Chapter 10: A Dream Worth Pursuing

Chapter 10: A Dream Worth Pursuing

AFTER everyone worked together to save the city, Aki and the rest of the Hero Party had to run various errands with no time to celebrate each other’s achievements on the battlefield.

First, Elias and Louis split up to search Port City for any potential holes or weaknesses in the barrier. Meanwhile, Johann headed straight to Sanctuary’s local church to report on the events of the day, while Leo pushed his tired body to do the same at the Academy’s Port City Guild Branch.

Since Aki wasn’t affiliated with anything, she was put in charge of reporting to the Adventurers’ Guild with Mina and was currently sitting in a meeting with the local guildmaster.

“Gahaha! What a story! I heard of your heroic deeds from the young guild members who joined the raid. Thanks for protecting our city!” the guildmaster exclaimed, his voice booming through the guild house as he whacked Aki and Mina on the back.

This guy is intense!

This was Aki’s first time meeting the middle-aged guildmaster with a scraggly, gray beard. After smacking the girls on the back, he kicked back in his leather chair, crossed his muscular legs on the table of his private office, and raised a mug of beer in his bearlike hand.

His intimidating appearance and cheerful laughter gave the impression he was a fatherly guildmaster capable of uniting the gruffer Adventurers and commanding respect. He exuded an aura of charisma that naturally drew people to him.

“I worked hard too, Guildmaster! I played a pretty big role in protecting the city!”

“Ooh, I heard you earned your keep too, little Mina. I’m proud to be your guildmaster.”

They seemed to be on good terms as the guildmaster ruffled Mina’s hair when she circled the table to claim credit. He freed her from his noogie and looked up at her with affectionate eyes.

“Let me congratulate you once more for joining the Hero Party. You became an Adventurer because you wanted to be a hero in your own right, yah? I’m proud beyond words to have watched you grow from the girl I picked up in the slums to the woman who has achieved her dreams. Your hard work has paid off in so many ways,” he said emotionally.

Mina’s eyes misted. “…Thank you,” she murmured.

Hearing a little about Mina’s past made Aki realize she knew next to nothing about her friend’s background. She didn’t believe in prying into people’s pasts until they felt comfortable bringing it up themselves, but she had just learned a bit about her without meaning to.

If the slums here are anything like my world, then Mina has likely lived through a lot of hardship…

Aki’s heart stung a bit as Mina smiled at the guildmaster, feeling as if she had just glimpsed a fragment of the darkness her always cheerful and kind friend kept buried.

***

WITH their report to the guildmaster over, the girls walked through the shopping district on their way back to the inn.

Sensing the reason for Aki’s silence ever since they left the guild, Mina forced a sad smile. “…I’m sorry, Aki. I wheedled my way into your party without really talking about myself…”

“D-Don’t be sorry! Your past doesn’t bother me. I was just stupidly getting worried about how much suffering you might have gone through until now…” Aki faltered, not sure exactly what kind of hardship someone who grew up in the slums and then became an Adventurer might experience.

But Aki hoped that whatever Mina’s past may have entailed, she was able to find happiness in being a part of the Hero Party. After all, Aki enjoyed every moment she spent with her dear friend.

“…What I am trying to say is that if you ever need someone to talk to about anything at all, I’m here for you. I might not be able to do anything for you, but I care about you a lot. Haha, kind of embarrassing to say that out loud!” Aki giggled to hide her embarrassment. Mina suddenly stopped. “What’s wrong?”

Aki turned around a few steps in front of Mina. She was looking down at her hands with her lips pressed in a flat line as if enduring some pain. Before long, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Mina quickly batted it away with the back of her hand.

“S-Sorry! I just got so emotional! You heard Guildmaster back there. I’m an orphan who doesn’t even know her parents’ faces. I’d been living in this city’s slums for as long as I can remember. It was a struggle just to find food every day… My sole enjoyment in life was reading The Hero’s Tale picture book that I found in a pile of rubbish.”

Mina explained how The Hero’s Tale was a collection of epics about the generations of Heroes written by Minstrels in simple terms for everyone to understand. Reading that picture book was the one sliver of hope and entertainment Mina had living in the streets.

Latching on to those tales, Mina came to idealize the Hero and strove to become an Adventurer so she could join the current generation’s on his journey. She really just wanted to be needed and loved as a member of the Hero Party as those were two things lacking from her parentless life.

“…Money is needed to become an Adventurer, so I took on any manual labor job that came my way to save up, but then…a friend from the slums stole it all. I stopped trusting people after that and became desperate enough to steal… I even took on jobs involving threatening people… I was on a one-track road to becoming a full-time criminal, and things just kept getting worse from there,” Mina slowly retold her life story as if the words were being ripped from her.

“Going through life like that, I started thinking I wouldn’t mind dying…and that’s when Port City’s Adventurers’ Guild decided to purge the slums. Seems like they got an official request from the capital. When the current Guildmaster and his army of Adventurers swept through the slums, I didn’t resist because I honestly didn’t care what happened to me anymore. I think I just crouched in some back alley and watched with deadened eyes…”

Lost in the past she spoke of, Mina’s normally lively, bright eyes were shadowed and brimmed with loneliness. It was almost as if the orphan girl persona she had shut away decided to be present during this conversation.

“It was the guildmaster who found me there. He actually tried to talk to me and asked, ‘Why the long face? Not gonna run for it?’ When I told him I have nowhere to run, he noticed The Hero’s Tale sticking out of my pochette and asked if I liked the story. That question reminded me of all the hard work I had put in before taking the wrong path, and I just broke down crying with it clasped to my chest,” she said with a small laugh at the little girl she had been.

“He ended up sitting down and hearing me out. He listened to how I wanted to be an Adventurer, got betrayed by a friend, and ended up becoming a stereotypical slum waif. Thinking back on it now, I never told anyone else my story before him, but there was something about Guildmaster that led me to believe he would understand me. I think I just wanted an adult somewhere to speak to me as a human being and not just some street rat…” Mina gave a sheepish laugh.

“After hearing me out, he told me to come with him if I have nowhere better to go and promised to help me become an Adventurer capable of achieving my dream of joining the Hero Party.” She smiled at the memory of it. That seemed to be her one good memory amid the heartache.

“So that’s how I ended up training under him and picking the Thief class since it just meshed well with my past. I was super motivated and leveled up with every quest I could get my hands on… But I was never able to forget the betrayal I experienced in the slums, so I party hopped and soloed. I was scared of trusting and being betrayed again.”

Sympathizing with her, Aki hung her head. Mina strode right past her and turned around to face her with an optimistic smile.

“But my opinion changed when I met you. When I first brought up that Quest put out by Sutcliff with you, you didn’t doubt me for a second and even invited me to join you. You made me so happy, trusting me without question. I feel like that helped remind me how important it is to trust people.” Mina folded her hands behind her back and leaned forward with a grin.

“How do I put it? Even if you weren’t a part of Hero Elias’s Party, I’d still want to be in the same party as you. Adventuring together seems like so much fun. You made me think if I’m gonna try trusting someone, I’d want that someone to be you, Aki. Simply put, you have become a huge piece of my life! Oh gosh, it’s embarrassing saying it like this!” she laughed merrily, covering her mouth with one hand as her cheeks flushed.

…I didn’t know Mina trusted and cared about me that much. Or that I had changed her life.

“And just as I was on cloud nine about teaming up with you, I found out that Elias was the current Hero!” Mina said in an exaggerated tone, holding both hands up and shrugging. “At that point, I was positive our meeting was fate! I mean, how many people obtain their dreams and a best friend at the same time? That’s why I…” She ran toward Aki with open arms and jump-hugged her.

“Whoa!” Aki cried, barely catching her balance. Mina’s blissful smile was inches from her face.

“Love you so much! My love is just as great as Elias and Leo’s! So please let me continue to support and protect you. There’s so much you have to carry along with Elias—I want to lessen that load even just a little for you.”

Aki was starting to get teary-eyed and wrapped her arms around Mina’s neck. “Thank you, Mina! With you by my side, I can get over any hurdle with a smile. So, um, if you don’t mind, let’s stay friends forever!”

Since coming to this world, Aki had Elias, Leo, and Johann to keep her company, but it was nice to have a girlfriend she could talk to about everything, especially the things she didn’t want to tell the boys.

I’m also really glad to have met Mina. The Hero’s journey is filled with peril, so I need to get strong enough to protect her as well. I want to be the type of friends who protect and support each other. Having friends in two different worlds is pretty neat!

“…So, now that we’re friends, I have something to confide in you…” Mina mumbled, letting go of Aki and looking away from her face.

“What is it?” Aki asked, excited for some girl talk.

Turning pink up to her ears, Mina pressed her fingers together. “Y-You see, during the Quest…um…a bunch of stuff happened…and I sorta realized I have feelings for someone…”

“Whaaaaaaaaat?!” Aki squealed. She already guessed Mina had a crush on someone and who that person might be, but hearing it from her added another level of excitement. Or more like there was only one person who could have caught her fancy during the Quest.

But as they say, speak of the devil and he will come—before Mina got a chance to get out what she wanted to say, a certain man greeted them behind her.

“Aki, Mina! What are you ladies doing over here?” he asked in the sonorous voice of a Minstrel.

Mina’s shoulders jumped and she turned scarlet, giving away what she hadn’t yet confided.

Yep, my hunch was right on the mark, Aki thought.

“Hi, Louis! Finished inspecting the barrier?” Aki asked the man she believed to be Mina’s object of affection.

Louis brushed his platinum bangs off his face and flashed a confident smile. “Yes. Though it’s out of the question for a barrier created by Johann, Sutcliff, and myself to have any flaws, it never hurts to check.”

His narcissism never failed to be on at all times, but he had the skills to back up his claims, so it was harder to find fault in his bragging.

As he casually closed the distance between them, Mina remained frozen solid with her back to him.

Yep, she couldn’t be any more obvious.

“By the way, I have a special favor to ask of you ladies.”

“Eeek! Wh-Whatever might that beeeeee?!” Mina leaped into the air when he stood beside her and rested his hand on her shoulder. She ran and hid behind Aki faster than a lizard losing its tail to escape a predator.

She was entirely acting the part of a girl in love, and it was irresistibly adorable.

Louis cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, confused by her flight. “Is something the matter, Mina?”

Aki elbowed him in the side for his oblivious question.

Did he really not notice the change in her behavior despite flirting so hard with her from day one? Louis was surprisingly dense for a flirt.

It’s so frustrating to watch!

Mina turned an obvious shade of crimson and poked her head out from behind Aki’s back, tears misting her eyes. She spoke without looking at him. “N-Nothing’s the matter. Anyway, what do you want from us?”

Aki had to stop herself from laughing at Mina’s unnaturally standoffish reaction.

Louis, on the other hand, looked more perplexed by the second. “Right. Some of the Adventurers are forming teams to patrol the Field,” he answered. “I was appointed leader of a team and wanted you two to join me. Are you both free?”

According to Louis, the barrier breakdown fiasco caused an abnormal number of monsters to flock to the city, and their raid had wiped out several dozen waves, so now they had to prepare for the possibility that there might be irregular monster spawning or powerful boss monsters drawn to the area. Therefore, Adventurers were going to patrol the vicinity to be sure they weren’t caught off guard.

“We just finished giving our report to the guild, so we’re free to help. Is anyone else from the Hero Party coming?” Mina asked.

Louis shook his head. “No, the plan is just for you, me, and Aki to go on patrol. The others can’t do it.”

“Oh, really?” Mina asked, seeming surprised they wouldn’t prioritize monster extermination.

“Well, in Elias’s case, just walking the Field will draw monsters to him, so the Adventurers rejected his help,” Louis said with a laugh. “Sutcliff is hanging out at the inn with Elias because we thought it would be better for him to not linger around humans.”

Huh. So Elias is monster bait.

Aki easily imagined Elias eagerly offering to help and getting depressed when every Adventurer shot him down. Who knew even the beloved, all-powerful Hero faced rejection too.

“I just ran into Leo on the way here, but he looked pretty sick. So I told him to rest at the inn too. I’m surprised he’s even able to walk around after pentacasting without preparation like that. Especially after still being fatigued from the ruins…” Louis said pensively and then fell quiet.

So pentacasting is draining even for a Mage at Leo’s level?

“Say, Louis, is pentacasting all that amazing?” Aki asked without much thought. “Even from your perspective as a magic user?”

It was a type of Lunar Magic capable of instantly annihilating monsters in the sky and on the ground. Aki was deeply impressed by it as a non-magic user, but she wasn’t sure how impressive or rare that was in this world.

Louis shared a look with Mina and carefully picked his words. “…Honestly speaking, amazing can’t even begin to sum up what he did. Perhaps saying his ability is out of this world? God-class? No, neither of those fit either.” He shook his head and looked into her eyes with grave seriousness. “…Aki, I’ll be frank, that was inhuman.”

“Inhuman…?” She shuddered from his choice of words. She sensed he wasn’t complimenting Leo, but speaking in fear of him.

Mina seemed to be of the same opinion as she said nothing, her cheeks taut.

Louis quietly went on to explain, “Pentacasting light magic falls under the forbidden arts for Lunar Magic users.”

Forbidden arts: they weren’t forbidden in the sense of being banned, but rather activating such a spell cost a dangerous amount of magic power from the caster that risked death, so several Mages were required to work together as a group to use them.

For Lunar Magic users, the greater the magic power they expended for a spell, the more lethal its damage output, and the larger burden it put on their health. Any spells considered dangerous to the caster were labeled forbidden arts, and such arts were avoided unless the situation was dire.

“…They can’t ban the forbidden arts because there aren’t even that many people capable of using them. There are plenty of Mages who believed the forbidden arts are just something you learn about in textbooks and don’t really exist. Leo activated one such legendary art alone, and with practiced ease… Frankly, his power is beyond human understanding.” Louis paused and narrowed his eyes on Aki. “Who is Leo, really? Is he truly…human?”

“Excuse me?” she asked back, not expecting that question.

What else could he be?

“We know that he is a descendant of Lenard Gaines, one of the revolutionaries of the Creation Era. Going by the ancient texts I have read, Lenard laid the foundation for the Lunar Magic used today. It makes sense that his descendant would be blessed with a greater talent for magic than a normal person. However, Lenard should have been human, so his relation to Leo doesn’t explain why Leo possesses a magic supply far beyond human understanding. My guess is that there is more to Leo than his lineage.” Louis stopped speaking there, letting his words sink in.

Aki vaguely nodded along and dropped her gaze to the cobblestone.

She knew nothing about Leo’s background beyond him being chosen as the Hero Party’s Mage because he graduated at the top of his class. It made her wonder where and how he had lived as a child before entering the Academy. Leo didn’t seem to know he was Lenard Gaines’s descendant. Not even Johann knew.

The only person with that knowledge was Sutcliff who had entrusted Leo with the Holy Dagger. In other words, Sutcliff might be the one with all the answers.

Mina clapped her hands together, breaking the somber mood. “Well, it’s not like ruminating about it here will get us anywhere, right? He might not know the answers himself, but I say ask Leo. Or maybe you’ll have better luck asking the Dark Lord directly when we visit his castle. For now, our time is better spent patrolling the area around Port City and letting the boys recover before heading out.”

“True enough. I’m sorry for bringing up a serious topic in the middle of town,” Louis said with a small smile.

“You always end up so stuck in your head you fail to move forward,” Mina said, clapping him on the back.

The assertive Mina and the thoughtful Louis actually made a surprisingly good combination.

“I agree with Mina,” Aki said, brushing her hair behind her ear. “We might find the answers faster if we ask the Dark Lord rather than making rash assumptions about Leo.”

“Speaking of the boys,” Mina started to change the topic, “if the other three are resting at the inn, where is Johann at?”

“He will likely be embroiled in questioning at the church until nightfall,” Louis answered, giving his head a sympathetic shake. “Managing the Goddess Barriers falls under Sanctuary’s duties, so the local division probably has a lot to discuss and plan for future failures. Worst-case scenario, he won’t be back until after we are all long asleep.”

“I see… No one has any time to rest, do they?”

Johann had to be tired after repairing the city-wide barrier but likely didn’t have room to complain. In the same sense, Louis also had to be exhausted after assisting him, but he was charged with taking a team out to patrol for monsters. Every member of the Hero Party was in such high demand, they rarely had a moment to themselves.

“That makes sense. Then we’d better do twice as good at our job to make up for their absence!” Mina spun around and winked.

Nodding, Aki placed her hand on her chin and became lost in thought.

Since none of the boys are participating in Field Patrol, won’t it give Mina some good alone time with Louis if I don’t go with them either? I don’t know how many people are supposed to be on a team, but this will give them time together.

She was also worried about Leo’s condition after hearing about the forbidden arts. That was a good enough reason for her to bow out. Now was the time for her to help Mina’s romance as a friend.

“OH NO!” Aki cried out as if she had just remembered something important. She smacked her hands together and put a hand to her head.

Startled, Mina and Louis turned toward her. “Whoa, Aki, what’s wrong?”

“U-Um, you see, I just remembered that Elias asked me to go shopping…!” she answered with a little too much gusto.

“Shopping?” Louis puzzled his brow and looked at Mina. “Oh, maybe he wanted you to buy Leo a magic recovery potion? That potion is quick-acting, so it may be able to alleviate the peculiar malaise that occurs when magic is exhausted.”

He seemed convinced by his complex reasoning, so Aki nodded and said, “Yep, yep! That’s the one!”

It’s time for the third-wheel to roll off and leave the lovebirds alone!

“I’m off to the item shop to buy the potion, then I’ll head back to the inn to give it to him! Have a good time on patrol, you two!” Aki circled behind Mina and gave her back a shove. She lurched forward and fell into Louis’s chest.

“Whoa! Hey, Aki! Where’d this sudden burst of energy come from?!” Mina glared over her shoulder, her cheeks bright red.

Aki cupped her hand over her mouth and flashed a suggestive smile. “May you have luck on various battlefields! You have my full support!” she teased.

That was enough for Mina to guess Aki was trying to come up with a random reason to leave her alone with Louis. Her red-faced glared only sharpened. From Aki’s point of view, that expression was the height of adorable.

Before Mina could get a word in edgewise, Aki quickly said, “Sorry, Louis! Look after her for me” and dashed from the square.

***

I always thought that Mina and Louis would make a good couple. Mina had finally become aware of her feelings, but the real question was how Louis felt about her. Now that I think about it, Louis is really hard to get a read on.

Aki headed straight to the inn on the outskirts of the city as her thoughts traveled a meddlesome course.

“I’m back!”

She threw the front door open and was welcomed by the lyrical jingle of the doorbell and the savory scent of a warm meal. It smelled like the innkeeper and his hired chef were in the middle of cooking dinner for their guests.

Drawn by the mouthwatering aroma, she headed to the dining area with an open kitchen and was stunned by what she found there.

“Oh, hi Aki. You’re back just in time. I made a lot to eat. Would you like some?”

“Boss Lady! Welcome back!”

Standing in the kitchen flipping omelets in a frying pan with masterful technique was the current Hero—Elias. Beside him Sutcliff chopped up vegetables at the speed of light, sending the pink apron he must’ve borrowed from the innkeeper’s wife fluttering with the wind his speedy knife skills created.

D-Did I just step into another dimension?!

Flabbergasted, Aki approached the kitchen where dozens of dishes had been laid out on fancy silver trays on top of the nearest dining table. At a glance, she made out a whole roasted chicken on a bed of herbs, smoked cheese, stew poured on top of baked salmon, sweet apples boiled in syrup, bite-sized, honey-soaked cookies, and countless other professional-looking dishes that fed the eyes and roused hunger.

“W-Wow…”

Did Elias and Sutcliff make all of this together? Aki was floored by the unexpected reveal that they were both genius cooks. I’m not so great at cooking… Or more like, I suck at it. I feel like my role as one of the party’s only women is in jeopardy… I better start practicing soon.

Elias definitely looked like he had maxed out his cooking level as well. Catching up to his culinary level seemed as if it would be as impossible as matching his Adventurer level.

As she stared aghast at the feast, Elias approached her and held out a silver tray with a single cup on top. “Sorry to ask this of you when you just got back, but can you take this to Leo? I think he’s resting on the second floor.”

“Sure. How’s he doing?” she asked, looking down at the contents of the cup. Caramel-colored black tea swirled inside, smelling of milk and honey. The occasional billows of steam coming off the top suggested it was just the right temperature to warm up the body.

“He seemed okay to me, but he staggered upstairs saying he’s going to nap and hasn’t been down since. He might be sound asleep, and if he is, you can just leave the cup and come back down without waking him.”

“Okay.” Aki accepted the tray from Elias and he returned to his station at the kitchen counter beside Sutcliff. She looked at the finished dishes as he resumed cooking and asked, “That’s a lot of food you’re making! Is this supposed to be for dinner tonight?”

“You betcha! We decided to throw a party tonight to celebrate successfully protecting the city. Hero Elias and I were both free, so we’re in charge of food. Once you finish checking in on Leo, give us a hand, okay?”

“Eep! E-Er, if I have the time…” she replied vaguely to Sutcliff and quickly ascended the stairs.

She had nothing against helping out, but she was positive her assistance would turn the food to charcoal… And she didn’t want to experience disappointing Elias that way.

Cooking should be left to the pros! I’ll find another way to help out. Coming up with excuses to get out of helping, Aki started getting excited about the night’s festivities. There hadn’t been an opportunity for their current party to enjoy themselves over a group meal. She hoped Leo would be energized and Johann would get home in time for them to all partake.

Aki stopped in front of Leo’s door and knocked with her free hand. “Leo, are you up?”