Chapter 2 – Needles

000

“A veil of darkness.”

A ‘living forest’ where light barely enters through the shadows of overgrown trees.

When Cleon, hidden in the shadows, quietly utters the name of the spell,

The black magic power that flowed from the Galatea held in her hand wrapped around her whole body.

A technique that applies the small area of ​​​​magical power that was renewed with Galatea.

Instead of removing the defensive power as a barrier that cannot interfere from the outside,

It is a kind of stealth ability that makes it impossible to see Cleon unless you use a high degree of magic time.

If a person with the level of magical power of Lyla does not concentrate the magical power in his eyes with all his might,

I couldn’t even see Cleon’s shadow.

The first thing Cleon, who was able to completely control the demonic sword through the renewal of the contract, created was the ability to avoid the eyes of others.

The day Cleon was kicked out of the party.

And two days have passed since the day I was reborn as the master of the demonic sword.

After completing her contract, Galatea went into hibernation for a day or so to rebuild the core.

Cleon was also affected by it and fell asleep as if he had died in the inn.

After that,

The master and servant, who had recovered, were looking for an opportunity to take revenge on Alvein’s party while checking his newly acquired abilities step by step.

And that opportunity came very quickly.

001

When Cleon, who had recovered his body, showed his face to the adventurer’s guild, the guild’s staff looked at him as if he was uncomfortable.

It should be less so for the humans I’ve known since the days when I built my reputation on my own, but—

─As expected, the reputation of an adventurer who did not see a good end with a hero is bound to fall.

After all, the guild’s staff are humans outside the party and do not interfere in the inner affairs of the adventurers who are guests.

It was against the ideology of adventurers who pursued freedom, and it was a policy to treat the party fairly as a guild.

So, Cleon also decided not to say more than necessary to them.

After all, the only target for Cleon’s revenge is ‘Alvein’ and his companions.

“Um… Mr. Cleon… ?”

The only one who spoke to Cleon first was a girl he had never seen before.

Maybe a little younger than Alvein and Quon, two or three years younger than Cleon.

Probably the same age as Lila.

Her hair color is orange, like a blazing sunset.

It was the middle of the body, reaching down to the middle of the back, and it felt like the color of a fox’s fur, shining golden when exposed to light.

Apricot-colored skin. Green eyes. It is an impression that gives a feeling of being energetic and healthy somewhere.

Wearing armor made of plain leather and cloth.

It is light, active, and moves flexibly.

Cleon knew at a glance that she was not a person who was in the vanguard or cast magic in the back row.

Trained muscles that move under the clothes that cover the whole body.

Among them, the muscles from the arms to the back were trained even more than Albain, who wielded the lightest and most powerful sword in the world called the holy sword.

After seeing the thick glove covering the thumb, index and middle fingers,

Cleon judged that she was a ‘Ranger’ who doubled as an archer and guide.

Cleon felt the same way about her as her kuon three years ago.

Like the fact that he hesitated to talk to them, the atmosphere seemed unfamiliar to the city yet.

Perhaps, like them, they are novice adventurers who came up from a remote area worse than this place.

“Who is it?”

So, I didn’t have a very good impression.

If you are a newcomer who has come to take advantage of you again…

It was to the point where I thought it would be okay to break it.

“Sah, my name is Sasha. Today, I want to say hello to Cleon-san…”

“Hello… ? To me?”

Cleon was a little interested in Sasha’s hesitant attitude.

Certainly, there are many structures in which the senior adventurer shows a condescending attitude towards her junior.

This is because the wisdom or experience acquired earlier becomes the last joker for an adventurer.

That’s why there are quite a few juniors who outwardly respect seniors, but–

“I, since yesterday, we started adventuring together at Alvein-san’s party.”

“——Yes. So?”

“Ah, no. That… First of all, I thought I was Cleon-san’s substitute… I thought it wouldn’t be right to say hello…”

“There’s no such thing. Haven’t you heard from them? Something about me when I was out at a party.”

Sasha shook her head at Cleon’s tired tone.

“Of course, I heard the situation from everyone. But I heard that it is always common for adventurers to have conflicting opinions.”

She smiled bitterly and looked into Cleon’s eyes.

Inside, something like sympathy was mixed in.

“If you cool down after a while. I’m sure Alvain-san will be able to reconcile with Cleon-san. Then. We can return to the party of five including Cleon-“

“──…”

Hearing Sasha’s words, Galatea shuddered slightly.

The trembling could only be known by Cleon, but Cleon calmed Galatea and was silent for a while.

Open your mouth.

“That’s right. Five of us again… I guess.”

“Yes! Then, in terms of balance, it will be a very stable party!”

“That’s a pretty optimistic hope. I don’t know if Alvein is hoping for something like that…”

Cleon responded to Sasha with a smile that looked like a person.

“I’m looking forward to it. The day I venture out with you again.”

“──! Yes!”

Afterwards, Sasha bowed her head to Cleon several times before she left the place.

Cleon looked quietly at the figure behind him and tried to organize his emotions and thoughts, but a voice interrupted from his side.

“A pure but stupid woman.”

A cold, dark female voice.

It was something only Cleon could hear.

To be precise, it should be said that it rings in my head.

“That kind of evaluation is not appropriate. That’s to say you don’t know the world. It has nothing to do with intelligence.”

Cleon’s voice is also transmitted to Galatea without passing through his mouth.

It is a dialogue of thoughts that is made possible by the bond of souls.

“You call that stupid.”

At Galatea’s words, Cleon remained silent for a moment, then spoke again.

“Albein guy. You’ve been spotting Sasha in advance. Recruiting new personnel so quickly is…”

“Lyla and Quon. Since those women must have objected to a new woman entering the party… They must have persuaded them that it was to quickly fill up the lack of power by releasing Cleon.”

Cleon and Galatea’s predictions were hardly wrong.

Alvein’s behavior patterns had been mostly analyzed during these three years.

Sasha, a fledgling female adventurer who has just arrived in Tokyo.

Her appearance is a bit plain compared to Lyla and Quon, but I felt a healthy beauty that they don’t have.

The likes and favors of various women directed towards him,

Alvein, who is drunk with envy, is a suitable target to target as the next prey.

As a bonus, you can get rid of Cleon, who is like a thorn in the eye, so it must be a good feeling.

“But. It’s a good opportunity for us.”

Cleon was also feeling joy, if not as much as Alvein.

Sensing that, Galatea expresses her doubts about her master’s thoughts.

“What are you going to do?”

“Use that woman. Sasha. Let’s start with her.”

A party with strong bonds centered on Albain.

In between, seemingly never cracking

Sasha was chosen as the needle for making the small hole.

002

“Aww.”

As she and her party proceeded through the forest, Quon felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and quickly brought her right hand to it.

“What’s wrong? Quon.”

Seeing Quon like that, Layla expressed her question to her, and Quon shook her head, saying, `Umm.`

“I must have been bitten by a flying insect.”

“Ah- you too? Sure. There are a lot of bugs here, which is annoying.”

Lyla’s empathic quon smiles wryly.

Albein was blocking the monsters’ attacks in front of him, but he was a bit ashamed of himself for making noise after being bitten by an insect.

“It is written in the encyclopedia that there are no poisonous insects or monsters in the living forest.”

Sasha, who was looking for a way up the tree, landed on the ground with light movements and talked to Quon.

“It’s not just once or twice that we come here. We know that much, don’t we?”

To Lila’s slightly arrogant scolding, Sasha says Oh! Okay! And respond without malice.

In addition, Layla also loses her temper, and turns her head with a ‘Huh’.

Alvein looked at the situation as if he was pleased.

A new adventurer named Sasha, who came after Cleon left, showed up in the city where her group was a few days ago.

Like them, they came from the countryside

It was her correct answer that tipped off her pre-recruitment offer to her, who said that she hoped to make her reputation by becoming an adventurer.

A savvy woman like her if she were left alone.

It must have been a perfect target for other adventurers.

One more like this.

She felt a sense of accomplishment that she had succeeded in having a woman by her side who was sympathetic to her.

She gave power to Albein and the holy sword.

──The holy sword reacted to the positive feelings that could not be called good intentions even if you looked at it favorably.

“Sasha. What is the scouting result?”

“Ah, yes. The goal is to go to the left at the fork in the road 150m ahead. A large monster blocking the road in the middle–probably, there was something that looked like a plant golem. I don’t think it’s a problem.”

“A plant golem. Low or intermediate. Either way doesn’t matter.”

At Sasha’s words, Laila started casting flame-type magic in advance.

“Lyla is preparing her fire magic as much as possible… Sasha is still at a lower level than us.

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

The important thing in the adventure of a multi-person party is to match each other’s breathing and harmony.

The uncommunicated majority is not as good as moving alone.

Albein was also simple, but he was no fool when it came to adventures.

Thanks to the experience he had accumulated with Cleon, his instructions seemed accurate when viewed from the side.

Prepare for what happens next,

Play the appropriate one from your hand.

By repeating the process, the adventure leads to success.

“Quon. Plant Golem is weak against fire magic, but it regenerates anyway. It will probably resist several times. So, your recovery magic is important. Help me so that I don’t fall down.”

“Okay, I get it.”

But Albane forgot an important fact.

That it was necessary to check and update ‘their status’ in ‘their hand’.

Even if it’s a place you’ve been to many times.

That there was a need to be prepared for something unexpected to happen.

For example.

That the power of Quon’s recovery magic would be halved, and there might be a situation where recovery doesn’t work in time.

That day, Alvein’s party failed the request again.