We left the Adventurers Guild.
The surroundings were awfully dark.
The sky was still bright, yet the town itself was strangely dim.
It took a few seconds to realize it was because the town sat inside a crater.
The tall walls cast shadows that stretched from the twilight hour onward.
It would be pitch-black before long.
"Why don't we find an inn quickly?" I suggested.
"Couldn't we just camp outside of town?"
"Come on, don't say that — I'd like to at least rest comfortably in town."
"Really?"
When we camped outside, the night watch often ended up being Ruijerd's job alone.
Even while half asleep, he could sense anyone approaching.
Waking up in the middle of the night to some explosion, only to find out Ruijerd was fighting monsters — that kind of thing is terrible for your heart.
Well, an inn it was.
I was hungry, too.
Buying something to eat was tempting, but I still had some dried meat left from the other day.
To save on food expenses, maybe I should make do with that…
That said, my stomach was growling, and I really wanted to sit down and have a proper meal.
"Hey,
Eris's excited voice.
What is it? What are you going to show me?
I looked up to see the inner wall of the crater glowing softly.
The light grew stronger as the sun continued to set.
"Incredible! It's amazing! I've never seen anything like this!"
Once the sun had completely set, the crater's inner walls brightly illuminated the town below, built from stone and dirt.
It looked like a theme park lit up at night.
"Heh, this really is impressive."
Having once lived in a place that never went truly dark even at midnight, my sense of wonder was dulled.
But I had to admit it was a fantastical sight.
Still, why was it glowing?
"Those are Magic Illumination Stones."
"Oh, you know about them, Ruijerd…?"
"Ruijerd? Who's that…? I feel like there was a Sword God by that name at some point…?"
Of course, the joke didn't land.
It was a little lonely knowing there was no one in this world who would get that kind of reference.
"Excuse me. I have an acquaintance who knew everything about everything — a very well-informed person. I got a bit mixed up."
"I see."
He patted my head.
It was a gesture like comforting a child who misses their dead father.
Ruijerd isn't my father's name, you know.
My father's name is
He's an all-right father, but as a human being, he's pretty much useless.
"So, what exactly are these Magic Illumination Stones?"
"A type of Magic Stone."
"What kind of effect do they have?"
"They absorb sunlight during the day, and once it gets dark, they glow like that. Though, the light doesn't last anywhere near as long as daylight."
Solar charging, huh.
I hadn't seen these in the
If they're so useful, why not use them more widely?
"If they provide light at night, wouldn't it be better for more of them to be around?"
"No, those are extremely rare stones."
"Huh? Then what about all of those?"
There seemed to be enough to light up the entire town.
"They say that during the Demon Emperor's reign, he had them gathered. Look."
Ruijerd pointed to where, bathed in light, a half-ruined castle floated hazily into view.
"It was all just to make that castle look beautiful."
"That's quite the idea."
My mind drifted to the Demon Emperor in a warm, fuzzy way.
Eris, clad in bondage fashion, shouting, "I need light to make myself look beautiful!"
"Don't people steal them?"
"I hear that it's prohibited, but I don't know the details."
Well, Ruijerd had said this was his first time entering a town, too.
They were placed fairly high up, so unless you could fly, you probably couldn't grab them easily.
"At the time, he was apparently criticized for being incredibly self-indulgent, but now they serve this purpose."
"Perhaps he actually collected them for the people's sake."
"Not a chance. The Demon Emperor was famous for being decadent and self-indulgent."
Decadent and self-indulgent, huh.
If he were still alive, I'd love to meet him.
He must be some kind of succubus-like, sexy, flirtatious older sister, guaranteed.
"Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say."
"Is that a uniquely human expression?"
"Of course. The Supard Race is actually a gentle species at heart, you know."
He patted my head again.
Getting my head patted at this age — what is this?
But think about it.
A man in his mid-forties mentally, getting patted on the head by a man in his mid-fifties chronologically.
Doesn't really convey the picture?
Then let's take away the zeros.
A four-year-old boy getting patted on the head by a fifty-six-year-old man.
Don't you find that adorable?
"Hey! I want to go to the castle!"
Eris pointed at the jet-black demonic castle (half-ruined) floating in the darkness.
But I shot it down.
"Not today. Let's find the inn first."
"Why not? Come on, just for a little bit!"
Eris puffed out her cheeks.
Seeing that, I was tempted to give in — maybe just a little would be fine.
But Ruijerd had said the glow didn't last as long as daylight.
If it faded by the time we reached the castle, that wouldn't be much fun.
And also…
"I've been feeling a bit tired lately. Let's get to the inn."
"Huh? Are you okay?"
Feeling tired.
That's right.
I was exhausted from the unfamiliar journey, and my body felt a bit heavy.
It wasn't a real problem — I could still move fine in fights with monsters — but it felt like fatigue accumulated faster than usual.
Was it the mental strain?
"I'm fine. Just a little."
"Really…? Then I'll hold back."
Hold back.
That wasn't a word the old Eris would have used.
Eris really has grown.
With that thought, we headed to the inn.
--- Wolf's Claws Inn.
Twelve rooms.
Five Stone Coins per night.
The building was run-down, but it was aimed at beginner adventurers, and the prices were fair.
Pay one extra Stone Coin, and you got breakfast and dinner.
If two or more members of an adventurer party shared a room, meals were free.
Since it was beginner-oriented, the price was the same regardless of how many beds were in the room.
The entrance doubled as a bar and lobby.
The seating wasn't plentiful — just some table seats and counter seats lined up.
On the tables, just as the "beginner-oriented" description implied, three young adventurers sat.
Young, though, was relative — they were older than me now. Around Eris's age.
All male. Teenage boys.
They stared at us with no subtlety at all.
"What do we do?" Ruijerd asked.
His look said, "Are we going to put on an act here too?"
"Let's not bother."
I thought about it briefly and decided against it.
"I don't want to have to put on a front just to sleep."
I didn't know how many nights we'd be staying here.
But they were still kids.
If we were staying in the same place, they'd inevitably witness Ruijerd's good nature firsthand.
"Party of three. Three nights, for now."
"Sure thing. What about meals?"
The innkeeper had an unfriendly manner.
"We'd like meals too."
I paid up front for three nights.
Having free meals was nice.
I had left: one Iron Coin, three Scrap Iron Coins, and two Stone Coins.
Converted to Stone Coins: 132 total.
"A-Are you a newbie too?"
While I was asking the innkeeper about the rules, Eris had been approached by one of the newcomers.
A guy with a horn on his forehead.
White-haired and, well, I suppose you could call him handsome.
At a hundred paces' generous allowance.
The other two were also… well, handsome boys in their own way.
One was a sturdy-looking boy with four arms who looked like he'd grow up to be a big, tough fighter.
The other had a beak-like mouth and feathers on his head.
Well. Yep.
I suppose you could call them handsome too.
Each had a different type.
If the first guy was the "normal" type, the other two were "fighting" and "flying."
"M-Me and my friends too! How about it — we could have a meal together?"
Is this a pickup?
Kids showing off.
But his voice was trembling a little.
In a way, it was almost endearing.
"Like, we could teach you some tips on taking quests and stuff!"
"…Hmph."
Eris turned her face away with a snort.
That's our Eris!
Always the right call to completely ignore a pickup!
Well, she probably didn't understand what they were saying, but still.
"Come on, just for a bit. Your little brother over there can come too!"
"…"
Just as I was about to step in and save the situation, Eris smoothly looked away and began to walk off.
I recognized that technique.
Miss Edna's etiquette lesson, passed down directly: "Beginner's Guide to Avoiding Nobles You Don't Want to Deal With."
What will you do, kid?
If you're a gentleman, you should take the hint and back off.
"Don't ignore me!"
The kid was no gentleman.
Perhaps irritated, he grabbed the edge of Eris's hood and yanked it hard.
Eris was pulled backward, but she didn't stumble.
Her legs and core were far too well-trained for that.
The boy, likewise, wasn't dragged along.
Seeing him do the adventurer thing, he might be quite the strongman.
Rip.
The cheap fabric of the hood tore with an unpleasant sound.
"…Huh?"
Eris heard the sound.
And then she looked at the torn part.
Snap.
I heard that sound clearly.
…That was the sound of Eris snapping.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
A scream loud enough to shake the inn served as the bell.
She spun around and delivered a Boreas Punch.
The turn punch, honed from Sauros's teaching and refined through Gilleen's training, connected squarely with the boy's face.
His neck twisted so hard I thought it might break.
His head hit the floor, and he was knocked out in one blow.
Even a non-combatant like me could tell that was a devastating punch.
If one of the most dangerous death-row prisoners were here, they would have muttered, "What a punch."
The consequences of a pushy pickup — serves him right.
If he reflected on this, he'd never dare try anything so reckless with Eris again.
A lesson learned.
Now, the other two were probably going to start a fight, so I should step in before— "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?! Know your place!"
But Eris wasn't done after one hit.
A Boreas Kick.
The street-fighting kick, also forged through Sauros's teaching and Gilleen's training, caught the second boy — the four-armed one — squarely in the solar plexus.
"Gueh…!"
The four-armed boy groaned and dropped to his knees.
A follow-up knee kick.
His jaw snapped back and he was sent flying.
"Huh? Wha—?!"
The last one, the bird boy, still hadn't processed what was happening.
Even so, perhaps thinking he should intercept the approaching Eris, he reached for the sword at his hip.
A sword.
That's overkill.
I hurriedly tried to intervene with magic.
But Eris was several orders of magnitude more "overkill."
Before the bird boy could draw his sword, a fist grazed the tip of his chin.
The bird boy rolled his eyes back in their sockets — eyes that shouldn't have been able to show white.
Three people, neutralized in an instant.
Eris stalked back to the first boy and kicked his head like a soccer ball.
He woke up from the first kick, but couldn't do anything — he could only curl up and endure it.
Eris kicked him over and over, again and again, relentlessly.
"This is the first outfit Rudeus ever bought for me, you know!"
Oh my! Miss Eris!
You think about me that much?
That cheap thing — I only got it because red hair stands out, so I had you wear a hood…
You've got this middle-aged man's heart fluttering!
"I'll make you regret this for the rest of your life! I'll crush you!"
What will you crush?
What exactly will be crushed — I was too scared to ask.
Eris kicked the boy around, rolled him over, flipped him face-up, grabbed one of his legs, and said something terrifying with an equally terrifying expression.
The boy, who had just regained consciousness, probably didn't understand what she was saying, but he understood what she was about to do.
He pleaded for mercy, said he was sorry, and tried to escape.
But words didn't work on Eris.
Eris didn't let him go.
She wasn't the kind of woman to half-finish a job.
Eris saw things through to the end.
That boy's fate was the same as mine three years ago, when I couldn't escape.
"Eris, wait!"
Only then was I finally able to intervene.
Everything had happened so fast that I was too slow to step in.
"Restrain her! Eris, that's enough! Stop!"
"What is it, Rudeus?! Are you getting in my way?!"
I hugged her from behind to hold her back.
My hands touched her chest.
A soft sensation.
But there was no time to enjoy it.
Eris thrashed about, ready to crush the boy at any moment.
Crush what?
I was too afraid to say what "what" was.
"If it rips, I'll sew it back up! I'll sew it for you!
So please, let him go! Even this is too cruel!"
"What do you want… Hmph!"
As I desperately pleaded, Eris finally stopped struggling, her face still twisted with rage.
When I released her, she huffed, flung her shoulders, and stomped off toward Ruijerd.
Ruijerd was sitting in a bar chair, watching the whole thing with the expression of someone observing something endearing.
"You too, Ruijerd! Next time, you need to stop her!"
"Hmm? It was just kids fighting."
"Whether they're kids or not — stopping fights is the guardian's job!"
The power gap between them was obviously absurd.
--- "Are you guys okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…"
I cast Healing on the fallen boys and helped them up.
Some kind of solidarity, I guess.
"Sorry about that. She can't speak Demon God Language."
"Th-That was scary… Why was she so angry?"
"She hates being pestered, and that hood is really important to her, I think."
"I-Is that so… Could you tell her I'm sorry?"
I looked at Eris. She had taken off her hood and was glaring at the torn edge, gritting her teeth.
Her face said she would absolutely never forgive him.
I hadn't seen that expression in a long time.
Specifically, I'd never seen it since the first time we met.
The kind of face that should have "!!!" and "bzzt bzzt" sound effects accompanying it.
"If you talk to her now, she'd probably punch me too."
"R-Right. She's cute, but scary."
I thought she'd become more refined lately…
Maybe she'd been putting on an act.
I thought she'd grown — now I felt a bit let down.
"That's right. She's cute, so it's better not to approach her too casually."
"Y-Yeah, I get that."
"And also, if you're thinking about getting revenge over this incident, you'd better not. This time I stopped her because it was an accident, but next time, you'll lose your life."
I made sure to hammer that in.
For a while, the boy stared wide-eyed, picked his nose, and checked the back of his head for bumps.
Eventually he calmed down and gave his name.
"…I'm Kurt. And you?"
"I'm Rudeus Greyrat. That was Eris."
After we introduced ourselves, the other two boys who had been watching from a distance came over.
They were the ones who got caught in the crossfire because of Kurt's little stunt.
"Bachirou" — the four-armed, tough-looking one.
"Gaburin" — the bird-like one.
After introducing themselves, the two flanked Kurt and struck a pose.
"All three together — the Toclab Village Thugs!"
"…"
They struck a pose like something out of an anime exclamation.
I honestly thought it was lame.
Thugs, what are you, a gang?
And where the heck is Toclab Village?
"We're almost ready to rank up to D-rank, so we've been talking about wanting to find a female mage for our party."
"A female mage?"
Where would you find one?
The only mage around here is me.
I wasn't exactly dressed like a mage, either…
Hmm? Dressed like a mage?
"Wait — did you think Eris was a mage because she was wearing a hood?"
"Yeah. I mean, people who wear hoods are mages, right?"
"She was carrying a sword, though."
"Huh? Oh, you're right."
He apparently didn't notice the sword at her hip.
He was probably the type who only saw what was convenient for him.
"You're a mage, right? It's amazing that you can use Healing Magic."
"Well, I suppose so."
"How about joining up with us?"
With the Thugs?
Me?
No way.
Seriously, did this guy learn nothing from getting thrashed by Eris?
"If I join, that person over there would be part of the deal too."
I pointed at Ruijerd.
The two of them were sitting at a table in the bar, having some kind of conversation.
Ruijerd seemed to be telling Eris something important.
Eris looked annoyed but was nodding obediently.
"Huh? Is he in the party too?"
"That's right. His name is Ruijerd."
"Ruijerd…? What's the party name?"
"Dead End."
At those words, they gave me a "Huh?" look.
As if to say, "What the hell kind of name is that?"
"Is that name really okay?"
"I have his permission."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
They thought I was joking.
But I was dead serious.
"Well, whatever.
The point is, neither Eris nor I can team up with you guys."
Nothing good could come from joining up with these guys.
We weren't playing at being friendly adventurers.
"Okay, but don't regret it.
We're going to become famous in this town.
Later, when you're begging to join our party — don't expect us to say yes."
Famous, huh.
Well, I suppose that's how it goes.
Making their adventurer debut in a town. Young people with hopes for the future.
Back at the Adventurers Guild, those kinds of youngsters would surely have been welcomed with warm, encouraging smiles.
But still.
"You got taken down by Eris without putting up any fight, and you can say that?"
"I-I was just caught off guard!"
"Would you say the same thing out on the Demon Continent's plains?"
"Guh…"
I won the argument.
It felt genuinely great.
As expected of a Pax Coyote of the Demon Continent's plains — nothing quite like that kind of conviction.
I parted ways with the Toclab Village Thugs.
--- After finishing our meal, we went to our room.
It was a room with three fur-lined beds lined up.
"Whew…"
I sat down on a bed in silence.
I was tired.
Today had been exhausting too.
Part of it was my physical condition not being great, but meeting people, being laughed at, being looked down on — it all takes a mental toll.
Even when it was all just an act.
"…"
Eris was gazing out the window.
Beyond it, the town was gradually growing darker.
The half-ruined castle was genuinely fantastical — but to think she still had the bandwidth to appreciate the scenery.
There was so much we needed to think about.
And yet, she dumped everything on me.
Must be nice.
No — let's stop with the negative thoughts.
The reason she wasn't thinking about any of it was because she trusted me.
The proof was that she hardly ever made demands anymore.
(She doesn't make demands, but she does get into fights.)
I lay down and stared at the ceiling, thinking.
What do we do from here?
What we need is — right, money first.
This inn charged six Stone Coins per room per night.
Thanks to the adventurer services, we were paying five.
Three nights for three people — fifteen Stone Coins.
We had to earn at least that much, minimum.
But from what I'd seen, F-rank quests paid around five Stone Coins.
E-rank was about one Scrap Iron Coin.
If you were alone, you could cover your inn costs by doing one F-rank quest per day, and as your rank increased, so would your pay — allowing you to save up.
F and E ranks were mostly in-town jobs, but once you hit D rank, gathering quests would increase too.
Save up at E rank while buying equipment, then take on D-rank quests.
That seemed to be the system. Well designed.
(Counting lunch, consumables, the works — twenty Stone Coins per day.
Assuming I could complete at least one quest per day — ten to fifteen Stone Coins.
Current savings, converted to Stone Coins: 132.)
Wouldn't even last two weeks.
It would vanish in no time.
We'd have to complete two or more quests a day just to break even.
If we split up, we could probably handle about twenty Stone Coins' worth of quests per day.
But if we left Ruijerd alone, his identity might get exposed.
Eris couldn't speak, so completing quests on her own would be difficult too.
Knowing Eris's temper, she might pick a fight wherever she went.
And if we worked separately, we couldn't promote Ruijerd at all.
If we raised our rank, the money problem would be solved.
Combat-type quests — those were right up Ruijerd's and Eris's alleys.
We'd hit our stride in no time.
But extermination quests were basically C-rank and above.
If we could reach D rank within two weeks, we'd manage.
But simply completing one quest a day wouldn't be enough for that.
I had forgotten to ask how many quests you needed to clear for a rank-up…
At the very least, it seemed you couldn't skip ranks just because you had the ability.
You had to work your way up methodically.
On top of that, my condition wasn't at its best.
I was sure I'd be fine, but there was a possibility that either Eris or I could come down with something that Healing and antidote magic couldn't cure.
Besides, who knew when else we might need money.
We'd need to restock dye for Ruijerd on a regular basis, too.
And clothing — we couldn't just keep wearing the same things.
They were originally high-quality, so they were durable, and with magic, laundry was quick.
Evaporating moisture from fabric was easy.
But still.
Magic-based drying put a lot of strain on the fabric.
They might tear down the line.
I wanted to rotate outfits early and often.
Soap would be nice too.
Both Eris and I had been wiping ourselves down with damp cloths lately.
Daily necessities were only going to keep mounting.
We needed money.
Should I take out a loan?
There'd surely be a moneylender or two in this town if we looked.
No — I wanted to avoid debt if at all possible.
At least until I had a way to pay it back.
Maybe I should just sell The Arrogant Water Dragon King?
No, that was the last resort.
Could I really part with something Eris had given me for my birthday that easily?
(Who would have thought I'd be stressing over finances…)
I remembered how, in my previous life, I'd kicked my parents to the floor and shut them up the moment they tried to bring up money.
The sight made my stomach hurt.
I never wanted to recall that again.
And then I remembered Paul's face from a few years ago when I'd asked him to cover tuition for both of us.
I had been too cavalier about money.
(Instead of reflecting, I should earn some.)
What would be the most efficient way?
Complete quests every day.
No — rather than quests, maybe it'd be better to head to the plains and hunt monsters.
But that wouldn't spread the name of Dead End.
To promote Dead End, it would be better to raise our adventurer rank.
It would surely pay off in the long run, too.
Selling monster materials through the Guild fetched higher prices anyway.
But did we have time for all that?
Setting Ruijerd aside for the moment, shouldn't we first save up money and establish a stable living situation?
(My thoughts are going in circles…)
Earn money.
Raise Ruijerd's reputation.
Having to do both at the same time was the painful part.
(If only there were some good method…)
Without arriving at any answer, I drifted off to sleep.
--- A dream.
It was a white place.
An empty place.
And standing in it was that obscene bastard.
At the same time, a dull, wretched feeling welled up from within.
Not again, I sighed.
What is it this time?
Irritated, I addressed the mosaic fellow.
I'd prefer this to be quick and painless.
"You're cold as ever, I see.
Thanks to relying on Ruijerd, you made it to town, didn't you?"
That's true.
But knowing Ruijerd's personality — even if we had fled, he'd have watched over us from the shadows.
"You really trust him, don't you?
So then, why won't you trust me?"
You don't get it?
You, who call yourself a God?
"Now then — forget all that. Here's my next piece of advice."
Yeah, yeah, I heard you.
Just wrap it up quickly.
I hated hearing the mosaic bastard's voice, and I hated this feeling too.
The sensation of Rudeus's dream-memory fading and the feel of a useless NEET surfacing again.
Since I'd inevitably end up hearing it all in the end, I might as well listen from the start.
"How self-deprecating."
It's not like I have a choice — I'm just going to end up dancing in the palm of your hand, right?
"Not at all. How things play out depends entirely on you."
Enough with the platitudes — just get on with it.
"Alright, alright…
Rudeus, accept the pet-search quest…
That should ease your anxiety…
Should ease… should ease… should ease…"
As the echo faded, my consciousness sank into darkness.
--- The middle of the night.
I woke up.
I'd had an unpleasant dream.
Honestly, I wished he'd stop with those revelations.
He had impeccable timing, I'd give him that.
He was definitely an evil god.
One who was remarkably skilled at exploiting the weak points of the human heart.
A real piece of work.
"Hah…"
I let out a single sigh.
I looked to my left.
Ruijerd was asleep.
Not on the bed, but in the corner of the room, cradling his spear for some reason.
I looked to my right.
Eris was awake.
She sat on the edge of her bed, knees drawn up, gazing out the window into the pitch-black night.
I quietly got up and sat down beside her.
I looked out the window.
This world had only one moon, too.
"Can't you sleep?"
"…No."
Eris gave a small nod, her eyes still on the window.
"Hey, Rudeus."
"Yes?"
"Do you think we'll ever make it home…?"
Her voice was full of worry.
"That…"
I was ashamed of my ignorance.
I had thought she was carrying on as usual.
That she had no worries — that she was purely enjoying this situation, this adventure.
I was wrong.
She was worried too.
But she had been acting so as not to let me notice.
She must have been accumulating stress as well.
That was why she'd gotten into that fight.
I hadn't realized.
How could I have been so oblivious?
"We'll make it home."
I gently put my arm around her shoulder, and she leaned her head against it.
Eris hadn't had a proper bath in days.
The faint scent that drifted up was completely different from what I was used to.
But it didn't bother me.
It didn't bother me, so my protective instincts were going haywire.
Hold back!
Hold back…!
Until we got home, I was the clueless type.
Things were different from back then.
Now, there were reasons I had to restrain myself.
It was a convenient excuse, but I didn't want to take advantage of a girl who was feeling anxious — that would be a cowardly thing to do.
"Hey, Rudeus. You'll take care of things, right?"
"Trust me. I'll get us home no matter what."
Aww, when the Young Lady was being all demure…
She was really cute.
I understood old man Sauros's feelings now.
This was the kind of thing that made you want to spoil her.
…Come to think of what happened to those old folks…
…No.
…Let's not think about that right now.
"Let's do our best. Eris, you should get some sleep too. We'll be busy starting tomorrow."
I patted Eris's head lightly and returned to my bed.
My eyes met Ruijerd's.
Had he been listening?
I felt a little embarrassed.
But he immediately closed his eyes.
He was pretending not to have noticed.
What a good guy.
If it were Paul, he would've teased me without mercy, no questions asked.
I really couldn't put this man on the back burner any longer.
But Paul, huh.
Was everyone in
Were Paul and Sylph worried about me?
I needed to write a letter.
I didn't know if it would even reach them, though…
(Still, a pet search, huh…)
I didn't know what the Human God was planning, but this time, for once, I'd follow his advice without overthinking it.
--- And so, the first day of our adventurer life came to a quiet close.