episode_0074

“Whew…”

Eve quietly climbed the stairs and stepped out onto the upper-floor balcony.

As this was a special room on the top floor of the inn, it had a private rooftop.

It was the perfect place to collect herself, both physically and mentally.

The building was large, so the rooftop was quite spacious, and its height offered a clear view of the surroundings.

She walked past the flowerbeds lining the edge and threw herself onto a chair by the railing.

Thud-

Her strength seemed to ebb slightly. It wasn’t so much weariness as a primal instinct to rest before an adventure.

Mentally, though, she felt a bit defeated.

All because of the flawless Nari.

Despite being a mere noblewoman of the kingdom, Nari consistently showed abilities that surpassed Eve’s, despite Eve’s many adventures and the numerous dangers she had faced.

Just looking at their raw power, for example. While Eve’s power had already reached a certain level, Nari was clearly still growing. When her seemingly limitless power fully blossomed, she would undoubtedly become a legendary adventurer, a world-renowned hero.

And that wasn’t all. The wealth to effortlessly occupy a special room like this. The gaze that effortlessly captivated anyone, ultimately making them follow her.

Even… the constant stream of beautiful women in their prime who flocked around her for some reason.

No- actually, I kind of know why.

A strangely inscrutable, masculine charm radiated from Nari uncontrollably.

Especially earlier…

-Yeah. You smell good. Eve’s scent.

…She had definitely heard those words somewhere before. A memory she shouldn’t forget, didn’t want to forget, but that sometimes, when her heart ached too much, she wished she could forget.

It was similar to something her first love, and probably her last love, had said.

Foolish, sometimes frustrating, yet always captivating.

“…Enough.”

She shook her head, quickly dismissing her thoughts as she felt herself getting too sentimental.

Suddenly, the streets of Evermore came into view beyond the rooftop railing.

The afternoon sun seeped between the pointed roofs, and she squinted as the mellow sunlight poured from under the awnings.

Her gaze drifted downward, catching sight of the scene below.

The three of them, having finished their bath, were huddled together in their robes.

“…Time to go.”

Clutching her hair, which was being blown about by a sudden gust of wind, Eve descended to the lower floor.

* * *

Woooong-

We sat around a magical device emitting warm air, and I briefly explained our plans to Yuri and Nix.

“First, as you both know, this adventure will be with the adventurer party. We’ll coordinate in many areas, but fundamentally, you two are my priority.”

Bwaaaeee-

I looked at Nix, who was making sounds with her mouth open towards the emanating wind.

“Remember those spells we saw in the scroll shop? How much do you recall?”

“Ubebbebe-”

She opened her eyes, glanced around for a moment, and then looked at me.

“All of them.”

“What-”

“I memorized all of them. Should I write them down again?”

Seeing Nix confidently recite the spells she remembered, I was once again reminded that she was a top-tier spirit obsessed with knowledge.

“Then, I’ll call out the spells, and I want you to pay special attention to these ones—”

I ruffled her still-damp hair and gave her our party’s contingency plan – a simple covert operation to protect us.

This time, I called to Yuri, who was staring intently at us from the other side.

“How much food do we have?”

“Enough for four people for a week! I prepared plenty.”

She answered without hesitation. That meant she was well-prepared and confident.

I didn’t think the exploration would take a whole week. The upper levels would be complicated, but the middle and lower levels could be cleared with a show of strength.

However, since I didn’t know how it might extend, and it felt somewhat unfair to burden Yuri with just carrying food, I decided that she needs to take everything.

“Yes! I’m happy to be at least the pack mule.”

“Food is crucial. Naturally, packmules play an important role in our party.”

I stressed its importance twice. Then added one more thing.

“This time, there’s another reason.”

After instructing them not to acknowledge the Four Saints upon meeting them, I briefly explained my conversation with Eve.

“The Grey Wolves are currently starving. If a truly dangerous situation arises, just throw away the food bags.”

“But then—”

Interrupting Yuri’s surprised question, I pulled her into my arms.

“The most important thing is that you don’t get hurt.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll leave the decision to you.”

The dampness from our bath had evaporated.

After changing into dry clothes, I could feel my stomach demanding food.

“Let’s eat first!”

. . .

The inn had a separate dining room, and guests staying in special rooms were provided with a sumptuous meal.

But… I had momentarily forgotten something: the Empire’s culinary standards.

As soon as the first dish arrived, my nose started to revolt. My tongue denied reality.

Even though they had added spices to create at least a semblance of ‘taste,’ the pie with a whole fish head embedded was physiologically difficult to swallow.

“Food… we brought plenty…”

We ended up going back to our room and eating some preserved food.

How could it be that the simple dehydrated, compressed meat parts were far more palatable than the exquisitely prepared meals?

Eventually, we ate until we forgot what hunger felt like, and then packed our bags to return to the Adventurer’s Guild.

Clatter-

A carriage had driven ahead of us, and coincidentally, we encountered it again in front of the guild.

A woman who got out of the carriage looked our way and was startled.

“Hey- hey- you are…”

What’s with her?

The woman who followed immediately stood next to her with the same expression.

“Jo- Joey… could that be-”

“I- I think so-”

I quietly turned my head to see who they were looking at.

Eve stood there with a face like she’d just bitten into something awful.

The man who was the last to get out and was gathering his baggage also made eye contact with us.

Unlike the women, a flush rose on his face.

“…Long time no see.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Judging by their condition, I could quickly guess their identities.

Knowing that they were acquainted with Eve, there was no doubt that these were the Four Saints.

As if to prove it, Rif, who had been waiting inside, rushed out to greet us, more specifically, to greet his colleagues.

“Welcome! You must have had a rough journey.”

It was just two small parties, but together they created a kind of bustling atmosphere. Before things got too chaotic, I cut through the rising conversations.

“Let’s go up first? Standing here talking is a bit awkward.”

The man who seemed to be their leader readily agreed, deftly placating the disgruntled women.

“Joy, Lily. Don’t be like that. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“But, Leader-”

“That woman—”

It seemed that everyone had their complaints, and the reason was probably Eve.

I looked at her for an explanation, but she remained silent.

Is she guilty about something? The men in the Four Saints seemed reasonable, so I decided to discreetly ask them later when I had time.

The two women, Joy and Lily, seemed to quiet down like gentle lambs at the man Terrance’s simple “no more drama,” statement.

Ah, these guys seemed really reasonable.

. . .

“I had such high expectations because they’re strong. If I had known the opposing party had that woman in it, I would never have—”

“Shh.”

“…Yes.”

The occasional discord was easily resolved by Terrance.

The more I see him, the more this guy is starting to grow on me. I wanted to have an in-depth discussion with him later about things like training techniques,

Well, enough of that playful stuff.

The Four Saints and our party sat facing each other with the master room’s table in the middle.

With a serious look, I opened my mouth.

“Two things are wrong.”

“…What?”

Joy, the woman who had been whining like a spoiled brat— her staff indicated she was a caster. Meaning she was a scholar who delved into magic and other subjects.

It’s easier to deal with such people with logic.

“The mission we’ve accepted is to prevent the Dungeon Break. Countless lives are at stake.”

“…I know that much.”

“Yet you act like this? Are you going to ruin the whole mission just because you dislike one person?”

Grrr-

She frowned, seemingly now disliking me as well. But she couldn’t offer a counterargument.

“And second, the leader of our party is not Eve.”

“Wait, the leader is the strongest person-”

Joy, aiming at the loopholes in my words and focusing on them, tried to object, but her words were cut short.

I thought actions would be simpler to understand than speech, so I decided to raise the magical energy around me slightly to intimidate her.

“We don’t have an official party name yet… but nice to meet you. I am Narias, a Unique-ranked adventurer and leader.”

Joy’s face turned pale in shock and Lily facepalmed. Terrance just smiled saying he had expected that and shook my hand.

“You already know Eve… this is Nix and Yuri.”

Yuri waved with a bright smile, while Nix stuck out her tongue and squinted.

“With four beautiful women, I don’t know where to look.”

Ignoring their protestant words, specifically hers, and blatant flirtation, I laughed heartily.

“Hee-hee, they’re all mine, so don’t touch them, okay?”

“Just a joke, haha-”

The more I see him, the more I like him. For the first time, it felt like I’d found a kindred spirit (?).

We shook hands, our grip firm, and quickly moved on to the main topic.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s review the strategy.”