Sparring with the Heroine
At the foot of the Northern Mountain Range, a massive Mithril Serpent lay in chunks scattered across the grassy field beneath my feet.
This A-rank monster fed on magical metals to reinforce its shell. Where a Mithril Serpent lurked meant a mithril mine nearby. Come the monster wave soon, it'd spearhead the assault, hammering the city's walls with serious damage—and its very existence tempted human greed.
That's why we take it out early.
Mithril was a massive strategic resource. Three times tougher than steel, three times lighter, and highly attuned to mana—it was rightly called the nobility's steel. Spreading word of the mine now would only cause trouble. Or it could serve as a good test to filter out trustworthy allies.
"Keep it secret."
Elena's party members nodded as they stared at the fallen serpent by my feet. Mithril was nice to have for me, but no big loss if it wasn't. If it helped me pick out useful lackeys for Elena, it was worth its weight.
One person you could trust, unswayed by money, was worth more than a few dozen percent stake in a mithril mine.
I left the serpent's disposal to her party. They were to hide it where no one would see, digging a pit to bury the corpse. I turned to survey the vast open plain stretching before me.
The heart of the Northern Mountain Range was flat grassland extending far into the distance. Right now, the grass swayed in the breeze, rippling fresh and green, but this empty expanse would soon be the stage for a massive dungeon to erupt.
I squinted against the sunlight.
By now, she's probably met with Roan.
I'd given Elena the salt statue. She'd show it to Roan, and he'd freak out. It was Roan who'd told her to bring it, after all.
Roan was a pain in the ass, but trustworthy in this one thing.
Virgin-obsessed freak.
A hopeless zealot raving about the goddess's proxy, fixated on purity and virginity. A lunatic whose twisted ideology turned medieval Christianity into an adult game obsession, elevating virginity to core doctrine.
That's why leaving Elis with him was the safest option.
Elis kept her virginity thanks to Roan and Hans.
Roan was male, but he'd offered his manhood as proof of faith. His group was anything but normal.
I can predict exactly how he'll react.
The more extreme, the easier to read.
I led Elena's party across the plain. The wind swept over the grassland, brushing past my body. The rustling of grass blades clashing filled the air as they whipped by.
Nothing stood in the middle of the expanse. No dungeon traces, no mana fluctuations.
Not yet, huh.
A dungeon would spawn around here. I traced the monster wave's path in my head along this route in that direction.
"E-Eck, how much more do we need to bury?"
"All of it."
We buried low-grade potions along the path. Half-buried, so if monsters stepped here, the potions would leak out. The concentrated mana would react with the soil, causing explosive grass growth.
When the monster wave hit, the horde trampling through would trigger it—the grass bursting from the earth would tangle their legs. The tough, lush stalks would bind low-grade monsters' ankles plenty, piling them up to block the higher-grades too.
Monster waves were periodic events, so countless methods had been researched to slow their advance.
Hans and Duke wiped sweat from their brows.
"We've buried them all as instructed."
By the time the sun peaked and began its descent, we'd planted every potion we had.
"When you come with Elena next time, focus on this job."
"Yes!"
We still had plenty of potions left. Thirty thousand was enough for planting and adventurer use.
We packed our gear and headed back to the city.
Back at the guild, Elena sat at our usual spot, waiting. Propped on her chin, she stared blankly at the door until I walked in, then jumped up.
"Uncle!"
She scampered over. Her party followed, and I gave them a light wave before she glued herself to me.
"Elis is better."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! After she took what you gave her, she can walk around on her own now. She used to struggle just sitting up."
Good news. Mana grass held mana, but it matched Elis's wavelength, so it worked. Feeding her mana grass would boost the potion bottles' recovery too. But it only reinforced her mana-handling ability—it wasn't the root fix.
"The statue?"
"Oh, that... The doc took it, I think. To make medicine or something."
Roan had told her to bring the salt statue, claiming it for a cure. Elena didn't suspect him at all—he'd cared for Elis without laying a hand on them.
To make her doubt him, I need hard proof.
Elena followed me well now, but sowing doubt about Roan outright would burn my credibility. I'd need solid evidence to plant suspicion without loss.
Elena pulled a rolled parchment from her bosom.
"And the doc left this. He said he found the statue's location."
She handed it over carefully. Unrolled, it was a map.
Potion Reinforcement Tutorial.
Starting this now meant the time was ripe.
"Can I come along this time?"
"You wanna?"
"Yeah. I wanna go with you, Uncle."
Elena's eyes sparkled. Her face showed more excitement about traveling with me than the relic itself.
"Sure. Let's go."
"For real?!"
"But first."
I nodded toward her party.
"Finish the mission you're on. Search first."
"Okay..."
Elena's lips pouted. Disappointment spread across her face, but she nodded without complaint.
"Got it. Hope we wrap up quick."
"Soon."
The map showed about a day's travel. Round trip, two days. The dungeon would appear at least two days from now.
I sat at my spot, and Elena and her party took theirs. Jeina, peeking from the counter, brought drinks—her hand still trembled faintly as she set them down.
"No booze. Take it back and bring food."
"H-Huh?"
Jeina startled, freezing up.
"Uncle said take it back."
"Y-Yes..."
Jeina retreated to the kitchen with the glasses. Elena glared at her.
"Uncle."
"What."
"Why keep that sister around? The old you would've ditched her already."
"Who said?"
"The kids did."
Her party flinched under my gaze. Fair point. Old Eck would've tossed Jeina into a monster den without batting an eye. She was an unmentioned NPC in the game, so I relied purely on Eck's memories.
"She's the former guild master's daughter."
"Former guild master?"
"And Rebecca's little sister."
Elena's eyes widened.
"The former master was a commoner like us, but acted all noble. Jeina grew up spoiled under him. Guess her attitude? Treating adventurers like dogs, nose in the air—just like her old man."
"But why..."
"Rebecca begged me to spare her. Her sister. Said give her one chance to reflect."
One chance. That was it. Jeina kept her life that way, and thanks to the plea, Rebecca left Eck. Rebecca got her a guild waitress job, making her taste the humiliation she'd dished out, forcing reflection—leading to her current state.
Though the drugging blew up her built image.
Rebecca's "saju" was both a warning to me and a leash on Jeina. That attitude and tension? Straight out of her newbie waitress days.
"What about Rebecca, then?"
Her voice was cautious.
"How do you know her? Guild master makes sense for an A-rank like you, but it feels like more."
Sharp kid. Wasn't intentional.
"She was my fiancée."
"......Huh?"
Elena's hand froze.
"Former master forced it. Hooking an A-rank adventurer to his daughter gave him leverage, tied elite power to the guild."
"..."
But Elena sensed something off and spoke up.
"Then why's sister Jeina a waitress and Rebecca guild master?"
"Rebecca was his bastard. Said she suited a filthy adventurer, dumped her on me like trash."
I clicked my tongue. We partied up, and Rebecca stuck to her role, following me everywhere, vowing loyalty. Stressed-out Eck eventually chucked her into a monster den.
Eck raged at the former master for saddling him with her.
"What about the former master?"
"Dead. Accident."
Elena's breath hitched. Obviously Eck killed him. Drunk on power with an A-rank in pocket and a hard-to-handle talent like Eck, he got lured to the forest and offed. Everyone knew it was an open secret, but no one called it out. Couldn't. Only another A-rank could challenge one. Eck's temper meant only nobles dared intervene.
Acted like a thug, but folded to anyone clearly stronger.
Classic bully: weak to strong, strong to weak. Seemed like he picked fights with everyone due to his savage temper.
Anyway, Rebecca gained freedom and the guild master seat.
"So that's why Rebecca likes you."
"That's how it looked?"
"Isn't it?"
"She lacks normal human smarts. Repaying a debt, and no need to change her old fiancée act."
Her masochism ran bone-deep too.
"Don't mention her name again. Gives me the creeps."
"Okay..."
Elena's shoulders slumped. Jeina brought food; we ate, and I stood.
"Let's check your skills for the first time in ages. Aid digestion."
"Huh? I-Is that okay?"
"What about it?"
Elena's eyes went wide, then she looked away. Her thoughts were obvious. I ruffled her hair and gestured to the guild's backyard.
Elena bolted up and trailed right behind me.