Bonus Short Stories

A Rumor Among the Adventurers

One evening inside a certain tavern in Parth, several adventurers were enjoying a few pints after having returned from their respective quests. The customers present were a gathering mainly composed of those in Rank E (beginners) and Rank D (so-so experienced).

A somewhat dirty man wearing leather armor turned to start a conversation with a man who was sharing his table. “Hey, have you heard the rumor about some crazy monster showing up in the Ancient Castle of Evil Spirits?”

The other man took a sip of his ale. “Ahh, that topic again?” he replied listlessly. “Why’re you bringing it up now? That rumor’s already been around for a while, hasn’t it?”

“Oh, so you’ve already heard it,” sighed the leather-armored guy, dropping his shoulders. Apparently, he had thought the topic would make for an interesting conversation starter.

“You’re talking about the Black Spirit Knight, right? The one that several people had set off to subjugate but never came back from?”

“Yes, yes, that one. Almost all of the adventurers who tried it were Rank D. The Black Spirit Knight itself is also supposed to be Rank D. So isn’t it weird that no one’s succeeded so far?”

“Well...what if it’s the dungeon boss or something? It’s been quite a while since Uld took down the previous one, hasn’t it?”

“Maybe. But it’s hard to draw any conclusions when none of the witnesses have made it back alive. Should I try to go and take a peek at it, you think?”

Suddenly, a cheery guy with a mug of ale in hand turned around from his seat at the bar to join in on the conversation. “Oh, you guys talking about the Ancient Castle of Evil Spirits? I heard that someone’s finally made it back to the guild today.”

“Whoa, you serious?”

“Totally serious. Though, well, I only heard it from my party members. Supposedly it was a party of three, two of whom made it back alive. Just as you guys guessed, the report confirmed that the Black Spirit Knight was located in the deepest room in the dungeon. It’s probably a mutant species.”

The two adventurers who had been merely enjoying the gossip looked surprised by their random guess actually proving to be true. They had been close to actually making the trip themselves.

“Man, then doesn’t it mean the monster’s Rank C or B? I ain’t getting involved with it, no sirree.”

“But listen to this. For some strange reason, that mutated Black Spirit Knight supposedly doesn’t attack you unless you attack it first.”

“What? How can that be?”

“Hell if I know. What if it has intelligence?”

“Now that’s unlikely. There’s no way such a high tier would show up this close to Parth!”

“Hahaha, I know, right? If anything, the survivors were probably so nervous they read the situation wrong or remembered wrong.”

“Hey, who can say...oh, right!” shouted the man at the counter, looking like he’d just remembered something. “Which reminds me, I also heard something else. Just before the survivors arrived, a few adventurers headed off after having accepted the subjugation quest.”

“Talk about bad timing! So, who are the unlucky bastards?”

“It was apparently a newcomer who’d just been promoted to Rank E, together with Cashel and his party.”

The moment Cashel’s name came up, an unpleasant look came over the other two adventurers’ faces.

“Of all people, it had to be Cashel? That newcomer’s not coming back, that’s for sure.”

“Cashel might be able to actually defeat the Black Spirit Knight, but that guy’s got a ton of dark rumors surrounding him, after all.”

“He isn’t called the ‘Newcomer Crusher’ for nothing. Not that anyone would ever say it to his face, though. In terms of raw strength, he’s probably stronger than Uld, isn’t he?”

As of late, there had been many cases of newcomers accompanying Cashel on quests and never making it back. They were all reported as having fallen to surprise attacks by monsters or unexpected accidents inside dungeons, but the number of incidents was far too great to be a coincidence. Those in Cashel’s party were also of unknown origins. Almost all adventurers in Parth did their best to avoid the whole group.

“But...thing is, the newcomer this time is a cut above the rest. He’s been soloing his way this entire time, but almost all the quests he’s taken have been one rank up. He’s pulled ten consecutive Quest Clears, coming back each time without even a scratch. I’ve heard whispers about how he’s caught the guildmaster’s eye too.”

“By ‘one rank up,’ you’re talking about Rank E, right? Unlike Rank F, Rank E quests mean dealing with enemies that come in groups...wait, he solos them and comes back without a scratch?! Are you sure he’s Rank F?!”

“What if he ends up defeating both Cashel and the Black Spirit Knight?”

“Hahaha! Even he wouldn’t be able to pull that off! Or would he...?”

The adventurers gulped their drinks down.

“Ah, you guys talking about the newcomer? I saw him earlier getting real chummy with Ange-chan from reception!”

“What?! You serious?!”

“Ugh, l-let go of my neck, dude!”

“Goddammit! And I was such a fan of Ange-chan...”

“Is that so...well hey, it’s not like they’re going out or anything yet.”

“Ange-chaaaaaan!!!”

The adventurers’ lively conversation based on rumor and conjecture continued deep into the night. In the not-so-distant future, yet another rumor would be born, becoming the newest hot topic around the tavern-going adventurers, but that’s a story for another day.

Gerard’s Journal

It is now several weeks since my king purchased a slave, a young elven girl by the name of Efil. When they first met, she was still weak and frail, but her growth since then has been nothing short of remarkable. Below is the log that I’ve created to keep track of her growth out of the familial love that I’ve developed for this girl, who is the perfect age to be my granddaughter.

2nd day after Efil’s purchase

Although she was cleaned up and given a maid uniform to wear, her body was still too weak and frail to do any manual labor. There really was no solution for this aside from continuing to eat Clare’s well-balanced meals and slowly building her body back up.

Today, we went out to buy clothes for Efil. She is apparently planning on relying on her own skills to make what she really wants to wear in the future, so what we picked out today is only meant to tide her over until then.

“Master, p-please wait for me...”

No matter where they went, Efil always stayed behind my king like a little puppy. When he noticed it, my king took her hand, which caused her to abruptly turn all red in a truly innocent display. Seeing youngsters enjoying their youth really does bring me back. I could watch them all day.

3rd day

My king visited the Adventurer’s Guild together with Efil. As discussed beforehand, she would be registering there as an adventurer. This might sound a bit weird coming from my mouth, but it was after completing my subjugation quest that my king had been seen in a new light by everyone around. And why wouldn’t he? A Rank-B adventurer is, for all intents and purposes, now the top adventurer in Parth. The concubine candidate who mans the reception at the guild said so.

Before long, the registration finished without mishap. However, the receptionist did look extremely surprised when she first saw Efil standing next to my king. Are the two of them going to be fighting over him? It should be interesting to watch!

After registration, my king brought Efil to the practice grounds within the guild in order to test out her skill with the bow.

“Aim for the center of that target. You think you can do it?”

“I’m not sure but I’ll give it a try.”

Efil looked extremely nervous. Word about my king partying up with a promising newcomer had spread through the guild like wildfire, drawing the attention of many adventurers. I was very worried for her...

“I did it! I did it, Master!!”

Well, I was worried for her until she hit the bull’s-eye in not only one, but every single one of the targets. As her ears twitched incessantly in reaction to my king patting her head as a reward, the other adventurers buzzed with astonishment.

Haha, surprised, are you? That’s just how talented our Efil is! Just like my king, I had believed in her from the very start!

5th day

Today, Efil gathered all her courage to lower her head. To whom, you ask? To Clare, the proprietress of the inn where my king and Efil are staying. She wanted to make my king’s meals with her own hands. Up until now, she’s been watching Clare cook from afar, which has clearly given her ideas. What an admirable girl she is.

As for Clare’s reaction...well, her eyes went wide when she heard Efil’s request, probably taken by surprise by how resolute she sounded. However, she readily and happily gave her consent, and even went as far as to offer to teach her how to cook. This Clare is a really great woman after all. What, me? My wife will forever be the only one for me.

14th day

With Efil having gotten used to subjugation quests, we went after bigger game today. Our target this time was the Armored Tiger. According to my king, this was a special quest personally assigned to him by the guildmaster.

“The formation will be as usual: Gerard and Clotho in front, Efil and me as support. This time, we’ll have Efil try out the new move that she has just come up with. So Efil, you activate Covert Action and remain on standby. Feel free to take your shot once you see an opening.”

“Yes, Master. I will be sure to make it count.”

As of late, Efil has grown reliable both as a battle comrade and as a maid. When I remember how she was at the start, it does make me feel a bit lonely, but this is what happens when they grow. I suppose I should just be happy about it.

And, well, it seems like she and my king get quite sweet with each other when they’re alone together. My king goes to the trouble of deactivating the Network, so it’s really obvious. Even I wouldn’t be so coarse as to peek or anything, so I would hope they’d be more trusting of me.

Oh right, speaking of which, I coincidentally saw my king and Efil under a tree — wait, my king, how long have you been there?! No, wait, don’t read it! That’s my secret —

Sera’s Hangover

“Ughh, my head is pounding...what is this...” I groaned as I woke up with a headache that seemed to be buried deep inside my skull. “What...was I doing yesterday?”

My body felt extremely sluggish. On top of that, my memory was blurry, and for some reason, I was sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. I thought I faintly remembered someone carrying me, but I couldn’t say for sure.

In any case, I didn’t want to move. At times like these, going back to sleep was best.

Just as I burrowed back under my sheets, however, there was a knock at my door.

“Sera, it’s already noon. Isn’t it about time to get up?”

The voice belonged to Kelvin, the person who had rescued me from darkness just the day before. He was the first humanoid male that I’d ever met aside from Father, but he did not seem as barbaric as I’d expected, what with Father telling me that “all males are wolves.”

“May I come in?”

“Uh...sure.”

“All right, excuse me. Ahhh, looks like you have a hangover.”

“Hangover?”

If I remembered correctly, “hangover” was the unique illness caused by drinking too much alcohol, the one that I always saw Father suffering from? He told me never to drink, but...oh.

“I...drank alcohol and collapsed?”

“So you remember. Sorry, I rashly offered you some.”

“Nah, I only guessed it. Father was like that.”

Father also got drunk extremely easily, despite loving to drink. I nostalgically recalled the sight of the Four Demonic Generals frantically trying to deal with him.

“Oh, are demons generally weak to alcohol? I didn’t expect that.”

“Mmm...I don’t know about other demons, but from among my parents and the Four Demonic Generals, only Father was like that. Mother was actually quite strong, if anything.”

“So you take after your father, then. In any case, please don’t ever drink alcohol again.”

“Huh? Um, sure?”

Kelvin looked deadly serious while lowering his head to me. I’d seen this before. This was how Viktor looked when he tried to suggest something to Father on behalf of the other retainers. Did I do something to Kelvin yesterday?

“Thank you. If that was to happen again and again, I’m not sure my body could take it...”

“What?”

“Ah, nothing, I was just talking to myself. More importantly, how are you feeling?”

“My head hurts and I feel like throwing up. To be honest, it’s the worst.”

I didn’t remember any of it, but I had a feeling that I’d had a ton of fun during the drinking. If I was going to have to suffer this every time I drank, though, I should probably take Kelvin’s advice and not do it again. Ohhh, so Kelvin said what he said because he was worried about me.

“In that case, lie back down. I’ll heal you now.”

“Heal me? So...like this?”

As requested, I lay down on my back. Kelvin placed the palm of his hand on my forehead. It felt cool and nice. When I closed my eyes, he chanted something. Strangely, my mood grew calm and —

“Hmm? I don’t feel sick anymore. And my headache’s gone too.”

“I alleviated your symptoms with White Magic. Come on, breakf— Well, it’s lunch now, I guess. Anyway, Efil’s prepped everything already, so let’s go down and eat.”

“Okay...”

“Your face still looks a bit red. You okay?”

“I...I’m fine! Really!”

I’d just remembered that Kelvin was the first boy around my age that I’d ever spoken to. Yesterday, I was hardly in a state to think about it, but properly realizing that now made me rather embarrassed. I didn’t dislike it, though...I don’t think.

“You sure? Don’t push yourself, all right?”

“I’m totally fine! Come on, let’s get going!”

I grabbed Kelvin’s hand and rushed down to the ground floor, where the meal was waiting. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was feeling yet, but it wasn’t like me to worry about it. I could worry any time I wanted. Viktor told me to go see the outside world. So for now, I’m going to simply enjoy it as much as I can!

Efil’s Morning

Just like every other morning, I woke up as the sun was about to rise. As soon as I opened my eyes, right before me was the face of my Master, the person who I loved with every fiber of my being. I was reminded yet again how blessed I was. The me from a mere month ago would not have been able to even dream of such circumstances.

“Good morning, Master.”

We had gone to sleep quite late last night. And so, to avoid waking Master up, I greeted him in a soft whisper. I wanted very much to continue gazing at his sleeping face, but I had to prepare breakfast. I pulled myself together, then changed into my maid uniform and descended to the inn’s kitchen.

“Good morning, Clare-san.”

“You just got up as well, Efil-chan? Good morning to you too.”

Upon entering the kitchen, I found Clare-san already having started preparations for the guests’ breakfasts. In spite of the bother, she was so generous that she allowed me to use the space to make breakfast for Master and the rest of my party. I’d only had to ask once, and she had immediately agreed on the spot, even going as far as to teach me how to cook. I owed her so much that I didn’t think I could ever fully repay her. As a token way of expressing my gratitude, I always tried to help out at the tavern whenever I could. I hope my small contribution is useful to her in some way.

“Mm, looks like I’m a bit early.”

“Good morning, Gerard-san.”

“Sorry, customer. We’re still in the middle of prepping.”

As Clare-san and I continued busying ourselves, Gerard-san had come down from his room. Having become capable of materializing his body just the other day, he had started staying in a room of his own at the Fairy’s Song, and it was decided that he would be eating breakfast with us going forward. He had a bigger appetite than Master, so I was making a larger portion for him.

“Not a problem. I’ll be heading out for my daily morning walk.”

“Um...are you not going to take your armor off?”

Even though he had materialized himself, Gerard-san remained adamant about keeping his armor on. In all likelihood, he probably slept in it. Does he not find it suffocating?

“For me, this is my natural state. Efil, never, ever try to peek at my body, all right?”

“O-Of course. I won’t.”

The usually easygoing Gerard-san pressed home his warning with what I thought was a serious face. Gerard-san, exactly what secret is your body hiding —

“If anyone ever sees me, I’ll die of embarrassment! Oh my gosh, you’re such a perv!”

Or so I’d thought, but turned out it was the usual Gerard-san after all. Clare-san was looking up at the wall, seemingly holding in her laughter. Although his explanation was roundabout, apparently Gerard-san was simply embarrassed. After saying what he wanted to say, he briskly set off for his walk. What a carefree person he really is.

“Efil, good morningggg.”

“Good morning, Sera-san.”

Several minutes after Gerard-san had left, it was Sera-san’s turn to wake up. Yesterday, she had slept until noon because she was suffering from a hangover, but today, she was up very early.

“I’m still not in top form. Because I was asleep for so long, now my body won’t move like I tell it to. You know what I mean?”

Sera-san was our latest comrade, having become Master’s Follower only two days ago. I was still unfamiliar with her preferences for food and her daily rhythm, so I was going to have to confirm it all as soon as possible. After all, ensuring that everybody enjoyed their days in comfort was one of the fundamentals of being a maid.

“Sera-san, is there anything particular that you want to eat?”

“I can eat anything and I like everything! I grew up being taught by my father that it wasn’t good to be picky about food. I make sure to chew properly before swallowing too!”

Sera-san is a wonderful person. Now, where’s my memo? That aside, looks like she’s in a great mood today. Did something good happen? It seemed to me that she was looking even brighter than she did yesterday.

“Efil-chan, isn’t it about time?”

Clare-san’s reminder came with perfect timing. Oh no, this won’t do. It is almost time to wake Master up. I rushed to set out everybody’s breakfast at our usual table and turned to head back up to our room.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“I have to wake Master up. I must not be late by even a second.”

“Wake Kelvin? I’ll come too!”

After being woken up with a powerful knock to his head, Master proceeded to punish Sera-san by taking away her breakfast. Although this was a common sight, I had a feeling that today, too, was going to be full of surprises and excitement.

Veteran Adventurer in Sangria Forest

Several days after Kelvin and his party took down the demon, four men with very muscular builds were gathered in front of the forest ruled by perpetual darkness, a place that no one who knew its identity would ever willingly approach.

“We’ve finally arrived, Leader. This is the dungeon known as the most difficult in Parth’s vicinity, Sangria Forest!”

“Damn, I’m getting nervous.”

“Get it together, you guys! We came here with the intention of aiming for Rank B. Veterans like us can’t continue taking a back seat to the young’uns like Kelvin and Efil, right?”

“Hmph, those words sure do seem to carry weight coming from someone with a wife and kids, Leader!”

The group who had arrived at Sangria Forest in this strangely excited state were the representative veterans of Parth: namely, the Rank C adventurer Uld and his party. Led by Uld, a tank, this was a very well-balanced party of macho men that also included a swordsman, an archer, and a mage. For some reason, even the archer and mage were incredibly muscular, but it didn’t matter; the party was still very well-balanced. If one was to state a single flaw, it would probably be the absence of the touch of a member of the fairer sex.

“According to Ange-chan, the boss of this place has already been defeated by Kelvin and his party. In other words, the spawn rate of monsters in this dungeon should be quite low, making it the perfect training ground for us!”

“Leader, we’re aiming to overcome Kelvin, right? But are we not riding on his coattails right now?”

“And what’s wrong with that?! As adventurers, our first priority should always be oursel— Stay sharp, we’ve got company!”

Uld glared at the two monsters who had been roaming around the forest. It was a Blood Mushroom — a Rank B plant-type monster — and a Skull Honeybee, also of the same rank.

You guys ready?

Yes, Leader!

Yes, Leader!

Yes, Leader!

After quickly exchanging confirmations by way of eye contact, the four men scattered to adopt the positions best suited to their respective roles. Just as they finished moving —

“Hmph!”

“Double Fireball!”

Without delay, out flew pre-emptive attacks in the form of an arrow and two balls of fire. As the easier one to aim, the arrow was shot at the knee-high Blood Mushroom. The double fireballs chanted by the mage homed in on the small Skull Honeybee.

The arrow successfully found its target, but the Skull Honeybee managed to deftly evade both fireballs thanks to the detection skill it possessed.

“Sorry! I missed the bug!”

“Not a problem! I’ll handle it!”

“Then I’ll take the monster mushroo— Oohhh?!”

At the same time that Uld closed in on the Skull Honeybee, the swordsman who was just about to slash at the Blood Mushroom found his legs giving way. Poison was the only explanation. Although Blood Mushrooms moved slowly, they had the ability to release poisonous spores that slowly dealt HP damage and inflicted paralysis every time they received physical damage. The microscopic spores were almost impossible to notice and would remain hanging in the air, just waiting to surprise unsuspecting victims.

“Tch! I’ll deal with the bee myself, so you two, back him up!”

“Yes, Leader!”

“Yes, Leader!”

Even as he barked out orders, Uld unleashed a powerful swing with his weapon. However, it did not even come close to scratching the dexterous Skull Honeybee. In return, the monster shot a poisonous stinger out like a missile, which plunged deep into Uld’s skin.

Shit! This one uses poison too?! Dammit, these potions aren’t cheap!

Uld quickly pulled out one of the quick-acting antidote potions on his belt and downed it, then glared at his opponent. They had taken only one step into the dungeon, and this was only their first battle on the path to attaining Rank B.

One hour later:

“We finally killed them...”

“Haah...you guys all right?”

“I’m dead!”

“I’m dead!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’ then.”

After the fierce exchange was over, Uld and the rest had promptly retreated and collapsed onto the open meadow in front of the dungeon. Although they had indeed clinched a victory, this single encounter had greatly exhausted them, not only in the physical sense but also in terms of the consumables that they had used up. The six HP potions, two MP potions, five antidotes, and various other items that they had burned through were by no means free.

“According to what I heard, Efil-chan can kill several of those creatures all by herself. Furthermore, she only needs one arrow for each of them.”

“Ahh, I heard that too. If that practice session she had at the guild once was anything to go by, the monsters she kills probably don’t even know why they died. She has incredible range, too.”

The four men all sighed in unison.

“Even though she has such a cute face...”

“I guess the era for muscles really is over, isn’t it?”

“No, we’re just too green still. We have to take a page out of Gerard-dono’s book!”

It was going to be quite some time before Uld and his comrades finally became Rank B adventurers.