Chapter 189: 174

【174th day】

After a whole day had passed, I finally calmed down.

A lot happened yesterday.

The issue with the Abaddon.

The matter of Verxina-san.

The matter of Evetta-san.

The matter of Otou-san and King Lemuria.

Today, we had gathered at the bar run by the country to discuss our future adventures.

There were a lot of dangerous topics that couldn't be leaked to others, so we rented a private room on the second floor. More alcohol and food than was necessary had been laid out on the table. It was the barkeeper’s celebratory gift to us for becoming advanced adventurers, but my party's palates had become quite discerning, so not much of the food was being consumed though it was a different matter when it came to the alcohol.

「I was surprised to find out that Onii-chan’s person-in-charge was Lanseal's younger sister」

Ea said as she sipped grimly on her ale.

As a result of her becoming an advanced adventurer, her father had put her through an abbreviated coming-of-age ceremony. She had finally joined the ranks of adults.

「It's hard for me to imagine. Even though she had turned into a Horns, well, Verxina will always be Verxina, but to continue to have relations with her to the point of getting her with child after that is……… Is that guy Lemuria retarded? Or is it that the men who want to be kings are all morons?」

With a swollen face, Otou-san downed his third mug of ale. His facial injuries were the result of a fight he had with King Lemuria yesterday.

It was a fierce fistfight between two men old enough to know better. When I asked why none of the guards inside the castle stopped him……

『Our job is to defend against external enemies. Dealing with fights among our own people is outside the scope of our duties』

……was what they had said apparently.

In the end, the fight came to a close when both of them cross-countered each other.

「What surprised me more is the mechanism behind the portals and the way the danger of that floor is being managed」

Rana downed her second glass of wine and continued.

「Because they haven't validated the portals, monsters can't teleport to the surface, but the Horns that were originally adventurers can use the portal to do so. Even though the portals are monitored by the Guild, I can't believe that they’re relying on such a risky scheme of simply tricking them with the fake cityscape」

「You know………」

Shuna asked as he chewed on a piece of cheese like he wasn't a fan of how it tasted.

「Turning into that horned thing, Horns, was it? What are the conditions for that?」

「Didn't you listen to the Guild President's explanation?」

Ea got angry at Shuna.

「I did listen. Before I knew it, we'd finished clearing the floor and we got a long explanation from the Guild President immediately after, right? With all that talk about the Faceless King, Abaddon, Horns, and so on, I couldn't really wrap my head around it all」

By the way,

The fact that Otou-san had knocked Shuna out and "temporarily" betrayed the party is a secret that only me and my sister know.

『This is the last chance I'll give you』

I warned him.

Receiving criticism from someone so much younger than him must be difficult for Otou-san. So I let him off with just a warning. After all, he had tried his best to not cause any casualties. He hadn't been serious when he fought me either.

Well, it's the leader's job to forgive his party member's mistakes.

「It can't be helped～ I'll explain it to you」

Ea explained smugly.

「The conditions for turning into a Horns, right? First, you must have the blessing of the regeneration point. Then, you must receive a mortal wound on that floor. And have an exceptionally strong will to live. Umm, a high amount of some kind of magic power or something is needed too? And………I think there's one more?」

The fact that she seems well put together yet is actually out of it is one of the cute things about my sister.

Her elder sister corrected her.

「Ea, it's the magic power from within the heart. It’s a pure form of magic power that individuals possess regardless of what race or species they are. It's a special kind of magic power that stems from the mental makeup created by harsh circumstances, unique experiences, and so on. I, Frey, and―――――」

Rana turned to me.

「You, dear, possess high amounts of it」

That's unexpected.

I'm currently wearing a magician's pointy hat on my head, but this is just a fashion statement. Beneath it is a cloak that looks like those worn by vampires, and western clothes. And my weapon is a katana, so my overall look is quite a confusing mish-mash.

「Eh, then Onii-chan can become a magician too?」

「I believe he has the talent for it. However, I think that it will take a long time to draw out his potential. If he goes about it in the usual way, he will at best be a sub-par magician」

「Then it's impossible, I suppose~ Onii-chan doesn't have that kind of time」

Indeed. I doubt I have the time to study to become a magician right now.

Rana continued.

「Another thing mentioned is the crossbreeding between humans and Horns. The gender can be either. Horns can be impregnated or make humans pregnant, and the resulting child will apparently be a Horns. It seems that Horns mating with other Horns will not produce children though」

She said it so simply, but I had mixed feelings when I heard that.

Bel, who was likely feeling the same way, spoke up.

「Um, is Nanassy one such child? But why did they attack her then?」

「That's a good question, Bel-san」

Rana replied in a way similar to how Evetta would have. She had asked the Guild President a lot of questions. The Guild President had also answered enthusiastically.

「Horns born between humans and Horns are similar to but not the same as the ones inside the dungeon. They have the strength and regenerative abilities of Horns, but their personalities are not much different from humans and they also retain their reason.

What makes them unique is that they’re unable to have children. As a species, they're a dead end. That's a trait commonly seen in creatures created through magic. In other words, from the perspective of the Horns inside the dungeon, I believe that they’re seen as either external enemies or mere humans」

By the way, the horned monsters on that floor are apparently creations of the Guild President. He said that they’re meant to show off the strength of the Guild employees who accompany the adventurers as well as to serve as "playthings" for the adventurers who had been turned into Horns.

「Umm, Onee-chan. In short, what are the chances of us becoming Horns?」

「So long as we aren't in the city of ghosts, it's zero. Please don't worry」

「If Rana-san says so, then it's a great weight off my chest」

Shuna stroked his chest in relief.

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「What are you saying, that my explanation is not reassuring?」

「I didn't say that though」

The mature Shuna got chewed out by Ea.

「By the way, Bel, how long will you be staying as yourself?」

「Hey, Ea-chan, that's terrible of you. Lys exhausted all her powers and is sleeping, so I'm me for the time being」

「Why don't we go shopping for clothes then? I go with Shuna and Lys sometimes, but they don't respond much, so it's so boring」

「I'm in! I'm definitely going!」

Bel was raring to go.

I grabbed about ten gold coins from my purse and handed them to Ea under the table.

「Then it's alright if I don't go, right?」

Shuna put on a resigned smile.

「No. We'll need someone to carry the bags, so you’re definitely going too, Shuna」

「That's right, Shuna-chan, join us!」

「I just knew it would turn out like this………」

Shuna……… It must be tough having to go shopping with women. I'll give you some extra spending money later, so go eat something delicious.

「Now――――――」

I stood up and looked around at my party members.

「Everyone, thank you for your hard work. A lot happened, but in the end, we were able to clear the floor without losing anyone. We've reached the 45th floor. In other words, we've joined the ranks of advanced adventurers.

You've heard what the Faceless King said.

And what Evetta-san said afterward.

As the leader, I have a question for you all. I want to know what you think is the direction we should take for our future adventures.

As I’ve said before, my goal is to reach the 56th floor, where I’ll search for, find, get, or do something to a certain item. However, as the Faceless King said, the world is apparently in danger. It's up to us adventurers to do something about it. However, here are the words of my person-in-charge.

How absurd it is to expect a single adventurer to deal with such a thing, she said.

To be an adventurer is to live freely, she said.

Don't live in captivity, she said.

In that case, there are two paths before us.

One is the path of taking on the noble goal of defeating the【Abaddon】to save the world.

The other is to continue as before. To have free adventures that allow each of us to live out our desires and ideals as we see fit without being tied down by anything.

Please choose either one. Right here and now」

The first reply came quickly.

「I choose to be free, as we always have been」

Shuna raised his mug.

As expected of our party's attacker. Even his replies are swift.

「I feel the same way」

「Onii-san! Me too, me too!」

Ea and Bel raised their mugs boisterously.

「I’ll go with you no matter which path it is」

Rana raised her glass.

Otou-san looked a little torn.

He has a reason for wanting to defeat the【Abaddon】. They're enemies that his former party had been unable to defeat. And if they’re defeated, there's a possibility that Verxina-san can be freed.

But this is something that no other advanced adventurer in Lemuria has ever been able to accomplish.

Even though I'm already seeking something unknown on the 56th floor, I now have to look for some other unknown thing? I simply don't have the time for that.

Adventurers are free creatures.

That's right. That’s the slogan that everyone holds up so proudly. Because we are free, I have no right to stop or condemn anyone who wants to take a different path here.

「Oh………………sorry. I didn't get much sleep last night, you see? I fell asleep there. I've said this before, haven't I? You can use this old bag of bones however you wish until the 56th floor」

You betrayed us once though.

And when I gave him a doubting look, Otou-san averted his eyes.

「I'll take the path of freedom that befits an adventurer, as Verxina's daughter suggested」

Otou-san also raised his cup.

Everyone was in agreement.

Then I raised my cup as well.

「To the one who showed us the way. To Evetta-san!」

Everyone downed their bitter alcohol in one go.

「And this is to the Faceless King!」

The emptied cups were thrown to the ground.

「We'll pursue the path of freedom!」

As per her dying wish, we had chosen to proceed onward.

Wow, how on earth did the stars line up so perfectly that it’s the 174th day on the 174th release?

It’s so unlike the author to be so free with the reveals, isn’t it? But like I mentioned last volume, we’ve reached the point where there isn’t really that much time left to draw plot-lines out too much. So we’ll be getting answers more than before. That said, there were still some unanswered questions and hidden clues.

We’ll have a character we haven’t seen in a while returning to bring this arc to a close next time, so stay tuned!

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