by Tôwa
Copyright
Tôwa Illustration by Huuka Kazabana
Translation by Jordan Taylor
Cover art by Huuka Kazabana
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
SEKAI SAIKYO NO KOEI -MEIKYUKOKU NO SHINJIN TANSAKUSHA- Volume 2
©Tôwa, Huuka Kazabana 2018
First published in Japan in 2018 by KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo.
English translation rights arranged with KADOKAWA CORPORATION, Tokyo, through TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC., Tokyo.
English translation © 2020 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Tôwa, author. | Kazabana, Huuka, illustrator. | Taylor, Jordan (Translator), translator.
Title: The world’s strongest rearguard: labyrinth country’s novice seeker / Tôwa ; illustration by Huuka Kazabana ; translation by Jordan Taylor.
Other titles: Sekai saikyo no koei: meikyukoku no shinjin tansakusha. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen ON, 2019– |
Identifiers: LCCN 2019030466 | ISBN 9781975331542 (v. 1 ; trade paperback) | ISBN 9781975331566 (v. 2 ; trade paperback)
Subjects: CYAC: Fantasy. | Future life—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.1.T676 Wo 2019 | DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019030466
ISBNs: 978-1-9753-3156-6 (paperback)
978-1-9753-3157-3 (ebook)
E3-20200130-JV-NF-ORI
PROLOGUE
The Hidden God Awakens
Alone now that she’d teleported Arihito’s party to the surface, Ariadne lowered her outstretched hand and wrapped her arms around her chest.
> ARIADNE activated TRANSFER TO SURFACE ARIHITO’s party was teleported out of the labyrinth
The circuit-like pattern on her body glowed, and a “screen” appeared that displayed the current situation.
“Still functional… There must still be order in this world.”
This order she spoke of was what allowed magic and skills to be used in the Labyrinth Country as well as in the labyrinths themselves.
Why were there entrances to labyrinths in the Labyrinth Country? Why were the dead of other worlds brought here? Ariadne couldn’t remember how much time had passed since she’d been created, and she didn’t have any memories that would give her the answers to those questions.
Such was the natural consequence of having been abandoned.
She was supposed to sleep forever in this room, deep below the earth where no one would ever visit, but then Arihito appeared with the key. It had been taken from her and tossed randomly into the labyrinth, but he had found the hidden stairs that led to her and brought with him the key in order to wake her.
“…For a human to do that…”
It was a miracle. She was vaguely aware of the concept based on the knowledge that all intelligent life shared.
Because she was now giving her protection to their party, she was able to learn from Arihito’s license exactly how long she’d been asleep: 860 years. That’s all the time that had passed since the construction of that miniscape, the place that contained all the labyrinths in which the Hidden Gods slept.
She hadn’t been able to determine whether or not any of the other gods had been awakened. If Arihito and his party had already made a contract with another Hidden God, then…the door to this room would never have opened, and she would have remained asleep. The thought made Ariadne’s chest twinge with a warmish, almost painful feeling. An emotion only those with limited lifespans should feel.
“Arihito… Steadfast rearguard. You who are endowed with such gifts…”
She had encountered Arihito’s spirit when he placed the Activation Key in her. Unlike Ariadne, he wasn’t lonely. But he’d lost his parents before he could even form a cohesive thought. He’d been scarred by the incident ever since, living with the regret that he hadn’t been able to save them. He’d been witness to the cruelty of the world as a mere infant, sitting in the back seat of the car his father had been driving, his mother’s arms still wrapped around him.
“…Is this…water…? Am I…?”
Ariadne noticed something running down her cheek and stopped it with her hand. She couldn’t call the person who created her a “parent,” but even though she kept trying to deny the similarities between her and Arihito’s circumstances, she finally accepted that at the very core, they weren’t really that different.
“If you intend to protect your companions from behind…then I will protect you from here.”
The space around Ariadne warped to reveal a gigantic mechanical arm. She would use her remaining strength to protect Arihito and his party. She decided she wouldn’t sleep until she heard his voice. After all, a god did not need to sleep.
CHAPTER 1
The Summit of District Eight
Part I: The Caseworker’s Shock
District Eight of the Labyrinth Country—the first district visited by those who had been newly reincarnated.
We had found our way to the hidden fourth floor in the beginner labyrinth, the Field of Dawn, and somehow managed to make it out without any serious injuries. We climbed up the long stairs that led from the first floor of the labyrinth back to town, noticing the moment we stepped out that the sun had moved significantly from where it had been when we entered. It was now evening. We crossed the square and headed westward to the Guild.
“Aaaah, I forgot how niiice fresh air is. The labyrinth is as bright and vast as it is out here, but it just feels different, you know,” said Misaki happily with a big stretch. I still didn’t know her full name. Her Gambler job had a lot of luck-based skills, and it was thanks to those skills of hers that we’d been able to find the hidden floor in the labyrinth in the first place.
“Mmm… Aaah, you’re right; it really does feel nice,” Igarashi agreed, extending her limbs, too. “Only the fourth floor really felt like a true labyrinth. It was definitely more claustrophobic.” She was my manager in my previous life, where we worked at the same company, and now a member of the party with me as the leader. When we were first reincarnated, she’d been wearing a knit sweater and skirt, but now, her brown hair fell in soft waves around the Ladies’ Armor she was wearing for her Valkyrie job. The armor was primarily white with a wide opening in the chest, w
hich sort of stood out when she stretched. I had a hard time peeling my eyes away from her accentuated assets.
“Atobe, what’re you staring at so intently?” she asked.
“Oh, uh, don’t mind me. I was just thinking how glad I was we got out without getting hurt.”
“I know… It’s all thanks to you that we were able to defeat such a powerful monster,” said Suzuna with a gentle smile. She was a childhood friend of Misaki’s, and her job was Shrine Maiden. She looked like a traditional Japanese beauty with her straight, jet-black hair and rocked her special Labyrinth Country–version Shrine Maiden outfit.
We had encountered a Named Monster, so called because they had a set name, on the fourth floor of the labyrinth. It was a Giant Eagle-Headed Warrior, a very powerful enemy that could hit the entire party with multi-target attacks. We somehow managed to beat it because everyone worked so well together.
“……”
“You did a great job, Theresia. Thank you,” I added. Theresia was a lizardman girl, a former mercenary who’d basically been my first companion here. She nodded readily when I expressed my gratitude, and the rest of the party smiled, too.
Lizardman was a misleading title; she wasn’t some lizard-human hybrid. In fact, she really just looked like a girl in a lizard costume, except that she couldn’t shed her equipment… That was one of the limitations of being a demi-human. Theresia’s job was Rogue, and she served as the party’s midguard, capable of both attack and evasion. She’d been helping me out ever since I first arrived here post-reincarnation.
“Arihito, are you sure you’re okay? That last skill you used took a lot of magic, didn’t it?” asked a concerned Elitia, a Swordswoman with a much higher level than the rest of the party. Certain circumstances, though, had led her to equip a cursed weapon, changing her job to Cursed Blade. She was a petite girl with golden hair separated into two pigtails, and she looked like she might have originally come from northern Europe. It made her look cute and sweet, but when it came to battle, she was our single most powerful attacker, capable of racking up huge amounts of damage.
Then there was me, the rearguard, a job that let me support these five girls from behind. After getting reincarnated, I had written rearguard down as my preferred job, and I was accepted just like that. I’m not sure if it was because I chose it, or if I was suited for it, but the job had helped my party climb the ranks faster than any other novice. The higher the rank, the better the quality of life, which meant that you didn’t have to worry about your livelihood while you were also worrying about the risk of running into a strong monster out on an expedition.
“…Maybe this is just me, but when I’m up against an enemy with Arihito and he…calls out encouragement from behind, I feel really energized. You should keep that up,” Elitia said to me.
“You’re gonna make me blush if you keep saying stuff like that… But yeah, it’s important to encourage one another.” Calling out to my party members in battle was actually just my way of signaling that I was about to activate one of my skills, like Morale Support. But thinking about it, I guess I really did yell a lot during battle.
There wasn’t a single monster in the labyrinths that you could let your guard down with. We needed to win every fight we found ourselves in and continue to seek without getting seriously injured—to achieve our goals.
For starters, we needed to turn Theresia back to her human form. She’d been resurrected as a demi-human after losing her life in the labyrinth.
Another was to make our way to the labyrinth in District Five, where Elitia’s friend had been attacked and captured by monsters. We didn’t know if her friend was dead or alive, but we were going to try and save her.
“Hee-hee, Arihito’s kinda cute when he blushes. Don’cha think, Suzu?” asked Misaki.
“M-Misaki… That’s not something I can just answer…,” replied Suzuna.
“Looks like Atobe’s not used to being complimented… Uh, I wonder if that’s because I wasn’t the kind of manager who praised my employees…,” said Igarashi.
“N-no, that’s not it. I think it’s just part of my natural disposition.”
Igarashi seemed a little apologetic at having remembered her time as my nightmarish manager. I had already moved on from it. I didn’t know if she’d thought about how hard she had been on me in our previous life and was trying to change her ways, but ever since we were reincarnated and formed a party together, she’d been so nice to me that I could barely recognize her.
“……”
“…Th-thanks. You were complimenting me, weren’t you?” I asked Theresia, who’d reached up and patted me gently on the head. She couldn’t speak because she was a demi-human, but she could communicate in this manner… That said, I felt really awkward being pet by a girl who, based on her height, I could only guess was in her midteens.
We managed to make it to the Guild before they closed for the day. I waited until Louisa was done helping some other Seekers before she and I headed to the same special room where we’d talked yesterday. I told the girls they could do whatever they wanted while I reported, so they were outside the Guild hanging around until I finished. Apparently, it was the leader’s job to report, but I guess we were just going to keep doing it like this regardless. I didn’t mind at all either way; I found reporting to be one of the more enjoyable parts of seeking.
“Sorry, I might not smell the freshest. We just came back from the labyrinth,” I said apologetically.
“What are you talking about? Sweat’s proof of a Seeker’s hard work, yes?” she replied cheerfully. I might be the type of guy who’s easily swayed by women, but even if I weren’t, I’d still turn to mush at a smile like hers.
“…L-Louisa, what are you doing?” I stammered as she came unexpectedly close to me. Maybe she was checking if I actually smelled since I was acting weird about it, but it was a little forward of her. Plus, I was flustered by how smoothly she’d managed to close the distance between us.
“Ha-ha… It’s not enough to offend me, Mr. Atobe. You just smell like yourself.” Louisa covered her mouth with her work folder and giggled. She wasn’t acting like a caseworker; she seemed more like a good friend who felt comfortable letting her guard down around me.
I get the impression that she isn’t normally open with people, but she’s obviously less guarded with me since we started working together… I have to be careful about how I act…
“Would you mind excusing me for a moment? You can wait in the room while I go prepare some tea… Or perhaps would you like something stronger?” she asked.
“Uh… W-well, it’s still light out… Would you share a drink with me, Louisa?”
“Would that be all right? Well, actually, a simple meal should be enough for me. It’s bad for your health to drink every day.” She seemed the type who’d like to drink every night if she could. Anyway, the Guild was pretty daring to serve alcohol to reporting Seekers.
“…I don’t offer just anyone alcohol, by the way. Just for you, Mr. Atobe.”
“O-oh. Ha-ha-ha…”
She’d probably get annoyed if I just said I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I was pretty frustrated with myself for not being able to come up with a more tactful response.
I watched Louisa walk away to go prepare some tea, the soft material of her skirt clinging to her butt and emphasizing her curves. There was no safe place for me to look. The first day I met her, she’d struck me as so prim and proper, but my impression of her had changed quite a bit. I had to admit, I was happy to keep working hard to improve because it seemed like the better I did, the more she liked me.
I drank the iced herbal tea that Louisa brought and took a short rest before showing her my license. She pulled out her monocle, placed a hand on her chest, and took a deep breath before staring intently at the display.
“Let’s take a look, then,” she said.
♦Expedition Results♦
> Raided FIELD OF DAWN 3F: 40 points
> Raided uncharted territory in FIELD OF DAWN: Not evaluated
> ELITIA grew to level 9: 100 points
> ARIHITO grew to level 4: 40 points
> THERESIA grew to level 4: 40 points
> KYOUKA grew to level 3: 20 points
> SUZUNA grew to level 3: 20 points
> MISAKI grew to level 2: 10 points
> Defeated 8 COTTON BALLS: 40 points
> Defeated 6 POISON SPEAR BEES: 48 points
> Defeated 12 FANGED ORCS: 120 points
> Defeated 7 GAZE HOUNDS: 140 points
> Defeated 1 PLANE EATER: 50 points
> Defeated 1 GIANT EAGLE-HEADED WARRIOR: Not evaluated
> Change in mutual trust with THERESIA: 100 points
> KYOUKA’s Trust Level increased: 50 points
> SUZUNA’s Trust Level increased: 50 points
> ELITIA’s Trust Level increased: 50 points
> Change in mutual trust with MISAKI: 100 points
> Awakened ???: Not evaluated
> Received ???’s protection: Not evaluated
Seeker Contribution: 1,018 points + unevaluated points
District Eight Career Contribution Ranking: 1
“……”
Louisa used her monocle to read the display, getting only to the second line, where she stopped and stared. It must’ve been the uncharted territory that got her… How should I jolt her out of this?
“…Louisa?”
“Eeeek?!” she shrieked and jumped in response, her chest jiggling so violently that it seemed about to pop out from her shirt’s neckline. She was still shaken for a moment, but her face suddenly turned red—and she started fixing her hair, though there wasn’t a single strand out of place, adjusted her shirt’s neckline, and looked at me after clearing her throat.
“…I—I do apologize. I seem to have a breakdown every time I read your reports… You must be tired of it by now.”
“Not at all… Even we were surprised ourselves. It seems like a lot of pieces just fell in place to make something entirely unexpected happen. Misaki’s incredibly good luck played a large part.”