Chapter 2:
Broken Noses
WE LEFT FOR THE Adventurer’s Guild the next morning, eager to see what Reggs had managed to dig up. We knew where Garrus was now, but maybe the informant had found something else—like the family who hired him, or the circumstances. If they had forced Garrus into working for them, then we weren’t about to hunt them down, but we would definitely be more cautious.
“Sorry for the wait.”
“No problem. I just got here.”
While their exchange was like lovers going on a date, the romance was ruined by Reggs’ middle-aged grin.
“I’ve got some information for you. I’ve reserved a room for us upstairs. Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Reggs didn’t want any eavesdroppers? This was promising. He led us to one of the guild’s private rooms.
“Silence.”
“Excellent spell. No wonder they call you the Black Lightning Princess.”
We soundproofed the room with Silence so we could talk without worrying about eavesdroppers.
“So about Garrus… Unfortunately, I don’t know his exact location.”
“Hm. Can’t be helped.”
Reggs explained that Garrus was hired by the government and was no longer in the city. Nothing we didn’t know already.
“Looks like you knew that already. How about this then? Garrus has been employed by the kingdom, right?”
“Hm.”
“Well, whoever hired him bore the crest of the Marquis Aschtner. I don’t know if the marquis was acting under orders of the royal family or not…but I’m willing to bet he hired Garrus for his own reasons.”
The marquis would’ve acted secretly, but the information seemed to be accurate. The crest was the same as the Aschtner’s villa here in Bulbola. Reggs had seen them frequent the villa, as well. The vassal had done himself a disservice by acting in secret. Bulbolans were nervous about suspicious people from the capital ever since the Linford Fiend outbreak.
“Aschtner? I’ve heard that name before.”
Marquis Aschtner is Seldio’s father.
He’s the noble tracking down Godswords?
Yeah.
Seldio was a nobleman adventurer who attacked Fran in the dungeons of Ulmutt—trying to steal me away from her. We didn’t have a friendly impression of his dad, either. This was the man who drugged his own son and controlled him like a puppet. Also, secretly collecting superweapons wasn’t a hobby for an upright noble. And now he’d got his hands on Garrus…
“I didn’t see it for myself, but I hear a cart left the Aschtner house the day Garrus disappeared.”
“You think he was in it?”
“It’s a high possibility.”
“Is Garrus okay?”
“He should be. I think your blacksmith is being treated well. Can’t expect him to work after a torture session.”
Reggs had a point. Upsetting Garrus would affect the quality of his work. He couldn’t use his skills while under the effects of mind control, either. Aschtner needed to keep Garrus in one piece. Of course, that didn’t exempt Garrus from being pressured in other ways.
“Besides, Garrus is Blacksmith Royal of Granzell—a title bestowed on him by the king himself. Harming him could be counted as treason.”
“What if they silenced him?”
“Won’t work. If a man like Garrus fell off the radar for too long, the kingdom would look for him. Even if they hid him perfectly, they wouldn’t escape the kingdom’s reach. No one would be that stupid.”
I dunno, Reggs. We’d seen nobles do stupider things than that.
“In any case, Garrus is the closest thing we have to a Godsmith. His skill is literally priceless. I don’t think the Aschtners would do anything stupid.”
Good point. We were expecting the worst, but Garrus’s letter didn’t sound like he was dragged away kicking and screaming. He even told us to meet him at the auctions, so I was sure we could contact him once we got to the capital. Regardless, since we didn’t know where he was, we couldn’t do anything for him.
“I have some extra tidbits about the Aschtners that might interest you.”
“Shoot.”
“It looks like their subordinates were up to something. Something big enough for the kingdom to launch an investigation into their villa here.”
They must’ve gotten a whiff of the Seldio incident. Perhaps they were compelled by all the complaints from the Adventurer’s Guild. Did hiring Garrus have something to do with that? We didn’t have enough information.
“Also, their knights were sent on an expedition to the Demon Wolf’s Garden. Most of them were wiped out in the Withering Forest, and only a few returned.”
“The Demon Wolf’s Garden? Why would they go there?”
“I couldn’t get the details. They did hire some adventurers to continue the expedition, though.”
How persistent of them. The Garden was a Haunt with B-Rank monsters. The Aschtners would have a hard time finding adventurers to risk it.
“Nothing came of it. The only ones who would take the offer were low rank.”
Figured. Marquis Aschtner wanted to keep his expedition a secret and posted the quest anonymously. No adventurer in his right mind would take on something so risky.
“That’s all I have for you. Sorry I couldn’t get anything better.”
“No problem. It was still useful.”
We’d confirmed that Garrus was safe and that Aschtner was involved. Those were vital bits of information. We paid Reggs the agreed fee and went on our way.
We still don’t know where Garrus is.
“Hm…”
Well, he told us to meet him at the auction. All we can do now is wait.
“Alright.”
Fran knew that it was out of her hands. It didn’t take long for her to organize her feelings.
Garrus can handle himself better than we can. He’ll be fine.
“Hm.”
Anyway, we need to see Gammod. We’re right on time, too.
“Hm.”
A sparring match with young adventurers…
“I’m burning with determination.”
No! There will be no burnings of anyone today!
“Hm?”
I was a lot more worried about whether Fran knew to hold back! It was nice to know she was motivated, but if she fought too hard, she might permanently injure the cadets. As talented as Gammod made them sound, they definitely wouldn’t be able to keep up with Fran. I was pretty sure the Guildmaster knew that. Or had he set her up with adventurers who were strong enough to make her sweat? No, he was most likely forcing his students to walk the valley of humiliation. I just hoped they could survive the trek. Well, we’d figure that out when we saw them.
We left the meeting room and headed to the first floor. The Guildmaster would probably allow us to drop into his office, but a quest was a quest. We had to go through the proper channels.
“Is Gammod here yet?” Fran’s tone remained improper, of course.
“Good morning, Fran. Yes, right this way.”
The receptionist led us to a small room in the back of the guild. When we went inside, we saw it was an armory. Weapons and armor decorated the cramped walls. Some were just left on the floor.
Gammod was waiting for Fran. He was fully geared up, radiating intense mana. I recognized his armor from the Linford fight. This was what he wore in a fight to the death. Hang on, was he going out to hunt dragons? I thought he just wanted us to spar with his students?
“You’re here!”
“Hm. What’s with the armor? Am I sparring with you, too?” Fran’s voice dripped with excitement. She desperately wanted to see what Gammod was capable of.
Unfortunately, the dwarf shook his head. “No, I’m the referee. I just thought I should gear up in case you pull off a big spell. Safety first, you know.”
“Oh.” Fran sighed, clearly disappointed, but she was still determined to give everything she had.
“Harumph.”
You can take it easy, Fran.
“Hm. I’ll do my best.”
Fran clenched her fists. I prayed for the safety of her training partners.
“Are you ready?”
“Ready enough to kill.”
No killing!
“Well then, let’s get going. The kids are in the training area round back.”
The training area was quite sizable: thirty meters from corner to corner. The walls were thick to prevent any roughhousing from spilling out of the training room. There were more adventurers waiting for us than I expected.
“Look alive, you punks!”
“S’up.”
“Good morning, sir!”
“Hey.”
“Wooo!”
I was expecting two or three, not nine. Their personalities were varied enough, from delinquent to annoyingly passionate to straitlaced. I Identified them and found that they were all quite strong. Two stood out from the rest: a Level 27 Illusion Blade and a Level 26 Flame Mage. Both had D-Rank abilities.
The D-Ranks aside, the average level was still about 22—strong E-Ranks, at least. The lowest was a Level 20 Scout. I could see why Gammod took an interest in them. Considering how young they were, they were actually quite powerful.
“We’re going to do some sparring today.”
The adventurers groaned at Gammod’s announcement.
“Again?”
“Can we fight Forlund, at least?”
“You don’t pull your punches like, ever.”
Despite the youths’ complaints, there was no malice in them.
“Shut it, you brats!” Gammod shouted, immediately silencing them. “Introduce yourself.”
“Hm. Fran.” Fran stepped forward, drawing their gaze.
They turned to one of their members. Why were they all looking at this one man? A quick Identify revealed that the Shielder, named Red, possessed Identify 7. They couldn’t tell how strong Fran was, but he could.
Still, Identify wouldn’t help him with our Fake Identity in play. We had set our abilities to look like a greenhorn. Identify wasn’t everything—and this was coming from someone who used it frequently. Fake Identity aside, there were things that it couldn’t reveal—namely experience and mentality. Someday, their overreliance on Identify would get them in trouble. Fortunately, today might just be that day. Gammod charged his cadets with the cruel task of figuring out Fran’s real strength.
Red sighed and shrugged to his friends, signaling that Fran was no big deal. The rest of the adventurers immediately relaxed. They thought the Guildmaster was only showing Fran the training room and wanted to introduce her.
“All of you are going to spar with Fran today.”
“Are…you sure?” one of the adventurers asked.
“Yeah. Fran, don’t go easy on ’em. Beat ’em up to your heart’s content.”
“Hm.” Fran nodded.
The adventurers smirked, all except Mr. Straitlaced. They thought Gammod was giving them free rein. That she’d acted out of line and needed a good beating. “You got it, boss.”
“Good.” Gammod only made matters worse. He purposely let the misunderstanding hang.
Never mind bones, their egos were going to be shattered once they saw what Fran was capable of. I could sympathize with the young and talented adventurers. Better for them to break their noses in training than to suffer broken bones on the battlefield.
“Dufaux, you’re up.” Gammod pointed at Fran’s first victim.
“Who, me?”
“Did I stutter?”
“No…”
Fran stole a glance at Gammod, who responded with a smile and a wink—giving her the assurance that she could whale on his pupil all she wanted.
Don’t go overboard.
Hm. I’ll make sure he can still come back with a Greater Heal.
That’s going overboard! At least make it a Mid Heal!
Fran readied me and walked to the middle of the arena, unable to conceal her enthusiasm.
Dufaux, the young Illusion Blade, took his time entering the arena, blissfully unaware of the pain that was to come. He looked disappointed at having to fight Fran, since he was convinced that Gammod would bring him an actual challenge. The dwarf stood between them as referee.
“You’re all going to fight Fran at least twice.”
“What? I don’t think she’s going to last.”
“All depends on how you fight.”
Dufaux shrugged, unsure of how to respond to that.
“I have healers ready, don’t worry. Come on, get started.”
“Yes, yes. I swear you only call me for these occasions.” An ordinary looking middle-aged woman came into the training hall at Gammod’s behest. She looked so plain that her name could have been Villager A, for all I knew. She looked very out of place.
A quick Identify ratified my view of her. She was strong—stronger than the young adventurers assembled here. Healing Magic 3 immediately caught my eye. She was a high enough level to use Greater Heal.
“This is Beth. Former B-Rank, now a happily wedded housewife.”
“I still get requests from time to time.”
“Come on, we pay you well enough.”
“That doesn’t make me your private healer! Well, you’re a great help to our finances, at least. My husband is so bad at saving money. Ha ha ha!”
She looked like an ordinary woman, but that might be testament to her expertise. I expected the adventurers to underestimate her, but they took her seriously enough. Even they knew the top healers. They were relieved, although their contempt for Fran remained. They just took it as a sign that they were allowed to go all out.
Fran had the exact same thought. She grinned.
“Bow.” Gammod signaled the fighters to get ready.
“Name’s Dufaux.”
“Fran.”
“Begin!”
On his mark, Gammod started the match. However, the two combatants were at a standstill. Each waited for the other to make the first move, albeit for completely different reasons.
Fran had a habit of waiting for her opponent to act first. It gave her a chance to knock Dufaux out in one blow, since he’d already underestimated her abilities. On the other hand, Dufaux thought it was good manners to let a weak opponent go first. He trusted his friend’s Identify and expected Fran to be another weak Black Cat. Considering his level, he should have judged Fran’s abilities regardless of Identify…
In any case, he wasn’t going to make the first move. He would be a gentleman and give Fran the first attack. Expectation was a terrifying thing.
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to attack?”
“Can I?” Fran asked.
Her question was directed at Gammod, but Dufaux thought she was asking him.
“It’s good manners to let the weaker combatant have the first move.”
Those were fighting words. The hilarious irony almost made me laugh.
“Hm?”
Nothing.
“What are you mumbling about?” he said. “Come on, I have to get back to work. I don’t got all day to play with you.”
“But you said the weaker combatant has the first move.”
“So?”
“So you should go first.”
That would get his attention. Fran was only stating the truth, but that statement dealt huge damage to Dufaux’s ego.
“Don’t go acting smart on me, kid.”
“How am I acting smart?”
“I mean don’t get in over your head! You think I’m weaker?! Huh?!”
“Yeah. Anyone can see that.”
“You little…!”
Wow, this guy had a short temper. I thought it was childish to believe his friend’s Identify without a second thought, but this was getting hard to watch. But then, despite his abilities, he was only twenty-three and still ignorant of the ways of the world. He was inexperienced and liable to get in trouble outside of battle, despite all of his training. This blind spot might be why Gammod asked Fran to spar with them.
“Dude, just hurry up and make the first attack.”
“Yeah, you’re getting into an argument with a kid. Really?”
“Get this farce over with so we can leave.”
Dufaux’s companions were egging him on now. They didn’t think he was about to lose, either.
“Shut up! You want me to make the first move to a newbie?!” The jeering only made him more stubborn.
Can’t be helped. I guess you’ll have to hit him first.
Hm. Sure.
Fran readied me. “I’m going to attack you now. Block it.”
“What are you telling me that for?”
“Here goes.”
“Huh—?”
Dufaux barely had a chance to react. Sharp pain rushed through his right leg as he lost his balance and fell to the floor. Fran was in front of him before he even knew what was going on.
“Gaaaargh!” He screamed, holding his freshly chopped stump.
Was that too much?
I thought Fran wanted to let Dufaux show off his abilities by purposely giving him an easy first strike.
Now the others won’t think twice about attacking me.
I see.
Dufaux was a howling witness of what would happen if you didn’t take Fran seriously.
I think you got the point across.
“Next. Rachid.” Gammod’s voice boomed through the training hall.
“What? Me?”
“Ready up!”
“S-sir!”
The next victim frantically stumbled into the arena. He was the lancer who had egged Dufaux on.
“I’m Fran.”
“R-Rachid. Wait, no, I’m not ready!”
Gammod ignored Rachid’s pleas. “Begin!”
“Hm.”
“Gyaaaa!”
The fight was over as soon as it started. Fran lopped off the tip of Rachid’s spear, along with his right arm. The rest of the crew finally grasped that Fran was no ordinary girl. Their anxiety was palpable.
“Next. Naria.” Gammod pointed to the archer who had teased Dufaux earlier.
“Uhhhhh.” She tossed a glance at Rachid, who was receiving treatment for his wounds.
“My goodness, it’s such a clean cut!”
“It hurts…”
“Come on, man up and stop struggling!”
“Ow! Don’t hit me…!”
“I did nothing of the sort.”
The healer was saying things like, “You want me to kiss it better?” while administering Greater Heals. The blood pouring out of Rachid’s arm should’ve made for a gruesome scene, but the old healer was smiling and unfazed. She wasn’t a former B-Rank for nothing.
Naria glanced at Red, begging for help. The Shielder noticed her gaze and responded to it with a frantic shake of the head. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it—Fran’s stats were still as weak as before.
“I’m Fran.”
“Umm…”
“And this is Naria. Begin!”
“Wait, no! Dammit!”
Naria stepped back the instant the match began. After watching her two companions get mauled, she decided to make the best of her panic. She drew her bow, preparing to take aim, but Fran was too close.
“Shit, why is she so fa—gyaaa!”
Naria lost in the same manner as Rachid—by losing her right arm.
Next up was a big man named Miguel. He walked steadily into the arena and was the first among the crew who looked like he considered Fran a legitimate threat. He tossed a cursory glance at Red, but the Shielder could do little more than shrug.
“I’m Miguel.”
“Hm. Fran.”
“Begin!”
“Haaaa!”
Miguel actually came at us full force. Good on him. Unfortunately, his attack was nothing to write home about. While he knew that Fran was concealing her stats, her appearance was still that of a weak little girl. He brought his greatsword down on her head, intent on crushing her through sheer force.
I guessed we could give him and Red a little bit of a show.
“Hm!”
“What?!” Miguel gasped in shock.
Fran positioned me to block. Their swords clashed, and although Miguel put his entire weight into his strike, Fran didn’t flinch.
“Hmph!”
“Aaaargh!”
Fran braced herself and thrust forward. It lifted the big man—he lost his balance and fell over. Miguel and Red couldn’t believe their eyes. Fran shouldn’t be able to overpower him, let alone with one swing. And yet she did so easily. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the show.
“Stun Bolt.”
“Guaaah!”
“No way!” Red shouted in disbelief as Fran used Thunder Magic—a skill not listed in her stats.
“Ha!”
“Urgh…”
Fran kicked Miguel right in the face, sending his paralyzed body flying several meters.
Red could only croak in disbelief. “Why…?”
“Yes, Red?” Gammod asked innocently. This was the exact development he was looking for.
“S-sir, what’s with this beast girl?!”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s not supposed to be this strong! Identify listed her as being low level and unable to use magic! And what she did to Miguel…!”
Gammod grinned. “You don’t know who she is?”
“No!”
“A Black Cat girl, able to use Thunder Magic and neutralize Dufaux in a second. And you don’t know who she is? None of you?”
“…”
Gammod’s question was answered with silence. I couldn’t believe none of them guessed “Black Lightning Princess” with all the hints he gave them.
The Guildmaster sighed, clearly frustrated. “This is why I’m worried sick about your development.”
“…”
“Your heads are inflated beyond belief. You go hunting without a shred of information and leave everything to blind luck. You rely on Identify so much that you can’t tell when you’re facing a powerful opponent, and you immediately get obliterated as soon as the bell rings.”
Gammod didn’t mince his words. He wanted Fran to break their egos; it was the whole point of these matches.
Gammod introduced Fran to the silent and dejected adventurers. “This is the C-Rank adventurer, Fran. Also known as the Black Lightning Princess. She’s the guild’s top rising star, especially after beating an A-Rank in the Ulmutt fighting tournament.”
The adventurers’ eyes went wide. They might not know who the Black Lightning Princess was, but they knew how hard it was to place in the tournament.
“That’s the tournament you failed to get into, by the way.”
The cadets knew firsthand how difficult it was to pass the qualifiers.
“What?”
“No way!”
“I think I heard rumors about her…”
“I mean, she’s a Black Cat…”
“You could’ve figured out who she was,” Gammod shouted, “if you paid the slightest bit of attention!”
The adventurers slumped in unison. They knew their information game was slacking, and it had caused them great physical pain.
“There are skills that allow people to fake or hide their Identify stats. Keep relying on it, and you’ll walk into an early grave.”
“Yes, sir…”
“Remember that there’s always someone better—”
Gammod gave his cadets an earful and only stopped when Beth the paramedic started yawning.
His lecture was a useful refresher to me. What happened to the cadets could happen to us at any time. The matches reminded me to be more mindful of who we fought and how we fought them. The tournament taught us the terror of a difference in strength. The sparring matches taught us not to forget the basics.
“Phew. Sorry about that, little lady.”
“Hm. You took too long.”
“Yeah. You got the point across, though. Sparring with tougher opponents is how you grow. I hope you can whip ’em into shape.”
“Of course.” Fran grinned.
The adventurers couldn’t sneer at her any more. In fact, they were cowering as if they’d been thrown naked to a pack of wild animals. I felt a little bad, but Gammod announced that the sparring would go on. The adventurers were completely annihilated. Fran beat them all without giving them a chance to show what they were made of. It took less than five minutes.
“Is that all you’ve got? You guys are pathetic…”
“Urgh…”
“I’m sorry, sir…”
The adventurers looked dejected. Gammod’s attempt to motivate them with tough words had failed. They knew how weak they were, and they had lost all confidence in themselves. We might have completely shattered their spirits. Fran tossed a glance at the Guildmaster to see if he wanted her to continue. Broken adventurers might grow depressed and might quit adventuring altogether, but Gammod only nodded, unfazed by such trivialities.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. If this is enough to make them quit, that means they’re not cut out for it. Better to quit while they’re still alive.”
Willpower cannot be trained in a mechanical way like the body. Adventuring required a certain type of character, and it certainly wasn’t for everyone. Gammod was being kind—letting them leave before they were killed in the line of duty. With their abilities, it was only a matter of time before they started exploring dangerous dungeons and Haunts. By then, it would be too late to make them realize their weakness.
“We’ll begin the second round. Dufaux, Naria, Miguel. Step forward.”
“Sir…”
“Eek.”
“Yeah…”
The adventurers answered, making it apparent they had already given up. Naria was already terrified.
“Three-on-one now. That okay with you?”
“Hm.”
The adventurers were definitely not okay with it, but Gammod didn’t ask for their opinion.
“Let’s see…the little lady won’t fight back to begin with. If you manage to land a single hit on her, you win.”
You can’t just throw in new rules like that! Either way, the restriction only served to motivate Fran. I sometimes forgot that she was still a child, and this was like a game to her. Life also returned to the adventurers’ eyes as they saw that they had a fighting chance. With the three of them together, they might be able to hit Fran before she wiped them out.
“Ready? Begin!”
“Raargh!”
Miguel rushed forward to open the match. He swung his greatsword, but the move was so awkward that we could tell it was a feint. Dufaux jumped out of the big man’s cover and did a decent job at concealing his presence. Meanwhile, Naria pelted Fran with arrows, firing them from under Miguel’s arm. They were almost close enough to graze Fran’s face. Not bad for an ambush. Following the archer, Dufaux prepared his attack. All the time they spent together was paying off.
Dufaux’s sword flickered like a mirage thanks to his Illusion Blade—a skill that allowed him to mask his swordsmanship. It was a useful thing to have in close-quarter combat.
However, it would prove worthless against Fran. She could feel his presence and the air. She broke the arrows in midflight with her bare hands and dodged Miguel and Dufaux’s attacks by a hair’s breadth. Then she jumped away from the circle of death and left the three cadets stupefied.
They thought nothing could evade their highly coordinated attack. The three tried to land any kind of strike on Fran, but she dodged with ease. Once Gammod gave her the go-ahead, she kicked them all away, knocking every one of them out cold.
The other adventurers could only watch in stunned silence. If that level of coordination wasn’t enough to beat her, they couldn’t imagine how they would land a hit. Even so, the sparring session continued. The second group ended the same way as the first, and we moved on to the third. It was a party of three: Wander, a Flame Mage who was as powerful as Dufaux; Red, the Shielder; and Riddick, the straight-man Lancer. Red was terrified, while Riddick looked the most prepared. Wander looked confident enough—although he was helpless against Fran in a one-on-one duel, he had a fighting chance now that he was in a group. His attitude was a far cry from his initial surrender in the solo match.
He had a good reason to be confident. Get good enough with magic and you learn how to manipulate the path of a spell, making it very difficult to dodge. Red and Riddick drew Fran into position and the Flame Mage cast his spell.
“Flare Blast!”
He was serious, too. The spell was powerful enough to gravely injure a C-Rank and leave a mark that even Greater Heal couldn’t mend. And it wasn’t like Wander lost control. He smirked, knowing that sweet revenge was at hand. He knew exactly how much mana he had used. The whole thing made me want to crush him. We needed to leave something behind for Gammod, I guess, but Wander’s ego was about to be obliterated.
“Flare Blast.”
Fran fired the exact same spell back at Wander. They exploded and canceled each other out.
“That can’t be! Flare Blast!”
“Flare Blast.”
“No…Fire Javelin!”
“Fire Javelin.”
“No no no no no!”
Canceling a spell like that wasn’t as simple as it looked. You had to cast the exact same spell as your opponent and control it so that they met. That meant Speedcasting your opponent’s spell the second you knew what it was. It was a complex move and only possible if you knew the type and intensity of the opponent’s spell. Then again, maybe we only pulled it off because we were up against Wander. He didn’t conceal his mana output and took a long time casting his spells. Any skilled magician could have seen through his attacks. Fran wasn’t even that good at magic. This was the hidden cost of always casting spells in your allies’ shadows—Wander was only focused on magic and neglected his other skills.
When he realized this, he lost the will to fight and fell to his knees. In the end, Fran responded by sending him flying through the air with a single kick. We thought the sparring session was over, but Gammod had other ideas.
“What if all nine of them come at you at once?”
“Hm? Sure, I don’t mind.”
I swear Gammod was a Spartan drill sergeant, intent on breaking his cadets’ spirits. Fran had no reason to refuse, seeing as she had barely broken a sweat. The final match began. The rules were the same as before: Fran wouldn’t attack until Gammod’s signal, and if the adventurers managed to land a hit on her before that, victory was theirs.
The whole thing was a wash, of course. The cadets didn’t manage to land a hit, even after chasing her for ten minutes. The initial barrage soon faded into half-hearted swings as it dawned on them they were not going to win. It was kind of sad.
Fran wiped out the entire team by putting a tiny bit of effort into her attack. Gammod was caught in her fire spell, but he looked right at home. It wasn’t that powerful, really. The cadets should be strong enough to stand their ground, but they did nothing but scream. They needed more mental toughness.
Gammod examined his unconscious pupils and thanked Fran. “That was a good sparring session. Thanks for coming.”
“Hm.”
“I just hope this motivates them to become stronger.”
Gammod sighed. His smile disappeared when he remembered how pathetic the adventurers had been. “Gods, you won’t believe how hard they wanted to explore the depths of a Haunt.”
“You mean the Crystal Cage?”
“That’s the one. You’ve been there?”
“Only halfway.”
“See, even you only made it halfway.”
The last time we went to the Crystal Cage was to collect some meat for the cooking contest. That was the first time we saw Forlund. It was quite a shock seeing him take down a B-Threat Thunderbird with little to no difficulty.
“So they wanted to explore the depths?”
“Yeah. Anyone’s free to explore the midpoint of the Cage, but entrance to some of the areas is restricted. Not that we have guards posted there at all times, of course. It’s up to each individual adventurer to know their limitations. Although folks who go over their limits have a nasty habit of dying.”
Monsters of various threat levels spawned in the Crystal Cage. Adventurers did well to avoid areas that were far above their rank, but the whole thing basically ran on an honor system.
“The higher the Threat Level, the more dangerous the area. But with more danger comes greater rewards. A lot of adventurers can’t resist.”
By nature, adventurers were a reckless lot. They took on great risks in the name of great fortune and never once thought about the bad things that might befall them in the process. They might be able to defeat a powerful monster. They might be able to harvest rare herbs and materials. They might get lucky and avoid encountering anything too powerful. To them, bad luck was something that happened to other people. Adventurers readily bit off more than they could chew with that kind of mindset. Apparently, it was the same in Bulbola.
“They’ve managed to clear the midpoint several times in the past.”
Given the cadets’ abilities, that was certainly possible.
“They’ve been pretty lucky so far. They’ve never run into tough monsters… That’s why they’ve been pestering me for permission to travel the depths. That’s the only place that has a barrier.”
“I see.”
“They’re after some precious ore that can only be mined in the depths. Probably to craft gear.”
“So they don’t plan on fighting?”
“Nope. If they’re confident with anything, it’s their ability to run away.”
At least the cadets weren’t stupid enough to think they could beat a B-Threat monster. But I remembered that Thunderbird being pretty fast. I didn’t think we could’ve made it out without our teleportation spells. And the Thunderbird couldn’t be the only deadly creature in the area. Gammod arranged this sparring session to talk the cadets out of anything stupid.
“They can’t run from a Thunderbird.”
“Not to mention a flock of Storm Eagles.”
“They can’t run from a Darkness Wolf like Jet, either,” said Fran.
“Oh right, you have one of those as a familiar. How’s he doing?”
“Sleeping in the shadows.”
Jet had been asleep since early morning, showing no interest in the sparring match as he had no part in it.
“You know…I have an idea.”
Some time passed. The cadets regained their consciousness and stood in line.
“Well? Have you realized how weak you are?”
The adventurers looked at the floor, but I could still sense some discontent from them. They felt it wasn’t fair to put them up against a prodigy like Fran, and that it wasn’t their fault they lost. Gammod wanted to see if they had given up on exploring the depths, but they clearly hadn’t.
“Alright, moving on to the next round.”
“Whaaaaat?”
“Are we still doing this…?”
“Please, no more.”
“Shut up and listen! This final round’s going to be a little different. Little lady, if you please.”
“Hm. Come out, Jet.”
“Woof!”
The black wolf rose from the shadows at Fran’s behest. The mere sight of him was terrifying, and he had the decency to come out in his giant form to boot. The adventurers gulped.
“This is Jet, Fran’s familiar. He’s a C-Threat Darkness Wolf. The kind that could just show up in the midpoint of Crystal Cage.”
This was a big lie. A Darkness Wolf was a C-Threat, but Jet was a unique specimen and had grown far stronger thanks to fighting alongside us. If anything, he was closer to a B-Threat now—certainly not a monster that would spawn in the midpoint of Crystal Cage. But the adventurers didn’t know that, of course. Red checked Jet’s species and confirmed that the old man wasn’t bluffing.
“If you can run fast enough to escape Jet’s claws, I’ll give you permission to travel the depths.”
“You will?”
“Of course. A man doesn’t go back on his word!”
The rules were simple: the adventurers would start at the center of the training hall, while Jet would stand opposite the exit. If five of them managed to leave the room, they won. If five of them were knocked out, Jet won. Gammod decided that having half of them survive was more realistic than expecting all of them to make it out.
The adventurers brightened once they heard the conditions. They were up against a single monster and all they had to do was get half of their crew out of the room. And so, the game of tag began.
“Go!”
“Raah!”
“Come on!”
Their plan was to sacrifice four of their party members so five could make it out. The fastest adventurers made a mad dash for the exit as Miguel tanked Jet head-on to buy them some time and Wander sent out volleys of fire arrows.
“Ha ha! He’s having trouble fighting all four of us!”
“And look at the size of him! He can’t be that fast!”
“He can’t catch us!”
Despite the fact that the advance team was inches from the exit, Jet didn’t move a muscle. The cadets smiled, convinced that they had this one. But it wasn’t as if Jet couldn’t move—he just had no reason to. His thick fur blocked all of Miguel’s attacks, and a swipe of his paw was enough to dispel Wander’s fiery arrows. Jet took a deep breath and let out a loud roar.
“Awooooo!”
The adventurers stopped in their tracks. They froze like stone statues with fear. Jet’s howl was imbued with Roar, Fear, and Shadow Magic. It inflicted lower level enemies with terror.
“Ah…”
“Eek…”
“Woof.”
Jet ignored the frozen adventurers and melted into the shadows. The cadets balked when the giant wolf reappeared at the exit, blocking their path to victory.
“Bark!”
Jet sent the five adventurers back to the center with a claw swipe and a shadow spell. I thought that would be enough to make them give up, but the adventurers still looked motivated. They thought they still had a fighting chance.
“Come on! Together now!”
“Gooo!”
The adventurers coordinated themselves. However, Jet’s fur deflected all physical attacks, and he immediately regenerated from the few miraculous strikes that made it through.
“No!”
“One more time!”
They kept trying, changing their tactics again. Slowly but surely, they managed to pull Jet away from the exit. Unfortunately, they only managed it because he was going easy on them. Miguel had taken on the role of bait, and Jet chased him. The direwolf could easily have secured victory by simply standing guard at the entrance, but he knew they couldn’t train that way.
Meanwhile, Dufaux and four others rushed the exit. Their ears were plugged up with cloth in an attempt to lessen the impact of Jet’s roar. At this rate, the five of them would make it while the other four fell to Jet’s claws. They smiled, thinking they had won. Gammod sighed and shook his head. Once again, his pupils had underestimated Jet’s powers.
“When will they learn…”
“Grrr!”
Jet wiped out the four decoys with a single shadow spell before they’d bought their friends a single second. The runners were visibly shaken, but they kept on running regardless. The exit was right before them, but in the end, they couldn’t outrun Jet. He chased them down with unbelievable speed.
“I-Impossible…”
“So fast!”
They realized that Jet had been going easy on them. His actual speed and strength were off the charts. They didn’t know what to do. Running away was out of the question. All they could do was desperately try to fight back…
They didn’t put up much of a fight. The first adventurer fell with a single claw swipe. The second was flattened to the ground with Jet’s paw. The third fell unconscious with a tackle, and the fourth with a tail swipe. Finally, a shadow spell pierced Dufaux’s abdomen, leaving him half dead. It had taken all of thirty seconds. If they were out in the field, they would all be dead. Anyone with half a brain could see that.
“Jet wins!”
“Awoooo!”
Jet howled with delight. He hadn’t had the chance to go wild for a while.
“That concludes the sparring session!”
The adventurers looked haggard, even as their wounds were being healed. There was no way they could survive the depths of a Haunt. I hoped it would stop them from doing anything reckless.
“Come here, Fran. Just leave the healing to Beth.”
“Got it.”
Gammod and Fran returned to his office, giving time for the adventurers to cool their heads. The Guildmaster was more than pleased with the results. He grinned, looking like he had gotten away with a horrible crime.
“That was perfect. Sorry it took so long.”
“It’s alright. I learned a lot today.”
“Did you, now?”
“Hm. Thank you very much.”
Fran bowed her head in gratitude. At first glance, the express purpose had been to knock some sense into the pigheaded youngsters, but was that really all there was to it? Maybe he also wanted to advise Fran in the process. Don’t get cocky. There are people far stronger than you. You’re going to die if you stick your head where it doesn’t belong. Fran understood the Guildmaster’s intention and thanked him. Gammod turned away, slightly flustered. The stubborn dwarf would never admit it, but he’d also had Fran in mind when he scheduled the sparring match.
“Whoa now, I didn’t do anything that deserves a thank-you.”
“Hm. I still want to.”
“You’re still young. Just take it slow.”
“Loud and clear.”
Fran took her reward, and we left the guild.
We can finally look for that boat now.
“Hm. Let’s hurry up and get it over with.”
“Woof!”
Well, you two seem awfully motivated for once.
Were they still riding the wave of the sparring session?
“We’re having Io’s curry for dinner tonight.”
“Woof.”
“And we’re not going to be late.”
“Arf.”
Fran and Jet nodded in unison. Their appetites were perfectly aligned. If we couldn’t find a boat, we wouldn’t make it to the orphanage in time. If that happened, they couldn’t eat Io’s curry. Therefore, we should find a boat as fast as possible! Perfect logic. I appreciated their motivation, but I didn’t want to get on any old ship. If we couldn’t find the right one today, we could leave it until tomorrow. I’d rather do that than have Fran sulk over missing Io’s curry.
“Let’s go to the harbor.”
I just hope there are Beastman Nation ships in port.
Fran might be able to hitch a ride as a guard. We had the Beast King’s insignia, and the Black Lightning Princess might be famous enough to be granted a free pass. My main concern was how long the ships were anchored here and whether they would be big enough. I wanted to find an oceangoing vessel instead of a smaller merchant ship. After all, we were making a continental trip. And then there was the problem of the crew. Rigdith said that people of the Beastman Nation had stopped discriminating against Black Cats, but I was sure there were exceptions. I didn’t want anyone giving Fran a hard time because of her race. She might just sink the entire ship.
Let’s take our time.
***
The port was near enough to the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Munch. What about that one?”
“Munch munch.”
Too small.
“Munch munch. That one?”
“Scarf scarf.”
Fran, don’t talk with your mouth full.
Fran and Jet were snacking on curry skewers as they walked about the port. She looked quite the glutton as she shoved skewer after skewer into her mouth.
“Oh.”
Did you spot a good ship?
“That looks delicious.”
Oh. That’s nice.
Fran wandered over to a nearby food stall, attracted by the delectable aroma. The food was quite interesting. Keema curry was wrapped in a cone made from circular bread. It looked like a savory chocolate ice cream.
Now this is weird…
“Tasty.”
“Arf arf!”
The number of new curry dishes was increasing, which was exactly the trend I’d hoped for. I prayed the cooks of this world would keep up their creative output so Fran could keep discovering even more delicious foods.
“Yum yum.”
“Munch munch.”
I just wished she’d pick a better time to enjoy those foods.
We continued exploring the port, buying snacks as we went. I spotted two vessels that had the crest of the Beastman Nation, but they didn’t look like the kind of ships we wanted.
One of them was old and beat up and didn’t look seaworthy. The tub was a merchant vessel used by one of the smaller trade associations, which meant it was manned with a crew that wasn’t particularly good at navigation or combat.
The second boat looked like it could easily survive a cross-continental voyage, but the crew weren’t the sort of people we wanted to associate with—they looked like freshly released pirates, and mean ones at that. Technically, they were no longer pirates, but better safe than sorry. We skipped over the ship and kept looking, then Fran suddenly came to a stop.
“Oh.”
What’s up? Did you find something tasty again?
“What about that ship?”
Fran pointed to a vessel which also had the insignia of the Beastman Nation.
Oooh, that does look promising.
It was a large, imposing vessel, even while still in port. A ship this size would have no trouble crossing the ocean. I just wondered if the captain would let us on such a flashy boat. A ship of this scale would have its own set of guards and no need for adventurers. Anyway, we should take a closer look.
As we drew closer, a man who looked like a merchant called out to us. He appeared to be a wolf beastman, but he didn’t look down on Fran. Then again, traders were exceptionally good at concealing their biases.
“Hello there.”
“Hm?”
“Are you looking for a bodyguard gig?”
“How do you know that?”
The merchant immediately guessed our intention, and Fran put up her guard. I suppose her equipment gave her away. While a normal person might look for ships to take them where they needed to go, adventurers looked for ships where they could exchange their services for free passage.
“How would you like to come work on my ship?”
“Why me?”
Fran immediately went on her guard again. She was still a child. No beginner could look at her and discern her real strength. While the merchant wasn’t much of a combatant, he knew exactly what she was capable of. So why the sudden job offer? He must’ve had some kind of ulterior motive. Maybe the job was a cover-up for an abduction—entice an innocent Black Cat with a bodyguard job and then enslave them.
“Ha ha ha. No self-respecting merchant would miss a chance to get acquainted with the Black Lightning Princess.”
Word must have traveled fast among the traders. It didn’t take a shrewd businessman to figure out that the girl with the wolf was the Black Lightning Princess. Hiring her not only meant employing a powerful adventurer, but it came with a certain amount of prestige. A free ride was a small price to pay.
“What do you think?”
Hmm.
As sweet as the deal sounded, we needed to make one thing sure.
“Where are you headed?”
“Continent of Redina. How about it?”
“Nope.”
“Ah, well…”
The merchant looked disappointed when Fran shook her head. I thought he would’ve been more insistent, but even he couldn’t change where his ship was going. He also knew better than to upset an adventurer who beat an A-Rank in a fighting match.
Others called out to her after that, but none of them seemed to be going to Chrome, where the Beastman Nation was. Perhaps the Seedrun incident deterred sailors from using the western route. A lot of ships were going to the Southern continent of Redina, though.
We continued our efforts for another three hours and finally found a vessel that looked promising. The giant symbol of the Beastman Nation was visible even from afar. A boat of this size would have no problems getting where we needed to go. I didn’t know much about ships, but I thought they’d called this a galleon back on Earth—although I had read it in a comic book, so I couldn’t say for sure whether the information was accurate. In any case, it was one of the biggest ships in port, with five masts jutting up to the sky. Their flag also bore the royal insignia of the Beast King, meaning that this ship answered directly to Rigdith. If its crew wasn’t trustworthy, I didn’t know whose would be.
I found the sailors to be neat, disciplined, and even cheerful at times. Their behavior was neither shady nor violent like the pirate-types we saw earlier. Since they answered to the Beast King, we might even get special treatment. After all, we had a personal endorsement from him.
Fran, let’s give that boat a try.
“Hm. Got it.”
We drew closer to the ship.
Now, how do we talk to the captain?
“Maybe we could talk to those guys.”
I’m not sure if the rank and file would recognize you.
These sailors were neither merchants nor adventurers, and they had been out at sea for a long time. Somehow, I didn’t think they would have got the memo about Fran. Nothing good would come from talking to them—they would probably dismiss her royal endorsement as fake. At least the captain could tell that it was the real thing.
Should we wait until we see someone who looks like a captain?
“Hm…I’ll try talking to them.”
Well, if you say so.
That was one way to go about it. I certainly didn’t have a better idea. Fran really wanted to get this ship business done. Io’s curry awaited her.
“Going in.”
“Arf!”
Fran and Jet greeted the sailors, who looked like they were having a meeting.
“Hey.”
“Hey there, little girl, how can I…”
“What’s the—oh…”
The sailors initially greeted her casually enough, but their smiles soon disappeared. It was as if they had turned to stone. They looked at Fran and Jet and then back again. Had they figured out who Fran was? She ignored their disbelief.
“I’m Fran. Adventurer. I want to see your captain.”
Okay, you could’ve at least tried to be a little polite. They have every right to tell you to buzz off, Fran. But I had no reason to worry.
“U-understood! Right away!”
“I-I’ll go tell the captain!”
They had either gone crazy, or they recognized Fran.
“Y-you’re Fran, right?”
“Hm.”
“A-are you the Black Lightning Princess Fran?”
Rumors about Fran’s exploits had spread farther than I’d thought.
“Yeah.”
“S-s-seriously?! S-sorry, miss! I heard the Black Lightning Princess was Evolved, but…”
Of course! I had forgotten that beastmen could read each other’s Evolution levels. That was how Fran knew White Wolf Aurel and the Beast King were Evolved. The sailors, meanwhile, were confused, since they had heard Fran was an Evolved Black Cat, but Stealth Evolution concealed the apparent signs.
Fran ignored the man’s questions and carried on the conversation. “You’ve never seen an Evolved Black Cat before?”
“Uh, can’t say I have. You’re the first one I’ve seen, and I’ve met a lot of beastmen in my work.”
Fran was the only Evolved Black Cat so far. That made sense. Breaking the curse was borderline impossible, especially if you didn’t know how. A Black Cat had to kill a thousand Fiends or a single Fiend of A-Threat or higher. I feel like the latter requirement was only there for formality’s sake. Beating an A-Threat Fiend by yourself was impossible under normal circumstances—the requirement was there as an allowance for miracles.
Defeating a thousand Fiends was more achievable. Once word got out, I could imagine Black Cats forming Fiend-hunting parties. There was a high likelihood that one of them would Evolve into a Black Sky Tiger. And what happened when you made a party consisting of Black Sky Tigers? Well, they might break the race curse by defeating an S-Threat Fiend. There was a nonzero chance of it, at least. Even the gods wouldn’t turn away from a race that helped them exterminate the Fiends—the penance might even be enough to make up for their ancestors’ sins. Unfortunately, the plan was distorted by the actions of the previous Beast Kings, but things were different now with Rigdith in charge. He was more than willing to inform the realms about the requirements for breaking the Black Cat curse. We were heading to the Beastman Nation so Fran could help.
The sailor soon returned with a formidable-looking man in tow. His body was covered with muscle, and he was thick as he was tall. He looked intimidating enough just standing there, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he used to be a pirate. He certainly rocked the pirate hat he wore, though it bore the mark of the royal family instead of a skull and crossbones.
“I’m the captain of this ship. The name’s Jerome.”
The captain was not a beastman, oddly enough. I guess others inhabited the Beastman Nation. Humans were allowed in, too.
“What have we here? The Black Lightning Princess herself?”
And of course, the captain already knew her.
“Hm.”
“No kidding! The merchants wouldn’t shut up about you!” Jerome bellowed with laughter. His laugh was friendly enough, and he didn’t seem like a bad person. “So, what brings you here?”
“I’m looking for a boat that’s going to Beastman Nation.”
“And you’re offering your services as a bodyguard in exchange for passage?”
“Hm.”
“Ha ha ha! Well, that solves our bodyguard problem!”
“So you’ll let me on?”
“Of course! With powers like yours, I’d hire you full time if I could!” The captain saw Fran’s strength with a glance.
Fran, show him the thing.
“Hm. Here.”
Fran showed the captain the identification she’d received from the Beast King.
“His Majesty’s crest, I see…”
“It’s real.”
“No reason for the Black Lightning Princess to be carrying a fake. Still, I’ll have this verified if you don’t mind.”
We didn’t. I didn’t expect Jerome to ignore proper protocol. Either way, he must’ve heard news about Fran’s placement in the fighting tournament and how she gained the Beast King’s attention.
“I’ll have to go to the Adventurer’s Guild to post a proper quest. They’ll give me an earful if I don’t. Hope that’s okay with you.”
He couldn’t hire us on the spot, but there was no harm in it. In fact, going through the guild allowed them to run proper identity checks and credit the adventurer with the quest. It was the clear choice for those with nothing to hide.
“Go for it.”
“Alright, it’s about time I head to the guild. You wanna come with?”
“What’s the occasion?”
“Posting the guard request, of course.”
I was surprised to hear such a large vessel was employing adventurers. I thought Jerome was only letting Fran on board because she was the Black Lightning Princess, but the ship genuinely needed more personnel.
“Not that I don’t trust you, Fran. But I have my reasons.”
According to the captain, it was customary for ships to hire a certain number of adventurers to maintain the bond between crown and guild. Experienced adventurers also came in handy in a pinch, and so most vessels gladly hired them before every voyage. Apparently, there were even adventurers who specialized in protecting ships. The field must’ve been quite lucrative. We learned a lot during our walk to the guild.
Upon publication, Fran immediately accepted the captain’s quest.
“When are you leaving?”
“In three days, if all goes well.” Schedules shifted based on storms and sea monsters.
“Alright. See you in three days.”
“Sure thing. Looking forward to working with you.”
“Hm. Me, too.”
They shook hands before going their separate ways. In three days, we would board that gigantic ship and I was quite excited. I rode ferries back on Earth, but I’d never been on a wooden boat across the ocean.
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