Feeding You Opportunities - (4)
The dark, damp dungeon passage stretched ahead. Lumps of unidentifiable earth dotted the uneven walls, while faint blue flames flickered in the gloom. The three walked in silence. Lydia led the way, with Arty following behind, backpack slung over his shoulders. Aria walked beside him, her expression gloomy.
“…”
“…”
“…”
No monsters had appeared for the past hour. If not for the eerie atmosphere and the occasional distant sounds, one might have mistaken the place for an ordinary cave.
—Kuuuugh—
—Ehehehe…
—Haaah…
Low, mournful wails and sighs of lingering spirits echoed faintly. Yet no one paid them any mind.
“…”
“Huu…”
Lydia kept scanning their surroundings, searching for something. Arty, despite the distraction, continued his training—maintaining Accelerated Healing without letting his focus break.
“…”
Aria glanced sideways at him.
“…”
“Huu, hup…!”
His breathing occasionally faltered, and he walked with an awkward, unsteady gait. No matter how one looked at it, he seemed unwell. Concern welled up in Aria’s chest.
Could the Princess’s pet sword training be too harsh on the Hero…?
After some time, the damp, unpleasant feeling of being left out in her heart had mostly faded. Once that muddy emotion settled, her motivation returned. Aria spoke to Arty.
“Hero.”
“Huuup…! Ah, yes?”
With a sound like air escaping, Arty turned around. Aria extended her hand toward him.
“If you’re struggling, we can take turns carrying the backpack. Entrusting all three of our shares of luggage to you alone feels… far too cruel. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
Her words carried the faintest trace of dissatisfaction toward the Princess. But Arty shook his head.
“Ah, it’s fine. This is all part of my training.”
“Training…?”
“I mean what I’ve been focusing on since earlier. When I circulate the mana in my body like this, my muscles loosen and the fatigue disappears. If I keep repeating it, I’ve heard that one day I’ll be able to maintain it even in a completely unconscious state.”
“?”
Aria tilted her head. She knew nothing about how knights trained to manipulate mana. To satisfy the Saintess’s curiosity, Arty steadied his breathing once more.
“Huuup—!”
“…”
Then, a faint trace of mana flowed from his body with a soft hisss. At the same time, his muscles twitched and regained their vigor.
“!”
Aria stared in surprise.
“That’s amazing! You’re already manipulating mana like the knights? You must have been studying swordsmanship very diligently at the academy, Hero.”
“R-really? Haha.”
“And to achieve this much just from what you learned at the academy, without any prior training… That’s truly remarkable.”
“Thank you. I did put in a lot of effort, honestly.”
“So that’s what you’ve been repeating all this time.”
“Yes. Whenever my concentration slips, I start over.”
“Ah! I’m sorry. I must have interrupted your focus by speaking to you…”
“What? No! Not at all. If anything, having you speak to me let me reset my breathing from the beginning.”
“Is that so?”
Arty smiled brightly.
“Those who wield the sword live to protect others. So I have to practice even while among people.”
“That mindset is just like a priest’s.”
“You think so? Haha! Maybe swordsmen and priests aren’t so different after all, since both exist for the sake of others.”
“…I think the same.”
Aria felt her heart gradually ease. A sense of relief washed over her—that he was walking the same path after all.
The Hero is kind-hearted and incredibly diligent… Thank goodness. If it’s with someone like him…
But that feeling didn’t last long. Arty looked ahead with a wistful expression. There, Lydia walked at the front.
“But… I could never have done this alone.”
“…”
“I still can’t be sure if this path is the right one… but at the very least, I don’t want her teachings to go to waste.”
Arty grinned at Aria.
“…For a commoner, even a single opportunity like this is incredibly precious.”
“…”
Aria spoke with a shadowed expression.
“…I see.”
To me as well, the chance to be with you is incredibly precious…
But she couldn’t say it aloud.
“…”
Aria clenched her empty hand tightly and followed after them.
*
They walked the dim passage for several hours. Still, no spectral monsters appeared. Yet the scenery of nothing but dirt mounds and rocks began to change. On several of the mounds and stones, red-tinged herbs and moss grew thickly. Their color was unsettling, as if blood had seeped into the soil and stone.
Lydia had finally found what she was looking for.
…The red herbs and moss. They’ve finally appeared. In the game, they were described as showing up after passing just a couple maps… I didn’t expect it to take this long. The difference in presentation makes it easy to mismatch with my game knowledge. Still, at least we didn’t waste the trip.
She stopped the group.
“…Wait.”
“!”
“!”
Arty hurriedly raised his right hand, where the Holy Sword Danan rested, and looked around. For him, who couldn’t maintain the sword for long, moments of decision were critical.
“Is it a monster, Lydia?!”
“No.”
“?”
Lydia pointed at the red herbs and moss.
“Arty, harvest these and put them in the pouch inside your backpack.”
“Yes!”
“However, there’s something you need to be careful about.”
“…Yes?”
True to his rural upbringing, Arty showed no hesitation about gathering herbs. He had been reaching for the red plants when he turned back toward Lydia. She spoke to him.
“These herbs are mutants that have absorbed dense spectral energy over a long period. They grow naturally in areas where powerful monsters dwell. They’re valuable enough to serve as ingredients for extremely potent potions.”
“Ooh…! They must be worth quite a lot, then?”
“They are. But there’s also a reason the instructors and assistants who passed through here didn’t collect them. These red herbs and moss are like a condensed essence of massive spectral energy. In short, any living being that touches them will lose their vitality.”
“…!”
“Ordinary people might even die from the slightest contact.”
“…?!”
Arty yanked his hand back from the red herbs and moss.
“Th-then… we should just leave them and go…”
“No. Arty, you can harvest them.”
“What?”
“The essence of the Holy Sword Danan is recovery and purification. As its wielder, you possess a portion of that power as well.”
“Does that mean…?”
“Arty, you can touch these herbs without issue. In fact, while you’re holding them, the spectral energy within will gradually be neutralized. Thanks to that, you’ll be able to sell them to an herbalist for a very high price without any troublesome purification process.”
“Th-then, does that mean I can neutralize poison too right now…?!”
Lydia shook her head.
“No. Poison is merely a substance that triggers a rejection response in the body. It’s different from the curses or spectral energy that the Holy Sword can purify. That’s why you can still die from poison.”
“…!”
“Never carelessly consume food or drink given to you by strangers. …Especially not from someone you love.”
“…Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“…”
Arty began carefully harvesting the herbs. Watching him, Lydia let out a quiet sigh in her heart.
…I slipped in a way to avoid the village merchant NTR event, but I wonder if Arty will actually remember it. Since he’s already on the Aria route, those filthy events might come even sooner.
With that thought, she glanced at Aria. The Saintess had been following along blankly until now. Yet her expression was unmistakably dejected.
“…”
“?”
Lydia felt a flicker of suspicion.
Why does she look so down? From their first meeting, the atmosphere between Arty and Aria seemed good, so I’ve been watching without interfering…
She was about to quietly ask Arty if the two had fought when the floating blue flames around them flickered ever so slightly.
Fwoosh—!
It was an extremely subtle change.
“…!”
Arty and Aria didn’t notice, but Lydia sensed something. This was clearly an ill omen. She didn’t know when it would happen, but—
…We might face an unexpected situation. In the game, once you chose a route, the dungeon progression was always safe. But reality doesn’t grant that kind of leeway.
“…”
Lydia quietly placed her hand on her sword hilt.
“…”
Since she wasn’t yet certain, she gave no warning. And because this was a beginner dungeon, the chance of a major anomaly occurring was extremely low. Still, since she had brought them here, Lydia felt obligated to protect them.
*
Aria watched Lydia and Arty. She simply watched.
“…”
The two had been talking earlier… When Arty felt something strange while harvesting the herbs, Lydia calmly stopped him.
“L-Lydia. My hands are starting to go numb.”
“That’s enough. It seems your purification ability has reached its limit. This much should suffice.”
“Hmm… How much would this amount be worth, roughly?”
“Who knows. I’m not a merchant, so I can’t calculate it precisely. But with what you’re holding now, you’d probably earn as much as two months of work at the academy’s alchemy guild.”
“Two months’ salary—?! Then how many of Instructor Jacques’s special kingdom-style steaks could I buy at the academy shops…?! Or how many snacks from the Holy Theocracy shops?!”
“…Everything always comes back to food with you.”
“In that case, we should harvest more…!”
“I told you to stop.”
Is there any reason for me to be in this space? The thought crossed Aria’s mind.
“…”
The Princess seemed to know everything. Advice about the Holy Sword, how to grow stronger, how to survive, how to make money, how to avoid danger… Aside from matters concerning the Holy Sword itself, these were all things Aria didn’t know.
“…”
Honestly, becoming the Princess’s “pet sword” seemed like it would help the Hero grow stronger and survive.
The Princess is strict and harsh, but she doesn’t seem like an evil person…
Even now, the Princess was stopping the Hero from overexerting himself to make more money. If she were truly wicked, she would have exploited him for profit.
“…”
Aria tried to take a step back.
Yes, this would be better…
At that moment, Arty looked at her and called out.
“Saintess!”
“…!”
That single word stopped Aria in her tracks.
“…”
Arty spoke desperately.
“Could you help me? It feels like such a waste to leave all these herbs and moss behind…! Lydia keeps saying no, but honestly, it’s too much to bear!”
Lydia sighed at him.
“Haa…”
“…”
Aria walked over to Arty. He stood there trembling, clutching red moss and herbs in both hands with a face full of regret. An equal amount still lay at his feet.
“If we take all the moss here, the three of us will definitely be able to eat something delicious!”
“The three… of us?”
“Yes!”
Arty spoke as if it were obvious.
“You’re part of our party too, Saintess. Once we finish this class, we should go eat something tasty at the shops in front of the academy! Skipping Instructor Jacques’s training to eat will definitely taste amazing.”
“…!”
Aria’s eyes widened. A smile naturally formed on her lips.
“…I see.”
Aria took Arty’s hand. Then she recited the lowest-tier holy incantation, Purification. A soft golden light and a comforting energy flowed forth.
“…If I assist you with the purification like this, it should help supplement your ability, Hero.”
“Oh! The numbness in my hands has definitely lessened a lot!”
Grinning, Arty resumed gathering herbs and moss until the numbness returned. He managed to collect nearly twice as much as before. As he stored the purified herbs in his backpack, he spoke.
“So this is the importance of a party…! Alone, I might have missed out on this much money—no, herbs. Next time we go into a dungeon, I’ll definitely need to recruit a priest party member.”
“…I’ll go with you too.”
“Oh? Really! You promised!”
“Yes.”
Aria smiled brightly.
“…”
Lydia watched them for a moment, then gave a small nod.
…Something happened, but it seems they resolved it emotionally. That’s enough.
She took the lead once more.
*
They advanced quickly along the eerie yet peaceful path. After resting for a night with their bedrolls, the party encountered a massive skeleton. The creature, easily three meters tall, rode atop a horse that was little more than hide and bone. It raised a spear wreathed in ominous blue flames.
[GRAAAAAHH—!!]
At its cry, smaller skeletons and cage-like structures erupted from the ground. The sight resembled an open mass grave.
—Koooooh—!
Clack clack clack
Aria and Arty swallowed hard at the scene.
“A Skeleton Rider?! It’s a being that collects the souls of the living!”
“How could this be?!”
Lydia clicked her tongue softly. They had arrived too quickly—before the instructors could clear the exit area.
…The Skeleton Rider itself is an early-game spectral boss. With Arty’s current level of mastery over the Holy Sword’s initial skills, he could barely handle it alone. I can deal with the dangerous attacks. But the unexpected situation is…
The knight heroine—Mave—and the other party members lay powerless inside the cages. Their eyes were rolled back, completely white. Anyone could see they had been drained of their souls and were on the verge of annihilation.
Damn it! Since the weak, burdensome Arty from the original story is gone, Mave’s party naturally progressed faster. The problem is that they’ve become an awkwardly strong party…!
And to make matters worse, they had encountered this oversized boss at the crossroads before the exit—far too quickly, before the instructors could come to meet them.
“…Tch. So our paths crossed like this.”