It was early in the afternoon in the imperial capital.
Two young elven girls were walking on a busy street with a lot of people coming and going.
Even though they were called young girls, it was only based on their outward appearance, and their actual age was double how they looked. Elves stopped aging after they became adults. There were limits to how active they could be, but they would look young until they died. In addition, having beautiful looks as a whole was also one of their racial characteristics.
In fact, the sight of the two elven girls--Leisha and Ophelia walking together was so beautiful and picturesque that all those who passed by involuntarily looked back.
It was a holiday that day. A precious day when the two Seekers were freed from their bloody work. They wore their favorite clothes, went around the boutiques and jewelry stores, and had fun window shopping.
「Still, to think that even you would become a Seeker」
Walking next to Leisha, Ophelia said, as if shocked.
「Despite refusing my invitation, you’ve sure got some guts, huh?」
She wasn’t angry, but her words were barbed. Leisha scratched her head awkwardly.
「Hahaha…… Well, things changed……」
Ophelia was from the same village as Leisha, and was like an older sister to her. The two of them were remarkably beautiful even among elves, who were reputed to have many beautiful-looking people, and they were proud friends when they were in their hometown.
When they were still young, Leisha had admired Ophelia’s strawberry blonde hair, and had once tried to dye her hair into the same color using crushed raspberries. Even the good scolding that she had received when her mother saw her sticky and dirty hair had become a good memory after all this time.
Moreover, Ophelia wasn’t just beautiful, she was also kind, intelligent and strong. She mastered her Job of Archer, and was better at fighting than anyone else of the same generation.
It seemed like she would undoubtedly end up as the new village chief. Everyone expected that to happen, and Leisha also believed and didn’t question it.
But--
「I'll become a Seeker. I absolutely refuse to end my days in a cramped village like this」
One day, Ophelia declared that. Certainly, for someone of Ophelia’s caliber, it was probably natural for her to aim for greater heights. And then, she continued with this:
「Leisha, won’t you come with me too?」
Just as Leisha adored Ophelia as an older sister, Ophelia also loved Leisha like a little sister. They were always together when they trained and hunted, so it would be unnatural for Ophelia to not invite Leisha.
But--
「Seeker~? I don't like troublesome stuff like that, so I’ll pass, alright?」
Leisha had found it bothersome.
Doing dangerous work outside the village was preposterous. Certainly, life in the village was boring. The forest was forever unchanging, and there was nothing stimulating. It would be a lie for her to say that she didn’t yearn for the outside world.
However, between the stress of living aimlessly in the village and the stress of starting a life outside of the village where she couldn’t know what tomorrow would bring, it was a no-brainer which one was more burdensome.
「That’s why, please do your best on your own, Ophelia. I’m rooting for you! Fight for your dreams!」
When Leisha encouraged her cheerfully, Ophelia was stunned, and then tears flowed from her eyes.
「You heartless personnnnn!!!」
「Owwww! Why are you pulling my hair!?」
She had probably never dreamed that her precious little sister would turn her down because she found it bothersome. Ophelia was outraged and grabbed her. The sisters’ first fight heated up, and continued until they were blue in the face.
In the end, they had been able to reconcile, but Leisha became even more unwilling to consider going to the outside world because of this event.
That was why becoming a resident of the imperial capital in this way was definitely not by her own free will.
「There’s no way that I could have dreamt that I would get thrown out by my real parent, right?」
Shortly after Ophelia left the village, Leisha's mother got remarried. Leisha also knew her mother’s new partner quite well as he lived in the same village. It had been several decades since she had lost her father to illness, and as a daughter, she was delighted at the fact that her mother had remarried and found happiness.
But--
「Leisha, you’re a hindrance to our newlywed life, so get out」
Leisha, who had given her blessing to her mother’s remarriage, was treated as a nuisance and chased out.
She lost a house to live in all of a sudden, so Leisha had no choice but to try to build her own, but the village chief wouldn't allow it.
「Leisha, you're already a grown woman. Take this opportunity to get married and settle down. That’s right, how about my grandson? The both of you should get along well as you’re childhood friends」
In short, it was abuse of power. In order to get Leisha to marry his grandson, he didn’t allow her to use a new piece of land.
「So troublesome……」
She absolutely refused to marry someone she didn’t even like. Leisha, who had come to completely hate living in the village, ran away immediately. She drifted to the imperial capital, and that was how she became a Seeker.
「You see? There's nothing good about living in a lousy village like that」
I told you so, said Ophelia as she laughed.
「Because there is only that primitive way of living there, isn’t it natural that women would be told to get married and give birth to children without any regard to our will?」
「You’re absolutely right……」
「There is freedom here. It isn't a forgiving place, but you can get whatever you want just by doing your best. Delicious food, beautiful clothes, wonderful art and music, all of which are things that cannot be found in that village. Leisha also finds the life here more fun, right?」
「……hahaha, right」
Leisha agreed while scratching her cheek. As Ophelia said, life in the imperial capital was fun. Every day was filled with new discoveries. But it had been half a year since she started living in the imperial capital, and these days, she had started to feel nostalgic about the way of life in the village. She missed that quiet forest.
「……Urghh」
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head. It was a migraine that had plagued Leisha of late. It was brought on by the stress of living in the imperial capital.
Elves were inherently poor at adapting to the environment. Moreover, this was a human city. There were many discoveries and stimuli in her new life. But at the same time, that also caused her a lot of stress.
In particular, because Leisha's Job was Archer, which had outstanding five senses, the amount of stress that she felt because of the lively and noisy way of life in the imperial capital was huge.
「Another headache? Are you alright?」
Leisha nodded to Ophelia, who was looking at her worriedly.
「It's okay. As I have the medicine」
Leisha took out a red tablet and swallowed it.
「That medicine works well, but it dulls your senses, so you must never take it before a battle. If we Archers dull our five senses, we’ll expose our allies’ lives to danger, got it?」
「I got it」
The medicine that Leisha took was a painkiller that had been passed down by elves since a long time ago. She had been completely reliant on this medicine of late.
「Well, I’ve gone down this path before so I know how tough it is. It’s okay, you’ll be fine soon」
「I hope so……」
「You’ll be fine, I said! Hasn’t your toughness been the only thing you’ve got going for you since way back!?」
「Isn't saying “only” terrible!?」
Ophelia laughed happily as Leisha retorted.
「I mean, you should have let me know much earlier that you had come to the imperial capital. If you did, I would have given you advice before it got to this state」
「Hahaha……」
Leisha laughed vaguely.
As a matter of fact, she had intended on turning to Ophelia for help. But she was the one who had refused to become a Seeker at the start, so she felt embarrassed to consult her about becoming a Seeker after all that had happened. While she was wavering over what to do, she couldn’t bring herself to get in touch until all this time had passed.
In the end, Leisha became a Seeker by herself, and she was fortunately able to obtain allies that she could trust as well.
Lightning Bite, that was the name of the party that Leisha was in.
「But it's good that you also seem to be doing well. The reputation of Lightning Bite has even reached our ears. You’re all promising rookies, they say. I'm also proud of you」
「Well, it’s not that big of a deal……」
Seeing Ophelia, who looked like she was sincerely proud of her, Leisha became embarrassed.
Lightning Bite was an emerging party that had just happened to be recruiting members when Leisha arrived at the imperial capital. Including the leader, Wolf, and Leisha, it was comprised of six members in all.
Wolf, a Swordsman. Gareth, a Healer. Oscar, a Spearman. Kitty, a Mage. Eugene, a Gunner. And Leisha, an Archer.
Everyone showed great talent as Seekers, and regardless of the fact that it had only been half a year since they were formed, they had become a party that everyone in the know would know of.
It’s difficult for a rookie to succeed without experiencing setbacks. Injuries and illnesses, troubles with money and among allies, it also wasn’t uncommon for people to lose their lives. The members of Lightning Bite, who were able to grow steadily despite such circumstances, were undoubtedly promising rookies.
「I also heard a lot about Ophelia’s party, Sky Winged Knights. They say that all of you are absurdly strong Seekers. You guys were even featured in the newspapers, that’s really amazing」
「Fufufu, thank you」
Ophelia didn’t act conceited nor did she act humble, she merely smiled calmly. When someone became an outstanding talent of her level, they probably got tired of listening to such words of praise.
「Will you guys become a clan in the near future after all?」
Ophelia shook her head at Leisha’s question.
「No. we plan to solidify our foundation a little bit more. Of course, we intend on becoming a clan, but our target is some time next year, not right now, I suppose」
Seekers worked in parties, but that was an informal arrangement. It was only after they had applied at the Seeker Guild to become a clan, that they would be recognized as an official organization for the first time. And in order to receive requests related to Abysses directly from the country, it was a prerequisite that the organization had been acknowledged as a clan. In other words, being in a clan was also the sign of a professional Seeker.
A party that hadn’t been acknowledged as a clan could receive Abyss-related requests only by receiving outsourced requests from other clans. This rule was absolute, and it applied to both Lightning Bite as well as Sky Winged Knights, which Ophelia belonged in.
「In truth, we could have applied to become a clan much earlier, you know? However, once we became a clan, the expenses and taxes will increase in proportion to the increase of money coming in, and we’ll have to clear strict assessments, so if we came to a standstill for even a moment, we’ll go bankrupt. That’s why it’s more advantageous to become a clan after obtaining enough power without being impatient」
「I see」
The parties that applied to become a clan mostly did so in the fifth year since they were formed. That was because it was around that time that they would possess sufficient strength as Seekers, and have saved up enough money for the necessary expenses starting with the compulsory fee that served as collateral.
Sky Winged Knights was a party in its fourth year. Considering the fact that next year happened to be their fifth year, it could probably be said that it was neither too late nor too early, and was the best timing for it.
There were some who did it earlier, but that wasn’t really typical, and there were many cases of them dissolving because they had become a clan despite lacking strength. It was obvious that being too eager for success would give rise to distortions. Success could only be achieved on top of a solid foundation.
「If you become rich after the application for a clan gets approved, treat me plenty of delicious food, okay? I'm looking forward to it」
Ophelia smiled wryly when Leisha flashed her white teeth like a mischievous child.
「Don't talk as if it’s got nothing to do with you. Even you guys will become a clan, right?」
「I do think that it would be nice if we became one, I suppose」
「That’s vague…… Will it be alright?」
「But it has only been half a year since we were formed, you know? There’s no telling what the future holds」
「Lax! With such a lackadaisical way of thinking, you won’t beat your rivals! After all, there’s a Seeker in this imperial capital who reached EX Rank at the age of fifteen, you know!?」
「Even if you use a monster like that as an example……」
「Are you going to talk back to me? In the first place, you’ve always been――」
Ophelia began to lecture her at great length. Ophelia was a beautiful, gentle and dependable senior, but her flaw was that she had a habit of preaching. On top of that, once she started, it would never end.
Leisha had a desire to improve too. But there would be no end to it once she started comparing herself to those above, and rather than having to work frantically, what she really wanted was to continue having fun with her party members, whom she got along with well. But if she said that, it would only extend the duration of Ophelia's preaching.
「Hey, Leisha! Are you listening to me!?」
「Yes yes, I’m listening, alright?」
Leisha replied thoughtlessly, but she was enjoying it a little. It had been quite a while since she had to listen to a sermon from Ophelia. It felt like she was back in her hometown.
She was glad that she had tried getting in touch because she had missed her.
She was able to think that from the bottom of her heart.
†
†
Leisha and Ophelia decided to take a break at a fanciful open cafe. They had fun talking about the past while smacking their lips at the delicious cakes and tea.
「I'm going to the bathroom, okay?」
In the middle of their talk, Ophelia left her seat. As Leisha waited for her to return, the surroundings started becoming noisy all of a sudden.
「Extra!!! Extra!!! Read all about it!!!」
Turning to the direction of the voice, she saw that a newspaper vendor was selling an extra edition.
「That major clan, Night Rage, failed in their exploration of the Abyss! The clan is devastated after suffering many casualties! Details are written in the newspaper! Come, buy a copy!」
「Huh, Night Rage is……!?」
Leisha was shocked by the words of the newspaper vendor.
Night Rage was a prominent major clan even in the imperial capital, and its strength was said to a match for the Regalia. It was hard to believe that such powerful people were defeated all of a sudden. Leisha left her seat and yelled to the newspaper vendor.
「Mister, give me one!」
Leisha managed to get a copy of the extra edition, while being jostled by the crowd of people who were scrambling to buy it. She immediately skimmed through the newspaper, and what was written in it exceeded her expectations.
Night Rage, unable to do anything in defeat to Lord.
The overwhelmingly strong Lord had killed the main members of Night Rage instantly. The remaining members, who had scattered and ran for dear life, were being protected/sheltered by the Seeker Guild.
The Seeker Guild, taking the matter seriously, sent a request immediately to Supreme Dragon Squad, 1st Star of Regalia, to subjugate it, but the Lord had returned to the Void by itself.
According to a Beast researcher affiliated with the Seeker Guild, he suspected that the Abyss that had formed most likely lacked the capacity to sustain the crossing over of the Lord. He said that he would continue to investigate why that Lord had been able to cross over into such an unstable Abyss.
「To think that Night Rage would be unable to do anything……」
It didn’t seem to be a Variant, but its strength was disparate even considering that it was a Lord. As a matter of fact, Night Rage had succeeded in defeating Lords twice in the past.
It was a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma. A cold shiver ran down Leisha’s spine at the fear of the unknown she felt.
A detailed full-length portrait of the Lord was also included in the extra edition. It was a slender humanoid that was covered by red armor-like carapace, and had two horns growing from its forehead. And it was holding a huge battle axe.
「This is the Lord that overwhelmed Night Rage……」
Leisha, who was looking at the picture of Lord, suddenly had a feeling that something was out of place.
「This axe……」
The battle axe that the Lord was holding was terribly odd. There were many examples of humanoid Beasts that were equipped with weapons and armor, but because they were residents of a different world, the materials and design differed from those made by humans.
However, the battle axe that this Lord was holding looked like it could only be something of this world. To put it simply, it was too well ordered. Of course, she had no proof, and it was ultimately just a sense of wrongness that she felt from the picture. Most of all, she had no idea why a Lord would possess a man-made battle axe.
Leisha tilted her head. --It was at that time.
「So you lived after all ……I'll kill you」
She felt an intense and ominous killing intent.
When Leisha spun around with a start, she saw a young girl with black hair there.
No, that was wrong.
Because of those beautiful features, she had thought it was a girl, but it was a boy instead. The bone structure and muscles were those of a man. Even so, because he was slender and short, there must have been many people who mistook him for a girl.
The black-haired boy was reading the extra edition with a grim look. That look was almost as if he was staring at a bitter foe that had killed his parents. The killing intent from earlier had probably been released by this boy.
She didn’t think that a normal person could possess a killing intent that was so intense.
Who on earth was that boy?
「……Hey, what are you looking at? What business do you have with me?」
The boy had noticed Leisha's gaze and was making a wondering expression.
「Oh, s, sorry! I don’t particularly have any business with you!」
At the boy’s menacing attitude, Leisha hastily apologized.
Now that she had met the boy’s gaze, she could tell that this boy wasn't someone that should be approached carelessly. Despite his young age, his eyes looked cold and cunning like a snake’s. He had a dangerous air and it felt like she would get devoured instantly if she let her guard down even a little.
「Tch, don’t stare at other people. It’s unpleasant」
「Hahaha, that’s true…… I’m really sorry, alright!? Well then, bye!」
Leisha hurriedly turned on her heel. She wanted to get away from this boy as soon as possible. She had confidence that she could handle herself in a fight, but her instincts were telling her that he was dangerous.
「Hey, wait」
However, the boy called for Leisha to stop with a sharp voice.
「Wh, what is it?」
When she stopped and turned back, the boy squinted at her.
「You're Leisha from Lightning Bite, aren’t you?」
「Huh, you know about me?」
When Leisha asked, the boy nodded.
「Leisha, the Archer, who has a reputation of being a promising rookie」
「Ha, haa. ……Hmm? Wait, we’ve never met before, right? How did you know it was me?」
Leisha's name was known in Seeker circles, but today was the first time that she had met this boy. There was no way he knew her face.
And yet, how did he know that it was her? She was off today so she hadn’t even brought her bow.
When Leisha became wary, the boy twisted the ends of his mouth.
「Don’t worry. I’m not an enemy」
「……If that’s true, how did you know that it was me?」
「It’s slight, but your left arm is longer, and you have more muscle mass on your right side as well. Moreover, your left thumb is a little bit thick and the side of your little finger is smooth. Those are all physical characteristics of Archers」
Certainly, Leisha had the characteristics that the boy had listed. The cause of all those characteristics was the load placed on the body by the action of drawing the bow.
「The way you carry yourself, your bearing, they’re very refined. That’s the sign of a good Archer. And you’re a female elf. All that matches up with Leisha of Lightning Bite」
「There are plenty more female elves who are excellent Archers in this imperial capital」
In the first place, elves were a race that gave rise to Archers easily. In addition, since they were generally beautiful, they tended to look alike. In other words, he shouldn't have been able to conclude that she was Leisha just from the fact that she was a good Archer.
「Answer me without deception. How did you know that it was me?」
When Leisha hardened her tone and asked again, the boy shrugged his shoulders.
「Didn’t I say that I wasn’t an enemy?」
「In that case, prove it」
「Understood. There is another reason for why I knew that you're Leisha. It’s your smell」
「Ehh? Sm, smell?」
Leisha was perplexed by his surprising answer. The boy continued matter-of-factly.
「You smell sweet. It’s not a perfume. It’s the smell of the kagaya fruit. That’s the fruit that elves often use as painkillers. You use it regularly, don’t you? Since you have no symptoms of illnesses or injuries, you must be using it because of stress-induced headaches. Elves are bad at adapting to the environment. The stress of living in an unfamiliar city of another race is causing you to have chronic headaches」
「Th, that is……」
「According to statistics, it takes about nine months for an elf to get used to his or her new environment. In other words, you’ve been living in this city for less than nine months. There are many capable elves in this city, but in terms of elves that have started living here less than nine months ago, and a woman on top of that, you’re the only one that fits that criteria」
Leisha was surprised and at a loss for words. That was because the boy's deduction had hit the nail on the head perfectly. It had been so correct that there was no room for rebuttal at all.
「It’s because you're a woman. I was reluctant to say that I realized who you were because of your smell」
The boy said that without looking abashed.
She had known that this boy was『something』out of the ordinary, but even so, he had terrifying powers of observation and insight. He was an extraordinary person after all.
「……Are you by any chance a detective?」
When Leisha tilted her head, the boy laughed loudly.
「Ahahaha, I’m a detective, you said? There’s no way that’s true, isn’t it?」
「Muu, then what are you?」
The boy wiped the tears at the corners of his eyes with his fingers and changed his expression.
「I'm not a detective. I’m a Seeker just like you. However, I’m not able to officially register since I'm only 14 years old」
「……In other words, you’re a Seeker in the making?」
「Well, something like that. I’ll be able to register half a year later」
「……Hmm. In spite of that, you――」
You act pretty self-important, don’t you? Were the words that Leisha hurriedly swallowed back.
「Hmm…… S, so, what did you want with me?」
「Nothing in particular. I just wondered what kind of person you were. You've an extremely good reputation. You’re not only capable, it seems like you’re also able to mediate well between your strongly individualistic party members. It’s rare for talents to possess both combat ability and virtue. Moreover, when it comes to rookies, the rarity is even higher. That’s why I’m interested in you. Frankly speaking, it's no exaggeration to say that I’m your fan」
「Ehh, fan!? ……Stop, it’s embarrassing」
Leisha scratched her head happily. It was the first time since she was born that someone had said that he was a fan of her. He was a mysterious boy, but he might actually not be a bad person.
Should I give him an autograph or something? She wondered.
As Leisha was considering it half-seriously, the boy snorted softly.
「But you don't look like you’re as great of a person as I had imagined……」
「……Huh?」
「Promising rookies, Lightning Bite. I was looking forward to how much talent they had, but at the very least, they’re no match for me」
「Hu, huh!? What did you sayyy!?」
Leisha was furious at his sudden criticism.
「Aren’t you being rude all of a sudden!?」
「But it's a fact. Sure, you seem outstanding, but I can't feel even a shred of ambition from you. You became a Seeker without much resolve, am I right? I can tell just by looking at your face」
「What!?」
He had hit the nail on the head. Leisha didn’t have a clear goal, but had become a Seeker in order to make a living. She couldn’t refute him at all when he said that she had no ambition.
「Don’t misunderstand. I'm not finding fault with you. You’re free to do whatever you want regardless of whatever reasons you have. But no matter how outstanding a talent is, he or she won’t be able to rise to greater heights without a strong will」
「Ur, urgh……」
She was extremely angry. His argument was sound, but she would be frustrated if she left it alone and didn’t say anything back. So Leisha somehow swallowed back her anger and strived to put a composed smile on her face.
「Hm, hmm~, you sure can talk big, can’t you? However, is it okay for you to talk so boastfully when you haven’t even registered as a Seeker? Don’t come crying to me when you end up with egg on your face」
「Egg on my face? What can you accomplish if you’re afraid of being embarrassed? Above all, even if you behave humbly, no one will acknowledge you unless you produce results. Results are everything in this world」
「Im, impudent talk to the bitter end……」
Leisha was so vexed that she ground her back teeth. However, the boy didn’t look bothered at all, and to make matters worse, he even ended up yawning.
「Fuwaaa, I'm so sleepy. Sorry for stopping you. I'm leaving now」
The boy turned on his heel and began to leave. Leisha hurriedly chased after his back.
「Wa, wait! You’re just going to say what you want and leave!?」
She had no intention of starting a fight, but if she left things as they were, she wouldn’t be able to contain her anger. However, just before she grabbed the boy's shoulder, a voice called out to her from behind.
「Leisha, what are you doing?」
It was Ophelia. She had probably come looking for Leisha, who had left her seat. The instant Leisha turned her attention towards Ophelia, the boy’s presence suddenly disappeared.
「Ahhh!? He escaped!?」
It appeared that he had slipped into the crowd of people coming and going on the busy street. She had already lost sight of him, and it would likely be difficult for even a Seeker with excellent sensing abilities like Leisha to find him.
「Jeez, come on! What on earth was that child!?」
Ophelia drew close as Leisha stomped her foot on the ground.
「Wh, what’s wrong? Did something happen?」
「It’s nothing!!!」
Leisha yelled, venting her anger.
And then, she swore to herself resolutely.
That if she ever saw that black-haired boy again, she would definitely make him cry.
Woohoo, ladies and gentlemen, it’s a prequel! Well, sort of. So many backstories added here, Lightning Bite, Sky Winged Knights, and even Lioud got thrown in for good measure! The poor members of Lightning Bite got named after all this time lol.
And we finally learn more about the disparate Lord that Noel, the disparate Seeker, is seeking revenge on.
Like most of the best relationships, Leisha and Noel’s sure started on the wrong foot! He instilled resolve in her in the end, though I’m going to go ahead and guess that it wasn’t the type he was expecting lol.
How did Leisha end up being so friendly with Noel in the main story? Which nostalgic faces are going to make an appearance next!? Stay tuned to find out!!
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