Rebecca
In an instant the adventurers snapped into a defensive stance, craning their necks like meerkats spotting a predator as they scrutinized the guild’s front entrance.
Just then—
“H-Hiiik! She’s here! That thing is here!”
The adventurer who had still been standing by the front door—the one who had announced the Bomb Demon’s arrival—whirled around with a face drained of all color and scrambled away from the spot in a panic.
The tension that had settled over the guild grew even thicker.
“Hey, Tats. What the hell is going on?”
“Senior, who exactly is this Bomb Demon that everyone’s freaking out about?”
Jun and the other new adventurers, who had been staring blankly at the sudden chaos, finally snapped out of it and started peppering the veterans with questions, desperate to make sense of the situation.
Not every newcomer was so calm.
About a third of the rookies were trembling as if they had seen a ghost, eyes locked on the front door just like the seniors. Every one of them bore the scars of serious past injuries.
“No way. It can’t be…”
“What can’t be? Tats, you’ve been weird ever since that guy yelled.”
Tats stood there muttering to himself, shield clutched protectively against his chest, looking for all the world like a man who had just wet himself. Seeing the usually cheerful guy reduced to this only made the already ominous atmosphere feel even worse.
Jun decided then and there that he was going to break his promise and get the hell out of there.
Unfortunately, the decision came a second too late.
Whump!
“Oh my, Jun. Our appointment time is almost here. Where exactly do you think you’re going?”
Carol had somehow appeared right beside him. She pushed him firmly back down into his chair the moment he tried to stand—
Clank!
—and at that exact moment someone pushed open the guild’s front doors and stepped inside.
Click. Click. Click.
“Hiiik! Hiiiiiik!”
“Th-That’s the Bomb Demon…”
“Careful! Keep your distance!”
A figure cloaked entirely in black advanced with deliberate steps. Every time the black-robed figure moved, the surrounding adventurers recoiled in terror and scrambled to put more space between themselves and the newcomer.
A few of the more curious rookies tried to approach, only to be yanked back by the veterans at their sides.
Judging by the reaction, there was no doubt—this was the Bomb Demon.
They recognized her even with the cloak covering everything… Does that mean she’s really that dangerous?
Jun watched the Bomb Demon carefully, curiosity mixed with unease.
Then he understood why no one needed a second look.
A tall frame that had to be at least a hundred and eighty centimeters. Long, shapely legs that flashed into view whenever the cloak parted with each step. And a pair of full, heavy breasts and a seductive rear that the cloak simply could not hide.
The Bomb Demon was a woman with an extremely, extremely dynamite figure.
He had expected some runaway ninja who ended every sentence with “hm,” or a one-trick archwizard, or maybe a hero from some high-end clockwork anime. Reality had completely blindsided him.
Should he be happy about this? Or not?
Wait. Why do I even need to decide? The adventurer Carol recommended might not even be this person.
Jun clung to that thought and tried to ignore reality.
Unfortunately, their sharp-eyed receptionist Carol had other ideas. As if telling him to give up already, she waved her hand high and called out,
“Rebecca! Over here! Over here!”
She forced him to face the truth head-on.
He was so grateful he almost cried.
“Shall we get up now?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
“There must be tons of applicants. Why her of all people…”
“Shut up! Can’t you see Carol is right there?!”
At Carol’s call the Bomb Demon began walking straight toward their table. The adventurers seated nearby realized her destination and hastily vacated their seats.
Tats followed their example.
“Ahem. Look at the time—already lunch. Buddy, see you tomorrow. I’m heading home.”
“Tats! You said we were eating here today! Hey! Don’t you ignore me! And you call yourself a friend?!”
Tats shot to his feet. Jun, who desperately did not want to face the Bomb Demon alone, tried to stop him, but the man pretended not to hear and fled for his life.
“Ugh. Cheap bastard. I’ll get you for this.”
Jun ground his teeth and swore revenge. Fortuna watched him with anxious eyes, then suddenly clapped her hands as if struck by a brilliant idea.
“Ah! Dohwa, want to go for a walk with big sister?”
“Yes, that would be most splendid. Let us depart at once.”
Dohwa immediately agreed with enthusiasm.
“Well then, Jun, see you later. Bye-bye.”
“We shall return before evening.”
Whump!
“Guek!” “Uuu…”
“Where do you two think you’re going?!”
“Nooo! Let go! Fortuna hates people who use bombs! Waaah!”
“Those breasts are dangerous breasts! This one requires mental preparation! Unhand us, please!”
“Heh heh heh. We’re partners, remember? Tough times are meant to be faced together.”
The angel and the divine beast tried to slip away while carefully watching Jun’s expression. Of course he was not about to let them escape. In the end both of them were firmly caught in his grip and forced to face the Bomb Demon together with him.
“You’ve arrived. Please, have a seat right here.”
“Understood.”
Following Carol’s guidance, the Bomb Demon sat in the chair across from Jun. When she scooted the chair forward, her massive breasts bounced with a proud, unrestrained presence.
Boing-boing!
“Hiiik!”
Creak.
Gulp.
She was wearing clothing that tightly compressed her chest, so the display lasted only a heartbeat—yet it was more than enough to burn itself into the minds of a divine beast terrified of breasts, a receptionist with a complex about her own flat chest, and a reincarnator who loved breasts more than life itself.
“Ahem. Jun, this lady is the adventurer I recommended—Rebecca. Rebecca, this is the party leader currently recruiting members, the famous new adventurer Jun.”
While Jun was still distracted by the breasts, Carol recovered first and launched straight into the introductions.
Once the matchmaking had begun there was no backing out. Jun had no choice but to participate actively.
It was absolutely not because he had taken a liking to the Bomb Demon’s breasts and changed his mind.
“Hello, Rebecca. I’m Jun.”
“Hnn!”
“Hm? Rebecca?”
“Haah!”
As party leader, Jun offered his hand first and introduced himself. Midway through, Rebecca suddenly shuddered. When he called her name in confusion she shuddered again.
Sensing something odd, Jun fell silent. Carol checked on her instead.
“Rebecca? Are you feeling unwell?”
“N-No. I’m fine, so stop fretting, Carol. It’s not that. It’s just… just…”
“Just?”
“That man’s voice… his voice is too… hnn! No! It’s nothing. Just continue the meeting.”
Rebecca shook her head vaguely, took a deep breath, and finally pushed back the hood of her cloak.
“…Ah.”
A dazed sound of pure admiration slipped from Jun’s lips without permission.
Passionate crimson hair and eyes that seemed to hold living flames. Smooth brown skin that radiated an inherently sensual atmosphere. Sharp, arrogant eyes like a cat’s. Full lips that invited a kiss.
Rebecca’s beauty was every bit as devastating as her dynamite figure.
Which was why Jun completely failed to notice Fortuna, who the instant the hood came off changed her entire attitude and began staring intently at the woman’s face with a soft “Hm? Hmm? Ohhh!”
“I am Rebecca Darkwood. I look forward to working with you.”
Only after hearing her full name did Jun realize her ears were different from a human’s.
“A Dark Elf?”
“Correct. Surprised?”
“Honestly? Yes, very. Considering the nature of Dark Elves…”
“It must seem strange that one is here alone like this.”
Jun nodded in agreement.
Dark Elves were a race one might go an entire lifetime without seeing. They were extremely closed-off, hated leaving their homeland, and preferred to stick together. The only way to meet them was to visit their territory—and the place they had chosen as home was the Verde Republic, a nation second to none in isolationism.
You could not simply decide to go there whenever you felt like it.
For reference, the Verde Republic was one of the three great powers that divided the continent along with the Britia Empire and the Elangs Coalition. Its unique brand of totalitarianism made even the Church struggle to maintain any real exchange.
“Why come all the way here? The Verde Republic has labyrinths of its own.”
“Personal reasons. I apologize, but I cannot say more than that.”
“Well, I don’t really mind… but if we end up working together, there’s no chance I’ll get dragged into those personal reasons, right?”
Anyone who had overcome both racial tendencies and the Republic’s control just to reach this place could not possibly have ordinary personal reasons. Jun liked her looks and figure a great deal, but he was not interested in embracing her if it meant embracing danger as well.
“Jun, you needn’t worry about that. Rebecca, like you, is under Special Protection Status. The Church will block any such trouble beforehand, so please rest easy.”
“I don’t know… looking back at everything I’ve been through lately, ‘rest easy’ isn’t exactly the phrase that comes to mind.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Carol bowed her head deeply, looking thoroughly ashamed. Jun gave a small laugh and reassured her.
“I’m joking. Though I’m about half serious, so please do keep an eye on things as much as possible.”
“Does that mean you’re accepting Rebecca as a party member?”
“No. I’m only talking about the possibility if this meeting with Rebecca turns out satisfactorily.”
Jun shook his head firmly.
He then stared expressionlessly at Rebecca, who had briefly looked delighted at the thought of being accepted only to immediately deflate with disappointment.
Realizing the interview had officially begun, Rebecca tensed and swallowed hard.
On the outside she looked like a cold, cynical city woman, yet inside she seemed surprisingly fragile. The contrast was so cute that a smile almost slipped out, but Jun held it back and opened his mouth.
“Rebecca, what’s your position?”
“All-rounder. I use daggers, guns, and bombs, so I can handle both close and long range. Outside of combat I have also mastered tracking, stealth, and alchemy. I pride myself on expert-level proficiency in all of them.”
Like the elves, the long-lived races tended to cultivate many skills to a deep level. Although her role overlapped with Jun’s, he was not disappointed. They could simply switch roles organically depending on the situation.
“What abilities have you awakened, and what is your mastery rank?”
“Aura and Psychic—Darkness. Both are Green.”
“….”
Aura was the undisputed all-rounder of the ability world, and Psychic—Darkness ranked at the absolute top among elemental psychic powers for both rarity and versatility.
Both of them at Green rank.
This was not the kind of résumé you interviewed. This was the kind of résumé you got down on your knees and begged to join your party.
Which was exactly why Jun felt uneasy rather than excited.
Someone with those specs had still been kicked out of her previous party.
Just what kind of bomb is she carrying? Looking at how she talks and how she looks, she seems completely normal…
Jun asked the final question with a sense of absurdity.
“Do you have any special talents worth mentioning?”
“Explosions.”
The moment that single word left her lips, the flame-like eyes of Rebecca began to glitter.
“Party leader. Do you know?”
Inside those eyes Jun felt a bone-chilling madness.
And then he understood.
“Explosions are the supreme art—and the supreme weapon.”
He finally understood why she was called the Bomb Demon.