“We’ll Definitely Come Back to Save You!” — It’s Been Three Years Since I Was Left in the Most Difficult Dungeon, Isn’t It About Time for Help to Arrive...? - 40-41

Chapter 40: Meanwhile, Knight Wurfe Starts Looking for Party Members Part 1

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At the same time — in the guild city of Calzeria, news of the Demon Lord’s existence and his power had spread, throwing the entire city into an uproar. In the central square, people who had heard rumors of the Demon Lord, those who held wanted posters, and those who had seen him with their own eyes gathered in one place, all discussing various things about the Demon Lord.

“Hey, did you hear? That rumor about the Demon Lord coming out of Den of Calamity. Another outrageous monster has appeared…”

“Yeah… They say he’s commanding monsters and planning to attack the city, right? Is everything really going to be okay…?”

“It’s fine. The guild headquarters is here, after all, and I’m sure the adventurers have already moved to take him down.”

“But, didn’t all the adventurers get wiped out when the Demon Lord appeared in the city?”

“I saw that! Dozens of adventurers all jumped him at once, but it was totally useless — they didn’t stand a chance. Honestly, even just watching scared me so bad I nearly pissed myself. That power and that evil aura — that thing was the real deal.”

“Dude, gross. TMI. So after that, ‘Ordoll’ fought the Demon Lord and drove him off, right? No surprise there, they’re on a whole different level from the average adventurer.”

“Ordoll…? What’s that?”

“You don’t know? They’re a young party that’s been active for a few years now. Almost every request they’ve taken has ended in success, so they’ve got a great reputation. I hadn’t heard much about them lately, though, so it was exciting to hear their name again.”

“Ah, them! The party with the Saintess! If the church officially endorses them, that definitely puts people at ease. A friend of mine got bitten by a venomous snake monster in the forest once, and if the Saintess hadn’t been there to help, he’d have died for sure. They’re really dependable.”

“Speaking of the forest… I heard the entire southeastern forest is sealed off now. Something about it burning down in a fire.”

“…About that. I happened to overhear some guild staff talking about it. They said the Demon Lord was behind that too.”

“No way! Is that true!?”

“Dead serious. They found that same black smoke stuff from when the Demon Lord went wild in the city inside the forest too. And only in the areas that burned.”

“Damn… Well, all we ordinary folks can do is stay out of the way. Let’s leave this one to the guild and the adventurers.”

“Yeah, good point.”

While the crowd buzzed with second-hand tension and rumor, a man rushed past them, his pulse racing far faster than theirs.

Damn it! Of all times, where the hell did they go!? I left those pawns in place for exactly this kind of mess…!

Trying to maintain a calm façade, sweat poured down Wurfe’s face as inner turmoil churned inside him. For a supposed leader of an elite adventuring party, he looked pitifully unsettled. The newly replaced armor and sword he wore, meant to make him look battle-ready, only served to emphasize his unreliability.

After mouthing off to the Guildmaster like that, I can’t back down now… I’m not about to let those scumbags keep looking down on me. I need to take out that bastard Athos fast and remind everyone who the hell I am!

That was what he kept telling himself — but the reality wasn’t so simple.

Ever since he’d disposed of Athos in the dungeon, Wurfe had only accepted monster-slaying requests that could be handled by the remaining three members of his party without him. No — he’d had no choice but to do that.

The reason Wurfe had chosen the path of a knight in the first place was because he absolutely didn’t want to risk getting hurt himself. There was no way he could ever truly replace Athos, who had put his life on the line for his comrades. And more than that, Wurfe lacked the strength to earn the trust Athos had carried — the belief among his teammates that “he’ll find a way to pull us through.”

That was why Wurfe had learned to hide behind the excuse of “strategy” and stopped fighting altogether. As time passed, his skills deteriorated. Now, for the first time in three years, he was facing a mission without the three who’d covered for his weakness all this time.

“…Shit, they’re nowhere to be found…! Those goddamn idiots!”

As he ran through the city without spotting a single one of his teammates, Wurfe’s frustration finally burst out in foul language.

Why was he so agitated?

Because, just before he’d left the room after that earlier emergency meeting, the Guildmaster had ordered him to participate in the first ever “Joint Demon Lord Subjugation Mission.”

And now, with less than an hour left until the appointed meeting time—Wurfe was completely alone.

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Chapter 41: Meanwhile, Knight Wurfe Starts Looking for Party Members Part 2

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Wurfe continued to search the area around town in an effort to gather party members. But every attempt ended in failure, and only time passed in naught. That was no surprise. Eishia, Ripley, and Midi were all currently acting alone, each far away from town. There was no way he could find them.

“…There’s no helping it. We’re short on time. I guess I’ll try recruiting at the guild.”

In monster subjugation, the standard approach was to form a party with clearly divided roles, both to reduce risk and to ensure efficient combat. Like most, Wurfe shared the common belief that “only reckless fools take on monsters solo.”

He headed straight to the guild from his fruitless search and stood before the party recruitment board adjacent to the job postings. He slapped a large sheet of paper in the center of the board.

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“Demon Lord Subjugation Joint Mission – Participants Wanted”

Recruiter: Party “Ordoll” Leader – Wurfe Granzel

Open Positions: 3 (1 frontline, 1 magic user, 1 priest)

Requirements: Possession of an A-rank guild certification or equivalent skill

Reward: 10% of the joint mission compensation

※ No advance payment. Anyone deemed lacking in ability will be excluded without mercy.

Those confident in their strength, those who seek glory, those who wish to carve their name into history—only those with that resolve, gather under me.

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“All right. With this, they’ll be swarming in.”

He’d included both his own name and the party name “Ordoll.” There wasn’t a soul in town now who didn’t know that name. That alone should be enough to glue the eyes of those dumb adventurers to it. Thinking that, Wurfe crossed his arms and sat a short distance away, putting on a composed expression as he waited for someone to notice the posting and approach him.

“Now then… I wonder what kind of folks I’ll get…”

Wurfe glanced at the board from time to time, a smirk playing on his lips.

Five minutes passed. As adventurers walked by and glanced at the paper, Wurfe clicked his tongue inwardly.

Ten minutes passed. The smirk on his lips faded, and frustration began to crease his brow. After thirty minutes, even though people were gathering near the board, not a single person approached him. Wurfe’s face turned red with humiliation.

Why…!? My name… Why is it being ignored…!?

Other adventurers clustered around various postings on the board, yet no one stopped in front of the one Wurfe had put up. They all clearly avoided it as if it were cursed.

“…Huh? That sheet—could it be his?”

At that moment, a group of young adventurers passing by noticed the board and began whispering. Their voices reached Wurfe’s ears loud and clear.

“Yeah, I heard he got completely wrecked. He acts all high and mighty normally, but apparently, he got wiped out in a flash.”

“And now he’s still going on about subjugating the Demon Lord? Even though he didn’t even make a dent before… He’s got nothing but reckless confidence.”

“If he’s recruiting, maybe his teammates ditched him. I mean, anyone who joins him now’s got a death wish.”

“Man… I became an adventurer after seeing Ordoll’s achievements, but now that name is just a sad excuse for a party.”

“That’s just because you’ve got no eye for talent. Come on, let’s forget about this bad-luck crap and go take a job already.”

The group crumpled the flyer into a ball, laughed it off, and walked away. Wurfe’s fists trembled as he watched them go, his glare sharp as daggers.

“Hold it right there, you little—huh?”

He tried to shout after them, but none of them gave a damn about his anger. It was clear they saw it as irrelevant, and the fact that they didn’t even acknowledge him only wounded his pride further.

“Don’t screw with me… I… I’m the leader of Ordoll, damn it…!”

Once upon a time, Ordoll had commanded respect and admiration throughout the guild thanks to their accomplishments. Many adventurers had spoken of wanting to join the party. But three tarnished years had turned that name into one of ridicule and mistrust.

Grinding his teeth, Wurfe picked up the crumpled flyer and crushed it in his hand. Then, loosening the requirements, he posted a revised version in hopes of attracting recruits once again.

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