episode_0082

Fortunately, truly fortunately, the age standard for Lizardman was a little different from that of humans.

Kikel explained to us that Lizardmen’s lifespan is long, around seventy years, and typically only about sixty years or so.

So, at fourteen, one would already be treated as a respectable adult?

“Oh, I see.”

Thanks to that, I could barely avoid being labeled as a parasite who pushed a fourteen-year-old boy into the battlefield.

The fact that I had lived for 14 years remained unchanged, but from Lizardman’s perspective, it was merely an encouragement for an adult-like task to be given to an adult.

In Lizardman culture, he was definitely an adult, so not giving tasks by saying “You are a minor” would actually be a form of racial discrimination, wouldn’t it?

So, I am innocent.

“Phew… What am I thinking?”

Thus, I could breathe a sigh of relief and even manage a smile.

Ultimately, I shoved the voice of conscience that said, “Isn’t fourteen the right age?” deep into a drawer and sewed it shut.

“If he’s considered an adult by Lizardman standards… well, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Thank goodness, really. I almost became the worst of the worst, rolling in juvenile delinquency. I should be grateful for the fact that Lizardmen have a short lifespan.

“Huh?”

Wait a minute. The expression seems a bit strange.

If I’m thankful for not living long, it makes me feel like complete trash, doesn’t it…?

…It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.

You know what a misunderstanding is, right? Everyone should know that I wouldn’t say something like that. There’s no way I’d be that much of a waste.

It’s hard to deny the reputation of being thick-skinned or having a narrow conscience, but at least my character hasn’t twisted to that extent.

Like a lawyer on the verge of bankruptcy, I fiercely crafted an argument in my head that no one would hear.

That was close. If I hadn’t been careful with my words, I would have become trash in no time.

It’s a great relief that I didn’t blurt out a thank-you like a joke; if I had said it carelessly, I would have completely ruined the party atmosphere.

◆◆

“It feels a bit weird to call you ‘nuna.’ It might attract too much attention. So just call me by my name.”

After receiving an acquittal from the judge in my head through a desperate argument, I offered Kikel a response to call me by name instead of the title “nuna.”

Unusual scenes always attract excessive attention.

If a monstrous lizardman with a large build called me “nuna” and followed me around, it seemed inevitable that all the people around would focus their attention on me.

“Do you dislike the attention?”

“It’s not exactly pleasant.”

Living in hiding and concealing my identity, why would I welcome other people’s attention?

“So, why become an adventurer?”

“……”

If you don’t know the circumstances, it’s a question that naturally comes up. The profession of an adventurer is one that thrives on power and fame. The more attention one receives from others, the easier it is to succeed.

Just look at the Eunpa adventurers who use all means to advertise themselves, subtly boasting about their achievements and self-made titles to poets, or dressing distinctively to catch the eye.

Or, shouting their own name loudly every time they fight in front of others.

Honestly, it seems a bit tacky… but in this line of work, it meant that the power of reputation was equally important.

If one receives attention from others, one should be pleased regardless of its nature. If you find it burdensome, then becoming successful as an adventurer might be out of the question.

So, for someone like me who finds receiving attention difficult, the profession of an adventurer seems rather unlikely…

“…I had no choice. There was nothing else I could do besides this.”

What can I do? In my position, this is the only job available to me.

If I had a valid identification, I wouldn’t have ended up working in such an extreme 3D occupation where being a seed of interest is advantageous.

However, for a woman without any proper credentials, ultimately there’s nothing else she can do but use her body.

Whether stabbing people in dungeons or being stabbed by others in taverns.

Given the choice between being a prostitute or an adventurer… unless you’re insane, there’s no way you’d choose the former, right?

“Kak-kak! It’s hard to understand! But I get it! I’ll keep calling you as I do now!”

There was nothing else to do, so I chose to be an adventurer, though it didn’t sit well with me.

Kikel chuckled, finding it hard to understand, but without further questioning, he nodded as if to say he would do as I wished.

“Alright. Thanks, Kikel.”

The age issue that had caused a great shock in my mind regarding Kikel was settled for the time being.

◆◆

Anyway, after that day, we visited the guild every day, accepting and completing various requests.

If Heid had already left the city, I would have tried to work more leisurely, but the receptionist said Heid hadn’t shown up yet.

He should have arrived in Vesperia by now, but did some incident occur in the neighboring city, causing him to stay there temporarily?

When I heard the name of that city was Felmia, it sent shivers down my spine.

I felt like I was walking into the tiger’s den on my own two feet.

Really, it’s a good thing Freide opposed my opinion; if I had stubbornly pushed to cross the gates of Felmia, I might have ended up being born again as Heid’s faithful slave by now.

Just the thought of it was chilling.

Anyway, after hearing this, I decided to leave all the request choices to my party members, just as they had suggested.

It seemed right to me.

Had I lost confidence in making choices? The decision to avoid Heid was actually a move toward him, so what’s the point?

Moreover, surprisingly, we smoothly continued to achieve uneventful success with each request we took on.

It was truly unbelievably smooth.

So what can I do?

I humbly acknowledge that I have a talent for choosing the worst options and can only unconditionally accept my comrades’ choices.

◆◆

“Erm…!”

Freide’s chosen quest to conquer a 7-story dungeon.

As we broke through hordes of goblins and wolves, and even goblins riding atop wolves, we were greeted at the lowest level by a huge monster resembling a bull with deeply sunken horns and gray fur.

The size was quite impressive, like an elephant. I wonder how many kilograms of beef we could get if we butchered it.

“It’s a Bonakon.”

Amy unfolded the grimoire she had been holding, revealing the monster’s name that she knew well. Freide and I stepped forward, each drawing our weapons to protect her.

“Bonakon?”

“It’s a monster slightly stronger than a White. It attacks by headbutting its opponents or spewing acidic excrement… so be careful if you get hit by it.”

What a filthy creature. Is it a monster that spews acidic excrement like a water cannon? In short, it’s a marine corps’ nightmare.

“Excrement, excrement… Ugh, disgusting… Can you put up a good barrier…?”

I’d rather be swept away by flames than be hit by acidic excrement, Freide said, glaring at the Bonakon with a disgusted look on her face.

“I can see what you’re doing.”

Amy chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. She would immediately cast a defensive spell if there was no way to avoid being hit, despite saying so.

“Can we eat that?”

Kel, who was at the front, licked his lips slightly and eyed the Bonakon as if it were prey.

Eyes longing for a beef steak. If it were a typical monster, they probably wouldn’t have thought about eating it, but it was clearly a giant bull itself.

From Kel’s perspective, the monster in front of him seemed to be equivalent to a super-sized sirloin and tenderloin. Since I had entertained similar thoughts, I couldn’t say anything.

“It’s a shame, but it might be difficult, right? Even if it resembles livestock, a monster is still a monster. I heard that if you don’t go through a special cooking process, your stomach could be in trouble.”

It seems like you’d be heading straight to the afterlife if you ate it raw or just roughly cooked.

Well, it only looks like a cow but is definitely a monster that spews acidic excrement, so could the meat inside the hide be okay?

“Special? What’s that? I demand an answer!”

“How would I know? I’m not a monster chef.”

“Kishaah….”

Kel let out a disappointed sigh and lightly tapped the ground with the grand spear he had borrowed under the pretext of lending from Belita.

It’s too valuable to sell, and it’s a weapon that’s cumbersome to use directly. It was best to lend it to him.

“Ummmmmm!”

Anyway, whether it was considered a threatening gesture or just scanning us, the Bonakon roared loudly and charged at us as if searching.

“Kikel! Can you handle it?”

“It’s iffy! I might get pushed back a bit!”

Kikel asserted by thumping the surface of the kite shield. He could block it, but he might be pushed back a bit.

That should be enough.

“Okay, Freide! Take the left! Amy, prepare for defense just in case!”

“Yes!”

“Got it.”

After giving brief instructions to the other two, I darted in the opposite direction of Freide. Planning to target both sides simultaneously.

Kugugugugu!

The dungeon floor trembled with a heavy vibration. It was inevitable. A body as big as an elephant was charging at us like an enraged bull.

“Ummmmmm!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

Bonakon and Kikel snarled fiercely at each other.

With their ferocious faces contorted, screaming, it was hard to distinguish who the monster really was.

“Here it comes!”

Probably meaning ‘come!’ Kikel added a resolute shout to his roar, jamming the droplet-shaped shield into the ground and lowering his posture.

Gripping the explosion lance with his tail, both arms firmly supported the rear of the shield.

Finally.

– Kwaahhh!

Amidst the crashing sound reverberating through the huge stone chamber where we stood, Kikel, who had blocked Bonakon’s charge with the shield, scraped the ground along with the shield and was pushed back.

“Ummmmph!”

“Kyaaah…! Why can’t I eat you!”

Despite his face contorting from the impact, Kikel steadfastly withstood Bonakon’s charge, gradually bringing it to a halt.

“Now!”

“Yes!”

At that moment, Freide and I plunged into the sides of Bonakon, striking with the greatsword and longsword like lightning.

“Haaaah!”

“Eiht-!”

I thrust the sword towards where its heart would be, and Freide leaped slightly, bringing down her sword like an executioner’s axe on its spine.

“Ummmmph!”

Bonak, feeling threatened, kicked sideways and slammed his buttocks toward Prede as if to jump away.

Prede’s face contorted sharply at the rare experience of directly observing the monster’s emission. Disgusting.

…Ah, is it not a situation to express discomfort? A situation to turn acidic excrement back in its original direction?

Well, I guess that could have happened if Amy wasn’t there.

“Magicae Obice!”

Just before Bonak was about to release something from his buttocks, a dazzling beam of light shot towards Prede with a resounding voice.

A magical barrier. The translucent shield created by Amy protected Prede’s physical body from the horrendous attack that followed.

“Ugh…!”

It seems it didn’t protect her mental health, though.

“No, what’s that smell…!”

In fact, I felt like my mind would take a considerable blow too.

I wasn’t going to be hit by Bonak’s attack since I was on the opposite side of Prede, but the intense visual and the smell were clearly transmitted to me as well.

Ugh, I’ve had enough for today, seriously.

Suppressing the feeling that I was about to vomit, I thrust the black iron longsword of anger into the heart of the bastard.

“Mwaaaaaah!”

“Close your butt!”

Before Bonak could twist his body in agony and scream, I raised the strength of my sword and cleaved his heart and collarbone.

“Mmuggererugh….”

Becoming a half-split lump of flesh, Bonak foamed at the mouth, then collapsed heavily onto the excrement he had just expelled, convulsing.

“No, even when falling…!”

“Heeeek!”

Anticipating what might happen, both Prede and I desperately jumped back, repulsed by the sight of him.

“Get out!”

Kikel also fled backwards in desperation.

Kuuuuung!

Immediately after, the creature’s body collided with the ground, creating small wave-like ripples. I managed to avoid being swept up in the waves, but just seeing it made my stomach churn, feeling like I was about to vomit.