Chapter 618 Becoming Stronger
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Kazumi’s POV)
The time was just around when the date had changed.
After wrapping up the feast, I was guided to the guest rooms where Ms. Ariane had assigned everyone, and began tidying up with Rena.
Lotta, who couldn’t drink due to being in her early pregnancy, enthusiastically said, “I’ll help too!” But when I suggested she should prepare for bed thinking about the baby, she reluctantly agreed with an apologetic nod.
Well, thanks to the 4 rookie girls from Rose Hip, along with Mira and Ema, we finished the cleanup surprisingly quickly.
”Kazumi, look over there!”
Rena, leaning over the rooftop railing, pointed to the backyard.
”What on earth are they doing at this hour?!”
I couldn’t help but shout, but come on, smoke was rising from the workshop’s chimney!
”You know, we found ‘Adamantite Steel’ in the deepest part of the Great Labyrinth Raetia, and its purity was shocking!”
Rena chuckled, resting her chin on her hand atop the railing.
”When I told Aluda and Meluda about it while we were drinking with Toldo earlier, his eyes were shining as bright as a kid’s!”
”Guess he got all fired up, and even though it’s this late, he’s holed up in the workshop.”
I stood beside Rena, propping my chin up as I gazed at the smoke rising from the workshop.
(Aluda and Meluda must be there too. Seriously, those girls should know that staying up late is the enemy of beauty…)
I sighed, thinking about the two cute girls who were also dedicated craftsmen at heart.
* * *
(Having conquered the Great Labyrinth Raetia… Next up is the Welnia Labyrinth.)
While soaking in the bath with Rena, I pondered.
Mira and Ema, along with the 4 rookie girls from Rose Hip, were happily washing each other’s backs.
”I really want to be lovey-dovey with Hiroya already…”
”Didn’t you already get intimate before the exploration?”
I had said that aloud without realizing, and Rena chuckled softly in response.
”Well, it’s not just about the fun stuff… I really want to go on a proper date during this break.”
”Oh, I was thinking the same thing!”
Rena turned to face me, taking my hands in hers.
”Remember how we didn’t actually get to go on a date during the Grand Market?”
We both let out a sigh while still holding each other’s hands.
”Tonight, he’s stuck playing nice with Ms. Sasha and the ‘Lady Team,’ and I bet Hiroya will be exhausted tomorrow.”
”You really think so?”
”I don’t think so.”
There’s no way Hiroya, who’s bursting with energy lately, would be worn out──even against the Lady Team.
Rena, sporting a wry smile at my words, replied.
”Well, even if he gets tired, he’ll heal in the hot springs. We might still get to go out tomorrow.”
”But about tomorrow… Kazumi? Aren’t we forgetting something?”
”Huh?”
I was daydreaming about my date with Hiroya, my lips curling into a smile, when Rena looked at me incredulously and asked the question.
What could it be?
With the success of the Grand Market, the revitalization of Raetia’s village had settled down for now.
Plus, thanks to Rose Hip, the mining of the mithril veins was coming along nicely, and there were adamantite steel deposits waiting deep below.
Raetia was bound to be livelier than ever.
And as for the ‘political maneuvering’ that might arise from this, I was sure Hiroya’s dad──the lord──would handle it just fine.
My thoughts wandered in different directions when Rena sighed and said,
”Sigh… Kazumi, do you remember? Rena and you made a promise with your papa, you know?”
”Ah…”
Right.
Both Rena and I, as well as Hiroya… and even Martina.
’We had promised to conquer the S-Class dungeon in the Goblin Forest within 3 years.’
Since Azradelius had left the ‘Maze of the Goblin Forest’ and we couldn’t fulfill that promise, our goal had now shifted to…
’Conquering the Great Labyrinth of Raetia.’
Everyone was putting in the effort for that.
”We definitely need to report to Kazumi’s papa──Sir Müller──about this tomorrow. Not just Rena and me, but all the members of Liz’s team.”
”I had completely forgotten…”
The promise I made to Papa, the one that led us to become adventurers.
”As for me, I think it’d be best to take down Azradelius first…”
”But we need to reach the deepest layer of Welnia Labyrinth, and even though Mr. Mitsuyoshi is searching for him, we still need to find Azradelius’s location… There’s no way we can do it all within the time limit of Papa’s promise, right?”
”Exactly. That’s why now, after conquering the Great Labyrinth Raetia, is the perfect time to report.”
Just like me, Rena must be feeling frustrated.
We had a chance to defeat Azradelius.
Two years ago, he appeared before Raetia.
But, I…we were too busy dealing with Otto.
Not only that, everyone was held captive by him….
In the end, it was Hiroya who saved us from that crisis.
And then, I heard that Hiroya and Rena confronted Azradelius.
(At the time, I heard that even Hiroya’s power wouldn’t be enough, and they were prepared for a fight to the death…)
If ‘Three-Face’, one of the Four Dark Heavens, hadn’t intervened, Azradelius might have been defeated, but Hiroya would have died──that’s what I learned later.
(Hiroya…going to die!?)
Even though I’m in a warm bath, just thinking about it sends shivers down my spine.
”Kazumi? …Are you okay?”
Rena looks at me with concern.
”I…I wasn’t celebrating conquering the Great Labyrinth Raetia. I shouldn’t have been so carried away.”
My voice trembled as I whispered those words.
”Ms. Kazumi, what’s wrong?”
”You’re shaking, aren’t you?”
Mira and Ema, who had finished washing themselves, approached us, concerned.
Behind them, the new recruits from Rose Hip followed.
After them, the other adventurers.
”I’m okay. I guess I just stayed in the bath too long?”
I smiled reassuringly at everyone before gripping Rena’s hands tightly again.
”I…I’ll train my magic. I’ll learn all the other attributes too!”
Rena smiles back encouragingly.
”Yeah. I’ll
Asuka and Simona had reached rank S.
Dorothy probably had a hand on rank S as well, and Liz had likely attained it through the power of her ‘Divine Eye.’
Martina would surely catch up soon.
(Even Rena… everyone is getting stronger. I will too.)
I met Rena’s gaze, silently vowing in my heart.
* * *
”So you’re going to challenge such a strong enemy, huh?”
”But I’m sure you all will be fine!”
Mira and Ema cheered us on.
We all sank into the hot spring together as I shared a brief explanation about the demon known as Azradelius.
Of course, I kept quiet about him being an apostle of the Supreme God and about the Demon King (Mr. Koichi), only mentioning that he was an ancient demon who appeared in the Goblin Forest dungeon.
”I’ve heard of that guy!”
”Yeah, me too!”
”It’s the one where the Goblin Forest dungeon, which was at beginner adventurer level, suddenly turned into an S-class dungeon because of a Dungeon Burst!”
”…So that demon was… the cause of it all…”
The rookie members of Rose Hip──Tibelde Feulgen, Selina Brückner, Erika Schäfer, and Anke Osbalt──each chimed in.
They were girls who had escaped from the Count Foreltun territory, and now called the northern settlement of Northern Berg their home.
”How cowardly of him to hide like that!”
Tibelde puffed out her cheeks.
At just 12 years old, they had the energy of what you’d call “bubbly high school girls” in modern terms.
Tibelde’s little pout was adorable.
”We’re still inexperienced… It’s a shame we can’t be more of a help.”
Erika, with a class president vibe, looked downcast.
”But, hey, we’re just getting started! I mean, we finally became a proper party now that Zamie joined us!”
”…Let’s do our best…”
The typically cheerful Selina said that brightly, while Anke, the tallest of the group but with a shy demeanor, fidgeted with her bangs as she nodded along.
”But you know, we can’t go overboard, okay?”
Rena quickly interjected with a serious tone.
”But we’re still beginners… we need to take some risks, right?”
”You do know our lord is the Heroic Swordsman ‘Shinji with the Two-Handed Blade,’ right?”
Cutting off Tibelde’s words, I jumped in.
Everyone nodded intensely.
”His lesson is clear: ‘A reckless adventurer only faces death.’ If you push too far and die, that’s the end, but if you come back alive, you can learn from it and do better next time. Got it?”
They listened earnestly, nodding vigorously in response.
Even Mira and Ema joined in.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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