NOVEL NEXT Chapter 87
“Hello. You’re Veronica, right? I came regarding a party issue.”
“Oh, may I ask your name?”
“I’m Aren. The leader of the adventurer party Aren. Hmmm, I wrote my name in the party name section temporarily, and it feels a bit embarrassing.”
“That’s consistent with the notice I saw yesterday. Please have a seat. I’ve already ordered food, so let’s eat first.”
Nodding in agreement and about to sit down, a guy who felt ignored raised his voice.
“You didn’t even listen to me when I was speaking, and now you’re all ignoring me like this?”
“It’s amusing that someone like you is an adventurer. No wonder the lower-tier adventurers are getting insulted.”
“Wh…!”
Thud. Thud.
Thump!
“Hey, if you don’t want to be dragged out, stop it. Choose between getting beaten and kicked out or eating peacefully and walking out on your own.”
“…Fuck.”
He spat out a curse and turned to escape, but he couldn’t escape the grip of the innkeeper with her fierce muscles and just flailed his legs about.
Pfft. That idiot. I knew he’d act like that.
“Such an eyesore.”
“Let go! Let go! Elrand, didn’t I tell you to go and try something? Why are you just watching?!!”
Bam!
As the innkeeper let him go, he fled without looking back.
‘He was just talking about our party leader and then ran off in embarrassment.’
[Wherever chaos goes, there are always those kinds of people, shaking their heads in disbelief.]
After bowing his head in apology to the innkeeper, the guy’s party leader hurriedly led the other two away.
It seems like the four-man party got dizzy seeing a lone beauty. If they were so desperate for women, they should at least check out a brothel. What pathetic guys.
“While we’re here, let’s take an order. Is one serving of the recommended set enough? What about drinks?”
“I need to head back soon, so just a plain drink, please.”
“Got it. I’ll bring it shortly!”
With the boisterous innkeeper leaving, I sat down.
“Does this happen often?”
Veronica gazed at me for a moment before speaking.
“Yes. It happens all the time.”
That felt a bit too calm.
“You applied yesterday, but you came quicker than I expected.”
“Well, as you saw in the notice, it hasn’t been easy to recruit party members due to some circumstances. I’m just glad to receive an application.”
She stirred the spoon in the bowl of soup that she had almost finished.
“Are the circumstances related to the beastman black sorcerer’s curse? I’ve heard of a peculiar beastman called Alar.”
“…Let’s clarify one thing.”
When she asked if I could guarantee that it would not harm the party regardless of curses or negative traits, I confidently answered her.
“Of course. There’s no reason to hide something that would come out soon if it were a lie.”
‘If Lumia knew that Alar was with us and still applied, she wouldn’t show any aversion or avoidance toward the party. Plus, there’s also that Halo.’
“I like your assurance. Now it’s your turn to ask a question.”
A turn? Are we having a Q&A session now?
While pondering what to ask, I decided on the most fundamental question.
“Looking at your equipment level and the atmosphere, it doesn’t seem like there was a particular reason to apply to our party. Is there any reason behind it?”
“That’s an important question. This one will take a while, so please focus.”
Nodding since we had no remaining schedule, Veronica began her long tale.
Veronica, who came from a distant foreign land. Assigned to protect the 4th Princess, an heir in the Armist Knight Order responsible for guarding royalty, she one day found herself overpowered by a monstrous creature sent by the Crown Prince and helplessly watched the one she was meant to protect die before her eyes.
‘…Oh man.’
Disillusioned with the ruthless royal family and her own powerlessness, she had been wandering aimlessly until she settled in Labyrinth City.
Somehow, she honed her remarkable talents and built on her foundations from the kingdom days, rising successfully in a fixed party until reaching the mid-layer entrance. However, she suddenly faced a random event and managed to pass six trials granted by the Sky God, but… as a result, two of the five died.
One of the two, aside from her, got a permanent disability that couldn’t be healed by any healing or potions, and the last one quit being an adventurer to accept a public job.
With her ability stats only barely able to scrape into the mid-layer if she exhausted her mana and, to make matters worse, the A-rank trait she received as compensation was more of a burden than a blessing.
“Even if you have an A-rank trait, who would put a mana-draining adventurer like me in the front line? A deformed party filled only with ranged classes is nearly impossible to find.”
So, she had been taking a break from adventuring for two months, living off personal commissions.
Then she heard rumors this time and, after some contemplation, searched for recruitment notices.
“What rumors, specifically?”
“The rumors I noticed about you indicated that you didn’t lose a one-on-one fight against a strong spirit while overpowering other adventurers.”
That was because my magic from the 6th tier and my traits accidentally aligned.
“And the key point, that you use mana like water, showcasing diverse attacks such as lightning and ice.”
“…Ah.”
Who on earth had seen me fighting Shurika amidst that intense situation and spread the word?
It couldn’t be Georg, could it? Verdolf? The twin dagger female thief? Or another someone?
“The conclusion is that I judged you likely hold high-tier traits related to magic, and that’s why I applied.”
“Good choice. I can say that you wouldn’t have had better options in your current situation.”
Veronica pointed to her halo.
“Well, that’s a relief. Other people must’ve been intimidated by that beastmen named Alar mentioned in the records, but I’m different. I’ve got this.”
“Is that so?”
“…You didn’t ask me what it is precisely, as if you already knew everything.”
What?
Yeah. It’s not like it’s confirmed that she’s joining the party yet, and even though she’s a hard-to-come-by applicant, I still need to hear Yeriell and Lumia’s opinions.
‘So I have to keep the fact that I can see status windows and information a secret for now.’
I scratched my arm and let out an awkward laugh.
“Oh, hehe. Just hearing about it sounds unusual enough. You said it stems from your A-rank trait, right?”
Looking at its gently glowing state, I surmised it likely has an effect of blocking curses or status ailments.
“That’s right. Thanks to this, I’ve been relieved. I’ll let you know more detailed information about the traits after joining the party.”
But I already know everything.
“By the way, is it uncomfortable to see? Like it feels off, not resembling a human?”
Elves, beastmen, dwarves, halflings, and so forth. From my perspective as an Earthling, they all seem kind of the same.
Moreover, if you add in races that aren’t widely known, I couldn’t even count them on ten fingers.
As Lumia said, there are adventurers who’ve turned into kobolds after returning from the labyrinth, so who’s to say there can’t be someone with a halo?
“Not at all. The other two would probably like it too, not dislike it, so don’t worry about that.”
She nodded with a slight look of relief and then asked why she hadn’t inquired about the genders of the remaining two.
“I hope it’s not both of them being female?”
“Yes, that’s the case. But does that pose an issue?”
Hearing that, Veronica bowed her head and pondered, making me a bit anxious about the issue.
‘What’s the problem? Isn’t it better for her that there are more girls than guys?’
After a moment of silence, Veronica lifted her head and asked.
“You’re not hiding any secret desire to fill the party with only women, are you?”
Upon hearing that, I felt insulted as if our time spent together was being devalued as base desires.
‘Calm down. She doesn’t seem to have any intent to pressure or mock me.’
I relaxed and replied softly.
“Of course not. I would have been fine even if you were a man, Veronica. Your specs aside, even though our conversation has been short, I’ve sensed you’re a good person.”
I looked directly into her glass-like delicate eyes and continued politely.
“So please refrain from such rude questions. Both have their own tangled stories, and we’ve spent time together in the labyrinth… It doesn’t feel good to have that trampled upon in a single sentence.”
“I apologize. Having lived as an adventurer for several years, I’ve seen countless things I’d rather have not, like shameless scoundrels targeting my body.”
With her apology, she made a firm declaration.
“Just as you assessed me as a good person in just a couple of hours of conversation, I also felt you’re a good person.”
But?
“However, don’t think I’ll easily fall for your exceptional looks and wonderful character.”
‘What the hell.’
Did I ask you to join? You were the one who applied first.
This party member of mine seems a bit off, too. Everything feels dizzying.
“Understood, so let’s end this. I’ll come back tomorrow morning with the party members, so let’s conclude our chat for today.”
“Sounds good. Be careful on your way back.”
*
The next day, just as I discussed at the inn yesterday, I postponed all plans and headed to where she was.
Upon opening the door and entering, I saw Veronica all dressed up nicely, sipping on a drink.
Veronica looked over with the sound of my entry and opened her mouth.
“You’re here. Are those the party members you said would come with you yesterday?”
“Yes. Why do you look even more flawless today?”
“I need to go on personal requests immediately once the party membership is confirmed.”
She mentioned she had eaten off personal requests alone for the past two months. She’s diligent.
While Veronica and I casually chatted, I heard Yeriell’s admiration and Lumia’s soft voice from behind.
“Wow! She looks like an angel from the books!”
“If Aren’s okay with whoever joins the party, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“Then, everyone agreed based on last night’s discussion? No objections?”
They both nodded in agreement, and though it felt a bit lacking, that confirmed Veronica’s joining.
“Great. We won’t be able to do it today, so let’s try to synchronize before entering the labyrinth and also discuss the details.”
Then, Veronica immediately turned to leave, likely due to her trait that dulls emotional expressions.
“What, what’s with that… Did I annoy her by being overly dramatic?”
“It’s nothing. She’s just not great at expressing herself.”
I consoled the sulking Yeriell and exited the inn.
Phew. Party member problem solved.
*
A week later.
The 28th.
There were only a few days left until the entrance portal opened again.
And most importantly, the day to finally go find new armor was approaching.
Please let it be completed without issues.