Chapter 8: To the Elf Village – 03
The next morning, we gathered in front of Miss Hofena’s house.
The three of us were dressed in our usual dungeon attire, with just enough travel gear packed into our bags for immediate use.
On the other hand, Miss Hofena had a larger bag slung over her shoulder, dressed in a practical outfit reminiscent of when she gathers medicinal herbs. She held a sturdy-looking staff in her hand, likely serving as both a walking aid and a weapon for self-defense.
Lady Sfenia was styled like a hunter, clad in light armor and carrying a short bow. The crystal-tipped staff she had at her waist suggested she could use magic as well. As expected, she too carried a large backpack similar to those used for mountain climbing.
However, the green outfit peeking out from under her oversized cloak seemed a bit revealing… Perhaps this is a common trend among female adventurers, just like with Larni.
Noticing our light gear, Lady Sfenia raised an eyebrow in concern.
“As I mentioned yesterday, it will take about three days to reach the village. You seem lightly packed; are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“I have an Item Box, so all our travel supplies are stored there. We have everything we need, so there’s no problem.”
“I see. It’s rare for a D-Rank party to have an Item Box. I must admit, I’m a bit envious.”
By the way, Lady Sfenia is quite a skilled adventurer who has risen to C-Rank primarily as a solo player. Though she looks like a young girl, it seems one cannot judge an elf by their appearance.
“You’re quite the versatile adventurer, Soushi. That’s reassuring,” Miss Hofena remarked, but I was still just a rookie adventurer, having only been in the field for a few months. This was my first long journey, and having Lady Sfenia with us was secretly comforting.
“Then let’s set off,” Lady Sfenia commanded, and the five of us began our journey toward the Elf Village.
As previously mentioned, it would take about three days on foot to reach the Elf Village. If we were all adventurers, we could run to shorten the travel time, but since Miss Hofena was accompanying us, such a forced march was out of the question. In fact, I had a carrying frame prepared, so it wouldn’t be impossible for me to run while carrying it, but it seemed that running itself wasn’t considered a common practice.
The Elf Village was said to be located just east along the main road, beyond a single mountain pass. Since we were merely walking along the road, I kept my sensing skill active, but the journey was quite peaceful.
“By the way, you’re the only guy here, Soushi. Isn’t that lucky for you?” Larni said as we stepped onto the main road.
“That’s a bit late to mention. Plus, having so many women on this journey means we might attract unsavory characters, so I’ll have to stay on guard.”
“Ah, that’s true. At first glance, it’s just beautiful women and cute girls, so you might end up being the suspicious one.”
“Soushi-sama is a fine gentleman, so I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Freinir chimed in with a serious expression beside Larni, who wore a mischievous smile.
Perhaps finding the situation amusing, Miss Hofena turned to us with a smile.
“I thought so the other day as well, but your party is quite a peculiar combination. How did you all come to know each other?”
A glance revealed that Lady Sfenia was also listening intently. After all, a party consisting of an older man and two beautiful girls does seem suspicious.
Whether she realized it or not, Freinir was the first to respond.
“Soushi-sama helped me when I was struggling as a newly minted adventurer, without asking for anything in return. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be adventuring today. That’s why I’ve decided to follow Soushi-sama for life.”
“How passionate! It sounds like a fateful encounter. Helping someone in need is so kind of you, Soushi-san.”
Miss Hofena’s smile was genuine, but I sensed Lady Sfenia’s brow furrowing slightly.
Logically speaking, it would be natural to assume that an older man helping a beautiful girl like Freinir would have ulterior motives. Her words sounded like those of an innocent girl who had been deceived.
Perhaps sensing this, Larni was grinning at me.
“Freinir, you might want to elaborate a bit more; otherwise, Soushi might be misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood? I merely said that Soushi-sama is a wonderful person.”
“Even if that’s what you meant, to some, it might sound like Soushi is cleverly deceiving Freinir.”
“Is that so…?”
As Freinir turned to look at Miss Hofena, she reassured her, “It’s clear that Soushi-san is a good person, so don’t worry.”
However, Lady Sfenia seemed embarrassed and averted her gaze.
Seeing this, Freinir seemed about to say something, but Larni interrupted her.
“You’ll understand once you spend some time together, so it’s fine. Also, I joined Soushi and Freinir’s party out of my own curiosity. It turned out to be the right decision since I’ve become stronger. Soushi is reliable as a leader, and Freinir is strong too.”
“So that’s how you all became acquainted. When I saw you last time, you seemed to work together very well, so I’m sure it’s a good party.”
As Miss Hofena nodded, Lady Sfenia cleared her throat and spoke up.
“By the way, Larni, you mentioned you’ve become stronger, but are you all seeking strength? You seemed concerned about whether there’s a dungeon in the Elf Village.”
“Yes, we aim to do everything we can to become stronger. That’s why we try to acquire as many skills as possible.”
“I think that’s a wonderful mindset. For adventurers, the wall becomes thicker at C-Rank and above, and many give up there… The party I was with for a while also gave up on climbing higher after facing danger in a D-Class Dungeon, leaving only me to continue.”
“I see. But you, Sfenia, didn’t give up and aimed higher, which shows your strength.”
“Well, yes… There are those of my kin who have reached A-Rank, so I must aim for that as well.”
The mention of an A-Rank among her kin likely referred to Anatoria the Crimson. It seems that certain expectations or pressures exist among different races.
“Hmm, if that’s the case, Sfenia, how about joining our party? I think you could become stronger with us.”
Larni suddenly began a rather hasty recruitment, causing me to panic slightly.
It was a bit inappropriate to do so without the leader’s consent, but more than that, it was audacious to approach a C-Rank super-beautiful elf. Though Larni seemed unconcerned about such things.
“I apologize for Larni’s impulsiveness…” I began to say, but Lady Sfenia didn’t seem offended and instead asked back.
“Is there some basis for saying I could become stronger?”
“Just training devised by Soushi alone could make you stronger, and we dive into dungeons almost every day. That way, we can acquire plenty of skills, and… well, this might be a secret. But you’ll find out soon enough if you join the party!”
This girl is being quite suggestive… I thought it would only raise more suspicion, but Lady Sfenia narrowed her eyes, showing a hint of interest.
“May I consider joining your party after observing it during this journey?”
“Eh? Yes, of course, that seems reasonable. I apologize for suddenly bringing up something strange.”
As I was apologizing, Larni poked me playfully. Looking over, I saw her giving a triumphant thumbs-up.
“That makes our fourth member confirmed! Since Soushi wouldn’t scout anyone himself, this worked out perfectly, right?”
“If you’re going to do that, you should at least confirm it with the party first.”
“Oh, sorry! But I thought Sfenia would fit perfectly in our party, so I couldn’t help myself…”
When I scolded her, she seemed to understand, so I let it slide. After all, she was still a 15-year-old girl, so a little impulsiveness was to be expected.
“Indeed, it seems like she could fill a gap we have.”
Lady Sfenia appeared to be a mid-to-long-range adventurer specializing in bows and magic. We had two front-line fighters and a support-focused rear guard, so having an attack-focused rear guard would indeed be the best fit.
“Right? And if she’s aiming higher, it’s perfect, isn’t it? Frei thinks so too, right?”
“Eh? Oh, yes, that’s right. Lady Sfenia is very beautiful.”
Freinir was caught off guard and blurted out something she didn’t quite understand. But now that I thought about it, if Lady Sfenia joined us, our party would consist of an older man plus three incredibly beautiful girls, making us stand out even more… though that was a realization that came a bit late.
“Hehe, it seems like this journey will be quite enjoyable,” Miss Hofena said, and for now, the discussion about scouting the elf girl came to a pause.