NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
– 1 –
『’Sturdy’ Bastard Sword – A longsword infused with magic related to durability. It won’t break under a certain level of impact, and it can fully absorb shocks above that level once every hour. However, it cannot withstand excessive impact.』
What I chose was a blue sword, one of the two rare performance longswords among the purple ones available for purchase.
“Phew…”
Choosing this among countless other swords, Scarlett looked rather relieved. She probably thought I would spend my entire fortune to buy Eve a weapon.
She wouldn’t know.
This sword resembles what Eve is currently using, and it has all the attributes I’m aiming for.
For Eve to properly utilize her ‘explosive power,’ a regular longsword was inadequate. The sword she originally had had its blade totally wrecked while cutting through a shield during experiments.
That’s why I chose this sword.
“Here you go, Lady.”
“Thank you.”
The magic embedded in this sword wasn’t considered typical for regular weapons, which is probably why it was relatively cheap at 500V. With this, she should manage quite well for a while.
I could guarantee it would yield several times the efficiency compared to its price.
– Clang!
“This child…”
The skeleton that received the sword couldn’t contain its joyful reaction, causing the succubus who recognized her ‘intellect’ to momentarily take notice of her. But really, as long as I don’t send her away or kill her, she can’t do anything anyway, so it’s fine.
If I’m really going to die, maybe this kid should protect her instead.
“What a splendid child.”
“Indeed. I understand why you have such affection for her.”
“Right.”
“Still, indulging this way is just…!”
“I can handle it myself, so just leave it be. After all, this is our first meeting, isn’t it? You’re being a bit much.”
“Ugh… Come to think of it, that’s true…”
With a frown, the succubus let out a heavy sigh.
However, I was also nearing a breaking point, so this time, I furrowed my brow and crossed my arms, sending a clear signal for her to stop interfering.
Perhaps because of this, nothing else significant happened afterward.
I thought I’d end up using all my wealth anyway, so I just went with it.
“This is how I’ll consider it an investment for you, Lady.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Please accept it. I’ve been rude several times, and you’ve been generous…”
“… In that case…”
“Yes. Please.”
What I purchased were a few basic trap magic schematics to install in the dungeon, two spells, and a map of the nearby area.
However, the map was originally not an asset that could be purchased here, and Scarlett was simply being considerate of my situation.
“I’ll see you next time, Lady! I’m Scarlett Spira Spinah, a manager at Mammon Trading Company!”
“Goodbye.”
The encounter with the first goblin… no, the succubus dungeon merchant ended there.
– 2 –
In the midst of her busy schedule, Maria Olas stopped by the city of Solemio near her hometown to see her much younger sister and her friends.
However, when she arrived at the adventurers’ guild in the city carrying magical neutralizing herbs, she was met with unexpected news.
“They haven’t returned?”
The ominous news that her sister’s party of beginner adventurers had yet to return.
“Yes. It was noted that it’s already been two weeks since they left…”
In response to Maria’s serious demeanor, the guild receptionist floundered, unable to reply properly.
Maria Olas was a high-ranking adventurer, and Solemio wasn’t exactly bustling with such elite talent.
Hence, they had no choice but to be flustered in front of a high-ranking adventurer like her.
The area around Solemio lacked nearby dangerous dungeons and was surrounded by mountains and a large river, making it a generally safe region until now.
In that kind of environment, it was a good place for beginner adventurers to gradually build a reputation before moving on to other places.
Yet, in such a place, to hear that adventurers, especially kids including her sister, had gone missing…
“Why didn’t you send an additional scouting party? The rule is to send one if the return period exceeds three days by strictly calculating the round trip, right?”
“Well…”
The receptionist, nervously shifting her eyes, couldn’t answer.
Seeing her demeanor, Maria felt a surge of anger, but she quickly swallowed that emotion.
If she couldn’t gain the guild’s cooperation now that the children were missing, the chances of finding them—or their corpses or personal belongings—would be slim.
“I’ll file a request with the guild. The deadline is one month. The reward will match that of a normal rank request. The party will consist of four members. The limit for members is at least ordinary adventurers. Preferably those who are quick and have sharp eyes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes!”
Thud!
“Please keep me updated as quickly as possible. Even an interim report will do!”
“Understood!”
After glaring at the receptionist for biting her tongue in her haste, Maria left the place.
The kids were quite capable for apprentice adventurers. If three of them had gone missing at the same time, it would be necessary to gather a minimum number of people to start the search, including herself as a high-ranking adventurer and her companions.
Since the guild had some responsibility in this matter, they would definitely cooperate with her.
Now she needed to gather people quickly to set out and search for the kids.
As Maria struggled to contain her fury, a companion who had accompanied her for relaxation asked her a question.
“Isn’t it too much spending? They could be just having a good time somewhere with nice scenery and water.”
“The city is unusually chaotic. If it were normal, I wouldn’t think much of it. And…”
A man with bright green hair and a sparrow-like demeanor.
Her companion was Daniel Smith, a high-ranking archer and tracker from the ‘Shadow Blade’ guild, to which Maria belonged.
Though he often flirted with Maria, right now, he was a rock of support.
She was gathering more people just in case, but honestly, she believed that with him alone, it would be sufficient to find someone.
No matter what, he was one of the promising talents the guild expected, just like Maria.
Nonetheless, it was quite irritating to hear him say that now.
“They’re not that kind of kids. They’re diligent and good-natured.”
“Well, if they’re the younger sister of diligent Maria, then they’re probably good kids too.”
“… Please help.”
“Well, I’ll have to help, of course.”
“Ha…”
With that, the man flashed a rather refreshing smile.
In reality, that smile looked quite nice due to his good looks, but to Maria, it felt like he had ulterior motives.
It seemed full of the intent that once he helped her, Maria would surely change her attitude toward him.
Maria let out a big sigh, but the man seemed unfazed.
“Okay. If the kids are indeed safe, I’ll take you out on a date or something afterward.”
“That’s quite motivating. Once the search starts, I’ll find them within three days.”
“It will take at least three days just to travel. It’ll take longer since we’ll be searching along the way.”
“Uh… so six days?”
“Yeah. I’ll rely on you.”
Still, Maria felt her heart lighten a little. It was thanks to the man’s sincere positive attitude that she genuinely believed that nothing bad had happened.
‘This guy has some practical use besides work, huh.’
Two days later.
A search party of six, led by Maria Olas and Daniel Smith, began their operation to locate the missing adventurers.
– 3 –
The apprentice mage Sonia found herself alone.
She woke from her sleep a whole week after the dungeon incident had ended.
In truth, there was a conspiracy by Rita, who had learned the ‘Nightmare’ curse after purchasing it from the succubus merchant Scarlett, but Sonia had no way of knowing that now.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
“Wh-where…?”
“You’ve been asleep for a week. Here, have this.”
She was merely surprised that she had been asleep for an entire week and the beauty before her was beyond this world.
“… I ate well. Thank you.”
“Is there anything wrong with your body?”
“No. Nothing… Ouch.”
As Sonia shook her head, a sudden pain gripped her body, causing her to lift her hand and realizing that her head and legs were bandaged.
Until then, Sonia had imagined her friends had reported to the guild after temporarily leaving her, who had fainted after exiting the dungeon.
If she had seen the belongings of her friends on the table beside the bed, she might have been able to put the pieces together.
“Wait…?”
“Ugh. Your legs should be mostly healed now. Can you move?”
Sonia, still dazed and unable to gather her scattered thoughts, just followed the landlord’s lead.
They reached a secluded area behind the cabin.
Specifically, to a small clearing there where two graves stood, marked only by wooden crosses, with no buried bodies in sight.
And a familiar name on the crosses.
“Could it be…?”
“You were the only one who survived from that place. Thanks to your adventurer ID, we were able to identify your name…”
“Ah… Ahhh…!”
Sonia threw away her crutch and collapsed towards the grave.
From her eyes flowed tears, and soon her face was ripped apart by her own nails, streaming with bloody tears.
“Jack… Remi…!! Aah… Aahhh…!! Aahhh – !!!!”
Awoken from a restless sleep, she had to accept the cruel truth that she was left alone in this world without her friends.
“…”
The only one watching her was the owner of the cabin, a woman with an otherworldly beauty.
What sparkled in her eyes was an ominous, deep purple flame.