by Fujino Omori
“I agree. But how?”
“If Mr. Bell cuts open the thin part of its chest, that will be enough. The magic stone is in there, anyway. Lilly will take it from there.”
“I gotcha. So…”
“Here, Mr. Bell.”
“Eh…Ah, okay.”
Bell took the knife that Lilly handed to him. He was about to draw the Hestia Knife, but Lilly’s knife would work. Bell walked over to the killer ant, the lower half of its body still inside the wall. Grabbing the thick skin on the monster’s upper body, he lined up Lilly’s knife with the thin area between the killer ant’s upper and lower body.
Hmm…This knife is really hard to use…
Bell stood on his tiptoes as he fought with the shell-like skin, struggling to cut it open.
He was completely focused on cutting the ant open, never once looking behind him.
With his arms up and in front of him, his sides and back were completely open and defenseless.
“Huh?”
Something didn’t feel right. A shock ran through his brain.
His head flipped around.
“Have you finished?”
Lilly was standing right beside him, looking up at the ant’s body with big eyes and standing as tall as she could.
Bell blinked his wide eyes a few times and chuckled to himself. He held out his hand, gesturing. “Just a moment.”
Bell finally guided the small blade to the top of the killer ant’s chest. Lilly quickly moved in to claim the stone.
“Well then, shall we call it a day, Mr. Bell?”
“Eh? Already? I can keep going, no problem.”
“No no, you’re being overconfident. Today, Mr. Bell has slain many purple moths, a monster that spreads poisonous wing-scales during battle. The effects are not immediate, but if you breathe in too much, your body will be poisoned.”
“N-no way!”
“It’s true. Lilly was careless and forgot to buy more antidotes…Lilly suggests going back to Babel Tower for treatment.”
As soon as Lilly finished speaking, Bell remembered Eina saying that he should be aware of where he was while battling moth-type monsters. Bell put his hand to his head with a small gasp and agreed with Lilly’s proposal.
“What is being poisoned like…? Wait, when do the symptoms show up? I’ll need all of my strength to slay monsters, otherwise…”
“There is no problem, Mr. Bell. Lilly knows a fast way to get back to Babel without having to fight any monsters.”
“Y-you do?”
Lilly nodded her head in a resounding “yes” and pointed toward the exit of the room. A group of adventurers stood just outside the archway. They turned and left upon seeing that Bell and Lilly had already slain all of the monsters within.
“If we trace the path of other strong adventurers, there won’t be any monsters. They prowl the Dungeon for monsters…I mean, dropped items and magic stones, right?”
“Oh, I see.”
“Even if monsters come out, we can just hide in the shadow of another party and they will take care of them for us. The idea is to choose a path with people, and we can avoid all battles.”
Usually, Bell would avoid adventurers from other Familias to prevent any difficult situations from happening. But in times like this, it might be the best option.
This was a good way to get out of a bad situation, if they could pull it off.
“Many honorable adventurers are in the Dungeon at this time of day. If Mr. Bell sticks close to Lilly, he won’t have to use his weapon even once.”
Lilly looked up at Bell with one of her big smiles, and he was struck by just how reliable the girl was.
“Lilly, you really are amazing. You are a ‘supporter’ for a reason: I can count on you.”
“Mr. Bell will learn many things too with experience. Now, let’s get moving!”
Lilly snatched Bell’s hand and half pulled him out of the room. Following the footprints on the dungeon floor, they ran past a few groups of adventurers on their way to the top. Whenever a monster showed up, they were always close to the battle party. Lilly’s instincts were spot-on.
She was so efficient, it was almost as if she had done this hundreds of times.
“Mr. Bell, Mr. Bell. About today’s payment…”
“Well, you have helped me out a lot. So I think we should split it fifty-fifty…”
“All magic stones and dropped items collected today are yours, Mr. Bell. May your wallet be warm tonight.”
“What?! But that leaves you nothing! Didn’t you say you wanted at least thirty percent?!”
“Your trust is worth much more to Lilly. Today was a day for Mr. Bell to learn about Lilly, and think of this as a thank-you gift.”
“To…learn about you?”
“Everyone gets this trial day, not just you, Mr. Bell.”
So today was just a test for Lilly. Bell didn’t feel right about it at all.
Bell blushed as he looked at the girl, wanting to apologize.
“…Besides, everything else is a parting gift.”
A strong breeze blew through the lobby and carried her words with it.
“…? Did you say something, Lilly?”
“No, nothing at all, Mr. Bell. If it’s okay with you, please hire Lilly in the future!”
“Sure, I’ll think about it and come back with a good answer.”
Lilly turned and ran, but looked back over her shoulder and waved at Bell.
“Please do! Lilly is always in Babel, so you can always find me! Lilly’s not going anywhere, so take your time!”
The girl was grinning from ear to ear.
“Aah, another Familia’s supporter…”
“So, this wasn’t a good idea after all?”
I’m in the very familiar counseling room at the Guild main office, talking with Eina about Lilly. After visiting the medical facilities (they cost money, by the way) and the Exchange, I’d hurried straight here.
It sounds sad, but I don’t think I can make a good decision about something like this on my own.
The best way to solve this is to get another’s opinion, and who better to ask than Eina?
“I know you are concerned about a problem between Familias, but there have been plenty of cases of both sides benefiting from a healthy and respectable contract…Bell, what do you think of this girl, Lilliluka?”
“Well, she’s a good girl…and her skills as a supporter are very high.”
I think back to what I saw her do in the Dungeon. She’d made a good impression on me.
On top of that was her situation…I felt so sorry for her I couldn’t just ignore her.
I know it’s not good to do something just out of pity, but still…
I’m pretty sure that she wasn’t lying when she told me about how her Familia has been treating her, ignoring her. My gut feeling is she was telling the truth.
“Do you know what Familia she belongs to?”
“She said she’s a member of Soma Familia.”
“Soma Familia, huh…I can’t strongly support or oppose that one.”
“Um…Ms. Eina? What kind of Familia are they?”
She says, “Wait a moment,” as she pulls out a large file from the desk that was already prepared and opens it in front of her. Eina pulls a pair of glasses out of her pocket and with a quick flick of the wrist and a light click, she slides them over her eyes in one fluid motion.
It seems like she isn’t just going to give me her opinion, but some accurate public information as well.
“Looks like Soma Familia is your model dungeon-prowling Familia. They are a little different from other Familias in that they also dabble in the retail industry.”
“Retail? What are they selling?”
“They sell wine.”
“Wine…?”
“Yes. They don’t supply very much product to stores and marketplaces, but I hear the taste is extraordinary. Apparently there is a very high demand in Orario.”
S
he keeps on talking, adding that with a product like that, they shouldn’t even need to go into the Dungeon.
Since danger always follows adventurers, the best thing for gods to do when they make a Familia is to go into a safe industry. Sure, it’s a gamble to go into retail, but relying on adventurers for money is like walking on a suspension bridge that can be cut at any moment. Adventurers brush shoulders with death every day.
On the other hand, adventurers change everything. If the god is not afraid of the high-risk, high-return atmosphere of the Labyrinth City Orario, then adventurers are the best way to strike it rich in a hurry.
“That Familia is in the middle of the pack in terms of strength. No one stands out above the rest, but everyone has above average power. Whoa…They have quite a few members, too. I had no idea.”
“So if they have a lot of members, then that means…”
“Their god, Soma, has a good following. I haven’t heard anything good or bad about that god at all, though…”
“Um…the girl, Lilly, said this to me, but is it true that the god Soma doesn’t interact with any other gods or goddesses?”
“I would actually say he is rather famous for that. It feels strange to say that a god stays apart from this world, but that really is him. He’s never attended one of the other gods’ Celebrations, nor has he responded to social calls. It’s a challenge finding someone who has even seen him.”
Well, that’s…an extreme case.
Didn’t Lilly say that Soma never talks to other gods and goddesses?
And then Eina said that she couldn’t strongly support or oppose my involvement based on this Familia. Must be because they’re safe—too safe, even. They aren’t on “friendly” terms with any other Familiar, but they’re not on “bad” terms with anyone else, either…
“There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the Familia itself…just.”
“Just?”
Eina furrows her brow like she’s deep in thought, but makes up her mind and starts talking.
“This is just my opinion, but the members of Soma Familia seem different from members of other Familias. Fighting among one another, almost like they’re frantic…”
“……”
“They don’t seem like ‘live fast, die young’ types, but…I don’t know how to describe them. At any rate, every single member of that Familia seems desperate, somehow.”
Eina’s face looked troubled as she spoke. I could only listen and wonder.
But as I hear all of this, I kind of feel like I can see how Lilly’s circumstances turned out that way…
“For now, I will give my support in hiring that girl as a supporter.”
“Eh? Is it all right?”
“Yes. Surely there are a few questionable things about Soma Familia, but I think the problems between Familia members that you’ve been worried about won’t happen. I’m basing that on Soma himself.”
Lilly said the same thing.
“As long as you are careful around other members, you should be fine. And personally, I’d prefer that you form a party with a supporter rather than going solo, so I’d encourage you to hire her.”
“Ms. Eina…”
“After that, it’s up to you. You’ll have to take responsibility for whatever you decide.”
…Isn’t that obvious?
Waiting for someone else’s permission to interact with Lilly would be rather rude to her. I have to make a decision myself now. I need to relax, get my thoughts together, and make a final call.
“One more thing. I looked around to see if I could find a free supporter for you, but I couldn’t find anyone. I knew of a few, but all of them entered a Familia very recently.”
Eina forces a smile and says, “I’m sorry about that.” We’ve talked about me hiring a supporter before; she must have been thinking about that since then.
“Must be that Free people don’t usually want to set foot in the Dungeon. Their income depends entirely on who they make their contract with, and it’s very dangerous. There have to be safer, higher paying jobs all over the place.”
A “Free” person is someone who doesn’t belong to a Familia. This goes without saying, but they don’t have Falna—the mark of a god’s blessing—or a Status. They’re no stronger than townsfolk.
There are some races like the naturally powerful dwarves or the magically adept elves that can fight monsters on their own, though, so I don’t want to say all Free people are powerless.
As all my thoughts come together, something Lilly said pops back into my mind.
“Ms. Eina. Do adventurers look down on supporters?”
“…In a way, yes. Full-time supporters are not very highly respected. I’m sure you can figure out the reason why…”
We just carry the bags. Lilly’s voice runs through my head.
Is that really true? I’ve always admired adventurers, but now I feel kind of disappointed in them.
“Normally, adventurers who aren’t powerful become supporters. Most Familias delegate their weaker members to the role of supporter, even if they level up.”
But in that case, it’s a way for weaker adventurers to go deeper into the Dungeon and learn. By carrying the bags and accompanying their stronger peers, they can see both high-level monsters and advanced combat techniques up close and personal.
“It’s not like everyone who receives Falna will keep getting stronger without a limit. It depends on what that person is made of, if they can stand in front of a monster and not crumble under the pressure. In fact, it’s quite common that an adventurer who can slay weaker monsters all day can’t lay a finger on anything after that.”
“……”
“The fact is that these weaker adventurers become support specialists…So, yes, they’re an easy target for discrimination.”
The mood in here is getting heavy. Eina’s face tells me everything I need to know about her thoughts on the matter; she doesn’t like it at all. I don’t think she likes talking about it, either.
But it’s all coming together now. This explains why Lilly was so humble—she was labeled a “weak supporter” by those around her. So she stays away from her Familia. Everyone.
……I hate this.
Just what the hell is this feeling? It’s not even my problem, but I can’t sit still or calm down.
Resisting the urge to yank out my hair, I do my best to pull myself together and stand up from the chair.
I would have been lost in thought for hours if I sat still.
“Thank you, Ms. Eina. I will think about what you said and make a decision.”
“It’s no problem. You can see me anytime, so when you have something like this on your mind, come and talk with me. Okay?”
She gives me a nice smile. I bow one more time in thanks.
Standing back up, I lightly turn to face the door.
“Um…Bell?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“What happened to your knife?”
“Eh?” I’m still lost in thought, so my reply sounds kind of stupid.
Eina is now halfway out of her chair, her face filled with worry and her eyes on my lower back.
“Knife…?”
I reach around my back.
My dagger, there.
Pouch for magic stones, there.
Divine Knife, there.
…But only the sheath.
“………”
There is only dry air where the handle should be.
Sssss…Blood drains from my face at an alarming speed.
Eina watches as I frantically pat down my body, mouthing the words “It can’t be…”
The Divine Knife is…gone.
My face turns blue.
“…I dropped it?!”
The thief continued on through the backstreets.
The overall atmosphere back here was completely different from the big shops and bright colors of Main Street.
Looking up, the thief saw only a long strip of the sky was
visible between long brick houses. The bottoms of the clouds were dyed orange by the evening sun’s weak light. The day was ending. A group of cats gathered around a shabby garbage dump, their golden eyes all pointing this way. Nyaaaa-nnn. They all scattered at the thief’s approach.
Thump, thump, thump. The echoes of small feet bounced down the alleyway.
The thief ran through streets even more complex than the Dungeon itself, entirely certain of the destination. After turning many corners, the thief found the looked-for building.
An ancient dwelling stood in the middle of a small clearing. The thief didn’t know whether it actually was ancient or not, but it certainly had that feel.
A dusty, hard-to-read sign could be seen above the one-story wooden house.
The thief opened the door and entered, causing a sad little bell to ring.
“Ooh, it’s you, my friend.”
“I have some business.”
A completely bald gnome with a white beard looked up from a newspaper. He was wearing a red hat, but the thief knew he had no hair. Without a word, the thief set a knife on the counter.
“You’ve brought me somethin’ strange again today, I see…”
Adjusting his glasses and thoroughly inspecting the blade, the master of the shop said, “Back in a jiffy,” and left the counter. His round head disappeared into the back of the shop—a space filled with hundreds of antiques. Looking around, the thief saw there were many breathtaking jewels lined up in a glass case.
The gnome was very quick to return.
His face seemed surprisingly sour.
“Just what is this? Did you pick it up at the garbage pile on your way here?”
“Huh—?”
“The blade won’t cut, stab, or slice. And it has no special attributes to it at all. And…I don’t know how to put it, but…this blade feels…dead.”
Placing the weapon back on the counter, the old gnome scratched his white beard for a moment before saying, “This is trash, nothing more. This is unusual for you, my friend. Bringin’ somethin’ like this to me.”
“W-wait a minute! That can’t be right…!”
“Even so, I can’t show this to my regulars…If you still want to sell it, it’d make a fine decoration. How’s thirty vals sound?”
“I…I’ll be back!”
