Ossan Saikyō Chapter 10 Part 15
Afterward, I was swept up by the wildly excited townspeople and barely managed to escape into the Adventurers Guild in one piece.
To be honest, Zaikal hadn't caused that much destruction inside the town itself, so I hadn't expected to be treated as some kind of "Hero who saved the Town".
“Oh, come on! Of course you would be. He openly announced that he was one of the Twilight Kin, and everyone could tell he really had that kind of power.”
As we took a breather in one of the back rooms, Rani looked at me in exasperation after hearing my complaint.
“But I don't think he was that strong. It only turned into a good fight because I wasn't strong enough. A normal A-Rank party could probably beat him.”
“Soushi, don't you think it's about time you realized your own strength is completely abnormal?”
“Even if you say that...”
It's true that without the【Fury】skill, I probably would have been overwhelmed.
Zaikal was certainly a powerful opponent.
Still, I couldn't help feeling that defeating someone like him hardly made me worthy of being called a "Hero".
“Soushi-sama risked his own life to save this town and defeated an overwhelmingly powerful enemy. If that isn't what makes someone a hero, then heroes simply don't exist.”
Perhaps my face had betrayed my thoughts, because even Freynil ended up saying something like that.
“Alright, alright. I'll accept being called the 'Hero of the Town', at least. More importantly, what happened to the adventurers, like the members of〈Supreme Radiance〉?”
“Those who received treatment are safe. However... there were already people who had died at the scene, and it seems other adventurers also lost their lives to that member of the Twilight Kin.”
Mariane lowered her eyes as she spoke.
She'd mentioned that several parties had accepted the request to investigate the unidentified monster.
Some of them must have become victims before we arrived.
“I see... Then this isn't something we can celebrate without reservation.”
“No. But that is the reality of being an adventurer. As harsh as it is.”
Mariane's words reminded me once again of what the life of an adventurer truly meant.
Still...
There was no point letting the mood become too gloomy.
I decided to change the subject.
“By the way, is there anything special that comes from defeating one of the Twilight Kin? That magic stone was unsettling, but it looked valuable.”
“Of course. Setting aside the Northern Empire, members of the Twilight Kin rarely appear in this kingdom. Since you've defeated one, Count Lautrec, the lord who governs this region, will almost certainly summon you.”
“So it's that serious? I was planning to clear the other C-Rank dungeon and head straight back to Euron.”
“Count Lautrec has close ties with Viscount Varius, so returning to Euron won't be a problem. However, you'll almost certainly receive a summons regardless.”
“So all that'll change is that I'll have to do more walking... If I'm summoned, it'll be to the capital of the Count's territory?”
“Exactly. Also... your standing within the Adventurers Guild will change as well. Combined with your achievement as the Dragon Slayer the other day, I believe you'll be promoted to B-Rank.”
“No, wait. I haven't even met the promotion requirements yet, have I? I barely take on any requests.”
Mariane sighed and slowly shook her head.
“A solo subjugation of one of the Twilight Kin is considered proof of strength equivalent to at least an A-Rank adventurer. Even without sufficient quest records, you'll automatically be promoted to at least B-Rank.”
“I don't really feel like I deserve it, but if that's how the rules work, I suppose I can't complain. Ranking up itself is definitely welcome.”
“Exactly, Soushi. Once you're B-Rank, random people won't pick fights with you anymore. It'll make things easier for all of us. Honestly, you could stand to act a little more intimidating.”
As Rani said that, both Freynil and Sphenia nodded in agreement.
She wasn't wrong.
Being promoted was certainly fortunate.
The only thing that worried me was...
“Becoming B-Rank won't just bring me more trouble, will it?”
The moment I asked, Mariane very obviously looked away.
“...Whenever an adventurer is promoted to B-Rank or above, the Royal Family is always informed. Normally it's nothing more than a routine report, but... considering what happened this time, there's a very high chance you'll attract their attention.”
“...Huh?”
That was a problem.
Ours was hardly an ordinary party.
Still, there were supposedly quite a few B-Rank adventurers.
Surely I wouldn't be summoned by the Royal Family immediately...
Then again...
My ridiculously overachieving【Bad Luck】skill had a habit of making the worst possible scenario happen.
Maybe I should prepare myself.
◇◆◇
That evening, I was invited to a tavern near the Adventurers Guild, where a huge crowd of adventurers and townspeople enthusiastically celebrated my victory.
It was basically a victory party.
With entertainment being so scarce, the appearance of a "Hero" was probably the perfect excuse for everyone to celebrate.
Naturally, the rest of my party stayed behind at the inn.
It was obvious this would turn into complete chaos, and if the girls came along and someone started harassing them while drunk, that would only create more problems.
As I emptied one drink after another while listening to endless words of gratitude, I gradually began feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
Probably because...
I didn't actually feel anything toward the Twilight Kin.
To me, Zaikal had simply been a somewhat stronger opponent. And on top of that, he'd essentially been nothing more than a crazed murderer.
“Man, when you first showed up at the Guild, I thought you were just some smug old guy surrounded by cute girls! But after seeing how strong you are, I totally get it now! No wonder every woman falls for you, damn it!”
(E/N: 🤣 Us bro us!)
A burly, bearded adventurer slapped me repeatedly on the back while holding a mug of ale.
A smug old guy, huh...
So that really was the impression I'd been giving.
“No kidding. And on top of that, your finishing line was way too cool.”
The young man sitting across from me burst out laughing.
He mimed throwing a punch and shouted,
“I don't need some flashy name for the technique that'll bury you!”
“Wait... I actually said that?”
“You sure did! It was awesome! Any guy would've fallen for that!”
...What exactly were you doing,【Fury】?
Are you secretly the【Cringe Memory】skill or something?
The moment the young man repeated my dramatic finishing line, the entire tavern erupted into cheers.
My embarrassment instantly reached critical levels.
As I buried my face in my hands, a female adventurer wearing rather revealing clothes slid into the seat beside me.
That alone would've been fine.
Unfortunately, she also decided to press herself against me.
“Soushi-san, you're obviously really strong, so you've killed all sorts of monsters, right? What's the toughest thing you've ever defeated?”
“I want to hear that too. Oh, and while we're at it, I'd also like to know how you won over those adorable girls~.”
Another female adventurer sat down on my other side.
Both of them reeked of alcohol, so they were obviously drunk...
Still...
When I get back, is Rani going to smell the alcohol on me and get angry?
“I've only reached C-Rank, so I haven't fought that many impressive monsters yet. And my party members are just companions. There's really nothing between us.”
“Huh? You're still only C-Rank? Well, I guess you did just arrive in this town. Still... being that strong... I might just fall for you myself.”
“Oh, really? Because that little elf girl looked completely captivated by you. Though... that blonde girl seemed more like a daughter worrying about her father.”
Please stop saying things like that while touching my chest and commenting, “Wow... your muscles are amazing.”
This kind of atmosphere was just too much for someone who used to be Japanese.
Then again...
I did have coworkers back then who would've loved this sort of thing.
As they continued teasing me without mercy, four adventurers, two men and two women, stepped forward and lined up before me.
I wondered what was going on.
Then all four bowed their heads at once.
The young man who appeared to be their leader spoke first.
“We're〈Antenora〉, the party you saved. I'm Dorg, the leader. Thanks to you, we're alive. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“I'm Soushi of〈Saul's Guidance〉. As far as I was concerned, I simply fought because there was an enemy before me. Still... if that ended up saving all of you, then I'm glad. You really had terrible luck this time.”
“I knew that bast*rd was strange... but I never imagined he was one of the Twilight Kin. Four parties fought him together, and we never stood a chance.”
Dorg was a large, warrior-like young man.
Yet the moment he mentioned the Twilight Kin, his face briefly stiffened.
The terror he'd felt during that battle must have been considerable.
“Still... I can't believe there's actually someone who can defeat one of them alone. Just how strong are you, Soushi-san?”
“I honestly don't know how strong I am myself. I'm still only C-Rank, after all.”
“C-Rank...? Seriously?”
“Apparently I'll be promoted after what happened today. But setting that aside, I'm grateful you thanked me. I hope things go well for you from here on.”
“Likewise.”
After that, several more adventurers came over to thank me.
The members of〈Supreme Radiance〉, however, never showed themselves.
Then again...
That was probably for the best.
Nothing good would've come from it.
“Speaking of which, what happened to those〈Supreme Radiance〉kids? They were the ones who got rescued too, weren't they?”
It wasn't as though someone had read my mind, but one of the adventurers suddenly brought them up.
“They recovered and headed straight back toward the Royal Capital. They were complaining that their weapons weren't good enough, but honestly... with attitudes like that, they'll never become a Party of ‘Adventurers of Salvation’.”
“Seriously. They're not weak, but they're nowhere near as impressive as they make themselves sound. You think the Church's really okay putting all their hopes on people like that?”
Apparently, even among the other adventurers,〈Supreme Radiance〉didn't enjoy a particularly good reputation.
Well...
They were still just teenagers.
Maybe they'd grow into worthy adventurers someday.
Though...
It looked like they still had a very long road ahead of them.
“Hahaha! Compared to those guys, you're way more qualified to be an ‘Adventurer of Salvation’, Soushi! Hey, if another member of the Twilight Kin shows up, just go beat them up for us!”
“Yeah! Leave the little guys to us and handle the big Bosses!”
“I've got to say, a mature man like you is way more attractive than some skinny pretty boy.”
“And these muscles! So these are the arms that hold those cute girls!”
...Yeah.
My discomfort had officially reached its limit.
Just how much longer is this torture going to continue?
And seriously...
Could you ladies please stop groping my chest...?
——————
E/N:
Hoowee~ Those lady adventurers sure are handsy. *Insert it should have been me meme* 😂
Stay tuned!
——————
——————————
——————————
Comments