INTERLUDE
I, HIS ADVISER
“Th-the deep levels…” said Eina unsteadily.
She slumped forward onto the table, dizzied.
Sitting awkwardly across the table from her was Bell Cranell, an adventurer under her jurisdiction. Through an open window, the balmy afternoon’s sunlight streamed into the headquarters of the Guild.
There in the consultation box, Eina was midway through hearing about the expedition that had concluded a few days earlier.
When the party had returned to the surface, Eina hadn’t immediately gotten the chance to hear what had happened—largely due to Bell’s condition. Afterward, with one thing or another—like reporting and processing the heavy toll the recent events had exacted upon the high-level adventurers—it kept being pushed back.
Which was why she was only hearing about everything now.
When she’d heard the words deep levels , she’d just about fainted.
“…So you’re telling me that after you got pulled down by the wormwell, you spent four days wandering the deep levels?”
“Yes…Then, Lyu…Gale Wind came to our rescue, so we managed to survive…”
“Can you be more specific?”
“We were about to die trying to escape the Colosseum, so I used an explosive, which made the floor collapse, and then we stumbled onto an unexplored area.”
Eina had been slowly lifting her head up off the table in the soundproofed room, but as Bell’s explanation continued, she clasped it in both hands and groaned loudly.
Rivira’s leader, Bols, had dropped by the Guild, so she’d heard that there had been some kerfuffle involving Gale Wind, but based on what he’d said, she’d thought that was the extent of it. Could anyone have imagined that the outcome of a skirmish with moss huge would have led to an encounter with a wormwell controlled by the notorious Jura Harma, a battle with a heretofore-unknown Irregular, and finally a fall into the deep levels? No one. Not even a god.
Bell spoke haltingly as he carefully chose his words, but apparently Ouranos knew about the Juggernaut creature. If this had been divine will that went right over the heads of the Guild’s top brass, Eina would keep silent about said monster, too, but in truth, she had no idea what was going on. She’d even been surprised to learn that Bell apparently knew Gale Wind personally.
As far as his familia went, Eina heard that they planned to keep the fact that they’d reached the deep levels a tight secret. This had been at Lilly’s instigation, who undoubtedly wanted to avoid a possible hike in the fees they might owe the Guild.
This was technically illegal, but given the circumstances, there was certainly an argument to be made that they had every right to submit a false report.
So Eina decided to cooperate—however…
“By the way—what do your abilities look like after your latest Status update?”
“Um…my highest is a B.”
Whap. Eina fell forward onto the table again, her hands spread flat against it as though she’d been knocked over mid-cry.
That was already the second time it happened since they started their talk.
Ugh, my head hurts…
Eina felt battered, despite only having to listen to Bell recount events.
The parchment on which she had been writing with a quill pen had rapidly become useless. She had started out imagining that she probably wouldn’t be able to file the report, and indeed it was totally impossible. The report of Bell’s ascension to second-tier adventurer, including the account of his familia’s expedition, would have to be shelved.
Hestia Familia ’s first expedition, a mission issued by the Guild, would be recorded as a failure. Eina was certain that adding any unnecessary embellishments beyond that would simply make the seams in the story stick out, so she decided to sweep the entire issue aside with that single word.
In that moment, she decided that she’d agree on a cover story with Lilly, Bell’s strategist.
Anyway, it’ll give Bell some time to do some studying.
She had no idea what was going to happen with the boy next.
He needed intensive, one-on-one instruction. Desperately. She pushed up her glasses and summoned her resolve. That was also the moment the poor boy’s fate was quietly sealed.
“……”
Her mind racing, Eina exhaled.
She looked up, certain her eyebrows were raised. “Stand up, Bell.”
“H-huh?”
“Just stand up!” she ordered with an expression that might’ve seemed harsher than she felt.
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
Eina stood as well, then walked around the table to stand face-to-face with Bell. She extended her hand, and the nervous Bell squeezed his eyes shut, clearly certain he was about to get yelled at.
And then—
“Huh?”
She embraced the boy, holding him close, and spoke the words that were in her heart. “Bell…thank you for coming back.”
There wasn’t much difference in their height, but after closing the distance between them, Eina could tell that Bell had become much sturdier than he looked.
“I know I’ve said this many times, but…there have been many adventurers who didn’t.” As she murmured into Bell’s ear, she felt him tremble for a moment.
Eina had met a great deal of adventurers. Those who never returned far outnumbered the ones who did, and Eina wasn’t the only Guild worker who felt that weight; they all did.
“You came back from a very dangerous place. You could’ve easily died, but you didn’t, and…I’m glad.”
“Miss Eina…”
“So thank you, Bell…”
She meant it.
Eina had been responsible for another adventurer, once.
But she hadn’t come back.
She and Eina had been about Bell’s age at the time. Maybe that was why she remembered it so well. Perhaps she had subconsciously associated her sadness with Bell and had found some measure of peace.
Even after so many adventures, he’s still here…
The heartbeats she felt from the boy’s chest were proof that this was neither a dream nor an illusion. Eina was painfully aware of just how precious and unlikely it was that he was still standing right in front of her like this. All the more so given that he’d returned from the deep levels.
She couldn’t help but bare all her emotions. To express the happiness and relief that welled up within her at being reunited with him.
“I’m so glad I get to see you again…”
His white hair brushed against her cheek. Somehow it carried the scent of snow.
Bell had been stiff with nervousness, but he relaxed, and she could feel him smile. Eina smiled, too.
After some obvious hesitation, he brought his right arm up and patted her back gently, as though to reassure her.
A new wave of affection for him overflowed within her, and Eina squeezed Bell even more tightly.
However —
Normally it was hidden by her uniform, but despite being a half-elf, she had a fairly impressive bust for a woman of elven descent, and as it was pressed against Bell’s chest, it audibly brushed against his dangling left arm. It may as well have been a plaster cast, considering how it froze his arm in place.
Bell turned red.
Eina did likewise, though she had initiated.
In a flash, Eina grabbed Bell’s shoulders and pushed him away. The moment now behind them, the two sprang back from each other, their faces both bright red as they regarded one another.
“I—I have to go get some notes! So, so many notes! So many notes that if you study them all, you’ll be able to go all the way down to the fiftieth floor with no problem!” Eina tried to retreat from the confined space with an obvious excuse.
In spite of this declaration that amounted to a death sentence for him, Bell immediately went along with it in his desperation to dispel the sudden awkwardness. “Y-yes, that’s perfect! Wow, I’m so happy!”
As Bell gestured for her to go as she pleased, Eina hurriedly turned and tried to make her escape, but—
“Um, Miss Eina!”
She was stopped short by Bell’s voice. She flinched, then looked hesitantly back over her shoulder—
—where she saw Bell bowing deeply to her. “Thank you so much! Everything I learned from you is why I made it back at all!”
Eina’s emerald eyes widened.
All that monster knowledge he’d acquired had been useful.
The information she’d given him about the deep levels had kept him alive.
That’s what Bell was saying.
She turned back around to see the boy smiling at her bashfully, his cheeks still red-tinged. Eina didn’t know how to react as she was torn between all-consuming joy and an unbearable embarrassment. The two conflicting emotions warred within her as she returned an awkward smile accompanied by the furrowed eyebrows that told of imminent tears.
Eina made her exit successfully this time, putting the consultation box behind her.
“…Aaaaaaaaugh! What am I doing ?! I mean, I’m happy he made it back alive, but at this rate Bell’s going to sue me for the sexual harassment that deities are always talking about.” She was still blushing to the tips of her pointed ears as she walked briskly, muttering recriminations to herself—I shouldn’t have let my guard down just because it was a private room, why was I so forward, not that I was forward in that sense —which only deepened her embarrassment.
While the air of the spacious lobby cooled her hot face, she did her best to disguise her murmurs with the quick, sharp clicking of her footsteps.
“Still…that was really nice.” An innocent smile crept onto her face as she turned Bell’s words over in her mind. He must have been wanting to say that to her ever since he’d returned from the deep levels. Just as Eina the adviser had been able to speak what had been on her mind, Bell the adventurer had found the words to convey what was in his heart.
When she noticed her expression beginning to soften, she hastily composed her face as she entered the offices next to the lobby that adjoined the Guild’s service windows. She then sat at her desk, determined not to let her colleagues notice what had just happened.
“Aah, Tulle?” a fellow receptionist called out to her.
“Miss Rose? What’s the problem?”
Rose was a beautiful werewolf woman with long red hair, and even among the receptionists, she was known as a capable coordinator—but she seemed to be trying to quiet her normally strong voice.
“It’s about that money…”
“Money? I haven’t borrowed or lent anything, have I?”
“No, no, not that…” As Eina cocked her head curiously, Rose rummaged around under her desk, finally producing a large bottle.
Packed inside it was a respectable amount of money in valis.
Eina instinctively flinched away.
“Remember? All the receptionist girls placed bets…”
Eina suddenly remembered.
That’s right—it had been half a year earlier that she’d so unbecomingly (for a Guild employee) participated in gambling.
“The next longest bet was for six months…and pretty soon, it’ll be that long since Little Rookie —I mean, Rabbit Foot —became an adventurer…”
“Which means you’re the only one left, Eina…” said a normally expressionless elf girl who was one of the senior receptionist women. She was nicknamed the “Ice Fairy” and was the second most popular receptionist behind Eina herself, but at the moment, her face betrayed a certain impatience.
Eina could see more receptionists behind her, all watching expectantly.
“Um…Just how much money is in there?”
“Uh, about five times our salary, maybe?”
Eina fell silent. Simultaneously, the puzzle was solved.
Essentially, this little game that everybody had entered thinking it was a sure bet, or a joke, or a meaningless little match, had somehow ended up with Eina as the sole winner—which had caused quite the stir.
If their boss discovered that the pride of the Guild, its receptionists, had been gambling like this, they’d be severely scolded, so many of them probably wanted to just pretend this had never happened.
Even Misha, who hadn’t participated, made a little murmur of surprise when she heard the grand total.
Evidently mistaking Eina’s continued silence for ambivalence, Rose the werewolf receptionist smiled in relief. “Well, I suppose a Goody Two-shoes like you isn’t going to want to actually keep the money, so—”
“No, I’ll take it.” Eina lightly snatched up the bottle containing the pot.
Immediately, the receptionists all went wide-eyed.
Eina smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes.
Then, she spoke with such decisive force that no one would be able to claim they hadn’t heard her.
“Please don’t worry! With this money, I vow to take one Bell Cranell to dinner.”
“““Whaaaaaaaat?”””
The room exploded after Eina’s bold declaration.
Many of the receptionists cried out in dismay or slid off their chairs—the response was particularly pronounced in the males present.
“Hwhaaa?!” Misha was among the upset. “Y-you mustn’t, Eina! It would be an abuse of your authority! You cannot do anything that would dishonor the elven blood that flows through your—”
“That’s right! For you to have the young nestling adventurer for yourself simply because he’s become famous, it’s—”
“Having engaged in conduct unbecoming of an elf, my punishment shall be treating Sir Cranell to dinner! My redemption as an elf requires nothing less! He should be the one to benefit from this enormous sum!”
In the face of Eina’s sound argument, a silence fell. As she turned to leave with the bottle in her arms, she heard more restrained cries from the receptionists, but she ignored them.
—When she thought back to the moment this wager started, it had made her a little angry.
It was better this way.
Anything that functioned as an apology would suffice, and dinner was simply an expedient way to do it.
She certainly could also use the money to get some equipment or items for him, which he would just as certainly refuse to accept, or at least try to—so she’d use dinner as a pretext.
That settled it. This certainly wasn’t about her personal desires. She’d just ask him out.
Explaining it all would be a pain, but she was going to have the dinner with him that she always wanted. It was decided!
So long as her adventurer came back, Eina would do anything to help them and anything to stand by them.
That instinct of hers hadn’t weakened one bit.
Just as she was about to walk out the door of the office, Eina turned around and addressed the clamoring workers one last time.
“I’m his adviser, after all!”
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