“Come to think of it, who is that child?”
“Ah, I was wondering about that too,.”
“Ah—… well, this is Linfa. The partner I’m currently partying with.”
“Eh… Adem-san’s new party member… is it…?”
Homura tried to look at me with a slightly sorrowful expression, but turned her face away due to the brightness.
“…Who are you all?”
“We are Adem-san’s… former party members. I am Homura.”
“I’m Geld,. Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Elsha.”
“Adem’s former party members…”
Hearing the three of them introduce themselves, Linfa seemed to fall into thought.
“Um… Why did you form a party with Adem-san, Linfa-san?”
“I was just invited by Adem… well, one thing led to another.”
“Linfa-san fought together with Adem-san, right?”
“Ah, yeah…”
“……. On top of that, Adem-san was injured this badly…? Even though Linfa-san looks almost unharmed…?”
“Kh… Th-that is…”
At the sound of Homura’s chillingly cold voice, I felt the temperature in the room drop. Homura’s dimly glowing dark eyes stared fixedly at Linfa.
Sensing the disturbing atmosphere, I cut in.
“Homura, don’t blame Linfa too much. The opponent was bad news this time. After all, it was a Guardian Respawn…”
“Respawn…!? Wait, isn’t that a huge deal!”
“Whoa, Adem-san fought a Labyrinth Guardian,!?”
“……!”
Hearing the word”Respawn,”Elsha and the others showed astonishment in their own unique ways.
“Linfa is still D-Rank, and if anything, did a great job.”
“Eh, this child is D-Rank? And the two of you defeated it?”
“We managed, somehow.”
“Seriously,…”
Elsha and Geld looked somewhat impressed, but honestly, if it were you guys, either one of you could have defeated it paired with Linfa. In fact, you probably would have handled it more skillfully than I did.
“…Well, anyway. This injury is also a result of my own immaturity.”
In reality, if I had stopped Linfa sooner back then, it was an injury I wouldn’t have sustained.
“B-But!”
“Besides, I’m the vanguard. I can’t let the rearguard get hurt. …Result-wise, we made it back alive like this.”
Call it ‘all’s well that ends well.’ We managed this time, so we just need to reflect on it and do better next time.
“…Adem-san is… too kind…”
“…Homura?”
Hearing me cover for Linfa, Homura cast her eyes down with a somewhat dark expression.
Just as I thought she had taken a few steps back, she turned on her heel and staggered out of the room.
“More… I have to become stronger… much more…”
“Ah, hey, Homura!”
“Ouch… Adem-san, we’ll excuse ourselves too,.”
“O-Oh.”
Chasing after Homura, Elsha and Geld also left the room, leaving only Linfa with a gloomy expression and me, glowing in seven colors.
It’s been nothing but noisy since the morning, and in the infirmary of all places. Just as I was thinking it was lucky there were no other patients in the room, a knock echoed. Another visitor?
“Come in.”
“Excuse m—What is that light!? Ah, Adem-san, what happened to you!?”
The person who entered was the receptionist, Carine.
“Ah—no, a lot of stuff happened… My injuries are healed, but I ended up like this in exchange.”
“I-Is that so? That’s, um… rough, isn’t it?”
“So, did you need something?”
“Ah, yes. The Guild Master wishes to speak with you…”
“Tell I’m in critical condition.”
“Ehh!? No, I can’t really do that…”
“Then tell I’m seriously ill and no visitors are allowed. My body is glowing like this, after all…”
“Well, it is glowing, but…”
“That’s quite a lively critically ill patient I see there.”
“Geh.“
Entering the room along with those words was a single woman.
She had a slender, tall stature with well-balanced proportions. In addition to glossy black hair and a pair of horns growing from the sides of her head as if to adorn it, something resembling a dragon’s tail could be seen swaying from behind her clothes, which gave off a somewhat exotic impression.
What drew the eye more than anything was the mask modeled after a dragon’s head covering her face.
It was a visual with such impact that once seen, it could not be forgotten.
“Is ‘Geh’ how you greet me, Adem? Kaka.“
Contrary to her words, she let out an amused laugh. She is currently one of only ten people in the Kingdom to reach S-Rank, and the woman who serves as the head of the Tandem Adventurer’s Guild.
The dragonkin, Elanza-Draculia herself.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Taken by Elanza to the reception room inside the guild, Linfa and I were made to sit on a sofa. Incidentally, the light overflowing from my body was extinguished by Elanza with a single comment of”It’s annoying.”
“What would you like to drink?”
“I shall have tea. And you two?”
“Coffee, then.”
“……”
“And you?”
“C-Coffee, please.”
Stiff with nervousness, Linfa jumped slightly and answered.
“Kaka, understood. Carine, please.”
“Certainly.”
Elanza chuckled softly at Linfa’s reaction.
Carine put pre-ground beans into the dripper in the reception room and began to hand-brew the coffee. The savory aroma of the beans began to tickle my nostrils.
Perhaps to show the prestige of the Adventurer’s Guild, the reception room was decorated with furnishings that looked valuable; even a single piece of furniture appeared to be quite a high-quality item. There were even things that looked like artifacts.
Curiosity piqued, I stood up and went around looking at this and that.
“Oh, isn’t this the one rumored to be up for auction the other day? Did you win the bid?”
I picked up an artifact that looked like a celestial globe displayed on a shelf.
“Mm, ah, that? That is so, but… Hey! Do not touch that so casually! It was expensive, you know!?”
“Why is the mighty Guild Master being so stingy…”
“Shut it! Just sit down quietly!”
I shrugged my shoulders and quietly returned to my seat.
“W-Why do you look so relaxed…?”
Even if you ask”why”… you know? For me, getting nervous dealing with her feels like a waste of mental energy…
After a short while, steaming cups were brought before us.
“Mm, good work. Sorry to bother you during your duties.”
“Not at all. Please call me if you need anything else.”
Leaving those words behind, Carine bowed to us as well and left the reception room.
“…So, regarding the discussion. First, it is about your encounter with the Guardian Respawn.”
“I figured.”
“Though, we have mostly secured the corroborating evidence already. Here, you forgot this.”
“Whoa there.”
What was tossed to me was my sword. It seems she retrieved the one I had thrown at the Guardian and left there.
“In addition, this… is undoubtedly from a Guardian class, yes?”
Next, she took out a spherical, bright red crystal that was too large to fit in a palm—a Magic Crystal.
Magic Crystals are formed when magic particles, which usually drift formlessly in the atmosphere, crystallize inside a monster’s body. Generally, the more powerful the monster it is harvested from, the higher the purity and market value.
Furthermore, at this size, it basically couldn’t be harvested from anything other than a Guardian class. The fact that this was lying at the scene serves as proof of the Respawn.
“I went out personally to pick it up. You ought to be grateful, you know?”
“Thanks for that.”
“Mm. Now then—”
Elanza continued talking without seeming to mind my somewhat half-hearted gratitude.
Respawn is a phenomenon that occurs in a chain reaction due to certain conditions, and it is merely a secondary effect. The Respawn itself is not the essence of the problem.
“—Well anyway, now that a Respawn has been confirmed, we must take measures against the emergence of a Demon Lord.”
“A Demon Lord…!?”
Linfa gasped at those words.
The condition for a Respawn.
That is, it signifies the birth of an existence called a Demon Lord in the vicinity.
Demon Lords. Vile vanguards of the Evil Gods, humanity’s greatest nemesis, and rulers of the Labyrinths. They are born suddenly within Labyrinths, lurking while accumulating power to destroy humanity.
The existence of a Demon Lord makes monsters in the surrounding Labyrinths active. If left unchecked, the Labyrinth will eventually cause a monster stampede, destroying nearby towns and villages. And if a Demon Lord who has gained sufficient power begins to move personally, in the worst case, the nation will perish.
It seems that hundreds of years ago, a certain country was actually destroyed, escalating into a total war between humanity and the monsters led by a Demon Lord.
Since a Demon Lord can be born along with a new Labyrinth, or in a new area generated within an existing Labyrinth, we must first search for it.
Even if we find it, the Labyrinth where a Demon Lord lurks is extremely dangerous, and the Demon Lord itself is terrifyingly strong.
These elements alone are troublesome enough, but there is one more—the biggest difficulty. That is—
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