While training Luna"s special technique in the dungeon, we completed an additional quest along the way.
When we came back to the guild, I got involved in a quarrel between the two elf sisters, resulting in my ident.i.ty being exposed.
Although it was unexpectedly troublesome, it was a blessing in disguise.
I got a chance to reconcile with one of my ex-party members, my disciple Phil. She was one of the two disciples that I left behind whom I treated like my own daughter. The other disciple was Leonard, who was in love with Phil.
Currently, there was a group of four people who were the center of attention walking on the streets.
There were three beautiful teenage girls. First was Phil who looks like a teenager approaching her twenties. Her actual age was around late twenties while her sister and Luna look like a teenager, with their actual ages being in their teens.
And there was me. An old man in his thirties.
There were many men who wanted to approach the girls on our way to the bar, however the moment they noticed that Phil among the girls, they immediately backed off. On the outside, Phil may have a pretty face. But on the inside, Phil was a first cla.s.s adventurer who has reached Level 50, the level cap for adventurers without completing the Tower of Trials. She was the real thing who had acc.u.mulated various experiences as an adventurer. An average adventurer would try their best to avoid angering her thanks to her reputation.
[It seems that the old Phil has grown to be a bit more adult-like.] (Youya)
The old Phil was much worse at dealing with men, and would often hide behind me whenever she was approached.
[How many years ago are you talking about? As a female adventurer, I had to become strong if I was to live on my own. I learnt that the moment Youya left, leaving only a letter for each of us. I was terrified and miserable when you left without saying a word and couldn"t stop crying when I realised you weren"t coming back.] (Phil)
It seems that the matter about Phil surviving on her own wasn"t a lie. She mentioned that she left the party after I chose to abandon them. Let"s be sure to listen to her circ.u.mstances afterwards.
We were guided to a tavern by Phil"s recommendation since she was most familiar with the area. The tavern she brought us to had an amazing ambience that drew me in that made me crave for the food here even more.
When we arrived at the bar, each of us ordered our drinks. I ordered a mug of ale, honey sake for Phil while her sister and Luna ordered grape juice. Although her sister looked almost the same age as her, Phil was much older than her as elves grew at a different rate from humans. Elves had a unique characteristic where they would age much slower once they were 11 years old.
[So, why is your level so low, and why are you here acting as a fresh adventurer?] (Phil)
Phil went straight to the point.
[I was adventuring in a wild dungeon when I encountered a huge caterpillar demon that I have never seen before. Furthermore, it was capable of performing Level Drain, and my level dropped to level one.] (Youya)
[Level Drain… So it does exist..] (Phil)
[Yes, and thanks to it I ended up with a second chance to start over from scratch. Do not even think about using it to reduce your levels. Who knows what will happen when you are reduced to a mere Level one adventurer in the middle of an intermediate level dungeon?] (Youya)
I hid the fact that a hidden room with a level reset function exists. Level Reset is a dangerous function. I"ve known Phil ever since she was young, needless to say that I would entrust my life to her if needed. However, it is dangerous to allow the information about the hidden rooms to spread. The information should be contained as much as possible.
[It must have been tough.. Losing your levels despite working so hard to raise it to 50..] (Phil)
[In my case, it wasn"t that bad.] (Youya)
Phil had a miserable face as we talked about my lost levels. She was one of the people who understood how much I had lamented my status back when we were in the same party. My status was the worst enemy I had to face back then.
[Don"t make a face like that, Phil. Honestly, I feel that losing my levels has been a blessing so far. That"s why I came to Rumberg. To start over. Maybe it"s because I had to suffer with a low status for so long that my status right now is better than ever.] (Youya)
[As always, Youya is always optimistic.. Looking towards the future rather than the past.] (Phil)
Phil let out a slight smile.
The waiter who was carrying our drinks arrived while asking for our orders.
The specialty around here was their fish and chips. I ordered a set of fish and chips as it also went well with alcohol.
[So, how did you end up working here as a receptionist? I had thought that you would end up adventuring together with Leonard.] (Youya)
Leonard and Phil were excellent adventurers even back when we were adventuring together. Blessed with a good status and talent that exceeded even their status. Not to mention that they are my disciples. When I left the party, I had made sure that I had taught the two of them everything that I knew. I wouldn"t be surprised if their swordsmanship has surpa.s.sed me at this point.
[When you abandoned the party, I too left the party.] (Phil)
[That is surprising. I always thought that you and Leonard would never separate from each other, regardless of the situation.] (Youya)
Leonard was the member that joined our party after Phil. Initially he was a reckless guy who only was all talk with no substance. However, he had grown exponentially after becoming my disciple, eventually surpa.s.sing me in combat prowess. And although he did not mention it, it was obvious that he was in love with Phil. In order to support their relationship, I left the party while leaving a letter behind knowing that Phil would follow me even when I intended to leave all of them behind. I hoped that Phil would be happier with the young and talented Leonard rather than chasing after this old man.
[After you left the party, Leonard decided to propose to me. Because of that, I left the party.] (Phil)
I accidentally spat my ale out onto the table. Although I expected Leonard to confess after I left, it seems he jumped the gun much faster than I thought.
[You didn"t have to leave the party just because you rejected his proposal though.] (Youya)
[A lot of things had happened after you left the party. More than the rejection, I was afraid of being in the same party as Leonard. When Youya left the party, I felt that my motivation dissipate and I needed a break from adventuring entirely. So I went on a journey alone. While I was on the journey, I thought about what Youya did for me when we first met, and realised that I wanted to help people who were in trouble with my strength just as you did for me.] (Phil)
Phil was a receptionist who was once a veteran adventurer. With her experience and strength, it isn"t surprising that many adventurers had benefited from her good will. In addition, she is smart and gentle. She was perfect as a receptionist. There are definitely many lives that were saved thanks to Phil.
[Wowww. Onee-chan is putting up such a strong front. Even though you mentioned many horrible things in the letter you sent.] (Phil"s sister)
Phil"s sister started grinning.
[That sounds interesting. Please elaborate.] (Youya)
[Various things happened when I became a receptionist such as suffering s.e.xual hara.s.sment during my work hours.. Frequently being forced to work overtime, hara.s.sment by my boss and my seniors at work. I was even "advised" to go on an adventure every three days, just to get ambushed on my way home every time.] (Phil)
[Sounds like life as a receptionist is tough.] (Youya)
Life as a receptionist sounds totally different from an adventurer. Although I am worried about her situation, she appears totally unaffected without a hint of anxiety.
[Don"t worry about it.. Although this child mentioned a bunch of unnecessary things, there are still many things that make working as a receptionist worthwhile.] (Youya)
[If it"s you, I know you can do it. ] (Youya)
Me and Phil started smiling as we continued to catch up about what happened after the party was dissolved. It seems that her life as a receptionist is doing really well. I am glad that her life is going well after everything that happened. I hadn"t enjoy a meal like this ever since I escaped from the Tower of Trials.
Throughout the meal, Luna was glancing at my face every now and then. She was probably feeling anxious about Phil"s presence.
[Now that we have the chance, I should formally introduce myself. My name is Youya and I used to travel together with Phil. This girl is my current party member, her name is Luna.] (Youya)
[Luna"s name is Luna. Luna is fighting together with Youya.] (Luna)
The introduction was directly mainly at Phil"s sister, but it was also to introduce Luna to Phil.
[My name is Phil Ether Lance, Youya"s former party member and the guild receptionist.] (Phil)
[My name is Till Ether Lance. I am Phil"s younger sister and I came to Rumberg to be an adventurer.] (Till)
Although Phil gave off an impression of a mature adult, her sister Till gave off an impression of a lively young girl. Both of them looked similar with jade eyes, blonde hair and long ears.
[How old are you Till? I am asking because I know that the age of an elf can"t be determined by their appearance.] (Youya)
[I am fourteen this year!] (Till)
[Hmm.. That"s a good age to become an adventurer. Although I don"t recommend it. Especially for a cute girl like you. If a man found you inside an isolated area such as a dungeon, that person would most likely be more dangerous than any beast you could find in a dungeon.] (Youya)
It is dangerous for a party consisting of girls, not to mention a solo female adventurer since in the dungeon, a person"s strength was the only thing that mattered.
[Then why didn"t you say the same thing to my elder sister?] (Till)
[I am not opposing it just because you are my younger sister. If a girl came up to me asking to become an adventurer, I would advise against it. During my adventuring days, I was more afraid of other adventurers than I was towards monsters in the dungeons, much more than you think.] (Phil)
In reality, Phil had always struggled when it came to interacting with other adventurers. She was often targeted by other people as a beautiful elf. Me and Leonard often had to protect her in desperate situations. Thinking back, I can understand why Phil would refuse Leonard"s proposal and chose to leave the party. If Leonard had decided to a.s.sault Phil in the dungeon, she wouldn"t be able to stop him. Being in the same party would just be exposing herself to that possibility.
[That is why I made a request to Youya. Please accept my quest.] (Till)
Til bowed her heads towards me.
Now that you mention it, she mentioned giving away the treasure of the elves if I accepted her into my party.
[I won"t allow that. Till. Youya is still a man. You will never know when he may give in to his desires.] (Phil)
Ouch. Those were some harsh words. However, Till is not convinced.
[It"s okay isn"t it? Although you were in his party for the longest time, nothing happened right? The two of you have even slept in the same bed together. You were essentially a couple outside of the dungeon. It"s obvious that he isn"t dangerous at all.] (Till)
[Wh,wh,wh.. Why did you have to say it like that?] (Phil)
[Could it be.. You ended up doing couple stuff together?] (Till)
[There’s no way that happened.] (Phil)
Phil started to deny that we were a couple back then. It"s true that we weren"t though.
Our relationship wasn"t that of a couple, but rather a parent and a child.
[Then it"s okay right! It"s up to Youya whether he wants to accept my quest or not.] (Till)
Up to now, the only person who I"ve seen with an exclusive cla.s.s was Phil. It was probably an Elf-exclusive cla.s.s. It"s highly likely that Till would be able to choose that cla.s.s as well. If she does end up selecting that cla.s.s, it could be a valuable a.s.set to the party thanks to it"s war potential.
Honestly speaking, the number of members currently isn"t ideal. It would be better to find more allies as soon as possible to have four people in the party.
[Well I"ll consider the request. But first, what is the treasure of the elves that you offered?] (Youya)
[Its the Drop of the World Tree. It"s a special liquid that can only be made by elves. It takes about five years to produce enough for a bottle.] (Til)
[Drop of the World Tree!? The liquid that can prevent a person from aging?] (Youya)
[If it"s a human, just merely drinking a drop everyday is enough to stop the person from aging.] (Til)
Til was looking at me while explaining about the treasure. It is a rather famous medicine known for it"s anti-aging effects. It was because of this medicine that elf villages were often targeted. Although, the desire to live forever is mostly existent among human beings. If I were to possess a bottle of the drop, I could halt my aging for up to two years by drinking a drop per day. It is something that I really want to have to prolong my body as much as possible. My body is already on the decline now that I am 36 years old.
If I were to accept her request, I would be able to halt my aging, obtain a new party member with the possibility of taking up a powerful exclusive cla.s.s. There were many benefits to accepting her request. I want to accept her request.. However. I do not want to support this girl"s rebellious actions.
[Ok. If you are able to obtain Phil"s permission, then I will accept your request. My party does not accept anybody who runs away from their families without permission.] (Youya)
Everyone"s attention shifted over to Phil who had the final say.
[Til, Why do you want to become an adventurer so badly? I"ll make my decision depending on your answer.] (Phil)
Phil looked straight into Til"s eyes as she asked about her intentions.
[Because my sister looked like she was having so much fun being an adventurer. Back when I was in the village, I longed to see my older sister so badly that I decided to leave the village in order to see what she saw and experience what she experienced! I want to be like my sister who got to explore the world! Compared to being an adventurer, it is boring to stay in the village where I would only be able to see the forest!] (Til)
That was a good reason. Curiosity is the best driving force as well as the best possible trait of an adventurer. Phil started laughing after she heard her answer.
[I understand. It"s also because Youya is a good person, I"ll permit you to adventure together with him. I"ll give in this time, and let you become an adventurer.] (Phil)
[Yay I love you big sis!] (Til)
Til widened her arms and hugged Phil. A pair of elves hugging would make for an beautiful painting.
[If you are going to be in Youya"s party, I will ask the guild to prepare a special cla.s.s for you to attend tomorrow. Needless to say, I will only allow you to be an adventurer if you stay in his party. Youya, please take care of my sister.] (Phil)
Phil bowed her head towards me
[Leave it to me. I"ll protect Til with my life.] (Youya)
I will not let Phil down if it is a special request from her. However, Luna seems dissatisfied with the current situation.
[Luna, don"t pout like that because Til is our party member. It"s not like Til is taking me away from you. Think of it as having an extra friend in our party.] (Youya)
[Really? Will you not leave Luna behind because Til is here?] (Luna)
[I promise.] (Youya)
[Then maybe it is fine. Nice to meet you Til] (Luna)
[Nice to meet you too, Lunchan] (Til)
Luna and Til shook hands as they greeted each other. It appears that we have come to a resolution. Now it"s time for us to celebrate with a meal.
[Tonight"s meal will be my treat. It"s a celebration for a new party member, everyone help yourself to the menu.] (Youya)
With this, the number of people in our party has increased to three. Unlike before, there are a variety of things that we can attempt to do that we couldn"t do before. Tomorrow, Til will attend the cla.s.s and obtain her cla.s.s. Immediately after, we will dive into a dungeon and evaluate her strength.
The exclusive cla.s.s given to elves is extremely overpowered. Although it existed during the game era, it was a cla.s.s that could only be obtained by NPCs. In addition, that cla.s.s was extremely compatible with my Magic Customization. I"m looking forward to entering the dungeon tomorrow.
The food here tasted even more delicious with alcohol. It"s been a while since I let loose in a bar.
[Why Youya. Why did you leave me behind?] (Phil)
[I thought that Phil would be happier with Leonard rather than an old man like me.] (Youya)
[It"s just like Youya to decide things by himself~~.The one that I like is not Leonad….Ahways. We were ahlways together, sho why~~?] (Phil)
It seems that the Phil has drank too much and collapsed on the spot. The other two girls were observing the situation closely on the side lines.
[Luna, do you know the way back to the inn?] (Youya)
[Yesh I do.] (Luna)
[I"ll carry Phil home while you bring Til back to our room at the Inn. On the way back to the inn, there will be an alleyway that is a shortcut back to the Inn. If you find the alleyway, you should end up back at the inn.] (Youya)
[Okay.] (Luna)
For now, let"s settle the matter with Phil before I can think about diving into the dungeon tomorrow. Although she appears to be more of an adult than before, it seems that she is just a child who has just grown a little.