As a reminder, I’ll not add the illustrations to the text, as that would be blatant piracy. Also, you can always turn off colored text by lowering the “Fancy Level” slider at the top left of the page to zero.
Volume Six, Prologue
The sun slowly sinks into the horizon. The sky’s gradation changing from blue to orange is really striking…
“Sigh… We have to go back to town now…”
“Mm… don’t want… to move anymore…”
“…Same here…”
Mr. Ed sits on the sandy beach with Ms. Aria resting her head on his shoulder… they’re snuggled close together watching the sunset. My honest feelings accidentally slip out in response to the murmurs from these two who are radiating the very essence of a lovey-dovey couple, as I lie there exhausted nearby.
No, it’s not that I want to interfere or anything. It’s just that Mr. Ed and Ms. Aria’s flirting power is so strong that they keep being affectionate regardless of whether we’re nearby or not.
“Somehow, I’ve lost all motivation to move.”
I can also hear Mr. Xenon, who has sat down near the eternally affectionate pair, speaking with a wry laugh.
I totally get how he feels. Spacing out on the beach like this, it feels like a lie that we were exploring an underwater temple to help the Sea Goddess Lady Lyusia just before we woke up. Sounds unbelievable, but just moments ago we were being guided by twin blue fish—like blue tangs—through a temple that looked like ruins, fighting a giant crab monster and all.
In the end, we were even blessed with the opportunity to glimpse the Goddess’s ritual of bestowing protection upon the world—though we didn’t witness it directly.
“Oh… I’ve got to admit, that was an incredible experience.”
So much happened, I think I’ve hit my mental limit. I’m completely spaced out, just staring at the waves as they come and go.
…I know, okay? I can practically hear people saying, “Go report already, the job’s done!” or “You’ve got a cheat-tier way of traveling, getting back to town should be easy, right?” But come on! After finishing a job and sprawling on the beach, petting Gomamiso on my lap! It’s only natural to think "I want to stay like this a little longer," right?!
Sure, having the Camping Car makes it overwhelmingly easier than walking back to town. But still! I really am feeling kinda tired! As I knead the fluid creature that’s melting and purring on my lap, I hear the crunch of sand being stepped on from beside me.
“…I understand how you feel. Even if we leave the report for tomorrow, if we stay here like this, the city gates will close. …Rin, can I ask you?”
“Ah… I completely forgot about the curfew. Monsters might come out when it gets dark too. In that case, we’d better leave soon!”
Mr. Ville’s words, looking at me apologetically while brushing off sand, bring back tension to my relaxed mood.
That’s right. I completely forgot, but this world… or rather, the city of Ellarge has a real curfew! From a defense perspective, they firmly shut the main gate—the town’s entrance—once a certain amount of time passes after sunset. If we don’t get back while it’s still light, we’ll be locked out!
‘Ehhhh… Why are you getting up? Petting me is today’s job, isn’t it?’
“Today’s service has ended! I’ll ask someone else to do overtime, so be a good kitty for a bit, okay?”
Gomamiso looks dissatisfied and presses my hand with its front paws as if saying "Pet me more." Well, I’d like to pet it too, but we have to get back before the gates close. I hand the completely melted warm fluid to Mr. Ville beside me and summon the Camping Car to a corner of the beach.
I thought it would appear right in front of me, but the vehicle materialized a bit ahead on the beach… where the ground was firmly solid.
Ahhh… Makes sense. Sand would definitely risk the tires spinning and getting stuck!
No way—could it be that it even automatically handles risk management like that?!
“Wow… the Camping Car is too excellent…!”
The more I use it, the more amazing aspects of the skill I discover! It’s really late to realize this, but I’m freshly impressed by how incredible the skill is…
Could it be that my skill is more competent than its owner?
“Hmm… Even though we were in the sea, there’s not a single stain or scratch…!”
Even though we had such a great adventure in seawater—salt water—despite having protection, the vehicle body gleaming in the sunset doesn’t have a single scratch! Normally, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be scratches or dirt, right? There couldn’t possibly be… an automatic cleaning function or automatic repair function too, could there?
“Ughhh… I’m beat, but I guess we really do have to head back.”
“Mmm… don’t want to move…”
“…I understand how you feel, but we have no choice but to go…”
Everyone starts walking slowly across the sandy beach, either grumbling or reluctantly forcing their heavy bodies into motion. I can almost hear groaning sounds.
I feel like I’ve seen a similar scene in zombie movies from my original world…
“Ah, but… if Rin weren’t here, we’d have to drag our tired bodies all the way back to town.”
“Mm… even though you are tired too… thank you, Rin.”
“I agree… If you weren’t here, we’d definitely have had to camp out halfway back…”
“Yeah. Because you are here, we can travel comfortably… Thank you so much, Rin.”
Ugh… Even while looking like a field of corpses, everyone’s consideration in boarding the Camping Car without a single complaint really touches my heart…! I’m getting energized! I don’t care about Gomamiso’s resentful gaze asking "Why aren’t you petting me?!" Thanks to that, energy and motivation to drive are bubbling up inside me!
To protect my precious members, I’ll drive safely!
“It’s okay! It’s not that far by car, so let’s get back quickly and rest well today!”
Riding the momentum of my returning energy, I get into the driver’s seat and start the engine enthusiastically. Along with a light sound, gentle vibrations envelop the entire vehicle. Every time I start the Camping Car’s engine, I think… there’s this feeling that some kind of unknown energy is flowing through the whole car that I can’t express well… It just screams “adventure!”
“Alright, let’s depart!”
“Mm! We are all ready!”
Mr. Ville, who won at rock-paper-scissors, gets into today’s passenger seat. Gomamiso immediately assumes a loaf position on his lap.
When I look back at the Camping Car’s cabin, everyone is seated with their seatbelts fastened. Having ridden many times now, the habit of "Seatbelts while driving!" that I’ve been harping about seems to have sunk in. I don’t think Japanese traffic laws have any effect in another world, but… considering what might happen, I still worry about it!
“Well then… let’s head back to our nostalgic base!”
After confirming everyone’s ready, I slowly press the accelerator. I feel the vibration of the tires gripping the ground… and it really sinks in that we’ve finally returned to land.
…I mean, in the sea, there was always this kind of floating feeling. Even though I knew we had protection, I can’t deny there was an emotion similar to anxiety.
Yup… it’s reassuring to have your feet on solid ground!
Outside the window, the sea shimmered with the glow of the setting sun as it rushed by.
We were in that sea just moments ago… It feels so surreal, almost like a dream. If I didn’t have companions who shared the same experience, I’d think I was just dreaming on the beach.
“Hmm… As expected of the Camping Car! We’ll be there in no time!”
While gripping the steering wheel and letting my thoughts drift to that mysterious experience, the coastline gradually changed into a road. Even distances that would take considerable time on foot are just a hop, skip, and jump with the benefits of civilization.
Just before the sun completely set, we arrived in front of the town’s main gate.
I park the car in the shadow of trees a bit away from the road and… with faces saying "We just got back from exploring the forest, what of it?" we blend in with the groups of adventurers heading home and merchant caravans hurrying to town.
“Hm? Whoa, wait!? You guys, you’re alive!”
“Oh. You all made it back safe! The folks in the guild were worried, so you should show your faces!”
The gate guard who checked our adventurer certificates raises his voice in surprise. As if that weren’t enough, he looks us over from head to toe, examining each member including myself.
…It feels like we’ve become a spectacle, which isn’t very pleasant… but I’m more concerned about the conversations I overhear from the gate guards, things like "They’re not ghosts, are they?" or "They really survived?!”
…Huh, did something happen that made people worry about our survival?
We all exchange glances for a moment, but we have no clue what the reason could be. Fortunately, the check to enter the town passes without issue—or rather, it feels more like we’re being ushered into the town with "Hurry up and go to the guild"—so we decide to head to the guild for now… but our feet stop after just a few steps.
In the lamp-lit alleyways, townspeople hurry home with quick steps… and among them… the large and small silhouettes standing boldly in the middle of the square are…
“Y-You guys…! Thank goodness you’re safe…!!!”
“Everyone, welcome baaaaack!!!”
A deep booming voice and a tinkling, bell-like voice rang out as two shadows rushed toward us.
“This voice… Mr. Tori and Ms. Sheila!?”
The figures illuminated by the streetlights are unmistakably them. Mr. Tori crying manly tears and Ms. Sheila with moist eyes.
“Ah! Dodge, Rin!”
Mr. Ville jumps in front of me as I stare wide-eyed at the unexpected appearance of these people. Before I can wonder what’s happening, Mr. Ville gets wrapped up tightly in thick arms.
“…Gah, ugh… Tori… hey, let go!”
“Come on, you guys, what have you been doing all this time without sending a single message?! Do you know how worried we were…!”
Wow… the stares from other people who don’t know the situation are really painful!
Mr. Ed, Ms. Aria, and Mr. Xenon elegantly dodged the two who came running at us with arms spread wide with graceful backsteps… which was fine… but Mr. Ville got caught because he instinctively protected me and couldn’t escape in time…
The illustration’s description: Tori and Sheila rushing to Ville, and also Rin with astonished expression.
Thanks to that, right now in front of us, Mr. Ville is being squeezed tightly by Mr. Tori.
As for me, I’m being cried on by Ms. Sheila, so I guess we’re even… no, Mr. Ville probably has it worse. The sight of a grown man being hugged by a big man is one thing, but he’s being squeezed with considerable force and really looks like he’s having trouble breathing.
Ugh… all because he protected me…! I’ve done something truly inexcusable to Mr. Ville…!
“Right after you said you’d take on the ocean investigation, there were no reports at all, and sightings of you guys disappeared too!”
“We thought you might have been caught up in some kind of accident during the mission…!”
“A-Aaaah… We were supposed to do some preliminary scouting first, but then we suddenly got dragged into the ocean, you see…”
From what I can gather from Ms. Sheila pressing her face against my stomach and sniffling, and Mr. Tori squeezing Mr. Ville for all he’s worth, they were quite worried about us suddenly disappearing.
The original plan was to do a light scouting first, then report back to the guild before getting serious about the investigation. But before we could execute that plan, we got pulled into the sea by that orca… so we couldn’t give the guild any reports, consultations, or coordination. Yup, I’m really sorry about that.
“We were freaking out wondering if there’d be any word from you, and to top it off, the church people kept showing up every day asking if their request had gotten you killed!”
From Mr. Tori’s tearful complaints, it seems we also worried the church side… meaning Mr. Rayer and the children… The impact was quite widespread. I can only imagine the guild’s mental strain when they were anxious about our whereabouts and then got pressured by the church led by Mr. Rayer.
Thinking about it, Mr. Tori’s behavior feels like the result of being pushed to his limits by mentally exhausting days, and then having us suddenly return and being overwhelmed with emotion…
…Well, what’s spread out before me is a burly middle-aged man clinging to a well-built tough guy… which is quite a visually unfriendly scene…
“You guys have been gone for two weeks, two weeks! Do you know how worried we were…!”
“T-Two weeks!?”
“Really, really, we were so worried!!!”
At Mr. Tori’s tearful words, Mr. Ville, still trapped in the guildmaster’s arms, widens his eyes. We all exchange glances with each other.
We thought we were in the sea for just one day… or two days at most. I never imagined so much time had passed on the surface…!
Could it be that time flows differently at the bottom of the sea versus on the surface!? Ehhhhh… that’s just like Urashima Taro’s tale! I’m glad we weren’t given a mystery box as a souvenir!
“Ah… sorry for worrying you. Thank you for waiting for us.”
“Ms. Rin…!”
“How should I put this… honestly, we thought only a day or two had passed for us…”
First, my heartfelt apologies. And I bow my head with gratitude for believing in our safe return. Even though it was beyond our control, the fact remains that this happened…
Seeing me speak earnestly, Ms. Sheila finally lifts her face. She looks at me… then surveys everyone’s faces… and Mr. Tori, who finally seems to have calmed down, wipes his eyes roughly.
“Ah, yeah. No, as long as you came back safely, that’s what matters.”
In the arms of Mr. Tori, who relaxes his expression bashfully, Mr. Ville is still struggling to break free from the man’s iron grip. To think that even with Mr. Ville’s strength, he can’t loosen that restraint… Mr. Tori has quite a bit of arm strength…
…Wait, now’s not the time to just stand here watching! We really need to get Mr. Ville out of that hold before his mental endurance snaps!
“Um… could you let Mr. Ville go now? I don’t think we can make our report like this…”
“Mm, ah, right! Sorry, sorry! I was so worried that when I found out you were safe, something just surged up inside me!”
“That doesn’t give you the right to suddenly hug someone like that!”
“Consider it proof of how seriously worried I was, and forgive me!”
After I spoke up, Mr. Tori finally released Mr. Ville, his eyes red and swollen. Taking advantage of the opening, Mr. Ville put some distance between them.
As I rub Mr. Ville’s back consolingly as he comes to stand beside me like he’s fleeing, Mr. Tori opens his mouth with a wry smile:
“Well… standing around talking here isn’t really appropriate… Let’s go back to the guild for the detailed story. I want to hear everything while it’s fresh.”
With the guildmaster himself putting his arm around the leader’s shoulders and holding him firmly, we have no choice but to go along.
Well, we were planning to go to the guild anyway, so I guess it’s convenient in a way…
“I’m so glad you and everyone returned safely, Ms. Rin! Welcome back!”
“Yup! We’ve returned safely.”
As Ms. Sheila grips my hand tightly and looks up at me with upturned eyes, my heart flutters at her cuteness, and we begin walking toward the guild as our now-lively group.
“Guildmaster! The children from the orphanage said they saw the Gourmands—do you know where they are now…?”
“Huh? Mr. Rayer? Lent and everyone are here too!”
Waiting for us as we enter the guildmaster’s office are yet more familiar faces. Mr. Rayer, who seems somewhat haggard, and the Lucky Clover kids huddled together beside him.
Looks like the church was worried about us too, and they probably came here regularly. So when someone told them we’d returned, they must have rushed over to the guild.
“Mr. Riiin… Oof!”
“You’re safe and… Ack!”
Just as they greet us and try to rush over, Mr. Rayer firmly grabs the children by their collars.
“Mr. Ville, everyone—you’re all back safe!”
“Ah… it seems we’ve caused a lot of people to worry…”
While holding back the children with both hands, Mr. Rayer bows his head with a face showing relief. Lent and the other children seem to notice this too, as they gradually calm down.
Noticing that the office entrance is getting crowded, Mr. Tori scratches his head vigorously.
“Alright, I’d love to hear the story behind all this, but let’s get inside first. We’re going nowhere like this.”
“Yeah, good point… Can’t make any more noise out here.”
Is he still affected by that intense hug from earlier? Mr. Ville agrees with Mr. Tori’s words while still remaining wary.
“Oh! In that case, there’s something I’d like to do… Would it be possible to borrow the courtyard again?”
“The courtyard? What, are you going to feed us something delicious again?”
I nod vaguely at Mr. Tori, who shows his usual smile.
… I mean, yup. We caught tons of those abalone-like creatures at the temple, right? It would be troublesome to sell them quietly at the market and have dealers and related people make a fuss, so I want to consume them secretly…
Mr. Ville gives me a look that says "Is that okay?" but it’s fine! I think it’s better than being asked all sorts of questions like "Where did you catch these?" or "How did you get them?" after shipping them out.
“…I see… it seems you have some scheme in mind, girl, but you’ll explain it all, right?”
“Yes, at that time!”
I nod enthusiastically at Mr. Tori, who finally regains his usual composure.
“Alright. Then, Sheila. Guide everyone here to the back garden.”
“Right away, sir!”
“Hmm? Is it alright if we join you too?”
“This incident is greatly related to the Goddess. If it’s not too much trouble, please join us!”
Mr. Rayer lowered his brows apologetically at the ever-smiling Ms. Sheila as she tried to guide us along. He was probably trying to be polite, but honestly—we’ve got seafood souvenirs galore! I’d actually be grateful if they helped us eat through it all.
“Teacher! I want to talk with Mr. Rin and everyone after so long!”
“Me too! I want to hear about the Goddess!”
“…You two… Alright then, we’ll take you up on your kind offer.”
Whether they know my intentions or not, Lent and the other children give such cute pleading that provides the perfect push… and so the Lucky Clover successfully joins our report dinner party!
With everyone together, we head to the guild’s courtyard under Ms. Sheila’s guidance—happily ever after.
“Alrighty then, time to unload the ingredients!”
I summon the Camping Car in a convenient spot in the courtyard I’m somewhat familiar with… and bring out those items.
While Mr. Ville keeps the kids, who probably know almost nothing about my skills, occupied, I have to keep unloading the mountain of seafood from the car!
“I gotta say… I never thought I’d see such a sight in my lifetime…”
“I’ve worked at the guild for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen so many Deep Blue Avalons…”
“Ahaha… we were surprised too.”
Mr. Tori and Ms. Sheila’s eyes widen as they watch the abalone-like creatures being carried out one after another from the Camping Car’s fridge.
…Well, according to Survival, these abalone-like things are apparently luxury items.
Ms. Sheila, Mr. Tori… even Mr. Rayer seems to know this, so their value must be widely known.
If this many luxury items came out, well… I guess this kind of reaction is natural?
“Wow, amazing! They’re really big! Looks super filling!”
“I’ve never seen something this satisfying-looking before!”
“…Um… how should I put this… is it really alright for us to partake in such luxury items…?”
Even though he agreed to eat together, Mr. Rayer apparently didn’t expect such high-class ingredients to appear. While the children, who don’t seem to know their value, simply rejoice over them as seafood, he speaks hesitantly beside them.
“You’re more than welcome! Rather, we’re thankful you joined… These Deep Blue Avalons were caught as a sort of byproduct of this job.”
“It may sound like a luxury problem, but we’d really appreciate help eating through them.”
“At this rate, all our meals might end up being just these.”
“…Rin’s cooking is always delicious, but… I want to eat different flavors too.”
To dispel Mr. Rayer’s concerns, I raise both hands to welcome participation in the barbeque. The Gourmands members, starting with Mr. Ville, also work to persuade Mr. Rayer as backup.
Actually, I have a mountain of abalone-like creatures in stock. At this rate, our dining table might get completely occupied by those creatures.
“A byproduct? What on earth happened?”
“Yeah. At the bottom of the sea we went to, these things were treated as pests.”
“It was more like extermination work than harvesting.”
“Mm! Caught lots!”
Everyone answers the guildmaster’s words as he crosses his arms, but… it would be impossible to grasp the full scope of this job from everyone’s current explanations. They’re only talking about the abalone-like creatures, not about the job itself. I think the excitement from being at the bottom of the sea probably hasn’t completely cooled down yet, so they can’t explain calmly.
“Oh, come on! I don’t understand anything from just that! Take a deep breath or something and calm down before explaining!”
Still, Mr. Ville, who seems to have regained some composure from the guildmaster’s attempts to somehow get the story out, begins to tell about this incident again.
How we went to the sea intending to do preliminary research but were invited straight to the seabed. How the Sea Goddess Lyusia herself directly asked us to help resolve this situation. How we went to the dungeon-turned underwater temple to calm the situation, defeated the boss crab, retrieved the Goddess’s jewel, etc…
While using the travel stories as background music for listening, occasionally adding supplements… I’m preparing the portable grill on my end.
“You’re having extraordinary experiences as usual…”
“A ritual directly by Lady Lyusia! Oh, I wanted to see it just once…!”
“Mr. Ville, everyone, that’s amazing!”
Mr. Tori looks up at the sky with an expression of disbelief, and the Lucky Clover members’ eyes shine. Especially Mr. Rayer, who is also a priest, seems deeply moved. His face clearly shows "I wanted to experience that too.”
Well, it certainly was an honor beyond what mortals deserve to speak directly with a goddess, let alone share a meal with her. Even we who actually experienced it think "Maybe that was a dream…" The coral jewel swaying at my chest tells me that wasn’t a dream. Feeling the warmth seeping gently into my skin, I skillfully arrange the abalone-like creatures on the heated grill.
“Now that I’ve heard your story, it all makes sense. The sea’s been quiet recently, and even the monster incidents have subsided.”
“It must be thanks to Lady Lyusia’s blessing spreading across the land.”
“Well, who knows what’ll come next, but at least there are no urgent crises needing attention. That’s a relief.”
Next to Mr. Tori, who nods with crossed arms, Mr. Rayer shows a gentle smile.
Anyway, it’s great that the city’s disturbances have settled! From an adventurer’s perspective, having absolutely no targets for subjugation would be problematic, but frequent subjugation disturbances wouldn’t be good for locals either.
I hope things stay balanced and calm like this for a while…
“Mmm… It smells so good…”
“Wow! That smell’s making me super hungry!”
“The smell of grilling seafood is really irresistible, right?!”
…And just like that, Ms. Sheila and Lent couldn’t hold it in anymore and finally murmured their thoughts.
Yup. Right now, an indescribably fragrant aroma fills the air around us. The abalone-like creatures I’ve been grilling have reached a perfect state of doneness!
With Ms. Sheila’s blissful expression as the trigger, everyone begins gathering around the portable grill, drawn by the smell. Someone gulps as the abalone-like creatures sizzle and ooze savory juices.
“Now that the work talk has settled down… let the fun seafood barbeque begin! First, please try the natural flavor… then add butter and soy sauce to your liking!”
The clicking of tongs raised high in the air becomes the signal for the feast to begin. I place the well-grilled ones on a cutting board, cut them into appropriate sizes, and arrange them on plates. Of course, I’m fully prepared with soy sauce and butter, one of the three sacred treasures for seafood.
“Mr. Rin, Mr. Rin! Can we eat these now?”
“Go ahead! There’s plenty, so eat as much as you like!”
“Hey, you kids!”
To the children, who don’t know the value of the abalone-like creatures, they probably just look like well-grilled shellfish. Before Mr. Rayer can stop them, forks swarm toward the sliced pieces.
Mmm. Everyone’s eating with such good expressions.
“Yeah. The sauce-covered ones we ate on the seabed were delicious but grilled like this has a completely different flavor.”
“Mm! Butter and soy sauce… delicious…!”
“…Somehow, watching you Gourmands makes me feel stupid for holding back…”
“We’ll partake without reserve as well.”
At first, the guild members and Mr. Rayer seemed intimidated by the luxury ingredients, but seeing our party—totally unfazed after dealing with the sea temple cleanup—dig in without restraint gave them the push they needed.
After all, you can’t resist fresh seafood.
Once they start eating, everyone eagerly reaches for the abalone-like creatures. Thanks to that, the inventory keeps decreasing!
In between, I also grilled huge lobsters and nicely shaped fish that somehow ended up in the fridge, putting them on the grill and roasting them.
“Mmm. This is truly a great night barbeque!”
For a while after that, time passes in a harmonious atmosphere as we talk about each other’s work and receive adventuring advice—but at a moment when the conversation naturally pauses, Mr. Tori speaks up.
“Come to think of it, the Azure Droplets came back just after you guys left.”
“Ah, they were off on an expedition, right?”
When Mr. Tori says this while stuffing his cheeks with perfectly grilled abalone-like creatures, Mr. Ville, who had swallowed the abalone he was chewing, nods lightly.
The Azure Droplets. Oh, they were the adventurer group who debuted the same year as Mr. Ville’s party—I heard about them last time! They travel around various towns or something… They handle the long-term missions and expedition duties that the Gourmands aren’t good at, right?
“Oh? Were you talking about us? We just got back this morning.”
“Waaaaah!”
A sudden unfamiliar voice behind me made me scream from deep in my throat. I jumped and spun around—there stood a man I didn’t recognize. He’s about two heads taller than me. About the same age as Mr. Ville, I guess…? This person, with flowing silver hair and bright sky-blue eyes, has long, pointed ears similar to Mr. Xenon’s.
“Ah, did I startle you? I heard our party name, so I couldn’t help myself… Besides, I saw an unfamiliar face among the familiar ones, so I couldn’t help calling out.”
His calm, gentle voice and sincere, peaceful smile gave off an almost otherworldly vibe.
“I’m Arthur, the leader of the Azure Droplets that the guildmaster just mentioned. Sorry for suddenly butting into your conversation.”
“Ah… nice to meet you. I’m Rin.”
Being apologized to along with the introduction, I hurriedly straighten my posture and bow my head. I mean, he looks like a prince from a story based on his appearance. Being smiled at by such a person makes me feel somewhat unsettled.
While watching me in my slightly awkward mood, Mr. Arthur doesn’t drop his smile. A handsome person’s smile has quite an impact…
“An unfamiliar face… ah, right. The girl came while you were away on an expedition.”
“And since then, you’ve just kept missing each other… so it makes sense you wouldn’t know about Ms. Rin, Mr. Arthur.”
Ms. Sheila, who wiped the butter and soy sauce from her mouth with a handkerchief, poked her head out from beside Mr. Tori, who scratched his head as if to say "I forgot.”
So that’s what happened. When one side returned to town, the other had already left, and when the other returned, the first had already left… something like that. No wonder we’d never met. Just bad timing, yup.
“I’d heard the rumors, but so it’s true—you really did get a cook!”
“And she’s a girl too! More girl power for the party!”
While I was still processing the reason for our delayed meeting, more unfamiliar but smiling faces began to appear from behind Mr. Arthur. One man, one woman… and one young girl who doesn’t seem suited for an adventurer party.
The illustration’s description: Arthur in a welcoming posture.
This must be the Azure Droplets party members. How should I put this… the atmosphere they exude is so sparkly! Their whole beings overflow with cheerful energy!
I stare blankly at the sudden appearance of this other party, while my own teammates just nod politely and keep shoveling food into their mouths.
What’s going to happen now!?
“So you can go on expedition missions now too, Ville.”
“Yeah. From now on, we plan to take distant missions too.”
“Right, right. It’s great when adventurers can broaden their range of activity.”
While I stood there still out of the loop, everyone else was chatting quite cheerfully. I’d imagined they’d be more like fierce rivals since they were from the same year, but it didn’t seem like that at all.
“Even we who mostly do expedition work heard the rumors—it was a hot topic in the guild.”
“People were going wild like, ‘Can you believe the Gourmands are actually going on expeditions now?!’”
Next to Mr. Arthur, a young girl dressed as a warrior nods quite earnestly.
Wow, our party’s reputation for staying close to home… was pretty famous.
“Since we formed our parties around the same time, I couldn’t help being curious.”
“Yes, among the parties formed around that time, only you and we are still active.”
Mr. Ville, who had been biting into grilled fish skewers next to the abalone-like creatures, nods with a nostalgic expression at Mr. Arthur’s words.
I see—they’re the only ones from the day they registered as adventurers still active. Of course, they’d be curious about each other.
“You guys are the main force of our city. I trust you, but don’t go doing anything reckless.”
“Of course, Guildmaster. We understand completely.”
“…We’ll do our best.”
The two respond to Mr. Tori’s words respectively.
…Yup. With these people, I feel like there’s really nothing to worry about.
“We’d love to stay and chat more, but we’ve got something to take care of. Sadly, we’ll have to excuse ourselves for today.”
“This time we plan to stay here for a while, so if we meet somewhere, please treat us well then!”
Just as I hesitated for a split second over whether to invite them, the members of Azure Drops made their smooth exit with refreshing smiles. The sound of their weapons and armor gradually faded into the distance.
Wow, even their departure is graceful… What kind of upbringing do you need to turn out like that?
“…They’re as sparkly as always, huh…”
“They’re really amazing… it’s like they embody what people imagine when they think of ‘strong adventurers.’”
When Mr. Ville, who seemed completely deflated, muttered this, Lent let slip his impression as if he couldn’t help himself.
…Yup. I understand the feeling well. Somehow… they’re dazzling…
“Actually, when you think about it, not just those guys, but you lot have also been constantly on the move lately.”
Mr. Tori, who was stuffing his cheeks with grilled swordfish slices wrapped around metal skewers, mutters thoughtfully while looking at us.
“When you put it that way… yeah, we’ve been traveling non-stop for a while now.”
“Like I said earlier, the situation is gradually settling down… you guys might want to take it easy for a bit too.”
Mr. Ville sighs with deep emotion. I forgot because it was fun, but that’s certainly true. Going here and there… I feel like we’ve been on a frantic east-west roller coaster. We’ve taken a few days off, but it was for organizing luggage and shopping… it didn’t feel like a "complete holiday!" I feel like we haven’t really had pure "days off"…
…Well, having things to do meant I didn’t have to think about unnecessary stuff, so I was grateful for that…
“We’re still fine, but I’m concerned that Rin hasn’t been able to take proper rest…”
“Thank you for your concern! This kind of life is fun in its own way, so I have no complaints at all!”
“That’s no good, Rin! Nothing good comes from cramming too much work together!”
“Rin…! When you can rest, you must rest!”
“That’s right, Rin. Taking moderate rest is essential.”
Oh no! Attacks from all directions!
As I involuntarily stagger back, Gomamiso toddles over to my feet…
‘Taking care of me is also your duty, you know?’
“Ah, yes.”
Gomamiso places its front paws on my foot and tilts its head while looking up at me. Dammit! Calculatingly cute! The kitten knows it’s cute and is doing this on purpose!
“Well, for your sake, missy, I’ll make sure to arrange a time so you can take a somewhat longer break!”
Holding a swordfish skewer in one hand, Mr. Tori laughs heartily. This caring nature, or rather, this good character… that’s probably why he’s liked by the adventurers.
…Well…
“Aah! Eating such delicious food really makes you want some booze! Just one glass wouldn’t count, yeah?”
“Absolutely not! Master, you still have the job of summarizing the report you just heard!”
“Please, Sheila! Don’t say that! Right? Just a little! Just one drink!”
“Absolutely not!”
…This kind of relaxed side also has a human touch that’s nice… I guess?
Feeling the swirling flames of the grill’s fire and heated arguments, the night at the guild quietly passes on.
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