The Day I Tested My Strength
There were any number of ways to scrape together money. Take a simple part-time job, or put this ridiculous strength of mine to work doing hard labor — that sort of thing.
If I'd had time to spare, I might have considered those options. The problem was that the family — those people — were currently circling like sharks, looking for any excuse to crush their own young lady.
I needed to raise a lump sum fast and get out. No — if I volunteered to leave on my own, there was no telling what they'd do. Better to get myself expelled and be completely forgotten.
They didn't seem like the type to keep fretting over some cast-off who'd already fallen out of the nest.
"So I need to raise a serious amount of money in one go right now..."
"It's harder than it sounds. Without investing, a lump sum is a tall order. And at the moment, you don't have so much as a single coin."
Lora's remark made my whole body sag. I'd been running around doing all kinds of rotten things in the game without a single copper to my name. How on earth had I been pulling money together?
"Speaking of which, Lora — do you have any money right now?"
"When I came here from the family estate, I was given a certain amount, but that's all. Even being generous, it would last about six months."
Wait a second. Don't tell me... in the game, the reason I managed to hang on was because I was bleeding Lora dry?
There was no other way I could have survived. I was absurdly strong, sure, but I wasn't exactly the type to hold down a job — and the original Eriana had been tearing around playing the spoiled young lady for all she was worth.
If my guess was right, that girl had been even more unhinged than I'd thought. She'd lived off her maid's money until she finally caused enough trouble to get herself expelled.
No wonder the game cut her off so easily. At that point, not cutting her off would have been the strange part.
At least things were a little better now. I had no intention of leeching off Lora's money.
Lora really had drawn the short straw with her choice of friend. I desperately hoped my guess was wrong, but the odds were high that she'd genuinely helped out of some sense of friendship.
And the result would have been losing even her last remaining friend. It was pitiable, but I couldn't quite bring myself to feel sorry for her.
"I see... Well, that's a relief, in a way. I have no intention of taking any financial help from you, Lora."
"Pardon? No — why not...?"
Looking at her face, I was fairly certain that if I'd simply demanded it, she would have handed everything over on the spot. Being a maid was a terrifying thing...
"Because that money is yours. Right now, I want something that's mine. So when it comes to money, I shouldn't be leaning on you."
"Ah..."
Why was she making that moved expression? Honestly, at this point I didn't even want to know. She just nodded on her own and beamed at me. It was enough to send a chill down my spine.
"Then I'm glad. Haha... I was worried about what I'd do if you asked me for my money. Strangely enough, you seem even more mature since losing your memories."
She let out a sigh of relief in that stiff, formal register of hers. It was almost painful to watch. At this point I couldn't even begin to guess how much she'd put up with.
"But as long as your goal isn't just pocket change, I'll still need to help you. There's only one way to get a real sum of money in a single stroke."
"That method... you don't mean..."
I drew in a breath. Waiting for her answer, I felt the air around us grow heavy. Eyes still closed, she took my hand in both of hers and answered.
"We become adventurers."
Which, unsurprisingly, meant going monster hunting together.
After all, this game was about hunting and foraging for materials, then using alchemy to brew potions. Strictly speaking you could make bombs and all sorts of other items too, but potions were the most common product.
And the monster byproducts and regional materials used in alchemy sold for a handsome price. As long as you had the strength, it was a perfect way to rake in serious cash.
On paper, it was a perfectly reasonable suggestion. Dangerous, yes — but the payout more than matched the risk.
"Lora... isn't that a little... dangerous, though?"
Honestly, I was a bit scared. No matter how strong and powerful a young lady I was supposed to be, I was still human. I could die. I wasn't some invincible young lady forged from iron — get hit with a sword and I was done for.
That was why I'd asked. Lora just tilted her head and answered.
"Dangerous, you say? You, my lady?"
She even let out a little puhu of laughter, as if the idea were utterly absurd. But wasn't worrying about this the normal thing to do? We'd be doing adventurer work with no equipment at all, hunting with nothing but our bare fists.
"Ah... I think I understand what you're worried about. But you don't need to concern yourself with that, my lady."
"Why not? You never know. It could be dangerous — I could die if something goes wrong."
"Ahaha... You really have lost all your memories, haven't you. From the time you were little, didn't you always go rampaging around in the forest outside the estate for fun?"
"What...?"
What did she just say?
"No, hang on... I don't understand. What do you mean I've always been like that...?"
"I told you again and again that the forest outside the estate was dangerous, but you'd just say it was fine and go out anyway — and then you'd thrash demonkin on a regular basis. With strength like yours, of course that's how it turned out."
Wow. Okay, that was actually terrifying. So I'd been a menace since childhood... There were limits to how strong and violent a kid should be.
A cold sweat prickled at my skin. That at least explained why Lora wasn't worried. Even middling slimes would be nothing I couldn't pulverize on the spot.
But the thing currently occupying this body was an ordinary middle-aged man with zero combat experience. Would that still work?
"Well, that's a relief, I guess..."
"You really don't need to worry so much, my lady. Even now, if you put a little strength into it, the monsters in this forest would be finished right where they stand."
Wasn't she being a little too confident? Maybe that was the natural reaction if you'd been watching this villainess's power since she was a child.
"Do you distrust me that much?"
"It's not that I don't trust you, exactly... It's more that, without my old memories, I'm curious just how strong I am."
"Hmm... Very well. Then let's leave at once."
"Huh? Wait—"
Lora suddenly took my hand and stood, then started straight for the door.
"Hold on, hold on. Even so, going into the forest in a dress — we should at least prepare something..."
"I guarantee it. This forest wouldn't dare lay a hand on you."
No, wait a minute... She was way too sure of herself! Sure, I could probably handle a slime, but whether I was strong enough to warrant that kind of confidence was another question entirely.
I was a bit quick, and hard to kill under ordinary circumstances — that was about it. The way she talked, you'd think I was invincible.
And yet, deep down, I found myself wanting to test just how far this strength would go. That was probably the man inside me talking, not the young lady.
The man occupying this body wanted to know exactly how powerful this frame really was. Wasn't that just inevitable, as a guy?
I made up my mind, rationalizing it as best I could. I knew full well it wasn't something a proper young lady should be doing — but I didn't want to let a power I'd gone to the trouble of obtaining go to waste.
"All right. Let's go try it."
"My lady..."
"I'm curious too — how far I can go. Even if it's not something a young lady ought to do. I want to see the limit."
Lora pulled me into a tight embrace. To anyone watching, it would have looked like a touching scene. In reality, I was just heading out to rampage because I wanted to know how strong and powerful I really was.
I fell into step behind her. Her slightly damp hair fluttered in the breeze, carrying a cool, refreshing feeling with it.
Somehow, it felt as though something I'd been holding down had been set free.
It was probably just a feeling. Freedom wasn't something that came that easily.
I knew that in my bones. In my previous life, I'd always been bound by something.
Breaking free required an extraordinarily strong heart — and I simply hadn't been that strong.
A cool wind blew through the forest beyond the castle walls. When I closed my eyes, I could hear the soft rustle of branches and the faint chirping of birds.
It would have been a lovely place to simply enjoy the woods.
If not for the nameless monsters prowling about, that is.
Three monsters stood around me, clubs in hand, glaring. They wore helmets that just barely passed for proper gear, and they were short of stature.
Massive hooked noses, green skin, and scraps of leather that barely covered their lower halves for good measure.
Yeah, those were goblins, no question. Was it only natural that the first monsters I ran into would be goblins? I'd at least expected a slime or two.
"Goblins. Typical low-rank monsters. If they bother you, I can—"
"No, it's fine. I wanted to test this myself anyway."
I wanted to know how far this strength could reach. In the game it had only ever been numbers — I'd never known concretely how powerful it actually was.
So I was going to find out right here.
I took a bold step forward. The chittering creatures' eyes went round, and they started edging backward.
Uh... freezing up the second you see me isn't a great look, guys. You're monsters, aren't you? If you're not going to charge me, at least don't back away like that.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, one of the goblins suddenly charged.
Strong as I was, there were still limits — I flinched a little, and then—
Thwack—
I kicked it clean off its feet.
The goblin went flying at high speed and smashed into a tree. I felt something crack — that had to be my imagination, right? No way...
It went completely limp and didn't so much as twitch. It looked, quite literally, dead.
The other two stared at me in blank horror, then started trembling so hard their legs shook. From the look of it, they were past terrified and well on their way to passing out...
Ah. That one had lost it. Did it actually think a two-on-one would work? The goblin charged straight at me, and I grabbed it by the head.
The trembling creature thrashed and flailed, but it was useless. I clamped down hard enough that its skull felt ready to give, then hurled it away.
With a heavy crack, it slammed headfirst into a tree and went as limp as its friend, not moving an inch.
The last one, staring at me in a daze, started dripping something. Wait... had it just wet itself?
Ah... good grief. Just how terrified had it been?
It didn't last much longer. The goblin flung every piece of its gear to the ground and bolted.
I stood there and tilted my head. How to put this...
"Goblins don't even register."
They were way too weak to be a proper test of my strength...
"Right? Hehe... For someone of your caliber, my lady, the monsters in this forest are nothing at all."
Wow... I honestly hadn't expected it to be real. I never imagined I'd be this strong.
"Eek..."
Just then, a familiar voice reached me. Wondering what it was, I turned — and a familiar head of silver hair peeked out from between the trees.
"Lunel? How long have you been...?"
"I-I've been watching since you finished off that goblin with a single kick..."
Ah... of all the things for her to see. This was awkward. That hadn't been a sight for a delicate young girl.
"I've shown you something unpleasant. First, let me apologize—"
"N-no, um, Unni — there's something I want to ask."
She suddenly came closer, eyes sparkling. Then she looked up at me and spoke with complete sincerity.
"How can I become as strong as you, Unni?"
Eyes shining with pure admiration, the heroine walked toward me.