by Fujino Omori
“AH—AAAAAHHHH?!”
The hunter fled, screaming.
A number of other hunters lay on the ground, their arms and legs twisted at impossible angles. A pool of blood had formed around them. They had very cleverly discovered his hiding place. So he destroyed them. The victim destroyed the would-be aggressor.
This is not it. This is not it.
The hunters resembled the something he searched for. Yet they were completely different from it.
That thing—the dream—would never have run from him in terror.
These hunters had fled after taking a single step toward him. He had caught up with them and grabbed them around their necks with his groaning, powerful arms before slamming them against the wall. Countless fissures had spread through the decrepit ruins. Spewing red liquid, the hunters’ eyes rolled back in their heads. The sound of breaking bones came all too easily from necks he grasped like twigs in his palms. He remembered the promise he’d made to his brethren and withdrew his hands.
After the last of his enemies had collapsed onto the floor, he left the ruins where he had been hiding.
It was not deep in the Dungeon but rather close to the surface.
Feeling no emotion whatsoever toward the night sky covered in its thin blanket of clouds, carrying just a single weapon, blood dripping from his entire body, he continued to wander lost, with resolute steps.
He kept searching.
To find the dream. To meet again.
CHAPTER 1
THE WHITE RABBIT BROUGHT LOW
A Menace Let Loose: Monsters Scatter Across the City.
Dungeon Post Town Rivira Destroyed. Were Monsters on the Surface Involved?
The Secret Maneuvers of Ikelos Familia: A Second Door to the Dungeon?
Several news publications were spread out on the table. Hestia and Lilly stared grimly at the headlines, written in Koine.
“This is getting really serious…”
“Yeah, these stories are all over town. The locals are sick with worry.”
It was the fourth morning since the incident involving Ikelos Familia and the Xenos that had turned the city upside down.
Hestia and Lilly were standing in the living room of Hearthstone Manor, their home, looking down at the reports.
Lilly had gathered them from around town, each a scroll of several leaflets sold by a familia or a merchant. They were full of countless bits of information and conjecture about the monsters’ appearance on the surface.
For Hestia and Lilly, who were privy to the details of the situation, even the ones that appeared at first glance to be gossip, were no laughing matter.
“And look at this one…” Hestia said glumly, shifting her gaze to another of the notices.
The article she examined was small and squeezed into a corner. The headline read: Violent Rampage by War-Game Champion Little Rookie: Lost Hope, Lost Prestige.
There were similar articles in other notices. Some included his portrait.
Hestia stood at the table beside the much shorter Lilly in stony silence, her brows knit. Just then, Haruhime and Mikoto walked into the living room, dressed in maid’s outfits.
“Lady Hestia. Lady Lilly. We’re back.”
“Apologies for taking so long. Many of the stores were closed.”
They were returning from a shopping trip, and they set down paper bags full of vegetables and dried meat.
“Welcome back. Nothing was wrong in town?”
“…Nothing obvious. But the way everyone looked at us, compared to before…” Haruhime said evasively. Mikoto spoke more clearly, although with a troubled expression.
“Some of them were very cold. As we suspected, Sir Bell’s actions seem to be having a broader effect…because we’re in the same familia as him. It feels like the pressure has been building over the past few days.”
Hestia sighed and looked at Lilly.
“No change with Welf today?”
The young armor smith had not shown his face since the disturbance.
“No. He’s been shut up in his workshop ever since. He’s hopeless…but when I leave food in front of his door, it always disappears, so he must be alive in there,” Lilly grumbled.
Hestia looked toward the corner of the garden where the workshop stood behind the main building. At that moment, the living room door swung open.
“Oh…Mr. Bell.”
The boy walking toward Hestia and the others looked almost the same as usual. That is, aside from how preoccupied he seemed.
“…”
He started to say something to Lilly, Mikoto, and Haruhime, then looked away. The words were stuck in his throat, but he eventually turned to Hestia and forced himself to speak.
“Um, Goddess…please let me go into town.”
Lilly and the others reacted with surprise.
“…What on earth are you going to do outside?” Hestia asked.
As the leader of the familia, their goddess had strictly forbidden Bell to leave home. She hadn’t ordered him to stay inside until the excitement cooled down, but she thought it best for him to lie low at least in the immediate aftermath of the incident. It was for his own safety. Bell’s position at the moment was that perilous.
“If you want to collect information, the supporters or I can do it. There’s no need for you to personally go, right?”
“But…”
“You might get hurt again.”
Bell stiffened, perhaps recalling the hostility and disappointment many residents and fellow adventurers had directed at him the other evening when he had walked down Daedalus Street in the battle-scarred city.
With a shuddery breath, Bell met Hestia’s gaze and answered her.
“Sitting here doing nothing, just letting time pass…That’s the scariest thing of all right now.”
He could not remain still any longer.
In response to his pleading look, Hestia closed her eyes for a moment. Finally, she nodded.
“Okay. You may go.”
“Goddess…”
“But—only on the condition that I go with you.”
Bell had been relieved for an instant, but his eyes widened. Lilly and the others reacted much the same.
“Lady Hestia, I don’t think—”
“Supporters, I’m counting on you to keep collecting information and guarding our home! Today, I will serve as Bell’s bodyguard!”
Hestia gave them a thumbs-up. Lilly, who was leaning forward in surprise, pouted and grudgingly murmured, “I can’t believe it.”
The goddess may have been messing around, but she had made her divine will known.
As a goddess, she was the one who could best protect Bell now.
“We’ll try to be back by lunchtime! Let’s get going, Bell.”
“But, Goddess…”
Hestia walked to his side and peered up at him. Finally, giving in to his goddess’s stare, Bell nodded.
“Okay, let’s go…”
We set out, leaving home behind. As promised, I am headed to town with the goddess.
For these past four days, I’ve been under house arrest—or at least, that’s how I see it. But thanks to Lilly and the others who have been gathering information, I at least have an idea of recent developments in the city.
Once word got out that the monsters had breached the surface, the eight city gates were completely sealed. The Guild, in an attempt to get things under control as quickly as possible, issued a bounty for the Xenos. Many adventurers and resources are now devoted to searching for them.
I want to know where Wiene and Lido and the others have gone, too. When I heard the rumors and imagined the Xenos being driven out, I couldn’t bear to stand idly by.
“…”
The sky above Orario is overcast.
The rain that had been falling since the incident has stopped, but the sky is shrouded in clouds, as if expressing the city’s current mood.
The streets in town are quiet. Perhaps because everyone is afraid of
the monsters, the few people who are out and about rush off quickly. The small children I always used to see on my way to the Dungeon are nowhere to be found. Is this really Orario?
“My shifts at the Jyaga Maru Kun stand have been canceled as well…” the goddess murmurs despondently as I gaze around this unfamiliar Orario in bewilderment.
We head to West Main Street, past many shops shuttered and locked up tight. As expected, there are more people on the main thoroughfare, but most are Guild employees, who normally wouldn’t be walking around, along with their adventurer guards. They are probably on patrol or actively searching for monsters.
The vitality of the town has vanished, replaced by an atmosphere of nervous tension.
“…Hey, you!”
“Look, over there!”
The stern expressions are directed at us.
Without a doubt, they are staring at me.
“The Little Rookie…I heard all about him and how he caused Loki Familia so much trouble.”
“It’s probably his fault that the monsters got away.”
“Just a typical adventurer in the end.”
“Hey now, don’t put us in the same category as that guy. At least we know the time and place for that behavior.”
A chorus of voices tangles in my ear.
Even without improved hearing due to my Status, I would be able to make out quite clearly the buzz of voices around me. Ordinary citizens, shopkeepers, fellow adventurers…all manner of people stare at me in revulsion as I walk down the street.
My face feels cold…I realize the blood has drained from it.
It’s the same experience I tasted that evening in Orario. Criticism is bearing down on all sides.
“They say it was for money…But I think the truth is he was protecting the monsters.”
“Monster fetish, eh?”
Now and then, I hear the worst insult in the world hurled at me, someone who protected a despicable vouivre. The words pierce me to the core.
I knew going in that this would happen. I have to accept it. As I struggle desperately to withstand the onslaught, another thought enters my mind.
All the daggers of criticism seem to be directed at me and me alone.
I heard that Ikelos Familia has been destroyed and its leader, God Ikelos, banished from the city. In this place smothered by fear and anxiety, I seem to have become the sole outlet for people’s feelings…Perhaps I am an easy target for their blame.
An enemy to all people.
The tips of my fingers freeze at the phrase, which has begun to feel real. As I desperately try to quiet my ragged breathing—the goddess spins around.
“If you have something to say, say it to our faces!”
She jabs her finger toward the people around us.
Both they and I are struck dumb by the goddess’s sudden reaction.
“Bell behaved recklessly because of the debt that I accumulated. You could even say he did it because of his deep love for me! So if you’re going to pass out blame, don’t forget about me and my sins!!”
As she delivers this speech to her surprised audience, the goddess emphasizes the word debt. And very subtly, the word love…
People begin to huddle together after watching the goddess press both hands to her broad chest and speak with such conviction.
“The Loli goddess…”
“Yes, it’s her!”
“It must be true that she borrowed two hundred million valis…”
“A natural disaster has befallen us!”
“The curse of the Loli goddess…”
“If she’s in that situation, then her followers must also be…”
The goddess throws her hands up, her anger flaring at the whispers.
“Shut your mouths! What total nonsense!” she shouts.
As I rush to restrain her, it dawns on me. The malice permeating the atmosphere a moment earlier has dissipated in the confusion.
I’ve gone and let the goddess protect me after all. I’ve made her tell a lie.
Belatedly, I realize what she meant by the word bodyguard. By becoming a buffer, the goddess has made it difficult for mortals to openly blame me. But in the course of protecting me, her follower, she has become the target for the people’s animosity herself.
I hang my head.
“Goddess, I’m so sorry…Because of me—”
I was about to say, “You’re in this mess,” but she cuts me off before I can finish.
She turns and stares up at me, then starts laughing at my dismay.
“Bell, let’s hold hands.”
She clasps mine in hers.
Pulling me along, she and I start walking forward together once more.
“Um, G-Goddess…”
“I know it’s unwise of me, but I feel a little happy. Lately you haven’t needed any looking after. You’ve bolstered my reputation, you see.”
Her deliberately teasing tone is like a pat on the shoulder.
She squeezes my hand. Normally I would feel embarrassed, but now…I just feel miserable. I’m ridiculously spineless for relying on the goddess’s protection and causing her so much trouble.
At the same time, despite myself, I feel happy.
I know I shouldn’t let her spoil me…but against my best intentions, I squeeze her warm hand back. Only a little.
People continue to give us judgmental looks. But I don’t feel as cold as before.
“…Goddess, can we stop here for a moment?”
“Sure, but what for?”
Having asked her permission, I pause in front of a building on the central thoroughfare. Even for West Main Street, the stone structure housing The Benevolent Mistress tavern stands out as unusually large.
“You come here a lot, right? This is actually my first time,” the goddess says.
“Really? You’ve never been?”
Even with everything going on, The Benevolent Mistress is open for business. As we walk up to the entrance, a waitress appears, perhaps having noticed us standing outside.
“Lyu…”
“…”
The pretty young elf stares into my face.
She saved me during the mission to the eighteenth floor, so I came here today with the intention of thanking her. But now that I’m standing in front of her, I find myself unable to speak.
Fear wells up inside me…What if she feels the same as the townsfolk?
As I stand there with the words stuck in my throat, Lyu sighs softly and walks down the entryway stairs.
“Mr. Cranell. I am not going to snub you just because I heard some rumors in town.”
“!”
“I believe what I see with my own two eyes,” she says, smiling ever so slightly, as if to put me at ease.
The tension drains from my body at the encouragement from the upright and dependable elf. The corners of my eyes are wet.
Lyu bows slightly to the goddess.
“Goddess Hestia, it is good to meet again.”
My goddess raises a hand in happy greeting.
“Little elf!”
I quickly wipe my eyes.
“Um, Lyu…Thank you for saving me on the eighteenth floor,” I say.
“Please think nothing of it.”
I give her a once-over.
“Uh, are you all right? I heard that the mission party suffered horrible casualties.”
Lilly told me that the party from Ganesha Familia, which had originally received the mission, risked total destruction at the time. I’m worried about Lyu, who fought in the battle against the Xenos.
“As you can see, I am fine. My body has recuperated. But—”
She pauses for a moment.
“There was a monster.”
She narrows her sky-blue eyes as if recalling the hair-raising experience.
“That creature…It was a black minotaur, and it inflicted terrible casualties on Ganesha Familia and us.”
My breath catches in my throat.
The black minotaur…Cou
ld it be the new Xenos who Lido encountered in the Hidden Village? I haven’t come across it myself yet…
My goddess, who has been listening to our conversation, tightens her jaw as if she also just remembered something. Lilly or Mikoto mentioned it as well, I’m certain.
That incredibly strong Xenos who gave Loki Familia so much trouble—that was a monster as well, they’d said.
“I’ve heard that same black minotaur was seen on the surface. And you, too…If your group was on the eighteenth floor, why did you appear in Daedalus Street?…There are so many things I’d like to ask you.”
“…”
“But now isn’t the time, is it? I’ll have to ask you when next we meet.”
There must be many things Lyu wants to know about my experience during the episode and my encounters with the armed monsters. But seeing the pallor of my face and considering the circumstances, she refrains from asking any more. I wanted to ask her about the Orb of Knossos, but for the time being I avoid bringing it up.
“Speaking of which, how is Syr…?” I ask instead.
“Syr is taking some time off. She said she has some things to do.”
“Oh, I see.”
I look past Lyu. From inside the tavern, I can hear the catgirl waitresses Ahnya and Chloe asking me the same questions over and over with unrestrained curiosity.
“Young man, tell us your story, meow!”
“Are the rumors true, meow?”
Runoa, the human waitress, attempts to restrain them.
“Mind your own business, you two dumb cats.”
Conscious of the stares that continue to come our way, I move to leave. It won’t do to bring the commotion into the tavern.
“…Well, Lyu, we’d better be going. Thank you so much,” I say.
As we walk away, Lyu calls out to me.
“Mr. Cranell, keep your spirit strong. I do not fully understand your actions…but if they were the result of a decision that you made, you must not be discouraged.”
Surprised, I turn around.
Lyu herself pursued justice when she was a part of Astrea Familia, to the point that she was blacklisted. Her words resonate with me, perhaps because they hint at empathy for my situation.
Our eyes meet, and I bow to her. The goddess and I walk away from the tavern.
After continuing down the street for a few moments, the goddess turns to me.
