The Blond Nun and the Promotion Battle #1
The Blond Nun and the Promotion Battle #1
I left the inn, Rebecca seeing me off.
Fortunately, I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild before the meeting time, without being late. In the early-morning guild lobby, the three party members I'd met yesterday were already gathered there.
A Lizardman and a Halfling. And Sister Kate.
"Ah, Mongma-nim! Over here!"
Kate approached me from the entrance as I walked in. She wore a smile that said she was happy to see me, but there was something I needed to confirm before exchanging greetings.
"What about those two over there?"
"You mean Brut and Ally?"
"Why did they both disappear yesterday? Did you ask them?"
"Yes. I've already confirmed their reasons! Both of them had unavoidable circumstances. Really, quite surprisingly!"
"Unavoidable circumstances?"
"Why don't you hear it directly from them?"
Unavoidable circumstances that made them leave without a word? What, did their houses burn down? I walked over to the two of them, feeling utterly dumbfounded. The moment I approached, the Lizardman and the female Halfling immediately bent at the waist into a full ninety-degree bow.
A deeply respectful apology!
"Apologize. Strong and powerful morning. If you ask me, I am sorry."
"I'm so sorry! I had urgent business and had to leave first!"
What the hell is up with the way these bastards talk?
I could let the Halfling slide, but that Lizardman's way of speaking was seriously off.
I spoke to them, a cold sweat beading on my forehead.
"Alright. So why exactly did you two leave yesterday? We were supposed to regroup and discuss the quest."
The first to open his mouth was Brut the Lizardman. Parting his long, crocodile-like jaw, Brut began to jabber away earnestly. Calling it "talking" didn't quite fit — "jabbering" was more accurate.
"Me Brut. Bad at continental language. Came from tribe. To city where people live! Continental language too hard. Help."
"So you're saying you're not very fluent in the continental language?"
"Yes! Yesterday I made mistake. Misunderstood your words!"
The Lizardman fumbled in his coat and pulled out a small paper bag. A bag filled with tiny grain-like pellets.
"Gather. Me mistake for bird feed! Bought grain at mill."
"You mean bird feed?"
It was true!
The contents of the bag really were the kind of grain used as bird feed. So yesterday, when I'd said "gather," he'd mistaken it for bird feed? This scaly reptile bastard's language patch was seriously incomplete.
"Good heavens."
An utterly bizarre reason for going missing. I knew that the Lizardmen of the continent lived primitive, tribal lives in their homelands. But Lizardmen who made it out to the cities could usually speak at least passably well. The Lizardman spearman before me was apparently still in the middle of learning the continental language.
"Still, it wasn't intentional, so it's fine. Now, what about the Halfling over there? What's your reason?"
"You mean me? Sniffle."
Upon hearing my question, Ally immediately started to tear up. She looked just like a little girl crying, but I couldn't let myself be fooled. A Halfling who'd grown this much was fully an adult. There was a good chance she was actually in her thirties.
"Stop crying and talk. Sniveling won't buy you any sympathy from me."
"My brother. My brother caused trouble again! He broke into the arena and let all the monsters loose from their cages!"
"Secretly released the arena monsters? Why the hell would anyone do something that insane?"
"He was trying to commune with the monsters! That brain-dead bastard! The arena staff came looking for me, so I had no choice but to get dragged off! They said if I didn't come right then, they'd throw my brother to the monsters as feed!"
"Commune with monsters?!"
The moment I heard those words, a chill ran down my spine. As far as I could remember, there was only one Halfling who tried to commune with monsters. A certain brat who called himself a Monster Behavior Specialist.
A Halfling named Ethan whom I'd met during that herb-collection quest a while back.
The one who tried to commune with a Kelpie and got kicked flying by its hind legs.
"D-don't tell me your brother's name is Ethan?"
"Huh? H-how do you know that?"
Ally, who had been chattering away, stared at me with bewildered eyes.
"Did my brother cause trouble for you too, Mr. Incubus?"
"It wasn't exactly trouble. We just did a few quests together in the past, that's all. He wasn't a bad person. A bit of a scatterbrain, but still."
"Phew."
Ally let out a sigh of relief.
Looking down at her, there was something I definitely noticed. Her hair color and the shape of her eyes — there were similarities to Ethan. It wouldn't have been strange at all if she turned out to be Ethan's younger sister.
A little sister who runs around cleaning up after her eccentric brother's messes?
To think she'd been dragged off by the arena staff yesterday. It was a bizarre reason, but at least it hadn't been intentional. If it had been, I was planning to drop out of this promotion match without looking back.
Clap!
I clapped my hands and addressed the three gathered in the lobby.
"Alright! Then before we start the quest, let's take a moment for quick introductions! We should lay out what skills we each bring so we can coordinate better!"
After thinking it over, it seemed no one else could lead this party but me. The Lizardman's continental language patch was incomplete, and the Halfling was too small in stature to inspire confidence.
And there was no way I could entrust party leadership to a tool.
'Absolutely not. There's no way I'm putting Kate in charge of the party. I refuse to take orders from a tool.'
Even though my relationship with Kate had grown closer, my convictions as a dealer remained unchanged. A tool was nothing more than a tool. Unless a fourth industrial revolution happened in this otherworld, tools could never rule over people.
The gathered party members spoke up one by one.
"Me Brut. Good with spear. My skin is strong and powerful crocodile skin! Long-range attacks also possible. Learned spear throwing too."
"I'm Ally the Halfling. I'm sensitive to sounds and presences, so my tracking ability is excellent. I'm basically a scout, but I can tank too. Because I've got this seriously cool round shield."
"Sister Kate. I can use healing spells. I can handle a mace, but only enough to protect myself."
Finally, it was my turn. I'd been gathering mana in advance, and when my turn came, I spoke briefly.
"Water."
In that instant, a thick droplet of water materialized in the air. Brut and the Halfling let out sounds of admiration at the sudden orb. For a mage like me, showing magic firsthand was always more convincing than explaining it. I kept the water droplet suspended in the air and spoke.
"I'm Luke the Incubus. A mage. My primary elemental attribute is water! I can also fire mana spheres or conjure small flames. In an emergency, I can handle tanking as well."
"Archer mage! You, mysterious."
"A mage who can tank? That's a pretty rare asset."
Archer mage? What was that? A mistranslation? Anyway, the looks the two gave me were tinged with admiration. With that, I'd gotten a rough grasp of the party's specs.
Kate, beside me, spoke up.
"What do you think, Mongma-nim? I'd say this lineup is fairly solid. I gave Brut and Ally's gear a rough appraisal, and it's above average."
"You can appraise gear just by looking at it?"
"That's basically all I do when I take my daily walks. Sizing up dealers' equipment. Their gear is worth at least three silver per piece."
"Oh-ho."
Kate's eyes darted rapidly as they swept over the two of them. For a money-hungry nun, she seemed quite sharp about dealers' gear. It made sense — nuns were fundamentally forced to scrutinize a dealer's specs by nature. They were tools who couldn't carry a quest on their own, after all.
I thought for a moment, then spoke.
"I think it's fine too. Especially since the Lizardman can be classed as a 'gukbap-style dealer.'"
"What's a gukbap-style dealer? I've never heard that term before."
"It's what I call dealers with incredibly sturdy bodies. Lizardman hide is famous for being tough, you know. Blades barely cut into it, and it absorbs blunt impacts. They're big, so their natural strength is high too."
Gukbap-style dealer!
It literally referred to dealers who were as hearty and reliable as a bowl of gukbap!
It wasn't an official adventurer term — just a word I used on my own for convenience when classifying dealers. Dealers who could pull their weight no matter how bad the conditions got. The Lizardman race definitely suited the word "gukbap."
"I-I see. Gukbap-style dealer! I'll remember it, Mongma-nim."
"And the Halfling is extremely useful in a scout role. So at the very least, the party's specs are fine. Let's head out."
"Yes."
"Everyone else, let's move out!"
"Brut moves out!"
"Halfling here, let's go."
After reporting our departure to Wendy at the reception desk, we walked out of the guild building. Four Bronze-tier adventurers had embarked on a journey for promotion.
Like vigorous salmon swimming upstream against the current.
In order to escape the abyss and set foot in the Silver Tier where civilized people dwelled.
*
A four-person carriage stood ready at the guild's front gate. According to Wendy, it was a carriage the Adventurer's Guild had prepared for us. It seemed that for adventurers undertaking a promotion match, the guild at least provided transportation.
A covered carriage with a roof.
A middle-aged coachman greeted us.
"Are you the adventurers undertaking the promotion match?"
"That's right."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Calyn, and I'll be taking you to Kunbilia Village. After you arrive, I'll wait in the village, so once you've dealt with matters at the abandoned mine, just come back. I can take you back to Yoen-su as well."
"How long does it take to reach Kunbilia Village?"
"Not that far, blonde adventurer. We should be able to arrive by this evening."
The village was only a day away? Fortunately, the distance wasn't as great as it had been during the subjugation quest. If we handled the quest well, we could be back within three days. And then I could attempt mana charging with Rebecca. Fingering the ankh in my pocket, I let a satisfied smile spread across my face.
"You've got a slightly lecherous look on your face, Mongma-nim. Thinking something naughty?"
"Ahem."
I cleared my throat and climbed aboard the carriage.
The moment I sat down, Kate lifted the hem of her nun's dress and stepped inside. She slipped in and settled beside me.
"Ugh."
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
The carriage seats were cramped, so there was no avoiding our bodies pressing together. The soft curve of Kate's thigh pressed against my leg. When I lifted my leg to adjust to a more comfortable position, I inadvertently disarranged Kate's habit.
Swoosh. The slit in her nun's dress fell open, revealing a smooth expanse of thigh. Instinctively, my eyes were drawn to her bare skin.
The creamy white flesh of her thigh, folding over the edge of jet-black stockings.
A thin garter belt running up beneath her habit.
"Ah."
Had she noticed my blatant stare?
Swift—! Kate hurriedly adjusted her dress, covering her thigh. Watching that pale leg vanish beneath black fabric in the blink of an eye, I couldn't help but sigh with regret.
"Mongma-nim."
Kate's face flushed red as she glanced sidelong at me. I quickly apologized to her.
"Sorry."
"No. It's not your fault, Mongma-nim. It's the Church's fault for having us wear nun's dresses slit open so indecently like this. Sewing the slit shut is actually forbidden, you know."
"Forbidden?"
"An order from the Papal Office."
I'd always wondered — was wearing those provocative habits really by order of the Church?
Amazing, Luminous Church!
In that moment, I decided to become a follower of the Luminous Church.
The higher-ups in the Church clearly knew what they were doing.
I was in the middle of wearing a satisfied grin when it happened. Without warning, Kate, seated beside me, whispered in my ear.
"Want me to show you more?"
"Sh-show what?"
"My thigh."
In that very moment, Kate raised a finger and touched the hem of her dress. As her finger traced along, the parted slit revealed a glimpse of her alluring thigh, teetering right on the edge of exposure.
"Holy shit."
I absolutely could not tear my eyes away from Kate's thigh. As if deliberately tempting me, Kate slowly widened the gap in the fabric.
"Aaaah."
But sadly, Kate didn't keep spreading her dress open for long. Soon, the other two party members climbed aboard the carriage. The Lizardman and the Halfling took their seats across from us. Kate smoothed out her habit in an instant. As if nothing had ever happened.
"Kate?"
"Just a little prank!"
I couldn't press her further, not when Kate answered in that small, shrinking voice. There was no way I could bring up embarrassing talk in a carriage with a strange Lizardman and Halfling present.
'A prank, she says!'
Soon after, the carriage set off toward Kunbilia Village.