Torquetum ①
Greetings.
I am Lupinus.
Lupinus=Lord=Denton.
I am the leader and tank of Torquetum.
Our members are Pachira, the Cat Beastman elementalist, and Liv, the skilled swordswoman and mysterious girl.
And then there is myself. I am an elf.
Moreover, an elf among elves of distinguished lineage. Or rather, I am nobility.
An Elf Lord. From a Viscount family.
I possess the Shield of Achillean, an OOPArts passed down through my ancestors.
My role is to protect everyone with the Relic [Fortification].
Incidentally, my age is 18. Precisely 18.
I am absolutely not 28, or 38, or 48.
No matter how mature I may look or because I am an elf, treating me like an old woman is quite rude.
Well, but being called mature… I suppose it doesn’t feel entirely bad.
Besides, I have passed the age of majority, so I am an adult.
However, it feels strange for some reason. It doesn’t quite feel that way.
Pachira and Liv have also passed the age of majority, yet those around us don’t treat them as such.
They are still called young girls, little girls, or young ladies.
As for whether I can treat the two of them as adults, well, it is difficult.
Furthermore, even if one has passed the age of majority, drinking alcohol is only permitted from age 20.
It truly makes me wonder what kind of “adulthood” 14 signifies.
Be that as it may, everyone in Torquetum is a Tier III Seeker.
Seventy percent of all Seekers are Tier V.
We are one rank above Tier IV, which is said to be an insurmountable wall.
Moreover, being Tier III in one’s teens is exceedingly rare, you know.
I refrain from saying it as it might seem arrogant, but we possess talent.
Not as a boast or out of pride, but as a pure fact, we have talent.
We, who were called and praised as up-and-coming…
Torquetum, having earned the qualification for the Tier II trial, nearly faced annihilation.
No.
This was annihilation.
Our opponent was a Chimera encountered in the lower levels of the Dungeon.
A low-rank Silver-class monster.
Normally, it would not be such a difficult opponent.
However, that Chimera was white. A white Chimera.
And its strength was such that it was a formidable enemy, one that even we Tier III Seekers were uncertain of defeating.
That must be the rumored albino variant. A special Dungeon monster.
It was our first time encountering one.
Its tails, Relics of fire, lightning, and wind, were powerful, and its movements were like a lion’s.
But the absolute worst was its Relic [Evil Eye].
It momentarily steals the freedom of anyone whose eyes meet its gaze. Such a despicable Relic.
Against a monster of that caliber, even a momentary opening can be fatal.
Moreover, the opponent was an albino variant.
We challenged it bravely, but our movements were sealed by [Evil Eye], and we were annihilated.
No, we should have been…
But we are currently alive… Why is that?
Furthermore, we were unharmed when we were discovered.
And yet, I vividly remember the pain, the wounds, the humiliation of defeat—everything.
Then what happened?
According to Liv, an Elixir was apparently used.
That drinkable legendary Legacy. Also called a Potion from the Age of Gods.
The medicine of life and soul—Elixir.
Certainly, an Elixir could save us when we were on the verge of death.
But who? For what purpose? How did they manage it for us?
Using an Elixir free of charge… that is simply impossible.
No matter how much I ponder it, I cannot understand this at all.
And one more thing.
The Return Stone that Pachira possessed was gone.
However, none of us could possibly have used it at that time.
Because we had collapsed and were unconscious.
To put it more strongly, we were dying.
Someone used an Elixir on us, and then used a Return Stone to send us back.
Such an absurd story… it’s impossible.
Believing we must ascertain the truth, we volunteered for the Guild’s investigation team.
To that floor.
The Chimera was gone.
But faint black stains were scattered across the ground.
“Liv. What do you think?”
“Nn… The blood of you two…”
“Indeed.”
“Hmph. That settles it.”
There is no mistake. Someone healed us with an Elixir.
Then they used a Return Stone to save us.
“Why?”
And they still haven’t come forward after all this time.
It’s strange.
I can only assume their actions had some ulterior motive.
Especially using an Elixir free of charge—that is absolutely impossible.
As Seekers, as people, doing such a thing… They must have some hidden agenda.
One day, a troop of knights in black armor might appear before us.
Nobility might appear.
It might even be the supreme race, the Edda— It’s nothing but anxiety and fear.
While remaining cautious and vigilant, we continued to undertake requests.
Nothing happened. The days merely passed uneventfully.
In the special room of the high-class inn we use as our base.
While I was elegantly enjoying tea at my favorite table and chairs, which I had brought with me.
“Nn… Both of you… Liv… completely… forgot something…”
She murmured, sitting across from me.
“How sudden.”
“What is it?”
This girl. She truly is abrupt.
We have been together for quite some time since forming Torquetum.
I still don’t quite understand her personality.
It’s not just her personality I don’t understand, but her appearance as well.
In the first place, I don’t really know who she is.
But I do not dislike her. She is our comrade, after all.
“…Before… met a boy… who smelled… of Elixir…”
“What did you say?”
“What did you say!?”
“Nn… Forgot…”
I let out a sigh.
Honestly, this girl, really… honestly.