episode_0007

000

To the west of the city lies an abandoned mine, no longer used as a mine.

According to scholars, these are said to be the traces of ancient dwarves who once made this place their home—

The equipment left behind by them, who were hundreds of years ahead of humans, is sometimes discovered by the monsters that have proliferated in the abandoned mine,

making their danger level much higher than those of the same level.

Despite the complete absence of sunlight, the mine shaft is as bright as outdoors during the day.

A space so vast that it cannot be reproduced with human technology.

Thanks to the semi-permanent lamps hanging on the walls,

the adventurers who come here say things like, “It’s great because you can save on torch costs~”.

But if you go a little deeper, you will be severely beaten by mine goblins armed with dwarven equipment.

Of course, this is a story limited to the unprepared and mediocre.

For adventurers who have experienced it before or are well-prepared,

it was just a slightly different spice to their adventure.

“Two defeated! The remaining three, they went that way!”

“Got it!”

The fire magic activated by Lyla simultaneously pierced two mine goblins.

The thorns extending from the small sun-like fireball incinerate their bodies from toe to head the moment they are embedded.

The goblins turn to ash while letting out painful screams.

However, their movements are faster than expected, and a few slip past to Albein, who is at the front.

Albein swung his sword at the oncoming goblins.

With skillful movements, he blocks all three at once, tying up the feet of those trying to get past to the rear.

Then, Lyla raises her magic power once again for another spell, not forgetting to give instructions in case of emergency.

“Okay…. Sasha, the one on the far right─”

“Saint Burst!”

Suddenly, an explosion of divine magic power erupts from the front, causing the goblins to stagger.

“Wait!?” “Huh!?”

Lyla’s concentration is momentarily disrupted by Albein’s sudden action, and the chanting of the spell stops.

In addition, Sasha’s arrow goes astray because the goblin she had aimed at suddenly falls over.

“Heh, now’s my chance.”

Whether he knows it or not, Albein looks back at Lyla and Sasha, wearing an expression of being completely absorbed in himself.

[Kieasaaaa!]

Then,

with a furious roar, one of the goblins plunged a dwarven dagger into Albein’s side.

“Kghaaack!”

“Albein! Oh, really!”

I refuse to go back to town after coming this far!

Thinking so, Lyla tried to prepare a magic that would consume a lot of magic power, but would deal with all three at once.

The next moment─

“Chain Mana Shock.”

Black lightning of magic power extending from the guest adventurer─ Gala’s hand travels between the goblins, frying them.

Unlike Lyla’s magic, which didn’t even leave ashes, Gala’s spell, which crisply fried them inside and out, caused the stench of goblins being cooked alive to rise.

`To defeat three at once with such simple magic…!?`

Lyla had been inwardly surprised ever since Albein introduced her to this woman, Gala.

She had said, `Shall we see your skills?` and stepped back, but each and every spell she used was on a different level from her own magic.

Moreover, it was a system of formulas that she had never seen anywhere else.

As a scholar, she felt both curiosity and fear towards the unknown technology.

“Ugh…”

Albein drops his holy sword and pulls out the dagger that was stuck in his side.

Fortunately, it was blocked by his hard armor and didn’t penetrate that deeply, but

the amount of bleeding was not negligible.

It was like pouring water into a bottomless pit.

If he used a potion in this bleeding state, he would need more than the normal amount for recovery.

That’s where the party’s healer is needed.

“Here. I’ll heal you now.”

Gala puts her hand close to Albein’s side and pours magic power into him.

Then, like Quon’s healing magic, Albein’s wound gradually heals and the bleeding stops.

“A, amazing…!”

Sasha had also seen the elders of the village use low-level healing magic, but

it was generally basic to healing magic that it had to be used with several lines of prayer.

A priest like Quon could omit the prayer and heal small wounds just by concentrating his mind, but

this woman healed Albein’s wound in an instant without any such signs.

“Th, thank you, Gala…”

Gala gives Albein a smile in response to his gratitude.

Albein’s face also reddens at the reaction of a mature woman that he has never experienced before.

Until the flying kick that came with a *thwack* sound slams into Albein’s head.

“What are you thanking her for! You idiot!”

“Aghah!?”

It was Lyla’s iron hammer, enraged by Albein’s self-righteous actions a moment ago.

It would be impossible to smash Albein’s head with Lyla’s muscle strength, but

it was possible to inflict extreme pain.

“What are you going to do if our only vanguard uses magic power for attack skills! And I told you not to use that Saint Burst garbage!”

Gyaaaah! Lyla pecks at Albein with the momentum to breathe fire from her mouth.

Saint Burst─ a technique that releases the divine magic power accumulated in the body in all directions.

It can be used to create an opening for the enemy in a surprise attack, but

it has no physical destructive power, and since magic power must be emitted in all directions,

the consumption of magic power is naturally inefficiently high.

And yet, the reason why Albein uses this technique is─

“I, it’s cool!”

“””… …”””

Albein was this kind of man.

Sasha and Lyla confirm once again.

In the end, Lyla, who has exhausted her energy to nag any further, tells Sasha to recover the spoils.

She replenishes her own consumed magic power.

In the meantime, Gala picks up Albein’s holy sword that had fallen to the ground and returns it to its owner.

After finishing the preparations to some extent.

They send the ranger Sasha to the front to repeat reconnaissance -> advance.

Leaving the rear to Albein.

Lyla and Gala walk in the middle.

Lyla opened her mouth in a situation where she was some distance away from Albein.

“…Gala-ssi. Are you really a shaman?”

To be honest, Lyla’s impression of Gala was not very good.

The fact that Albein had once again set his sights on a new woman, but also

bringing in a new healer without waiting for Quon’s return.

And not even consulting her or Quon about it.

It wasn’t Gala’s fault, but

as a Lyla with high pride, she couldn’t possibly see a stone that suddenly rolled in in a good light.

In addition, her magic usage was off the beaten path of common sense.

“If you ask me if I’m really a shaman…. I really am a shaman?”

Gala answers Lyla’s question with a smile, without showing any signs of embarrassment.

Even that nonchalant appearance only looked like a material for suspicion in Lyla’s eyes.

“I, I’ve never seen a shaman in person, but. I’m from the academy, so to speak. I know the basic system of magic to some extent, even if it’s not my specialty.”

The magic of the shaman that Lyla remembers – the use of shamanism required a high degree of magic power control.

This is because the shaman’s magic borrows its power from the elemental spirits of the natural world.

If a magician passes magic power through their body and draws out the spell engraved in the magic power organ in their heart─

the shaman uses that magic power organ in place of another existence outside the body.

In other words, they use spirits as a substitute to use spells.

Therefore, it requires the hardship of passing silk-like magic power through the pinholes of small, invisible spirits.

However, as much as that, they can use spells possessed by different elemental spirits, and

the range of attributes and types of magic they use is wider than that of a single magician, which is the characteristic of a shaman.

“But Gala-ssi’s healing magic is different. You’re consuming excessive magic power and forcibly causing a phenomenon based on that.”

“… …”

“What healed Albein’s wound wasn’t the power of the spell. It’s the power of Albein’s regenerative power that was activated by you pouring in magic power. That kind of sloppy healing magic isn’t called magic.”

Gala just listened quietly to Lyla’s criticism with a troubled smile.

At that attitude, Lyla was about to get heated again and make a loud noise for a moment.

“Hmm~ Even if you say that…. I only know this method.”

“You don’t know…. Then, you’re not a shaman after all…?!”

Lyla, who had become dumbfounded, stops her feet and protests to Gala.

“In the first place, is the definition of a shaman that Lyla knows really correct? You said you’ve never met one in person, right?”

“Th, that’s…. No, the academy is a place where some of the most talented people on the continent gather. There’s no way the books there are wrong.”

“Then those talented people are lacking in their studies. They should have written in the book that there are shamans like me.”

“Yo, you…!”

The moment Lyla’s thread of patience was about to break completely at the remark that seemed to ignore the proud scholars of the academy, Albein grabbed Lyla’s shoulder.

“What are you doing? Lyla.”

“Listen, Albein! This woman is a shaman─”

“I don’t care about that.”

“──Eh?”

Albein’s expression had the corners of his mouth raised,

as if to say, what in the world are you talking about.

It also implied that he didn’t want to deal with troublesome things.

“Gala-ssi is actually helping us. She’s doing her job as a healer properly, and she can attack if necessary. There’s no one more talented than this.”

“… …”

“Ah, right! Gala-ssi! If you’re okay with it, why don’t you formally join our party? When Quon comes back, we’ll have two healers, and you can also do attack magic. I’m sure we’ll be able to challenge even more difficult requests.”

“──Ugh…!”

Lyla felt a despair that made cold sweat flow.

The fact that Gala was hiding something was not important to Albein.

A proper adventure after a long time.

The usefulness of Gala that was shown for a moment.

Plus, a beautiful woman.

Could this be called a blessing in disguise?

Albein’s head was full of the bright future of Gala joining his party.

“Well… since it’s the hero’s invitation, shall I think about it? I’m also getting tired of traveling alone….”

“Really?! Of course, I don’t intend to force you! I’ll be expecting a positive answer!”

Albein excitedly grabs Gala’s hand.

Lyla looked at the two of them, and naturally lowered her head.

`Ah.`

And Albein’s crotch, which was unnaturally enlarged, came into Lyla’s sight.

`Ah.`

──Disgusting.

001

The sun had passed its zenith and was slowly moving westward.

The light of the sunset coming in from outside the window enveloped the entire room.

A somewhat sad but warm, fading day’s feeling was also coming to the two.

Only the girl’s chattering never stopped in such a room, and laughter was sometimes heard.

“─Do you remember when Albein was tempted by the succubus? Cleon kicked his back with a dropkick to finally bring him back to his senses.”

Quon was talking to Cleon as if she were pouring out everything she had been holding back.

Then, Cleon listens to her story calmly without changing her expression.

Three years ago─ no, sometime two years ago, this sight was common.

Quon, who was still immature as an adventurer.

Because she was trying to show a mature side in front of Albein,

it was always Cleon, the senior member of the party, who listened to her stories.

“Honestly, both Lyla and I had a hard time holding back our laughter there…. What was even more spectacular was Albein shouting `Breasts!` as soon as he woke up from his stupor.”

“I was a little away from the group at that time because I had gone ahead, so I didn’t hear it…. Was that so.”

It seems that it happened while Cleon, who was capable of acting alone because they couldn’t proceed with the request with Albein stunned, had gone to find a safe place to rest.

Most of the stories that Quon tells are about Albein.

Albein’s failures.

Albein’s successes.

Her impressions of looking at Albein.

For her, Albein was a partner in fate and an inseparable existence.

Whether voluntarily or involuntarily.

“And he worked so hard to hide the monster capture tool that had fallen out of his pocket….”

“Succubi are demon-type. I told you before that you can’t catch them with monster capture tools.”

Teach him and he forgets after walking three steps.

It is the only shortcoming of Albein that Lyla and Cleon both agree on.

“That’s right, that’s right. And he bought such a ridiculously cheap one from somewhere that it broke on its own without even using it…”

In addition, he has gullible ears.

Is it confidence that he doesn’t think that others would dare to deceive him, the hero?

Even if he is deceived, he is absorbed in the role play of himself forgiving others and does not properly punish them.

“… … When I think about it, that was the last request that we completed while laughing happily.”

After that─ Albein’s recklessness became even stronger.

Was it to make up for his failure in the succubus subjugation request?

It was Cleon who barely kept Albein, whose momentum had become so severe that he did not look back at the party, in check.

As a senior member of the group, as a colleague.

She had been suppressing Albein, with whom she had spent a long time together.

That must have been unpleasant for Albein.

─As a result, the party came to a breakdown.

Thinking about it that way, it’s strange that Cleon and Quon are talking here now.

An awkward silence flowed between the two.

The position of the sun was lower than before.

Then. It’s time to leave now.

Cleon quietly got up from her seat.

“If you have a fever, go to sleep now.”

“…Yeah. I will. Thank you, Cleon. For coming today.”

Quon looked at the wet towel in her hand and quietly expressed her gratitude to Cleon.

But Cleon turns her body as soon as she hears those words.

“Stop it.”

“… …”

“I came here only because I was thinking of old times. Listening to your story was also to sort out my own feelings.”

Cleon’s back, which says so, was bigger than when Quon had seen it before.

Quon unknowingly turned her head away at the feeling of rejection that she felt from that back.

“It’s better not to tell Albein that I came here. Of course, I won’t say anything.”

“It’s okay. Albein has never come here once.”

“… …”

Cleon did not say anything to Quon’s tone, which seemed to be ridiculing her own situation.

She raised her hand to the doorknob.

“We won’t be meeting again.”

“──Huh?”

Quon couldn’t understand Cleon’s sudden words for a moment.

Of course, no one except Sasha expects Albein and Cleon to reunite.

But even so, if they are adventurers based in the same guild, they will have to face each other even if they don’t want to.

Cleon’s words were as if to deny even that possibility.

“I’m going to leave this city in the near future. I’ve already told the guild.”

“Wa, wait. When─”

“I don’t want to be caught by Albein and be ridiculed, so I won’t say it.”

Cleon also spat out as if ridiculing herself, like Quon a moment ago.

“That should be fine. I think I’ll end up fighting with him if I face him. I’m also going to go to a new place and start anew.”

“Cle, Cleon…”

“Goodbye. Quon. The time I spent with you guys…. I was able to see the light even a little. ──It was a time that made me, mistake it as such.”

With those words, Cleon left Quon’s room.

The speed at which the sun sets on an early spring night is similar to that of winter.

As the light of the quickly setting sun gradually leaves the room.

Only Quon, who was left alone in the darkness once again, remained.