Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival-Chapter 96

Rainbow Sword

“I refuse.”

“Huh!?”

When I firmly refused, Viro, who wasn’t expecting me to refuse, gave a stunned look and let out a dubious voice.

Rainbow Sword, as I recalled, was one of the few Rank 5 adventurer parties in this country.

I did not know why Viro had invited me to join Rainbow Sword but if it was for being Samantha’s replacement, it had to be a legitimate magician which I was not and Viro had been looking for the replacement for a long time.

Besides, I’d been solo for a long time and didn’t really understand how the parties worked. I was not saying I couldn’t learn it at all, but I decided that with my style of combat using Concealment and assassination, there were many situations where I would be more effective solo, like against orcs.

“Hyah, you’ve been dumped, kid!”

“Don’t make it sound like I’ve been dumped by a woman, old lady! I’ve got at least one girl myself!”

“Are you paying her off again? You never learn, do you…”

Samantha’s gaze was a mixture of dismay and pity, and for some reason, Viro started to panic.

“No, no, this time it’s different! Aria, don’t trust the old lady’s nonsense! No, that’s not what we should be talking about.”

Viro finally remembered the main topic and suddenly turned to me.

“Okay, listen up, Aria.”

Viro explained to me the many reasons why he invited me.

Even without mentioning the succession of Samantha, the sorceress, it seemed that Viro, the scout, was also beginning to look for his own replacement.

Most adventurers thought about retiring after they reached 40. But high-ranked adventurers with lots of magic power would age slowly, and it would not appear unusual for them to be active into their fifties, and although Viro was only in his late thirties, he still looked like he was in his early thirties and was always energized in all kind of situations.

“I’m not going to retire anytime soon, but Rainbow Sword with its long history is special. Not just anyone can succeed me, and it takes a few years to pass on the know-how. Besides… my girlfriend wants me to get a job with a decent salary, and Dark Side has formally invited me…”

“…”

The conversation gradually shifted in a strange direction.

“Little girl, listen to what Viro kid says, only half of what he says, though! After all, he always came back every few years with a similar story!”

“Okay.”

“This time I’m serious. No, that’s not the point. In short, I’ve decided that I can trust you to take over after me. Besides, you can’t just be any adventurer if you want to be the princess’s bodyguard. This is a request for an adventurer from Rainbow Sword, so no matter how much the princess trusts you, people won’t believe you that easily.”

Indeed, my position was that of an orphan adventurer without any proper identity. Even now, being Rank 4 didn’t mean I had any social credibility.

“Don’t think of it as joining a party, think of it as joining a clan. Even you know that I take jobs individually, right? We’re so skilled individually that we take on commissions alone, and we only become a party when it’s a big job. Besides, if you still don’t like it, you can leave on your own.”

I nodded quietly at Viro’s words.

“…I see.”

I understood that only a trusted adventurer party like Rainbow Sword could accept the work of the country.

Before, I was a child maid introduced by the trusted Viro, so I was overlooked without much suspicion. But now I would never be able to get close to Elena with just the status of an adventurer.

The Dark Side was probably so short on staff that they were inviting Viro to take the place of the defected Grave. I assumed that it was tougher than before to bring in people who were similarly suspicious.

Samantha’s successor’s story also seemed to be that mages were necessary for adventures, but not essential for the party, and that [Rainbow Sword] would have problems with requests if they were to take a long hiatus searching for a few young high ranks, so they took this royal escort as an opportunity to bring in a light mage of about Rank 3, and They had decided to resume their activities.

The talks of dealing with people the was not simply in name, especially for a member of the famous party [Rainbow Sword] which had been active for more than 100 years and the name could even be used as a deterrent… but

“It’s not funny. You’ve made it impossible to say no from the start.”

“That’s where the adults get dirty. But you’re smart enough to understand that, and you realize you can’t say no. I know you realize that.”

Viro, a self-proclaimed dirty adult, laughed and tapped me lightly on the shoulder in exasperation.

Well… I guess it couldn’t be helped. The royal family had guards, so I didn’t think it would be any different without me alone, but still, Elena’s return rate would be higher if I were to protect her.

“Okay, Viro, I’ll be joining a clan instead of a party called [Rainbow Sword]. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure, Aria, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Yes, of course, Aria, I’m looking forward to it.”

I was accepted into Rainbow Sword, a rank 5 adventurer party.

For me, joining a party had both advantages and disadvantages, but this time I judged it to have many advantages.

I heard that they sometimes moved as a party once a year, like this time, but if I could usually move individually like Viro, it would not be so bad.

“Let’s talk about our plans roughly, shall we?”

It would be four months from now before the younger members of the royal family, including Elena, would go to the dungeon.

The original plan was for them to have about a year to go, but since two of the escorts would be entering a magic academy at the beginning of next year, it had been hastily moved up to the end of the year.

The dungeon they were going to dive into was…

“It is one of the three major dungeons in the country, located on a remote island under the direct control of the Duke of Fudale.”

The three major dungeons in the country were the dungeon under the direct control of the royal family, one of them was the one Clara and I dived on the lower levels, the dungeon in the Duke of Layton’s domain southwest of the country, and the dungeon under the direct control of the Duke of Fudale this time. And the dungeon on the remote island under the direct jurisdiction of the Duke of Fudale.

Large-scale dungeons were managed by the royal family and the ducal family, the key aristocratic families of the nation. Perhaps there was something important enough in a large-scale dungeon to go that far.

…And they wanted to pass it on to the next generation of royalty?

(Elena… I hope you are okay.)

My next mission had been set in motion. I thought about going back to my master since I had four months left, but it seemed that I also needed to meet with the other [Rainbow Sword] members once in the royal capital.

Well, that’s reasonable. Besides, I didn’t have time to ask Galbas to take care of my weapons, but I was hoping to ask his brother, Gelf, to take care of my armor.

I’d been having trouble moving my hips and chest area lately.

“Then we’ll go back to the Royal Capital first. Aria and I can get there in three weeks.”

“What about Samantha?”

“We talked about the old woman’s reward. What about it, old lady? Should we go see Dalton?”

Viro turned to Samantha, who suddenly scowled as if she had just eaten something strange.

“I don’t want to see that old dwarf’s face now! You can tell the others as you see fit. I’m going home to play with my grandchildren.”

“Okay. What about the reward?”

“I don’t need that kind of money. Buy the little girl some equipment or something! See you later, little boy, little girl! Hyahahaha!”

Samantha said with a booming voice, and just like the first time we met, she ran off down the street before I could call out to her, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake and quickly disappearing.

“Are you sure you’re not crazy?”

“I’m not so sure anymore… I’m sure I’m a ‘blur’ in what I say and do.”

“I felt like I have another hundred years to live, even though I am Human and over a hundred years old. ..”

“You really aren’t a monster, are you?”

“Aria, besides your combat power, is there anything else that shows you are Rank 4?”

Viro asked me on the way to the royal capital.

“It’s dark magic that made me Level 4. In case you’re wondering, I’ve memorized the spell for Level 4 [Illusionary Illusion], so I think I can use it with a little practice, is that okay?”

“Then that’s good. As a prerequisite to joining [Rainbow Sword], you should renew your rank at the Adventurers’ Guild in Royal Capital. I was going to let you join before but register your party later, but it’s easier for me to talk to you if you’re registered.”

“Understood.”

To be Elena’s escort, I needed to join Rainbow Sword. Even so, the impression I received from Rank 3 and 4 was very different, so Viro thought I should renew to allow me to escort her in person.

It hadn’t even been half a year since I updated my Rank 3, but I wondered if I was going to get in trouble again…

Both Viro and I were still heading to Royal Capital, but Viro decided to split up and go separately to contact various places.

I would head to the Royal Capital alone and must be able to use Level 4 dark magic by the time I reach there.

I didn’t see much point in stopping in town during the trip other than to replenish my food supply. As I was moving through the forest, practicing [illusion illusion] in the forest at midnight, I suddenly felt a premonition of something and I saw the figure of a black beast for a moment in the moon hanging over the distant mountaintop.

“…”

(Nero… are you out there?)

After a little time, about a month later, I arrived at the royal capital without any hitch.

I heard a few rumors along the way that the duke who sent out a team to defeat the phantom beast had no particular results, but he closed the case by announcing that he had secured safety along the way.

I’d been to the royal capital several times, but come to think of it, I thought this was the first time I’d ever shown up at the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital.

The Adventurers’ Guild of Royal Capital was a building the size of a nobleman’s mansion, located directly behind the Commercial Guild on the main street. The reason for its location near the commercial guild was to allow the commercial guild that financed its establishment to efficiently purchase materials, but the location had become a tradition in every city.

When I entered the guild, I found a stone-floored lobby the size of a dance hall, with several tables and chairs lined up for business meetings, magic lights shining on the vaulted ceiling, and about ten reception counters in the back, along with an array of beautiful receptionists that I rarely saw in other cities.

Apart from the size and luxury, the structure itself was no different from that of a typical guild. It was a little after noon when I arrived, but there were more than a dozen adventurers inside, and they were all staring at me, a young man, as I entered.

I looked around briefly, but there were almost no young adventurers, either in terms of age or ability.

Many of the adventurers who came to the Royal Capital had developed their skills in various places and were seeking connections with aristocrats and wealthy people, so they were inevitably of high age and rank.

Some of them must be new adventurers born in Royal Capital or just stopping by on their way to another city, but aside from the latter, I heard that most requests in Royal Capital were for high-ranked adventurers, so the newcomers would probably leave the city soon.

Inevitably, most of the adventurers here were Rank 3 or above, but those who looked surprised or blatantly averted their faces when they saw me were most likely the ones who [appraised] me.

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The receptionists at the guild also seemed to have appraisal skills, and after the few who saw me left their seats, a receptionist in her late twenties walked straight toward me from the far end of the room.

“Welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. Are you the Ash Crowned Princess Lady Aria?”

“I’ve never told you my name.”

“I beg your pardon, Lady Aria. I have heard about you in the Royal Capital, but I did not expect you to be so young. I have heard from the [Rainbow Sword], and I will be responsible for your rank renewal.”

“Okay.”

I had heard that large organizations like guilds had [magic tools of distant talk].

They used them to gather information from various places, and Viro must have used them to contact them.

I had no idea that the “second name” that had spread on its own in the underworld had become so common in the adventurers’ guild.

The receptionist had no other intention than to refer to me by that name in the same way as a high-ranked adventurer who was commonly referred to by his second name.

However, the name “Ash Crowned Princess” was more widely known in the underworld than in the front world, and I had forgotten that some adventurers were more “behind the scenes” than others.

“Oh, come on, a little girl like her is the Ash Crowned Princess?”

A flirtatious-looking scout in his late twenties, perhaps having overheard the conversation between me and the receptionist, called out to me with a grin on his face.

“Aria-sama is in my charge. Can you talk later?”

“I won’t take up so much of your time. I’d love to hear how this good-looking little girl managed to get into [Rainbow Sword]’s good graces and had brought down the Assassin’s Guild.”

“…”

Well, it seemed that this Rank 3-like man judged me by my appearance and thought that I had somehow infiltrated Viro, not by force, but by some means.

“Why don’t you say something? Let’s see how good you are at this.”

“Aria-sama, please…”

The receptionist, who knew my fighting ability, appealed to me for his safety, not mine.

I didn’t want to cause bloodshed on the first day, either.

“Don’t worry. He just wants to see how good I am.”

“…eh.”

I raised my right hand vigorously, and the man’s face showed a wary expression for a moment. But it was too late. If he didn’t evade or defend at that point, he wouldn’t be able to prevent my attack.

“–Ga!?”

As soon as I raised my hand, I slammed the Heavy Type Pendulum from the Shadow Storage into the man’s brain.

I took it easy and knocked the man, who was still alive, off his feet, and looking down at him coldly, I quietly pulled out my black dagger.

“That’s it! It’s settled.”

I felt a huge Cyclone-like pressure coming from the entrance of the guild, and as I instantly strengthened my body to keep my distance, I saw the face of the big man who had interrupted me, and a word escaped my mouth involuntarily.

“…Feld?”