Days of Dungeon: From Simple Quest to Strange Adventure

—Swish!—

—Clang!—

—"WARGHHH~!"—

The sharp sound that cut through the air was immediately followed by the dull, low-pitched thud of a wooden bat hitting a leather ball—soon overwhelmed by the loud cheer of the crowd and the team that managed to hit a home run.

"That's a foul ball!—A foul ball, Mr. Umpire!" shouted the opposing team leader from the right dugout.

"It's not!—Stop twisting the rules, Lynn."

"Tsk!... How dare you question my judgment, Mr. Arezu."

As Arezu had promised Lynn, he explained to her what baseball was.

And as he expected, Lynn soon organized a baseball tournament.

It might have seemed inappropriate at first, considering the losses the Annual Caravan had suffered during the Mirare Town Dungeon Incident, and with all the work they had to deal with in Mirare—which had now become a ghost town—before the caravan could continue its expedition.

Lynn even told him she wanted to beat everyone at baseball, but Arezu understood that she simply wanted to give everyone something enjoyable to boost morale.

At least that was true before Lynn started twisting the rules Arezu had explained—just so her team could win the tournament and claim the prize money.

Among the dozen teams registered for the tournament, the two remaining to fight for the title of the first-ever baseball champions were Lynn's and Liz's teams.

Lynn's team included her temporary party member Beatrix, the stand-in Adventurers Guild Master Kurea, Rust and his party members Raven and Blaze, and Gwen along with her minions.

On the opposing side, Liz's team included her party members Ellric, Sylvie, and Hannah, George and his party, and Brandon along with a few of his knights, valkyries, and soldiers.

Meanwhile, Arezu had no choice but to become the umpire, since he was the only one who knew all the rules—accompanied by Lynn's mage students Leo, Cliff, Senna, and Casey.

As for the current situation of the game, Liz's team was ahead by 12 runs against Lynn's, with the last three innings remaining.

That's to be expected, Arezu thought, watching the pitcher stand on the mound as the batter and catcher switched places. After all, Liz's team's pitcher was none other than the commander of the cavalry—the hero Brandon, the Weapon Breaker.

With Brandon as pitcher, Lynn's team had only a few who could even hit his pitch, much less score a home run.

Even though the bat and ball they were using were crafted by Beatrix with enchantments that caused them to break upon the use of any combat skill—to make the game fair and safe—Brandon's normal pitch alone already exceeded 240 mph.

Arezu had demonstrated the different types of pitches only once, but Brandon had successfully replicated them all on his first throw, proving his mastery over any weapon he wielded.

Despite the odds against them, Lynn still looked confident that her team could win. The smug grin on her face made not only her opponents but even Arezu anxious about what she was planning.

For Lynn's first batter, Beatrix took her stance in the batter's box. Although Beatrix was physically strong—thanks to the traits she inherited from her father, the dwarf blacksmith Broc—even she could barely hit Brandon's pitches and get the ball into the outfield.

But that shouldn't be a problem. At least, that's what Lynn's smug grin seemed to say.

To everyone's surprise, Beatrix didn't swing for a full hit but instead performed a deliberate bunt. She held the bat loosely enough to absorb the ball's impact, aiming to make it roll slowly and be difficult for the infielders to retrieve while she made a full-speed run to first base.

Lynn's second batter, Blaze, and third batter, Raven, did the same as Beatrix—filling up all the bases with runners as her fourth and cleanup batter, Rust, took his turn.

Even though Rust—a silver-rank warrior—was the best power hitter on Lynn's team, his hit rate against Brandon was only about fifty percent.

But that shouldn't be a problem. At least, that's what everyone thought as they glanced at Lynn's smug grin.

The moment Brandon took his stance and was about to throw the ball, Lynn opened her lips and silently spoke—so faintly that even those nearby couldn't hear. Yet, the sound of her voice was carried by a wind-based mystic spell, Gust, toward Brandon's ears.

Those with sharp eyes and the ability to sense mana flow understood exactly what she did.

Whatever Lynn said clearly surprised and shocked Brandon, throwing off his concentration. The ball slowed and wobbled—enough for Rust to easily hit a home run.

—Swish!—

—Clang!—

—"WARGHHH~!"—

Or so everyone believed.

The loud cheer didn't come from Lynn's team or those who had bet on them—but from Liz's team and their supporters. After all, Sylvie, who was positioned as an outfielder, had used her own Gust mystic spell to fly into the air and catch the ball mid-flight.

"That's cheating!" Lynn shouted, throwing a tantrum while brandishing her bat.

"You're the one who just cheated!" Liz retorted after learning from her teammate—the mage from George's party—that Lynn had used a mystic spell to talk to Brandon.

"Hey, Mr. Umpire, that's against the rules, right!?"

"Don't patronize her, you idiot!"

Before the argument escalated into a brawl, Arezu stepped in and declared that flying with mystic spell to catch a home run ball was against the rules.

Liz continued to protest, but the committee form by other teams' representatives agreed with Arezu's decision—granting Lynn's team the four runs they should have scored.

Lynn's team scored another run with Gwen before Liz realized that Brandon had started holding back his pitches after Lynn spoke to him, and one more run as Ellric took over as pitcher—ending the seventh inning.

When the eighth inning began, everyone was shocked to see Lynn take over as pitcher from Kurea, while Kurea swapped positions to become her catcher.

Compared to Kurea, whose pitches reached 200 mph, Lynn's barely broke 100.

But that shouldn't be a problem. Everyone felt a twinge of anxiety upon seeing Lynn's menacing grin.

"Whatever you're planning isn't gonna work. My team's winning this tournament," Liz said confidently, taking her stance in the batter's box, ready to face whatever trick Lynn had up her sleeve.

Or so she thought—until Arezu, standing behind her, suddenly pushed her aside. Not to sabotage her swing, but to save her from the ball that suddenly made a sharp turn, passing barely a centimeter in front of her face.

"My, my… I guess pitching is harder than I thought—my hand might've slipped when I threw that ball."

Her remark said everything. If Lynn couldn't win fair and square with legal cheating, then she'd start eliminating the opposing team—one member at a time.

"You F—B—!"

With Liz charging at Lynn, brandishing her bat, and Lynn throwing another ball at her, the two leaders were disqualified from the game.

Arezu carried Lynn away from the field back to their camp like a mother cat carrying her kitten—leaving the role of the umpire to Casey—while Hannah dragged Liz away like a sack of flour.

"She was at least your friend, right? Did you really intend to hit Ms. Liz in the face, Lynn?"

At their camp, Arezu lectured Lynn for her mischief as they sat by the campfire.

Lynn realized that she had acted a bit out of line—diverting from her original goal of easing everyone's worries and anxieties. But she only did it because—

"You taught that game to me first, so of course I wanted to win," Lynn said, looking away from Arezu to hide her flustered face.

Arezu thought Lynn was still feeling down about what happened to Mirare Town and everyone they'd lost from the Annual Caravan, so he patted her head to console her.

Of course, she was—but that wasn't exactly why she was flustered. And though she tried to hide it, she was also getting annoyed that Arezu couldn't take a hint.

"Grrr~..." Lynn growled in frustration—both annoyed and oddly comforted by the gentle pats on her head.

"Give me a hug..."

"Ehh?..."

"You promised to give me a hug when everything was over, so give me a hug!"

Seeing her face turn red—mistaking it for anger—Arezu decided to humor her request to avoid another tantrum. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a gentle hug.

'Gyahhh~!'

Hannah screamed internally, secretly watching from afar—thrilled by what she thought was a blossoming romance between Lynn and Arezu.

'Hug him back, Lynn!'

And when Lynn wrapped her arms around Arezu to return his hug—burying her face into his chest as if to hide from her own embarrassment—

'GYAHHH~!'

—Hannah almost fainted from delight.

"Why the heck am I here..." Liz grumbled, covering her face with both hands and crouching on the ground behind Hannah to hide from the secondhand embarrassment.