Ossan Saikyō Chapter 7 Part 03
From the next day onward, we returned to our usual duties as an adventurer party. Of course, the first thing we had to do was challenge a D-class dungeon for the first time.
The D-class dungeon in the town of Euron was about half a day’s walk westwards.
Naturally, we ran, so we arrived in about an hour and a half. Or rather, being able to run for over an hour at near full speed; as always, the physical abilities of the Awakened are astonishing.
And to think we’re still only D-rank makes it even more terrifying.
As for the dungeon itself, it looked like an ancient burial mound rising gently in the middle of a grassland, with an entrance built of stacked stone set into its slope.
There were two other parties present, and both clearly had the air of veterans.
“Alright, let’s go in. Same formation as usual.”
“Yes.”
“Got it.”
With me in the lead, followed by Freynil and then Rani, we passed through the entrance.
Inside was, as expected, a corridor made of stacked stones, the atmosphere wasn’t much different from the dungeons we’d seen before.
After about ten minutes,【Presence Detection】reacted, 6 at once right off the bat. Rani’s【Jinx】was in top form, as always.
What appeared were pig-headed humanoid monsters; Orcs. They were about 160 to 170 centimeters tall. Not much for me, but probably intimidating for the two girls.
The moment they spotted us, the orcs charged all at once, raising their one-handed axes.
“I’m using «Sacred Ray»!”
Freynil’s beam of light struck two of them and cleaved them in half. As powerful as ever.
“I’ll take two!”
Rani vanished with【Dash】. In the next instant, one head flew off to the right, and another had a sword driven through its heart from behind.
The remaining two swung their axes down at me, but I knocked both aside with my shield. I slammed my mace into their exposed torsos, their bloated bellies burst apart in explosions.
Even against D-rank monsters, my mace seemed like overkill.
“Hmm… are D-rank monsters really this weak?”
Rani’s comment matched exactly what I was thinking, but as the leader, I couldn’t say it out loud.
“Don’t get careless. I might be fine, but if either of you takes one of those axes, you won’t come out of it unharmed.”
“Yeah, true. I might barely manage with【Steel Body】, but Fray needs to be careful.”
“Yes, I’ll make sure they don’t get close.”
“Well, that’s my job anyway. Alright, let’s move on.”
We collected the mana stones and orc meat, then proceeded deeper inside.
That day, we withdrew after reaching the end of the 3rd underground floor.
From the 3rd underground floor onward, a large tiger-type monster called Assault Tiger appeared, but since its only means of attack were claws and fangs, it wasn’t much of a problem.
After all, all I had to do was turn it into minced meat the moment it leapt at us with the mace.
“I feel like my sense of difficulty is getting messed up being in this party. D-class dungeons aren’t supposed to be this easy, right?”
That evening at dinner, Rani said that.
“That might be partly because of how strong you are. Being able to take an orc’s head off in one strike is no small feat.”
“Well, orcs are slow. I couldn’t take down the tigers in one hit, though.”
“Normally, you’d encounter three at most, and a party would handle them together. We’re each dealing with multiple enemies alone, so it’s only natural.”
After all, we had encountered up to 7 Assault Tigers at once. A typical D-rank party might have been wiped out. When we brought in a large quantity of their pelts to sell, even the receptionist Mariane looked surprised.
“Fray’s magic helps a lot too. Being able to reliably take out two enemies before the fight starts is huge.”
“Is that so? I’m not very familiar with other people’s magic…”
Freynil said that, though she looked a little pleased. Being able to reliably eliminate D-rank monsters with a preemptive strike was indeed significant.
“Yeah. Fray’s magic is a major asset. And your『Life』attribute healing helps too.”
“But surely it is not really useful for you, Soushi-sama?”
“I’ve got【Regeneration】after all. But it reduces how many potions Rani uses, which saves on expenses. That’s important for the party.”
Rani nodded in agreement.
“Fray’s healing magic is really strong too. Normally, wounds don’t heal that quickly.”
“Is that so?”
That was news to me. Thinking about it, the only magic I’d seen from other parties was projectile spells during the large-scale subjugation and high-pressure water magic against the zombie dogs.
“Yeah. It’s usually slower, and sometimes it doesn’t fully heal in one go.”
Was that also thanks to the【Devotion】skill boosting her abilities? Or maybe Freynil simply had high aptitude for it to begin with. After all, she was originally a Saint candidate.
“But honestly, the craziest thing is Soushi’s mace. It’s ridiculous how monsters die just from a glancing hit.”
“I truly think Soushi-sama’s strength is remarkable.”
“Yeah… about that…”
There had been a time when my aim was slightly off and the mace only hit an Assault Tiger’s foreleg; and yet it still died. Apparently, if something receives too much impact, it can die from shock alone.
Maybe that was what happened.
Either way, it really highlighted just how abnormal our party was. Being aware of that was important; at the very least, we should avoid standing out too much.
That night, as I was lying in bed at the inn, there was a knock, and Freynil entered. She was dressed in nightwear, befitting a former noble lady.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry… I’d like to talk a little.”
“Sure, I don’t mind… have a seat.”
Now that we were D-rank, the inn had improved slightly, and the room had a table and chairs in addition to the bed. I had Freynil sit on one of the chairs.
“Is this about what was discussed at the Viscount’s mansion?”
“Yes. How much did the Viscount tell you about me, Soushi-sama?”
“Well…”
There was no point in lying, so I told her honestly. For some reason, Freynil looked sad.
“Um… after hearing that, what did you think?”
“Hm? Well, I thought life can be complicated. I can’t imagine what noble families are like, but I sympathize with your situation, and I’m glad we formed a party.”
“That’s all…?”
“I also thought it would be a problem if the Viscount took you away. So I’m glad that didn’t happen.”
“And… regarding the fact that I kept it hidden… and that I was from a Ducal family… you didn’t feel anything about that?”
“Isn’t it natural to keep your secrets? I’ve got things I can’t tell people too. And as for the Ducal family… honestly, it doesn’t really relate with me. The country I came from didn’t have nobles.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. So I don’t think of you as someone special because of that, and I don’t plan to treat you any differently. More importantly, are you okay with that?”
At my question, Freynil’s expression suddenly brightened, and she clasped her hands in front of her chest and nodded.
“Yes, I would be happy if you treated me that way. I am just Freynil the Adventurer now.”
Her smiling face raised her beauty to another level, almost to the point of seeming divine. I could understand why the church had chosen her as a Saint candidate.
“I’ll do my best so that one day you’ll tell me your secret too, Soushi-sama. I look forward to working with you from now on.”
Saying that, Freynil returned to the next room.
Her words still carried a certain weight, owing to her dependence… It was hard to tell how much of it was the influence of her skill.
Someday, I might need to do something so that she can overcome her dependence on me.
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E/N:
For a moment, I thought this would be an 18+ chapter! Phew, safe! 😂
Stay tuned!
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