At that time, the city of Tanning had already been attacked by demons. Despite their efforts, Alfred and his party, the [Holy Sword of Heroes], suffered a crushing defeat due to their weakened state. To make matters worse, the demon Lord was exceedingly strong, and Alfred, who had been boasting arrogantly, was beaten mercilessly.

  Ultimately, abandoning the captured Prince Hans, Alfred fled in disgrace, leaving behind a particularly vile parting remark.

  “—I’m not going to risk my life for some spoiled prince! Do whatever you want with that crap, you idiot!”

  Alfred, that was truly awful. What a disaster.

  Soon after, Rogue and his companions arrived. They had heard the commotion while casually completing trivial events and were notified by the noise nearby.

  Rogue remarked, “What a hassle we’ve been dragged into.” and, using his typical lines, he wiped out the demons and quickly eliminated the boss without taking any significant damage. He successfully rescued Prince Hans and was celebrated as a hero in the Rumirio Kingdom.

  Meanwhile, Alfred’s disgraceful failure and the abandonment of Prince Hans, along with his final insulting words, led to severe reprimands from King Freyt, Prince Hans, and Tifa. Although he wasn’t formally punished, the Holy Sword of Heroes lost its standing and was soon disbanded. Alfred was forced to leave the Rumirio Kingdom under duress.

  Thus, this quest became, for Alfred, a prelude to ruin.

  I never expected such a flag to be raised like this. Damn you, Tokimaki No. 8!

  But I’ll avoid it!

  Given my current weakened state, there’s no way I can accept it!

  “I… I’d love to help, but as you all know, my current abilities are nowhere near what they used to be. Honestly, I can’t use my unique skills at the moment and am working as a fourth-tier adventurer. So, I may not be of much use.

  There you go; I laid it out honestly.

  By presenting myself as incompetent, I’ve created a "Don’t rely on me" barrier.

  “Alfred, as I said before, dealing with the demons is secondary. All I need is for you to search for and retrieve Prince Hans. Can you do that?”

  King Freyt, why are you so insistent on this? Is it a convenience-based plot?

  Are you determined to make me suffer no matter what?

  “In that case, why not rely on the [Holy Sword of Heroes] that you were once part of?”

  “Yes, they are indeed a top group with high skills and are still making remarkable progress. However, I cannot forgive the captain who insulted my daughter! Even if he’s a princess, as a father, I don’t want to rely on him!”

  Wow.

  So, it’s already reached the king’s ears... Rogue, you’re done for.

  “Moreover, this is a highly confidential quest. We believe that the only person we can rely on is you, Alfred, who is trusted by Princess Tifa!”

  “Join us, and please search for Prince Hans, Alfred!!!”

  Everyone is pushing really hard... This is troublesome.

  If I refuse now, I might face repercussions later.

  “Alright, I will lend my limited strength. However, if Prince Hans has already been caught in a disastrous situation by the demons, neither I nor my companions will take any responsibility. Is that acceptable?”

  “Yes, I understand. That’s a reasonable condition.”

  King Freyt agreed.

  Great, that should protect me from any blame if things go wrong.

  I need to prepare as many safeguards as possible.

  “Also, there are a few things I need to prepare before departure. I request your cooperation to ensure a higher success rate, Your Majesty.

  Thus, I ended up accepting the highly confidential quest.

  The next day, we quietly left the royal castle with a few knights to head towards the city of Tanning.

  Even though it was an order from the king, it was still a top-secret quest.

  Stealth operations were required.

  After the banquet, I gathered my companions and explained the details of the quest.

  Both Gaizen and Pearl, aware of our current abilities, expressed their skepticism with comments like, “This is reckless...” and “This is a quest for a hero,” indicating their pessimism. Still, after I explained the countermeasures, they managed to maintain their motivation.

  “—Magic stones, huh? As expected of Alfred, you thought of that?”

  While traveling, Gaizen’s voice was lively behind his helmet.

  “Yeah. If we end up fighting the demon army, our decreased stats will have to be supplemented with magical tools like these. Although it’s a confidential quest, luckily, with the kingdom backing it, we can afford to equip ourselves without worrying about costs.”

  Magic stones are ores embedded with temporary performance-enhancing enchantments. They are usually too expensive to obtain, but we managed to purchase them by requesting them through King Freyt.

  I’m leaving nothing to chance.

  “By the way, Alfred, you’re going to hire enchantment mages from the Adventurers’ Guild, right?”

  “Yes, Pearl, exactly. I’ve requested the guild master, and three enchantment mages have been recommended. They are all second-tier adventurers, more skilled than us at present.”

  Though I have a trauma related to enchantment mages and I don’t particularly like dealing with them, their help should enable us to use our unique skills at least once or twice.

  Even though Rogue’s [Ability Grant] has been removed, the unique skills themselves haven’t been confiscated.

  I hope they will be useful in our battle against the demons.

  By the way, the enchantment mages should not have been informed about the quest details. They were called urgently under the pretext of a “direct royal investigation quest” by the guild master. I’ll need to brief them on the quest once we set off.

  After purchasing a good quantity of high-quality magic stones (with the receipt addressed to King Freyt) and heading to the Adventurers’ Guild, we found the three enchantment mages already waiting.

  But—

  “Are you the recommended second-tier enchantment mages from the guild master?”

  In front of me stood three adorable young girls with youthful appearances.

  The girls nodded in unison.

  Hmm, I see.

  It looks like the guild master made a similar character choice to Tokimaki No. 8...

  I don’t care, but... isn’t the loli ratio in my party quite high?

  Chapter 29: Departures for Each

  Three Enchanters Recommended by the Guild Master

  The three enchanters recommended by the Guild Master looked incredibly young and small, which made me a bit hesitant.

  Could they really be second-tier adventurers?

  Hmm? Upon closer inspection, all three of them had the same face.

  It seems they are triplets.

  Moreover, they’re not even humans.

  “That’s right. I’m Maka, a Little Fae Enchanter,” said one of them.

  “I’m Roka,” said another.

  “And I’m Mika. Nice to meet you!” the third added.

  They were Little Fae, a race known for their small stature and pointy ears, with a rounded, childlike appearance. Their large, cat-like eyes and cute, small noses and lips made them look like children, despite their actual age. All three had short, similarly styled hair, though each had a different color—red for Maka, blue for Roka, and green for Mika.

  “I’m Alfred, a Swordmaster. Nice to meet you,” I introduced myself.

  “We’ve heard a lot of rumors about you, the former leader of the Holy Sword of Heroes,” Maka responded.

  “But we’re here for business, so we don’t really care who you are,” Roka added.

  “Besides, we were directly requested by the Guild Master, and the reward is good,” Mika concluded.

  Their synchronized speech was almost eerie, probably due to their being triplets. It was a bit tiring, but I figured it was okay.

  I left the guild and joined my companions waiting outside. I introduced the three enchanters recommended by the Guild Master to them.

  “Not that I have anything against children, but this feels like we’ve ended up in a daycare,” Gaizen remarked as he compared the triplets to the rest of our party.

  Don’t worry, I thought the same thing.

  “A Little Fae Enchanter is quite rare. They usually take on roles like Bard or Thief.” Pearl, our scholar, obseeds.

  Little Fae are known for their agility and luck, but they typically have high magical resistance, making them less susceptible to illusions or mind control.

  “They were given the [Freedom Conversion] by a slave trader, Akuba,” Maka explained.

  “That’s how we became Enchanters,” Roka continued.

  “However, this means our agility is lower than other Little Fae, so don’t expect us to take on scouting roles,” Mika added.

  So, Akuba’s unique skill allowed them to change their job class.

  “Does this mean you were former slaves?” I asked.

  “Yes. We were bought by our former master, who was an adventurer, and became support roles,” Maka said.

  “Our master passed away from old age, so now we work as a trio for solo missions,” Roka explained.

  “Even though we look like children, we’re actually 28 years old,” Mika added.

  They were older than Gaizen. And considering Shizuku and the rest, it seemed I was the only one who wasn’t a child in our group.

  I recalled that Little Fae live about twice as long as humans.

  But I wondered why their former master had taken in three of them. Usually, one Enchanter would suffice.

  It was a small but curious question that I would later find the answer to.

  With preparations complete, we set out, joining the knights and heading towards the city of Tanning.

  “—Alfred and his group were just here!?”

  I, Shannon, had left the Holy Sword of Heroes and immediately visited the Adventurer’s Guild, hoping to find Alfred’s whereabouts.

  I was holding my slime companion, Saku-Kichi, which was the size of a ball. Although bringing monsters into the guild was usually prohibited, adventurers with tamed monsters often carried them around, so I wasn’t stopped.

  Despite being a priest, I hoped to find Alfred here.

  “Yes, Alfred was here earlier this morning. He left with three Enchanters he had arranged to meet, heading out on a quest,” Lucia at the reception desk told me.

  “So, where did they go?”

  “Normally, I shouldn’t say, but since you’re the Holy Maiden Shannon, I think it’s okay,” Lucia whispered conspiratorially.

  It seemed Alfred’s group was on a top-secret quest directly from King Freyt. The details were only known to the Guild Master.

  The three Enchanters had been gathered at Alfred’s request.

  I wondered why Alfred, who had been demoted from a first-tier adventurer, had taken on such a quest. It was quite puzzling.

  “So, where exactly are they headed?”

  “They’re likely in the Tanning region. That’s all I know.”

  Tanning, the “City of Great Nature,” was a three-day journey by horse. I needed to decide whether to wait for Alfred to return or go after him.

  But... I wanted to see him. I wanted to see Alfred.

  “Let’s go, Saku-Kichi. We’ll find Alfred!”

  “Wait, Shannon! Are you really going alone!? It’s dangerous. Just between us, there have been reports of demons near Tanning!”

  “Demons? I see... If my intuition is correct, they’ll need a healer. I have some travel funds, so I can rent a horse.”

  “Stop! As a receptionist, I can’t let you go alone! You’re only a fourth-tier adventurer now. It’s too dangerous!”

  “No, I won’t be alone. Saku-Kichi is with me.”

  “A slime is not enough... Although it seems harmless, I don’t understand why a Priest like you is carrying it. But I have a better idea.”

  “What’s that?”

  Lucia leaned in and quietly proposed a solution. There was a transport quest starting today, with a party of female adventurers from third to fourth tier being recruited to escort goods to Tanning.

  “I’ll talk to them so you can join as a healer. They’re currently looking for additional members. They should accept you.”

  “But my goal is to find Alfred... I’ll need to leave the party partway.”

  “I’ll ask them to accommodate that. It might take some time, and don’t expect a reward. But it’s far safer than going alone.”

  “Thank you so much, Lucia!”

  Soon after, Lucia introduced me to the female adventurer party, and I joined them in their wagon heading towards Tanning.

  At last, I was getting closer to finding Alfred.

  Chapter 30: The Villain Fears the Demon Race

  Three days after moving...

  Our party had arrived near the city of Tanning.

  Sensing an ominous atmosphere, we, along with the ten knights accompanying us, took a brief rest while we waited.

  The initial signs of trouble were detected by Shizuku, the silver wolf beastkin, who was the first to notice the abnormal situation.

  “—The wind carries a burnt smell that’s very unpleasant. It’s definitely not a good scent!”

  This was accompanied by several plumes of black smoke rising from the distant sky, resembling signal fires.

  Soon after, a small flying scout approached us. It was Pico, a fairy who had been sent on reconnaissance.

  “Alf, it’s the Demon Army! They’re attacking the city!” Pico reported urgently.

  “I had a feeling... It was a good call to stay on standby,” I replied.

  “Then Alfred-sama! Prince Hans, or rather, our knight commander, may already be...”

  The vice commander, a man named Burku, was visibly shaken. He had a stern face with a neatly trimmed mustache and an air of rigidity.

  “Burku, it’s not confirmed yet. However, we must always anticipate the worst-case scenario and act accordingly. This is risk management,” I explained.

  “Risk management?”

  “Never mind, it’s nothing.”

  Damn, my old habits from my past life as a corporate worker slipped out.

  I cleared my throat to cover up my slip.

  “Anyway, from here on, stealth will be essential. Our priority is to confirm Prince Hans’s safety. If he is captured by the demons, we’ll need to find a way to rescue him. If he has already perished, we should withdraw to report the situation.”

  “But Alfred-sama… What about the demons? As knights, we cannot overlook their brutality,” Burku said.

  I knew he would say that.

  That’s why I had stressed this to King Freyt.

  “Our quest is to locate and rescue Prince Hans. We are not instructed to engage in combat with the demons. Moreover, they have launched an assault on the city with an army likely exceeding a hundred. Our current numbers are insufficient to handle them.”

  If it were Rogue, he might defeat them all single-handedly while boasting.

  Unfortunately, as the villain, I have no such advantages.

  “You’re right… But! If Captain Hans has been killed by them, we must seek revenge!” Burku insisted.

  Burku, you’re really rigid.

  His knights also nodded seriously in agreement, their expressions determined.

  This is troublesome.

  In the worst-case scenario, I might have to leave these guys behind and retreat with just my own party.

  Even though I’ve taken precautions in case of combat, I can’t recklessly put my entire party at risk.

  “Let’s move forward,” I said.

  We urged our horses towards the city of Tanning.

  We stopped the horses near the city and proceeded on foot.

  As reported by Pico, the city was under attack by the Demon Army.

  Flames were rising from the buildings, and numerous corpses were displayed and burned.

  It was a scene from hell.

  It’s likely that Prince Hans has already been killed.

  “Damn it, Demon Army! I will not forgive you!!!”

  Burku, in his rage, drew his sword with his emotions laid bare.

  Luckily, there was no one around to witness his recklessness.

  “Burku, calm down. Remember, we are on a stealth mission,” I reminded him.

  “But Alfred-sama! As knights, we cannot ignore such acts of violence!” Burku argued.

  Here we go; this rigid knight is starting again.

  How annoying… He’s definitely going to be a hindrance.

  His knights also assumed a combat-ready stance in accordance with their vice commander.

  Hey, no one’s even around.

  It’s clear that continuing stealth operations with these guys is impossible.

  “Calm down. Burku and the knights will stay here. If anything happens, I will send instructions through Pico.”

  “Alfred-sama, are you saying we are a hindrance!?”

  Yes, you are. You’re a huge hindrance.

  But I’m also a respectable professional with the memory and personality of a 35-year-old from my past life.

  I won’t say it outright, though.

  “According to King Freyt, the leader of this party is entrusted to me. I expect you to follow my orders. Otherwise, it will be considered insubordination, and you could face a court-martial.”

  For precaution, I’ve had Pearl use magic to record the entire situation with a crystal orb.

  This is to prevent any disputes later on about what was said.

  Burku, admonished, reluctantly sheathed his sword and responded, “Ugh... Understood.”

  With our movements lightened, we left the knights in position and began exploring the city stealthily.

  The streets were littered with burned bodies and screams of agony could be heard from somewhere nearby.

  It was gut-wrenching.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27