Chapter 158 Rose Hip
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Liz’s POV)
”No… I want to keep adventuring with Noriss…”
”But we don’t need any guys in our clan.”
”So… we’re turning you down…”
That was the conversation I heard when Martina and I visited the guild for the second time this morning.
When we opened the door, we found Lotta and Noriss right by the entrance. And in front of them stood 3 women dressed like knights in metal armor.
”Oh, more female adventurers. You girls wanna join our clan?”
The woman in the middle, carrying a greatsword on her back, called out to us.
”Sorry… we two are already part of a clan.”
I waved my hand in front of the knight and stood in front of Lotta and Noriss.
”Huh? Garm’s not here again?”
”Ms. Liz! Mr. Garm was taken away by Mr. Ares and the others…”
Noriss dropped her shoulders.
”I see… well, don’t worry. We’ll support you with the quests you take on.”
”Yeah, yeah, Mr. Noriss! Big Sister Liz is our leader, so we formed a clan!”
Martina took Lotta’s hand.
”R-really? Can Noriss and I join too?!”
”Actually, we came to invite you.”
”Hey! You guys!”
A rough hand grabbed my shoulder. …It must be that knight’s metal gauntlet from earlier.
”That girl was the one we called out to first. You just jumped in──”
”You were only inviting Lotta, right? We’re inviting both Noriss and Lotta.”
I grabbed the rude gauntlet and pushed it away from my shoulder. …Seriously… only Hiroya is allowed to touch my body.
”But, our clan is a ‘clan for women.’ It’s to protect us from those crappy guys…”
”Yeah. I totally agree with that idea. But you see, Lotta and Noriss are childhood friends. They’re adventurers trying to bring their families to this village to make life easier for them. …Are you really going to separate them? That’s just cruel.”
”R-really?”
The female knight, still holding my arm, glanced at Lotta and Noriss. They both nodded vigorously.
”…I see, we messed up… We didn’t think about your feelings. Sorry about that…”
I was taken aback by how honest the knight was in apologizing, so I let go of her arm.
”My name is Simona. Simona Schmidt. I’m part of the guild in Mundo’s town and I lead the clan ‘Rose Hip’.”
The female knight Simona extended her right hand to me again.
(She doesn’t seem like a bad person.)
I shook her hand back.
”I’m Liz. Liz Weissman. I lead the clan ‘Famière’ in this village.”
”Liz… Could you be the Liz from the S-rank dungeon raid special party?”
…Special party, huh? So that’s what they call us.
”Well, yeah, we did take on the Goblin Forest dungeon as our top priority mission.”
”We’re planning to attack it too once we get used to this forest. That’s why we brought ten A and B rank members from our clan here… If we clear it first… just let it slide, okay?”
She winked at me, and then the 3 female knights left the guild.
”A clan full of girls… Looks like some impressive ones just showed up, Big Sister Liz.”
”Well, Martina, they think like us… They’re not bad people.”
I lightly patted Martina’s head, who looked a bit worried.
”Alright, Lotta and Noriss, come to our place. Let’s talk in detail.”
””Yes!””
”Miyori! So, please register these two into our clan.”
Miyori, who had been watching the situation from behind the counter, raised her hand lightly and smiled.
* * *
(Third Person Perspective)
”…This looks like it’s going to be interesting.”
One of the 3 men sitting at a table in the corner of the guild muttered.
”Which one should we go after first?”
”Our goal is ‘that girl.’ The request is delicate, you know? Of course, it’s coming from ‘that side,’ right?”
”No──.”
The man who spoke first cuts off the other 2.
”──We need more hands for the other big request. I was thinking we should start with ‘Rose Hip.’”
”But, you know… it’s a big group, right? Plus, I heard they have A and B rank skilled fighters.”
”I think it’s tough too.”
”…Nope, if we can take down their leader, we can manage anything. The key is to ‘break her spirit.’ …Once that happens, we’ll recruit all the clan members.”
The first man smirks.
”…I see. Since it’s a woman, that makes it easier, huh?”
”Yeah, going head-on seems impossible. Let’s use our specialty, the sneaky approach.”
”…Exactly.”
”Clan ‘Rose Hip’… I’ve heard they have some good-looking women. …I’m looking forward to it.”
The 3 men stood up, grinning wickedly.
* * *
(Simona’s POV)
”She really is something, being the leader of a special party. That Liz person…”
”Yeah. The Thief girl she was with seemed pretty skilled too.”
On their way to the inn, Helena and Frieda, who were assigned as sub-leaders, were chatting. They heard that the son of the hero swordsman Lord O’Brian, who rules this area, was the one who led them to the third floor, but it’s likely due to that leader’s skills. We could feel that vibe as fellow leaders.
”We’ll start exploring Goblin Forest tomorrow. If it seems easy, we’ll come back here to gear up and head straight to the dungeon.”
””Got it.””
The members waiting at the inn must be itching to dive in. The 3 of us quickened our pace toward the inn.
* * *
(Aluda’s POV)
(Kazumi and Rena’s armor is fine. Hiro’s is──there are some pretty worn spots…)
Sitting in a corner of the dining hall, I checked the lined-up armor. I forgot to touch the tea Ms. Hanna brought me, so it’s probably already cold.
”Sniff… sniff…”
Unconsciously, I caught a whiff of Hiro’s chest plate.
(Ah… it smells like Hiro…♡)
I can’t help but enjoy Hiro, but I suddenly snap back to reality and check my chest armor. There are scars all over it. When I pick up the gauntlet part, I see how badly it’s damaged.
(This is a part I improved before… but maybe it’s better to just make a new one…)
Considering Hiro’s swordsmanship, there’s no such thing as ‘Protection.’ After all, the goal is to ‘take down the enemy in one strike.’ So, I know that armor that protects key areas without hindering movement is the best choice.
(But… with such a small body…)
If he takes a hit, it could almost certainly be a fatal injury. Even if it’s not fatal, it would definitely cause significant damage.
(I really don’t want that…)
I can’t stand the thought of Hiro falling in battle. So, what I can do is… create armor specifically designed for Hiro’s fighting style.
(First, let’s check all the damaged parts.)
If I add more protective parts, it will hinder Hiro’s strength, which is his ‘speed.’ The undamaged areas can be thinner or even removed. Anyway, I want to focus on thickening the armor in the heavily damaged areas.
(Once I finish the inspection, maybe I’ll jot down some ideas.)
Also, when Kazumi gets back, I should ask if we can set up a blacksmith workshop in a corner of this mansion’s garden.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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