Bonus Short Stories

A Prideful Hound

“Oh...?”

Thud, thud, thud.

The fruit rolled down the sidewalk. It was a fruit from one citrus family or other, one that Lorraine had purchased earlier at the market. She’d been feeling a certain lack of sugar as of late. The call of slumber was intensifying, and this type of fruit would be just the thing to ward it off.

There were also quite a few other grocery items in her bag; food for the next few days in fact. The fruit, having lost its balance one way or another, had been jostled out of the bag. Lorraine did have a magical pouch, but it was currently full due to certain circumstances. As a result, she was unable to use it. Inconvenient as it was, Lorraine had no choice but to use a normal bag.

There was, however, something that caught the fruit as it continued bouncing this way and that, bringing it to a stop. That “thing” being...

“...A dog, huh.”

The township of Maalt was a border town with a little bit of everything in it. Humans walked its streets, yes, but animals did so as well. While there were occasionally monsters walking about here, Lorraine knew very well that they were Rentt’s familiars. This dog was probably no such thing though. It was merely a natural occurrence.

Lorraine slowly approached the dog. “Ho, not running away, I see. You must be someone’s pet dog, then...? Hm, not quite, it would seem...”

The dog regarded Lorraine with slightly narrowed eyes. It breathed regularly, panting like a dog would, but a certain spark of intellect and wisdom dwelt in its eyes. It then slowly approached her, the fruit in its snout, as if to hand it over. Lorraine, in turn, extended her hand, and, sure enough, the fruit was placed on it without incident.

“My apologies. Hmm... I could not possibly ignore what you just did, simply because you are an animal. Let’s see here...”

With a few swift actions, Lorraine peeled the skin off the fruit and tossed half of the freshly peeled slice to the dog. Catching it mid-air, the dog gave it a few good chomps before swallowing it altogether. A bit of a meal for the dog, if nothing else.

“And with that, the formality is done. I could take you home if you liked...” Lorraine said. But the dog turned around as soon as it heard the words, walking away.

“...Not interested in being a mere pet, eh? Quite the prideful one, no? I do not dislike that, not at all... Hey! If you are ever in need, come to my abode! The smell should inform you, yes?” Lorraine called out, her voice slightly raised as the dog continued walking away. She thought she’d make an offer, but the dog simply barked once in response, then disappeared into a corner of the street.

◆◇◆◇◆

It was a few days after this event, when Lorraine paid a rare visit to the local Adventurer’s Guild, that it happened.

“Ah, Miss Lorraine!”

“Hmm. Sheila.”

Sheila, a staff member of the guild, called out to Lorraine from behind the counter. But she didn’t seem like her usual self. This piqued Lorraine’s interest.

“Searching for someone, I suppose?”

“Ah, yes... I was wondering if Rentt was...”

“Hah. Has he gone and done something again?”

“No, nothing like that, Miss Lorraine. I actually wanted to ask if he’d take on a certain request for me... A child got lost in the sewers, and still hasn’t been found...”

“I see... And no one else seems interested in taking up the request, I assume?”

“Well, no... Those who were free to assist have already done so, given the nature of the incident. It’s just that...the sewers of this town are quite complicated. I recall Rentt being most familiar with them, so...”

“Hmm. Yes, I suppose he would be.”

Sheila was referring the the sewers under these street; the long and winding path under the cobblestones of Maalt. The sewers and aqueducts had been built in times of old; it didn’t help that they were built in a most haphazard, confusing, and chaotic manner. It was said there was no one alive who understood their entirety...

Other than a certain Rentt Faina.

Rentt had a habit of sewer-spelunking when he was still a human, mainly on expeditions to clear blocked waterways and the like. Due to the frequency of these requests, he’d become very familiar with the sewers. If anything, the most complete and detailed map of the sewers would be in Rentt’s mind.

However...

“He is currently outside Maalt’s walls. Rentt did say he would be back by night, yes. He had left to fulfill a certain request of mine, you see.”

“Eh? Is that so... it is most regrettable, then, but I suppose nothing can be done...” Sheila’s expression was one of visible, almost tangible shock.

It was understandable, given that the child would most likely be instantly found with Rentt’s assistance. Nothing could be done about it now, given that Rentt wasn’t even in Maalt at this point in time.

Lorraine, however, felt a certain sense of responsibility about the situation, given that Rentt had set off on her accord in the first place. She momentarily paused, then turned to Sheila.

“I shall set off on this search then. Though you called it a request, Sheila...I presume the reward is middling, at best?”

“Yes... I regret to say that that is indeed the case. Even so...would you still be interested?”

“I did inadvertently get in the way of all this. The child would be easily found if Rentt were here, yes? In that case, do you have anything that belonged to the child perhaps? I do have some divination skills that should help with the search.”

While Lorraine did have magical tools that assisted in divination, it was common knowledge that a personal possession would be more precise when it came to searching for missing individuals. A relatively open, unobstructed space would be one thing, but searching for a child in a complicated network of winding tunnels would be a little difficult to do manually.

“Ah... Please wait, I’ll be back shortly.” Sheila ran off, soon returning with something in her hands. “Would this do?”

“A shoe, huh... I see.”

“Yes. The mother of the child claims to have found this at a sewer entrance, so...”

Lorraine realized that the child’s mother was most likely in one of the guild’s waiting rooms. She’d most likely been prohibited from going into the tunnels herself to prevent another missing persons case.

Although the typical adventurer could most likely do something about the situation at hand, trouble would surely befall a concerned, less-than-adventurous parent.

“I will be borrowing this then. There is nothing to worry about. The child will soon be found, so do tell the madam to try to relax, yes?”

“Of course, Miss Lorraine.”

◆◇◆◇◆

Lorraine returned home after the exchange, retrieving a magical tool designed to locate missing persons with divination techniques. Since there were quite a few entrances to the sewers beneath the streets of Maalt, Lorraine headed toward the one closest to her abode...

“Ho... We meet often, no?”

Something unexpected stood at the entrance. It was none other than the dog Lorraine had encountered sometime earlier. It panted somewhat quicker this time, seeming a little better since their last encounter.

“I take it you live here then? Hmm... In that case, dog, would you happen to know who dropped this?”

Lorraine had asked for the sake of it, extending her hand—with the shoe—toward the dog’s nose. With a few quick sniffs, the dog looked up at Lorraine momentarily, then unexpectedly bolted off. It was like the dog was motioning for her to follow. Lorraine could do little but do so in a panic.

“Quite the speed! Hardly what I would expect from such a thin dog!”

Even though Lorraine was somewhat surprised, she was, for all intents and purposes, a mage. It didn’t take her long to channel mana through her body to quicken her step. With her enhanced speed, she ran after her canine companion. The two soon found themselves...

“Ah... I see. Yes, yes. Hardly possible for the child to return, in this case...”

What appeared to be a gigantic Slime had consumed the child. From where Lorraine stood, the child hadn’t been completely submerged yet. Their head was visible, still bobbing above the Slime’s gelatinous mass.

The digestive process had apparently not begun yet. It occurred to Lorraine that the situation was still somewhat salvageable in that case.

“I must crush the core!”

Lorraine knew just how dangerous it’d be to recklessly rain magic down on the entire Slime. If only the core was destroyed, the Slime would lose its form, so Lorraine set about doing just that, weaving a spell under her breath.

Then...

Shick!

A projectile flew toward the Slime at an astounding speed. In the very next moment, a discernible hole could be seen in the Slime’s quivering core. The child was unhurt, and was now lying unconscious among the spreading fluids. Lorraine immediately ran toward them, checking for the presence of a pulse.

“...The child yet lives, I see. There will be no problems then.”

Lorraine heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed the situation had resolved itself safely.

“Hmm. So you were a monster all along, huh? A Wind Wolf...you did pretty well, finding your way into Maalt.”

The one responsible for the Slime’s timely demise was none other than the dog, the Wind Wolf before her. It was by no means a weak monster; Wind Wolves were relatively capable creatures. It was, however, loose on the streets of Maalt...

Yet it wasn’t a harmful presence. It did just lend aid to a human child, and chose to starve instead of attacking Maalt’s townsfolk. Thus Lorraine came to a conclusion:

“I am an adventurer after all, yes? As such, I could not possibly let you run free. In any case...come along, now.”

The Wind Wolf, as if understanding Lorraine’s words, followed silently behind her.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Hmm... Ah. Here it is,” Lorraine said, digging around the mess that was her room for a certain item. She eventually found it, holding a collar of sorts in her hands. Holding it, she turned to the Wind Wolf.

“If you put this on, I will know where you are at all times. I will, of course, also know if you ever turn your fangs upon the people of this town. In exchange, so long as you do not harm any of Maalt’s denizens, I shall allow your presence on these streets. How about it? Not a bad trade, no?”

Upon hearing those words, the Wind Wolf slowly approached Lorraine, lowering its head.

“As I thought, you are quite intelligent. Well then...”

Immediately after Lorraine had collared the Wind Wolf, it made a quick turn, and was out the door.

“You are welcome to stay in this house if it ever strikes your fancy!” Lorraine called out, her words trailing after the running pup. The Wind Wolf didn’t stop or look back, and soon, it was gone. “Well. I guess I could just pay you a visit or two sometime. I will also know of your whereabouts after all.”

With all that said and done, Lorraine brought the child to the Adventurer’s Guild as quickly as she could. The child’s mother was very pleased and offered her a reward.

Though there were questions about how the child was ultimately found, Lorraine chose to hold her peace on the matter...

Memories of Sacrifice

“Go home!”

The voice was clearly angry—infuriated even—and was soon accompanied by the loud bang of a door slammed in one’s face. Standing outside the door with her mouth wide open was none other than Rina Rupaage, a new adventurer with a somewhat ambivalent expression on her face.

“No luck today as well, girlie?”

The one who called out to the voice was a kind old lady—one of the villagers who had passed by.

Rina was currently in a place a little removed from Maalt, a small place known as Ett Village. She was, of course, here on a request, but the request in question wasn’t going very well at all.

“Yes, I’m afraid so... I wonder why Mister Jeoff refuses to listen to anything I have to say...” Rina dejectedly said to the old lady.

“Well you see, dearie...Jeoff has retired from adventuring, you know? That’s why he became a bit of a hermit in our village. He doesn’t like adventurers very much. But he is a bit of a hunter, and sometimes he does take care of any monsters... To me, it’s not all that different, girlie.”

“Right... I suppose so...”

Jeoff, however, didn’t listen to a single thing Rina had to say. All she wanted to do was hand over a parcel to Jeoff. She felt silly for beginning her sentence with, “I’m an adventurer...” In that very instant, the door was slammed in her face, then bolted shut.

“Well, keep at it, girlie. Resolve and determination are important in any sort of work, you know?”

“Yes... Yes, you’re right. In that case, should I simply help with everyone’s work today, as well?”

Rina was referring to this village’s specialty export: woven baskets. She’d been taught how to help by the villagers, and she’d spent her days doing just that. She had quite a great deal of spare time on her hand; she was basically free once Jeoff slammed his door shut in her face for the day.

The next day, however, Rina didn’t quite understand why his door was left open...

The old woman turned to her. “You are most welcome to join us! You seem to have gotten the hang of weaving, and you’re quite helpful to have around, you know. Ah, girlie. If only you became someone’s bride in our village! Now wouldn’t that be nice?”

Rina had become so familiar with the villagers that she was able to keep up with their jokes. It had been five days since she arrived at Ett Village, but there was nothing she could do.

Maybe this is what it means to show one’s resolve, Rina thought.

◆◇◆◇◆

“It’s terrible! Goblins! Goblins!“

Rina had spent almost a week in the village when those cries reached her ears. Rina was an adventurer by trade, slaying monsters being a large part of her job.

She immediately drew her sword. “Where!?” she inquired, turning to the panicking villager.

“There! Over there! Old Man Jeoff is currently doing something about it... Please help!”

“I’ll go right away! Everyone, keep a weapon on hand and hide in your homes!”

With that, Rina took off.

◆◇◆◇◆

There!

Rina soon caught sight of the man’s back. Old as he was, the man’s musculature could easily be seen on his bare back.

It was none other than Old Man Jeoff. Before him were five Goblins, each of them equipped with crude armor and weapons. They hardly seemed weak.

“I’ll help!”

“Don’t need it!” he shouted back. “I’ll deal with this myself...”

Rina noticed he was wounded with a slash across his abdomen. It was by no means deep, but Jeoff didn’t seem to be in shape to defeat all these Goblins by himself.

Rina ignored Jeoff’s claims, instead flying headfirst into the crowd of Goblins. She drew their attention, swinging her sword this way and that. Jeoff understood Rina’s intentions, and as soon as the Goblins let down their guard, he cut deep into them, slaying them one by one.

The last Goblin was faced head-on by Rina. Dodging the swing of its axe, Rina decisively landed a blow, and its head was soon sent flying.

“All right! So this is everything...right?” Rina asked.

“Yeah, seems that way. But you’re pretty good, little lady. You look so young...I thought you were really a beginner. But you sure got them basics down...”

“Eh? Really?! I’m happy to hear! It’s the first time anyone’s said anything like that since I became an adventurer!”

Perhaps it was because of the sincere way Rina had responded, but Jeoff’s expression eventually softened.

“Hah, all right, I get it. I’ll listen to what you have to say. You did save me, after all, and you’re pretty persistent, little lady... Let’s head back for now.”

◆◇◆◇◆

The villagers were elated at what they heard, that the Goblins had all been slain. They immediately suggested for a feast to be prepared.

Monsters didn’t commonly appear in these parts, which was why a village had been built here in the first place. If a monster did appear, only to be slain without any deaths in the village, it was customary to organize a celebratory feast.

“Hmph. Look at them, that happy bunch,” Jeoff said, smiling somewhat bitterly. His words seemed somewhat sarcastic, but his smile betrayed his actual emotions.

“Everyone’s fine and all’s well that ends well. Isn’t that all right?” Rina replied.

Jeoff nodded in response. “Yeah, it’s as you say, little lady. What brings you to a rural corner of the world like this, anyway?”

Rina withdrew a small stone from a pocket. It was a transparent, somewhat ornamental-looking rock, set in a decorative filigree.

“I was told to hand this to you, Mr Jeoff. It’s apparently called a ‘Memory Stone.’ It’s a type of magical tool that has a series of images sealed into it. Not too many though... Ah! It’d be much easier to understand if you experience it rather than me ramble on... Hmm. You press this here...”

Rina placed the stone on the table, and as she pressed a horizontal protrusion on the rock, an image sprang forth. It was of a half-translucent person, who immediately began talking to Jeoff.

“Been a while, Jeoff. Doing well?”

“Toora?! You’re alive?!”

Rina did not know much about the two’s relationship. From what she could gather of the half-translucent Toora’s speech, the two had apparently been grouped together in a party quite some time ago. Although the requests they both took had gone relatively well, Jeoff messed up one day and Toora fell victim to a particularly nasty curse, in addition to sustaining heavy injuries. Quite some coin was required to heal her, and there was the possibility that healing her would be impossible. Jeoff, of course, couldn’t afford any of those treatments.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, however, word of Toora’s injury traveled to her parents, who promptly offered to pay her treatment fees. Toora’s parents were wealthy, and as such could easily afford said fees. In exchange, they demanded that Jeoff never meet Toora ever again.

In the end, Jeoff had no choice but to agree, retiring from adventuring and hiding himself away in a rural village. True to his word, Jeoff had never met Toora, not even once, ever since.

But Jeoff wasn’t aware of the second half of that story, mainly of Toora’s miraculous recovery, and how she was searching for Jeoff. Jeoff hadn’t mentioned anything about his hometown back then, and even if he did return, he’d made no mention of doing so. As a result, Toora had no luck in her search. Recently, however, Toora had finally managed to locate her friend and wanted to meet him. This was why the memory stone was sent, as a means of contact.

“Jeoff, I know you feel responsible for my injuries...but really, that was my fault. You did well, you know? I told my parents that, too, at the time, but they were too stubborn. You were also really stubborn... That’s why it took so long for me to say this to you.”

“You’re the stubborn one here...”

“Well...I don’t really care about that injury anymore, you know? More importantly, a performing troupe I particularly like is coming to Maalt. Let’s go see the show together. I’ve told Rina of the dates, so ask her about it later, yeah? I’ll even pay for your travel fees and all that, so don’t worry about it. Hope to see you then!”

“Hah...? What are you—hey! Wait!”

With that, the image from the Memory Stone faded.

Toora seemed like quite a strong-willed woman. She most likely understood it’d be impossible to meet Jeoff unless she did something like this.

For a few seconds, Jeoff stared at the stone with a gaze most intense, as if he were about to shatter it to pieces. Soon after, however, he turned to Rina.

“Well then, when is it?”

“So you’re going after all...?” Rina asked, before she could stop herself. Jeoff’s response revealed his panic.

“W-Well... See, if I were to turn her down, I ‘d have to do it to her face, right? Ugh... In any case, just tell me the dates.”

“Ah, yes, of course. So you see...”

As she issued the correct dates to Jeoff, Rina thought Jeoff would enjoy watching the show with Toora after all. If he really wanted to turn his friend down, he’d have just asked Rina to pass on his decision for him.

While humans seemed to fall apart at the slightest notion, an equally small gesture was often enough to bring them back together. Perhaps it’d be the same with her own family as well...

A Latuule Family Production

“...Isaac.”

On the outskirts of Maalt, in the sprawling gardens of a relatively large manor, a young girl was elegantly drinking her red tea. Her name was Laura Latuule. Although she looked like a young girl, Laura was actually the head of the manor.

However…

“Yes, Mistress. I am present.”

The response was muted, like an almost inaudible whisper, and it came from the young man kneeling at her feet. He was Laura’s subordinate, Isaac, one of the many servants working at the Latuule manor. Although he appeared young, and only seemed to be in his early twenties, he had a certain refinement to how he moved. He gave off the aura of a seasoned veteran.

Laura turned her eyes to him, and, for a while, was silent. Then...

“...As of late, Isaac, I sense that the atmosphere in the streets of Maalt has grown...dark.”

Isaac had sworn an oath of absolute loyalty to his mistress. But what exactly was Laura going on about...? Isaac didn’t understand, but he held his tongue, waiting in silence. Laura soon after posed a question to her loyal servant.

“Why do you think that is?”

“If I had to guess, it would be because winter is coming. The flow of adventurers in Maalt, and their activities, would naturally slow down. This, in turn, could lead to the pulse of the town stagnating. That is my humble assumption.”

Isaac’s assumptions were accurate. The people of Maalt were preparing to face a harsh winter. As a result, their consumption of goods decreased, taking away a certain sense of vibrance from the streets.

But this was by no means a bad thing. It was a seasonal phenomenon one could expect to see in any town or city. It was hardly something to be overly concerned about. The liveliness would return to Maalt once spring rolled around.

But Laura still had her reservations.

“I would personally like for that feeling of liveliness to return to the streets of Maalt during this season.”

“...Yes. Of course.”

It was a sudden, unprecedented suggestion, but Isaac would never disobey the wishes of his mistress.

As if drawing some strength from Isaac’s nod, Laura smiled in return before continuing on with her statement.

“However, I am at a loss as to what could be done to achieve such an effect. Isaac, Look into this, if you would. Please head out to Maalt and collect some opinions from the townspeople.”

“By your command.”

Isaac understood Laura’s requests, up until this point. This was yet another one of his mistress’s flights of fancy.

Laura was often very free. She would often seek one thing or other to alleviate her boredom, and the theme for this particular request was to “bring the liveliness back to the townsfolk of Maalt.”

Isaac understood this phenomenon well enough. His mistress would never change her mind until her request was fulfilled, and it was with that knowledge that he set off to the cold streets of Maalt.

◆◇◆◇◆

“...Liveliness? Hmm... If I have something nice to drink, that’s enough for me, ya see?” all the middle-aged adventurers said as they burst into a collective peal of laughter at the local tavern.

“Well, well. If only there’d be many more handsome young men like yourself! Good for the eyes, I’d say.” Such was the opinion of an older lady who’d been making preserved foods for sale in the marketplace, giving Isaac a few hearty slaps on his shoulder for emphasis.

“I’d love to see a really strong monster!”

“I wanna see a parade! Like the one they have in the capital!”

“How about street performers?”

“Cheerful music is the best!”

“Oh, I’d really like to see a nice performance or two.”

Isaac had thought to ask some children as well, only for them to laugh and provide him with a deluge of ideas. Though, the children’s wishes were more honest than their adult counterparts’, and Isaac personally found that easier to understand. He thought they made for a good point of reference.

“I suppose this is the gist of it. I should return to the mansion and report on my findings.”

With that, Isaac ran all the way back to the Latuule manor.

◆◇◆◇◆

“Hmm... I see. I see...”

Laura nodded as she listened to Isaac’s findings. It seemed like the butler had adequately performed his task.

But Laura’s goal had yet to be fulfilled. They were merely at the information gathering phase. It was still a bit of a mystery as to how one would have the streets become lively.

Laura abruptly stood up, as if suddenly struck by an idea. She immediately turned to Isaac.

“So you see, Isaac, clearly the solution would be to do all those things!”

Whatever does she mean...?

While Isaac did have the thought in his mind, he didn’t ask his mistress such a thing. Instead, Isaac began issuing orders to every single servant in the Latuule manor at an astounding speed. It was almost as if the somewhat stagnant atmosphere moments ago had never existed.

◆◇◆◇◆

“What’s that...?”

The first one to notice was a child. From an unseen point far away, faint notes of seemingly cheerful music could be heard. The child looked up, gazing into the distance. He pulled on his mother’s clothes. She, too, looked in the same direction. Upon doing so, however, the two noticed a giant monster plodding along.

“Aaaaiieee?! O-Oh...? Hmm? No, it’s... It’s man-made, isn’t it?”

It looked almost like the real thing—a most intricately sculpted, dragon-like figure was moving down the central roadway, powered by mysterious, unseen forces. The dragon’s artificial nature was made clear by a flamboyantly dressed individual riding on its head. The figure waved to the wide-eyed mother and child, as well other equally surprised individuals on the street. It wasn’t possible for a real dragon to be so docile otherwise. There had been rumors of similar puppets in the capital.

“Man-made? I see! It’s really impressive. There are so many people!”

A closer look revealed a parade of people following after the dragon, each of them dressed equally as stylish. As well, each of them seemed to have a different talent to showcase. Jugglers, mimes, acrobats—there were even some clowns who amused the onlookers with their interesting and silly movements.

Following the performers’ parade was an elevated, float-like vehicle, on which seemed to be hosting a play inspired by an old legend, but clearly with its own twists and turns.

The children running happily beside the parade were in turn surprised by the clowns, although they were offered a treat of honey after their tricks.

“It’s amazing...” the child’s mother said, despite herself. Many of Maalt’s townsfolk thought the very same.

Soon, more townsfolk showed up as word of the performing troupe spread. It didn’t take long for the township of Maalt to feel like it was in the middle of a festival.

Somewhere along the way, a spacious platform had been set up in the plaza, along with various merchants and hawkers offering various street snacks and alcohol. And so it came to be that the crowds went wild, the townsfolk almost shoving each other out of the way as they rushed toward the stalls...

After this event, the townsfolk of Maalt all found themselves with a singular question:

“Was it all just a dream?”

Although attempts were made to figure out just how, for whom, and why this event was hosted, not a single one managed to uncover the truth...

◆◇◆◇◆

“Was that to your satisfaction, Mistress?” Isaac asked, as the two arrived back at the manor after the festivities.

Even though they were still dressed as clowns, and hardly fit the sombre décor of the Latuule manor, neither of them seemed to mind.

Laura turned to Isaac, saying, “Very much so. The townsfolk enjoyed themselves, no? We should really do this again sometime, Isaac.”

The entire parade had been a Latuule Family Production. Although Isaac had doubts about appearing in public with such attire again, he’d never dream of going against his mistress’s wishes.

“But of course.”

The Old Adventurer

The jaws of a huge monster were closing in...

On who, you ask? A youth, about twenty years of age...

There was nothing I could have done as I was fighting another monster. I did what I could to rush to his side, to help him, but...I soon heard him shouting.

“Father!”

I...

◆◇◆◇◆

“Hey. Hey, gramps!”

I slowly woke up, thanks to all that shouting next to my ear. I found a young adventurer before me as I finally opened my eyes. He was supposedly over twenty, but he had quite the youthful face.

His adventurer rank was Bronze-class. He was by no means a newbie. In fact, he was a veteran of several years, but was unable to advance beyond his current rank. Quite the common type, you know.

His name was Rentt Faina. It was then that I remembered I’d made a request of Rentt. As such, I opened my mouth to speak.

“Ah... My bad. I’m old now, as you can see. Sometimes I just feel the desire to sleep.”

“Gramps... I mean, I’m keeping a lookout, so that’s fine, but do be careful,” Rentt said with an exasperated look.

It was midnight. A fire was burning on the side of the road. Rentt was the one who’d lit it. He wasn’t much of a fighter, but he was a great adventurer in so many ways.

The request I’d made of him was to escort me to a certain village. Even so, I did intend to fight mysely, but it was difficult to do everything on my own.

I turned to look at him. “My bad, Rentt…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. More importantly...the village is near, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.” I nodded in response. “Maybe only about two hours more on foot. But I should really apologize, Rentt... I imagine you’d want a better-paying job...”

“It’s okay, really. It’s your last adventure, gramps. Weren’t you somewhat famous in Maalt during your youth, Lazaat the adventurer?”

Did he really believe all those tales? Well, he did ask...

Lazaat the adventurer, who’d been adventuring all these years—that was indeed me. But this time, I was truly going to give it all up.

“I wonder, huh...? I don’t really think I was anything special, you know? You were the only one willing to accept this request of mine after all.”

In truth, I’d thought some of my old friends from back then would take the request, but, in reality, only Rentt was up to it. They’d turned me away even if I went to them personally. The admiration of others is an easy thing to lose...

Rentt, however, had this to say to me:

“Everyone was probably busy with their own requests, right? In any case, we have to be up early tomorrow. Another thirty minutes until you hand over the lookout shift to me, gramps. Don’t fall asleep on me now.”

“Ah... Perhaps it is as you say then.”

It didn’t take long to feel sleepy, and I almost doze off again in... What was it? Five minutes? It was never like this back then.

As I thought...now was a good time...to retire.

◆◇◆◇◆

The very next day, Rentt and Lazaat reached their destination: the village Lazaat had lived in previously...

“Is it really here, gramps?”

“Yeah, it is. Well, that’s what I want to say... See. Right here. This was where my house used to be.”

Lazaat approached what appeared to be a completely collapsed ruin. They were the remains of what was once a house. Similar sights greeted them as they turned this way and that; the surrounding houses had all been destroyed.

This village had been all but abandoned quite some time ago. No one lived in its ruins now.

The reason Lazaat made this trip...

“I couldn’t care less about the house. More importantly...”

Lazaat plodded through the ruins of the village and kept walking forward for a while. Rentt followed closely after.

The path eventually opened up into a small clearing, revealing ten earthen mounds, each marked with simple. wooden symbols.

“Graves, huh...”

“Yeah. As you can see, my wife and son both rest here. I...couldn’t protect them.”

Lazaat reminisced about the days back when he used to live in this village. About the days when he, the strongest and most capable swordsman, drove back monsters on a daily basis. As well as about the horde of monsters that had passed through one day, trampling and destroying the village. About his guilt as the only survivor of that incident...

Lazaat’s son, too, had been helping, doing his part to protect the village. There were simply too many monsters. There was nothing he could do.

Although he slayed and destroyed every single monster that had nested here after the incident, that didn’t make things any better... All Lazaat could do was kneel before each and every grave, offering his heartfelt apologies.

“It isn’t your fault...” Rentt called out to Lazaat as he went about his rounds. But his voice trailed off—the younger adventurer didn’t finish his sentence.

He, too, was one who fought. Perhaps he understood well enough that those words weren’t always a form of salvation.

“Hmm... Kept you waiting, Rentt?”

Lazaat, done with his last prayers, stood up and turned around, only to see a large monster looming behind Rentt.

A Sylph Drake.

Slowly, it opened its jaws, as if to swallow Rentt whole. Rentt seemed unaware.

Sylph Drakes were a draconic subspecies of monster that lived in the forests. They were very skilled at concealing their presence. Even Lazaat wouldn’t have noticed it had he not turned around and come almost face-to-face with it.

It was obvious a warning to Rentt at this moment in time would do little. What could he do then?

In that instant, Lazaat saw an image of his son flash through his mind. More vibrant than anything else was that one image, seared in his memory, of how he’d made an error in judgment and failed to save his son.

Would he apologize again? Offer prayers again? No. He’d do nothing like that. He couldn’t allow himself to do anything like that.

Lazaat was filled with a single desire. This time, he’d undoubtedly save his son!

The very moment Lazaat steeled himself and his resolve, he drew his blade faster than the eye could see. With mana running through his body, he darted past Rentt, his posture low. Rentt’s eyes widened, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Lazaat, however, had already sprinted past Rentt at this point, and swung his blade down decisively on the creature’s neck, its jaws still wide open. With a smooth motion, Lazaat’s blade sliced cleanly through its prey, and soon enough, the head of the Sylph Drake was on the ground. The beast’s body soon crumbled, falling onto the ground with a deafening rumble. It was then Rentt realized what had come to pass.

“...Gramps... You really saved me...”

“Ah, it’s nothing... Don’t worry about it. I, too, felt like I’d tidied up some loose ends from my past. Thank you, Rentt...”

◆◇◆◇◆

And so it came to be that Rentt and Lazaat’s short trip had ended. They came here to pay their respects, and that they did.

After harvesting the Sylph Drake’s materials and magic crystal, the pair returned to Maalt.

“Well then, Rentt. As of today, Lazaat the adventurer is officially retired. Have to return my adventurer’s card too... But do come have some tea with me sometime.”

Rentt seemed a little panicked at Lazaat’s statement.

“Ah, no. Wait just a while, gramps. Just a bit...”

Lazaat didn’t understand what Rentt was going on about. He tilted his head in confusion slightly, unsure about the strange wait. In the next instant, an audible “pop!” rang through the air, as if a small explosive had gone off. Following that, the sound of musical instruments could be heard. Then...

“Mister Lazaat! Thank you for all your hard work as an adventurer up till now!”

That statement seemed to be spoken by many voices at once.

Confused, he turned, looking around him, realizing he was surrounded by adventurers, many of them with familiar faces. They all had cups and steins in their hands, their faces all smiles.

“Gramps.” Rentt approached the old adventurer. “As you can see, we’re officially holding your retirement ceremony today. You’ll be attending, right?”

“You for real, Rentt?”

“Of course. Everyone felt really bad for turning down your request, but their hands were tied, you see! They were all preparing for today! So they asked me to help...”

“I-Is that right. I see, I see...”

Surprised, but somewhat moved, the many adventurers soon approached Lazaat, each one greeting him, offering words of thanks or praise for how Lazaat had lived his life as an adventurer up till now. Everyone had been helped by Lazaat at some point. He’d done good work in this township of Maalt. Those words warmed up old Lazaat’s heart.

After losing his wife and son, he’d continued adventuring, thinking he was good for nothing else. But perhaps... Perhaps there was some meaning to it after all.

“...Rentt.”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe...adventuring isn’t so bad after all.”

“Yeah... I want a retirement ceremony and celebration of this scale when I go, too, you know?”

“That’ll be up to you from now on, no? Work hard!”

“That’s what I’ll do, gramps. Make sure you’re still alive by then!”

“Just how old are you hoping I’ll get, Rentt?”

“Hahaha!”

The Love of Trees

“A request? For me...?”

I, Rentt Faina, Bronze-class adventurer, had been casually looking at the request board at the Adventurer’s Guild when an old lady suddenly spoke to me. From what I understood, she’d been waiting at the guild’s cafeteria corner, inspecting adventurers as they went by.

While most clients chose not to interact too much with their clients, instead posting their requests up on the boards, there were occasionally those who preferred to do the opposite. To be precise, these clients preferred to choose adventurers, communicate, and trade in person.

In the end, however, it’d still be considered a guild contract.

“Yes... I would like you to find out more about how my son is doing.”

A request much like the ones an information broker or detective agency would receive... It was a request somewhat different than what most adventurers were used to. That was why I kindly explained to the old lady...

“If your request is of that nature, would it not be best to head to an information broker instead?”

“I would have done so if he were still within these walls... But my son had gone outside of Maalt... He isn’t all that strong, so I think it may have been difficult for him...”

“...I see.”

While information brokers had many combat-capable agents at their disposal, someone unfamiliar with the trade wouldn’t know that... In which case, coming to an adventurer would be the next more sensible thing to do. If anything, it’d perhaps be the most sensible thing to do.

“You would like me to find out more about how he is doing? Has he perhaps commited a crime, or...?”

For instance, he could’ve been involved in smuggling illegal goods, and traces of that had been found... If that were the case, even the most concerned parent would probably be interested to know what was going on.

I explained my views to the old lady.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing quite like that...” she said before launching into an explanation.

To summarize, the old lady was apparently the current owner of a relatively large shop. Her son was the heir to the establishment. As a result, the old lady wanted her son to get married sometime soon, but there were no candidates available. So she’d brought up the subject of an arranged marriage, but her son didn’t seem too eager at the notion. Although a date had already been arranged, and he was to attend, her son wasn’t interested at all, even refusing to show up for basic negotiations.

But the old lady was flexible. She was willing to meet any other woman her son had been seeing if he did indeed have someone in mind. She just couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t say anything on the matter, or why he refused to engage with the process at all. Her husband told her to leave the son alone, but the old lady was worried.

That was all I understood about their mother-and-son relationship. From that, I gathered that her son would leave Maalt at the exact same hour every week. Due to the fact that he was leaving Maalt, it wasn’t possible to follow him. The old lady, however, suspected that he may be seeing a woman outside Maalt’s walls. If that were the case, she very much wanted to know what type of person this mystery woman was, hence the request...

At least, that was what I made of it. It wasn’t all that problematic. All I had to do was report what I saw to the old lady.

“I understand. I shall accept your request. However, I will not be giving your son any opinions about his activities. Is this all right?”

“Yes, of course. I leave it in your capable hands.”

With that, I signed the appropriate contract documents with the old lady.

◆◇◆◇◆

“...Oh, there he goes.”

I’d been waiting in front of the old lady’s abode. A youth soon exited the premises exactly at the time I’d been informed of. It must be the old lady’s son, Evie.

Evie looked like quite the tough guy. He had this rough feel about him, which were charming in its own way, I supposed. Quite different from how I was, but that was another issue...

Upon confirming that Evie was indeed on the move, I slowly followed behind him. Unlike his appearance, Evie’s mannerisms were careful, calculated. He kept a constant vigil of his surroundings as he advanced.

But he was an amateur. There was no way he’d be aware of me, given that I could even tail wild animals and escape detection.

I tailed him, as planned. It continued on without incident for a while.

◆◇◆◇◆

“So he really made it outside Maalt. On top of that, this direction is...”

The direction Evie was headed in was a particularly populated part of the forest. Monsters roamed these grounds. Judging by how he had a weapon on his person, I supposed Evie himself understood this well enough.

His skill, however, was somewhat below that of an adventurer’s, and this was all very dangerous for him. But for him to come all this way...was it really a woman he was seeing?

I continued tailing him, only to discover that Evie had stopped at a clearing. It was an open space, surrounded by tall camphor trees. Whatever was he doing here...?

Then, it happened.

“Sana. Come out. It’s me, Evie...” he spoke, facing a certain tree on the side of the clearing.

At his words, something fell from the tree’s branches, resembling a single drop of water. The droplet soon enlarged, taking on a humanoid shape.

“Evie...you’ve come.”

“Yes...I have.”

The existence known as Sana was, from what I could see, a most beautiful woman. But she was visibly different than the average human being. She was something between a monster and spirit: a Dryad.

So this was why Evie had refused to entertain any talks of marriage—he’d been charmed by this Dryad.

What could I do about all this? Even considering the circumstances, Dryads weren’t entities that could co-exist with humans. They did whisper of things like love to humans, but that was all so they could drain their life force.

Of course, I couldn’t possibly deny that there were instances of true love in certain cases, but from what I could see, the strength was obviously fading from Evie’s body as he remained in Sana’s embrace. It was obvious that his life energy was being siphoned away.

After a while...

“Well then, Sana. I’ll come again.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting, Evie...”

And so the two parted, with Evie returning to Maalt. The Dryad hadn’t taken all of his energy, probably so she could keep him alive for as long as possible.

It seems...I have no choice but to slay her.

I waited for Evie’s presence to fade before approaching the camphor tree myself.

“Dryad. Show yourself. Do not concern yourself with that man any further.”

The tree’s surface twisted and turned, and Sana soon showed herself. Quite different than how it was with Evie, perhaps because the Dryad knew there was no need to put on a show for someone like me.

“You are an adventurer...?”

“Yes. But that’s none of your concern. If this goes on, Evie will surely lose his life sometime soon. We can’t have that happen, you see? I’m here at the request of Evie’s mother.”

Unexpectedly, Sana’s eyes widened at my words.

“Evie’s mother?! I... I see. But yes... Yes, I apologize. I will not meet with him anymore... However, I cannot move on my own, as you can see. Touching him is enough to steal his life away; I have no control over it. I don’t think I am in a position to ask anything of you, but...could you cut down this camphor tree? If you do so, I will disappear.”

“...You really love Evie, huh...?”

“Is that strange?”

“No, but...now that I know, this becomes difficult to do. Is there any other way?”

“No. Ah, but I do have a wish...”

Sana reached out with her branches, dropping something onto my hands.

“A sapling of mine. Could you please hand that to Evie? It will grow if planted. It would take a few centuries, perhaps, before it becomes a Dryad like me... But with this, we will be together forever.”

“You... All right. I understand. I shall respect your resolve, and I shall deliver this sapling. I’ll be cutting you down now...”

“Please do.”

And so I cut down the camphor tree. With enough mana, even a sword could have the cutting power of an axe. It was still difficult work, given my abilities.

Sana then disappeared, as expected. I supposed that was simply how Dryads were in the natural order of things.

◆◇◆◇◆

“I see... Oh, I’ve done something terrible...” the old lady said, tears streaming down her face as I informed her of what had transpired.

Even if it were a monster, it had a heart, and now, the Dryad was dead. The Dryad was a being that loved her son, and her son, in turn, felt the same way. It made sense she would feel a deep sense of guilt at this entire series of events.

“I was the one who did it after all... Oh, and one more thing. This is the sapling I spoke of. She requested that it be handed to Evie.”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you very much.”

With that, the old lady paid the appropriate reward and left the guild. Not exactly a request that left a good taste in my mouth, but had I not intervened, Evie would have lost his life. There was nothing I could do other than tell myself that there was no other way...

Some time after the event, I heard that Evie had attended a few marriage proposal meetings, and eventually did get married. I also heard that Evie had planted a camphor sapling in his backyard. For some reason, I was sure of the fact that this tree would watch over Evie and his family forever, right until the end of his bloodline...

Bonus Glossary

Adventurer

An individual who engages in the act of adventuring. Typically belongs to an Adventurer’s Guild (henceforth referred to as “the guild”), accepts requests, and battles strong monsters. Adventurers often cross paths with many mysteries of the land.

They are ranked according to power and capability. Listed here are the ranks, in ascending order: Iron-class, Bronze-class, Silver-class, Gold-class, Platinum-class, Mithril-class.

Monster

Existences usually harmful to humans or hostile toward human life. They are typically found outside established towns/communities, or within labyrinths. There are many different types of monsters, such as Skeletons. Monsters in labyrinths naturally reappear after a period of time, in a phenomenon colloquially known as “repopping.” Monsters that have gained considerable experience and/or lived for a particularly long period of time eventually become stronger, sometimes undergoing Existential Evolution, evolving into stronger versions of themselves.

Mana

A resource and power necessary for magecraft, or the casting of any magical spells. It is considered a relatively uncommon power, and even fewer individuals are born with it. In the case of humans, one in every fifty individuals is born with reserves of mana in their bodies. Only one in a thousand individuals successfully mature into proper mages.

Spirit

Also known as chakra or prana, spirit is said to be the power of life (the life energy that resides in living beings). Since spirit is the origin of an organism’s life energy, it is a power that anyone can possess, and similarly one that most people subconsciously use to continue living. As a result, it is somewhat difficult to become naturally aware of this power, and a certain degree of talent or training is required to utilize it properly.

Spirit can be used to strengthen one’s physical abilities, or to even obtain stamina that would otherwise be unheard of in normal humans.

Divinity

A special power granted to those who have been blessed by spirits or gods. The chance of an average human being ever wielding said powers are astronomically low. More often than not, divinity is wielded by certain practitioners of it, scch as men and women of the cloth.

“Healing” divinity is often used to heal and cure illnesses and injury. “Cleansing” divinity, on the other hand, is commonly used to cleanse and destroy monsters of the Undead persuasion.

As one’s divinity is usually the result of a blessing, the blessed individual usually finds themselves able to communicate with the spirit or god that bestowed the blessing.

Adventurer’s Guild (The Guild)

An organization with numerous branches and presences throughout the land. Each guild is headed by a guild master. The guild manages adventurers in addition to taking requests and dealing with other aspects of adventuring. The guilds are also responsible for administering rank progression tests. These tests take more than just combat capability into consideration, as one’s behavior and etiquette as an adventurer are also scrutinized. As a result, these tests are not easily completed.