Sevens (LN) - Volume 9 - Chapter 102

Chapter 102 – Prospective Rookie
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──Sounds of battle could be heard from everywhere.

The sound of buildings crumbling. The sound of magic firing.

Adventurers were fighting monsters. One could easily hear the dinn of metal clashing and screams in the air.

In such a place, Erhart, who was late to escape──was hiding in a building as he held his breath.

「How did it turn out like this!?」

This battle against the monsters had begun just as he was starting to get fed up doing support work every day.

Even so, since he had promised Marianne, he didn’t even give a thought towards joining the battle

But──he got interested in how the other adventurers were fighting.

He accepted work delivering items from the center to the front hoping to be able to get a peek of the frontline.

He thought that he would be able to take the opportunity to peek at the adventurers battling while he was delivering the items.

His friends weren’t as enthused, so he left them behind, but there were also other adventurers on guard duty escorting his group so he wasn’t that worried.

He was just carrying baggage. There wouldn’t be any problems.

There shouldn’t be any need to fight or worry about anything.

And yet.

The dilapidated building he ran into was shaking each time the huge monster took a step.  Sand and dust were falling from the ceiling.

It wouldn’t be strange for the ceiling to collapse at any moment, but he was scared and couldn’t run outside.

He approached the window fearfully and peeked outside.  There, a huge monster that he had never seen before was swinging around a giant club.

The club, swung down on an escaping adventurer, crushed a single building with sheer brute force

(How the hell do you defeat something like that!)

That kind of monster existed? In the first place, could it be defeated?

The trembling Erhart continued watching like that, but then something shiny hit the subspecies’s head and pierced through.

It happened in an instant. After that the monster immediately stopped moving──and its head burst open.

Flesh and blood scattered to the surrounding. The monster slowly tilted after losing its head.

It fell and crushed two buildings with it. It then ceased moving.

「──Eh?」

Erhart was unable to understand just what happened just now.

The fighting adventurers were also the same.

「Is that magic!?」

「Who the hell did that!?」

「It doesn’t matter. We’re taking care of the other monsters now!」

With the powerful enemy defeated, the adventurers’ morale was rising.

Erhart went out from inside the house and looked around. Then, he saw a man standing on the tallest nearby building with a bow raised at the ready.

──It was Lyle.

「T-that guy did this!?」

Before long the silver bow somehow vanished. Then, he straddled a living thing near him that could be mistaken for as a monster and headed this way.

「W-what in the world. Just what in the world」

Erhart fell on his butt in fear toward the approaching Lyle and held his head in his hands. Then he heard a woman’s voice.

「Were you late in escaping? Good grief──」

When he lifted his face, Lyle jumped off the monster’s back with saber in hand and ran toward Erhart.

「D-DON’T COMEEEEE!」

The face of Lyle right now was like a completely different person from the Lyle with whom he picked a fight with at the guild.

It was his eyes. His eyes were scary. The Lyle that he usually looked down on couldn’t be found there.

Lyle headed toward Erhart and pointed the tip of his saber──

「Keep crouching down like that!」

──He gave a short yell and jumped over Erhart.

Erhart kept his head down for a while before he fearfully raised his head and looked toward Lyle.

Then he saw Lyle standing there──having defeated a monster called orc that was even bigger than Erhart.

He was wiping the blood staining his saber.

「Eh? H-huh?」

An orc was approaching Erhart without him even noticing.

Miranda approached Lyle and held out her hand from the monster that she was riding.

Lyle grabbed that hand and got on the monster that looked something like a tiger.

「Where should I bring you to next?」

「You can keep going through this path. Also, the person over there.」

Lyle called out to Erhart.

It seemed he didn’t notice that he was talking to Erhart.

「You’ll be able to see the campsite if you follow this path. You better run till there quickly. Miranda, hurry.」

Lyle rode behind Miranda and put his hands around her waist.

「Good grief, how hectic.」

After Lyle and Miranda left, Erhart was tormented by a sense of humiliation that he had never felt until now.

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I ran around the battlefield on the back of the golem that Miranda created.

The golem’s movement leaping from roof to roof was very violent..

I was hugging Miranda’s back because there was no other place to hold. This was a really pathetic appearance.

「Hey, create some handrails on this golem. You can make something like that, right?」

I complained to Miranda, but she replied with a smile.

「Lyle won’t hug me if I made something like that. That’d be lonely.」

It might be fine for Miranda, but it was embarrassing for me to let other people see me hugging a girl on the battlefield.

「It’s alright now. I’m jumping down.」

It wasn’t like I got down because I had enough. It was because we had arrived.

Miranda looked a bit disappointed when I let go.

「I’ll head to another place. Lyle, don’t do anything too reckless.」

「You too.」

I landed and drew out my saber to cut down the monsters around me.

The other adventurers who were fighting the monsters showed expressions of relief with my entrance.

There was even one person who whistled.

「Oi oi, don’t show off at the battlefield.」

The adventurer who said that to me went behind me so that we stood back to back.

It was a stance used to protect each other’s backs.

「I’m sorry that I’m late. Actually, this is my first time entering the dungeon of Beim.」

The man seemed to understand just from that.

「You’re a rookie who came from another place? But, you’re a big help.」

The adventurer was using a spear. He skewered a monster that leaped at him.

I also slashed the enemy in front of me.

「How’s the situation?」

「──We won’t lose, but the odds are a bit bad. If these guys ransacked the campsite, we’ll have to retreat. In that case, our rewards will decrease.」

It was just as I thought.

「That’ll be troubling. I want to pass the test this time, so I’ll help out here even if I have to be a bit reckless.」

「Liar! A guy like you is surely rejoicing right now that a chance finally came your way. Good grief, this is why the strong guys are troublesome.」

It seemed that other than me there were also a lot of people who had the same thinking.

I bisected one of the advancing monsters with the sabers that I held in both hands. The other adventurers who saw that were surprised.

「It’s my first time seeing someone fighting using a saber in that way.」

「Thanks.」

It seemed the adventurers around here managed to calm down somewhat with my reinforcement.

The situation wasn’t bad.

After this place had rallied, a monster burst through a building.

It was a very large bull monster. On its back──there was Albano.

He was grabbing the monster’s horn with two hands so he wouldn’t get shaken off.

When I looked closer, there were swords and spears stabbed into the monster’s body.

「Y-you! This guy, it’s rampaging!」

Albano was fighting hard so that he wouldn’t get shaken off from the rampaging bull. Then one more person rushed out from the broken wall.

It was Creit.

「How flashy.」

I unconsciously muttered.

Creit was riding a horse with a spear in hand.  He charged at the bull and stabbed the monster’s vital point with his spear.

The rampaging monster vomited blood and fell. Then, Albano fell on the ground and rolled.

He crashed on a wall and came to a stop, and then Creit got down from his horse.

Albano was laughing flippantly, so it looked like he wasn’t injured.

「Thanks for the help, Creit.」

Creit lent a hand to Albano and helped him stand up. Then, he punched Albano’s face.

The surrounding adventurers held him back.

「Oi, what are you doing!」

「You two, don’t fight at this kind of time!」

「Someone hold down this guy!」

Then Creit, who was held in place by three people, opened his helmet’s faceplate and yelled angrily.

「Don’t screw around, Albano! You’re always getting in the way of other people!」

It seemed something happened.

Albano was also irritated.

「That was because you guys were too slow. How about you at least thank us, huh, you pretend knight?!」

「Pretend you say? How dare you!」

The surrounding adventurers desperately tried to stop the two’s quarrel.

The adventurer who guarded my back thrust his spear on the ground and talked while still keeping alert to the surroundings.

「Albano and Creit are always like this. The two of them are really capable, but they’re like water and oil. They always get into a fight with each other.」

「Looks like it.」

It was troubling that they were quarreling in this kind of situation.

Neu-san arrived riding a horse at that time.

「You two again.」

Even Albano and Creit became meek in front of Neu-san.

「B-boss. This isn’t what you think. It was that bastard Creit」

「A-Albano, you cheater! Neu-dono, this is a misunderstanding. It was Albano!」

Neu-san roared in front of the two who were making excuses.

「Think about the situation! Clean this place up and head over to the other places right away!」

The adventurer who was talking with me praised Neu-san.

「As expected from a former knight. He is really reliable.」

Neu-san looked around and called out to the adventurers here.

「Those who are free, go reinforce the others right away! The other places are getting pushed back by the swarm.」

He said that and made his horse run to another place.

I got the feeling that he was looking at me when he passed by me, but he didn’t say anything.

Creit closed the faceplate of his helmet and got on his horse. He was about to go to join his comrades.

Then Albano also got on behind him right away.

「Albano, get down!」

「Bring me too if you’re going back. You don’t want to get scolded by boss Neu more than this right?」

「Kuh!」

After the two left this place, I also headed to the next area.

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──Sophia was facing the swarm of monsters that kept advancing with a battle axe in hand.

Sophia was rampaging alone in the middle of the monster swarm.

The surrounding adventurers were going pale seeing her swinging around her battle axe and defeating the monsters.

「What’s that woman!?」

「Is that a new kind of amazon!?」

「Even though she’s cute, it’s no good!」

Blood sprayed each time she swung her battle axe. Because of that, Sophia was dyed in a blood-red color.

Monsters were attacking Sophia from all directions.

Sophia judged that it would be troublesome if they came at her simultaneously. She lightened her weight and crouched, and then she jumped up.

The monsters that leapt at her crashed into their fellow monsters.

Sophia had jumped really high in the air.

When she looked around from that high, the others were also fighting.

When she looked at Aria, she saw her rampaging about even more than she was.

Blood spray spurted up in the air one after another.  She could hear the sound of adventurers there rejoicing.

At another place, Miranda was using three golems to defeat monsters one after another.

「Everyone is amazing.」

She mustn’t lose. Sophia looked at the ground.

Her air time became longer due to her lightened weight. The monsters and adventurers were also looking up at her in surprise.

「There are many. Then!」

Sophia took out some pebbles that she had gathered beforehand from her pocket with one hand and increased their weight before throwing them to the ground.

The pebbles with their weight increased possessed incredible power, and in addition they were also thrown from above.

Most of the monsters died instantly when they were hit.

Sophia landed on the ground when the number of monsters had been reduced significantly from that.  Then, she held her axe at the ready again.

「Now, come at me!」

The adventurers who saw how she fought cheered for Sophia──.

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──The center of the expedition party.

Porter was stationed there. Eva was lying in wait for the enemies that managed to go past Lyle and others.

There was smoke rising from here and there. It seemed Lyle and the others were rampaging flashily over there.

Eva was watching that from above Porter and let out a voice of admiration.

「Aria and Sophia are also rampaging.」

Perhaps their stress had been accumulating because they hadn’t been able to let off any steam recently.

Eva who was thinking that turned her face toward May. who was looking bored.

「Are you sulking?」

May also wanted to fight, but Miranda stopped her.

「Even though I also want to rampage!」

May looked dissatisfied. Eva tried persuading her to restrain herself.

「We’re going to attract too much attention if you get serious here. You should protect me here instead. I can fight, but my main occupation is a singer.」

Eva could also fight, but her main duty lies in other things.

She wasn’t pursuing strength like Aria and Sophia.

At best, she was thinking that it would be enough if she was able to protect herself.

「Elves have really liked tales and songs since way back when, don’t they? I think that you will surely become strong if you train seriously though?」

「Unfortunately, I don’t need any more strength than necessary. What I’m looking for is strength as a singer. I’ll leave the battles to Aria and Sophia.」

May turned her gaze to the places where smoke was rising conspicuously.

Aria was rampaging there.

「Those two are amazing for humans. Perhaps they’ll immediately surpass Miranda in pure strength soon.」

The two of them were specialized for fighting, compared to Miranda, who was an all-purpose type.

It was only natural that they were powerful.

In the first place, those two would train when they had the time.

「Miranda is a different type after all. She can’t do the same thing as those two, but I think it’s fine like that.」

But, those two couldn’t perform like Miranda.

Eva next turned her gaze to the simple beds that were placed near Porter.

The wounded adventurers were brought here.

Novem was in charge of healing──with Shannon as her helper.

Monica was also helping while muttering complaints.

「Why do I have to stay behind? Even though I want to give battle support beside chicken dickwad.」

Monica, who looked like she was screwing around in the dungeon by wearing a maid uniform, was actually really strong.

And then, she was also an important existence that was supporting the party.

She managed all the support for their daily life. She was someone that they were thankful to have.

Shannon was requested by Novem and helped out with various things.

「Shannon-chan, please prepare a new bandage.」

「Again!? Even though I had brought one just now…」

Eva saw each member carrying out their respective duty and made a joyful face.

May was puzzled seeing that.

「Is there something that pleases you?」

「I guess. Do you understand that this party is really an excellent one? The members are gorgeous and also skilled as the hero’s comrades. That’s a great thing. Perhaps I’ll turn the event this time into a song or a tale too?」

She would sing a tale with Lyle as the main character.

Eva joined this party for that. She felt proud for her comrades who had grown stronger than before.

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The surroundings became dark after the battle was over.

Light sources like torches and lanterns were gathered and Neu-san assembled the important people. His expression was conflicted.

「The number of injured is higher than expected.」

Neu-san discussed it with the other expedition leaders.

「Actual deaths are quite few, but our number will become insufficient if we send back the injured.」

「We are unlucky that a subspecies came out.」

「Should we ask the guild to send a new party?」

The party leaders were watching that discussion.

The party leaders were also gathered here. Albano came to my side and greeted me in an overly-familiar way.

「Yo, Lyle. I heard about your party’s achievement. Looks like you guys were rampaging flashily.」

「They’re really reliable comrades.」

Albano laughed in response to my reply.

「You’re really something for being able to say that when you’re surrounded by such scary women. ──And, here is the main question. How about you join up with me?」

「Join up?」

What kind of proposal was this? Creit came while I was thinking that.

「Lyle-kun, you better be careful. It’ll be a disaster if you join up with Albano.」

「Creit, you asshole!」

Neu-san looked our way when the two of them were going to start quarreling.

The two noticed that and lowered their voices.

「Lyle, even if I said join up it’ll be for this expedition only. Your party can also heal injuries, right? We also can do various things but, when it comes to injuries we can only give first aid. We’ll also be able to be a bit reckless if you guys are with us.」

It looked like Albano’s aim was Novem’s healing magic.

I got a favorable impression of him because he wasn’t trying to poach Novem but asking us to work together.

But──.

「What’ll be in it for me?」

──It didn’t give me anything.

The ancestors inside the Jewel──especially the Sixth, were pleased when they heard my reply.

『So now you’ve become able to negotiate too, Lyle? Huh.  I’m happy.』

Albano made a slightly weak expression when I asked what would be in it for me.

「You’re tough even though you look like a green young master.」

Although he said that, he looked a bit happy that I was responding to the negotiation.

「──It has only been three months since you came to Beim right? Then there’s still many things that you don’t know correct?」

「I’m also investigating many things about that together with my companions.」

「Of course you are. You don’t look like you have any opening. But, you’ll be able to save some effort if you ask me directly as someone who is active in Beim.」

So he suggested giving us information in exchange for our cooperation.

It wasn’t bad. It would only be for just this time, and we wanted information above all else right now.

Then Creit also joined our talk.

「Then, I’ll also offer you information. In exchange, I want your party to give us healing when we get injured.」

「Creit, I was the one who asked first.」

「It’s not like you’re asking him to work exclusively with you. Lyle-kun can decide this by himself.」

Neu-san was finished with the discussion and came here just when it looked like these two were going to quarrel again.

The two of them shut up.

「Lyle-kun, I heard about your party’s achievement. If possible, I want your party to work together with us from tomorrow.」

The invitation came just as expected.

「I don’t mind. After all, that’s just what we want.」

Neu-san smiled wryly.

「Good grief──you’re really reliable for your age. You’re also composed. Albano, Creit, how about you two learn from him a little?」

The two looked uncomfortable being told that.

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──Erhart was peeking at the discussion of the adventurers from a hiding place.

The adventurers who wouldn’t even give him the time of day before were talking pleasantly with Lyle. Not only that, even Neu who was a top brass leading this expedition was also recognizing Lyle.

Erhart clenched his fist miserably.

「Why?」

He thought that Lyle was just a spoiled kid who could do nothing except hide behind women.

But, he understood after watching Lyle fight.

That Lyle was far stronger than the likes of him.

When he thought of the reason, he arrived at one answer.

It was the talent that he was born with.

Erhart was feeling a sense of extreme jealousy and envy towards Lyle……

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──Around that time.

Sophia and the others who were waiting for Lyle’s return were finishing their camping preparation inside one of the dilapidated houses that looked suitable.

They chose a building that looked in relatively good condition and rested there. It was a method that was unique to Beim’s dungeon.

Sophia was washing her body with the hot water inside a large tub that Clara prepared for the party.

She relied on the light of the lantern inside the room to wash off the filth on her body before sitting inside the tub and warmed herself.

「It’s nice to be inside a house, even if it’s a dilapidated one like this.」

Generally, she would be exposed to her comrade’s gazes when washing her body inside a dungeon.

That was because it would be dangerous to act separately from comrades when inside a dungeon.

Even now, Clara was sitting on a wooden box while reading a book on the other side of the room’s door.

But, this place was nice because it had walls and she didn’t need to be concerned by anyone’s gaze.

When she looked outside from the window with a cracked glass, it was dark and she couldn’t see anything.

「Lyle-dono still hasn’t returned.」

Quite some time had passed since the battle was over, but Lyle still hadn’t returned.

Miranda too had immediately gone somewhere right after she washed her body.

She was talking to herself, but Clara politely replied.

「Lyle-san is in the middle of a meeting with the important members of the expedition party. The party has received some damage from the battle this time. Perhaps it’s taking this long because they have to deal with that too?」

Sophia was impressed with Lyle.

Because he was also participating in the discussion for the plan going ahead even though he must be tired from the battle.

Sophia was already exhausted and she didn’t want to join any difficult talk if possible.

「Lyle-dono is also amazing. Even though he was unreliable not too long ago, he is mingling with the adults and having discussions with them right now.」

She became acquainted with Lyle more than a year ago. Compared to that time, Lyle had changed a lot. The unreliable youth had become a splendid leader now.

Clara also agreed.

「He certainly has become really reliable. Perhaps it’s because he has found a clear objective inside himself? He is also working hard. Though only a few people noticed that.」

Lye had worked even harder than before after he decided to defeat Celes.

It wasn’t just with training, he was also thinking hard about what would be needed for the future.

Sophia thought that it was amazing.

(Even though I can only swing around my axe, he is also thinking about managing the party and the plan for the future──he’s really amazing.)

However, Clara continued with a regretful tone.

「Lyle-san’s evaluation is low since we came to Beim after all. I hope his reputation can be restored somehow through this expedition.」

「Eh? Is that true!?」

Sophia was surprised hearing that Lyle’s reputation was bad,

She was puzzled why Lyle wasn’t recognized even though he was working that hard.

「You didn’t know? He’s famous in the guild. After all, he’s the only man in a party filled with girls, so he’s standing out no matter what. Besides, we have been doing nothing but simple quests since coming to Beim. The foulmouthed people even call Lyle-san a “gigolo bastard”.」

「What’s with that!」

Sophia’s face went red in anger. She stood up from the tub and brought her face out of the door to question Clara. Her large breasts were pushed in front of Clara’s eyes.

Clara narrowed her eyes slightly more than usual and said to Clara.

「It’s useless even if you complain to me. In the first place, we haven’t done anything noteworthy in Beim, so it can’t be helped that our party’s evaluation is low. There are a lot of slanders because we’re standing out in a bad way no matter what.」

「That’s not good! Lyle-dono is working hard. He trained from early in the morning and thought about a lot of things until late at night. And yet, how could he be called a gigolo bastard despite that!?」

Clara told Sophia to towel her body and then she explained that it couldn’t be helped.

「People cannot see effort with their own eyes. That’s why I’m hoping that their evaluation will change slightly with the battle this time.」

Sophia felt depressed.

「Y-you’re right. It’s pointless even if I’m saying this to Clara-san.」

Those who were close to Lyle understood well how hard he worked.

But, he must look easygoing from the perspective of outsiders.

Normally skilled people would immediately take the test and start doing adventurer activity.

Lyle didn’t do that. So it couldn’t be helped that he was underestimated.

Clara continued with a slightly happier tone.

「But, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.」

「Y-you’re right! The evaluation on Lyle-dono will surely be corrected starting tomorrow!」

Sophia was relieved to hear that.