HERO PARTY
Led by our guide, Mr. Goyef, we press on through the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
The reason for our excursion this time is a report of an unusual taratect, a spider-shaped monster species.
Our job is to hunt it down. However…
“Yaana, would you let go of me, please?”
“N-no, thank you! You know how much I hate bugs, don’t you, Julius?!”
Yaana, a saint, clings tightly to my clothes. She is literally dragging me down.
She’s always hated bugs, so this is her usual reaction whenever we face off against insect-type monsters.
The Great Elroe Labyrinth is home to many such foes.
And to top it all off, Yaana’s afraid of the dark.
Clearly, this is the last place she wants to be.
Yaana has an unparalleled gift for Light Magic and Recovery Magic, but she isn’t in any state to use them at the moment.
“See? This is why I said you should stay behind. You’re just gonna hold us back.”
“Hyrince. I told you I can’t do that, yes? A saint must be by the hero’s side at all times. How could I disobey the Word of God?”
Hyrince stares at Yaana in disbelief.
Then he grudgingly shrugs and hefts the large shield in his hands.
Hyrince is a childhood friend of mine.
He’s also the second son of Duke Quarto, from my birthplace, the Analeit Kingdom.
So Hyrince is nobility, but only as a duke’s second son. I am also royalty, but the son of a concubine and second in line for the throne.
Since we are similar in both age and unusual social standing, it’s only natural that we became close.
Beyond those ties, Hyrince is second to none in putting up an iron defense with a shield in his hands, so even after I became a hero, he’s stayed by my side as a powerful warrior.
He’s very reliable, and my best friend—even if he does have a bit of a sarcastic streak.
“Well, I suppose it’s not just you, little Miss Yaana. Just about the only members of this group who can tolerate dismal surroundings like these are Hawkin and myself, no doubt.”
“Y’know, boss, I can’t say I blame ya for assumin’ that, but I ain’t actually all that fond of places like this, either.”
Jeskan and Hawkin share a quick exchange.
“Wait, really?”
“Yep. I always did my best thievin’ from other people, y’see. I can sniff out a fishy business deal with no trouble at all, but I ain’t so good with dark caverns and the like.”
Hawkin is a former thief who had apparently been caught and made a slave before being picked up by Jeskan.
Though a former thief, Hawkin had lived with a code, stealing only from corrupt aristocrats and sharing the wealth with the needy.
Hawkin may have been weaker than the others in terms of combat, but as an ex-thief, his skills and detailed knowledge of the underbelly of society make a great addition to our party.
Hawkin’s employer, Jeskan, is a resourceful former adventurer.
As the eldest in the group, his abundant experience makes him a big brother figure to our young entourage.
Me, the hero; Yaana, the saint; Hyrince, the shield knight; Jeskan, the former adventurer; and Hawkin, the former thief.
With the addition of a sixth person, the labyrinth guide Goyef, our group sets out to bring down the monster.
The Great Elroe Labyrinth is home to all kinds of troublesome creatures, but the greatest challenge is its sheer size.
It’s said that without a proper guide, people become permanently lost, even with a map.
“Everyone, please be careful. There’s a monster ahead.”
Our labyrinth guide issues a warning.
Dropping the idle chatter, we prepare for battle.
A deerlike creature appears, with a horn that looks like a sharp blade.
“An Elroe mowajitz. Danger level C. Be careful of their horns and flames!”
Mr. Goyef shouts a brief assessment.
The horns certainly look sharp. And it can use fire, too?
There are eight of these deer monsters in total.
A flame lights the end of each of their horns.
With their burning prongs thrust forward, the eight deer line up side by side and charge!
Yaana and I use Light Magic to intercept them before they reach us.
Yaana’s spell pierces two, perforating their bodies and killing them instantly.
I hit the four that had pulled in front, bringing them down.
Jeskan stops another by swinging a sickle and chain, and Hawkin finishes off the beast with a throwing knife to its head.
Hyrince meets the final deer’s charge head-on with his shield, using the creature’s own momentum to ram it against the wall.
Then he lops off its head with a sword swipe while it’s still dazed.
“Splendidly done. So even a group of C-ranked monsters are no trouble for the hero and his party.”
Goyef sounded genuinely impressed.
“I knew you were quite gifted with a sword, Sir Hero, but your magic skills are excellent as well.”
“Sir Goyef, Julius may be known throughout the world as a sword-wielding prodigy, but he doesn’t actually know his way around a blade all that well.”
“It’s true. In terms of pure technique, I’m probably stronger, really. Though I would still lose because of the difference in our stats if we were ever to fight in earnest.”
Hyrince and Jeskan aren’t pulling any punches.
They’re right, but I wish they wouldn’t spread that information around so freely.
I have a reputation to protect, after all.
“He’s beside himself just trying to make sure his brother and sister don’t overtake him.”
Hyrince grins, as if having heard my thoughts.
At times like these, having a childhood friend can be awfully annoying.
“If anything, he’s better at magic. Right, Julius?”
“I suppose. The master who taught me was a mage, so that could be why. Master really was amazing.”
In more ways than one.
Still, I didn’t actually get to learn all that much from my master.
Since Master was from another country, we weren’t able to study together as teacher and student for very long, for political reasons.
But my master’s teachings are still firmly imprinted on my mind.
“Ahh, so that’s why the structure of your magic was so perfect.”
“That’s right. Even though he’s a hero and I’m a saint, Julius is somehow even better at magic than I am. Since the whole point of my existence will be rendered meaningless if he uses too much magic, I’ve asked him to refrain from using it outside as much as possible.”
“Julius, you know you don’t have to listen to this foolish woman, right?”
“Who are you calling a fool?!”
Watching Yaana and Hyrince go at it like a comedy duo, I can’t help but smile.
Meanwhile, Jeskan and Hawkin have finished breaking down the monster corpses.
“Mr. Goyef, can we get anything else off these besides meat and the horn?”
“It’d be ideal to take the whole body, since the hide and such are usable, too… But that’s not very practical, so yes, that should be enough. The horn can be used to make an excellent knife.”
“It’s much lighter and stronger than it looks, huh? Betcha I could use it for a throwin’ knife.”
The pair’s knowledge as a former adventurer and thief, respectively, never ceases to amaze me. They are always on the lookout for a chance to turn a profit from monster corpses.
Beastly remains often turn out to be a treasure trove of materials.
They can produce weapons, armor, daily necessities, and even food.
“Sorry, Mr. Goyef. ’Fraid our lot is always like this when left to ourselves.”
Hawkin’s whispered apology reaches my ears thanks to the Auditory Enhancement skill.
“Not at all. Everyone is quite friendly, perhaps more so than I expected. It only makes my job all the easier.”
“I’m glad to hear ya say that. People’re always watchin’ us just ’cause we’re the hero’s party. Times like these are our only chance to just be ourselves, y’know? Aside from me an’ the boss, this is a pretty young crew, too. Havin’ this kinda childish conversation really suits ’em.”
“I see. Having heard so many legends about him and all, perhaps I’m guilty of viewing Sir Hero through rose-colored glasses myself.”
“Most people do. And it don’t help that Julius is pretty good at livin’ up to expectations. ’Parently his little bro’s started lookin’ up to him, too, so he can’t even be at ease with his own family.”
There’s a strange tone to Hawkin’s words.
All of us have Auditory Enhancement.
Naturally, we all hear what is being said.
Hawkin must know this, too.
So we were meant to overhear it.
Is this Hawkin’s way of showing concern for me, telling me I should try to relax a bit more?
I don’t know whether to feel grateful or offended.
“Well, shall we move on?”
Mr. Goyef stows the materials gathered from the deer and starts walking.
The rest of us follow.
“Mr. Goyef, how many days will it take to reach our destination from here?”
The Great Elroe Labyrinth is enormous, so it takes days to get anywhere, even without taking monster battles into consideration.
I was told how far our destination was beforehand, but underground, where day and night blend together, it’s all too easy to lose any sense of the passage of time.
“Let me see… About three more days, perhaps?”
“Three days, huh…?”
Another three days to achieve our goal.
However, there’s no telling whether our target will stay put for that long.
If it moves on, it will take much longer than planned to complete this assignment.
“I hope it doesn’t go anywhere.”
“Indeed. Especially since the area where the creature was sighted is so close to the Middle Stratum. If it flees there, we won’t be able to follow, of course. It’s no place for human beings to enter. But since taratects are vulnerable to fire anyway, it’s preposterous to think one would enter the Middle Stratum.”
I nod in agreement with Goyef, and we keep walking toward our destination.
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