Chapter 3 The Adventurer with a Blank Slate

I picked her up and tied her to my hip, then hung both Lana’s staff and the bow from my back.

“I’m sorry. I’m still a bit…” Lana’s legs trembled. She had no reason to apologize. “Eek!”

I carried the princess away like a princess. Huh, she’s so light. Even I can carry her all by myself.

“Lana, I know this is awkward timing, but would you please form a party with me?”

“Huh? ……Yes, gladly.”

I had gained another partner on my adventure. And then—

—I made my way to the bar run directly by the Kingdom of Remlia’s Adventurers Guild. According to the sign that hung outside, it was called the Wild Ox and Silver Fox House. Up until the day before, those letters had meant nothing to me, but I could now effortlessly read them. Did I have the hero to thank for this? Or my goddess?

I walked into the bar still carrying Lana, not giving any shits about what people watching might think. It was still midday, so the place had only a few customers, but all my party members had already arrived. They’d been pleasantly chatting among themselves but started at the sight of us. I walked right up in front of their table.

“Sorry!” I said, bowing my head slightly. Then I turned to exit the bar.

“H-huh?! Souya, wait, wait!” cried Bel. “I don’t get it! None of this makes any sense!”

“Please, don’t stop me! Take a guess based on what you see! Read between the lines!”

“Not even the God of Perfect Vision could read what you’re trying to say! Tell me what’s going on!” She clutched at my poncho.

“Yeah, I’m not followin’ this, either. Explain,” added Shuna, who stopped me and forced me to take a seat. With no other choice, I sat Lana down on the chair next to me.

“First, introduce us, if you would. Who might this be?”

I started off by answering Arvin’s obvious question. “This is Her Highness Laualliuna Raua Heuress, princess of the Heuress Forest. Only a few moments ago, I asked her to join my party.”

“A princess!” Bel’s eyes sparkled. “Shunie, look, look! She’s sooo cute. I’ve never seen a real princess before. A real princess, in the flesh.”

“Huh? Yeah. I mean, yes.” Shuna blushed red and got nervous. Poor naive scoundrel.

“Actually, while my father does indeed rule over the people of the forest, I am now an adventurer, very much like all of you. That title holds no meaning anymore,” corrected Lana.

“H-how noble.”

“S-so lovely.”

Lana’s aura had Bel shivering. She followed it up with a knockout smile and blinded Shuna. Arvin watched contemplatively.

“Oh-hooo, you’re all here, are ya? You’re late, you know—?” The boss came over to our table and then, making a great deal of noise, got down on one knee and put a hand over his heart. “I beg your pardon, Princess Laualliuna. I have been informed of the countless affronts my nephew has committed against you. I swear to you that I will make him pay for it one day, even if it costs me my life. My humble bar is naught more than a place for fools such as the ones before you now, but I pray you will enjoy a bit of respite and refreshment here.”

“We hope you have a good time,” Bel and Shuna, for some reason now lined up next to the boss, chimed together after his example.

“Please do not trouble yourselves. It’s really quite all right. Souya, say something.”

“Formalities displease Her Highness, the princess. O ye common folk, be at peace.”

“Souya.” She pinched my upper arm for making light of the situation. She was clearly angry, but it felt like a reward. Bel’s smile stiffened for some reason.

“Excuuuse me, but what relationship do you two have?” she asked.

“That’s difficult to answer,” Lana answered, troubled. It troubled me, too. We looked each other in the eye, equally troubled.

“Shunie, what do you reckon? Think it’s a suspicious adult relationship?”

“Hell if I know. But it pisses me off.” Bel’s question had irritated him.

“So how did you come to associate with an elven princess? Why would you add her to the party without consulting with us first?” Arvin asked, completely calm.

“Well……” I fell into thought, trying to figure out how to start explaining.

“Oh, meow, Mr. Otherworlder. Thanks sooo much for this morning.” Tutu walked in wearing her work uniform. She hugged me tight and rubbed her cheeks against mine. She’d gotten way more handsy than last time. After she walked away—

“Ow!”

—both Bel and Shuna kicked me in the shins.

“Boss, I heard quite a story on meow way here, you know.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

Ah, shit.

“Somebody beat the prince to a pulp and poked a bunch of holes in his retainers with a spear or something.”

“Oh-ho, I knew this day would come eventually. Who did it? Not too many adventurers could take Lanceil down.”

“That’s just it; nobody knows. The prince and his party got poisoned or something and can’t even talk right meow. Maybe it’s an unidentified Dark Crowned monster.”

“Ohhh…… Ahh, sorry for the interruption, everyone,” the boss apologized.

Arvin held a harpoon in his hand—one of mine. When did that happen? I always tried to keep three eyes out for pickpockets, so when did he take it?

“Interesting item you’ve got. This a spear?” he asked impassively.

“It’s a merfolk harpoon used for hunting great fish. A friend of mine sold it to me.” He tried to touch the tip, and I lunged across the table to steal it back. “That’s dangerous.”

“Laced with poison?”

“……”

Arvin let out a deep sigh. He was clearly several times more perceptive than I’d given him credit for. The boss’s expression also changed; it looked like he’d caught on, too.

“No, um—” My face tensed. I wanted to tell them, but if that got them involved, they could end up dead. In the end, I only had the power to protect whatever I could carry in my hands. Anything more than that would be too much for me. “Lana, let’s go.”

I stood up. I’m begging you, take the hint.

But the boss put both his hands on my shoulders and forced me back down, then said, “Sorry, Tutu, but I’m going to need you to go home today. Here, your wages.”

“Wait, seriously?! Meow god! This is my lucky day!”

He handed her a copper piece and sent her on her way, paid off the rest of the customers with money and bottles of booze, and kicked them out, then locked the doors and came back to the table. No one remained in the empty bar but the boss and us.

“Now then, as promised, I’ll read your last member’s vitae. Come, hand it over.” Really comin’ at me, huh?

Reluctantly, I fished my scroll out of my backpack. For a second, I hoped that maybe it would have gotten wet, but the completely waterproof backpack refused to let that be a problem.

“I, Rasta ole Rhasvah, servant of Lord Windovnickel, hereby agree to read aloud the vitae of—” Etcetera. He unfurled the scroll, shined a magic light over it, then began to read. “Studied under Éa Raua Heuress. Acquired archery skills in the beastfolk line. What’s this after that? I can’t read these letters. Anyway, after that, it says you mastered Welswein archery. Wait, Welswein?”

“Welswein? I’ve heard that before somewhere, but where?” Shuna tilted his head in question, which the boss answered for him.

“Lady Welswein was Lady Gladwein’s grandmother. Fortune did not shine on her own military deeds, but the warrior line she started produced celebrated knights, adventurers, and heroes. It grew to be the most prestigious line on the Left Continent. I’d heard its teachings had fallen into disuse after many years of extended conflict, so how exactly has an Otherworlder come to master it?”

That question put me in a very difficult position. “Well,” I began, showing them the Heuress Gauntlet. “I put this on, and it, like, you know.”

“Huh? What? You mean to say our family heirloom had that kind of power? It certainly does possess its own magical energy, but that shouldn’t affect the people who wear it. It’s only something my younger sister liked to wear as decoration after my elder brother found it worthless and disposed of it.” Lana seemed the most confused out of anybody.

A mysterious look came over the boss’s face. “I can sense a mystical, albeit weak, force within this. I suspect this item will only reveal its powers to specific races or particular individuals.”

“Why would an elven heirloom work on a heim like—?” Bel covered Shuna’s mouth before he could finish asking his very candid question. Good work. You just read the room.

“I said I would continue, but this is all that’s written on the scroll. As such, I’ll have you explain the rest to your party yourself,” ordered the boss.

Yeah, makes sense. He even went and kicked everyone out of here for this. I’ve got no other choice but to tell them.

“My name is Souya. I came from another world, from a land called Japan, in order to acquire some sort of resource found on the fifty-sixth floor of the dungeon. My primary deity is Lady Mythlanica, and I am also a Disciple of Lady Glavius, the Night Owl. Apparently, the reason my vitae disappears from my scroll has something to do with Lady Mythlanica. I’m sorry.”

“Mythlanica the Malevolent, also known as Mythlanica of the Dark Flame.” Arvin scowled. “She is, if I’m not mistaken, one of the gods the Church of St. Lillideas has designated as malicious.” He cradled his head in his hands. Sorry, man, for so much.

“And I have one more thing to tell you, but promise me you’ll never speak of it to anyone, for your own sake as well.” Taking the bow from my back, I set it on the table, then placed the harpoon Arvin had stolen next to it. “Today, with this bow and this arrow, I shot the prince of Remlia.”

“He did it to protect me. I assure you, he had no nefarious motivation,” Lana interjected, but—

“You drew your bow against a monarch of Remlia to protect an elven monarch?” Arvin’s expression flew right past cold and ended up completely withered.

“And what’s wrong with that?” asked Bel. “It’s supercool. Plus, I’ve heard nothing but bad rumors about that prince.”

“Yeah! One of the beastfolk kids I made friends with here told me the prince beat him up. No real prince would do something like that!”

The two kids jumped to my defense. Unfortunately, that’s what I’d feared most.

“You two just don’t understand. A mere adventurer has no business standing up to a member of the royal family. They’ll crush you like a bug. You both came here because you had something you wanted to accomplish as adventurers, right? Are you willing to throw all that away to support this man?” added the mage called, umm, uh…oh, Zenobia.

“Souya. Just guessing here, but you forgot about me, didn’t you?”

“……No, of course not.” I just couldn’t remember your name for a second. It’s been a crazy couple of hours.

“That’s a pretty suspicious pause.” Disregarding that, Zenobia laid it all out for us. “Sorry, but I’m not trying to stir up any trouble with the royal family, so I can’t agree to partner with Souya. I came to this dungeon to deepen my knowledge and find my future husband.”

Arvin continued after her. “Souya, do you have any intention of severing relations with this elf—? No, that’s a tactless thing to ask…… I’m against it, too. As I mentioned before, I cannot form a party with an elf.”

Shuna and Bel put their votes in next.

“I’m fine with it. Lady Gladwein always says, ‘The righteous choose to help.’ And it pisses me off to hear this dude is waving his authority around so he can do whatever the hell he wants.”

“Me too. That prince is the bane of all women.”

The boss turned to me. “Your party has divided. What will you do?”

“I’m against it. I can’t party up with you.”

““Whyyy?!”” both kids whined. Shuna came around behind and started strangling me, and Bel jumped on my lap and pinched my cheeks. Cornered, I began to persuade them.

“Shuna, Bel, you two know nothing of the world yet. It’s a huge pain and a huge risk to turn an entire group against you. Not to mention, I’m up against the royal family and the ‘king of adventurers.’”

Lana stared daggers at me, so I removed Bel from my lap. I let Shuna stay draped over my shoulder. I couldn’t see his face, but he sounded pouty.

“Then you’re gonna need strong fighters, right? I don’t think I’m that weak.”

“Shuna, you’re a strong kid. But you travel with someone who couldn’t stand to see you bleed. If someone hurt you, Bel would curse them forever, right? She might even go looking for a reckless fight. And just picture how you’d jump to battle if the opposite happened and Bel got injured. If we take that even further, Disciples of Lady Gladwein might also mobilize to protect you. Once that happens, it’d be full-out war, and war is the one thing I want to avoid at all costs,” I explained, trying my hand at a logical argument.

That seemed to make sense to Bel, but Shuna still looked unconvinced. I kept going. “As people I’ve explored the dungeon with, you two—actually, you two and Arvin and Zenobia—are important to me. If anyone attacked you for some arbitrary reason, I would never forgive them. I’d get revenge no matter what. So that’s why I can’t be in your party anymore. I don’t want to be the reason you get hurt.”

He didn’t answer for a while. It took time to swallow the bitter truths of human relationships. Even a dog would turn its nose up at something this awful.

“……Hmph, fine.” He trudged away dejectedly. Zenobia opened her arms wide, but he ignored her and sat down next to Arvin, who ruffled his long red hair.

Putting that aside: “You four will continue as a group without me, right?” I asked.

“Yes, of course.” Arvin’s answer gave me peace of mind. I got up from the chair and took Lana’s hand, then said my last good-byes to my extremely short-lived party.

“Well, this is good-bye. Please forget you ever met me.”