“Avangarde Combat Tournament?”
“Of course! You’re going to participate, right?”
The Avangarde Combat Tournament is said to be held once a year. Seigel, who had fully recovered in just a few days, seemed to be back in form, casually chatting up the girls around him. Right now, it just so happened that we were the ones he was talking to.
“I just found out about it. Roel, did you know?”
“Yeah, but I thought it wouldn’t be a festival kind of thing.”
“What kind of festival?”
“Oh, starting from there… umm, well…”
“A lot of people gather and have fun doing various things! And there are plenty of girls too! The combat tournament is one of the main attractions. Every year, skilled adventurers gather to decide who is number one. The winner gets a whopping 1 million gold! How about that? Isn’t your mouth watering? If you want, I can escort you.”
“It’s a long way to the Royal Capital, but if Lua-chan wants to go, then let’s do it.”
“If it’s only once a year, then if we don’t go now, we’ll have to wait until next year. I want to go!”
Until then, we had been shuffling through request forms, but with a festival on the horizon, we couldn’t afford to dawdle. We hurriedly returned all the requests we had on hand to their designated places.
“Wait, wait. How do you plan to get to the Royal Capital? The only road to the Royal Capital, Kizel Valley, is designated as Danger Level 10. Well, Lua should be fine, but still, we can’t let our guard down. I’ll make sure to support you—”
“Oh, are you heading to the Royal Capital? That’s perfect!”
Cynthia, the shopkeeper, interrupted Seigel as she entered.
“I have business in the Royal Capital too, and I was just about to put out a request for a bodyguard. Would you like to take it? You can go to the Royal Capital and get paid too! Who knows, you might even rank up to B-Rank in the process.”
“The path to B-Rank is steep. It’s a wall for adventurers, and many give up here. Unlike D-Rank, you have to complete a lot of dangerous requests for the Guild to recognize you. Not just bodyguarding, but also collecting materials from Floor Monsters, and events like the combat tournament count as achievements too.”
“Lua-chan, doesn’t that sound good?”
“Yeah, it really is perfect.”
“Then it’s settled! Lintei, please take care of the paperwork.”
While we were processing the paperwork, Seigel, who couldn’t give up, was mumbling something, but no one paid him any mind.
“Request for bodyguard to the Royal Capital! From shopkeeper Cynthia. Reward: 1400G.”
“That’s… so vague…”
Seigel was taken aback by the overly simplistic request details.
“It’s fine, it’s just like this. If I wrote too many details, they’d just skip over them.”
“No, that’s not how it works… As an adventurer, I’d appreciate it if you wrote as many details as possible.”
“You’re not the one taking the request, so it doesn’t matter, right?”
“Huh? Excluded?”
After some back and forth, we decided to head toward the Avangarde Royal Capital starting the next day.
///
It took just a day of being jostled in a carriage from Queemil to reach Kizel Valley. The road was somewhat paved and even had railings. I had expected a more treacherous journey, so I was a bit disappointed. However, beyond the railings was a bottomless cliff. If I misstepped, I wasn’t confident I could save myself. The carriage horse trotted along the rocky path, which was a mix of gravel and stones.
“Lua-chan, don’t look down, okay?”
Cynthia waved at me while munching on some snacks. The inside of the carriage was surprisingly spacious, allowing all four of us to sit comfortably. For some reason, Seigel had tagged along too. However, he was at the front, struggling to guide the carriage horse.
“That guy seems flashy, but he’s actually useful. I never thought he could pull the carriage horse.”
“He’s a well-known A-Rank adventurer, you know…”
Roel was bewildered by Cynthia’s carefree attitude. Still, I wondered if we really needed a bodyguard since there were no monsters around. Even though we took breaks, being jostled in the carriage all day was making me sleepy.
“Yawn…”
“Oh, are you sleepy? You need to stay alert since you’re the bodyguard. Here, take this.”
The moment I drank the red substance Cynthia handed me without suspicion, a wave of pain and stimulation surged from the back of my throat to the top of my head.
“Ugh! W-water! Water!”
“Lua-chan, hang in there! Here, water!”
Thanks to the water Roel offered, I managed to survive. Cynthia laughed at the scene.
“See? If you let your guard down, that’s what happens. This place is known for monsters. If you yawn and let the target get hurt, the request will fail right then and there!”
“I’ll do my best… but what was that just now?”
“Spark Chili Pepper.”
Why on earth was she carrying something like that? Cynthia, who seemed a bit older than us, was acting like an older sister and doing whatever she pleased. If I had to choose, I’d much prefer Ai as my older sister.
“If only a Floor Monster would show up, it would at least relieve the boredom.”
“Oh no, please spare me from that.”
Cynthia teased Seigel, who sounded excited. Despite their words, both seemed to be looking forward to the encounter.
【Moonlight Monkey ×2 appeared! HP 73】
Large monkeys descended rhythmically from the cliff.
“Oh, these guys are pretty tough and strong, so rookie adventurers often end up in tears. By the way, these Floor Monsters are their boss.”
“Come on, let’s wrap this up quickly to wake us up.”
I wanted to say that it was too casual, but it really was easy. Their movements were so slow that I felt like I might fall asleep. I smashed one with my fist, while Roel eagerly roasted the other with her Fire Rod.
【Roel used Fire Rod!
Dealt 301 damage to Moonlight Monkey!
Defeated Moonlight Monkey! HP 0/73】
It felt like her firepower had increased compared to before. I was starting to think that Roel might be an incredible talent after all.
“Whoa, you two are impressive… Especially you, Lua-chan. What was that?”
“Chin?”
“How rude!”
I was scolded for something I had said myself. Roel looked curious too.
“Hahaha! You two are strong! I feel like I’m not needed at all.”
“Yeah, really!”
“Ah, no, you should deny that.”
I started to feel a bit sorry for Seigel. I didn’t think he was a bad person, but he was just someone who never got the recognition he deserved. As we continued on, the sun had completely set.
“It’s getting dark. Shall we camp here for the night?”
“Then we should probably start a fire? I can use my Fire Rod…”
“Monsters here aren’t afraid of fire. It would only give away our position. And that rod isn’t meant for that kind of use.”
“We should set up a watch.”
I wasn’t sure if Cynthia trusted us, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.
“That’s fine. If anything comes, I’ll notice. I’m used to that kind of thing.”
“Cats seem to be in a deep sleep, but they wake up immediately if something happens. Is it like that?”
“Y-yeah, something like that.”
Cynthia threw me off my rhythm, but I had always done that in the Abyss Cave. How many times had I been ambushed while asleep? I suddenly noticed Seigel’s gaze. It was sharper than usual, unlike his usual playful demeanor. But just as quickly, he returned to his usual self.
“I can’t let a lady stand watch. Can I ask you to rely on me a little?”
“I can trust Seigel, but it feels a bit wrong.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Now, let’s get some sleep.”
“You’re really not holding back, are you…?”
“Oh, and if anything attacks, I’ll kill it.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
What was he talking about? Seigel would never attack Cynthia.
Eventually, Roel and Cynthia began to snore. Silence fell over the carriage, and it was only now that I started to feel the reality of the night world.
“Lua, I know you’re awake.”
“How did you know I was awake?”
“You’re good at fighting, but you’re terrible at pretending to be asleep.”
“Pretending to be asleep?”
“…Hey, Lua. What level are you?”
“Since I get an overflow, it seems to be over 100.”
“I thought so… Over level 100, huh? In terms of strength, you might be on par with S-Rank adventurers.”
“S-Rank?”
If A, B, C, and D are in that order, then S should be below D. Am I really on the same level as those people?
“There are fewer than ten in the world, elite adventurers employed by various countries… No, they’re no longer just adventurers. They’re a group of monsters, all of them far exceeding level 100. Most people in the world hit a level cap. Some even retire from adventuring because they can’t get past it.”
I remembered Grundom. When he realized his limits or reached them, he broke. But I absolutely didn’t want to be like Grundom, dragging others down.
“Fortunately, I haven’t hit my level cap yet. So, Lua, what kind of monsters did you defeat in the Abyss Cave?”
“Umm… the King of Destruction, Ba, Va… Van something.”
“The King of Destruction?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said. He summoned these round orbs of light, and anything that touched them just vanished. And there were also those giant snakes and dogs that were really strong…”
I reflected on the days I spent navigating the dark cave, relying on the light I conjured with my fire. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered how I managed to push through so much. It was hard not to think about it.
“Abyss Cave, huh…”
Seigel murmured this, falling into silence for a moment.
“Rua, how about a little competition between us?”
Seigel suddenly broke into a smile and spoke up.
Monster Compendium
Moonlight Monkey HP: 73
A ferocious monkey that inhabits Kizel Valley.
With its strength and agility, it has taken down many fledgling Adventurers.
Beware, as it may steal your belongings.