Published at 20th of February 2020 3:23 pm

Volume 3, Prologue

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translated by: Reiji

The city of Dalien where beginner adventurers gathered.

It was close to July. The season was about to enter summer for real.

Under the strong sunlight, the adventurers showed appearances that exposed little skin──they were wearing thick clothes. This was something natural for adventurers who were going outside to fight monsters. If they exposed a lot of their skin, that also meant that was how much they were exposing their bare skin to monsters. The people wearing metal equipment covered themselves with cloth so that the heat wouldn’t dwell inside the metal.

Perhaps other people would think that it would be fine if they dressed lightly inside the city. But for adventurers, the equipment and tools they wore were their tools of the trade and also their assets. It would be unbearable if they took them off and they got stolen.

As a result, a sordid group was passing through under the blazing sun.

It was a familiar sight in Dalien.

I, Lyle Walt, who will go out to hunt monsters after this have been also wearing thick clothes since the morning and getting sweaty. My blue hair is a bit wet from sweat and clings to my forehead.

「H, hot.」

A five man party.

The magician with her characteristic side ponytail, Novem Forxuz holds out a flask to me. Her heirloom staff that is gleaming silver is wrapped in cloth. She also put on the hood of her navy blue robe.

「Lyle-sama, please try to frequently hydrate yourself. And don’t forget to replenish the salt too.」

My former fiancée Novem who is worrying about me is a capable woman who devotedly takes care of me who was driven out from my house.

When I accept the flask and drink the water inside, the instructor Zelphy warns me. Her purple hair is kept short. She is wearing leather armor and her fighting style used a sword and shield.

In Dalien she is one of the veteran adventurers.

「Be careful to not drink too much. After this, when you put water inside your mouth, wet the inside of your mouth first before swallowing.」

She is gives advice that is fitting for a veteran, but Zelphy-san’s job is to turn us into full-fledged adventurers.

We paid a high fee to hire her as an instructor for that. The fund came from Novem’s money from her selling her dowry.

I’m unable to raise my head in front of Novem who is this heroically devoted towards me. I can’t but, there are parts in Novem’s thinking that I cannot agree with no matter what.

Novem had an thought that perhaps I should call as harem idea. She tends to gather woman around me. I cannot understand this behavior of hers no matter what.

When I move my gaze, I saw the two female adventurers who had joined our party for a while.

Aria Lockwarde with her red hair that has curls to the outside, she is hiding her healthy limbs with a robe. She is walking energetically while carrying a spear on her shoulder.

Ahead of Aria-san’s gaze, there is a fruit seller who is opening a stall at the street.

「Hey, fruit will be good don’t you think? We can hydrate ourselves with it.」

Aria-san is lively even though she is wearing a robe in this heat. She is pointing at a fruit.

Looking there, the adventurers are purchasing several of them. The red colored fruits are floating in water filled with ice. They look really tasty.

Sophia Rowley who is wearing a black robe is carrying a large battle axe that is wrapped in cloth on her back.

She looked at the direction Aria-san pointed at and looked a bit conflicted. Surely she wants to eat the fruit.

「Bu, but, even if we purchase them, it won’t be delicious anymore when we eat it during our break time due to the heat.」

It’s a way of thinking that is really like the serious Sophia-san.

Aria-san objected to that.

「We can just eat it here. It will save our water, besides it’s this hot you know? You can just think of it as a part of managing our physical condition.」

It’s this hot. There is also a possibility that when we have lunch outside the city, the food won’t pass our throat. Eating properly when we can eat and maintaining our stamina is an important matter.

Then Zelphy-san taps my back in a way that the surroundings cannot see. When I turn around, Zelphy-san signaled with her eyes to buy the fruit.

……So I’m the one buying, huh.

I took out my wallet and purchased fruits for several people’s share. The auntie at the fruit stall wiped the water on the fruit before handing it to us with a smile.

When I put the fruit on my cheek, it feels cold after getting submerged in ice water. My cheek’s heat is cooling down.

Sophia-san looked a bit troubled.

「It’s a bad manner to eat while standing.」

She said that in hesitation. However, seeing Aria-san normally eating the fruit, she took a small bite into the fruit.

The fruit that isn’t too big almost has no flesh inside. A slightly sour taste seeps into my body.

Aria-san throws the seed of the fruit into the waste basket beside the fruit stall and looks at Novem. It feels like Novem’s mouth that is biting into the fruit looks strangely luscious.

「If it’s Novem then you can create ice to put it inside our flask can’t you? If you do that we’ll be able to drink cold water anytime.」

Novem who heard that made a troubled face. Zelphy-san also looked at Aria-san in a bit of exasperation.

Sophia-san wipes her mouth and puts the seed inside the waste basket while explaining.

「You don’t know? Water that is created with magic will wreck your stomach if you drink it.」

I looked surprised hearing that.

「Eh?」

The surroundings throw me and Aria-san a look of exasperation as if they are looking at pitiful things. Am I that lacking in common sense?

Then voices that only I can hear come from the blue Jewel hanging on my neck. This is the heirloom of the Walt House, the memory of the resurrected ancestors──

The seven ancestors──no, right now it has become six ancestors, they are each showing their reaction to me with an exasperated voice.

The Second, Crassel Walt seems to be worried at my lack of common sense.

『You don’t even know something like that? It’s really dreadful if your stomach is wrecked when fighting you know?』

The carefree tone of the Third, Sleigh Walt while laughing, but as expected he is also similarly troubled like the others.

『Certainly this is terrible. But, it’s great that you realize that doing that is no good before you actually do it. Your stomach getting wrecked is a life and death problem, it’s not a joke.』

The Fourth who is wearing glasses, Max Walt also criticizes me.

『If you drink water that is created from magic, you’ll definitely turn into a burden. Lyle, you will end up making the girls around you take care of your toilet business.』

Even the Fifth, Fredericks Walt, who would usually only open his mouth when it’s necessary, is also unable to stay quiet at my hopelessness.

『……I once sneaked into an enemy camp and switched all their water with water made from magic. It turned into something horrible after that. Lyle, absolutely don’t drink that kind of water.』

This person, what was he doing sneaking into an enemy camp?

The Sixth, Fiennes Walt is laughing hard.

『You will understand it even if you don’t like it once you make the mistake once though. Be glad that it doesn’t end up a mistake that you won’t be able to take back, Lyle.』

Certainly, if I don’t know it then perhaps I will prepare water with magic when I run out of water.

The Seventh, Brod Walt coughed.

『Magic is also not almighty. Lyle, remember that properly.』

Today I exposed my ignorance once more in front of my comrades and ancestors. My shoulders dropped. Then, Zelphy-san started walking.

「Come on, let’s go. We’ve to return before evening after all.」

We exited the city of Dalien and hunt in a spot where we can return to the city within the same day. That became our daily routine recently.

But, we’re reaching the limit of earning money by hunting the monsters nearby. It’s because our hunting time got limited by our trip coming and going, and also because the monsters around Dalien yield little profit.

Zelphy-san talked to me that soon she planned to take us hunting monsters where we will be staying overnight. Apparently if we do that, we will be able to earn more than now.

The Fourth is sighing inside the Jewel, and then he started talking with worry.

『Right now you have some leeway in funds, but at this rate it will be a bit hard. In Dalien you cannot earn much even if you hunt monsters. The best you can do is only maintaining the current situation.』

The public order in Dalien is good, and the feudal lord Ventra-san dispatches his knights and soldiers to subjugate monsters proactively.

Because of that, although the public order is good, it causes the adventurer’s earnings to be small. In exchange there are a lot of various workplaces inside the city where they can make ends meet.

Fitting for a city that is said to be intended for beginners, it’s kind towards beginner adventurers. But, it’s also a city that is lacking for those who have graduated from being beginners.

The Sixth expresses his opinion to me.

『Lyle, the instruction period will end soon. You should think about your next destination soon. Will you stay for a while in Dalien, or else will you move to another place somewhere?』

The instruction period is three months.

It’s getting extended by two weeks, but the end will come in less than one month.

I don’t think that I’ve become a full fledged adventurer, but at least I’ve learned the way to be able to eat as an adventurer.

「……After this, huh.」

I slightly raise my head and look up to the blue sky. I wipe the sweat on my forehead and consider the matter of the future.

.

──Dalien adventurer guild.

Three receptionists were sitting side by side at the second floor’s reception desk, processing the formalities and so on.

The one standing out among those three is the blonde haired blue eyed beautiful girl Santoa Maie……not, but the muscular large man with a shaven head, Hawkins.

He was wearing a vest on top of a shirt. He was interacting with the adventurers gently and politely despite his appearance. He was a really serious worker and was respected even by the adventurers living in Dalien.

He was a person like that but, because of his stern appearance, the rookie adventurers tended to avoid him.

The person himself was also bothered by that but, he couldn’t do anything about that.

Hawkins who had free time that he didn’t know what to do with compared to the other two was starting to sort the area around his desk. Then a staff member came out from behind the counter in panic.

When the staff member found Hawkins, he approached him.

「What’s the matter?」

The young male staff member handed several pieces of documents to Hawkins while explaining.

「A messenger from the feudal lord came. He gave instruction for Hawkins-san to be present at the meeting too.」

Hawkins gave a brief glance at the documents he received and frowned.

(This is……recently there is a lot of this.)

The documents reported that a dungeon was born in the area around Dalien. Hawkins left the reception duty to the male staff member and immediately headed towards the guild’s meeting room.

He read the documents while walking and his eyes read over the dungeon’s scale and trait.

(The details aren’t really known is it?)

The dungeon had just been discovered and the investigation also hadn’t progressed satisfactorily, but it seemed the scale of the dungeon wasn’t that big.

It was written that the period of its subjugation was predicted to be two weeks until a month.

But, there was one problem here.

(The feudal lord’s soldiers had just returned. It’ll be difficult to dispatch them again.)

Until recently there were two dungeons around Dalien. One was subjugated by the feudal lord’s army, while the other one was subjugated by the cooperation of the feudal lord’s army and the guild.

One of the subjugations was completed recently, so there was only one remaining.

But, it was hard to consider to dispatch the soldiers that had only just returned to carry out another subjugation.

(The skilled adventurers and large scale parties are all out for the dungeon subjugation so, making the remaining adventurers to deal with this……might be difficult.)

Hawkins was recalling the people that could possibly subjugate the dungeon from among the remaining adventurers.

Right now there were few people in Dalien who were reliable and experienced in dungeon subjugation. They would have no choice but to send lower quality adventurers.

While Hawkins was worrying in his head about what to do, he suddenly recalled Lyle’s group that was being led by Zelphy.

(Lyle-kun’s party……that’s no good. They are still in the middle of instruction period, their experience also cannot be called abundant. The ability to deal with unpredictability will be necessary too, they should be kept from participating for now.)

Even if there was no problem with their strength, a dungeon was a place where it was unknown what would happen there. Furthermore, a dungeon that had just been born was really dangerous with how few the information about it was.

When Hawkins arrived at the door of the meeting room, he straightened his posture and knocked.

(Either way, it will be busy from now.)

Hawkins resolved himself to be busy from now before participating in the discussion with the messenger from the feudal lord Ventra──

.

We who returned to Dalien were dirtied with sweat, sand, and monster fluid.

We sold the materials at the guild’s first floor, sold the magic stones to guild staff, then Zelphy-san got called out by a staff member.

「Zelphy-san, can you come to the second floor later? There is a bit of a problem, so they want to discuss various things with you.」

Zelphy-san made a slightly troubled look. From the staff member’s look, she must be thinking that another troublesome matter was going to be pushed on her again.

「Now look here, I’m in the middle of an instructing period. It’s troubling if I’m asked to leave that job this often you know? What is it this time?」

The first time was bandit subjugation, the second time was the trouble between territories. Certainly Zelphy-san got called many times even though she was in the middle of an instructing job.

「That’s, it looks like another dungeon has appeared. Even though we’re gathering manpower, many are still in the middle of subjugating another dungeon even now so there isn’t enough numbers.」

Hearing that it’s a dungeon, the inside of the Jewel became noisy.

The ancestors spoke by turn.

『Dungeon! Nice. Perhaps we’ll also get a chance──』

『There is that possibility.』

『Hmm, in that case we’ll need to prepare various things.』

『I want to participate this time no matter what.』

『Haha~, I’m looking forward to it.』

『It’s really exciting.』

I heard that the feudal lords would be at their wits’ end when a dungeon appeared in their territory. But, it felt a bit like festival mood for the Walt House.

In reality, it might be good news for the feudal lord if it was possible to subjugate the dungeon. That’s what I’m thinking recently.

It seems inside the mind of the ancestors, if Zelphy-san is participating then we will also end up participating through the flow of events.

The Third is hurrying me.

『Come on Lyle, let’s join the discussion too.』

The ancestors are having fun. It seems they have no intention to listen to my opinion at all.

I called out to Zelphy-san.

「Say, is it alright for me to join that discussion too? Somehow it looks fun.」

Then the staff member and Zelphy-san turned around and looked at me with disbelieving expressions. Zelphy-san covered her face with her left hand.

「Aa~, it might be good for you to participate. Lyle is my client after all, if I’m going to be forced to join then with him there……but listen here, what do you mean it looks fun huh? Looks fun you said! This isn’t a game you got that?」

I’m surprised hearing that.

From the talk of the ancestors, it sounded like something fun but…….

「I, I’m sorry.」

I apologized even while being unable to really swallow it.

Zelphy-san tried to explain to me who was like that but, 「No, doesn’t matter. It feels like it’ll be long」 she gave up. 「Before that」 she said, telling everyone to head to the bathhouse first for now. Certainly, we cannot calm down no matter what without cleaning up this dirtiness first. Zelphy-san and I planned to head to the meeting after getting refreshed.

.

──Novem, Aria, and Sophia, the three of them exited the bathhouse and breakup for the moment before meeting up again in a café with a calming atmosphere.

They planned to have dinner after meeting up with Lyle, so Novem only ordered a drink and killed time there.

When she looked outside the window from her seat, people were walking by. She could see the figure of citizens pinching their nose seeing adventurers returning from outside and taking distance from them.

Soaked in sweat, mud and blood. Few people would approach such adventurers.

Originally, it was the norm for something like the adventurer guild to be located near the city’s entrance.

Looking at the whole of the city, Dalien’s adventurer guild was placed at the edge of the city, but Dalien that continued to expand also caused the number of buildings around the adventurer guild to increase gradually.

Aria who was leaning on the table brought up a subject with Novem who was watching the scenery outside like that.

「That Lyle, is he trying to do something on his own again?」

Sophia drank juice with a straight posture and looking at the badly mannered Aria from the corner of her eye.

「Rather than that, can’t you do something about your posture?」

When Aria stretched her back from the warning of the straight laced Sophia, Novem chuckled seeing the two of them.

(They have opened up more to each other compared to before.)

Novem felt that the distance between the two’s heart had become closer since the problem between territories last time was resolved.

It wasn’t awkward like before, they were becoming able to say what they wanted to say to the other.

「It seems so. I guess Lyle-sama is also someone with the blood of the Walt House.」

Then Sophia seemed to recall something and her expression turned complicated.

「I heard about it before. It seems that the Walt House would be happy with a dungeon’s appearance. Even a dungeon that normally would be a source of worry is nothing more than a place to test one’s skill in front of Bahnseim’s strongest feudal lord noble……it’s just a rumor right?」

Aria was doubtful in front of the uneasy Sophia.

「Lyle’s house is that amazing? I’ve at least heard their name before but, there is also a Walt House among us capital nobles, so, you know.」

If the past was traced, the feudal lord noble Walt House originally became independent from the capital noble Walt House. The Walt House that had the lowest rank as capital nobles could be considered as the main house.

Sophia explained to Aria.

「Should I call them amazing or out of place, anyway they are famous. You didn’t hear the rumor about them in Centralle?」

Aria tilted her head.

「I know they are amazing but, from my view who comes from a capital noble background, I only know that the countryside feudal lord branch house is surpasses the main house in Centralle, that’s all. Is there some kind of famous anecdote about them?」

Then Novem took a sip of her drink and moistened her mouth, then her eyes shined.

And then, as though she had been waiting for it, she started talking eloquently.

「Speaking of their amazingness, the Walt House has a lot of amazing anecdotes since it was founded. After all, the ancestor of the feudal lord noble Walt House, Basil-sama was a dragon slayer who defeated a dragon single-handedly. The second generation Crassel-sama was plain and didn’t stand out, but he was the person who solidified the Walt House’s foundation. The one who was leading the soldiers who were trained by that second generation, was the third generation who is famous as the righteous general, Sleigh-sama. He charged an army of ten thousand with only several dozen troops and held them back in their tracks you know? Max-sama who became the fourth head falls behind the other heads in military achievements, but he was a person with magnificent skill in domestic affairs. Though it will take time to explain in detail so I will omit it. The fifth generation Fredericks-sama had disgraceful rumors about his love affairs but, it was said that he was a demon in a battlefield. The sixth generation Fiennes-sama possessed both evil and good in him, he expanded the territory of the Walt House and also played an active role in the war with the other countries. The seventh generation, Lyle-sama’s grandfather, Brod-sama took the position as an advisor to Bahnseim’s royal family and raised achievements in the chaotic state of Bahnseim at that time left and right──」

Aria and Sophia raised both their hands in a surrendering pose at Novem who wouldn’t stop. They shook their head and interrupted Novem’s explanation.

「Stop! Stop! We get it. Anyway, we get it that Lyle’s house is amazing!」

Sophia cleared her throat and changed the flow of the talk.

「E, even so he is late. It’s unthinkable that they will have a discussion about the particulars so suddenly, I thought that it would be just confirming whether to participate or not.」

Remembering that Lyle still hadn’t returned from the guild, Novem also tilted her head slightly with her hand supporting her cheek. She was also feeling that she still hadn’t spoken enough but, she also had no intention to forcefully continue.

「You’re right.」

There was an anxiety inside Novem.

Lyle normally was ignorant of the world and had many hopeless sides to him, but he showed that he was reliable at the crucial moments.

He would be motivated and solve any kind of problem. Novem too was thinking fondly of such attitude from Lyle, but she started to think whether this time that side of Lyle was coming out again.

(It will be good if nothing happens.)

Novem continued to wait while worrying whether Lyle was causing some kind of problem──

.

『Don’t screw around!』

『Unforgivable. Something like this is absolutely unforgivable!』

『This isn’t allowed!』

『……』

『How can this be……』

『This is why this adventurer guild bunch can’t be trusted!』

The six ancestors were feeling indignation.

I participated in the discussion of the dungeon subjugation inside the guild’s meeting room, but the result caused the six to be enraged.

Zelphy-san and Hawkins-san are looking at me in exasperation.

「Lyle, it’s obvious but, there is no way we can let you and the others participate seeing that you are still in the middle of training.」

The adventurer that was called to this place wasn’t just Zelphy-san.

There was one more veteran male adventurer who was similarly instructing other adventurers as an instructor.

Apparently the other skilled adventurers are currently in the middle of subjugating another dungeon and cannot show themselves here.

I spoke as the representative of the ancestors’ opinion about my wish to participate but──

「Lyle-kun, as expected I cannot allow that. Certainly the number of participants can be said to be insufficient. However, Lyle-kun and the others are lacking experience. In Dalien there is no way we can let that kind of adventurer to participate.」

I faltered in front of that reply which is typical for the earnest Hawkins-san. But, the ancestors don’t care about such thing.

The ancestors were in a bad mood because the dungeon subjugation that they were looking forward to was deprived from them.

The middle aged man with black hair, brown skin, and round stomach looked at me and laughed.

「The youngster trained by young miss Zelphy is really lively. It reminded me of the young miss in the past.」

The man’s name is Dalel.

He is an adventurer that uses a spear and it seems he is classified as a senior even among the veterans in Dalien. He has experience and a track record of nearly twenty years and apparently even Zelphy-san cannot raise her head against him.

「Just shut up, this middle aged old man! I’m different from the past!」

He knows about Zelphy-san when she was still a rookie, so he should also know about her embarrassing past from that time. Because of that Zelphy-san must find it difficult to deal with this person.

Dalel-san folded his arms and looked at me while his left hand is touching his beard before nodding.

「I heard various rumors like “idiot noble son” or “womanizer”, but now that I’m looking at him directly like this, he doesn’t seem bad. Hawkins, how about letting him join?」

Hawkins-san made a troubled face.

「Dalel-san, as expected that’s──」

Zelphy-san scratched her hair roughly and then she pulled at my hand to get out from the meeting room.

「Come on, we’re going. Also, we won’t participate so just continue the talk without us.」

「Please wait a second, Zelphy-san.」

She pulled me roughly and then closed the meeting room’s door. After that Zelphy-san walked angrily through the corridor with longer steps than usual.

I timidly asked the reason why we cannot participate in the dungeon subjugation.

「Is it really no good no matter what?」

Zelphy-san’s opinion doesn’t change.

「No good. Looks like you’re getting cocky after finally becoming able to earn income properly though. Dungeon subjugation isn’t something that easy. You should challenge it after accumulating more experience. Only stupid idiots would challenge a dungeon in your current state.」

『Eh!?』

The Second raised his voice in surprise at Zelphy-san’s opinion. The other ancestors also seemed unable to accept it.

Apparently from Zelphy-san’s view, the ancestors are all stupid idiots.

「Now listen. Each dungeon has its own characteristic. The number of monsters inside can be extremely a lot or a few. It can be excessively wide or cramped, there will be various other characteristics too. There isn’t anything like an absolute capture strategy for it. There is no way it can go well with rookies like all of you participating……no, perhaps Lyle might be able to do it I guess.」

Her evaluation of me was unexpectedly rising in these few months.

Zelphy-san knows that I can use multiple Arts. But, apparently it’s no good with just that.

「The problem is the other three. Novem might still be fine, but the other two are really only at a level little better than an amateur. What’s more there’ll be just five of us even with me included. The number isn’t enough.」

Then the Third spoke in high spirits.

『Then it’ll be fine if we have the number isn’t it? Lyle, I have an idea.』

Hearing that, I suggested to Zelphy-san in order to convey the Third’s idea.

「What if I ask the party I’m acquainted with to increase the number? I think it’ll be enough if there are eight of us though.」

However Zelphy-san’s opinion doesn’t change.

「No good is no good. Come on, we’re going home today and resting tomorrow. See ya.」

After we got down to the second floor and arrived at the reception desk, Zelphy-san turned her back to me and waved her hand before walking away.

The anger of the ancestors inside the Jewel hasn’t settled down yet it seems.

The Seventh raises his voice.

『Are they telling us to simply let this kind of good chance pass away!? Last time there were various problems so we gave up but, we won’t give up this time! What’s more, this will be the first campaign of dungeon subjugation for Lyle! They’re getting in his way……this is why I hate adventurers.』

The Second also had the same opinion.

『That’s right. Besides, it’s better to experience this kind of thing, a skill test like this, early.』

The Third is grumbling, perhaps he is vexed that his opinion was rejected.

『This is just strange. With the current party they can do well enough! Even Lyle has gone through “Growth”, he’ll be able to use our Arts even more than before, and yet!』

The Jewel recording the Arts of the ancestors is an excellent tool that gives support by teaching the way to use the Arts to me the user.

At the same time, the ancestors were also resurrected inside the Jewel as memories, absorbing my mana and continuing to make a ruckus. This Jewel also happens to have a cursed tool aspect like that.

I sighed and then headed to the café where Novem is waiting. I’ll join them and finish the dinner, then tomorrow what will I do…….

While thinking that, the Sixth laughed meaningfully.

『Now, everyone……how about we all calm down. After all the right to carry out dungeon subjugation belongs to the feudal lord. The guild is moving due to the request of that feudal lord, so we can only obey the guild’s decision.』

When I’m thinking that the Sixth today is really docile, the other ancestors are also starting to laugh eerily.

Like the Third, his carefree voice sounded more wicked than usual.

『You’re right. It can’t be helped now that the guild had told us that. Yep, let’s give up. But you know……we weren’t told not to rely on the feudal lord isn’t it?』

The Fifth muttered.

『The previous trouble between territories, we still haven’t received the extra reward for that.』

The Seventh was also in a good mood.

『He worked people hard as he pleased. So we’ve to receive the compensation. Now then, Lyle……tomorrow will be fun.』

Apparently they want to directly request to Ventra-san.

When I’m thinking that these people are a bit scary, the Second also felt the same as me.

『You guys, that’s a bit scary you know?』

I can’t help but agree with the Second’s frank opinion.

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