Fei returned late to the orphanage that night. Maria immediately noticed the faint redness on his face and the scent of alcohol clinging to him.
“Welcome back, Fei.”
“You waited up for me?”
“Of course. You haven’t been home in so long. I wasn’t about to miss you.”
“…I see. Well, perfect timing. Care for a drink…?”
“Huh? What kind?”
“This.”
“Wine…?”
“Yeah. Someone gave it to me.”
“Oh… I see. Well then, sure. Just give me a moment.”
Maria didn’t show it, but she was thrilled. She’d been waiting for Fei, longing to see him, her emotions simmering beneath the surface. And now, out of nowhere, he was inviting her for a drink.
She brought glasses to where Fei waited in the dining hall, but she suggested they move to her room instead. Fei didn’t object and followed her.
The dim orange glow of her room cast a faintly romantic atmosphere. This was the first time Maria had ever brought a man her age into her private space. She’d shared beds with restless orphans before, but being alone with someone she had feelings for? It was impossible not to feel nervous.
They poured the wine and sat down.
“Fei, you’ve already been drinking, haven’t you? Don’t overdo it.”
“Yeah.”
(I’ve… never actually had wine before… Maybe I should pace myself so I don’t get too drunk.)
She took a sip.
“Oh… This is good… glug glug… Can I have more?”
“Do what you want.”
“Mhm… glug glug…”
“…”
“Can I… have another refill?”
“…Sure.”
“Glug glug…”
She drank at an alarming pace, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink. Her body swayed unsteadily, her eyes growing hazy—until, at that exact moment, her personality switched.
“Wheee~! This is my first time like thiiiis~!”
“…”
“Heyyy, Feiiii~! Hug meee~!”
“…No.”
“Muuu~! I’ve been so lonely! Hug meee~!”
Lilia suddenly clung to Fei, showering him with affection. Pushing him onto the bed, she nuzzled against him like a needy child.
“Hey—”
Though his face clearly screamed “annoying,” the drunken Lilia paid no mind. She clung to him like a stuffed animal, relentless in her affection.
She had completely regressed into a child.
“Feiiii~! I was so lonely~!”
“…Fine, now get off.”
“No!”
“…You’re wasted… aren’t you? Not that I care, but this weird switch reminds me of that rare time you turned into someone else.”
“—Ghh! Feiii~!”
“I said, you’re annoying.”
“More importantly~! You’ve got some time off from the knights, right? You should rest~!”
“No… I’m heading to the Free City.”
“Ehhh?! Why?!”
“None of your business. I leave tomorrow.”
“Muuuuuu—! You’re pushing yourself again! I won’t allow it! Tonight, you’re sleeping with me!”
“…Why would I—”
“Just do it!”
Lilia clung to him stubbornly until, little by little, her breathing steadied and she drifted into a deep sleep.
“What a hassle…”
Despite his grumbling, Fei soon fell asleep too. Watching Lilia (and Maria’s) peaceful, happy faces, the faintest smile tugged at his lips.
Somewhere else, a black-clad swordsman rode in a wagon. Perched on the cargo bed of a freight wagon bound for the Free City, he sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed. The driver struck up a conversation.
“Hey, buddy, what brings you to the Free City?”
“…Let’s just say it’s to better myself.”
“Whoa~. The Free City’s got all kinds of trouble, so watch your back. You’re a Holy Knight, right? Since you’re coming from Britannia on this thing. Some adventurers hate Holy Knights, so maybe keep that under wraps.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Some Holy Knights look down on us, calling us ‘lawless’ or whatever. Anyway, good luck with your training!”
“Yeah.”
Time passed in silence. The taciturn swordsman spoke no more, simply waiting for his destination.
Eventually, the wagon halted at a massive gate. Fei disembarked, paid the driver, and prepared to enter.
“Thanks for the trouble.”
“Don’t mention it! Good luck out there, pal!”
Without a word or glance back, Fei passed through the gate’s inspection and stepped into the Free City.
The scenery wasn’t all that different from the royal capital of Britannia—except for the muscle-bound exhibitionists flaunting their physiques, the black-armored greatsword wielders, and the beast-eared swordswomen of other races. The streets teemed with formidable figures, lacking the unified presence of knights.
Ordinary civilians existed too, but the adventurers stood out far more with their eccentricities.
Though Fei carried a sword, his plain black coat kept him inconspicuous.
No one paid him any mind as he walked through the city.
Vendors occasionally called out to him, but he ignored the tantalizing aroma of spiced meat, focused solely on finding the guild.
This Free City had a dungeon, and to enter, one needed to register as an adventurer at the guild. But the city was vast—where was it?
After wandering aimlessly for several minutes, he turned a corner—only for someone to barrel straight into him.
Fei had been walking at his usual unhurried pace. But whatever—or rather, whoever—came flying around the corner collided hard with his solid chest.
“Owwwwwwww!”
“…”
“What’s wrong with you?! Watch where you’re going, you jerk!”
“ …… ”
A girl with golden, silken twin-tails glared at him with sapphire-like eyes. Her features were stunningly refined, rivaling even the most beautiful women. Though her figure still carried a hint of youth, there was an undeniable grace—and a faint allure—about her.
But Fei met her gaze with the dead eyes of a fish.
“Hey! Are you listening?!”
“…”
Ignored. The only thing on his mind was getting to the guild. So without a single word, he stepped past her.
“Huh?! Hey!”
“…”
“You heard me, right?! You’re like a brick wall—that hurt!”
“…”
“…Ugh! Whatever!”
With that, the girl vanished. The two parted ways, and Fei resumed his search. After more walking, he finally spotted a large building that fit the guild’s description. Inside, the floors gleamed with translucent ore, the pillars were pristine white, and the interior design was immaculate.
Counters resembling those of a convenience store lined the room, where uniformed staff scrambled to assist adventurers.
Fei pondered his next move—when suddenly:
“Welcome, you reckless idiot.”
“…”
“You look new. Registration’s over there.”
A pompadour-sporting thug spoke with an air of seniority, pointing toward the reception desks. Most had lines, but one stood conspicuously empty—staffed by a bespectacled beastwoman.
Even conservatively speaking, she was beautiful. Yet no one approached her.
“Avoid that one. She’s… infamous here. Marine. Pink hair, peach-colored eyes, great body—but she’s… well, they call her ‘Sht-Glasses.’ Or ‘Screw-Up Marine.’ Some even say ‘Pink Devil.’”*
“…Sht-Glasses. Screw-Up Marine. Devil, huh…”*
For the first time, Fei responded—with clear disdain.
“Yeah. The monsters in this dungeon drop magic stones, right? Unlike normal ones. She’s got a legendary track record of misidentifying them—like, statistically impossible levels of wrong.”
“…”
“Solo adventurers can form temporary parties here. But she’ll say stuff like, ‘Let me find you some wonderful teammates~’ and pair people in the worst ways. Exes, divorced couples… She’s clueless, so she’ll cheerfully announce, ‘Congrats on your lovely new party!’ No malice, but… yeah, adventurers hate her. Trust me—stay away.”
“…Heh.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. I just don’t care about your ‘common sense.’ But I’ll file the info away, I guess.”
“Oi—”
Ignoring him, Fei walked straight to Marine’s counter.
“Adventurer registration.”
“…What?”
“I said, adventurer registration.”
“Oh! Uh, y-yes! J-just fill this out…”
“…”
“Um… You’re… unusual, coming to me…”
“…I just don’t care.”
“O-oh… Okay…”
“Done. This good?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“Ah, y-yes! Um, are you… Mr. Fei? Place of origin… unknown? Current address… orphanage… Oh, a holy knight… If you are one, it’s probably best to keep that quiet. Everything else seems fine. Alright, I’ll go ahead and issue your adventurer card.”
“…So I can enter the dungeon now, right?”
“Y-yes! You can go in through that door over there. But, just so you know, the dungeon has several underground floors, and sometimes there are irregular events, so I really wouldn’t recommend going in solo. If you’d like, I could find you some reliable companions…”
“No need. I’m going solo.”
“Huh?”
Fei understood—whether the danger numbered in the hundreds or the billions, it didn’t matter to him. In fact, danger, traps, and uncertainty were the very spice that made things exciting for him.
With a smirk, he stepped into the dungeon.
“Ah, w-wait—it’s dangerous…”
She tried to stop him, but Fei was already gone. Right then, someone else appeared at her counter—another person aiming to become an adventurer.
“Hey! I wanna go into the dungeon!”
“Huh?!”
“Don’t ‘huh’ me! I mean, I get it—you’re stunned by my beauty and nobility. My name’s Alicia! I’m gonna be the best in the world one day, someone who everyone acknowledges! Basically a future hero, so remember the name!”
“…There sure are a lot of strange people today…”
When I got back, I’d already decided—first thing I’d do is have a sword match with Master Yururu. While we were sparring, she seemed a bit off, like she was low energy. So I told her how grateful I was, and that she was a great mentor.
Later, when we were drinking, she got tipsy and started getting handsy. Maybe she was trying to show what it means to drink but not get drunk? Or maybe it was foreshadowing for some kind of drunken fist technique. One of those two, probably.
When I had a drink with Maria, she got drunk too and started acting totally different from usual. Drunk? Honestly, she felt like a whole other person.
Anyway, even though I drank too much, I still got up properly, talked things over with the coachman, and made it to the Free City.
As the protagonist, I guess I have to show up in all kinds of places, right? Who knows, maybe this dungeon is going to be my home turf. I turned a corner and bumped into a beautiful girl. Man, that’s such a cliché… Bumping into a heroine at a corner is classic stuff. Maybe… she’s my heroine? Huh? But wasn’t Maria supposed to be the main candidate…? So then… who is this girl?
Who… is she…!?
She doesn’t feel like just some background extra. She’s insanely pretty, and I swear I’ve seen her somewhere before… Kind of a déjà vu thing…
Wait, where have I seen someone like her…? Ugh… I can’t remember.
Well, whatever. I’ll probably end up getting involved with her somehow.
My protagonist instincts are telling me that much. Now then—will she be a heroine, something else, or just a massive red herring?
This is gonna be fun.
The fact that something this classic happened the moment I got to the Free City…
Yeah, I am the protagonist, no doubt about it. Alright. Time to give it my all, solo style. Let’s do this—cool and aloof, lone-wolf adventurer mode.
Diary
Name: Alicia
Today, I arrived at the Free City. I heard there are descendants of past heroes living here. That’s why I came—to train myself. To grow stronger.
Maybe I can find companions here. Maybe there are people who can accept someone like me, even with my condition. If they’re adventurers who willingly dive into dungeons and fight monsters, then maybe… maybe someone out there will accept me, even with this body of mine that attracts misfortune…
No. I won’t complain. I’m going to become stronger than anyone else. I’ll be more recognized than anyone else. Mother always said it was my fault—why my brother gone. But if I can become truly strong here…
And if I can find my brother…
Then maybe, someone will finally acknowledge me. Until then, I won’t allow myself to be weak. Oh yeah, I bumped into some guy with really intense eyes.He was weird. Maybe I should’ve been the one to apologize. But because I’ve been trying so hard not to show weakness, I ended up acting all high and mighty instead.
Still… he was definitely strange. I’ve never seen anyone with eyes like that before. He gave off this completely unknown vibe. I might’ve instinctively tried to threaten him, like I was the one being defensive. Honestly… I felt fear when I looked at him.
Who was that guy…?
…But yeah, I was the one who bumped into him, so I’ll write an apology here in my diary. I’m sorry.
Really, I should’ve said it to his face. But the Free City’s huge. I probably won’t run into him again…
For now, I’ll just do my best.
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