Chapter 15: Lily Garden and Dawn 2

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I had an utterly ordinary meeting with Chloe, one without adventure or destiny. I needed to go deep into the forest as a Gold-rank adventurer. She was working a gathering quest in the forest’s shallow layers as a solo adventurer. And then, by pure coincidence, a stampede occurred in that forest.

I managed to save her just before she was attacked by monsters. That was all there was to it. So I had heard her name, but nothing more and nothing less. She was nothing more than a fellow professional in the same field.

“Oy, Finn. Don’t you think you’re leaving out a lot of details?”

Carla kept poking me relentlessly. 

“Exactly. You’re the hero who gracefully rescued a noble young lady, after all.”

Astrea kept poking me relentlessly too.Marianne was smiling cheerfully, but for some reason I couldn’t shake the feeling there was something behind her smile.

N-no, no way. Marianne is a Saint. I refuse to believe there is any darkness behind that smile! Dark Marianne is a sadist saint who lives only inside my heart!

“No, I mean, in the end everyone gathered and dealt with it together, didn’t we? Marianne helps people all the time too, but she doesn’t go out of her way to brag about it, right?”

To begin with, I was a pure, pure, innocent nineteen-year-old who hadn’t even lost his brothel virginity, all because I desperately didn’t want my party members to hate me. When I saved her, her hood came off and I saw her beautiful face, but she just told me to run and gave me her name. That was it. Honestly, I should be praised for remembering even that much. Following the iron rule of “don’t get involved with nobles,” I figured she obviously looked like one and deliberately kept my distance from her. 

“Hmmm…So, what’s the truth?”

“Just as Finn-sama says…”

Chloe answered with a wry smile. She had been frightened when she was surrounded earlier, but now she seemed calm.

“I sincerely apologize for not expressing my gratitude to my lifesaver. However, well, um…As you may have guessed from the fact that I’m traveling with His]]er Highness, I am a noble in name only.”

“The Clearle Count family has land in the southern granary region, doesn’t it? That hardly sounds ‘in name only’…”

“…My stepmother despises me. My childhood fiancé was taken by my younger sister as well. I am but a pitiful woman.”

“Ah… So humans have that kind of thing too, huh…”

Astrea said in an exasperated voice.

“Is it the same among elves?”

“In my case, I’m a high elf, so I’m a royalty. Basically I have the same position as that princess over there. I had a childhood friend, but he got engaged to my little sister, so I stayed out of it. They told me to leave the village to my sisters and do whatever I wanted, so I came outside… But now my uncle’s obsessed with me.”

“Y-your uncle…?”

No matter how many times I heard Astrea’s story, the darkness ran deep.

An uncle is too much. This is your brother’s daughter we’re talking about, you know? Ugh…

“It’s because they shut themselves away in the village. They say the purer the bloodline, the better.”

“…Could it be that Astrea-sama is related to the 【Demonic Archer】?”

“Ah, that’s my older sister.”

“……Incredible. A Platinum-rank older sister and a Gold-rank younger sister… What is even going on with elves…?”

Ah, right. She’d mentioned it before. The long-range member of the Platinum-rank adventurer party 【Starry Sky】. She was personally recruited by 【Heavenly Saint】and capable of sniping from beyond the horizon or something like that. The reason was probably similar to Astrea’s. Her affinity with the wind allowed perception over vast distances.

She was definitely cold and harsh toward humans she met for the first time, just like Astrea.

And since she used a bow, she was obviously the same type as Fain (the sadistic elf archer)! She’d shoot at a target’s limbs from afar, chase them with an icy smile as they desperately fled, and once they collapsed, unable even to escape, she’d tie them to a tree and slowly dissect them with a knife.

G-gah… How terrifying! I want her to do that! Astrea, please introduce me to your older sister! The role of humanity’s representative punching bag is mine! Will Astrea’s wind pierce my heart first, or her older sister’s arrow?

“Well, elves have their own circumstances. There are even geezers who’ve lived for two thousand years.”

“Two thousand… That’s incredible.”

Her Highness murmured.

Let’s see… One human lifespan is about fifty years, right? Two thousand years is… F-forty times that? That means forty generations in human terms. That’s insanely grand. They’re practically a living fairy tale then. 

“This may be rude, but Astrea-dono, how old are you exactly?”

“…In human terms, around twenty.”

“So about two hundred years old, then.”

“Marianne? Why did you say that?”

“Among us, she’s called Grandma Astrea.”

“I am not! I’ll blow you away!”

Ahh, I want you to blow me away with merciless wind!

But Astrea was easy to get along with. It’s fine if you respect her, but if you accidentally worship her or anything like that, her attitude will change instantly. So please don’t do that. I mean, just look at how she treats fellow elves! It’s really awful. It reminds me of Astrea back when we first met.

Perhaps because the tension eased during our exchange, all the girls from 【Lily Garden】 were laughing. Her Highness included and even Chloe, who’d initially looked stiff.

Good, good. My companions were truly something to be proud of. Being feared and unfairly judged wasn’t something to celebrate. I did harbor a suspicion lately that Marianne might be secretly terrifying, but what she did was saintly through and through. I’d heard she visited an orphanage weekly to help with its management, and since I sometimes went with her, I knew how much the children adored her.

She even played along when Astrea was teased. In the end, we were the only ones who’d started from nothing together, so there was a strong bond or at least, I wanted to believe that.

W-what if Marianne was dating a man who wasn’t me!? I’d seriously want to die! We’d started adventuring together, chasing and surpassing our party members, and if she got stolen away by some guy who just showed up, what would I even do!? If I had to watch it happen, I was confident I’d scream cries of despair and joy while crying.

Please, Marianne. Don’t date anyone but me. If you do, then thoroughly look down on me and say, “I don’t see you as a man,” while mocking me as you enter an inn with him. Otherwise, I’ll completely lose my mind.

“…Um, is something wrong?”

“No, I just thought Marianne and I were on the same wavelength.”

“U-ufufu. Is that so? I think so too.”

Cute. Marianne really was cute. Astrea and Carla were beautiful, but Marianne had a different kind of charm than them. When I poked her cheek, she squirmed as if it tickled.

Alright, she doesn’t hate me!

『She just can’t say it, that’s all.』

Dark Marianne… If you say so, then it might be the truth. If that’s the case, how should I atone? I’ll become your slave. Call me a dog. Hey you punks, the Saint-sama is passing through, make way!

“Hoooh, special treatment? As expected of a ‘holy woman,’ huh.”

“We won’t let you use us as stepping stones…!”

“B-Bo-both of you! Please stop teasing me!”

Marianne was pounced on by the two and ended up getting thoroughly squished. Mmm, three beautiful women entangled together… Magnificent!

Let me join too!

If only I could say that. But the moment you say it, it’s over. No matter how much of a hardcore masochist I am, I won’t commit the stupidity of walking down a path I know leads to ruin. Yes. Masochist, no touching. Adventurers may live freely, but someone who can’t be considerate of others is unfit as a human being. Huh? Getting worried over taking fatal injuries is fine, you ask? That’s something that can happen on the job. It can’t be helped.

I’m… I’m not at fault! I’m just balancing my work and hobbies! What’s wrong with that!? Even my childhood friend saves humanity as a hobby! How is that any different!? What’s so wrong with being a hardcore masochist!? Are we not allowed to live!?

『I wish you’d disappear, just like demons.』

Dark Marianne, that was a bit much…

“Hey, Finn-san.”

“…Lucille, was it?”

“Yeah. I wanted to ask you something.”

As she said that, she twirled the bluish tips of her hair.

“Sorry if I’ve got the wrong person, but a few years ago, on the way to the northern mountain range, did you ever pick up an injured person in a forest?”

“Ah. The Ice Forest?”

“Yes! Thank you so much for saving me back then!”

“Don’t worry about it. When you’re in trouble, we help each other out.”

“Ohhh… I like that. Is that a proverb?”

“It was popular back home.”

Back home (the village). When I came to the city, I was genuinely shocked that some of my expressions weren’t understood. People told me “I’ve never heard that phrasing” so many times. I tried hard to correct myself, but it made me talk less and hide my true feelings more. I ended up adopting the “all’s well that ends well” kind of mindset.  Even that expression wasn’t used much around here.

While watching the three of them fuss around, Lucille quietly leaned close and whispered in my ear.

“Really, thank you. I’ll do anything to repay you, as long as it’s something I can do.”

Anything…? Wait, no. Hold on. This girl…She was the one I ran into on the way to the greatest moment of my life, the Finn Debyura Absolute Disaster Incident, right?

She remembered that… I’d forgotten until she mentioned it! Another honey trap? Another trap!? 

When nobles say “anything,” it’s terrifying! Her Highness is the same. There’s no way to tell what they mean! If they truly meant anything, I’d shout, “Then please use this whip and candle on me!”—but if I said that to a noble, I might get executed on the spot.

I couldn’t say a word.

“Say things like that to the man you end up with.”

“What about you, Finn-san? Am I not good enough? I may look like this, but I am a noble, you know.”

“I’m a commoner. I’ll pass. Our social status is just too different.”

“Tch, I got rejected.”

“There are plenty of good men out there. Pick someone stable, not an adventurer who could die any day.”

“Mm, I don’t think there are that many, though…”

There absolutely were. They were just hiding their status. At least, I was certain there were some third son of a noble somewhere. I was on the lower end of the adventurer social ladder.

I mean, when your party already includes a noble daughter from the Eastern Nations and an elf princess, that should tell you something. If you look, you’ll find them.

As I was talking with Lucille, I realized the carriage had gone completely silent. Chloe was staring wide-eyed, her mouth opening and closing. Her Highness…She was staring off into the distance. Violet-sama was watching us with obvious amusement on her face. 

Now then, the real problem was the three next to me. Carla was staring at me with eyes wide open. Marianne was giving me a flat, damp stare. Astrea had a vein popping at her temple.

Heh… Alright, calm down. I get it. If someone you’ve spent all this time with suddenly turns out to have had a romantic connection with someone completely unrelated, it feels complicated, right? I get it.

If I were in their position, I’d be dead by now. Honestly, if they were to say they were dating someone that I didn’t know,  I’d die instantly.

“Fiiiiiinnnn? You know what I’m about to say, don’t you?”

“Finn-san. Let’s have you confess everything, right now.”

“Wait. I didn’t do anything. Running into Lucille was a coincidence—”

“There are other women you’ve been involved with too, aren’t there!? Come on, spit it out! Confess, confess!”

Their accusing gazes pierced me. But it didn’t feel like genuine anger. It felt more like exasperation than true contempt. Ohoho! This was fresh! A type I hadn’t experienced much before! Though… Wasn’t it like this back when we first formed the party? Astrea used to look at me like this whenever I got hit.

How nostalgic… Like the taste of home. Itadakimasu!

“You little brat. Get over here.”

“Eeek…! I-I’m sorry, I’m really sorry! I acted on impulse!”

“What, I’m not angry. I just thought you had guts.”

“That means you’re angry! I’m desperate too, you know!”

“How dare you confess to Finn ahead of us! Down on your knees!”

“Hii! Your Highness, help!”

“Lucille… You too… You’ve met him…Before me…”

“Your Highness!?”

And while such ridiculous conversations continued, the carriage rolled onward. About five hours from the royal capital, with one rest stop along the way, we arrived at the foot of a mountain. That place was the 【Rubble Mountain Range】.

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“The【Variable】 has entered the effective range. The operation will now transition to its final phase. Are you prepared, 【Lion King】?”

It stood in the shadow of the rubble. Its entire body was concealed beneath a black robe, making it hard to see clearly, but its eyes felt inorganic, like something lifeless, something not truly alive. Beside it stood a giant of massive stature. Standing roughly three humans tall, its entire body was swollen with muscle, its skin red and its hair golden.

“Hmph. To resort to such petty tricks against mere humans…”

“Those ‘mere humans’ have stalled us to this point. In fact, even this may not be enough. 

“Hah! Even with me and you present?”

The one speaking bore the face of a lion, brimming with confidence. It was obvious at a glance that it was a being entirely separate from humans. Unlike the excited lion, the black-robed figure continued in a flat voice.

“Yes. I wanted at least five more ‘Numbered’ units.”

“…Tch! You’re overestimating humanity! Even that 【Hero】! If we attacked all at once—”

The lion roared. But the black-robed figure did not engage. Its inorganic eyes shifted slightly, and it spoke.

“…Do you doubt me? Me, who received the title of 【Wisdom】 directly from the Demon Lord?”

At those words, the lion closed its mouth, clicked its tongue, and continued.

“…Hmph. I know your achievements are immeasurable. Don’t lump me in with the others.”

“Good. I am counting on you.”

Finding those emotionless words unsettling, the lion turned its thoughts toward the coming battle. After glancing once at its partner, the one calling itself 【Wisdom】 slowly rolled its eyes.

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