Chapter 24: The Phantom Treasure

I Became the Secretary of a Hero! — LNCrawler · All chapters

THE Phantom Treasure—a cynical smile crossed Aki’s face and she scratched the tip of her nose at those all too perfectly lined up words. Going on a hunt for some phantom treasure painted the picture of a grand adventure, but it was hard to shake the feeling the Quest was sketchy.

Aren’t these types of Quests always some sort of trap? Like you have to fight your way to the end of the dungeon and finally open the treasure box lid only to find it empty or worse—a monster pops out! Either way, the others are waiting for us back at the inn. We can’t go on a Quest right now.

Once she got a look of approval from Elias, Aki was about to turn Mina down, when she brought up something of great interest.

“Actually, it’s said this Phantom Treasure is a secret panacea that can instantly cure any illness.”

Aki’s eyes widened and she intently stared at Mina’s face. The Kingdom’s First Prince Arnold was the first person to cross her mind when she heard about the panacea that can cure any illness. The tragic prince’s life was ruined by the curse cast on him at birth by the Dark Lord. If the secret panacea was capable of curing him, it would be a surer option than dragging the Dark Lord back to the Imperial Castle and forcing him to lift the curse.

Considering the amount of time it’ll take for us to restore the hand-mirror’s magic, travel to the Dark Lord’s castle, and persuade him to come with us to lift the curse, finding the Phantom Treasure sounds much faster.

Aki cautiously stepped around Elias’ protective back and asked Mina, “Pardon me, Miss Mina, but is that secret panacea capable of curing illnesses caused by a magic curse?”

“Aki,” Elias cautioned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Elias didn’t think it was a wise idea to challenge a suspicious Quest in the crucial time they had left before embarking for the Dark Lord’s castle. But Aki wanted to make a gamble on the chance the panacea could cure Arnold who had been hidden away in the isolated tower, suffering for all his days from the curse.

Aki imploringly gazed upward at him. “Elias, I want to try anything that might be able to save him. Won’t you feel better if he’s cured sooner rather than later too?”

Elias blamed himself for his role as Hero bringing the curse and misfortune down on Arnold. If they healed Arnold with the Phantom Panacea, it would be one less burden off Elias’ back, and Arnold’s improved condition would lead to the Kingdom's growing prosperity. They couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to fall in their laps.

“Right?” she asked, putting both her hands around his.

At a loss for words, he took a short breath. “You aren’t wrong, but…”

Mina blinked at their affectionate display. “Oh dear, sounds like you have a need for it. Well, granted there’s nothing more suspicious than a Phantom Treasure, but I got my hands on this Quest Form from a relatively reliable source, so I think we can trust what it says! Besides, isn’t it adventurous to challenge a mysterious Quest?”

“Wait, we haven’t said we’ll accept it—”

“Also, I hope you’ll just call me Mina!” Mina said with a broad smile, cutting Elias off.

Aki laughed at him as he recoiled from Mina’s overbearing attitude. I wonder if I can pressure him into it with one more push. I guess I’ll get things going by introducing us to her.

She stepped forward and put a hand to her chest. “My name is Aki. This is Elias. It’s nice to meet you, Mina!” She thoughtlessly introduced Elias by name.

“Oh?” Mina quickly reacted, “Isn’t Elias the same name as the current Hero? What a cool name to have!”

Elias and Aki gulped.

Oh no, I wasn’t supposed to bring Elias name up. His name is known throughout the world after all!

However, Mina didn’t think the man in front of her was the actual Hero and continued chatting without giving the association much thought, “Back to the Phantom Panacea. I’m sorry to say the details on what it can do aren’t included. It’s called a Phantom Panacea for a reason though—it should be able to cure incurable illnesses or sicknesses caused by magic curses.”

“…Why would such a convenient panacea be left untouched in the ancient ruins referred to in the Quest?” Elias demurred, reading the Quest Form he took from Mina. “I’ve heard there are still many potions and magic items in this world possessing powerful effects we still don’t know much about, but even the most skilled treasure hunter rarely comes across one. To be frank, I’m against taking this questionable Quest seriously enough to accept it.”

He turned to Aki and put his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want to put you in danger,” he said, trying to persuade her.

She wordlessly cast her eyes down. I’m happy he’s worried about me, but I think it’s a waste to let any chance—even a far-fetched one—to save Arnold escape from under our noses. But I doubt I can get Elias to agree, and I’d only get in Mina’s way if I went with her alone. What can I do about this?

Mina quietly watched Aki and Elias stare into each other’s eyes from the side. “…Uh, this is a bit awkward, but with how friendly you two are with each other I just have to ask: are you a couple?”

“Huh?!”

Aki and Elias spun toward her.

“W-W-We a-are not! Elias is just a friend!” Aki stuttered, frantically waving her hands.

I feel like I had this same conversation at the jewelry shop! Do Elias and I look…intimate enough together to be mistaken for a couple? Aki stole a glance at Elias. He rubbed the side of his neck and shyly averted his eyes.

The corners of Mina’s lips curved up in amusement at their reaction. “Hmm, at the more than friends less than lovers stage then. Your relationship is still developing, huh? That’s all the more reason to take on this Quest! It’s conventional wisdom that love blooms between a man and woman who overcome the dangers of an adventure together!”

“Wh-Why are we even talking about this?!”

The conversation had completely derailed. Aki was about to argue vehemently with her, when Mina waved her hand with a grin, totally uninterested in hearing her objections.

“Don’t worry about it! Anyway, let’s not fuss about the trivialities! You should just hop to it and take action if you’ve got the time to debate it! Humans are doomed the moment they are forced into defense! You have to keep attacking to get through life! Alrighty, I can go to the Quest Counter right now if you like.”

“Wait. We haven’t decided to go yet!” Elias reached out his arm to stop Mina from signing them up for the Quest. Aki deliberated for a moment before sucking in a breath and lunging for his arm. “Aki?”

Elias looked down at her, flummoxed. She tightened her hold on his arm and gazed up at him with pleading eyes. “Elias, please reconsider! We might find a way to cure Arnie’s illness! I want to take our chances on any possibility to help him right now…!”

I know I’m being unreasonable and asking for a lot. But this might be a chance the Goddess gave us. I think I’ll always wonder what could have been if we turn down Mina’s Quest.

Aki wouldn’t back down or let go of his arm. A few minutes passed before Elias heaved a resigned sigh. He tossed his gaze to the side, sulking. “…I’m kinda jealous.”

“Pardon?”

“You’ve been thinking of nothing but Arnie since this conversation started. Even though I’m the one right here worrying to death about you.” He pursed his lips in a pout.

His boyish mannerism took her by surprise at first and then she couldn’t help but to giggle. He might not be aware of it, but he was jealous of Arnold.

Elias has shown me so many different expressions lately. He’s so expressive it’s hard to believe I only ever saw his practiced smile when we first met. I’m glad he’s facing me with his real feelings.

Aki released Elias’ arm and steepled her hands in front of her teasing smile. “I’m sorry, Elias. I’m really happy you’re worried about me. I know I’m being selfish, but won’t you come on this Quest with me?”

“…Fine. If it matters that much to you,” he answered, patting her on the head. “But it’s not like we have much time. If I think we’ve reached our limit, I’m pulling us out of the Quest immediately.”

“Okay,” she consented with a smile.

In her mind, if Elias was there, they could finish any Quest in no time. Although she pushed this on him with her selfish request, she didn’t actually have the ability to fight. Inevitably, it’d be Elias and Mina protecting her. It annoyed her to no end that she’d only be in the way when she asked to do it.

If only I had the ability to fight too…

The Goddess’ notebook gave her the ability to locate monsters, but that was nothing more than a support skill—it offered little in the way of fighting monsters. She needed the ability to use a weapon like Elias or magic like Leo and Johann. Being reminded of her powerlessness depressed her.

“Aki, I want you to promise me one thing before we go on the Quest. Will you?”

“What is it?”

“Monsters appear during Quests just like they do on the Field. Powerful monsters lurk in older places like the ancient ruins we’ll be in this time. I want you to promise me you absolutely will not leave my side while we’re inside the ruins. Understand? I’ll protect you with all my strength.”

“O-Okay. I promise.” Aki brought her fist to her chest and swallowed the lump in her throat.

Having the world’s Hero as my personal bodyguard from powerful monsters is the greatest luxury a girl could have on a Quest. But, if I’m being honest with myself, I don’t just want Elias to protect me—I want to be capable of fighting too. I need to be able to protect myself at least.

Aki lifted her head and smiled at Elias to keep him from guessing at the messy feelings inside of her. “Thank you, Elias. Let’s find the Phantom Panacea no matter what for Arnie’s sake!”

“Yeah. To tell you the truth, I’m pretty excited since it’s been a while since I last did a Quest,” Elias said, excitement infusing his voice.

Did Elias actually want to go on the Quest?

Once they reached the max level, Elias, Leo, and Johann had no need to accept Quests to raise their levels or for money because the Kingdom funded them. A long time had passed since they last accepted a Quest. But from the ear-to-ear grin on Elias’ face, his adrenaline still pumped at the prospect of a grand adventure and phantom treasures.

I wonder if I’m the only person who knows the Hero has such a cute side to him. I feel a little special if I am, because there are many expressions he only shows to me.

“Aki, you see the thing about Quests is that…”

Aki nodded along to his gushing explanation about Quests.

“Hey, I’ve been totally left out of the conversation here. You two are dating, aren’t you? No matter how I look at it, that’s the only explanation…” Mina muttered.

“L-Like I already said, we aren’t!” Aki shouted with a bright-red face.