NOVEL WEB Chapter 124: Adventurers’ Intuition V
Chapter 124: Adventurers’ Intuition V
「And well, it was decided that I’ll have to go to the south for a while. I've been asked to act as a go-between with the fishmen who live in the swamps there. I'll probably be gone for six days at the most, and I'm counting on all of you to look after our home」
『Ehhh』
I was booed by all three elves.
「I’ll go with………」
Rana looked like she wanted to come with me, but she thought of her sister who was still not feeling well and held her tongue.
「No, have a safe trip. It is also the duty of a wife to look after the home in her husband's absence. But please come back as soon as possible, okay?」
「I'll do my best to come back as soon as I can. I mean, it's not a dangerous request, and Otou-san is also coming with me」
『Ehhh』
Ea and Maria still seemed dissatisfied.
「Onii-chan, I'm suddenly feeling worse. Oh, it hurts」
「I'm suddenly in a lot of pain too」
They both put their hands around their necks and acted like they were in agony.
Their acting is so bad that it’s actually amazing.
「Well, that's just a lie. Come home soon」
「………Boo, boo」
Ea pulled a funny face, but Maria still looked dissatisfied. She showered my thigh with punches, then went upstairs with a grumpy look on her face.
Rana was worried after all and came up to me with a question.
「So when are you leaving? At least join us for lunch」
「Sorry, I’m leaving right away」
I had passed by Lanseal on the way back from the royal castle. The king had made me promise not to tell her. Well, that's probably a stopgap at best. I want to leave before she comes back.
「Makina, Yukikaze, help me with the preparations」
『Roger』
『Understood, indeed』
Leaving the sisters behind, I went down to the basement.
My room was small, so everything but the equipment I wore all the time was stored in the basement.
「What about the things I asked for?」
『Makina has managed to get everything you asked for. Underclothes and thermal underwear. Extra underwear and socks. Waterproof and weatherproof jacket, pants, as well as gloves made of the same material. Enough portable food to last ten days. If the stories hold true, Makina believes that these should work』
I was handed a total of six silver stakes.
『Makina made them from what was left over from the fight against the dragon-tortoise. If Makina had more time, Makina could have coated Aga-chan and the other equipment with silver as well』
「It was on short notice, so it can't be helped」
It's better than nothing.
I put on the clothes Makina had prepared for me, changing into the thermal underwear, pulling on the unflattering underclothes, and then donning the jacket and pants. The black synthetic fabric was thin and easy to move around in, but its ability to keep out the cold was undeniable.
I carried the backpack containing the food, underwear, and socks on my back.
The silver stakes went into the inner pocket of my jacket.
I hung the demonic katana on the sword belt at my waist.
『Please apply this to the metal parts of your equipment while you're on the way there. Pay particular attention to the parts that will come into direct contact with your skin』
I was handed a small spray can.
「What’s this?」
『It's a spray that allows you to apply a rubber coating easily. That'll prevent the metal from sticking to your skin at extremely low temperatures』
「Understood」
I slipped the can into my pants pocket.
After shaking it open, I put on my poncho that was covered in dragon blood.
This thing, over time, the red has eaten away at its original colored pattern and changed its color into a slick red that resembles fresh blood. As the red is so vivid, it really stands out, so I’ve been wearing it inside-out.
In contrast to the red, the inside is as black as night.
I wonder if this has something to do with the black wolves that the dragons abhor.
To keep out the cold, I turned up the collar. To make it easier to move, I had it altered some time ago so that it opened up in the front, making it similar to a cloak.
It looks exactly like a vampire's cloak.
I don't think Makina altered it with that in mind. It's probably just a coincidence.
On top of providing good protection and warmth, it can also serve as a form of identification, since it's something only a person who has fought a dragon possesses. If worse comes to worst, it can serve as the proof of my death.
But that's just if the worst comes to the worst.
I attached an oblong quiver to my sword belt, then slid the red magic sword and Zamonglass' sword into it. Fittings that held the two swords in place to prevent them from hitting each other had been incorporated into the tip and opening of the quiver.
Lastly, I stowed the Lycan bow in its place.
I'm not bringing any arrows.
The magic sword will serve as my only arrow.
However, it’s a magic sword that can kill countless enemies by itself. In the first place, I've lost my skill with the bow. The only thing I can do now is to pull back the bowstring.
In the state I'm in, can I defeat the vampires?
I feel nothing but anxiety.
That's how I feel, but for now, I'll act composed. I'm just heading off to complete a simple request. That's how I need to appear in front of those girls.
And when everything is over, I'll go back to my daily life as if nothing had happened.
I'll be rewarded by the king in secret.
The credit for defeating the vampires will go to Barfuru-sama alone.
I don't want fame.
I've already attracted too much unnecessary attention because of the matter with the dragon. Drawing any more attention will be dangerous.
The thing with Irvin.
The thing with Varner.
The thing with Luxgaru.
There are many things that I'd rather keep buried.
The same goes for the blood ties between Rana and Gladvain-sama. At any rate, I'm surrounded by things that I don't want people prying into. The curiosity of others is nothing but poison.
That's why just getting rewarded is good enough.
The reward the king agreed to is exceptional.
The strategy guides for the 35th floor through to the 45th floor. Maps. Provision of the necessary gear and equipment. Funding for our adventures. Exemption from the need to complete the inexhaustible stream of requests that plague intermediate adventurers.
He promised me all of that in front of god.
Once we reach the 45th floor, we'll become advanced adventurers.
In other words, if I manage to defeat the vampires, we'll rise up in the ranks of adventurers in one fell swoop.
But this exceptional reward is also part of why I'm so worried.
I'm guessing that this isn't him giving me special treatment. That's just how important it is. This request to eliminate the vampires.
Even the future of Lemuria is at stake.
「Good grief」
I hooked Yukikaze to my waist.
After hanging the containers for the regeneration point around my neck, I checked that the functionalities of the glasses were working properly………………and there were no problems.
I put on the gloves and grasped the hilt of my sword to see how it felt. It was a little more slippery than usual, but not enough to cause a problem.
I'm ready to go.
Haa, do I really have to go? If it's at all possible, I want to run away. I've finally gotten a nice place to live, but I'm leaving on a trip the day after I got it. What the heck……
『Team member Souya, you don't look very enthusiastic』
「Well, you know, this is the most reluctant I've ever been to do something」
『Then Yukikaze will bring you good tidings』
「What is it?」
How unusual, I'd never have expected Yukikaze to do that. Perhaps it's because she's from Izora's lineage, but she's only ever given me low probabilities of success.
『For this time's vampire elimination, the probability of team member Souya's success is 100%』
「Come again?」
No no no, what do you mean, 100%?
I suppose I should be happy, but it's too big of a jump for me to accept it blindly.
『Yukikaze-chan, that's a probability that surprises even Makina, who uses rough estimates for everything』
I heard some words that a normal A.I. would never utter.
『According to the data we've collected so far, the more adversity team member Souya faces and the lower the probability of success, the more likely he is to turn things around. It will be no different this time. He can do it, indeed』
I see, that certainly makes sense.
It can also be said that I have the devil's own luck, I suppose.
『Hmm, umm. Yukikaze-chan, according to Makina's own calculations, Souya-san has a 48% chance of success in this time's vampire elimination though. What app did you use to calculate that?』
『Exciting☆ Star Reader Keiko's Fantastic Horoscope, indeed』
『Ehh, that's based on Earth's star map, so isn't it meaningless to use it in the alternate world?』
『Yukikaze has modified it by swapping the star map used with this world's. It's now a wonderful app that gives a 100% probability of success seven times out of ten』
That just means that the app is bugged.
『The Get Money Panda's Fortune Telling For The Day app that Makina uses is better. No matter what it is asked to predict, it'll give a probability between 45% and 52% randomly. It's all up to fate』
That's just random chance.
Or rather,
「You two! Have you been calculating the probability of the mission's success using such unreliable fortune-telling apps?!」
『Well, we only started doing it recently. Even if we calculated the probability meticulously, Souya-san will just overturn it easily, so it feels like a waste of resources, or rather, it was starting to feel ridiculous, so we decided to stop taking it seriously when calculating the probability』
『That’s right, indeed』
「H, how irresponsible………」
It's been a while since I've felt like calling the manufacturer's support department.
「What the heck caused you A.I.s to become so irresponsible?!」
With no hesitation whatsoever,
Both units’ arms pointed to me.
「………………」
『………………』
The mood in the air was indescribable.
My anxiety, my worries, all of it……
「It all feels so stupid. I’ll just beat the vampires to a pulp and then come back right away」
『That’s the spirit, Souya-san! In other words, what Makina and Yukikaze are trying to convey is that all things are in flux, nothing is permanent, and all earthly things pass away. Bend your destiny with your own power!』
『Ohh, that makes sense, indeed』
「Yeah yeah, how very apt」
I said a perfunctory goodbye to the irresponsible A.I. and went upstairs.
「Onii-chan, don't forget to bring back souvenirs」
「Got it」
I high-fived my sister.
There was less force behind it than usual.
As I thought, she's still not fully recovered. Leaving her behind is the thing that worries me the most.
「Dear, please be safe and take care on your adventure. If you feel any danger, please run away immediately. And………………umm, that's it」
「Yeah, got it」
Somehow, Rana must have sensed something.
Though for her case, it's probably her woman's intuition rather than her adventurer's intuition.
In order to reassure her, I made a firm promise.
「I'll leave the home to you. I may be late coming back, but I'll definitely return」
「Okay, have a safe trip」
I hugged Rana tightly and shrugged off my worries.
I've resolved myself. I will definitely return here.
「I'm off」
Remember what I said about costume changes? XD Yes, Souya is heading off to eliminate vampires wearing a classic vampire cloak. For those who are younger and the vampires you’re used to are those in Twilight, True Blood, and so on, this is how vampires were portrayed back in the day. (pic courtesy of www.karneval-universe.de)
He even has a reason for turning up the collar and all, so I was dying from laughter at the image. Then, the author struck the killing blow with the apps. I really love how much the A.I.s have changed, and they’re really funny as all heck.
Sadly, there’s a huge joke in the last part that got lost in translation. You see, “random, apt, appropriate, irresponsible, unreliable, half-hearted, perfunctory,” they’re all meanings of one term “適当”. Yes, that one term was used everywhere you saw the above-mentioned words. Yeah, only in a language that depends so heavily on context like Japanese can one term have such varied and contradictory meanings……
Btw, since the “prologue” was wintery, and the floors they were clearing were the same, I bet you thought that Souya was going to get into trouble in the dungeon at first, didn’t you? Well, we know what this volume is about now, don’t we? Stay tuned, it’ll be a new arc next time!