14 – Hero Party (4)
I boarded the carriage heading towards the Kingdom of Estere with ‘my money.’
According to the agreement, I was listening to Sera-Aria’s storytelling.
“…So, I stole all of my sister’s panties and hid them! Thanks to that, she walked around without panties that day! But strangely, there was a strong gust of wind that day, you know?”
To be honest, I wasn’t really interested in Sera-Aria’s story. I didn’t listen because I wanted to hear her story, but rather because I thought I might learn a little about the life of an elf by listening…
“So, you mean to tell me that your skirt is just hanging there and your underwear is showing? hahahahaha!!”
The conversation is inappropriate. She’s telling us about her sister’s dark past… I wonder what would happen if she told her sister about this.
“If it were me, I’d probably try to kill my little sister…”
Thump!
“Oh?!”
“Aahhh!”
Then the carriage shook violently. Latisha, who was standing beside me, bumped into my shoulder with a thud.
It was a minor collision that could be considered insignificant, so there shouldn’t have been any problem. But the large hat he was wearing hit me forcefully, causing an issue.
“Ah!”
Of all things, the pointed part of the brim pierced my eye, and I clenched my eyes shut, bowing my head.
“Ah, Allen! Are you okay?”
“…I’m fine.”
Not really fine, damn it…
“hehehe♡ You should’ve dodged it, fool~♡”
Seeing that scene, Mesaki didn’t miss the chance to tease me.
I also would’ve avoided it if I had high agility stats like you and the [Sixth Sense] attribute.
“You still have such slow reaction speed♡”
Erin, who teased me enough, looked ahead.
“Seems like something’s caught our attention~.”
“Oh, my apologies! There’s a big rock in the way! We should move it aside and continue!”
Still, the personal funds of a porter like me were not extremely abundant, so the carriage we boarded wasn’t luxurious or splendid.
It was almost like a baggage cart, with a thin canopy barely shielding us from the wind and sunlight. Luckily, there were two horses pulling the carriage, so we could at least maintain some speed.
But even this is quite run-down. Where is it not like a rickshaw? If I didn’t have any money, I wouldn’t have been able to ride in a rickshaw either.
“I’ll go and tidy up quickly.”
“Really? Then hurry up and come back.”
“…You go, Erin.”
I paid. I believe that menial tasks should be done by people who are freeloaders.
“What? Are you making a man like me do it when there’s another girl like you around? How low of you ♡”
“Then, do you want to get off?”
“…You’re being way too threatening.”
What’s so threatening about it, b*tch?
Erin grumbled as she got off the carriage and walked forward. Soon, a thud was heard, and Erin returned after throwing a stone far away.
“There was a large, elongated rock like an amateur face~♡”
“My face ached all over.”
The problem was, was that all this mattered, for soon the carriage was on its way again.
But it wasn’t long before the carriage lurched once more.
“Ah!”
“aaah!!”
“Hey, Alan, are you okay!?”
“… I’m not okay….”
This time, it was the other eye…
“This time, I’ll take it!”
Ser-Aria stepped outside the carriage, and Frey pointed at Letitia’s hat, which kept poking my eyes.
“Letitia, it would be better if you just take off your hat.”
“Ah…”
Frey was right. It kept irritating my eyes. How could it accurately pierce only my eyes…?
“Well, I guess… I’ll take it off.”
Letitia hesitated for a moment before touching her hat. She wasn’t taking it off right away; she seemed a bit hesitant.
Why is she hesitating? Could it be because she’s disappointed that she couldn’t even poke my eyes?
“It’s fine, Letitia. Allen won’t find it strange.”
“…?”
“What is that sound?”
“…Don’t laugh, Allen.”
“What?”
“You’ll see if you look….”
With those words, Leticia took off her hat. Instantly, I was slightly taken aback. On top of her rose-colored hair were a pair of adorable, pointed cat ears twitching.
“…Cosplay?”
“There’s no way!”
“Leticia is a half-cat person. She doesn’t like letting others know, so only the two of us who share the same room knew, and I couldn’t tell Allen.”
Half-cat person? So, that means…
“Cat?”
“Well, it’s strange. As expected…”
“No, it’s not like that….”
Wasn’t a werewolf supposed to have animal ears instead of human-like ones? The reason I didn’t think Letitia was a werewolf was because she didn’t have a tail and had normal human-like ears.
“So, what about the ears…?”
“Well, since I’m a half-breed. Influenced by both humans and the feline race… That’s why I don’t have a tail either.”
So, you’re saying you have four ears…?
“Having such ears must be great.”
“These ears are more like an ornament… I couldn’t fully inherit the advantages of the feline race. That’s why even if I cover them with a hat, there’s no problem with hearing.”
“…Then what’s different from cosplay?”
“It’s noisy…!! This is why I didn’t want to talk about it!”
“Ah, I got it. I’ll stop joking.”
It seems that Leticia’s agility was influenced by the bloodline of the Feline Race, considering how high her Agility stat was despite her lack of strength. I wondered how her secondary Agile stat reached nearly 200… But there must be a reason for it.
However, it’s quite fascinating. While Leticia’s beauty plays a part, if you ignore her cute cat ears, she’s just an ordinary human with no tail or other feline traits… It feels like she’s wearing a cat ear headband or something.
Although it does let you know that it’s not the headband that keeps twitching. It seems to change its movement slightly depending on her mood…
“But is there really a need to hide it? It doesn’t seem particularly strange.”
“…What?”
“Well, it just gives off the feeling of being a decorative item. I was curious if there was a reason to hide it… I’m asking genuinely, not trying to tease you.”
Leticia looks at me with slightly surprised eyes in response to my question.
“Allen is a pure-blooded human, right?”
“Oh, really…? But why?”
“Isn’t it strange though? You have four ears. And even the same kind of ears as a cat on your head….”
…Ah.
In the background setting of “Dungeon in Evil,” there was no such era where “werewolves cosplaying” existed. The terms used by kids and such are more fitting for the modern era in a game-like manner, but at least the values reflected in this era were not exactly the same.
Who would cosplay with cat ears in the medieval era? From their perspective, Leticia’s appearance might seem strange rather than cute.
…Well, if I tell Leticia that I don’t think like that, maybe I can gain some favor? Then there would be a higher chance for me to stay in the party until I find all the hidden pieces as well.
Having reached such a conclusion, I made up my mind to compliment Leticia.
“It just looks cute.”
“You think it’s cute? You don’t need to try to please me by saying things that don’t even make sense…?”
Oh, isn’t this wrong.
“Just say it’s weird… don’t say something that doesn’t make sense.”
“…No.”
This is dangerous. I was trying to build up some favorability, but now I’m building up unfavorable points. I rolled my head around looking for an excuse, but I thought it would be better to just put my plate on my face and push it.
“You’re really cute. I even want to pet you.”
“Well, what…what are you doing!?”
Leticia’s face turns bright red. Oh, it seems like there’s some effect. I’m glad she didn’t build up an unfavorable stack.
“Wow, your lines are terrible~♡ Teasing Leticia with such terrible lines, Alan? The lines are terrible~♡”
You were really trying hard, you b*tch…
Letitia avoided my gaze, but she didn’t get angrier. I thought I made a mistake, so that was fortunate.
Thanks to that, I realized that there are times when being praised by modern standards doesn’t work.
At that moment, Celia quickly got on the carriage and confidently shouted,
“This lady has returned!”
“What did she have on this time?”
“Huh? It was a broken sword!”
“Ah….”
…A sword?
“Broken sword?”
“Sword? It was an old sword?”
“Hmm? It didn’t seem so old… It was pretty new.”
I became a little nervous listening to Sera-Aria’s story. Because based on the map I looked at earlier before we left…
“…we’ll be arriving at a village soon.”
“…there was a broken sword near the village.”
Freya seemed to realize it immediately. She looked at Erin and said,
“Something might have happened in the village.”
“Well….”
“Since we’re passing by anyway, wouldn’t it be better to find out what happened and try to resolve it?”
Pray offers a saintly voice. Though her attire was anything but.
“Wouldn’t it be alright for us to move within a reasonable time frame?”
Laetitia also spoke with a slightly agreeing tone. After all, there was no guarantee that something bad would happen without fail.
Of course, in situations like these… 99% of the time, something was bound to go wrong. In the first place, how many reasons could there be for a broken sword near this village?
However, Erin was contemplating. It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand. They were in a busy situation heading to the northeastern part of the Estere Kingdom.
“Let’s go there first, take a look around, and then decide. Whether we pass through as is or try to find a solution.”
As she made the suggestion, Erin glanced at me and lightly nodded her head.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Or something like that~.”
The permission from the party manager was granted. I walked forward and spoke to Mabu.
“Please take me to the vicinity of the village first. I would appreciate it if you could stop there for a moment.”
“There isn’t anything dangerous, right?”
“It will be fine.”
These guys here are capable of protecting at least one old man’s life and even others, so…
The carriage stopped near the entrance of the village and Ser-Aria, who had good mobility, and Dokgo headed into the village briefly to survey the inside. Then, the two soon returned, their heads shaking.
“There’s no one here. It’s not such a small town after all.”
“…There are many traces of people being taken somewhere.”
We could have avoided this kind of cliché, but there always seems to be something happening.
“Considering what the mayor didn’t know, it seems to be something that happened today.”
“Looking at how completely empty it is, it seems like it happened around dawn. There are no bodies either.”
Upon hearing Frey and Cer-Aria’s conversation, Erin raised her arm and stretched.
“Just by looking at it, it seems like the work of monsters~♡ If they plundered a whole village, it implies a group… “
Erin suddenly looked at me and said:
“If they managed to take every corpse and person, could it be a shoddy imitation of an orc? Or maybe a goblin?”
“…Oh, aren’t they both different?”
“Guess we’ll just have to let it pass. But it’s inconvenient to delay going to Estelle Kingdom~ ♡”
Erin said that and then gave me a grin.
“If we’re late, let’s just say Alan was planning to ambush Leticia~ ♡”
“What in the world….”
“Don’t say weird things, Erin!”
“Pff ♡”
She talked about it like it was just a joke, so I was honestly confused. Even a kid calling themselves a hero could see that… but that wasn’t it. Damn, even Messkhal couldn’t take away what a true hero was.
“But still, we can’t all leave. We can’t leave the carriage behind~.”
“Geez, that’s true! So who’s staying?”
…There’s nothing left when you drink like that.
Erin responded to Sera-Aria, who kept drinking without restraint.
“Leticia.”
“I understand.”
“And of course, the awkward one will naturally be left♡”
“…And?”
“Wouldn’t it be enough if there are just the two of us~?”
I tilted my head at Erin’s reply. Except for me, the porter, there are five party members. Are they suggesting to leave only one behind and go with the other four?
‘Isn’t it normal to divide into three and two?’
Whether it’s because of the trust in Leticia or something else, I don’t know. But at that moment, Erin looked at me with a meaningful gaze.
“Is it not an opportunity?”
“…Ah.”
The most skilled party member in harnessing magic was none other than Letizia. While Erin had more magic power itself, Letizia, who had lived with magic for much longer than Erin, having spent half her life as a plain country girl, naturally had superior skills in wielding it.
To say such words meant intentionally leaving Letizia behind…
‘This guy….’
Despite saying that, surprisingly, he offered his support! I happily replied,
“I understand. I will stay here with Letizia. Take care!”
“hehehe. Allen, aren’t you getting too excited about me not going?”
“It’s not like that…”
Pray smiled as if joking and said.
“Be careful. If it’s an orc or goblin, they might still be watching the village as we suspected. To get more prey.”
“OK, got it.”
“Let’s all move quickly~ If we move like snails, we’ll be late~♡”
“hahahahaha, calling us snails, that’s not fair, Erin!”
Mesgaki, the alcoholic, the exhibitionist, and Dokgeo got off the carriage. The three of them took the first steps, but for some reason, Dokgeo didn’t follow and looked at me.
“Why?”
“…I have this.”
Dokgeo handed me something. What I received was a bone.
“…Bone?”
He lifted his head and followed Erin in a flash.
… Why give me bones all of a sudden? Does it mean that I will soon face my fate?
“You’re having strange thoughts, Alan. That’s not what it means.”
“What?”
Letizia said.
“If you break it apart, the thief can tell that there is bone sorcery because it doesn’t break easily with force, so they throw it in places like a pile of rocks.”
“Oh….”
So if we become dangerous, he’ll come. But why put that on bones of all things?
“Allen and the thief seemed to have become quite close. It was chaos before clearing the dungeon, with the thief bothering everyone.”
“…If it looks like that, then it’s a relief.”
They did become close. Somehow, it felt like there was some interaction thanks to Docgeo being the first to approach. We even decided on names, so we had plenty of conversation.
“Sometimes, when you cry every time I say something, it’s annoying… but it’s also a bit sad. I’m trying my best to treat you well.”
In response to my answer, the cat’s ears twitched slightly. She looked at me briefly and then turned away, saying,
“Your noble mindset. It’s nice.”
Leticia said that and put on her hat. I asked her about that appearance.
“Were you always wearing a hat to cover those ears?”
“Then why bother writing? It’s always a hassle to write and my head gets all messed up.”
…She thought she was using the wizard character’s staple, a wide-brimmed hat.
“It’s not that strange.”
“Allen thinks it’s not strange because he’s peculiar. Most people find my ears peculiar, and even the cat people find me strange without a tail. Even half-breeds tend to have tails….”
Letitia leaned slightly and rested her head on her knee.
“I’ve only been to this party where people didn’t find me strange, even after seeing my appearance.”
“….”
There was a slightly regrettable story behind it.
But why is that guy a sadist as soon as he holds a whip….
“Whatever others say, what does it matter?”
“…What?”
“I just need to be confident. Who has ever helped me with my appearance? It’s only my parents and myself. Do even my parents dislike this aspect of you?”
“That’s not true…”
“So, it doesn’t matter. They have nothing to do with me, and they are people I will never see.”
The mentally unstable friends at this party didn’t find Letitia’s appearance strange. That’s good enough.
“In the future, I just need the people who continue to look at my face and admire me. Don’t worry about the gazes of those who don’t feel that way.”
“…Allen.”
“Why?”
“You can say such things?”
That woman…
I nodded to Letitia who showed a surprised expression, “You’re quite well-spoken for a porter.”
“… Uh, what is that supposed to mean?”
“You asked me,” I replied. Looking at her, who usually wore a hat, it seemed normal, but even her appearance from earlier didn’t feel strange, just fascinating. It’s probably because I’m seeing things from a modern perspective.
I think it’s time to end this small talk and start the real conversation. “You know, Letitia …”
“Yes?”
“How do you handle magic?”
“What? What are you talking about right now?”
Leticia looked at me as if I were the one asking the unthinkable question. Well, it was a natural reaction…
“I mean, magic.”
“Why is Alain curious about that?”
“Just…?”
It was a bit difficult to tell Leticia that I had magic. Erin is more sensitive to magic than a wizard, so I got caught, but there was no reason to tell someone who wouldn’t get caught if I didn’t tell them…
“Well, I’ll show you because I’m bored.”
“Really?”
“Well, there’s nothing else to do.”
Letizia spoke like that and sat up straight in her seat. Then, she spread her hands out and showed the palms of her hands upwards, instantly summoning magic.
“There’s no need for a preparation process.”
There were undoubtedly many omitted movements, but even a little information was good for me. In this situation where I was looking so closely, when she moved her magic lightly, a few things became visible.
Where magic starts in the body.
How to bring out the magic in the body to the outside.
How to prevent the spreading of magic once it is brought out.
“…Thank you.”
“What?”
“Oh, no. I mean, thank you for doing it even though it was bothersome.”
“Oh, is that what you meant?”
Leticia said,
“It’s nothing special. There’s no need to thank me. But why did you ask to see it?”
“…Just because.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Leticia didn’t ask any further. She must have been curious but considerate enough not to press for an answer.
Indeed, she was usually the easiest person to talk to. If only she didn’t carry that damn whip…
“Wait a minute.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, Leticia withdrew her mana. Then she glanced outside the carriage, as if trying to see something.
“Ah, I knew it…”
“What’s up?”
“It’s a goblin.”
Goblin. A low-level demon that even an ordinary adult male could defeat. However, that’s only when there are one or two of them, and due to their nature, the massive number of goblins that gather together are threatening in and of itself.
“Then this village must have been raided by a pack of goblins.”
“It could be a pack of goblins under the control of orcs, so we can’t conclude for sure.”
Leticia said that and chanted a spell.
“Oh souls of nature. According to our promise, fulfill that contract.”
-Elementalist Leticia activates [Quick Summon].
With a status message, Leticia left the carriage. As she did so, she admonished me.
“Don’t come out here!”
“Do you want to do it alone?”
“Then I have to do it alone.”
Saying that, Leticia got off the carriage. Instead of following her as she said, I just peeked my head out.
“…Ah.”
A swarm of green dwarves is seen on top of the hill in the village.
There are so many of them. Can Leticia handle them alone…?
“Well then.”
Zzak! However, I had to quickly change my thoughts. The goblins, who were rushing in with lively and crisp sounds of impact, suddenly stopped in surprise, as the power of the elves grew stronger.
“Is everyone ready? hehehehe♥”
Even with a swarm of goblins covering the hill in front of her, Letisia was laughing in a frightening manner.