11 – Hero Party (1)
“Oh, oh! The hero and his comrades!”
“You’re amazing!”
As soon as we returned to the village in front of the dungeon, we could hear the cheers of the villagers. I heard that the lizardmen from the dungeon occasionally come down to the village and plunder goods and food.
There were also people expressing gratitude for such incidents.
“Thanks to you, my sister’s limit has been lifted. Thank you very much.”
“Thank you, thank you…”
Since this town naturally formed with the gathering of adventurers, even though there are abundant adventurers, it was inevitable that such damages occurred. There were many who lived by engaging in commercial activities targeting adventurers.
So, naturally, not everyone welcomed our conquest. It was precisely the adventurer aristocrats who earned their living by making a living from the dungeon and the manpower office that arranged requests from such adventurers. It’s commonly known as a “guild” in other games or media.
Well, for those who are doing business, they can engage in business with greenhorn adventurers aiming for small-scale dungeons other than that huge dungeon. As for the conquered giant dungeon, it will eventually become a tourist resource or educational resource, attracting new guests accordingly.
However, the adventurers themselves and the employment office had a different story. To them, it was as if their livelihood and careers had disappeared in an instant…
“No, did you really sweep through that place?”
“I don’t think anything particularly valuable came out of it…”
“Tsk.”
The response was not particularly positive. Of course, no one openly talked about it. Everyone knows very well that the might of the party of heroes transcends imagination.
The fact is that there are a few more famous hero parties in the world than Erin’s group. This is a setting that also appears in ＜Dungeon & Evil＞, and there was an event where hero parties fought the demon king’s army.
Huh? Then does that mean there’s an event like that here too? Could they be that hero party?
“…This is too much.”
Tired of the absurd imagination, I turned my attention back to reality. The adventurers gathered in groups, complaining about this latest incident.
“Damn it, how are we going to make a living like this?”
“If we came to find the Demon King, we should just take care of the Demon King. Why bother needlessly killing Lizard Road…”
“All the Lizardmen have scattered, so now we can’t even get their skins. Ugh, this is really not helpful.”
The rough, mocking tone of the adventurers could be heard here and there. Honestly, given how far away they were, their voices shouldn’t have been audible, but it seemed like they were purposefully speaking loudly.
With not just one or two, but the sound of such talk continuously coming from the surroundings, I couldn’t help but be bothered.
But my party members didn’t seem to care at all. In fact, I was the only one getting worked up about it.
Despite having a sense of purpose in themselves, they too had been chosen as heroes and assembled as members of the heroic party by someone else.
As they gathered to tirelessly run around fighting the Demon King’s army, seeing their calm expressions as if familiar with such stories made me feel somewhat bitter.
Apart from the sense of duty I had, they too had been drafted as heroes by others.
So, as I found myself inadvertently eavesdropping on a group of adventurers sharing our tales from a little closer distance while drinking, I couldn’t help but look at them with a bit of suspicion.
As an adventurer, he had excellent intuition, and he immediately noticed my gaze, giving me a fierce glare.
“Sigh.”
Nevertheless, I don’t want to get involved in unnecessary trouble. It wouldn’t bring any benefits to the reputation of the warrior party if I engage in pointless fights with people. Even if the other party was the one who started the argument.
As I turned my gaze away, the man who seemed to have won a verbal fight shouted while slamming a bottle on the table.
“Hey, you coward! If you have something to say, come here and say it! Stop running after women and acting tough for no reason!”
“I think that coward got scared, huh?”
Was it unreasonable to start a fight over a porter’s remark, or did he know that we wouldn’t react at all?
I regretted my response to such an unnecessarily provocative behavior. I should have simply ignored it and followed along with the others.
“What did you say just now?”
But funny enough, it wasn’t me who reacted to the squabble of those low-level adventurers.
Zing!
An arrow grazed past the adventurer’s ear, piercing through a spot between a table and some food. The impact made the old table crack as a bottle of alcohol fell to the floor.
Blood trickled down the man’s ear as he turned to look at the owner of the arrow, Cere-aria, with an alarmed expression.
“You, you shot me just now…”
“No, I didn’t. I shot the table behind you,” Cere-aria replied with a smirk.
“If I shot you, wouldn’t I miss?”
“……”
The adventurer became speechless. She was the one who even after drinking, didn’t miss a single arrow shot at the boss monster, Lizard Lord. If she aimed and shot, their heads would obviously shatter like the broken table.
“Aria, that’s enough~ There’s no time to deal with those bastards who can’t even speak confidently in front of us♡”
Upon Erin’s prohibition, Sera-Aria once again hung her bow on her back. It’s good that she stopped, but for some reason, Erin’s words felt like a piercing blow to me…
When I looked at Erin with a subtle gaze, she arrogantly smiled and asked.
“Oh, are you hurt too~?”
“…No.”
“hehehe♡”
We passed through a brief commotion and headed towards the village hall. We had to meet someone dispatched to the hall in order to send a report to the palace about this incident.
In front of the village hall, there was a splendid carriage adorned with elaborate decorations. It bore the emblem of the Derun Empire’s royal family, to which Erin, the warrior, and others belonged.
It seemed that someone quite important had come. As we arrived at the hall, Frey whispered to me.
“Allen, it seems like thieves are roaming around nearby. It’s okay if you prepare some equipment in advance.”
“…Huh?”
Let’s assume it’s because I’m a useless porter, but why bother?
However, that question didn’t linger for long. Considering Dogga’s personality, the answer was clear. How much worse would his self-esteem become before someone who already has a low sense of self-worth…
“Ah, I understand.”
“Then, the thief, Allen, see you in a bit.”
“Isn’t it better not to pick unnecessary fights? You shouldn’t end up dead with your mediocre skills~♡”
…Are you going to die while just standing there?
With that, the four of them entered the village hall, leaving me behind with Donggeo. Donggeo glanced at me.
“…Allen.”
“Uh…uh?”
“What are you going to do?”
From Noble mtl dot com
Upon Donggeo’s question, I hesitated a bit. I thought we might end up eating if they come out, or maybe I should stock up on supplies. While I was contemplating, Donggeo gave me a slight piece of advice.
“…It would be better to eat beforehand.”
“Huh? If we go together, we’ll eat…”
“……The others will eat and come back inside.”
“Oh, I see.”
There wouldn’t be a meal missing at a meeting with such a distinguished person.
It seems like a good idea. My stomach is starting to growl, and after the battle, Dukgeo must be starving too.
“Shall we go eat?”
“…Yeah.”
As soon as we entered a certain restaurant with Dukgeo, I realized it was a mistake. Unfortunately, there were many adventurers inside the restaurant, and as soon as we walked in, countless gazes were fixed upon us.
“… It would be better to go somewhere else.”
Especially since he was uncomfortable with the gaze of people in the tavern, it seemed better to leave. However, contrary to my thoughts, he didn’t seem to care and found an empty seat. And looking at me, tilted his head with a face that says “why don’t you sit down?”
“I’m sorry for being alive when you look at me, did I not have to die? Why are you doing fine?”
After sitting down, I thought about the reason for a moment and the answer came easily. Maybe adventurers have already gotten used to those kinds of gazes. He seemed to completely ignore those stares.
“… Shouldn’t you ignore my gaze like that too?”
A little unfair.
“Alan.”
“… What?”
“What are you going to eat?”
Ah, I have to choose a menu.
“I’ll have the simple beef stew.”
“… Then I’ll have the same.”
You have that style. Now, if someone suggests black bean noodles, you’ll follow along, and if someone suggests rice soup, you’ll go with that…
As I casually raised my hand, the restaurant waiter approached. Despite the gazes of the adventurers, the waiters, who were simply operating the restaurant, were actually friendly to us.
The waiter asked me gently.
“What would you like for your meal?”
“Two beef stews. And one baguette, please.”
“Understood~!”
The original taste of stew paired with plain bread was delicious. While waiting for the order, I glanced at my friend.
“Huh?”
Even when I stared at her, she didn’t show any particular reaction. Normally, she would apologize for making me worry or say something weird.
“A thief?”
“…Huh?”
Only after calling her name did her golden eyes meet mine.
“What are you thinking?”
“……A name.”
A name… Ah, that’s right.
She and I had made a promise yesterday while sitting face-to-face. It was about giving Dougeo a name. However, it wasn’t like I immediately came up with a name just because she asked me to.
Marie, Isabella, Emma… I couldn’t talk about such common names. It had to be a special name that would stand out in my memory, not someone else’s.
“…Do you happen to have any ideas?”
As I discreetly asked, Dougeo tilted her head. Seemingly unaware herself, she looked at me with anticipation.
I carefully maneuvered the conversation so as not to disappoint her too much.
“…There is something that comes to mind, but they are all common names, so it’s a bit hmm. I need to think about it more.”
“……Okay.”
When people usually name their children, how do they do it? In Korea, there are cases where they receive names from a naming place or a temple…However, there were many names with beautiful meanings or meanings that wished their children would do well.
For example, if a name was taken from a flower, it meant that the parents wished for the child to live a lovely life like the flower language that the flower symbolized.
So I looked at Dokgeo. The first thing that caught my eye was her appropriate short silver hair. Even after being incorporated into this game, I have never seen silver hair as clear as hers. There seemed to be quite a few colors like ash gray or dark gray.
And the next thing that caught my eye was of course her golden eyes. I have seen a similar color gray hair, but I have never seen golden eyes except for Dokgeo.
There were no yellow eyes like this.
“Golden…”
“Ah, no. It was just to myself.”
“……Yes.”
Golden color. When I think of the metal gold, the shining golden color comes to mind first.
Shining light…Licht…it doesn’t really suit as a name. There is also a name meaning light, Lux, but it reminds me of a certain game.
I don’t really know. After a while of thinking, the food came out. It looked like the waiter was bringing it from a distance. Already, it smells good, so I can imagine the taste of the beef stew.
At that time, when I was filled with anticipation.
Thud!!
“….Huh?”
“Ow ow…Oops! I’m really sorry!”
A waiter carrying food fell. She quickly got up, apologized to the people around her, and then came to us and apologized.
“I’m sorry! I’ll bring it back right away!”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
It’s fine, really. No one got hit by the hot food and it just spilled on the floor. The waiter should clean it up herself.
After quickly cleaning up the spill, she went back to the kitchen to get the food…
Clunk!
She fell again in a similar spot. The waitress was bewildered as she got up, but the fact that she spilled the food again seemed to hit her even harder.
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll bring it back right away…!”
“…Yes.”
It was strange. Had they replaced the wooden floorboards because they were too old? But the floor was too flat. Then, the person next to her narrowed his eyes slightly.
“…Did it on purpose.”
“Huh?”
“…The men next to us are secretly tripping people.”
“What?”
Now that she looked, it was true. The man closest to the busiest intersection was nervously watching for the arrival or absence of a waiter. All the men sitting around where she had fallen were adventurers.
“Oh, come on…”
She wondered why someone would be so disgruntled with the dungeon conquering of a hero party to resort to harassing innocent bystanders like this.
“Excuse me.”
In the end, I stood up. The dog gave me a slightly surprised look, and had an expression that it wasn’t really good to do what I was doing now.
It seemed like it misunderstood something. I reassured the dog.
“I’m not trying to fight.”
I didn’t call those sweaty men in the first place.
“Yes?”
I called the waitress who was trying to bring back my beef stew again.
“I’ll just take it.”
“But…”
I said as I skillfully grabbed the tray from her.
“It looks like the floor over there has opened up a bit. Be careful not to fall.”
“Um… I’m really sorry, sir.”
“It’s okay.”
Accepting it, I retraced the steps the waitress had taken. She was a delicate, ordinary woman, so it would have been easy to trip her up, but not me.
Even if my stats were pitiful, that was a story for when I was compared to fellow party members. Thanks to the body I possessed, developed through hard farm work, I had more muscles and was stockier than the average adult male. I was also a bit tall, so I had a big build as well.
On top of that, I was always carrying enough baggage and following the party members around, so were my leg muscles really weak? I lamented that my strength stat was only 70, but in reality, I was quite strong by ordinary standards. The reason for that is that my comparison targets were not ordinary people.
So I wasn’t someone who would easily trip over without any indication. But if someone were to push me openly, I wasn’t so sure.
“….”
When the store clerk steps out, even those who constantly stumble and fall while walking become quiet. It’s impossible to tip-toe quietly enough not to make a sound. However, pushing someone deliberately would cause trouble.
Thanks to this, I safely delivered the food to the customer’s doorstep. When I handed over the stew with a grin, the customer said, “….thank you.”
“Thank you? I feel like I’m being ignored for no reason.”
“Huh?”
“If you had been with the other party members, you wouldn’t have been treated like this. Who dares to walk around and stumble while carrying their food?”
Perhaps Ser-Aria might hit that guy’s head with a bottle of alcohol. But since it’s just the two of us together, this is how rude and rough adventurers behave.
I mentioned it because I felt a little sorry, and the customer said while looking at me.
“…Ignoring Allen is a bad thing.”
“…Is that so?”
“……Yes.”
I was grateful for her words. A smile formed as she comforted me. It was an unexpected laughter that escaped from me. Although she was a party member who treated me somewhat precious.
However…
“……Um, I’m sorry… Because of someone like me, it’s natural to feel bad about making judgments on your own… Sorry if it sounded sarcastic.”
“…Huh? No, I’m fine… Laughing? No, I wasn’t laughing at you!!”
“……I felt bad for saying something useless… Sigh, I’m really sorry…”
“Oh, no. It’s not like that.”
She started to sob, and I couldn’t lift my fork until the stew got cold while trying to comfort her.
After leaving the restaurant, it didn’t take long before the four people who had entered the village hall also came out.
“Is it over?”
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s over well!”
Seeing that they looked quite satisfied, it seemed that there wasn’t such bad news. As I nodded lightly, Erin looked at me, empty-handed, and said,
“Wow, looks like you only had fun~♡ Didn’t buy anything at all?”
Instead of buying supplies, Erin was too busy trying to soothe a crying child and quickly finish her meal. In a slightly aggrieved tone, she looked chubby and said,
“I just spoke the truth. Isn’t it unfair~? Puhuhu, Allen is such a mediocre man with a fragile heart~♡”
“…Ah, fine. I can buy it now.”
Yes, it worked out well. If I go alone to buy supplies, I’ll have some free time to train my newly acquired magical power.
“You’re going now?”
“Hm.”
“Well then…”
Erin laughed bitterly and said to her party members,
“You all go ahead to the dormitory.”
“Huh?”
“Erin, aren’t you coming?”
“I’ll have a brief and clumsy talk~♡”
What?
“No, you don’t have to come along. I can carry the items myself, and it’s not like you followed me anytime…”
As the party leader, I have the right not to refuse your request as a mere party member~♡
….
A talk as the party leader?
Then go back to the accommodation first. We’ll leave early tomorrow, so you can all rest first~.”
Okay, then.
Hmm, understood!
…Yeah.
“Dochgeo and Erin swapped positions, and the party members except for Erin returned to the inn first. I looked at the remaining Massaki warrior next to me with a somewhat uneasy expression.
“Puhu♡”
Why are you laughing, girl?
“Clumsy, you~♡”
“…Why?”
“Where did that power come from~?”
“……?”
…What!?
“You have to answer properly~♡””