by Funa
In any event, Lacelina, who was still a D-rank, was not that strong. As previously stated, she was what might politely be called an “all-purpose” mage, but she was utterly lacking in powerful combat abilities. Even if she only supported the others on a utility level, the danger of her overusing her magic and running out was far too high. Yet without Lacelina’s assistance, the combined strength of the Servants of the Goddess, who were not particularly strong as individuals, would drop immensely. They were all aware of this particular weakness of theirs.
However, no matter how aware she was of this fact, Telyusia kept her words non-committal, not wanting to say anything that would imply that Lacelina was anything less than capable…
“What if I were to tell you there was a lovely 14-year-old mage who just became a hunter but was allowed to skip to D-rank… And in fact, since she’s proficient in several types of combat magic, her ability is more on par with a C-rank hunter. She also has a fair bit of physical strength for a mage, so she can both serve as a porter and contribute to close-range combat. She has a house in this city, and her family has already recognized her desire to be a hunter… Might you have any use for a girl like that?”
The response from all five was emphatic and loud:
“We’ll take heeeeeeeeerr!!!!!”
Meanwhile, Mavis gave Bundine the rundown on the Servants of the Goddess.
They were a party of all women who had clawed their way up from E-rank, never once losing a person to withdrawal, injury, or death in their whole run so far. There was a D-rank mage who was likely close to Leatoria in age, and the others were not much older, so she would fit in swimmingly.
Unlike the Crimson Vow, the Servants were a reliable, more orthodox sort of party, so traveling with them would be far safer—and far more beneficial to Leatoria’s development—than traveling with the Vow.
And, above all, the Servants were a stationary group, firmly settled in the capital…
Bundine already thought very highly of the Crimson Vow’s abilities, but no one outside of the Guild yet knew of the incidents with the demons and the kidnappers and such. Moreover, he had yet to witness their combat strength with his own eyes. Thus, while he found their knowledge, wit, and sense of justice to be incredibly admirable, he had no way of knowing how that very particular knowledge translated to their skill in battle.
Plus, even if he did know how strong they truly were, Bundine still thought of Leatoria as a weak and sickly young maiden, and he worried that, should she end up surrounded by individuals much stronger than her, she would be crushed by her own sense of helplessness.
Compare this to the prospect of an all-female party with plenty of experience who always protected their allies, had a mage at the same level as Leatoria, and moreover, were stationed here in town. As far as Bundine—nay, the entire Aura household—was concerned, the choice was obvious.
The idea of Leatoria joining a party that included men and sleeping out in the open, in a coed environment, was something that the Baron could not abide. As a result, both he and Bundine had thought it would be preferable for her to go out in the company of the trustworthy members of the Crimson Vow—however, considering how much the Vow moved around, the Servants of the Goddess really were a far better choice. If every member of the Vow gave the Servants their endorsement, then surely they must be equally trustworthy.
“They’re a good bunch,” Mavis explained. “They took on the job of rescuing a young girl with only one silver as pay, and their leader even put herself in front of a magical attack to protect our Reina.”
Bundine was shocked. That wasn’t good-heartedness—it was practically stupidity. But even so, no one had been killed or seriously injured.
The Crimson Vow had come into town just the other day, so this incident would have to have been very recent. And yet, there did not appear to be any casualties among the parties—not even minor injuries. Which meant that they were strong enough that even a magical attack was nothing to them.
The Servants of the Goddess had defended the Crimson Vow easily! What an incredible party!
“If you can ask them,” he replied, “please do so!”
“…And, their leader, Telyusia, is incredible. She’s so mature, and a wonderful person. She saved my life! I think that their mage, Lacelina, is the same age as you, too. I’m pretty sure she’s a D-rank, the same as you, too. Of course, she had to work her way up to that rank from the bottom. Hmm. Actually, mages usually get to skip a rank, so if she didn’t start as a D-rank, I suppose that means she began at E?”
Reina recounted as much of their recent adventure to Leatoria as she could without lying. Naturally, Pauline chimed in as well.
“Wow, they sound amazing!” Leatoria said, audibly impressed.
Reina and Pauline looked on with smiles…wide, wicked smiles.
Mile and Mavis then brought both the Servants and Bundine back to the corner and pulled together the neighboring tables and chairs so that they could all speak as a group.
The hunters seated at those neighboring tables picked up on the situation and quickly cleared the space.
“You’re Miss Leatoria, correct? We’re the C-rank party, the Servants of the Goddess. I’m Telyusia, the leader. Nice to meet you!”
“Y-yes, I am! It’s lovely to meet you!”
Leatoria’s voice rose unnaturally. Of course, she couldn’t help it when she suddenly found herself sitting before a powerful hunter, the leader of a party who had been so talked up by Reina and Pauline.
Mile had already shared quite a bit of information about Leatoria with the Servants. She rattled off a number of details and then explained that she had not yet suggested to Leatoria that she join up with them, since it would be more natural if the invitation came from the party in question.
Of course, she also explained to them that Leatoria really wished to join the Crimson Vow and offered some ideas about how the Servants of the Goddess might cajole her.
“You see, our party already has three mages, with only Mavis on the front line…”
“Ah…”
The Servants of the Goddess understood at once. No one had ever heard of a party with four backline mages and only one frontline fighter. Not that a party with a three-to-one ratio was any less unprecedented, of course. But at any rate, there was no doubt in any of their minds that a hopeful young newcomer could not possibly join up with the Crimson Vow.
And so the battle for the future of the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess—and the peace of mind of the Aura household—began.
“So, Leatoria, I hear that you just recently registered as a hunter?”
“Y-yes! I got to skip, so I’m a D-rank! The officials told me that even though my skill as a mage was on par with a C-rank and my close-range combat ability with my war club is C-rank as well, I don’t have any of the knowledge or sensibilities that a hunter would. Without any experience fighting monsters or people on the battlefield, I had to start off as a D-rank…”
At this, the eyes of four of the Servants sparkled wildly. They had already heard this much from Mile. Leatoria was without a doubt, quite the delectable prize…er, party candidate.
“This really takes me back. I remember when we first registered as hunters and formed the Servants of the Goddess…”
Telyusia had deftly managed to transition the conversation to a self-introduction. Through one anecdote after another, she told of the party’s strengths, naturally conveying their group’s appeal.
That’s an older person’s wisdom for you!!! thought Mile, Mavis, and Pauline, all quite impressed.
Reina, meanwhile, softly said, “That’s big sis for you!”
Aghast, the other three exchanged looks, wondering, Who the heck are you?!?!
When the time finally seemed right, Telyusia let loose the decisive phrase:
“Leatoria, won’t you join us, the Servants of the Goddess?”
H-here it is!!!
The Crimson Vow watched nervously, wr
inging their hands. Leatoria was speechless at this sudden, unimaginable invitation.
“Huh? Well, I’m really glad that you would want me, but I’m going to join up with my friends, the Crimson Vow…” she replied as she came back to her senses.
Naturally, Telyusia was prepared for this reply. She looked to the Crimson Vow, and with a smile, she asked, “Won’t you let us have Miss Leatoria?”
“She’s all yours!” they all said.
“Huh…?”
Leatoria seemed a bit taken aback at this reply. Quickly, Mavis provided an explanation.
“Ah, well, uh, you see, three-quarters of our party’s already made of mages, right? If you joined, that’d make four mages, with me as the only swordswoman, which is kind of, yeah…”
“Nnh…”
Leatoria, who had no idea that Mile formed a part of the front line as well—and who still had yet to confirm whether she would truly be able to contribute as a melee weapon wielder beyond simply a “mage who happened to be able to hold a bludgeoning weapon”—was unable to provide a rebuttal.
Honestly, the only value of her war club-wielding ability was pure destructive power; she hadn’t the slightest fraction of actual technical skill. She had smashed through her sparring opponent’s practice sword and struck them down. She had crashed into another’s shield and blown them away, striking them into the wall.
A win was a win, but she still could not think of herself as particularly adept with a weapon. Even Leatoria herself recognized that the war club was nothing more than a means of self-defense.
Reina and Pauline went on to explain that the Crimson Vow were going to be traveling across the land after their stop here, whereas the Servants were going to be staying in this town, meaning that it was probably better for Leatoria to choose the group that would allow her to stay close to her family. And then, Telyusia landed the finishing blow.
“Leatoria, you wanted to join the Crimson Vow so that you’d have friends, right?”
“Y-yes. They’re my first ever friends, so…”
Telyusia smiled wide. “It’s true that if you joined the Crimson Vow, you would have four friends. But, if you joined up with us, you would have five new friends who would always be by your side. And the four friends you had before would still be your friends, too. Plus, you could stop at home whenever you like…”
“Oh…” Leatoria’s jaw hung wide. She was utterly lost for words.
She’s good!!! The members of the Crimson Vow and Bundine were all astonished at Telyusia’s skill.
As far as Leatoria was concerned, the members of the Crimson Vow were her benefactors, the ones who had cured her of her illness. However, it had really only been a few days since she had first met them, and they had spoken no more than a total of several hours in total. Anyway, it was not as if they had even ever done anything together beyond sitting on beds and chairs and talking.
Sure enough, while she thought of them as her “first ever friends,” in truth, they were merely the first girls her age whom she had gotten to sit and talk with. Thus, it wasn’t as though the whole thing was really a matter of Crimson Vow or bust.
Lacelina gently reached out her hand and grabbed Leatoria’s.
Tasha smiled.
“We need you, Leatoria…” Willine whispered sincerely.
“Stand by our side and become the pride of our land, your family, your companions, and all those who live under the Baron’s rule!” said Philly, giving a big thumbs-up.
“I… I-I-I…”
Do it do it do iiiiiiiit!!!
The bystanders, who had been watching the proceedings with interest, could practically hear the hearts of both parties screaming.
“I’ll do it! I’ll join the Servants of the Goddess!”
“Welcome to the party, Leatoria! We’re so happy to have you!!!” they all shouted.
“Hooray!!!” the Crimson Vow cheered.
“Yeah!!!” cried the hunters and guild employees who had been listening in, the whole room raising their voices joyously in unison.
The guild staff were particularly overjoyed to see this young noble joining a party that would be free from the worries of coed living and one in which the danger of a newbie dying an early death was as low as it could be. It was an exceptional load off of their minds. Behind them, Bundine was nodding emphatically as well.
Mile seemed to be joyful for a slightly different reason. Thank goodness she fell for it!
Mavis was thinking something cruel. All right! We got away!
We let a real moneymaker get away here. This seems like a bit of a waste… Pauline was her usual self.
The Servants really are the much better party for Leatoria’s sake. As long as Telyusia’s there, there’s no doubting that…
For some reason, Reina was the only earnest one.
All the loose ends were tied up nicely. This was a good result for everyone—no one got the short end of the stick. If only everything could go this smoothly, Mile started to think. But just then…
“Oh yes! I forgot to tell you!” said Bundine abruptly. “We’re holding a celebration in honor of Lady Leatoria’s recovery! We would like for you, the Crimson Vow, as well as Lady Leatoria’s new friends, the Servants of the Goddess, to be in attendance…”
That was the promise made to the citizens who had lent Bundine money—and besides, people would be seeing a lot more of Leatoria, happy and healthy, around town from here on out. Plus, between starting work as a hunter, and the many hats that the daughter of a noble was required to wear, she was only going to get busier and busier. If such a celebration were to be held, there was no time like the present.
Provided she was not bedridden with illness, the daughter of a noble was, in fact, quite busy with a variety of tasks—so much so that one might call it a career. She was expected to study a variety of disciplines, memorize the histories and coats of arms and other miscellany regarding every noble household in the land, learn the names, lineages, and hierarchies of every royal and noble, pursue general studies, and become accomplished in the arts…and she was expected to master each of these pursuits perfectly.
Fortunately—or as fortunately as could be under the circumstances—Leatoria had had plenty of time to study while stuck in her room as a result of her illness. Thus, her skills were already well beyond what was expected of her age. Then again, a noble’s work was never truly done…
“Hm? Leatoria, you were sick?” Telyusia asked worriedly.
Flustered, Leatoria quickly waved her hands in front of her face.
“No, no, it’s fine! I’m completely cured now! We know the cause, too, so there’s no chance of a relapse. I’m fit as a fiddle! And it’s all thanks to the Crimson Vow!”
“Oh, is that so? That’s go…od…”
Telyusia trailed off, her expression suddenly going dark.
“You were cured by the Crimson Vow…were you?”
Indeed, she remembered hearing a story like this very recently.
“D-d-d-d-don’t tell me. She’s…”
The cat’s out of the bag, Mile thought. The illusion had been broken.
“Yes. You are speaking to Lady Leatoria von Aura, the daughter of Baron Aura.”
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!”
Indeed, up to this point, the Servants of the Goddess had no idea that Leatoria was a noble. They had just missed meeting the maid, and while her appearance clearly gave the impression of a well-off young maiden, they had merely assumed that Leatoria was the daughter of a middle-class merchant or something along those lines. Even then, they would have guessed she was nothing more than a third daughter or perhaps the daughter of a mistress—someone who would rank fairly low in the line of inheritance. If she wasn’t, there was no way that her family wouldn’t have put a stop to her dreams of becoming a hunter. In other words, the Servants had assumed she was a child who her family could have easily been able to spare.
And since she was, of course, a beauty, they had assumed tha
t there must be some other factors that further offset her value beyond simply her rank. Was she perhaps a bit soft in the head or…?
For a hunter, the advantages of a party was such that one member might make up for the shortcomings of another, so as long as you were skilled in combat, you were fine—within reason, anyway. However, for the daughter of a merchant, even the slightest flaw might be the kiss of death.
Anyway, no one would ever imagine a noble daughter in existence who could wield an all-metal war club. And so, the Servants of the Goddess had assumed Bundine must be merely a retainer or a clerk who had come along to accompany the supposed merchant’s daughter.
Now, it was all becoming clear. A butler would never accompany a daughter of a mistress. Leatoria was the Baron’s legitimate daughter.
“Y-you set us up…” Telyusia said, glaring at Mile, who had purposely failed to offer up any information regarding Leatoria’s family.
At the same time, Mile had not told a single lie—and it remained true that Leatoria possessed all of the elements that the Servants desired. Therefore, the Crimson Vow felt no guilt in the slightest. Even if Mile had told them who Leatoria was from the start, the Servants probably still would have taken her in. They were just that sort of party, after all.
And so, Mile merely whistled, averting her gaze from Telyusia’s glare…
***
Several days later, a celebration of the recovery of Leatoria von Aura was held at the Aura family’s capital residence.
Besides the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess, the invited guests included a number of commoners—in other words, the people who had donated money to Bundine back during the incident with the merchant. They had been promised as much, after all.
Normally, the family would have been making preparations for Leatoria’s proper debut into society: her debutante ball, which was already a year late. They would be inviting acquainted nobles and sharing the good news of her restored health. However, under current conditions, if word of her combat magic ability, her health, her enhanced strength and stamina, and her pure and innocent beauty, on par with that of a goddess (her father’s assessment always added about fifty percent) started to get out, nobles of influence would come breaking down the doors to force proposals on her, and the moment she turned fifteen, she would doubtless be whisked off into marriage. Frightened of this prospect, the Baron had firmly declined to introduce her more widely.