[The Return and the New Party]

Back at the frontier, in the Orc Shaman’s hideout. I used 420 Mana Stones to further bolster my stats in my Phylactery.

Oh yeah, this is the good stuff. Just looking at the increased stats makes me happy. If you only looked at my physical body, I’d still just be a frail little girl... but if you underestimate me based on my appearance, you’re going to get a nasty surprise. Once I call upon the hidden stats stored in my Phylactery, I’m easily above average even among the adventurers in this frontier. And on top of that...

My performance in the underground waterway was converted into experience, adding a bunch of useful skills to my repertoire. In Nine Stars, skill training is just as important as stats. Even if Destruction Magic is only at Beginner Level 2, it’s a massive 25% increase in destructive power compared to having no skill at all. Nice. I’m growing smoothly, like a ship with the wind at its back. It must be because I monopolized the Ratmen in the underground waterway without any interference from other adventurers.

There is, however, one minor problem...

“Gahhh...! How could this happen again!” The Orc Shaman’s eyes widened in shock. “Again, again! It failed again...! The ritual was performed perfectly... so why?”

Well, to this Orc who doesn’t know the secret of the Phylactery, pouring in Mana Stones must feel like trying to fill a bottomless pit. The Orc Shaman bit his lower lip hard and began slamming his head against the floor. “I’m sorry, young ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lady! I have committed a sin worthy of death!”

Thud. Thud. The intensity with which he was slamming his forehead without holding back was quite alarming. I hurriedly stopped him, worried he might actually crack his skull. If you die, who’s going to level up my Mana Stones?

“Mister, calm down.”

“But how can I show my face after wasting 420 Mana Stones...! If you add the previous ones, that’s 870...! I don’t deserve to live!”

He’s right. If he had actually wasted 870 of my Mana Stones, he wouldn’t deserve to live. I might have killed him on the spot. But since I hadn’t actually lost anything, I gave him a benevolent smile and patted his shoulder. “Oh, don’t make such a fuss over something like that. These things happen in life.”

Where else would you find an adventurer like me? I’m basically the reincarnation of a Buddha.

“Young lady, you have shown me generous mercy... but I, Yurka, cannot forgive myself. Here, take this.”

The Orc Shaman, Yurka, began fumbling to take off the ornaments he was wearing. A tooth necklace, a ritual dagger, a feather belt... They were all ritual tools passed down through generations of Orc Shamans. This was unexpected. Shamans would never sell their ancestral ritual tools, even if they were starving to death, because they believe the souls of their ancestors reside within them.

“...Mister, it’s fine, put them back. I don’t need these.”

“If you do not accept them, I will have to live the rest of my life in shame...”

“Tsk. I said it’s fine.”

I appreciate the sentiment, but I really ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don’t need them. Ritual tools are items specialized for Orc Shamans, so they don’t offer me much benefit. Other races feel the same, so they don’t fetch much of a price at the market. They are, for all intents and purposes, items exclusive to Orc Shamans. If I had to pick one, though...

“Then I’ll just take this one.” I picked out a strangely shaped dagger.

Natural Unity is useless to me since I’m not a Shaman, but Elemental Amplification is decent enough. It’ll slightly increase the attack power of my current main spell, Frost Sword. “Well, if you’re giving it to me, I’ll put it to good use.”

“Are you really sure about that?”

“I said it’s fine.”

“...Still, I really—”

“Mister, if you make me say it one more time, I’m going to get really angry.”

Only then did Yurka shut his mouth. The Orc, who looked like he’d aged ten years in an instant, said with a somber, desperate face, “Young lady.”

“What now?”

“I beg of you. Give me one more chance. I will not disappoint you next time.”

“Fine.” I fiddled with my new dagger and answered casually. Chance or not, I hadn’t been disappointed in the first place... Yurka let out a deep, earth-shattering sigh and immediately closed his eyes to meditate. He’s a bit pitiful. He’s wasted Mana Stones twice in a row, so it’s natural he’d be angry at himself. But what can I do? He’s going to fail again next time.

The private bathroom at the frontier rest area. It’s a small room with nothing but a single bathtub filled with hot water, but the usage fee is by no means cheap. Bathing in the frontier is a luxury... yet Flora didn’t spare the money. She couldn’t give up this sweet time that warmed her entire body, no matter what anyone said.

After taking off her clothes and folding them neatly, she first untied her finely braided hair and washed herself clean from head to toe with bubbles. She wanted to submerge her body in the hot water right away, but not rushing even at times like this was Flora’s way. Like letting a precious piece of chocolate melt slowly on her tongue, she wanted to enjoy it as leisurely as possible.

After meticulously scrubbing away the scent of the underground waterway from her body, Flora dipped her toes into the tub to check the temperature. It was perfect. Not too hot, not too lukewarm. The moment she had been waiting for had arrived. Flora slowly lowered herself into the tub and...

“Kuh...” She shuddered at the overwhelming pleasure that washed over her. “Haa...”

Her body was melting. She felt like she was going to turn into a warm, soft lump and dissolve into the water. Flora lifted her weary eyes to look at the bathroom ceiling, where steam was rising. It had only been a two-day journey, but so much had happened. There were heart-pounding adventures and moments of crisis that made her heart grow cold. And...

She had seen a genius. “Master was right,” Flora murmured languidly. “The world is vast. There was such an amazing kid. Was Master like that when you were young, too?”

Estelle. Flora’s first junior. If you taught her one thing, she’d learn two—no, ten. A precocious child who seemed more like a senior than she, the actual senior, was. Truly, a talent bestowed by the heavens.

“But Master,” Flora stirred the bathwater with her hand, thinking of Estelle’s face. A strange child who was sharp yet soft, cold yet warm—a child who couldn’t be explained in a single word. “That child... looks precarious somewhere.”

She felt it vaguely. The secret hidden deep within Estelle’s heart. The high walls built as if to strictly deny the entry of others. “I want to be her strength.”

She didn’t want to leave her alone. She had a premonition that if she did, that brilliant child would be broken pointlessly before she even had a chance to bloom. This was a premonition that bordered on clairvoyance. Even Flora couldn’t explain it properly, but for some reason, the premonitions she felt so vividly always turned out to be true.

Phew— Flora scooped up warm water with her palms and splashed it on her face. Droplets of water trickled down her flawless skin. If she could get closer to that child someday, if those thick walls of her heart could be broken down just a little... wouldn’t they be able to take a bath together? It would be so nice if a day like that came. Flora sighed softly and stretched her legs out in the tub.

Back inside the barracks. “Hoho, you cleared the Ratmen in the underground waterway? And just the two of you?” The Guard Captain nodded with satisfaction, looking at us as if he were seeing us in a new light. ...Strange. That smiling face, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere. Maybe he resembles someone? Must be my imagination.

“I was worried deep down, but I guess I underestimated you two. That’s some impressive skill.”

With that, the first stage of the subjugation quest was complete. ‘As expected, this route is the best for gathering achievement points.’ There are missions that give more points than the underground waterway subjugation, for instance, a large-scale “conquest” quest to exterminate monsters in the Garden Western Wilderness. That quest gives a whopping 10,000 points. However, it’s impossible to monopolize that many points. You can’t catch all the monsters spread across the vast wilderness alone, and since other adventurers participate in the quest, you end up having to share the rewards. If you split the points with dozens or hundreds of adventurers, you’d be lucky to get 200 or 300 points per person.

In that sense, my choice was the correct one. The strategy of pioneering an underground waterway route that no one cared about and monopolizing all the rewards. There’s no need to keep other adventurers in check, and no need to share the rewards.

“Captain, can I ask a favor?”

“Name it. If it’s a favor I can grant, I’ll do my best to accommodate you.” Perhaps because I’d built up trust and favor by completing consecutive quests, the Guard Captain answered readily. I decided to use the accumulated achievement points immediately. With 1,000 points, I could borrow decent equipment from the armory or get help by drafting soldiers, but... I already had a specific use in mind.

“I want to find some companions. Could you look into it for me?”

“Aha, that. Companions, huh. I suppose even with your skills, it must be a bit uneasy with just the two of you.”

“Yeah. I’d like them to be reliable people if possible. I was hoping you could recommend some.”

I needed party members right away. To clear the Polluted Waste Deposit, a sub-dungeon of the underground waterway, Flora and I weren’t enough. But I couldn’t just accept any random party member, either. So, I decided to take the Guard Captain’s recommendation.

“Leave it to me. I happen to know some decent adventurers I’ve had my eye on.”

If you use achievement points, the Guard Captain provides a list of carefully selected adventurers. It’s basically a luxury catalog for the frontier. Though, it’s only considered luxury within the frontier.

After carefully reviewing the list, I chose two adventurers.

A tavern in the center of the frontier. Even today, many adventurers in this shabby tavern are pointlessly trading the gold coins they earned by risking their lives for a glass of booze. In one corner of the tavern, where the ceiling is high, a noisy gambling game is in full swing, and on the other side, drunks are arm-in-arm, singing loudly. It’s a bit chaotic, but I don’t dislike the scenery.

“It’s fascinating—this is my first time in a place like this,” Flora said, looking around repeatedly. “Um, Estelle-ssi, do you come here often?”

“No. It’s my first time, too.”

“But you look so used to it.”

“I’m just pretending to be. Senior, it’s never good to show that you’re a beginner at anything.” I pulled my hood down low. The world of Nine Stars is crawling with shark-like beginner hunters. Whether it’s a tavern or anywhere else, there’s no need to reveal my inexperience to the world.

Flora nodded as if she’d learned something else, then cleared her throat and adjusted her posture. “I-I see—um—it’s great to be at a re-gular! tavern—as expected—”

What’s with that awkward tone? Why emphasize “regular” for no reason? Flora propped her chin on her hand with movements as stiff as a wooden doll. Why is she malfunctioning again?

“What’s wrong? Just be yourself, Senior.”

“This—is—me—being—myself.”

Sigh. I shook my head, popped a peanut, and tossed it into my mouth. *Tuck.* But the peanut didn’t even get near my mouth and landed far away. Why is this happening? It’s embarrassing. I popped another peanut and tossed it in, acting as if it were nothing, like a tavern regular... but it missed again. The peanut bounced off the table, the wall, and the floor, rolling straight into a mouse hole in the corner.

“Wow, Estelle-ssi, you’re really good at tossing peanuts!”

“...”

“I see... So these peanuts weren’t meant to be eaten! I’ll practice too. I want to toss them coolly like you, Estelle-ssi.” Flora whispered. The misunderstanding was deepening. I pushed the peanut plate far away and picked up the adventurer profiles the Guard Captain had given me.

“It’s almost time for the meeting.”

I had chosen two adventurers. Wagner, the human warrior. Mitchell, the elf martial artist. Our party currently only had two mages, so the balance was a bit skewed, which is why I decided to supplement with two reliable front-liners. For reference, neither Wagner nor Mitchell were big names.

Soon, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠five minutes before the scheduled time. “...That ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠peanut.” A voice came from behind. A shadow fell over Flora and me. “Are you not eating it? It’s a waste.”

A giant man spoke in a thick, low voice. A man you could believe was a bear. Flora, thoroughly intimidated, gently returned the peanuts to the plate. “...Are you Wagner?”

“That I am.”

Wait a minute. That mountain of a man. Those giant, pot-lid-sized hands. ...And those pants. Those are the pants I picked out for him.

Wagner and I finally recognized each other and widened our eyes at the same time.