Chapter 64. Sniff Sniff.
Chapter 64. Sniff Sniff.
The two sat facing each other across the table in the hastily tidied room.
Ymir and Serika were exchanging strange looks when Dave approached with a teacup, placing himself between them.
"Here, Serika."
"Ah, thanks."
"Ymir, you prefer coffee, right?"
"Uh, yeah......."
The two of them meekly accepted the cups Dave offered.
The warmth was palpable, rousing their hazy minds, yet the awkward atmosphere swirling between them persisted.
Was it because their fight had been cut short, or because the very person they'd fought over was now standing there between them?
"I don't know what you two were fighting about, but I don't think it's good to hold such bad blood against each other."
Whatever the case, oblivious to the full details, he simply offered them refreshments with a gentle smile.
"We're party members, aren't we?"
"Right, you're right."
"Mm......."
The two of them nodded reluctantly at his words, gauging each other's reactions.
Before they'd passed out after their earlier deathmatch, nothing but irritation and hatred had flown between them. Yet now, actually meeting each other's eyes, they felt an emotion they couldn't name churning inside them.
Even with the man who caused the fight right under their noses.
"L-let's start by talking about the letter!"
"Uh, yeah. Sure. That sounds good."
The two hastily agreed, as if trying to quell their inner turmoil.
Dave tilted his head, sensing something odd in their behavior, but ultimately the conversation shifted to focus on the letter Berdia had sent.
"To summarize, it looks like her return will be delayed further. So she wants us to focus on raising the party's adventurer rank in the meantime."
"Raising our adventurer rank?"
"The higher your rank, the more support you receive as an adventurer, and more importantly, the greater the renown you command publicly."
"......Ah. You mean fame?"
Ymir looked disinterested at Dave's words.
It might matter to Serika, who as an adventurer was still a third-rate nobody, but for her, someone who had reached the pinnacle of the magical world, fame wasn't exactly a tantalizing prospect.
"What ranks are you two?"
"I got promoted to D after being recognized for exterminating orcs in the Great Forest."
"I wasn't an adventurer to begin with, so by adventurer rank standards I'd be the absolute lowest. But is there really any need for me to raise my rank?"
"Well, I thought the same, but knowing Berdia, I doubt she's demanding this for fame's sake."
"...So she figures if you've got the skills, you'll grow from the bottom up on your own, reputation or not. That policy definitely fits that woman."
"It's more about building the party's teamwork. Berdia mentioned it when we were in the Great Forest — that even though we have a fixed party, we've never properly engaged in what you'd call real party activities."
Right — no matter how skilled you are, operating solo and operating as a party are entirely separate matters.
In that sense, earning merits as adventurers wasn't just about pursuing fame and wealth — it was perfectly suited for testing how well their teamwork would function for the great undertaking ahead.
Since adventurers, generally speaking, make their living handling all manner of problems across the continent, regardless of specialty.
"Well, if that's the reason, it'd be best to raise our ranks as high as we can."
Fortunately, Ymir, who was eager to throw herself into party activities, seemed convinced.
But there was still another issue that couldn't be taken lightly if they were going to take this seriously.
"But if we're testing teamwork, wouldn't we need one more person, setting aside that armored hulk? When is that long-eared wench joining us?"
"......Ymir. Calling Berdia and Melia names like that is rude."
"You can pass that on to the parties involved yourself when you meet them later, pipsqueak. I'll decide whether to use their proper names then."
Serika frowned at Ymir's crooked retort.
But wasn't that just who she was? Deciding this wasn't someone who'd listen to reason, Serika let out a deep sigh and answered.
"I did meet her once when we went to the Great Forest. Though circumstances kept me from even saying goodbye when it was over."
"I take it there's no plan for her to join?"
"No. It seems some more personal matters cropped up, so Berdia said joining us will be difficult for the time being."
"...Good grief. Some of us cast our personal business aside and focus on party activities, while others who've lived long just do whatever the hell they please. Age really is rank, isn't it."
"Is that something you should be saying, calling me a pipsqueak? When our age gap isn't even that big."
"The age gap isn't much, but while you were still in your mother's womb I had already completed all advanced mathematics and was reading papers submitted to academia. Want me to give you a lecture on thermodynamics right here?"
"...This is why geniuses are."
Says the hero, who has the most explosive growth potential of all?
Ymir nearly spat it out, but caught Dave watching the exchange beside her and stifled the rest with a dry cough.
'Well, whatever. This guy doesn't know yet anyway.'
He might have caught on to some extent, with well-known figures like Berdia and Ymir in the party, but there was no harm in being careful just in case.
As the silence stretched and the heated atmosphere gradually cooled, Dave looked relieved and continued reading the rest of the letter.
"It says her return will take about three more months, so we should raise the party's adventurer rank as much as possible in that time. Also, since the person originally meant to join seems likely to be delayed, she told us to consider recruiting a temporary member to fill the gap."
"She wants us to recruit a new party member?"
"She says a mercenary staying on temporarily would be sufficient, but....... Hmm, what do you think we should do about this part?"
"For me, this is basically my first time doing proper adventurer work anyway, so I don't really care. What about you, pipsqueak?"
"Well, I also think it'd be better to have one. If Melia's joining is delayed, that gap will only grow larger, so I think we need a party member in a similar position, even if just to help her adjust smoothly when she finally joins."
It wasn't just an opinion swayed by the mood.
"Alright, so we've decided to recruit one companion. I'll leave that part to you, Dave."
"Huh? To me?"
"You said to raise our adventurer ranks as much as we can? Then it'd be better to clear at least one more quest whenever we have time and grind them up hard, right?"
Ymir let out a chuckle and turned to Serika, continuing her argument.
"Dave, you're on odd-job duty anyway, so missing a few quests won't matter much. In terms of efficient time management, I think it'd be best if you go recruit a party member yourself while the pipsqueak and I handle the quests....... What do you think?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Dave is the guy you trusted and brought along, isn't he? I don't have an eye for people, so I'm just entrusting this to him — but in your view, do you think Dave has a good eye for people?"
"W-well, of course he does!"
Serika answered reflexively.
She'd blurted it out in her fluster, but reflecting on it, it wasn't entirely false.
He was the lover she'd given her heart to, and even if he was just aiming to be a porter, he'd ventured through dungeons often enough that he must have seen plenty of different adventurers.
"Honestly, in terms of dungeon exploration or quest experience alone, Dave, who has more experience assisting parties, probably outranks us. I think he'd have a better eye for people than me or Ymir."
"Good, both in favor, so discussion closed."
With the matter settled, Ymir smiled in satisfaction and gulped down her allotted coffee.
"We're done talking, so we might as well act right away. I'll head straight to the guild and look for a suitable quest......."
"Ah, wait, Ymir. You're not seriously planning to do quests just the two of you, are you?"
"......What?"
Her body, halfway out of the chair, flinched to a halt.
Dave then raised a point she herself had overlooked.
"Berdia's instruction was to raise the party's rank, not each individual's. Even if each member's rank contributes to it, to make a real impact you'd need to carry out quests as a formed party......."
Dave glanced sideways, gauging their reactions. No small amount of unease was visible in his gaze.
"Are you two going to be alright?"
Hadn't they been punching and kicking each other to the point of losing consciousness just this morning?
It'd be troublesome if they got into another fight the moment he left them alone.
As he looked at them with worried eyes, Serika drained the rest of her black tea and quietly rose to her feet.
With a remarkably composed smile.
"It's okay. I've cooled off now."
"...Really, it'll be okay?"
"Yeah, the thing you're worried about won't happen, so you can relax."
A gentle voice.
In that composure, the figure who had rushed in to kill her earlier was nowhere to be seen.
On the surface, at least.
'You never know. Once we're actually in the field, there might be all sorts of friction again.'
Wasn't she the same immature girl who'd lost her reason and lunged at a provocation?
Could she really stay calm with her enemy right in front of her, just as she claimed? Ymir, who'd left the mansion with her, couldn't shake a deep unease.
"Is it true you did it with Dave?"
'Of course. So much for cooling off, my ass.'
Yeah, signs appearing the moment we leave the base. Clicking her tongue at how to handle this, Ymir answered.
"I just got drunk and did it in a fit of rage. It was nothing more than a mistake, so relax — I have no intention of getting between you two."
It was half a lie, but not entirely false either.
She really had done it sober, but the fact that she had no intention of laying a hand on him was definitely true.
"......."
"......Why are you staring like that? Picking another fight?"
Of course, if she was the type to take that at face value, she wouldn't have attacked in the first place.
For Dave's sake, she intended to hold back to some degree, but that depended on how her opponent reacted.
She just hoped the rampage would stay within limits she could handle.
"Hold on."
Just as that anxious thought crossed her mind, Serika approached Ymir and leaned in close to her body.
Was it a surprise attack?
No, there was no sign of mana moving. More than anything, the atmosphere wasn't particularly hostile.
In that state, Serika started making soft sniffing sounds — 'sniff, sniff' — as she slowly circled around Ymir.
"...What are you doing?"
"No, it's nothing."
After roughly brushing off the question, Serika turned her back and took the lead toward their destination.
"Let's put the issue concerning Dave aside for later and head to the guild first. I agree with you that we should raise our rank as quickly as possible."
"Ah, right......."
The sudden action had startled her, but if it didn't cause trouble right now, wasn't that fine either way?
As Ymir, recovered from her bewilderment, followed after her, Serika brought her hand to her nose and recalled the scent she'd picked up from Ymir earlier.
'I feel like I smell Dave on her somehow.'
Wasn't that strange?
Even though her lover had lain with another, the scent that seemed to have seeped from him was killing the hostility she felt toward the woman.
'...This is weird.'
But Serika wasn't the only one feeling a sense of dissonance in this situation.
'Just a little while ago she was just a big-bodied kid, but has she always been this alluring?'
Had she always had this subtle hint of sex appeal?
No, there was no way she could have matured this much in such a short time.
It must have been that she herself had lost her composure when they clashed that morning and hadn't properly seen the girl for what she was.
'Can we pull this off?'
'We have to. For Dave's sake.'
Now left alone together, a strange current slowly began to flow between the two of them.
Utterly unaware that it was all the machinations of the man who had been the cause of their fight.
***
And now, left alone in the mansion after the two had departed.
Only then did I finally voice the misgiving I'd been holding in the entire time.
"You absolute fools. What the hell were you thinking, leaving recruitment for the hero party to the Demon King's army?"