IMPORTANT:
Edited
“Stop its movementsーーEndless Sword” to “Stop its movementsーーInfinite Sword DanceEndless Sword”
“ーーGood morning, Egil-sama. I slightly washed with water” to “ーーGood morning, Egil-sama. I had a little wash”
‘However, Eleanor who’s a Saint Force began her aria without faltering’ to ‘However, Eleanor who’s a Saint Force began her chant without faltering’
‘has neither the need to get close nor the need for an aria in order to use magic.’ to ‘has neither the need to get close nor the need for a chant in order to use magic.’
In The Dragon’s Den 1
We cleared the Goblin’s quest, as well as the capturing of the Morpholrs.
I’m teaching the two of them how to fight while I’m at it but, it helps that the pace is quite fast.
And then on the night of the second day.
Eleanor and I are having a barbeque in front of the tent with Runa and Sana.
“Myー, I feel bad for having you treat us to food as well, Egil-san”
“It is delicious. It is extremely delicious. Egil-san!”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve been a great help at capturing the Morpholrs”
After subjugating monsters with the two of them for the entire day, they stopped feeling uneasy about me before I know it. Now, they’ve opened their hearts up to the point where they’re calling me Egil-san and they’ll ask me questions if anything happens.
“Nevertheless, I’ve only taught you a little and you’ve improved considerably huh”
“Fue, hou!?”
“Sana, answering while eating is, nay!”
“Sorry sorry, I just did it reflexively. Well Egil-san, were we really able to become strong!?”
“Aah. Although it might be because it’s a four-people party, you’ve undoubtedly gotten more capable”
“Because it’s four people huh……Egil-san has said it during battle but, as expected, is it impossible with two people?”
Sana and Runa can’t become strong with just the two of them.
It’s because both of their occupations are rearguards.
“Although it’s not impossible, I suppose the limit is sure to come. In an ordinary two-people party, either one has to defend against the monster’s attack and neither of you is a vanguard that can defend”
“……Is that so, yeah I suppose huh”
“If you’ve got surplus gold, how about either one of you try changing your occupation?”
In order to acquire an occupation, one needs to learn the occupation from a facility called the Occupation Training School.
Although it’s slightly pricey, one is able to return the Divine Power Stone that’s necessary to use the current occupation and obtain another Divine Power Stone to acquire a different occupation’s power if one pays the gold.
So if one of them becomes a vanguard occupation, it’s possible for them to continue as Adventurers like this with just the two of themーーbut, if both of them carry on being rearguards, they’ll run into a wall on their path as Adventurers one day.
However, the two of them looked at each other and made an apologetic look.
“No, Egil-san’s suggestion is the best option but, we shan’t do that”
“It is necessary for us to have this occupation. Hence, we cannot change it”
“……Is that so. In that case, it’s necessary for you to become even stronger. It’ll be fine if you guys acquire enough strength so that there won’t be any problem even if both of you are rearguards”
“Un”
“Yes”
Both of them once again nodded cheerfully with all their strength and vigorously stuffed their cheeks with meat.
“Egil-sama, does the both of them have some problems as expected?”
After the both of them ate meat till their stomachs are filled, they carried on to sleep in the tent as it is.
From what I hear, it seems the both of them weren’t staying at the tent site but were just moving around from place to place.
Because they didn’t have gold at handーーor rather, because they wanted to quickly get stronger, it seems they even shaved off their sleeping time in pursuit of strength, was the impression I got.
However, that’s just the impression Eleanor and I got, by no means was it something we asked the two of them, or rather, we’re not close enough to be able to ask that.
Therefore, this is my conjecture.
“I guess they have some kind of objective. Something they need to immediately get strong forーー for example, like the feelings Eleanor have of wanting to take revenge against the childhood friends who were guildmates, some kind of strong objective they want to fulfil”
“……If that is the case, then the two of them are way more mature than me huh”
Eleanor and I are currently sitting and staring at a lake that’s in the immediate vicinity of the tent site.
And then she who’s beside me sat holding her knees and buried her face in her own legs.
“I myself am powerless so I requested Egil-sama to take on the unpleasant role. However, if the both of them also have similar circumstances, then they are way more mature than me”
“……I wonder how it is. I instead think that the actions Eleanor took were better?”
“Eeh, what does that mean?”
Eleanor who made a puzzled face.
I carry on to stretch my hand, fall onto my back and look up into the sky.
“There’s a limit to the objective one can fulfil by oneself. Although Eleanor’s objective may be impossible alone, it may be fulfilled if I’m by your side. However, that pair……I’m sure that it’s probably because we just met but, even so, if they keep it to themselves then a third party will never be able to step in. Even if they’re troubled, even if they’re silently begging for help, we won’t be able to help the two of them. No?”
“Yeah”
Eleanor also lay beside me and when I hugged her small head close to me, she made a forceful smile as she looked at me sorrowfully.
“I cannot judge whether the act of me having asked for help was the correct one. Because I implicated Egil-sama as a result of it. ……However, if Egil-sama says so, then I think it is surely not the wrong path. The only path for me, is the one by Egil-sama’s side”
“Aa, so rely on me. I’ll definitely protect you”
“Yes. I will also do my best, to be Egil-sama’s strength”
Eleanor who turned sideways and looked at me, looked like she’s happy from the bottom of her heart.
“People don’t really come here. Both of them are sleeping if we return so shall we relax here?”
“Eeh, let us relax. Until Egil-sama is satisfied”
“Is it alright for Eleanor to not be satisfied?”
“Fufuu”
Eleanor got into a posture where she’s on her elbows and hanging over me, and caressed my cheek.
“I am always satisfied. I suppose it is difficult for me to be even more satisfied than this”
“Is that so. In that case, I’ll have you accompany me until I’m satisfied, alright?”
“Yes, gladly”
“Uhee, it’s, our first time coming to the Dragon’s Den”
“It is, extremely dark”
If I were to describe the Dragon’s Den simply, it’s a long cave with various passages and there’s a large hollow area in the innermost portion, over there is where the Den’s leader, the Red Dragon, inhabits.
“It won’t be easy like yesterday from here on out. Dragons as well, despite being huge, also have numbers. It’s fine if you’re going up against one but, it’s the worst if you get surrounded by two or three”
“Uu, don’t frighten us, Egil-san”
“Ye, yeah!”
“I didn’t mean to frighten you, I’m telling you to be careful. And, we’ll proceed with the four-people party formation from here on out”
It’s a formation that I’ve told them beforehand.
This time, in order for the three of them to increase their capabilities to the utmost, I’m at the front focusing on defence and not attacking.
And then the three of them prepare themselves behind me.
Although a party with one vanguard and three rearguards is also rare, if there’s an impregnable defence, I think it’ll be easy for the three of them to fight.
“And, Sana will mainly be doing recovery. Make sure to not charge in as you please”
“Uu, I get it”
“Runa will observe the opponent and vary the skills you use. Magic Archer is an occupation that’s able to fight in a variations-filled way”
“I, I understand”
“Eleanor will regain the senses. Be careful of the magic power’s distribution”
“Yes, understood”
And then we head inside.
It’s dark inside the cave.
Because the mud wall along the passage is not fixed with lights or candles, I can only hold a candle and rely on that light to proceed.
“Watch your steps. There are large rocks and such around as well”
“Aa, un. But it’s inconvenient huh. A lot of monsters would’ve appeared by the time we noticed them so it’d have been great if the Adventurers who came fixed lights or candles”
Sana says as she kicks the rocks scattered around her feet.
“They’ve apparently fixed it before. However, 《Drake》 is poor with brightness so it seems it gets destroyed every single time it’s fixed”
“Humph, is that so”
“I, am a little poor with the dark places”
“Fufuu, Runsan is cute huh. It is like I have gotten a little sister”
Eleanor and Runa who stick closely to each other.
Because their ages are close, they’re really like siblings.
However, looks like the warm and snuggly atmosphere comes to an end here.
“Now then, I’m sorry for doing this right when you’re getting comfortable but, it seems they’re here”
Footsteps can be heard from deep within the dim passage.
“I want to avoid a battle in a passage, I’m gonna proceed like this. We’ll arrive at a dome shape space if we go just a little further”
A battle in a passage becomes tougher the more the numbers increase. Moreover, for Eleanor and Sana who are the type that consumes magic power, they’re more suited to fighting at a spacious location because they have a lot of area of effect magic attacks.
Hence, we proceed to a spacious location.
And then when we come out at a spacious dome shape space, a blue sky fills the ceiling, it’s brighter than the passage and we can also feel the warmth of the sun,
“Drakes are here. The three of you, their movements are fast so, be careful”
From the passage in front, Drakes with reddish brown skin appeared.