NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
The group led by Kurohime had stopped by the town of Elacton on their way to the royal capital.
They were a team of about thirty female adventurers, and from what I heard, they were heading north to the large city of Parfis to relocate their base of operations.
It was unclear how long they would stay, but considering the need for rest and food supplies, they would likely leave this town in a few days. With this in mind, I headed to the small restaurant they had been frequenting recently.
“Closed for a private event”
A sign with these words was posted at the entrance of the stylish restaurant in Elacton’s shopping district, and the open exterior was covered by curtains, making it impossible to see inside.
“Well, this is troublesome.”
I had previously seen Kurohime’s group at the same public tavern, so I thought it wouldn’t be difficult to make contact. However, it turned out they had grown accustomed to Elacton and were now renting out the entire restaurant to minimize contact with outsiders.
Although entering the restaurant without permission wouldn’t get me killed, the risk was too high, and it would certainly earn me the ire of the locals. So I hesitated outside, wondering what to do.
“Should I wait until they leave the restaurant? No, if it’s too late, they’ll be on guard…”
“Standing there in front of the restaurant… what’s the matter?”
As I pondered how to approach Kurohime, I was spoken to from behind.
“Excuse me, I have business with someone inside, but it seems the place is reserved…”
“Business? Are you associated with the members?”
When I turned around, I saw another beautiful girl, different in type from Kurohime. Her hair was fiery red, and her eyes were a strong, vibrant red.
Unlike Kurohime, who had the air of a refined young lady, this girl had an athletic and straightforward aura.
She tilted her head slightly at my words.
“No, I don’t have an appointment—I don’t personally know anyone inside, but I’ve obtained an item that I believe Kurohime-san would be very interested in. If possible, I was hoping to show it to her.”
“An item? Are you a merchant?”
“Not exactly a merchant, but something like that.”
The red-haired woman looked at me with intense suspicion, which was understandable. Their all-female adventurer team was well-known in the area. With their significant abilities and the added interest from townsfolk, it was no surprise that many people, including merchants and nobles, would try to establish connections with them.
Indeed, the woman in front of me seemed to think, “Here we go again.”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t entertain such requests. It’s a firm policy.”
“I understand. However, I believe this item will undoubtedly pique her interest. Please deliver this package to Kurohime-sama. If she isn’t interested, she can discard it.”
Realizing that meeting her directly was unlikely, I handed over the package containing the first volume of *Yume Koi* and a women’s fashion magazine, then left the restaurant. I had included a letter inside, inviting Kurohime to meet at a specified inn if she was interested.
—
“Who was that guy?”
I had been preparing the necessary supplies for our journey to the royal capital when I noticed the time for our scheduled meeting was approaching. I hurriedly made my way to the restaurant and, upon arriving, found the street already dark with townspeople heading to their respective places of leisure. In front of our destination, I spotted a suspicious man.
He was tall and well-built but didn’t seem to be an adventurer or a guard.
He held a brown-wrapped package and looked troubled as he stared at the sign on the door.
“A deliveryman?”
I thought he might be someone delivering a purchase made by a member of our group. Otherwise, why would he be standing in front of a reserved restaurant?
“Standing there in front of the restaurant… what’s the matter?”
So, I spoke to him, thinking there might be some misunderstanding.
“Excuse me, I have business with someone inside, but it seems the place is reserved…”
The man turned out to be one of those people we frequently encountered recently.
With several dungeons conquered, many adventurers, merchants, and nobles had been trying to establish relationships with us. As a rule, we declined all such solicitations.
However, the man insisted he had something Kurohime would be very interested in and, half-forcing it on me, handed over a package.
He asked me to deliver it to Kurohime, saying she could throw it away if she wasn’t interested.
The doorbell jingled as I opened the door to the restaurant.
“Oh, you finally made it, Aina.”
A dark-skinned woman, Lumiere, greeted me with a wave. Lumiere was on standby at the door, wearing armor and armed, prepared for any eventuality. Although she had eaten a few snacks, she hadn’t touched any alcohol.
“What’s that package?”
“This? I was forcibly given it by a suspicious person outside… it’s addressed to the captain.”
I showed the package to Lumiere, who frowned slightly at my description but sniffed it cautiously. She then judged it wasn’t anything dangerous.
“It’s not poisonous. You should probably give it to the captain.”
“Right, I will.”
Lumiere had an incredibly keen sense of smell, even more acute than that of wolf-type monsters known for their olfactory abilities. She could identify the nature of objects by their scent alone.
Because of this, she was entrusted with guarding duties during meals and scouting roles during expeditions.
With her assurance, I carried the package to our leader, Shizuku, who was at the center of the restaurant.
“What’s this?”
“It’s addressed to you.”
I greeted the other members who were already eating and handed the package to Shizuku.
“Can I open it?”
“Sure. If you’re interested, the guy said to respond.”
Our leader, Shizuku, was known as a chosen one, a “Miko.” She had striking black hair, rarely seen in this country, and a delicate appearance that belied her extraordinary strength, capable of killing a Guinevere bear in hand-to-hand combat.
However, despite her cold exterior, she was a kind-hearted girl.
Though she spoke little and was feared by outsiders due to her demeanor, she was sensitive to trends and designed our stylish uniforms herself.
She also enjoyed reading and music like a noble, but as our group, the “Brigade of the Dawn,” grew in size, she had less time for her hobbies.
Or rather, she had likely grown tired of them.
Without any expectation, Shizuku unwrapped the thin paper of the package and looked at its contents.
“What’s this?”
Inside the unnecessarily high-quality wrapping was a book with a stylishly dressed woman on the cover and some foreign-looking text.
“Captain?”
It was certainly an unusual item, but I wondered if it would truly interest the captain.
However, Shizuku, holding the strange book, looked at me with an expression I’d never seen before.
“Aina, tell me who gave you this package!”