Ossan Saikyō Chapter 15 Part 2
At noon the following day, the carriage arrived in Orz’s capital, Garouz.
First, we headed straight to the luxury inn where I had stayed before. Apparently, thanks to the Great Shrine Head Maiden’s arrangements, we could continue using the inn for as long as we remained in Orz.
That afternoon, I decided to rest at the inn. I spent some time absentmindedly doing nothing while dealing with Freynil, who refused to let go of me, when Shizuna returned from the Grand Spirit Shrine, the administrative center of Orz.
“The Great Shrine Head Maiden wishes to hold the ceremony for your reward 5 days from now. Would that be a problem?”
“I don’t have a problem with it, but is the Great Shrine Head Maiden sure she has the time? The city’s reconstruction isn’t finished yet, is it?”
“Surprisingly, that is not much of a problem. You carried away most of the rubble, after all. The repairs to the damaged parts of the city are progressing smoothly.”
“Ah, I see. Getting rid of all that rubble certainly made a big difference. I’d like to head to the hidden Elven village as soon as possible, too, so sooner is better. Ah, but before that, we need to clear the C-Rank dungeon here, don’t we?”
Rani, who had been lying down, perked up at my words, raising her tail.
“Ahh, I want to go to the dungeon with everyone again. C-Rank is 20-floored, right? Think we can do it in 2 days?”
“It would be a pretty grueling pace, but it shouldn’t be impossible. The C-Rank dungeon in the Marquis Raghantz’s territory was 15-floored, and I cleared it in a day.”
“Does that means you’re faster by yourself?”
“I don't have as many small fry to deal with when I'm solo. Also, there were only monsters that were a good match up for me.”
“I see. So that’s what happens when I’m not around.”
“Honestly, it feels like something’s missing without you, Rani. I’ve gotten used to dealing with that many monsters.”
“That means you’ve gotten seriously desensitized, right?”
(E/N: In case anyone's confused, Rani's referring to Ossan having been desensitized to the huge number of monsters that her Unique Skill makes them encounter.)
Rani said that with a delighted grin.
Seriously, her【Jinx】skill was indispensable to〈Saul's Guidance〉. It was extremely useful both for becoming stronger and for making money.
“Oh, right. Speaking of the dungeon in the Marquis’ territory, I found a staff in a treasure chest that’s perfect for Fray.”
I took the《The Seraph's Hymn》I had obtained in the B-class dungeon out of my【Item Box】and handed it to Freynil. Freynil finally let go of my arm and began exploring the silver staff with both hands, its surface gleaming beautifully.
“Thank you, Soushi-sama. This staff… I can feel an incredible power from it. It is very beautiful as well…”
“Wow, that’s a really beautiful staff! And is that an angel on the tip? It looks like it was made specifically for Fray.”
Rani sprang up and began examining the staff as well, while Sphenia, Mariane, and Shizuna came over too. Mariane was narrowing her eyes, probably using【Appraisal】.
“《The Seraph's Hymn》… It is a named-weapon. It possesses multiple magical effects: 【Holy Magic】『+2』, 【Life Magic】『+2』, 【Sanctity】『+2』, and 【Vivacity】『+2』. It is an artifact worthy of being called a national treasure.”
“That is quite something. The fact that Soushi-dono can obtain something like this so easily is both amusing and rather frightening.”
As Shizuna spoke admiringly, Freynil looked at me anxiously.
“Soushi-sama, I am extremely happy, but are you really sure it is all right for me to receive something this valuable?”
“Of course. The moment I obtained it, I thought it was meant for Fray. It would actually be a problem if you didn’t accept it.”
“Soushi-sama… Yes, I’m very happy. I’ll treasure it and use it well.”
Freynil hugged the staff tightly, her cheeks flushed. Just as I expected, she seemed to really like it.
“Well, I have my《Mithril Longsword》, so I’m fine, but I’d still like some new accessories or something.”
“I’m starting to feel that both my bow and short staff are inadequate, so I’d like to replace them with something more powerful soon.”
“Come to think of it, my shortsword may be due for a replacement as well.”
“I received the《Mighty Staff》recently, so I shall wait and look forward to receiving something after I rank up.”
I understood what the other four were getting at, but this was completely a matter of luck. Even so, I needed to be careful about making things feel unfair.
From now on, I would have to make full use of【Plunder】and actively seek out equipments.
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The next day, we first headed to the Adventurer Guild.
We needed to give the Guild a detailed report on the “Otherworld” and everything that had happened in Mekalinan.
Once I had conveyed the information to Mariane and the Guildmaster of the Orz branch, my job was essentially done. Mariane stayed behind at the Guild to report to the Grandmaster, while the rest of us headed into the city to stock up on food.
The food was, of course, for the C-Rank dungeon we planned to enter the following day. We were planning to make it a one-night forced march, but we bought enough supplies for 3 nights just in case.
On the way back to the inn, Rani, who had been walking ahead of me, suddenly turned around as though she had remembered something.
“Oh, right. Karma said to thank you for taking care of her. She said she’s never seen a man as strong as you, Soushi.”
Karma was the leader of the B-rank party〈Drunken Tiger〉, a beautiful blonde tiger beastkin woman.
“Come to think of it, they weren’t at the Guild. Did Karma and the others leave Orz?”
“Yeah. I think it was the day before yesterday. Right after they got word from Soushi that you were coming back, they headed back toward Vermilion.”
“I see. They were a strong party, too. It would be nice if we could meet somewhere again.”
“Well, apparently the other three besides Karma want to return to their hometowns soon. I think fighting those Devils made everyone worried.”
“Ah… Yeah, I can understand why they’d be worried after hearing something like that appeared. Are the beastkin villages all right?”
“They’ll probably all run away together if things get bad, so I think they’ll be fine. There are adventurers there, too.”
“I see.”
We continued talking like that, and the following day, we headed to the C-Rank dungeon with the full party.
It had been more than 10 days since I had last acted together with the party, but simply walking alongside everyone gave me the feeling that I had returned to where I belonged.
Thinking about that, I imagined that hearing about Karma’s party breaking up must have been painful.
The entrance to the C-Rank dungeon near the capital, Garouz, was a hole leading underground, sitting alone in the middle of a grassland. As we descended the slope, a labyrinth with earthen walls greeted us.
“It feels so reassuring when Soushi-sama is here. And now that you’ve given me this staff, I’ll work even harder so that I can be of more help to you than ever.”
Freynil still clung to me in her sleep at night, but she was quite dependable in the dungeon.
“I really feel like my strength is surging when Soushi is around.”
“I feel like my body is lighter, too. I can tell that my focus is sharper as well. Soushi-san’s power really is incredible.”
Rani and Sphenia spoke happily, and Shizuna and Mariane agreed with them.
“I thought I had grown stronger as well, but it seems a large part of it was due to Soushi-dono’s power. Perhaps we should always keep that in mind.”
“Yes. And I feel as though the effect of【Sovereign Mantle】has grown stronger as well. Could it be that the skill level has increased?”
“I wonder. I don’t really feel any difference myself, but if the enhancement effect has grown stronger, then it’s possible the level has increased. I did lead multiple parties in Mekalinan, after all. That might have caused it to level up.”
When I answered, Rani spoke up as though she had just thought of something.
“If that’s the case, why don’t we try adding some new members? You said that when【Sovereign Mantle】levels up, you can add more companions, right?”
“If there’s someone willing to join the party. But it can’t just be anyone…”
Even if we were to bring in a new member, the minimum requirement would be someone capable of putting up with the borderline brutal nature of〈Saul's Guidance〉, where we spared no effort to become stronger.
(E/N: No, minimum requirement would be "a woman" capable of putting up with the borderline brutal nature of the party. 😆)
On top of that, it was important that the person be able to avoid causing trouble in a party with so many beautiful women. Considering all that, I didn’t think finding a new companion would be easy.
“I have a feeling that Soushi-dono could find someone easily enough. In any case, I think it would be better to concentrate on the dungeon today.”
The first half of what Shizuna said was debatable, but the latter half was certainly true. First, I needed to regain my feel for fighting as part of a party in this C-Rank dungeon.
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E/N:
Guess who's joining? Hint: Tyger, Tyger!
Yes, I love The Mentalist! 😂
Stay tuned!
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