by Fujino Omori
That must be what Lilly meant by “most quests are accepted by upper-class adventurers.”
“However, the only quests that the Guild posts here are from clients like Familias and smiths, and are very appealing to adventurers.”
“?”
“In other words, the Guild has guaranteed the rewards…They can be trusted.”
Lilly must’ve read the confusion on my face and added one more thing.
We leave the bulletin board behind and exit the Guild.
“The point is that there are some really fishy ones as well. Sometimes the client’s name will be hidden, and the request is absolutely absurd.”
“…Or maybe the client refuses to give the reward?”
“Very sharp, Mr. Bell. Lilly is happy Mr. Bell realized that.”
She’s smiling at me like a teacher would when praising a student.
“Lilly’s pulled that one off before, by the way,” she continues with her grin plastered on her face. I do my best to force a smile and nod again.
Just how deep does your grudge against adventurers go, Lilly…?
“Anyway, shady quests not approved by the Guild, or requests from townspeople, can be found in bars like that one over there. Most of them are very dubious in more ways than one.”
Lilly points to one of the bars built along the side of West Main.
It looks like it’s run by a Familia. A place other than the Guild where adventurers can take up quests—albeit a little under the table—from average people. I blink my eyes a few times to get a better look and, sure enough, that billboard looks like a Familia emblem.
In addition, Familias that operate taverns like this one also act as a place for people to gather information—a knowledge shop of sorts.
Running a Familia as a quest-and-information brokerage…Not a bad idea.
There really are a lot of different types of Familias in the world…
“All of this means that if you don’t want to wind up in a sticky situation, don’t accept any quests that haven’t been approved by the Guild…even if asked directly by a friend from another Familia.”
…So that’s what she’s been getting at this whole time.
Lilly went through all of this to teach me that from now on I shouldn’t accept quests that aren’t posted on that billboard. That includes requests from people like Nahza, who isn’t that trustworthy to begin with.
But Nahza isn’t some person I’ve never met hiding behind a sheet, and she sought me out personally. So I don’t think there’s any reason to worry…
“That’s exactly why Lilly says Mr. Bell is too kind. Bad people will take advantage of anybody, use that kindness to gain trust. It will come back to haunt Mr. Bell, but Lilly didn’t say that.”
…Is she reading my thoughts? Or is it written all over my face?
I think she’s aware of it, too…I can’t respond to that.
“Fear not, Mr. Bell, for as long as there are still lights in Lilly’s eyes, she shall protect you from those traps.—Now, that’s enough studying for today. Let’s move on to the main event.”
“Ah, sure.”
I take another look at that memo in my hands as we stroll down the main street.
I read back to myself what Nahza requested, making sure I understand every word.
Hmmm. That’s right, Blue Papillon Wings…
“Aren’t blue papillons one of those…what are they called…‘rare monsters’?”
“Yep. They’re found in the upper levels, so it won’t be all that dangerous for Mr. Bell…Finding one, however, that’s easier said than done.”
“Of course…”
Nahza said there was no deadline but…this quest that I took up might end up being a real pain.
My head and shoulders droop. Lilly flashes a big smile at me in an effort to ease my fears.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Bell. Lilly has a plan. When Lilly is done preparing, let’s head to the Dungeon.”
…Lilly has really helped me out at every turn.
I really am grateful to have a supporter who I can rely on and who can cover my weaknesses so easily. I’m sorry that she has to work so hard, though……
“Blue papillon.”
It’s a butterfly monster that is said to appear on the lower seventh floor.
Its light blue wings are so thin that light can pass through them. Tiny scales fall off of them as it flies, leaving a beautiful sparkling trail in its wake. I’ve heard it’s so beautiful that even the most hardened adventurers will stop to admire it.
While the blue papillon is a sight to behold, it’s also well known as one of the harder monsters to encounter.
We adventurers call monsters that are extremely difficult to find on any level of the Dungeon “rare monsters.” The blue papillon is one of them. This goes without saying, but rare-monster drop items are even rarer and sell for a very high price.
I remember hearing somewhere that the blue papillon is relatively easier to find than other rare monsters…but if we just walk around the Dungeon like usual, it’s going to take an extremely long time to find one. The fact I’ve never seen one before is proof enough of that.
Remembering the monster encyclopedia that Eina had drilled into my head not too long ago, the more I think about it, the more I realize that this quest won’t end in a day.
“…We’re pretty far out, aren’t we?”
“Yes. We’ll be in the southern corner very soon.”
We’re on the seventh floor. Lilly and I made our way down here to find the blue papillon after making a quick stop at an item shop.
Following Lilly’s instructions, I make my way through a very thin corridor. I’m pretty sure we’ve been down here for more than an hour. Rather than staying on the path that leads to the lower levels, we took one heck of a detour and are headed to the deepest corner of the lower seventh.
I’ve gone deeper into the Dungeon than this, but I haven’t explored the outer rim of any of the levels. This unfamiliar terrain gets my blood pumping with excitement as I quickly dispatch all the monsters that appear in front of us with the Divine Knife and the baselard.
Lilly quickly withdraws a magic stone from the killer ant I just took down.
“Lilly, what’s waiting for us at the end of this path?”
“The Dungeon’s pantry.”
“Pantry?” The moment I echo Lilly’s words the path in front of me begins to change.
The pale green walls, the lights in the ceiling, the path under my feet—everything is starting to get uneven. The farther I walk, the less my surroundings look like the Dungeon I know. It almost feels like I’m lost in the belly of a cave.
Suddenly, the luminescent spots on the ceiling start to go dim. My heart pounds in my chest as a shroud of darkness descends around me.
That light…
There’s a soft greenish glow coming from around the rocky corner ahead.
I stop for a moment and turn to face Lilly. She doesn’t say anything, instead giving me a silent nod. I take a deep breath, face forward, and turn the corner.
My heart is pounding so fast that I can feel it in my lungs.
I’ve gotten used to crawling the Dungeon, so it’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this. Going someplace new, facing the “unknown,” it’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. My inner adventurer feels so alive!
I follow the glow through a few more turns in the cave, only the sound of our footsteps in the air. The source of the glow is waiting for us at the end of the path.
“”
Words leave me the moment I emerge from the rocky path.
This is a very, very big area.
I’ve never seen a space this big, even in the levels farther down in the Dungeon.
My eyes instantly lock onto a towering pillar of quartz in the back of the room.
The massive column of powdery green rock stretches from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. The whole thing is jutting out of the back wall. Bu
t the surface isn’t smooth, bits and pieces stick out like tree bark. This whole thing might as well be a tree made of quartz.
The entire structure is emanating a green light. So this is where that green glow was coming from…
Those are monsters…
A clear white sap drips out from between the breaks in the rock, enough to make a large pool at the base of the “tree.”
I can see killer ants and purple moths dotting the surface of the tree and a needle rabbit dipping its tongue into the pool. They’re all drinking the sap.
“Is Mr. Bell surprised?”
“Lilly…”
“This is a pantry…a place that the Dungeon stores food for the monsters to eat.”
Clearly enjoying the awed look on my face, Lilly strikes up a conversation and explains what’s going on.
Monsters born from the dungeon walls are alive, so it makes sense they would get hungry. While they can feast on stray adventurers or other monsters, it looks like most of them get their subsistence from their “mother,” the Dungeon itself.
This wide area is a source of nutrients for the monsters.
I can see why it’s called the “Dungeon’s pantry.”
“…So then, does the blue papillon also…?”
“Yep. Rather than bumbling around in the Dungeon for who knows how long, Lilly thinks our chances of finding one are better if we wait here.”
I agree.
Lilly explains that there are two or three pantries on every level of the Dungeon except for the first two. As long as we stake out one of them and keep our eyes open, a hungry blue papillon will show up sooner or later. After that, we can make our move.
Set up a trap and ambush our prey. So this is hunting…
“Don’t just stand there, Mr. Bell. We need to hide ourselves. Lilly doesn’t want to think about what will happen if the monsters see us.”
“Ah…Yes, let’s do that.”
I can feel her hands on my lower back as Lilly pushes me out of the entrance and off toward one of the sides.
Taking another look around the room, there are many entrances to the pantry. Even now, monsters are streaming in from ten, twelve other places. If even one of them realizes we’re here, we’ll have to fight every monster in the room to make an escape…I don’t want to think about that, either.
We make our way into a corner of the room.
“Well, then, excuse me.”
Lilly sets her backpack down and withdraws a large piece of cloth from it. The whole thing is a mossy green color and matches the dungeon walls on this floor almost exactly.
Lilly whips the fabric around through the air like a massive cape and wraps the two of us from head to toe in a green cocoon.
“So that’s why you bought this…”
“That’s right. None of the monsters on the lower seventh has a good sense of smell, so as long as we’re quiet and stay out of sight, Mr. Bell and Lilly will be fine.”
She bought this at the item shop right before we entered the Dungeon. I had no clue what she was doing…This is what she had in mind.
Our camouflage seems to be working. None of the monsters has noticed us; even the ones that look in our direction think we’re just part of the dungeon wall and go back to their meal.
“W-w-wait a second, Lilly. Aren’t you a bit close?”
“Lilly has no choice. Lilly has to hide the backpack, too, and this cloth can only hide so much. Oh, it’s still sticking out! Lilly has to get closer!”
She slides her small body up against mine, making me flinch.
Lilly slips under my right shoulder and wraps her arms around my chest, as if she were giving her body to me, and squeezes. A soft pressure brushes against my ribs through my inner shirt. My face feels like it’s on fire.
I understand why…but if I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s enjoying this. It has to be my imagination.
The two of us talk in hushed voices as we twist and turn to find a comfortable position.
“…H-hey, I have a question. You know how there are items that can draw in monsters, right? If there’s a place like this where they can eat as much as they want, why do those items work…?”
I strike up a conversation to get my mind off of her body fitting snugly up against mine.
I swear she is in such a good mood that if she were a cat, she’d be purring at the top of her lungs right now. She answers my question right away.
“Isn’t it boring to eat the same food all the time, Mr. Bell?”
“Ahh…”
“Fu-fu, that’s why. Monsters like a little variety, too.”
I keep becoming a little bit smarter every time I ask Lilly about something that doesn’t make sense. So I keep the questions coming.
First I ask her why adventurers completely ignored this really good hunting spot. She explains that this place is too far out of the main path. In fact, every single dungeon pantry is so far removed from the usual route that it will take hours to get to one of them. Even if you manage to find one—and are strong enough to survive fighting everything in here at once—it’s more efficient to collect the magic stones that are worth more from monsters farther down.
But the most important reason is that if you make even one mistake, the danger of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers is very real.
These are the reasons why most adventurers try to avoid turning these places into their battlefield.
…It could also be that they don’t want to ruin such a beautiful place.
At least that’s how I feel, looking out across this tranquil scenery from under our camouflaged cloth.
A wide cavern bathed in soft green light.
The clear crystals emerging from the tree are absolutely breathtaking. Light reflects off the pond beneath it like the moon off a still lake at night. The pond’s surface glistens in silence.
White flowers with blue stems are blooming in bunches all around the lake. Every so often a needle rabbit pokes its head out from between them. Purple moths fly through the flowers and land on the crystals above, resting their wings. Soft splashes fill the air as a small group of killer ants makes their way through the pond toward the quartz tree on the back wall.
The green light makes everything look calm, almost gentle.
It’s hard to believe that monsters that should be violent and horrifying can look this beautiful.
Of course, I fully realize that these beasts are the enemy of humanity.
They’re extremely dangerous and will attack if I try to confront them.
Even still, I don’t want to do anything to disturb this awe-inspiring scenery.
Looking across the cavern, taking in the light, the monsters, everything, I can’t help but feel this way.
“…! Mr. Bell.”
“!”
Lilly’s shoulder stiffens as she grabs and shakes my arm.
My mind comes back to my body as I sit up and follow Lilly’s eyes to the pond at the base of the tree. I spot them immediately.
Butterflies with blue wings fluttering gracefully among the flowers.
A group of four blue papillon, the target of our quest, has appeared in the pantry.
“It was worth coming all the way down here.”
“Y-yes.”
We get up in unison, preparing to leave at any moment.
The butterflies’ elegance and refinement match the cavern perfectly. Each one of their bodies is much more delicate than a purple moth’s, their two sets of wings flowing like water. The light blue trails they leave behind are pretty enough to make my heart skip a beat.
While the blue papillon pose no threat in combat, the scales that flake off their wings heal the injured monsters around them. The reason that Nahza wants blue papillon drop items is because they would make an excellent ingredient for healing potions. Of that I’m sure.
“We mustn’t make a scene in here. Let’s watch them and follow them out of the pantry.”
“Okay, got it.”
My mind back in questing mode, Lilly and I wait with bated breath for a chance to spring our trap.
A light breeze caresses my face.
Closing one eye to shield it from the gentle wind, Lilly and I emerge from the base of Babel Tower with big smiles on our faces.
“That went very well.”
“Yes, to get this many drop items at once is very lucky.”
Lilly looks up at me with a happy grin on her lips. Our plan worked without a hitch. Follow the group of blue papillon, take them down, collect the drop items, and return to the surface.
Just as Lilly said, all of the blue papillon left behind drop items. We couldn’t be happier that we finished this quest so quickly.
Five wings altogether…I have no doubt that Nahza will be more than happy with this haul.
“If Mr. Bell took these to the Guild, they’re worth at least nine thousand vals. The fact they’re in good shape might make them worth even more…Too bad we’re going to trade them~.”
It sounds like Lilly’s only excited because these drop items are from a rare monster. I force a smile at my unusually high-spirited partner as we make our way through Central Park and toward West Main.
That was just what I needed to cheer me up…
That amazing scenery put my mind at ease.
I wasn’t planning on taking a break, but I’m glad I did. Sure, I still ache all over, but it feels good. I’ve got a little pep back in my step.
“Good afternoon! Anyone here?”
“…Bell?”
We enter Miach Familia’s home, a shop in the backstreets.
Nahza watches us come through the door from her chair behind the counter, her drowsy eyes opening just enough for me to notice.
“Don’t tell me, you’ve already finished the quest…?”
“Yes. We’ve dropped by to finish up.”
I take a box roughly the size of a shield out from under my arm and open it to show her the contents.
A rare, energetic expression runs across her face the moment that Nahza sees the beautiful blue hue of the Blue Papillon Wings. A smile is on her face in the blink of an eye.