not much in terms of enjoyment. It was safe to say that this soup he was eating now was the best he¡¯s had since arriving in Altear. The same must¡¯ve went for Mahiro and Fumiko as well, because they seemed to be enjoying their food just like Keisuke was. It was almost as if the incident with the wolf earlier hadn¡¯t happened. The three of them continued to eat in silence. ¡°Say, you guys¡­,¡± Noburu began, looking at them, ¡°do you have a place to sleep?¡± Keisuke and Mahiro both looked up. ¡°A place to sleep?¡± Keisuke demurred. He and Mahiro looked at each other and their eyes widened. They realised that they hadn¡¯t given it any thought. 12. Getting Started/From Zero, Part Four So, when the serious business of eating was done, Noburu led the party of three through the city. The three had been, to say the least, taken aback once they realised that they had to take care of their own sleeping arrangements as well. None of them had given it any thought. After all, since arriving in Fortuna Keisuke had been given a place to sleep by his union for free. It wasn¡¯t something he had to worry about, so he had neglected it up until now. That ignorance would have cost them dearly. When were they going to realise this? If they hadn¡¯t, where would they even sleep? The streets weren¡¯t exactly safe, but if push came to shove, they would have had no choice. There were a fair amount of homeless people nestled in the dark alleyways and corners of Fortuna, so it wasn¡¯t unheard of. But they had Fumiko to think about. If it was just Keisuke and Mahiro, he was sure they could manage a day or two in the streets if they absolutely had to. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be ideal, but if it came to it Keisuke would hold his tongue and do his best not to complain. They had a girl with them, though. Sleeping in the streets, completely unprotected, was just out of the question. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t expected of them. To the west of the city, right beside the western gate called the River Gate, there was a stablehouse. Noburu had befriended the person in charge, a middle-aged man with coarse black hair and a musty stench that clung onto him like death. Noburu had come here earlier in the day looking to buy a horse, but the price was so out of his budget that he and the head groom had a long laugh about it. Keisuke admired the blissful foolishness it took to befriend someone that easily. ¡°My friends here need a place to stay for a while,¡± he had introduced them. ¡°You said you had something?" The man seemed to mull it over as he looked at the three of them. ¡°Hmm. Yes, well, I suppose I could put you with the horses. There¡¯s stacks of straw there, you can make yourself beds for the night.¡± And so the matter of where they would sleep was decided. The stablekeep assigned them two empty stalls for their use. Keisuke and Mahiro decided that they would share one and give Fumiko the other to herself. Keisuke didn¡¯t mind this arrangement. In fact, he would¡¯ve been very worried if they had to share rooms with Fumiko. They were also given a couple of blankets to cover themselves at night. They were old and tattered in some places, and smelled of sweat and use, but that smell paled in comparison to the stable itself. The mingled smells of hay, manure, and horse hung over the stable like a damp blanket, thick and musty. It had been hard to breathe at first, the stench nauseating and threatening to release the venison stew in Keisuke¡¯s belly. After a while, though, he began to ignore it. Keisuke was now laying down in his stack of hay, staring up at the wooden ceiling. Their first day as rookie scouts had come to an end, and they had just barely managed to scrape by. If it wasn¡¯t for Noburu, they would¡¯ve been left to starve and sleep god-knows-where. Keisuke didn¡¯t even want to imagine what they would have had to resort to if the stables weren¡¯t made available for them. Noburu had really done them a great service, despite hardly knowing each other. Then there was the matter with the wolf. In just a single day, we were almost killed, starved, or left with no place to sleep. Seriously¡­ Their first fight had ended in failure. Keisuke flexed his right arm, remembering. Training and actual battle were completely different. Nothing Koto-sensei taught him could¡¯ve fully prepared him for that glaring gap in difference. Maybe they¡¯d underestimated the intensity of an actual battle? Keisuke wondered if they were ill-prepared from the beginning, both mentally and physically. They¡¯d taken a quest and hurried off to do it without much thought or planningYou might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d even know what kind of planning would go into something like that. Traps, maybe¡­ No, that¡¯s pointless. I don¡¯t even know how to make anything like that. As he stared upwards, thinking, Keisuke realised that there was one thing he did know for sure. And that was that they needed money. Without it, they wouldn¡¯t be able to eat or afford a place of lodging. Luckily the price of sleeping in the stables was simply cleaning after yourself and not making a noise, but obviously they couldn¡¯t stay there forever. It was probably unhealthy in some way to sleep here with all of the dust and the horses. The haystacks weren¡¯t exactly comfortable to lay on, either, and since they were quite a ways from the public lavatories, if they needed to relieve themselves urgently they had to use a bucket, which they then had to haul and throw the contents of in a cesspit or the river. It was disgusting to even think about but what could you do? Unless Keisuke had suddenly evolved as a species and relinquished himself of the need to pee and poop, there was little he could do when nature came calling. He just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t ever resort to squatting over a bucket. Needless to say, money was important. Even if Keisuke understood that, acquiring money wasn¡¯t as simple as he made it sound. The only way they knew how to was by completing quests, and if their first quest was anything to go buy then that would not be so easy. We really might be in trouble, Keisuke thought to himself. If we don¡¯t get used to fighting soon, then we¡¯re pretty much done for. We don¡¯t have much of a choice¡­ Just as he thought that, Keisuke heard the hay beside him rustle. ¡°Hey, Keisuke-kun? Are you awake?¡± It was Mahiro. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m awake. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I wanted to ask what you thought about today. About what happened.¡± What Keisuke thought¡­ ¡°I think,¡± Keisuke began, thinking, ¡°I think we have to get used to this quest stuff. Somehow, we have to do it. If we don¡¯t, I get the feeling that we won¡¯t survive very long¡­¡± Keisuke sensed Mahiro nodding beside him. ¡°Yeah, I thought the same. We have to do better. No matter how you look at it, today was a complete failure and a repeat of these results would be a catastrophe. We need money.¡± Mahiro had taken the words right from Keisuke¡¯s thoughts. Apparently, they had both been thinking the same thing as they laid on this hay. It wasn¡¯t like it was a huge revelation, it was fact. ¡°I think we should go back to that farm tomorrow,¡± Mahiro said, catching Keisuke by surprise. The farm? He wanted to go back there? Keisuke wasn¡¯t sure why, and he voiced those thoughts. ¡°We didn¡¯t kill the wolf, did we?¡± Mahiro explained. ¡°I kind of want to, like, finish what we started, I guess? I feel like we won¡¯t be able to move forward otherwise.¡± Oh, I get it. In a way, that wolf was like a proving for their party now. It was their first ever quest and it had ended in failure. Mahiro must¡¯ve felt like if they couldn¡¯t clear it, then they would struggle with other quests they picked up. What''s the saying, someone who wishes to climb must start at the bottom of the ladder? Or something like that. For Keisuke, Mahiro, and Fumiko, that was their first step, one they had to overcome no matter what. ¡°Yeah, I understand,¡± Keisuke said. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not even sure if we¡¯ll be able to find the wolf again,¡± Mahiro laughed sheepishly. ¡°...But, I¡¯d like to try, at least. I have a plan. Whether it will work or not, I don¡¯t know, so don¡¯t expect too much from me, okay?¡± Keisuke ultimately agreed with Mahiro¡¯s opinion. If they could finish what they started, then maybe they''d really get going. He wondered if it mattered if they found the same wolf or not, though, or if any wolf would do the trick and it was the metaphor that mattered. For now, though, Keisuke decided that he would trust in Mahiro. 13. No Living Creature Wants to Die Keisuke was crouched down, leaning his back against a thick oak tree. Beside him was Fumiko, who was clinging tightly to her staff, bracing herself. There was an edgy suspense hanging in the air tonight. You could almost taste it: a nervous tension that came perilous close to fear. Not too far across from Keisuke and Fumiko, crouching behind a fallen log, was Mahiro. He was slowly peeking his head from above the log, watching, waiting. It was dusk of what was their fourth day as scouting legion trainees, and they had returned to the location of their first quest. Mahiro¡¯s plan was simple: they would lure the wolf in instead of trying to find it themselves. According to Joseph, the wolf lurking near his farm was preying on his animals. For whatever reason, it was away from its pack and it was relying on the farm to keep itself fed. Mahiro¡¯s plan was to use that to their advantage. Since they hadn¡¯t killed the wolf, Mahiro was sure that it would return to the farm at some point when it grew hungry. If the farm was its only source of food, then that was almost certain. With Joseph¡¯s permission, they had a good plan in motion for that instance. The sound of an animal crying echoed throughout the moonlit forest. The noise came just north of Keisuke, from a clearing in the woods where a goat was tied against a tree. This was the crux of Mahiro¡¯s plan: live bait. They were going to use an animal to lure the wolf in. Granted, the plan needed them to have an animal, if they didn¡¯t then it would¡¯ve been a bust. Luckily, Joseph saw the brilliance in Mahiro¡¯s idea and allowed the party to use one of his goats. It was a decent plan. An innovative one, at that, but it was not without its faults. The biggest issue was that they really had no way of knowing whether the wolf would return or not. Realistically, the plan was based on speculation that it would, and thus fall for the bait. But that wasn¡¯t guaranteed. They realised this the day after they first came here, when they first tried to enact the plan. The wolf hadn¡¯t shown up that night. They were devastated because their livelihood was reliant on that plan working. Since they hadn¡¯t yet killed the wolf, Keisuke confirmed with Lucy that the quest was still active and they could still get paid if they completed it. When it became obvious that the wolf would not show up that night, they realised that they would have to go to bed that night with no food. It was Joseph who had come to their aid when he heard of their predicament. The man offered them a dozen eggs from the chickens in his farm so they could at least feed themselves until the business with the wolf had been dealt with. So they didn¡¯t end up going to bed on empty stomachs after all. They were eating but they were still penniless. The second and third days ended the same, with the wolf not showing up. Keisuke would¡¯ve been lying if he said he wasn¡¯t beginning to panic. They were four days into their time as rookies and they¡¯d made zero progress. Everyone else had completed one or two quests by now, and they were still stuck on this one. Mahiro was determined to kill this wolf. If we can¡¯t even finish this, then how do we expect to complete other quests? he expressed to them on the night of the third day when they had looked down and dejected. Keisuke felt the same, but he understood that this was not ideal. As things stood, they weren¡¯t moving forward at all. They were currently living on other people¡¯s charity: Noburu, Joseph, and the stablehand. That could not last forever. They had to start moving soon and fast, and Keisuke hoped that today would be the day they took their first step. It was the third day of their plan and the fourth of their time as rookies. If the wolf did not show today, then they would be in trouble. Keisuke understood that. He was sure they all did, because the atmosphere between the three had been uneasy tonight. Beside him, Keisuke wasn¡¯t sure, but it looked like Fumiko was saying a silent prayer. Her eyes were closed and she was still clutching onto the staff. Keisuke noticed her shoulders trembling. ¡°Everything will be o¡ª¡± Keisuke stopped himself. What was he going to say? That everything was going to be okay? How did he know that for certain? He was just as frightened as her, if not more. Keisuke wanted to try and comfort Fumiko, though, but just didn¡¯t know how. ¡°Huh?¡± Most likely hearing him, Fumiko turned her head to the side to look at Keisuke. Did you say something?" ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing¡­ Sorry.¡± Fumiko looked away, silent. Keisuke wondered if he should¡¯ve said something after all. On the other side, Mahiro peeked once more, and then quickly lowered his head again. It took one look at Mahiro¡¯s serious face for Keisuke to understand, and the frantic hand gestures all but confirmed it. It was there. The wolfswood was old and thick, allowing only the faintest beams of moonlight through its dense canopy. Tall oaks and evergreen and ash trees stood in the dark like sentinels, surrounded by dense bushes and shrubs so dark they seemed like shadows and silhouettes in the distance. It was just ahead where it appeared, in a clearing where a sliver of silver light from the moon pierced the brightest. When the wolf didn¡¯t show the first day, Mahiro decided to venture deeper into the wolfswood on the second to try and lure it in from there. True to its name, the forest had come alive with the howling of distant packs that night. They¡¯d left early when those howls began to sound not-so distant. It was finally there now. Keisuke carefully poked his head to look and he saw it step out into the canopy and slowly appraise the bait. The goat¡¯s bleats were more frantic now, perhaps aware of its predicament. Fumiko¡¯s body cringed at the sound, and she pulled her staff closer to herself. Keisuke looked over at Mahiro for their course of action. He was holding his right hand up. ¡°Hold¡± or ¡°Wait¡±, it probably meant. Keisuke nodded his understanding. The three of them waited, watching, nervous with anxiety. Keisuke took a deep breath and gulped so loudly for a second he was afraid that the wolf had heard him. It was now or never. Keisuke understood that. If they couldn¡¯t complete the quest now, then they would have to give up. He just had to make his body understand, too. By now, the wolf had drawn closer to the lamb, sniffing it. Mahiro still had his hand up. Wait¡­is he waiting until the wolf actually starts eating the lamb? It¡¯s not a bad idea, it could get it to drop its guard, but¡­ ¡°No¡­¡± Fumiko muttered, shaking her head. Keisuke could very well sense her agitation, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Everything will be okay, he had tried to say earlier. Mahiro still had his hand raised, his eyes fixed on the wolf. Is this really okay¡­? Keisuke looked at Fumiko once more. It was no sooner he thought that, and the wolf bared its fangs, that the girl beside him rushed into the clearing. ¡°Fumiko?!¡± Keisuke shouted. Before he even realised it, he was on his feet as well and chasing after her. They stepped out into the silver light. The wolf seemed startled by Fumiko¡¯s sudden emergence. It quickly spun around to face them. Fumiko was just ahead of Keisuke. Her back was facing him, but he could see how frightened she was. She was trembling. The wolf barked at them. ¡°Fumiko, stay back!¡± Keisuke called to her. Though, it seemed like the wolf wasn¡¯t trying to advance. It pedalled backwards slowly, towards the edge of the clearing. Is it trying to escape¡­? Keisuke noticed. It seemed unusual for it to edge backwards. But it couldn¡¯t go any further because Mahiro had appeared behind it. ¡°Not so fast!¡± he said, sword and shield in hand. ¡°Keisuke, cover its right side!¡± Mahiro barked an order at him. ¡°Right!¡± Keisuke drew his longsword and quickly went to cover. They had surrounded it now. Fumiko was to its right and Keisuke was to its left. Mahiro had appeared behind it, so the wolf was forced to centre itself, thus making it face Keisuke head-on. Behind it there was a large oak tree, thick and old. Any immediate escape routes were cut off. If it wanted to run away, it would have to plunge through one of them. ¡°I¡¯ll attack!¡± Mahiro announced and charged at the wolf with his sword. He swung down, but the wolf nimbly jumped backwards. ¡°Keisuke!¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. He made his move as well, rushing at the wolf and slicing. There was a whoosh as Keisuke¡¯s sword sliced through air. He¡¯d also missed. But through its efforts to avoid their attacks, the wolf had positioned itself closer to the tree, further cornering itself. Mahiro took a step forward, realising this, and attempting to close in on it. ¡°Apply pressure! Make sure it can¡¯t run away!¡± It was almost as if the wolf heard and understood his call, because it growled and snapped at Mahiro fiercely. This is it. It can¡¯t run away. Even if it tries, it will leave its back open and we can attack it for free. This is it. We have it cornered. Keisuke tried to get his breath under control. He took another step forward, and when the wolf snapped its teeth at him he had to fight the urge to step back. ¡°S-Sacred Fla¡­¡± Fumiko was muttering something under her breath, but stopped halfway. It looked like she was trying to fire one of her spells but was struggling to calm her nerves The wolf must¡¯ve realised its predicament right now because it was growling and snapping manically. A cornered beast is dangerous, Keisuke remembered Koto-sensei telling him. No living creature wants to die, he heard her voice saying, loud and close now. If you trap any beast with the threat of taking its life, you will be in for a rude awakening. Those words echoed in Keisuke¡¯s words when he watched the wolf suddenly lunge at Mahiro with ruthless aggression. ¡°Wh-whaa?!¡± Mahiro was taken by surprise. The attack was so sudden and desperate that it was difficult to predict. Mahiro managed to get his shield up in time and the wolf bounced off it. No living creature wants to die, Keisuke repeated to himself. Not it and not them. But this was a do-or-die situation. If they could not kill this wolf here and now, then they would not be able to survive in this world. So, they had to. Whether they liked it or not, they had to. Even if it was difficult, they had to. They had to. They had to. They had to. In order to survive, they had to. And in order to live, the wolf had to fight and defend itself as well. That was the current reality of their world. ¡°S-S-Sacred¡­¡± Fumiko kept muttering. Her staff was raised and aimed at the wolf but nothing was happening. ¡°I can¡¯t! I can¡¯t do it!¡± It¡¯s cruel, I know, but this is the path we chose. There¡¯s no turning back now. We¡¯ve already done this much. ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself, Fumiko! Do what you can do!¡± Keisuke shouted at her. There was no point in pushing or expecting her to do something she was clearly struggling to do. ¡°S-something I can do?¡± Fumiko repeated, blinking. ¡°I¡­ Do your best! [Bless].¡± A dim yellow light shone from Fumiko¡¯s staff and that same light seemed to swirl around both Keisuke and Mahiro before disappearing. What was that just now¡­? A light? But it¡¯s gone now. There was no time to be spent thinking, because the wolf looked like it was planning an escape. ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡± Shouting, Keisuke ran and attacked the wolf. He swung once, missed, a second time, missed. The wolf shuffled to the side of his attack, just barely out of range. Keisuke was planning on stepping backwards when he saw an opening, suddenly clear as sunlight. Quickly extending his arm and using the momentum from his second attack to swipe his sword across, Keisuke attacked a third time. It connected. Keisuke felt himself slice through something. The wolf¡¯s side. Blood coated Keisuke¡¯s longsword, glistening as he moved under the gaze of moonlight. What was that just now? Somehow, I felt like I could attack again after I missed, and I did. Keisuke couldn¡¯t quite explain the feeling, but it was almost as if he was given another chance at attacking. Was that Fumiko¡¯s spell at work? When he looked over at Fumiko, her eyes were shut tight and she looked like she was trying really hard to concentrate. Just like Keisuke had thought, the wound Mahiro had given the wolf the other night was still affecting the wolf and hindering its movement. By piling on the pressure, Keisuke was able to land a hit. The wolf yelped and reeled away in pain. It rose its head and howled, the sound echoing throughout the moonlit forest. In an anguished attempt to break through, the wolf made a charge at one of them. It ran directly at Fumiko as she was the only one who had her guard down. ¡°Fumiko!¡± ¡°H-huh¡­?¡± Her eyes opened, and just as they did, the glowing stopped. The wolf bolted straight for her, and she stood there like a stump. It would¡¯ve run right past or worse if Keisuke hadn¡¯t used his whole body to tackle the wolf away. He managed to knock the wolf away. ¡°Hungh!¡± Mahiro came charging in when the wolf was disoriented. He brought his sword down and sliced vertically. Another yelp escaped the wolf¡¯s mouth. It looked like Mahiro had gotten its front leg, because it immediately lost its footing on its right leg after the attack. It looked pretty wounded now. Blood was dripping from the wounds on its body, hanging onto its fur. But we haven¡¯t dealt any killing blows yet, Keisuke realised. They¡¯d mostly gotten in cuts and slashes, nothing penetrative. Keisuke was still on the floor from his tackle when the wolf pounced on him. What the¡­?! How do you still have this much strength?! Keisuke brought his longsword in time and was using it to keep the wolf away from his throat. No living creature wants to die, his teacher had said. Keisuke saw just how truthful those words were. The wolf snapped savagely from on top of him, trying to rip his face off. Keisuke looked into its eyes. It was angry, manic, and mostly¡­desperate. No living creature wants to die. Keisuke was keeping the wolf off him with everything he had. Spittle was dripping onto his face as the fangs got closer and closer. Despite its wounds, the wolf was still fighting. In fact, it somehow felt even stronger now. ¡°Stop it!¡± A loud thwack sounded, and Keisuke felt the pressure from the wolf on him ease a little. Apparently, Fumiko had struck the wolf in the head with her staff. ¡°Get off Keisuke! Get off him, get off him, get off him!¡± She kept hitting the wolf again and again. It didn¡¯t look like she was doing a ton of damage, but the wolf must¡¯ve been annoyed with getting hit in the head over and over because it snapped its head and grabbed the staff in its mouth. ¡°Ah!¡± The wolf growled at Fumiko, who was frightened stiff. She¡¯d been hitting the wolf but her eyes had been closed the entire time. Now they were open, and she was staring right into the eyes of a very pissed off wolf. There was a shout, and then the weight of the wolf was off Keisuke. Mahiro had rushed in and thrust his sword right into the beast¡¯s abdomen, pushing it off Keisuke and forcing it onto the ground. Keisuke blinked. When he looked around, Mahiro was crouched down, the wolf in front of him. Mahiro¡¯s sword hung from the wolf''s side. It looked like he had killed it. Keisuke was breathing heavily. He looked at the wolf¡¯s body on the ground. It really wasn¡¯t moving. ¡°Fumiko, are you okay?¡± Keisuke asked her. She was sitting down, panting heavily. All she could do was nod at Keisuke. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡­,¡± Mahiro said softly. ¡°It¡¯s still alive.¡± Hearing that, Keisuke was in disbelief. There was a sword hanging from its ribs, and it was still alive? Sure enough, it was. Keisuke could see its chest heaving slightly. It was still breathing. The wolf began whimpering, much softer now. It must¡¯ve been in great pain. Fumiko let out a sob, almost on the verge of bursting into tears. ¡°For fuck sakes¡­,¡± Mahiro muttered, and that had caught both Keisuke and Fumiko by surprise. ¡°Mahiro¡­¨C¡± Keisuke said, but his voice grew softer when he looked at the expression on Mahiro¡¯s face. He was staring at the wolf, his face twitching in disbelief at the fact it was still alive. ¡°Just die, already¡­¡± Mahiro muttered again, almost to himself. Keisuke noticed his grip tighten on the hilt of his longsword, his eyes never once leaving the wolf. ¡°Just die!¡± Mahiro suddenly raised his sword in the sky and brought it down on the wolf''s body. The wet sound of iron slipping into skin and flesh echoed around them. It was unexpected, especially coming from Mahiro who had always seemed calm and composed. But Keisuke understood that it had to be done, as difficult as it may have been to see through. The wolf needed to be killed and that blow from Mahiro had surely done. But when Keisuke saw Mahiro raise his sword again, he felt a chill run through him. He brought his longsword down again, and once again that grotesque sound hung in the air. And then Mahiro did it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Fumiko had initially been drawn in to watching by the sheer unexpectedness of it, but now had looked away in disgust. Keisuke, however, could not take his eyes off of the scene. Whether it was because he was so shocked that he was rooted in place or interested, he did not know. But he watched every blow pierce the wolf¡¯s carcass. He''d even begun to lose count of how many there were. Hey, I think it''s dead¡­ Keisuke wanted to say, but couldn''t find the words. Even if he did, he somehow got a feeling that Mahiro wouldn''t be able to hear him. After what felt like hours, Mahiro had stopped raising his sword. Whether it was because he was tired or decided it was enough, Keisuke did not know. But the damage had been more than done, and the gore that lay before them was enough to turn anybody¡¯s stomach inside-out. Fumiko took a single glance at it and she couldn''t stop herself from vomiting. Keisuke himself had wished that he hadn''t looked, because the image would be burned into his mind for as long as he¡¯d remember. The corpse in front of his eyes was so damaged that it could not even be called a corpse anymore. If anybody else had seen it, Keisuke was certain they would not be able to tell that it was a wolf. What laid before them was a lump of mangled meat, riddled with sword holes and blood. Keisuke looked at Mahiro and waited for him to say something, but he did not. Keisuke watched him wipe the sweat from his brow, and that was it. Somewhere in the forest maze of the wolfswood, a wolf howled. Interlude: Sink or Swim I Ren''s longsword rippled like moonlight on water as he swung at his target with all of his might. The orc could do little to react as the blade came flickering down, slicing it from collarbone to chest. It screamed out a bloodied cry of anguish before keeling over and dying. Ren had initially been surrounded by a number of these beasts, but now a graveyard of fresh corpses lay around him, and his armour was soaked with enough blood to fill a tub. The sixth orc came at him with reckless abandon, wielding a handaxe. It was painfully obvious that this group were inept at swordplay and the likes. Yelling as it came, Ren heard it before it even closed the distance. He pulled out his sword, Dawnbreaker, from the body of the fifth orc and spun a swift pirouette, running his blade sidelong the attacking orc''s gut during the movement, sending it stumbling past him with its intestines spilling from the great wound in its stomach. The seventh orc, however, might''ve gotten him. It lurked quietly in the shadows of the fort. Unlike the others that screamed stupidly when attacking, this one remained silent, perhaps biding its time. When Ren was close enough with his back turned, it launched its attack. If he needed to, Ren could''ve cut it down in blinding speed before it could even scream. But he didn''t need to. ¡°[Magic Missile]!¡± Three swift dart-like beams cut through the air and struck the orc. ¡°Could you watch your back, you arrogant fool?!¡± Lian yelled at him. ¡°Why should I when I have you there to cover for me?¡± His child-like smile was almost insolent, borderline audacious. ¡°I ought to let them do you in next time,¡± said the sorceress with a scowl. ¡°Maybe then you¡¯ll learn a valuable lesson on awareness.¡± Ren had shame enough to laugh. Lian was always quick to scold him and censure his actions which she often deemed ¡°too reckless.¡± ¡°Excuse me! Your cleric needs help over here, you know!¡± Nana was embroiled in a fight against one of the orcs. The creature brought its mace down on her, but she stepped to the side and the heavy metal swooshed through air. Nana then retaliated with an attack of her own by slamming her quarterstaff into the orc¡¯s back. The orc spun back around with a fierce growl. It charged at Nana once more, but this time aid came in the form of Daichi, the party¡¯s shield. He slammed into the foe like a battering ram and sent it crashing into a nearby wall. The impact must¡¯ve shattered the orc¡¯s ribs because blood came spewing out of its mouth in a sudden gush. With a single sure stroke, Daichi sent his mace flying into the orc''s head and caved its skull in. The attack made a horrific crunching sound that made Nana wince.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Are you okay, Nanako-chan?¡± Ren asked. Nana frowned angrily. ¡°No thanks to you! Do you have any idea what will happen if I die?! This party will lose its only healer and be doomed! Doomed! I demand to be more protected! Stop running off on your own!¡± ¡°If it comes to that,¡± began Mika, the huntress, ¡°then we have ample potions. Don¡¯t worry, I''m guarding them with my life.¡± She tapped the bag of potions strapped to her waist. Nana was aghast. ¡°I am more valuable than potions!¡± she flared, flailing her arms in the air and stomping her feet. Ren watched his party members with a smile. Noticing this, Lian asked him, ¡°Is something the matter, Ren?¡± ¡°No¡­ I was just thinking that we''ve been a party for a long time now, huh?¡± ¡°Almost a year and a half now, I believe." Ren nodded. ¡°And I remembered when we first met, then remembered that the other trainees must be done with their traineeship now.¡± ¡°Oh, that''s right. It''s been a month. Why, is there someone among them who''s caught your eye? Don''t tell me¡­¡± Lian''s face turned. ¡°Is it one of the girls? Have you been eyeballing them?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ren, you pervert¡­¡± Nana commented with a look of utter disgust on her face. Ren shook his arms. ¡°No, no, it''s nothing like that, I swear! I was just wondering how they were doing! The first quest is always difficult, you know?¡± ¡°Your first quest ended with your entire party killed, yes?¡± Ren nodded gravely. ¡°That¡¯s right. We walked right into a goblin trap and got wiped out.¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious, isn''t it?¡± said Nana. ¡°The useless don¡¯t survive long.¡± ¡°Weren''t you half-naked being chased by goblins when we found you?¡± ¡°You promised not to bring that up again!" ¡°Well, that is true,¡± said Lian. ¡°Right from the get-go it''s make or break. Those who aren''t cut out to be scouts are rooted out severely.¡± ¡°Exactly. It''s sink or swim, but you were barely even taught how to stay afloat. It will be interesting to see who among them learn how to.¡± Lian studied her friend''s face. ¡°Dare I say that you seem interested in this batch in particular, Ren?¡± ¡°Interested, huh¡­?¡± Ren thought about it. ¡°Well, the ones who got attacked by the gnolls are interesting. They were defending themselves quite well even before we got there.¡± ¡°Oh, right. They showed promise. Not a lot of people would be willing to put themselves in danger like that. I heard one of them has even got their licence now.¡± ¡°What, already? That''s kind of crazy, isn''t it?¡± ¡°They must have insane potential,¡± said Daichi. Ren smiled. But, for whatever reason, Lian could not read that expression. ¡°Potential, huh¡­?¡± he murmured softly, mostly to himself. ¡°Well, I''m looking forward to seeing how far they go.¡± Interlude: Sink or Swim II ¡°Hey, you fugly fuckers!¡± shouted a girl with thick black hair pulled back and tied into a low bun. She was standing atop a table, brazenly announcing herself to the listeners in the room. ¡°Over here!¡± The horde of goblins inside the fort growled at this blatant act of derision. They fired poorly made arrows the girl''s way, but she nimbly evaded every one of them. ¡°Bleh!¡± The girl mockingly pulled the skin below her eye and stuck out her tongue before running away. ¡°Catch me if you can, bozos!¡± There were quite a few of the goblins gathered inside the fort and they all rose and grabbed whatever weapons they could before chasing after the girl. She was very quick, however, and made it to the entrance before any of them could catch up to her, ducking and swaying from the arrows whistling past her. ¡°Whoop! Ha-ha, not even close! Are you even trying?¡± The goblins pushed and shoved their way through the narrow passageway leading outside. They were too tunnel-visioned and focused on the girl to see what was coming next. ¡°Now!¡± Just before they could get out, a chain was raised in front of the exit, just low enough to target their legs. The goblins could not stop in time, and they tripped over the chain in numbers. Those who didn''t trip on the chain tripped over themselves. ¡°Attack!¡± Capitalising on the goblins'' disarray, swords and arrows came hurtling down at them. The goblins wailed as they were cut down before they could even get up. The goblins at the back who hadn¡¯t fallen were instead struck with a flurry of arrows from outside. ¡°Now, Mei!¡± Pinto shouted at the girl who¡¯d led the goblins to this deathtrap. ¡°Heh. I thought you''d never ask, Beanpole.¡± She pulled out an orange bottle from the bag slung across her shoulder, ¡°Kobe!¡± and tossed it at the goblins with a flourish. A great burst of flame exploded upon contact, smothering the huddle of goblins on the ground. They screamed and wailed as most of them were burned alive. The ones at the back began to retreat into the fort, realising the elaborate trap they had just run into. ¡°Charge!¡± The party outside leapt into the wall of flame and stormed inside.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The goblins'' numbers had been severely dwindled and those inside could put up little defence as they were mowed down. Before long, the main chamber of the fort had been cleared of all the goblins. ¡°Hey, hey, did''cha see that?¡± Mei-Mei was visibly excited for some reason. ¡°I was like whoosh! And then it went boom! And everything went fwoosh! Did you see?!¡± ¡°Yes, Mei, we all saw you roast those poor creatures alive. Well done,¡± said Mizuno. ¡°Hehe, Mei made that herself, y''know? It''s called an oil of fiery burning. Pretty cool, huh? She''s going to make more and throw it at whoever stands in her way!¡± ¡°What are you, a pyromaniac?¡± Sugawara slid his longsword into its scabbard. ¡°Well, it was certainly effective. Albeit a bit¡­destructive.¡± ¡°Pretty effective, yeah?!¡± Mei''s face was bright with pride. ¡°Artificers are pretty cool, aren''t they, yeah? Mei-Mei can cook up all sorts of stuff!¡± ¡°Don''t ignore the destructive part!¡± ¡°Well, I''m sure hurling fireballs as a sorcerer is still cooler, though,¡± said Fujiwara. He was the party''s mage and proud of it. ¡°Yeah, yeah, Fuji. You''re just jealous. Bleh!¡± ¡°Shut up, I''m not! My spell is cooler!¡± ¡°Blehhhh!¡± Sugawara sighed. ¡°What do you think, Pinto? I heard that goblins are tough for beginners, but that was relatively easy.¡± ¡°We had a good plan of attack,¡± Pinto replied. ¡°It might not go so well next time. Mei?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How many of those bombs can you brew and how many do you have left?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Mei scoured through her pack, ¡°I have two left and I can brew as much as I can if I have the materials. Carrying too much would be dangerous, though.¡± ¡°I see,¡± said Pinto. ¡°Then make as many as you can. If you need any materials, let us know. Those bombs will come in handy.¡± ¡°Hey, I can cast fireballs, you know?" ¡°I know, Fuji, but your spells use mana, right? We should try not to exhaust you if we can.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡± ¡°Good. We''ll explore this fort further. Stay together and be on your guard. We don''t know how crafty the enemy is. Everyone ready?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then let''s continue.¡± 14. Slow Start Later that day, Keisuke and the others returned to Fortuna to hand in the quest. It was late when they arrived and the guild hall was nearing closing hours, so it was empty save the wenches tidying the place and the few receptionists remaining behind the counter. They approached one of them. ¡°We''re closing,¡± the girl said, organising an assortment of papers in front of her, ¡°so, make it quick.¡± Mahiro looked around. ¡°I thought this was Lucy-chan''s booth.¡± ¡°Obviously not,¡± said the girl. ¡°The guild is open fifteen hours a day. It would be quite ridiculous to expect Lucy to work every single hour of it.¡± ¡°I see. And what¡¯s your name? If you don''t mind me asking,¡± Mahiro asked. For the first time since they¡¯d walked in, the girl raised her face and Keisuke got a good look at her. She was young, with golden hair tied into a neat bun and big green eyes that reminded Keisuke of emeralds. Despite being dressed in a professional, suit-looking outfit with a red ribbon that all the other commanding officers wore, she still looked young. Keisuke guessed she couldn¡¯t have been older than fourteen. Come to think of it, Lucy also looked young. ¡°Caroline¡¯s name is Caroline. Ms. Caroline is also acceptable. But like Caroline said, it is closing hours, so make it quick.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Keisuke found himself muttering. Caroline turned her large, round eyes toward him. ¡°What is it? Caroline¡¯s face is nothing to be gawked at. If you¡¯ve something to say, then say it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just wondering if all of you speak like that¡­¡± ¡°Speak like what?¡± Were they unaware of their bizarre speech habits? Keisuke wondered. Both Lucy and Caroline referred to themselves in the third person whenever they spoke. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Never mind.¡± Caroline made a sour face and frowned at Keisuke. ¡°Caroline will tell you this as politely as she can, but Caroline does not take kindly to disrespect. Furthermore, Caroline will now call you the clueless one. Your face even looks clueless.¡± ¡°I was born with this face¡­¡± ¡°Caroline feels sorry for your parents.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± This girl sure is rude, Keisuke thought. ¡°Um, Caroline-san¡ª¡± Mahiro began but was swiftly interrupted with a wave of the hand. ¡°You foreigners and your honorifics. You are in Altear now, not wherever you come from. Drop the -sans and the -chans, if you¡¯d please. I do not care for it.¡± ¡°R-right¡­¡± Honorifics, huh¡­? Were they really that strange? To Keisuke, they didn¡¯t really stand out much. In a way, they felt normal whenever Mahiro used them. But apparently they were native to where they came from. Keisuke still had no idea where that was. This was just one of those things he couldn¡¯t explain. ¡°Well, we came to hand in a quest.¡± Mahiro unfolded the paper Joseph''s quest was printed on and placed it on the table. ¡°Lucy told us that as long as the wolf was still alive, the quest was still active. We managed to slay it this time.¡± Caroline read the contents of the quest. ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± ¡°P-proof¡­? Well, uh¡­¡± Mahiro looked at Keisuke and Fumiko, but they didn''t have anything on them, either. Keisuke hadn''t thought about that. Why didn''t he? Of course proof would be necessary. How else would they convince the clerks that they really did complete the quest? ¡°...No. No, we don''t have proof,¡± Mahiro admitted. ¡°D-does this mean you won''t pay us? Without proof? Even though we did do it¡­¡± Caroline eyed the three of them down scrutinously. She sighed. ¡°Well, Caroline already knew this quest was completed and by whom.¡± ¡°You did?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Caroline nodded at Keisuke. ¡°Caroline gets updated the moment someone finishes a quest. She knows even before they come to hand it in.¡± ¡°How would you even know that if you''re just sitting here all day?¡± Caroline smiled smugly. ¡°Caroline can''t reveal all of her guild''s secrets now, can she? However!¡± The young girl pointed her finger at them. ¡°This isn''t always the case. There are some instances and quests where Caroline will not be sure if it¡¯s been completed. In that case, proof is essential. Without it, you won''t get paid. So make sure to always have it.¡± ¡°We''ll keep that in mind. Thank you.¡± Mahiro nodded at that. ¡°Now, then,¡± Caroline opened something that seemed like a drawer and the sound of coins could be heard, ¡°it says you are due eight silver.¡± There was a light sound of coins clanging and when Caroline was done, he held her hand out and there were eight silver coins between her thumb and forefinger. ¡°Here you go,¡± she said. When Mahrio took the coins, Caroline seemed to take a second look at them. Her eyes shifted between Fumiko and Keisuke. ¡°Will that silver be split between the three of you?¡± ¡°Uhm, yes,¡± replied Mahiro. Caroline appeared dumbfounded. ¡°And this is the first quest you¡¯ve completed, correct? Have you made any money prior to this?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Eh¡­no.¡± Mahiro looked ashamed to admit that. There was a slight chuckle, followed by an outburst of laughter. ¡°You cannot be serious,¡± Caroline said. ¡°Just how do the three of you plan on surviving on eight silver?¡± ¡°Well, we¨C¡± ¡°Let Caroline show you something.¡± Caroline opened a big black book that was resting on her desk. ¡°Are you aware of one named Ryoma? He was part of the group that you arrived here with. His party has already purchased their official licenses, and today alone they made over three-hundred silver.¡± Of course Keisuke knew who Ryoma was. He wouldn¡¯t be able to forget that man even if he tried. He¡¯d stood out above the rest from the very first moment they arrived here, and now it was showing that he was heads above everyone else. ¡°Three-hundred¡­¡± Fumiko¡¯s eyes widened with surprise. Caroline flipped the page of her book. ¡°Not everyone is as far as them yet, but they¡¯re all doing well for themselves. As it stands,¡± she pointed her finger at them, ¡°you three are bottom of the barrel. You¡¯re being left behind at an alarming rate.¡± It was a fact, but it was a bitter pill to swallow. Mahiro¡¯s hand tightened around the coins in his palm and even Fumiko looked pretty dejected. It wasn¡¯t nice hearing that you were the last of the pecking order. The three of them had known that their progress was slow compared to the others, but apparently it was painfully so. ¡°Caroline does not know how you plan on surviving off eight silver, but tell me, have you at least acquired a wolf fang or a pelt?¡± Keisuke blinked. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°How hopeless can one party get¡­¡± Caroline mumbled then opened her mouth and pointed at her canine tooth. Her teeth were pretty white. ¡°A wolf¡¯s fang can sell for a fair amount of copper. You can find many stores in Altear that will buy them if they¡¯re in the right condition. Pelts, too. Not just of wolves, but almost any animal. That¡¯s how scouts make extra silver around here.¡± ¡°I see..¡± Keisuke did not know about this. So, animal parts were valuable and they could earn more money by collecting them? ¡°How much do they sell for?¡± ¡°Well, it depends on the vendor, doesn¡¯t it? The price may vary depending on the condition. A fang from a normal wolf could get you about¡­forty or so coppers? And a pelt would be three silvers.¡± ¡°That means we could¡¯ve had eleven silver,¡± Mahiro had a finger on his chin and was thinking. He turned to Keisuke and Fumiko. ¡°We should remember this for next time. It could be worth it.¡± Keisuke nodded. Forty copper and three silver was nothing to scoff at. And that was the worth of slaying a single wolf. If they managed to slay a pack of, say, six wolves, that would amount to eighteen silver and two-hundred and forty copper, which would then amount to twenty silver and forty copper because one-hundred copper was one silver. That was four times what they made today. It wasn¡¯t at Ryoma''s level of profit, but it was something. But still, it was wishful thinking. Slaying an entire pack of wolves was a big ask for them. They¡¯d struggled with just a single one, after all. Six might be impossible. No, as we are right now, it¡¯s definitely impossible, Keisuke thought. Still, Caroline had given them valuable information. ¡°Thank you, Caroline. You¡¯ve given us very valuable information.¡± Mahiro bowed his head and the three of them turned around to leave. Caroline called to them once more. ¡°Let Caroline bestow upon you one more piece of information before you depart. That quest you took? It was left outstanding for as long as it has because it paid so poorly. It might be good for a single person, but no party would want eight silver for slaying a wolf. If you wish to be scouts in the legion, then you¡¯re going to have to aim higher than that and take on more challenging requests. The higher the risk, the higher the pay. If you can¡¯t do that, then you aren¡¯t fit to be scouts. In this profession, taking baby steps forward will leave you crippled.¡± And with that, they left the guild hall. They decided to return to the stables and get a good night¡¯s rest. Today was a success. Regardless of how much they earned, at least now they could say that they completed a quest. Keisuke''s fear was that they wouldn''t be able to take this first step forward. But now they have. Everyone else was ten or twenty steps ahead of them by now, though. But there''s no point comparing us to them, Keisuke thought. If we try to catch up to them, we''ll just slip and fall. There''s no rush, right¡­? Whether there was or not, Keisuke didn''t know. But there was no denying that they were the worst of the crop yet. Though, none of that didn''t matter if they died. Surviving was the most important thing. And this time they did survive, and would see tomorrow. Keisuke thought they could be grateful for that, at least. ¡°Something on your mind, Keisuke?¡± Mahiro must''ve noticed his pensiveness. Keisuke shook his head. ¡°Not really. I was just thinking that we did well today, didn''t we? We did what we set out to do. I feel kind of proud of that, I guess¡­ Is that too shameful?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Mahiro smiled. ¡°You¡¯re right, we did well. I''m proud of both of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. All I did was slow you guys down. I wish I could''ve done more to help¡­¡± ¡°You did your best. That¡¯s all any of us can do right now,¡± Keisuke tried assuring Fumiko. ¡°We¡¯ll get better, so don''t beat yourself up, okay?¡± The smile she gave him was reassuring. Fumiko nodded. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Keisuke is right, we did our best. But what Caroline said made sense as well. We can''t expect to grow if we take easy requests. So, tomorrow I want to try something a bit more challenging. How does that sound?¡± Keisuke placed a hand behind his neck. ¡°I guess it should be fine¡­? As long as it''s not something too out of our league. I don''t mind trying to push, but something hard could be a bit too much, I think.¡± Mahiro nodded. ¡°I agree. Don''t worry, I''ll find something I think we can handle.¡± He then stopped and pulled out the coins Caroline had given them. ¡°Here. We get two each, and I''ll hold on to the remaining. I heard there was a bank in the city, so I wanted to check that out.¡± ¡°A bank, huh¡­?¡± Keisuke parroted. ¡°Yeah, I thought it''d be wise to try and save our money. Keisuke, do you know what our main goal is right now?¡± ¡°Eh¡­to survive, I guess?¡± ¡°Ultimately, that is the goal, sure. But remember we won''t be able to make money as recruits for long. Our top priority right now is getting our official scouting licenses.¡± Right. Lucy had explained it to them: without the licenses, they would lose access to the guild''s quests. Making money would be difficult then. ¡°So, a bank could come in handy to make sure we stay on track. But, I wonder if saving two silver is even worth it, haha¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right. A license costs two-hundred and fifty silver, yeah? That would mean we need seven-hundred and fifty for the three of us¡­¡± Realising that, Keisuke felt somewhat dejected. He was embarrassed for feeling proud about a measly eight silver now. ¡°We-we''re quite far from our goal, aren''t we¡­¡± Fumiko muttered. It was Mahiro''s smile and words that cheered them up. ¡°Today was just the beginning! Don''t worry, from here on out we''ll do better. I know we will.¡± Keisuke and Fumiko both smiled. ¡°Right!¡± ¡°Tomorrow I''ll go and have a look at the bank and then stop by the guild to get us a quest. You two can do some shopping, if you''d like. We can meet up at the Mud Gate at noon.¡± So, tomorrow''s plan was decided. Keisuke looked at the two silvers in his hand. It was quite a dismal amount when he thought about it too much. But¡­I earned this money, didn''t I? Even though I got my arm mangled in the process, ha-ha¡­ Still, there was something positive about knowing he''d acquired this money through his own efforts. And Mahiro was right, it was only just the beginning. Will things get easier or harder from here? Keisuke wondered. Interlude: Sink or Swim III The troll was being driven into a corner. The yellow-haired boy in front of it was relentless with his attacks. Most people wavered at the sight of a troll. They were hulking figures almost three-hundred centimetres tall, after all. But this boy did not seem to care whatsoever. He came forward again and again, swinging his greatsword with ruthless intent. The troll swiped at Ryoma with its claws, who quickly and almost seamlessly stepped to the side and avoided the attack, then swung his sword toward the troll''s abdomen. The greatsword was a large and heavy weapon to wield, but you would not have thought that if you saw how easily Ryoma handled it. He managed to get a good hit on the troll, drawing blood, and sending it retreating a few steps back. "Gurgah!" it roared its annoyance at the boy, baring its many teeth. "Watch it." Ryoma wiped his face. "You''re getting slobber all over me." Arrogance. The troll did not know what that was, but when he looked at the boy before him and how unfazed he was, it got angry. It wanted nothing more than to tear him apart. But Ryoma was simply no match for it. The troll tried to claw him, but he dodged. When it tried to bite him, he simply moved backwards. It could not get its hands on him no matter how hard it tried and that enraged it even more. "If ya keep tryna get Ryoma-kun, then that leaves all kinda openings for us, ya know?" Chloe released an arrow she had nocked for a while. She''d been watching the troll the entire time, staying her hand and waiting for an opening. It came once it became too focused on Ryoma, and the target was almost too easy to hit. "Geeergghhh!" the troll screamed in pain as an arrow lodged itself into one of its eyes. It pulled out and blood oozed from the wound. It then glared at Chloe and charged for her. "Not so fast." Ryoma raised his sword and planted it inside the troll''s ankle, causing it to scream out in pain and trip over. It was surrounded and wounded badly. It struggled to pick itself up and gave a defiant roar seeing as that was all it could do now. "[Flurry of Blows]." It did not even see the next frenzy of attacks coming at it. They happened so quick that they only registered once they were done and it was falling over forward, its spine shattered. The troll caught itself before it fell over completely and looked behind it where the attacks came from. There was a boy there with a ponytail atop a clean-shaven head. "Pst," the troll heard a whisper. It looked ahead, and the last thing it saw was the boy with blonde hair. Ryoma plunged his sword into the troll¡¯s head.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The troll''s body fell limpless on the floor. Despite that, though, it still was not dead. "Finish it off," Ryoma called for one of his companions. Haru, the party''s mage, approached the troll''s corpse and held his hands with his thumbs touching and fingers spread. There was a faint sound of flesh and blood, and that was because the troll had regenerative abilities. Given enough time, it could reattach its lost limbs. For now, it was momentarily disabled, not dead. They''d found that out earlier when they first battled a troll, and it got back up even after they¡¯d cut it down. They¡¯d experimented with this after and learned that even if they¡¯d cut off its head it could still move and would simply attach it back onto its body. The only way to stop this process and kill the troll completely was with acid or fire. Those two elements put a cease on the troll¡¯s regenerative abilities for good. Haru¡¯s hands began to light up and a thin sheet of flames short forth from his fingertips. The troll began to groan as it was engulfed in flames and killed for good. Eventually, the flames died down, and it stopped moving. Chloe plumped down on her rump. ¡°Whew, I¡¯m beat. Can we head back now? Oy, Ryoma, can we? I¡¯m tired and I¡¯m sweaty.¡± Nadako appeared from whatever corner of the cave she was hiding herself in. She always had an air of arrogance about her, despite being the shortest in the group by a bit. If one didn''t know any better, they could easily mistake her for a middle schooler. ¡°Hm. If this much is enough to tire you, Chloe, then maybe you should quit? You won¡¯t be able to keep up with the likes of us.¡± ¡°Heeehh? All you do is stay away from the fight and heal us afterwards, Nadako-chan. You barely even throw any spells! How would you even get tired?¡± ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t need to exhaust myself when I have you opening acts to do all the work for me. Ha-ha-ha!¡± For a small girl, Nadako had a very big personality. ¡°These trolls are becoming easier to handle,¡± said Kouenji, the monk. ¡°But they are still tiring to deal with.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Haru agreed. He only ever spoke in grunts and moans, never with actual words. At first, it took some getting used to but now they were all beginning to understand him. ¡°It¡¯s still early,¡± Ryoma said. ¡°We can keep going and find more.¡± Despite doing quests and fighting since morning and it now nearing sundown, Ryoma did not look exhausted in the least. In fact, it looked like he wasn¡¯t even breaking a sweat. ¡°But I¡¯m tiiiireeeed,¡± Chloe complained, falling on her back and throwing her arms about like a child. ¡°Please can we go back?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get moving or I¡¯ll leave you behind.¡± Ryoma started walking off. Kouenji sighed. ¡°Does that guy know how to slow down at all?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I love to see from my meat shield!¡± Nadako shouted. ¡°Yes, lead on so your adorable cleric may hide behind you! Don''t die, though, okay? Or if you do, do so far away from me so I have plenty of time to run away.¡± Chloe was still whimpering and complaining. And then she stopped, and she got up. ¡°Oh, well. This is fine, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine just like that?¡± Kouenji asked her. ¡°Well, I love money, ya know?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Women..." 15. Ill Always Wear it From Now On It was early morning the following day and Keisuke was exploring the market square of Fortuna. Himself, Mahiro, and Fumiko had decided that they would split up and do their own things before meeting up at the Mud Gate at noon. Keisuke was doing just that as he wandered the busy streets. He was looking for items he could purchase that would be useful to him, but as it turned out, things were very expensive. There was almost nothing of great value he could purchase with two silver coins. But, honestly, what did I expect? It only makes sense that the things I can get are limited. Things were obvious for Keisuke now, though: I have to make more money. For now, Keisuke decided he would try and narrow down the necessities first, from cheapest and then go from there. Let¡¯s see, he thought inwardly as he strolled about. I think the most affordable thing right now is clothes. Specifically, I need underwear. Keisuke had only one pair of underwear and he¡¯d been wearing it since he arrived in Altear. He made sure to wash them everyday, of course, but that was obviously not ideal. And they were beginning to tear. So underwear was Keisuke''s first order of business. He managed to find them easily enough. A single pair only cost four coppers, so he decided to buy two of them. Deciding it would be nice to have a long-sleeved shirt, he bought one for twenty-three coppers. He also only had one pair of pants, but they were in good condition. The set of armour his trade had given him came with pants, so he only ever wore his own casually. Everything came to a total of twenty-seven coppers. Keisuke still had one silver and seventy-three coppers left. For now, that was a good start. He had to remember not to get too carried away because he still needed money for food. Who knew when they¡¯d make money from a quest again. So, it would be good to have some saved. Keisuke was once again wandering the Street of Stalls, glancing about at the many items on display and trying to think about what he needed. Right now, I¡¯m not sure there¡¯s much I can buy. I mean, there¡¯s a lot I would like, but I should probably be frugal with my spending¡­ As he was walking, Keisuke turned off the street where the market square began and followed a winding path up a long hill where blacksmiths were hammering away at forges, men were haggling over sword prices, and grizzled men selling old blades and razors on wagons. At the sight of the razor, Keisuke instinctively touched his jaw. Oh, right, shaving¡­ Though, Keisuke was somehow pretty sure he wasn¡¯t really the hairy type. And if his hair did grow very long, he could probably find a barber in the city who would cut it for him. Still, he figured it would be good to have a razor on hand in case he started growing a beard. ¡°Four coppers,¡± the man behind the table said. Keisuke paid the man, and carried on walking. He passed an open store where a man was using a grindstone. The exterior of the store was what caught his attention. There were two stone knights standing sentry at the entrance, armoured in fanciful suits of polished red steel. We¡¯ve barely done much, so my sword and armour is still in good condition, Keisuke thought. But maybe it would be good to know the price of those things in case I do need a replacement? Deciding that was a good idea, Keisuke stepped inside the store. The man grinding away at an old iron sword had a thick head of red hair and coarse hair on his thick arms. His nose was large, and almost took up the size of his face. He seemed not to notice Keisuke as he stepped inside. The store was pretty stuffy, but impressive. There was a wide array of finely-crafted arms and armour on display. In the centre of the store, above the forge, was the head of a large bear. Keisuke wondered if the man had killed it himself. ¡°Can I help yer?¡± the man suddenly asked. ¡°Or have ye just come into my shop to stare?¡± His voice was deep and gruff. And he spoke with an accent Keisuke wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d heard here in Altear. ¡°Oh, sorry¡­ I was wondering how much a new sword cost? And armour.¡± ¡°What type of sword and armour?¡± ¡°What¡­type?¡± Keisuke was at a loss. He didn¡¯t really know. ¡°Eh¡­ Um, well¡­¡± The man looked up from his work. ¡°Light, medium, heavy? Leather, iron, dragonbone? What ye want, boy?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The current armour he had was made from leather. Keisuke figured he didn¡¯t want anything too heavy and restricting. He liked being able to move. Koto-sensei had praised his quickness on multiple occasions, so that was something he wanted to keep using to his advantage. ¡°Something light but firm? Not too heavy, but not too light, either.¡± ¡°Then ye might want studded leather or chainmail. If you¡¯ve the coin, I have some sets made from drake scales. Or ye here for a custom order?¡± ¡°A custom order¡­?¡± Keisuke parroted. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The man looked up from the grindstone once again. This time, he seemed to really take a look at Keisuke, inspecting him from head to toe. ¡°Are ye new here, boy?¡± ¡°Eh, yes¡­¡± The man sighed and hopped off his chair. Keisuke could barely contain his surprise when the man landed on the floor. He was short. And not just short as in below average height, he was very short. ¡°Oh¡­¡± The word left unbidden from his mouth. ¡°All right, this is yer first time seeing a dwarf, I get it, just don¡¯t gawk at me for too long.¡± ¡°A dwarf¡­?¡± Somehow, the word didn¡¯t seem too unfamiliar to Keisuke. When he heard it, he was like oh, yeah, a dwarf. That man was definitely a dwarf. It made sense. But what exactly is a dwarf¡­? ¡°Look, boy, I¡¯m a dwarf. A race of short people, that¡¯s it." A race of short people seemed to summarise it perfectly, but Keisuke wondered if that was really all to it. "I see¡­" "I''m guessing you''re one of those scouts. I don''t have time to explain everything to you, so I''ll keep it simple," the man reappeared and placed an iron breastplate on the table. ¡°You can buy things from me pre-made, or you can bring me raw materials and I¡¯ll craft whatever you want.¡± Keisuke was beginning to understand. ¡°What¡¯s the difference? Between buying from you or crafting it?¡± ¡°For one, the price. Buying pre-made will cost you more. If you want me to craft you something you can either bring me the materials or buy ones I have on deck. It will be cheaper, but the process is longer.¡± So, crafting was worth looking into. If Keisuke wanted something specific, then he could get it. That sounded very promising. ¡°What type of materials would you need?¡± ¡°Metals, hides, and the likes. If you are a scout, you¡¯ll find those materials as you explore Altear.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Thank you.¡± ¡°So you aren¡¯t buying anything?¡± Keisuke looked around. ¡°Um¡­how much is your longsword?¡± ¡°Iron or silver?¡± ¡°Sil¡­ver?¡± ¡°One-hundred silver coins.¡± Keisuke nearly choked on his saliva. ¡°Eh¡­Um¡­well, I can¡¯t afford anything yet. I just came to take a look¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyebrows knitted into a frown. Keisuke got scared. ¡°Get out and back when you have coin to spend.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Keisuke turned around and left the shop looking dejected. ¡°Asking me all these damn questions when he isn¡¯t going to buy anything. Pah!¡± He heard the man curse behind him as he left.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Keisuke decided that the Dwarf-Man was quite the intimidating individual. He did not want to interact with him any more than he needed to, but his services could come in handy. He now knew where he could purchase arms and armour in case his own got damaged. That information was definitely invaluable. The crafting service was also very interesting. Keisuke would have to acquaint himself with the different metals so he could know which ones were the best to invest in, and then keep an eye out whenever they went out on quests. Keisuke felt like he accomplished a fair bit today and yesterday. He learned some valuable information, purchased necessities, and through walking around the market square he felt like he was getting a better understanding of the city¡¯s layout. Not to mention yesterday they¡¯d completed their first quest and earned money. Things felt like they were slowly but surely beginning to shape for them. Though, Keisuke knew that they had a long way to go. Things were by no means good, but they weren¡¯t as bad as when they first arrived. They definitely knew a lot more since then. Keisuke understood things better now. How they worked, what he needed to do, and how to go forward. That was good enough for now. Keisuke knew he wasn¡¯t the type of person who could charge into dire situations and grab them by the reins. Slow but steady progression was good enough for him. At least, he could take solace in the fact that he wasn¡¯t completely standing still. Keisuke was making his way to the gate when he saw Fumiko standing in front of one of the tables. She must¡¯ve been doing her own exploring and shopping. He decided to approach her. ¡°Fumiko?¡± She appeared startled at the sound of her name. Maybe she wasn¡¯t expecting to hear it here. ¡°E-eh?!¡± She jumped. When she turned to look, her eyes appeared to ease a bit when she realised who it was. ¡°O-oh¡­ It¡¯s just you, Keisuke-kun¡­¡± Keisuke smiled. Fumiko reminded him of a pigeon. She was very shy and reserved, and it felt like you could never get too close to her or she would fly away. ¡°Yeah, sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She smiled. ¡°I was relieved that it was just you¡­¡± He noticed Fumiko holding something in her arms. ¡°Were you also shopping?¡± ¡°Mhm. I bought a few things¡­¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Keisuke took a closer look at what she had. When Fumiko noticed him staring, her face suddenly turned red and she squeezed her arms more to hide what she was holding. Keisuke had already seen what they were, though. Feeling abashed, he quickly looked away. They were women''s undergarments. Well, it would only make sense that she would also need underwear¡­ Keisuke decided to quickly move on. ¡°Eh, I was going to meet up with Mahiro now. Are you done? We can go together, if you want.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Fumiko looked back at the table of wares. Deciding she didn¡¯t need anything else, she nodded. ¡°We can go.¡± The two of them walked together to the meeting location. Fumiko was quite a slow walker. She seemed to be very conscious of her surroundings. She kept her head down as she walked, and her arms wrapped around herself as a way of protecting herself. Keisuke found himself slowing down his pace to match hers. ¡°Are you okay, Fumiko?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Fumiko blinked, surprised by the question. ¡°I just mean after yesterday. I know how hard it was for you to kill that wolf. You didn¡¯t really talk about it, and I don¡¯t know how you feel. So, I thought I should just ask.¡± Fumiko cast her eyes downward. Keisuke noticed this. He must¡¯ve hit a real soft spot, because it looked like she didn¡¯t want to answer. Her expression suddenly turned sad. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Keisuke decided it was probably for the best to apologise and move on. He didn¡¯t want to make Fumiko uncomfortable after all. But what came next surprised him. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy¡­¡± Fumiko whispered. Her eyes were still downcast, but she was speaking to Keisuke. ¡°But¡­ I know that we had no choice. We needed the money. I-I understand that.¡± She looked like she was really struggling to get the words out. ¡°K-killing won¡¯t get any easier for me, but I want to try my best. I don¡¯t want to hold you two back anymore. Especially because you¡¯re already helping me so much¡­¡± Keisuke was looking at Fumiko. Her eyes were downcast and she looked like she was struggling to say what she wanted to say, but she still managed to get it out there. He was very impressed by that. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really strong, Fumiko.¡± Hearing that, Fumiko raised her eyes to look at Keisuke. ¡°I-I am?¡± ¡°You are. I know how hard this is for you, but you¡¯ve decided to stick with it and do it. I wish I had you and Mahiro¡¯s strength¡­¡± Keisuke had said something he¡¯d been feeling for a while now. He felt very inadequate. Or at the very least, very average. Keisuke knew and understood his limits. He knew he wasn¡¯t as tough as Ryoma or as confident as Mahiro. Even now, he was taken aback by Fumiko¡¯s resolve. He¡¯d already decided that she wasn¡¯t the strongest of people. After all, Fumiko was very timid. So, Keisuke was prepared to look after her. But Fumiko didn¡¯t want to be viewed that way at all. She saw herself as a burden and she wanted to pull her own weight, despite how she felt about it. She was strong in her own way. It was starting to feel like everyone had their own strength except for him. ¡°I¡­!¡± Fumiko started to yell but realised how loud she got and toned down. Keisuke stopped walking because he was surprised by this. ¡°I think you¡¯re strong, Keisuke-kun¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ I appreciate you saying that, but it¡¯s okay. I know how I am. Even now, I¡¯m relying on Mahiro to lead me. I don¡¯t know where I would¡¯ve been without him.¡± ¡°The same can be said for me¡­,¡± Fumiko whispered. ¡°I-if it wasn¡¯t for you, Keisuke-kun, I¡­ You saved me, remember?¡± Fumiko was looking right in Keisuke¡¯s eyes when she said that. For a moment he was confused, but he immediately remembered. She was talking about that incident with those boys in the alley. But Keisuke didn¡¯t feel like he did anything special. He was even going to walk away at first. That was hardly strength. But by the way she was looking at him, it was clear that it meant a lot to her. Fumiko struggled to make eye contact whenever she spoke to people. It was a part of her timid nature, and Keisuke had grown accustomed to it in the time they¡¯d been together. However, for what felt like the first time since they met, Fumiko was looking right at Keisuke. It was as if she wanted him to know how she felt. ¡°You saved me, Keisuke-kun¡­¡± she said to him. ¡°To me, you¡¯re the strongest.¡± ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± Fumiko quickly looked back down, perhaps coming back to her senses. Keisuke was also abashed. He didn¡¯t expect any of that. And from Fumiko, of all people. It was surprising. Things got awkward very quickly as the two of them stood in the middle of the street. Keisuke scratched the back of his head. ¡°Uh, should we get going?¡± Fumiko nodded sheepishly. That had really meant a lot to Keisuke, even if he still had doubts about himself. He didn¡¯t really know whether Fumiko was just being kind or she¡¯d truly meant what she said, but he still appreciated it. ¡°Ah!¡± Fumiko suddenly let out a soft cry of delight. Keisuke stopped and looked back. Fumiko had rushed to one of the tables selling goods. ¡°What is it?¡± he asked and followed behind her. The table was filled with various accessories for women: jewellery such as bracelets, earrings, and hair ribbons. There was little wonder as to why it caught Fumiko¡¯s eye. She was staring at the many items on display with big eyes. ¡°Hey, miss. Like what you see?¡± the owner of the store asked. Fumiko nodded. ¡°E-everything is so pretty¡­¡± The man smiled. ¡°Thank you. Feel free to look around and let me know if you like anything. Maybe your boyfriend will buy it for you.¡± ¡°Her boyf¡ª¡± Keisuke quickly interjected, abashed. ¡°No, you¡¯ve got it all wrong! I¡¯m just her¡­friend¡­¡± For some reason, Keisuke felt awkward calling Fumiko that. After all, they hadn¡¯t really confirmed that they were friends. What if Fumiko just viewed him as a party member and nothing more? That would be terribly awkward, then. ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re just friends.¡± Fumiko must¡¯ve picked up on Keisuke¡¯s uncertainty and decided to put him at ease. So, she does think of as her friend¡­ That made Keisuke very relieved, and a bit happy. ¡°Oh, apologies! You two looked so close, I totally misread the situation!¡± This guy¡­ I bet he¡¯s just saying that on purpose. Keisuke decided to ignore the man. ¡°Uh, do you see anything you like?¡± he asked Fumiko Fumiko thought about it. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Everything is so pretty.¡± ¡°Well, if you¡¯re thinking of buying something we should at least know the price of some of these things.¡± Keisuke turned to the store owner. ¡°Lucky for you, my wares aren¡¯t expensive at all! Some of my necklaces and bracelets can cost you as little as five silver. I might even give the young lady a discount because she¡¯s cute.¡± Well, it wasn¡¯t like they could afford five silver, anyway It was pretty cheap in theory but still way out of their budget. Fumiko picked out a yellow ribbon on the table. She seemed to be looking at it the most. ¡°Do you like that one?¡± Keisuke asked. ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s pretty.¡± ¡°Oh, that? That will cost you about thirty copper,¡± said the man. Thirty copper, huh¡­ ¡°Hey, Fumiko?¡± Keisuke began. ¡°Mhm?¡± ¡°Would you like me to buy it for you?¡± ¡°E-Eh? No, you don¡¯t have to, Keisuke-kun¡­¡± ¡°You can consider it a one-day anniversary of our friendship.¡± Fumiko looked down. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°¡­Then okay.¡± Keisuke paid the man thirty copper and got the ribbon for Fumiko. ¡°...I-is it on? Did you put it on all right?¡± ¡°Yeah. It looks great.¡± Fumiko had short, brown hair. They decided to use a clip to attach the ribbon above her head. It suited her quite well. ¡°Thank you, Keisuke-kun! I¡¯ll always wear it from now on.¡± The smile Fumiko gave him was big and bright. Keisuke had spent a large sum of his money, but it was worth it to see that smile. ¡°Since we¡¯re friends now, you can drop the -kun,¡± he said. ¡°O-okay, then.¡± Fumiko paused for a moment. ¡°...Keisuke.¡± 16. Our Mistake After they had gotten what they needed, Keisuke and Fumiko met up with Mahiro and the party of three went to the destination of their next quest. ¡°This is the house.¡± They stood in front of a one-story building in the Plain District of Fortuna. It was a fairly-made house of brick, with a roof of thatched straw. ¡°The woman said we''ll find the spiders inside.¡± Mahiro confirmed. According to the lady who put up the quest, her house was suddenly infested by giant spiders and she was forced to evacuate with haste. She was currently renting out a room in a nearby inn, waiting for someone to fix her pest problem. Mahiro figured they could handle this quest easily enough. ¡°J-just how big are these spiders¡­?¡± Fumiko asked. The name ¡°giant spiders¡± certainly implied that they were quite large, but how large could a spider get? ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but they can''t be that big, right?¡± Keisuke reasoned. ¡°We won''t know unless we head inside,¡± Mahiro said. ¡°We can always run away if it gets dangerous. Are you guys ready?¡± The two of them nodded. Keisuke had his longsword unsheathed. Mahiro was leading the charge, his own sword and shield in hand. He slowly opened the door to the house. Upon entering, the air was stuffy. It was clear that the doors and windows hadn''t been opened in a while. Thankfully, it wasn''t too dark. They could see the inside of the house easily enough. There was a table and chair in the right corner of the house, a cooking pit in the middle, and a bed of fur on the far left. Other than that, it was empty. ¡°Be careful.¡± Mahiro cautioned as he stepped deeper inside the house. There were signs of movement, however. The pots and quite a few other things had been scattered everywhere. ¡°I don''t see anything,¡± Keisuke said. It was dreadfully quiet, too. Wouldn''t they have heard something by now? When Keisuke accidently kicked a pot, Fumiko squealed. ¡°Hungh!¡± ¡°S-sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn''t watching where I was going¡­¡± ¡°I-it''s okay¡­¡± ¡°...Keisuke, look out!¡± Mahiro yelled. There was movement in the shadows. It came from above them, sweeping down with great speed that if Mahiro hadn''t shoved Keisuke aside, he would''ve been dropped on. It was on the ceiling. That was why they couldn''t see it. A large, black creature with eight legs and multiple eyes stood before them. Keisuke took a nervous step backwards at the sight of the creature. "Is-Isn''t that too big for a spider?" ¡°Too big¡± was putting it lightly. The spider that stood before them was the size of a dog¡ªno, it was even bigger. At the very least, it was clearly no ordinary spider. ¡°Attack!¡± Mahiro charged at the spider and swung his sword at it. The creature was quite nimble. It jumped and slipped its way through Mahiro¡¯s attacks, avoiding them almost seamlessly. ¡°Get it! Quick!¡± Keisuke charged forward, yelling. Before he could hit the spider, it leaped into the air and attached itself on the ceiling. It crawled across the room like a normal spider would, but the size of it made it even more disturbing. The spider crossed over the room and stopped on the other side. ¡°Fumiko!¡± Mahiro yelled out as the spider lunged at her. ¡°[Sacred Flame]!¡± When Fumiko said that, a burning light erupted from her and ignited the spider. There was a screech of pain from the spider as it was sent reeling back by Fumiko¡¯s sudden magical attack. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance, Keisuke!¡± Mahiro shouted. The two of them took advantage of the opportunity and rushed the spider, thrusting their swords into its body until it couldn¡¯t move anymore. When it was done, the spider was dead and thick green blood coated Keisuke¡¯s sword. ¡°Well done, Fumiko,¡± Keisuke said to her. She seemed a bit rattled by what she¡¯d done, but coping with it. Keisuke thought back to earlier when she said she was going to try and do her best. ¡°We should make sure the house is completely safe before we tell the lady,¡± Mahiro said. ¡°It looks like those stairs lead to a cellar or something.¡± Keisuke nodded. They¡¯d managed to kill one spider without too much struggle. He was confident that they could take on a second one. Mahiro led them down the stairs to the cellar. The air was thick and musty, and the entire room was covered with cobwebs. It looked like the spiders had been nesting here. ¡°Be careful,¡± Mahiro cautioned. The cellar was quite small, so there wasn¡¯t a lot of looking around needed. For the most part, it seemed like the room was empty. Except, Keisuke saw something on the wall of the cellar. ¡°Is that a hole¡­?¡± he murmured. Mahiro noticed it as well. ¡°I see. Maybe that¡¯s where the spider came from?¡± When Keisuke stepped closer to get a better look, he caught movement inside the hole. Before he knew it, he was being lunged on. A spider emerged from the dark of the hole and leapt on him. ¡°Argh!¡± Keisuke fell to the ground. He barely managed to get his hands up to cover himself. The spider kept nipping at his face. Mahiro was quick to respond, shoving his sword in the spider¡¯s back, killing it instantly. ¡°Th-thank you,¡± Keisuke breathed. The two of them didn¡¯t see the third spider in time. It sprung out of the hole with great speed and charged at one of them. It was Fumiko. The spider came at her so fast and unexpectedly, she could barely react in time. ¡°Ow!¡± Fumiko dropped her staff. It looked like the spider had just managed to bite her arm. ¡°Fumiko!¡± Keisuke quickly got up and attacked the spider. He stuck his sword into it and killed it.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked Fumiko. She nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt too bad.¡± Thankfully, the bite wasn¡¯t too deep. It looked like she was going to be fine. ¡°Keisuke, help me move this shelf. We can cover the hole with this for now.¡± Keisuke nodded and he and Mahiro worked together to move a bookshelf that was in the cellar over the hole. If the spiders were coming from there, that would hold them off for a while until the owner of the house could do something about the hole. ¡°I¡¯d say we¡¯re done here. We should return to the woman to let her know.¡± They collected the corpses of one of the spiders and placed it in a sack they found in the house. They decided they would show the lady it as proof. The party of three made their way to the Seventh Heaven Inn, where the quest giver was residing. On the way, Keisuke couldn¡¯t help noticing that Fumiko kept scratching her arm. ¡°Hey, you okay?¡± ¡°Hm? Y-yes, it¡¯s just¡­itchy.¡± Was that really all it was? Keisuke wondered. It didn¡¯t look like Fumiko was hurt, though. If it was just an itch then it would be fine. They arrived at the inn and found the woman in her rented room. ¡°Oh, thank you! I can finally stop renting this place. Windal offered to let me stay for free until I got the spiders cleared out, but I couldn¡¯t abuse that kindness.¡± ¡°There was a hole in the cellar. We think that might be where the spiders came from,¡± I told her. ¡°Oh, dear,¡± said the lady. ¡°A hole, you say? I¡¯ll have to get it covered at once. Thank you for your troubles, scouts. As agreed, fifteen silvers for your service. An extra five for even finding the source of this mess.¡± The lady gave Mahiro twenty silver worth of coins. That was the most they¡¯d ever made. ¡°Thank you!¡± Mahiro bowed, and Keisuke followed his lead. That was when they heard a thud. When they looked, Fumiko had collapsed. ¡°Fumiko?!¡± Keisuke rushed to her side. She was on the floor, hyperventilating and sweating up a river. Her face had gone ghostly pale and she looked to be in quite a bit of pain. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Fumiko?¡± Mahiro asked. ¡°Is she okay?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. She didn¡¯t seem okay after she was bitten¡­¡± ¡°Bitten?¡± the lady spoke up. ¡°Was she bit by one of the spiders?¡± Keisuke looked up. ¡°Y-yes. She was.¡± ¡°And did you give her an antidote?¡± Mahiro was just as lost as Keisuke was. ¡°An antidote?¡± ¡°Oh, dear,¡± sighed the lady. ¡°Most spiders are venomous. If you get bit, there¡¯s a chance you may get poisoned. I thought you¡¯d know this as scouts.¡± ¡°No, we didn¡¯t know this!¡± Mahiro shouted. Fumiko was poisoned. It made sense now. ¡°What do we do? Where can we get an antidote?¡± Keisuke asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You can buy it or you can ask for help from someone. Either way, you won¡¯t get any help here.¡± ¡°Right. We should go to the guild hall. Maybe Lucy or someone can help us,¡± Mahiro suggested. Keisuke nodded. ¡°R-right...!¡± He picked up Fumiko in his arms and decided it would be best to carry her. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry,¡± said Mahiro, ¡°we don¡¯t know how long she¡¯s got.¡± ¡°Hang in there, Fumiko,¡± Keisuke tried to assure her. ¡°Mm¡­¡± Her face was burning up and it looked like she was getting worse by the second. They ran as fast as they could to the Recon Corps building and Mahiro burst open the doors once they arrived. ¡°Help! We need help!¡± he shouted. The hall was moderately packed. Scouts had come to either eat something or hand in or find a quest. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to look at Mahiro. ¡°Hehhh? What¡¯s this, now?¡± Lucy tilted her head to one side. ¡°Please, our friend got bitten by a spider and is poisoned. We don¡¯t have an antidote and we don¡¯t know where to buy one. Can anyone help us?¡± The people in the hall all looked at one other. It seemed like they didn¡¯t know what to make of the situation. Murmurs grew around them, but no one stepped up to help. Suddenly, someone chuckled. ¡°No antidote against spiders? What a rookie mistake.¡± The comment came from a lady seated at a table near them. Keisuke immediately recognised her as Makoto. ¡°W-we didn¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Then you should do your research before taking a quest, no?¡± Makoto shut Keisuke down. ¡°Everyone here knows that spiders are venomous. It¡¯s idiotic not to bring an antidote or a spell that can nullify the poison.¡± ¡°We¡­¡± Mahiro looked down at the floor, at a loss for words. He didn¡¯t know what to say. Makoto made a point, they didn¡¯t do research. But that didn¡¯t matter now. ¡°We get it, we¡¯ll be more careful from now on,¡± Keisuke said. ¡°So, can you help our friend? She¡¯s getting worse.¡± ¡°At that rate she¡¯s going to die,¡± Makoto said. ¡°D-die¡­? No¡­¡± Keisuke looked at Fumiko. Her breathing was getting shallower. ¡°Do you have an antidote for us? Please!¡± Makoto simply looked at him before scoffing. ¡°We do not. We don¡¯t plan on encountering any spiders, so we haven¡¯t bought any antidotes. Sorry.¡± Everyone else in the guild seemed to be the same, because none of them offered any help. They all pretended like they couldn''t see them and simply went back to whatever it was they were doing. ¡°No way¡­¡± Keisuke murmured. ¡°Lucy-chan! Can you help us?!¡± Lucy shrugged. ¡°The guild isn¡¯t a store, you know? Lucy doesn¡¯t sell antidotes, she¡¯s afraid. You should just be more careful next time.¡± Was nobody really going to help them? Keisuke didn¡¯t know what to do. Were they really going to let Fumiko die here? ¡°What a hassle,¡± said a voice. Keisuke was suddenly approached by a short girl with twintails. He recognised her. Nanako¡­was it? It was the girl from Ren¡¯s party who¡¯d healed his shoulder. The girl sighed and shook her head, her hair swaying side to side. ¡°Seriously, how careless can you get? Who fights spiders with no cure? Are you stupid?¡± Keisuke bit his lip. ¡°Sorry. Um¡­can you help us? Please.¡± Nanako held his gaze for a moment, then rolled her eyes. ¡°Just put her down, you imbecile.¡± Keisuke gently laid Fumiko on the floor. Nanako crouched down and placed her hands over her. Her hands began to glow a dim white colour and washed over Fumiko¡¯s body. ¡°[Lesser Restoration].¡± The light faded, and Fumiko¡¯s breathing stilled. ¡°She should be fine now. You should lay her down to get some rest. She should be fine tomorrow.¡± ¡°T-thank you¡­!¡± Keisuke bowed his head. ¡°...Right. Thank you.¡± Mahiro also bowed. Nanako frowned. ¡°What? You think I did this for free? This type of service costs money at a temple, you know? So, I expect compensation as well.¡± Keisuke looked at Mahiro hesitantly. ¡°H-how much do you want...?¡± ¡°Fifteen silver. Normally, this service costs about fifty, but I¡¯m feeling generous because I¡¯m in a good mood today.¡± ¡°Fifteen¡­?¡± Mahiro looked at the money they¡¯d made today. That was about ninety-five percent of today¡¯s profit. He looked at his hand, seeming to think about it. ¡°Mahiro¡­?¡± ¡°R-right¡­!¡± Seeming to come to his senses, Mahiro gave Nanako the money. ¡°Be more careful next time,¡± Nanako said, putting the coins in her pouch. ¡°Next time, someone won''t be here to help you. You can buy potions in many stores in the city, or you can go to one of Lucilla¡¯s temples and get curative ailments, though that will cost more.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Mahiro bowed his head. Keisuke picked up Fumiko. ¡°I¡¯ll carry her.¡± And so, Keisuke carried Fumiko to the stable where he laid her down to rest. 17. In Search of Progress Having made no money the previous day, they decided to take on a quest as soon as Fumiko was feeling better. As always, Mahiro took it upon himself to decide which quest was best for them. Once Fumiko confirmed that she was better, the party of three set off at dawn. Yesterday evening, Keisuke and Mahiro had left Fumiko to rest while they had dinner at the tavern. There, Keisuke had noticed Mahiro seemed a bit upset. Fairly so, though. Their work with the spiders was basically for nothing because they had used most of the money to heal Fumiko. He was reasonably dejected and so was Keisuke. ¡°We need to work harder,¡± Mahiro had said to him. ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯ll take on something that pays quite a bit.¡± Remaining silent, Keisuke simply nodded. The next day had dawned, and they were out in the woods. ¡°Do you see them?¡± Mahiro asked. Keisuke peeked from behind the tree and indeed he did see them. They were there. What exactly were they? Keisuke did not entirely know himself. But they were short creatures with green skin. There were three of them gathered around a worn-out campfire, and two were asleep on a patch of foliage. Goblins. That¡¯s what the quest called them. According to Mahiro, a merchant was attacked by a trio of these creatures on the way to Fortuna. They stole his wagon of wares and retreated into the nearby woods. Luckily, the merchant had survived the encounter to file a request. The request was simple: find the goblins and return the merchant¡¯s wares. Whether they were all used or missing, Lucy said it did not matter. Their job was to simply recover whatever remained and kill the goblins in the process. Apparently, this specific trio had been terrorising travellers for a while and a lot of complaints were filed. Dealing with them for good provided an extra reward on top of returning the merchant¡¯s wares. They found the goblins camped near the main road. The guild had provided them with the information on where they could be found because they camped there so often, so it was only a matter of finding the exact location. After a few minutes wandering the woods, the party of three stumbled upon a small clearing where the goblins had camped. ¡°Three, but one¡¯s awake,¡± whispered Mahiro. ¡°I think we should deal with that one first.¡± Keisuke nodded. He was trying his best to hide his nerves, but he couldn¡¯t help himself. The goblins were armed and looked humanoid. In fact, you could even say they had the physique of little kids. This was the first creature they would fight that was armed with weapons and resembled a human. They fought a wolf and spiders, but obviously this was different. It was a completely new experience for them. ¡°I¡¯ll go deal with the one that¡¯s awake. You two stay here and wait. If the other two wake up, I want you to come in. Fumiko, prepare a spell so you can hit one of them, okay?¡± Fumiko nodded. She felt quite bad about what happened yesterday, but Keisuke didn¡¯t really blame her for it. She apologised profusely the morning she felt better when they told her what happened. ¡°Okay. Hush.¡± Mahiro put a finger to his lips. He then drew his shortsword and carefully made his way to the goblin that was awake. The goblin had gotten up to pee, it seemed. It waddled off to a corner in the clearing to relieve itself. Keisuke watched Mahiro slowly circle around toward it, using the trees and shrubs as cover. The goblin was completely oblivious to what was happening. It peed and let out a little groan of a yawn, whilst Mahiro crept up, shortsword in hand. And then Mahiro pounced. Fumiko let out a little weep when he brought the goblin down. The two wrestled on the ground. It looked like Mahiro had covered its mouth so it couldn¡¯t scream. Keisuke looked over at the other two goblins. They were still asleep. Their cover wasn¡¯t blown yet. They just had to wait for Mahiro to confirm the kill on the goblin he had in his arms. Mahiro wrapped his arms and legs around the goblin. The small creature looked to be struggling for its life, but was quite a bit bigger than it and it didn¡¯t look like it could shake him off. Mahiro then raised his short sword and plunged it into the goblin¡¯s gut. Fumiko closed her eyes and even Keisuke winced. Blood spewed from the wound, and the goblin seemed to struggle even more frantically. Mahiro raised the sword again, and plunged it into the goblin¡¯s abdomen once more. Fearing for its life, the goblin tossed and turned wildly, but Mahiro refused to let go. Perhaps it was because his grip came loose or the goblin had struggled enough, it looked like Mahiro¡¯s hand came off the creature¡¯s mouth. ¡°Ow!¡± Mahiro cried. Was he bit? It looked like the goblin managed to bite him right then. Wait, that¡¯s not good¡­ Using the opportunity, the goblin screamed. The cry was loud and jarring. Keisuke didn¡¯t know what it said, but it sounded like a cry for help and a warning to its comrades. The other two goblins heard it loud and clear and their eyes shot open. ¡°Gyahhgah¡­?!¡± One of them sprung up immediately to inspect what was going on. When they noticed Mahiro in the corner with one of the goblins, they began to shout and rush up. ¡°Keisuke! Fumiko!¡± Mahiro shouted. That was their cue. Keisuke emerged from the woods with his sword in hand and rushed into the clearing. With a yell, he swung his sword at one of the goblins. The short, green creature avoided Keisuke¡¯s attack by stepping to the side and pushing him away. Keisuke stumbled and fell to the ground. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The goblin would¡¯ve collapsed on Keisuke, but it was Fumiko who helped. The goblin got caught in a blaze, fire engulfing its body. The goblin fell to the ground, struggling and fighting to get the flames out. Keisuke didn¡¯t even want to imagine the amount of pain it was in. Using the opportunity, Keisuke decided to plunge his sword into the goblin¡¯s torso while it was writhing in pain. There was a sick squelch of iron intruding through skin and bone, and Keisuke would never forget that feeling. He held the sword there until the goblin stopped moving. The feeling was sickening. It was all he could do to try not to vomit. When that goblin was done for, there was only one remaining. It looked at its comrade¡¯s lifeless bodies in the foliage and the fact that it was surrounded, and Keisuke could see the panic rising in its eyes. Its first instinct was to flee. It tried to run through the forest as fast as it could. ¡°No¡­!¡± Keisuke quickly reacted and tackled the goblin to the ground. It struggled in his clutches, screaming out something in its tongue that Keisuke could not comprehend but he could tell the words were frantic desperation. ¡°Stop!¡± he shouted at the goblin. ¡°Stop! Please!¡± Keisuke wrapped his legs around it, but it would not stop. It carried on struggling, defiant. ¡°Good job, Keisuke!¡± Mahiro said and he plunged his sword into the goblin, killing it in the spot. Keisuke was left grabbing onto the body of a lifeless creature. One moment ago it was writing desperately and then it wasn¡¯t. Keisuke let go of the goblin and rolled over to his side. When the adrenaline died and the realisation hit, he could feel the bile rising from his stomach and out his mouth. They¡¯d slew three goblins that day. When it was done, Mahiro ransacked the camp and found a number of items, including the merchant¡¯s stolen wagon. There were two old swords and a shoddy bow, which they deemed unusable. On one of the corpses of the goblin¡¯s, Mahiro found a leather pouch filled with coins. ¡°There¡¯s about ten silver here,¡± he said. They gathered what remained of the merchant¡¯s wares and returned to Fortuna where they successfully handed in the quest and later sat down for food at the Seven Outpost inn with some of the money they¡¯d earned. Keisuke took a sip of his mead and listened. ¡°Paladins are trained in the ways of a cleric, to some extent,¡± Mahiro went on to explain. ¡°I know a few spells and I can learn more. Right now, I only know two. Lay on Hands and Divine Sense.¡± Mahiro was explaining his abilities as a paladin. His reasoning being that in order for them to fight together better, they had to understand each other¡¯s strengths and weaknesses. From what Mahiro said, Lay on Hands was a simple spell that paladins learned as part of their initiation training. It functioned as a healing spell, like Fumiko¡¯s Cure Wounds, but less potent. It was good for shallow scars and bruises, but not extreme wounds. And Mahiro expressed it was only for dire emergencies because he could only use it once a day. His other spell, Divine Sense, functioned as more of a sixth sense. Mahiro could detect the presence of certain entities when they were around, but he explained no more than that. Fumiko, being a caster, had a lot more spells that they had to familiarise themselves with. ¡°They taught me three cantrips and two spells,¡± she explained. Her cantrips were Sacred Flame, Guidance, and Mending. They¡¯d already seen Sacred Flame in action: it was like a sudden burst of fire that erupted and engulfed its target. They hadn¡¯t seen Guidance yet, but apparently once Fumiko cast it and applied it on someone, that person would get help with whatever it was they were doing. At first, Keisuke was sure that he hadn¡¯t seen Bless in action, but once Fumiko explained it, he immediately remembered their second encounter with the wolf. ¡°It¡¯s like a buff,¡± Keisuke blurted. Fumiko blinked, clueless. ¡°A buff¡­? Like, muscular¡­?¡± ¡°No, not like that.¡± Keisuke shook his head, but when he tried to explain it, he couldn¡¯t exactly recall or put into words what he was thinking when he blurted the word out. It just came out of his mouth unbidden. ¡°Somehow, I understand what Keisuke means,¡± Mahiro intervened. ¡°If you place the spell on one of us, it will make us stronger and faster, right?¡± Fumiko nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what they told me, yes.¡± ¡°Then it could be very useful in a fight. We should keep it in mind going forward.¡± They were all already familiar with Fumiko¡¯s final spell, Cure Wounds. They¡¯d seen it in action and they understood its purpose. ¡°I don¡¯t have any spells or special abilities¡­¡± Keisuke admitted abashedly. Koto-sensei had only trained him in the way of the sword and other military tactics. His class didn¡¯t have spells and cantrips. ¡°But my teacher said that I can learn some things eventually,¡± he went on to explain. ¡°I see.¡± Mahiro placed a hand on his chin and thought. He was staring down at the table intently. ¡°So, ideally, Keisuke and I should be in the frontlines. I¡¯m the safest with my armour and shield, so if I can lure enemies towards me, then Keisuke can use that to capitalise.¡± Keisuke nodded slowly. He thought about it, too. Realistically, yes, maybe that was their best tactic to use. But taking Fumiko into consideration¡­. ¡°I think,¡± Keisuke began, ¡°we need to prioritise Fumiko¡¯s safety.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well, realistically, if we¡¯re both up front then Fumiko is left behind us with no help. Isn¡¯t that a bad thing¡­? I think it is¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fumiko shook her head. ¡°N-no, you don¡¯t have to worry about me!¡± ¡°You say that, but you weren¡¯t taught to defend yourself, were you?¡± Keisuke retorted, and Fumiko backed down. ¡°If the enemy targets you and me and Mahiro aren¡¯t near to help, I fear the worst could happen. It¡¯s already happened. Besides, I think Fumiko has strong spells and would benefit from being given space to cast them¡­¡± Mahiro was debating Keisuke¡¯s suggestion deeply. ¡°I-it was just a thought!¡± Keisuke said. Mahiro raised his head. ¡°It makes perfect sense. I think it would work best if I stay close to Fumiko during battle to keep her safe. That means you¡¯ll be solely responsible for the vanguard, Keisuke. Are you sure that¡¯s something you can handle?¡± Was it? Keisuke had blurted out what he was thinking, and Mahiro raised a good point. If he was guarding Fumiko, then that meant Keisuke would have to be battling alone in the frontlines. That meant taking on enemies head-on. According to Koto-sensei, that was his job in a party, to an extent. So, it wasn¡¯t like he wasn¡¯t trained for it. But could he, Keisuke himself, do it? ¡°I¡¯m willing to give it a try¡­,¡± Keisuke said, though he wasn¡¯t convinced with himself. Mahiro nodded. ¡°Then we¡¯ll try tomorrow.¡± Their formation was decided. If they encountered enemies, Keisuke would rush to meet them while Mahiro remained to protect Fumiko. Meanwhile, Fumiko would do her best to assist Keisuke with her spells from a distance. Simply saying it, it sounded simple enough. But would it really be that simple? Keisuke wondered. 18. Their Circumstances The answer was that it would not be. The next day, the party of three found themselves in a skirmish with even more goblins. This time, they were fighting four of them, and unlike before, one of them was armed with a ranged weapon. ¡°Keisuke, look out¡­!¡± He heard Mahiro shout a warning behind him. From Keisuke¡¯s left, an arrow aimed at his leg flew by, barely grazing his thigh in the process. ¡°Thank you¡­!¡± He breathed, repositioning himself towards the goblin in front of him. He was currently doing his best to hold it off, but with arrows flying past him it became especially difficult. He had to keep his eye on multiple foes at once. The goblin came rushing in, swinging its wooden club at Keisuke wildly. Given the straightforward attack, Keisuke was able to avoid it easily enough. Through fighting the goblins, Keisuke noticed that they weren¡¯t very formidable. At least, they weren¡¯t particularly talented in swordplay or archery, so he could handle one or even two by himself if he was careful. The problem arose when they were in a group. Lucy herself had cautioned them about fighting a group of goblins. They weren¡¯t strong individually, but they were conniving and a number of them could easily overwhelm a party that didn¡¯t know any better. Which was precisely why they made sure that the requests they took up only dealt with a handful of them at most. Despite him having a simple time fighting a goblin, Keisuke was still having a difficult time ending the fight. His attacks were half-baked. Am I hesitating? He asked himself after his attack was dodged. That was probably it. They¡¯d been fighting goblins for a few days now and Keisuke had even killed a few, but he still struggled. When it came down to it, taking the life of a creature was not so easy. Especially if you had to cut through it to do so. But it¡¯s something I have to get over, Keisuke told himself. Right here, right now. I have to overcome it. I have to be fine with killing whatever is in my way. The goblins weren¡¯t good fighters, so when Keisuke pressed the attack, it was all the goblin could do to just back away. It tried defending itself with sloppy swings, but Keisuke was relentless. Just like Koto-sensei showed you. Attack. Take advantage of openings. Don¡¯t get careless. Attack. Attack. Attack. When the goblin raised its club to protect itself, Keisuke immediately swung low and ran his sword along the creature¡¯s gut. Red snakes began to spill out of the open wound, and Keisuke nearly dropped his sword at the sight. No..! He reaffirmed his grip on the hilt. His palms were sticky with sweat. I have to finish it off¡­ The goblin was toppled over, its hands pressed over the great wound in its belly, desperately trying to shove its guts back. But it was losing too much blood, and the end was inevitable. I won¡¯t let it suffer¡­ Keisuke raised his sword, and then plunged it toward the goblin¡¯s neck. However, the goblin had raised its hand, and instead of piercing through its neck, the sword went through its hand instead. ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± Keisuke was flummoxed. Even now, the goblin was still trying to live. Just die, man! Keisuke thought. He was struggling to remove the sword from the goblin¡¯s hand. ¡°Gerghh!¡± The goblin was screaming at the same time. Just die¡­! Please! Just die! Through some effort, Keisuke managed to remove the sword, and then with a deep breath, he plunged it into the goblin¡¯s neck. Properly, that time. Blood splattered all over Keisuke¡¯s face, and it stopped moving. But the fight was not over. ¡°Keisuke, help!¡± Mahiro called out. Mahiro and Fumiko were still battling two of the goblins. Mahiro was successfully holding off both of them with the help of Fumiko¡¯s magic. He was glowing blue. Fumiko had cast the spell Bless on him; a spell that enhanced one''s physical attributes. It made you lighter, stronger, and even cleared your mind. It was an amazing spell. Keisuke hurriedly closed the distance between him and the others. He came up from behind the goblins Mahiro was fighting. Mahiro is amazing. Seriously. He was successfully fighting two goblins, and Keisuke had seen him handle even more before. He was an amazing tank. ¡°Fumiko, use Sacred Flame on this one!¡± Keisuke shouted. ¡°R-right¡­!¡± Sacred Flame was Fumiko¡¯s offensive spell. It set its target on fire, however, it didn¡¯t necessarily kill said target unless they were already near death. It did a great deal of damage, but they¡¯d come up with the strategy to use it as a distraction. Fumiko cast the spell and set the goblin on Mahiro¡¯s left on fire. It screamed out in pain and dropped its weapon. The goblin began flailing around wildly, attempting to extinguish the flame. But they¡¯d learned that the fire wasn¡¯t easily extinguishable. One goblin had dove into a pond and only then was able to do it. Other times the fire only ever went out on its own. But Keisuke wasn¡¯t waiting for that. He seized the opportunity and stuck his sword into the goblin¡¯s back whilst it was busy struggling. The second goblin must¡¯ve gotten startled by its comrade suddenly combusting and being stabbed right beside it that it dropped its guard for a moment. That moment was all Mahiro needed to shove his longsword into the goblin¡¯s neck. The goblin fell to the ground, clutching at its neck. It spat out blood and the sound of it gurgling was jarring. It eventually stopped moving, staring up at them with bloodshot eyes. Keisuke was feeling exhausted. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Fumiko asked him. He nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡± He straightened himself. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thanks for the assist." Fumiko took a deep breath of relief. ¡°Looks like we¡¯re done here.¡± Mahiro looked at the corpses around. ¡°We can go back to Fortuna.¡± Just as Mahiro was getting ready to loot the goblins, they heard loud shrieks coming from somewhere deeper within the forest. ¡°Seriously¡­?¡± Keisuke¡¯s eyes turned to the source. More goblins. It sounded like they were heading their way. Probably comrades of the ones they just killed. ¡°We can¡¯t fight all of them!¡± Mahiro yelled out. ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here!¡± The three of them rushed through the forest and made their return to Fortuna. * ¡°I think our biggest problem is that we lack numbers,¡± said Mahiro. The three of them were seated on haystacks in the stable. After turning in their profit for the day and buying sandwiches at the food stall, they returned to the stables to call it another night. ¡°Numbers?¡± Fumiko tilted her head sideways. ¡°Basically, more party members. I think our biggest weakness right now is that it¡¯s just us three.¡± A week had passed since they began adventuring as a trio and Keisuke had begun to notice that as well. Almost everyone else they¡¯d encountered was in a party of at least five or six. There were some exceptions, but they were rare. There were even scouts who went about Altear by themselves. Keisuke found the very thought of that terrifying. How could someone do all of this alone?You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Basically, parties were essential. Keisuke suddenly remembered Lucy emphasising that point. ¡°A party makes travelling Altear easier,¡± she¡¯d said. Mahiro continued, ¡°With just us three, there¡¯s only so much we can do, I think. We get overwhelmed pretty easily and we can only do so much.¡± Keisuke was inclined to agree. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± They¡¯d fought plenty of goblins in the past week, but oftentimes they¡¯d been overwhelmed. The most they knew they could handle were four goblins at a time, anything more than that was too risky and dangerous. In fact, things had almost ended badly once when they tried to fight five and Mahiro got struck by an arrow. They¡¯d barely made it out in time to heal his wound. Their numbers¡ªor lack thereof¡ªwas a severe disadvantage. ¡°Almost everyone else like us travels with two or three more people than us,¡± said Mahiro. ¡°I see¡­¡± Fumiko shuffled on the bay of hay she was sitting on. ¡°Where do we find people to join us?¡± Mahiro sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I could ask around the guild to see if anyone is willing to join, but like I said, almost everyone is already in a party of their own.¡± They needed more people with them if they wanted to progress quicker, but it wouldn¡¯t be easy at all. Keisuke wondered where people even recruited party members, to begin with. Maybe you had to take initiative like Hidenori did when they first arrived? He didn¡¯t know. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can find,¡± Mahiro said. ¡°But until then we should carry on as normal. Tomorrow we¡¯ll hunt more goblins.¡± Fumiko and Keisuke both nodded. They all went to sleep after that, but some time in the night, Keisuke woke up with a thirst. Mahiro was sound asleep beside him and so was Fumiko in her stall. Keisuke got up silently, careful not to wake them or the horses, and left the stables. Normally, they would fill two buckets with water from the nearby well and drink from it or use it to cook. But when Keisuke checked, they were both empty. They must¡¯ve forgotten to refill them. He decided that he might as well fill them now. Luckily, the well they used wasn¡¯t that far from them. It was about a fifteen minute walk. And Keisuke decided he could use some fresh air. It was dark out. There were a number of old lamps that lit up the streets of the city, spread out in rows along the houses and other stone buildings. While it couldn¡¯t be called bright, it wasn¡¯t pitch black. Keisuke found himself thinking about their earlier conversation as he made his way through the city, using the lamplights for vision. Once again, they were relying on Mahiro. At some point, Keisuke had put all of his trust in Mahiro. Even then, he thought ¡°If Mahiro said he¡¯d do it, then he¡¯d do it.¡± And was fine leaving it at that. But was that really okay? Honestly, Keisuke didn¡¯t like how passive he was when it came to these things. He wanted to be like Ryoma and those guys who were dependable. Who could say something cool like, ¡°Hey, guys, follow me! I¡¯ll lead us all.¡± But he knew that wasn¡¯t him. He was one of those guys that simply went with the flow or followed the crowd. A background character. That¡¯s right, Keisuke was a background character. And, honestly, he was fine with that. He''d lean on Mahiro until he couldn¡¯t, he decided. Everything was fine that way. Was it really fine? Maybe it is. ¡­Or isn¡¯t it? Mahiro is a good leader. There¡¯s nothing wrong with following. Besides, he¡¯s the one that took charge, wasn¡¯t it? Fumiko and I didn¡¯t make him the leader. If he wants to do it, then let him do it, Keisuke thought. I¡¯ll keep following him if that¡¯s the case. Keisuke was nearing the well when he heard voices nearby. Instinctively, he lowered his pace so that he wouldn¡¯t make a noise. He didn¡¯t know why he did that. Maybe he didn¡¯t want to alert them. Wait, am I an idiot or something? Why would I care about alerting them? The voices were coming from behind a wall in front of him. He had to cross over to get to the well, but he was sure that they¡¯d probably see him. It¡¯s late now, isn¡¯t it? What could people be doing up at this hour? But in that same breath, he was also up, so maybe he shouldn¡¯t speak. But I have an excuse, he justified. Before Keisuke knew it, he was slowly making his way to the wall to get a peek of who was speaking. Even he realised how weird that was. I¡¯m finding my own actions suspicious. Should I just walk past fast? No, it¡¯s probably too late now, they¡¯d think I was eavesdropping. Keisuke reached the wall and hugged his back against it and looked. Just like he thought, there were two people standing beside an open door to a house. The light from inside spilled out just enough for him to see their faces. It was a boy and a girl. The boy had on what looked like a warrior¡¯s outfit and the girl had on a white dress-looking outfit with a thin sword at her waist. She had long black hair tied into a high ponytail. It was the Mysterious Beauty. Keisuke recognised her instantly. She was the girl that sat across from him in the wagon when they¡¯d first arrived. ¡°Is there something on my face?¡± he remembered her saying, and shuddered. What is this¡­a tryst? Keisuke wondered. A boy and a girl alone at night? It has to be that, right? Wait¡­does that mean I stumbled into a lover¡¯s meet-up? Oh, man. Keisuke was immediately regretting his decision to not carry on walking. ¡°Listen, Akame,¡± the boy started speaking. That¡¯s right, Keisuke remembered. Her name is Akame. ¡°I¡¯m listening." ¡°I wanted to talk to you about the party.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°¡­You know, that¡¯s kind of it right there. Why does everything you say sound so hostile? It¡¯s a bit intimidating at times¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you feel, then I can¡¯t help that, can I? Get to the point of why you brought me out here. It¡¯s cold and I¡¯m tired.¡± Keisuke heard the boy sigh. He must¡¯ve been growing agitated. Even Keisuke was mildly annoyed just listening to her tone of voice. ¡°Look. You know I¡¯m the leader of the party, right? And I have to look after everyone and make sure they¡¯re all right.¡± Akame remained silent, so the boy carried on speaking. ¡°And, well, things aren¡¯t really smooth right now, are they? You know, cause like¡­¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The boy took a deep breath, ¡°the others don¡¯t get along with you. You barely speak and nobody knows what you¡¯re thinking. Sometimes you say things and they come across as mean or inconsiderate. The girls even think you¡¯re belittling them at times¡­¡± There was a slight pause. ¡°And?¡± Akame finally replied. ¡°¡­And? Well¡­it¡¯s just like I said. The others don¡¯t get along with you. What do you mean, and?¡± ¡°I mean, and what do you want me to do about it? It¡¯s not my problem, is it?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s definitely your problem. Shouldn¡¯t you try to get along with your party members¡­? Or at least, I don¡¯t know, not make such an uncomfortable environment?¡± ¡°What they think of me doesn''t matter to me. Besides, I¡¯m not here to make friends. To me, we¡¯re just people with aligned goals. Can I go back to bed now?¡± ¡°That attitude of yours is exactly why¡ª¡± The boy¡¯s voice rose, but he quickly controlled himself. ¡°How you act is exactly why you left me no choice. I want you to leave the party.¡± A heavy silence sank over the air. Before he knew it, Keisuke was holding his breath. ¡­This wasn¡¯t a lover¡¯s tryst, after all. He¡¯d felt bad for listening in now. This was something he shouldn¡¯t be hearing. Keisuke looked around to try and see whether he could slip by unnoticed. But what if they hear me now? They¡¯d know I was listening¡­ He was stuck in two minds when Akame spoke again. ¡°Was this everyone¡¯s idea?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­also no. They didn¡¯t tell me that directly. Everyone is too nice to say it. I decided this on my own, for the sake of the atmosphere of the party. We¡¯ll find someone else. Sorry.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Akame said. There wasn¡¯t much in terms of reaction from her part. It didn¡¯t even seem like her breathing had changed. ¡°Pay me my share of our earnings tomorrow morning, and then I¡¯ll be on my way. If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll go to bed now.¡± ¡°Uh¡­yeah, of course. I¡¯ll give you your money tomorrow. But¡­is that it? Do you have nothing else to say?¡± Akame stopped walking. ¡°There¡¯s nothing left to say, is there? You¡¯ve made up your mind and I¡¯m not planning on making you change it. Nor will I apologise and promise to change my ways, because I won¡¯t. So there¡¯s nothing left for us to do here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­I guess.¡± ¡°Exactly. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± ¡°¡­What a bitch.¡± Keisuke heard the boy mutter before returning inside the building. The door behind them closed, and Keisuke was left standing alone in the dark of the night, having heard all of that. He ultimately decided to return to the stable house without getting any water after all. It seemed like every party had their own problems to deal with. Keisuke had just overheard someone get kicked from their party and he wondered if other people were also having it difficult. For those who suddenly found themselves in this situation, it surely could not have been easy. Unless they were anomalies like Ryoma. I wonder if that girl¡­Akame, was it? If she''s going to be all right, Keisuke found himself thinking. I couldn''t imagine being alone out there. I wouldn''t be able to survive at all. ¡­I wonder if¡­ A thought crossed Keisuke''s mind, but he quickly shook his head to dispel the idea. Yeah, no, there''s no way. I know Mahiro said we needed more people, but there''s no way I could ask her to join us. I don''t even know who she is, and if the prior conversation is anything to go by, she''s a difficult person to deal with. I don''t know if i could get along with someone like that. We''re barely getting by as it is, I wouldn''t want to make it difficult for us to work. Yeah, no. Definitely not a good idea. Keisuke decided he would forget what he¡¯d heard and once he returned to the stables, he went back to sleep. A part of him had hoped that Akame would be okay, though. Interlude: Tsun It was late evening and some of the members of the Crimson Dawn were gathered at the tavern to share a drink and revel in their week''s glories. It was mostly just the men for now, with the women joining them later. This particular set-up could be quite dangerous, especially when they lost themselves to the alcohol. Ren brought the mug to his lips and took a sip of the frothy beer. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You know, I was thinking, right...?" said Fushiguro who was sitting next to him. "Nanako is interesting, isn''t she?¡± ¡°Hm? Don''t tell me you like her. She''s definitely gonna turn you down, you know?¡± ¡°No, no, it''s nothing like that. Wait. What do you mean definitely?!¡± Ren chuckled lightly. ¡°So, what is it about Nanako? I think she''s quite skilled as a cleric, if that''s what you''re getting at.¡± Daichi shook his head. Apparently, he was involved in this as well. ¡°Nah, it''s not that, either.¡± Fushiguro leaned in close. ¡°She¡¯s totally, like, you know¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, like, that... isn''t she?¡± ¡°Look, guys. Either just tell me what you''re talking about or drop it.¡± Daichi sighed and shook his head disappointedly. ¡°I told you, Fushi, this guy doesn''t speak our language. We have to be direct with him.¡± The other clansmen nodded in unison. Okay, they were all involved in this. ¡°Fine. You know, Nanako is quite¡­ tsun¡­¡± Ren blinked. ¡°Tsun?¡± ¡°You know, tsund¡­dere¡­¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°Huh¡­ What does that¡­¡± Before Ren could question it further, he had a sudden epiphany befall him. ¡°Um¡­ Actually, I get the feeling you might be onto something.¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Daichi and Fushiguro were overly excited for some reason. ¡°She''s totally tsundere! The way she acts and reacts¡­.it''s all classic!¡± ¡°She even has the fang!¡± added one of the other clearly wasted clansmen heatedly. ¡°That single fang! How does it even work, damn it?!¡± Ren wasn''t entirely sure what a tsundere was, but somehow he just knew they had hit the nail on the head. He could feel it in his gut. ¡°Listen, we can prove it once and for all¡­¡± Fushiguro interlocked his fingers and brought them to his chin. ¡°...What is it?¡± ¡°You have to call her cute.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?! Why do I have to do that? Why don''t you do it?¡± ¡°No, that''s no good!¡± Daichi banged his fist on the table. ¡°She''ll totally kill us!¡± ¡°You might get away with just a slap, at least.¡± Ren frowned. ¡°But I don''t want to get slapped¡­¡± ¡°Listen, Ren,¡± Daichi said seriously, ¡°we are your clansmen. We would follow you anywhere and you know it. But this one thing, you have to do for us. You have to.¡± All of the other clansmen nodded. Ah, it was that time of the night. They were all three sheets to the wind. When they got like this, Ren could do little to tame them. He didn¡¯t understand why they were so adamant about this. He sighed deeply, conceding. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Nanako entered the tavern later that night in her casual clothing. ¡°Hey, guys,¡± she greeted everyone, but none of the boys reacted. Fushiguro and Daichi glanced at Ren, giving him a look going, ¡°Do it. For the boys!¡± Ren took a deep breath. ¡°Hey, Nana-chan¡­¡± he began, ¡°you, uh, look rather cute today¡­¡± There was silence. Everyone around the table and the next was watching with eager anticipation, awaiting Nanako''s reply. Ren, on the other hand, was preparing for a fierce backhand. Nanako stared at him for a moment. ¡°Huh? What are you even talking about? I¡¯m gonna go get a drink.¡± That was it. Nothing else happened. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Daichi muttered. The disappointment around the table was practically palpable. Even Ren felt like he wanted more to happen. ¡°I was expecting something more¡­explosive¡­¡± Fushiguro''s shoulders slumped. Honestly, Ren was just grateful his head was still on his shoulders. Elsewhere, in a corner of the tavern, Nanako had her back pressed against the wall. Her face was beet red. ¡°Wh-what was that all of a sudden...? Ren, you idiot...¡±