Chapter 17: Return #1

Chapter 17: Return #1

The Ratman Shaman’s red eyes moved slowly.

It saw me, who had landed at its feet.

It saw the clean cut from its neck to its chest, a sword mark.

And then, its eyes flickered once more…

And lost their light.

The Ratman Shaman’s massive body collapsed.

「Defeated the boss of the Underground Waterway, the Ratman Shaman.」

Sigh. That was damn hard.

It didn’t go as smoothly as planned, but we won anyway.

“Estel…!”

Flora covered her mouth, unable to finish her sentence.

Her face was a mixture of joy and surprise.

“Senior, just a moment.”

My mana was completely depleted, and my body trembled precariously as if I would collapse, but I held my ground, putting strength into my legs.

Even when it’s tough, I have to clean up the aftermath properly.

I approached the entrance where the Magic Shield was faintly disappearing and tore a scroll.

「Used Scroll of Fear.」

Dark mist rose from the scroll, forming an indescribably terrifying shape.

The Ratmen gathered at the entrance of the room, saw the shape, and fled in terror.

Having witnessed their leader, the Shaman, being brutally slain, and with the added effect of the Scroll of Fear, they won’t dare to attack us for a while.

“Ah, that was exhausting.”

Finally, all the strength left my body, and I collapsed forward, still standing.

Thump.

Flora quickly caught me before I hit the ground.

“Senior, can I sleep for a bit?”

I mumbled in a languid voice.

Perhaps it’s the sense of accomplishment from what I’ve done?

I feel like indulging in some childishness.

I’m not usually like this.

“You worked hard. Get some good rest.”

Flora whispered in a warm voice and stroked my head.

Normally, I would have rejected being treated like a child, but now, I don’t dislike that touch.

‘Just a little nap…’

However, something caught my eye in the corner of my darkening vision.

Oh, that.

What is that…?

Shit, wait a minute!

“Senior, shit, that, that!”

“Why?”

I sprang up and crawled on all fours towards the Ratman Shaman’s corpse.

A blue flame flickered over the Shaman’s body.

It’s a spirit.

A jackpot reward with a 5% chance.

Crawling like a dog, I immediately reached for the spirit.

I have to eat it before it disappears. Even if a meteor falls from the sky, I must eat the spirit.

‘Is my Luck stat high?’

I got spirits twice in a row from defeating bosses.

Was Estel actually a lucky person?

There’s no way to check hidden stats in the game, but I have a feeling that might be the case.

「Acquired Ratman Shaman’s Spirit.」

「Ratman Shaman’s Spirit is converted into a spirit item.」

It’s a bit disappointing that the “Wild Release” skill didn’t appear, but it’s still good that I got an item.

I picked up a small green ring.

「Fading Life

-Accessory Item

-Increases melee and magic attack power when equipped.

-A ring imbued with the sinister malice of the Ratman Shaman. It is shaped like a snake biting its own tail. To use this ring properly, a sufficient amount of antidote will be required.

-Additional Options: 「Poison」 「Painful Sacrifice」」

「Poison

-On melee hit, there is a certain chance to poison the enemy.」

「Painful Sacrifice

-Poisons the user and increases all damage dealt to enemies. The longer the duration of poisoning, the greater the damage increase.」

Although its abilities are somewhat skewed towards offense, it’s still a very useful spirit item.

It’s good to use now, and it’s also good to sell later.

‘This is why I do dungeons.’

My body is weary from the dungeon exploration of the past few days, but I’m very satisfied because I have reaped the rewards.

Only then did I close my eyes.

I feel like I’m floating on clouds. I have a feeling I’ll have a very good dream if I sleep now.

***

The air outside, which I’m breathing for the first time in a while, is truly refreshing.

We emerged from the underground waterway and returned to the frontier.

The first thing we did was to dispose of the spoils of war.

My bag was full of by-products from giant rats and Ratmen, and it smelled faintly of them, so there was no choice.

“We’re rich!”

Flora said, holding a handful of gold coins in each hand, her face beaming with a smile.

The total amount of money obtained from selling the spoils was 23,600 gold.

It was worth enduring the nausea to cut and slice the rat corpses.

In addition, we collected 640 magic stones.

It’s quite a satisfying haul for our first hunt.

“Senior, but don’t brag about it so loudly.”

“Why?”

“If you flaunt your wealth in the frontier, you’re likely to become a target for robbers. There’s no need to unnecessarily announce to others that you have a lot of money.”

“Eek, really?”

Flora’s eyes widened when she heard my words.

Flora carefully put the gold coins she was holding into her bag and suddenly became hunched over, nervously glancing at her surroundings.

For some reason, her posture was awkwardly bent, making her look like she was imitating a Ratman.

“⋯You don’t need to be that scared. I mean, why are you so extreme? Just act normally, as you always do.”

“Understood…”

Flora straightened her back again. However, her expression was still awkwardly stiff.

“More importantly, about the distribution.”

I cleared my throat and got down to the important business.

There are countless adventurer parties in the world, but many end badly despite their heroic achievements.

The most common cause of discord among party members is problems related to the distribution of spoils.

At first, everyone says they’ll share fairly, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.

How should it be divided fairly? When it comes to actual distribution, opinions diverge.

Some parties simply divide the spoils equally into N parts without complex calculations…

But even then, dissatisfaction builds.

Some might feel they are doing the work of two or three people in the party, while others are doing less than one person’s worth.

“Senior, I’ve been thinking. I think we should basically split it half and half, but…”

“Ah, let’s do it 2:1. Of course, Estel gets 2. How about that?”

Huh?

I stopped what I was about to say and stared blankly at Flora.

What I had initially thought was a 50/50 split.

And since I did more work in collecting by-products and hunting the boss, I intended to claim a larger share for that.

“I’d like that, but… is that okay?”

“Of course. Our party can’t function without you, Estel. I’ll follow whatever you say.”

The conversation ended more smoothly than I expected.

Moreover, Flora readily gave me the spirit item.

“I think you’ll find it more useful than I will.”

That’s true, of course.

It is true, but…

I had intended to persuade Flora to let me have at least the ring, but there was no need.

Is this girl an idiot, or a pushover?

“Then, please take care of our next hunt as well.”

After finishing the distribution, Flora bowed her head.

I see.

Only then did I realize. She’s not a fool at all.

She noticed.

She realized I’m the bus driver.

If she doesn’t offend me and rides along nicely, she’ll be safely taken to her destination.

She probably judged that it’s more advantageous to hunt together in the future, rather than pursuing a small immediate gain.

‘She’s quite clever.’

It’s not bad for me either.

I don’t have to argue about loot distribution.

Flora is a helpful party member at least for now.

There will probably come a time when we have to part ways, but for now, we can go together.

“Excuse me, Estel. What should we do now?”

“Well… perhaps we should each prepare and rest, then meet again?”

“Then, shall we go wash up first?”

Flora said, her eyes shining.

“I didn’t realize it when we were underground, but now that we’re outside, I can tell. We smell terrible. It would be nice to soak in hot water and wash up properly. What do you think?”

“Uh…?”

For a moment, I couldn’t find words to respond and just swallowed.

What Flora said is perfectly reasonable.

We should wash.

I had been feeling it too since earlier.

After rolling around in that filthy underground waterway for days, my body must reek of filth.

However, there’s a reason why I can’t readily accept Flora’s suggestion.

A reason I can’t possibly explain to Flora.

‘Why are we washing together again? …No, from her perspective, it’s a perfectly reasonable thing to say. Because we’re both girls? But still.’

Flora’s suggestion, born of pure goodwill, hoping to become closer as comrades, but…

I was engulfed in serious contemplation.

Even though she’s a girl… I’m actually a guy.

But even so, I’m still a girl right now, so maybe it’s okay?

No, but even if I deceive heaven and earth, I can’t deceive myself.

It’s ethically wrong. Even Confucius would curse this.

But then again, what the hell? Just close my eyes and do it once.

Honestly, I’m curious too… If not now, then when-

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in just a few seconds.

And the conclusion I reached was…

“I-I don’t want to wash…”

“Yes?”

“You wash by yourself, senior!”

The choice of a coward.

It was to run away.

***

Inside a hidden secret room in the Lich’s mansion.

A man and a woman stand here.

Anna, a beauty with charmingly upturned eyes.

Eden, a man with a gentle smile but a somewhat chilling aura.

They have many titles attached to them.

However, the most famous among them would be-

Indeed, “Companions of the Hero.”

“It’s gone.”

Anna said in a playful tone.

“Lich, where did you go? Did you die?”

The “Ancient Magic Restraint Device” was a creation of Anna’s skill.

The concept was an eternal prison.

She herself was quite confident that it was well-made, but…

The Lich, who should have been perfectly confined there, was nowhere to be found.

Maliciously.

“Ms. Anna, the Lich does not die.”

Eden said, adjusting his glasses.

“It’s more accurate to say it escaped.”

“Huh? How? That doesn’t make sense.”

“A being that endlessly revives is also nonsensical. There must have been some escape method we don’t know about.”

Anna pouted and idly tapped the restraint device.

As if the restraint device had done something wrong.

Eden scanned the secret room with a sharp gaze.

“More importantly, how it escaped is no longer important. Where is the Lich now? We need to find that out.”

“But even if it escaped, it’s nothing special now, right? In its current state, it can’t even handle a wild boar.”

“That would be true.”

Eden carefully examined the floor.

Amidst the thick layer of dust, there were drag marks.

Eden traced the disturbed dust marks like a skilled detective.

“That’s why we need to capture it again while it’s weak. If we let it regain its strength, it’ll become a problem.”

“Ugh, how annoying. I don’t care. I’m not interested. Chasing after a weak Lich’s tail is not fun at all.”

Anna, who had been following with her head tilted and a crooked gait, finally began to complain.

Although she’s considered the greatest genius among mages and the youngest Tower Master of the Fire School’s magic tower…

She always acts on impulse and cannot stand boredom for even a second.

For Anna, she has endured quite a long time.

“Anyway, Michael will handle it. He’s such a great Hero, so a Lich is nothing, right? Honestly, I think this is all just a fuss.”

“⋯If you don’t feel like it, you can return first, Ms. Anna.”

Eden stood up and brushed the dust off his priestly robe.

“Ah, is that okay?”

Anna asked with delight.

“I will stay and search the mansion surroundings further. As you said, the current Lich is nothing special, so I should be able to subdue it alone. Will you come to pick me up later when I contact you?”

“Sure. Take care-“

Anna quickly used magic before Eden could change his mind.

「Long-Distance Controlled Teleportation」.

The pinnacle of teleportation magic, crossing mountains and seas to instantly move to the opposite side of the continent.

There are fewer than ten mages on the entire continent who can use this high-level magic.

“Hmm.”

Eden watched for a moment as Anna, enveloped in a magic circle, disappeared.

The companion who had been chattering noisily was gone, and silence returned.

The quiet and stillness that Eden cherished the most.

Eden smiled faintly, as he always did,

and patiently began to track the Lich’s footsteps again.