-From a hero, holy maiden, now.. a war goddess!? No no no, impossible impossible! -
-A few days ago-
-Inside the most dangerous dungeon in Alexandria-
-Angry bear's banquet-
“KYAAAAA”
A girl with bountiful breast and brown hair wearing a priest in training clothes is running away while carried a silver haired girl with a same outfit in one hand.
While behind her was…
*GRRR!*
*GRURURURURU*
*GAOOOO!!*
A mob of angry looking bear family is pursuing them.
“Ooh, so fast, fast! Yay, yay, go Arisa-coaster! This is fun! Oh, the honey is delicious too! *lick*”
“A..aimi chan! Sorry to disturbing you while you're busy, but can you help me instead of licking that honey?“
“...zzz”
“ HOW CAN YOU SLEEP IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION!?? Hyaaa…..!”
She was slipped and didn’t realize the way ahead is sloped downward and they slipped into a underground river.
Fortunately it was not deep but the current is quite fast.
“Ooh, we’re getting fast!”
Aimi seems to get excited again so she wake up.
“Waah! This isnt a playground, Aimi-chan!”
While they got caught with the current, they heard a noise up ahead.
“Eh? Don’t tell me that sound is?”
*zZZZAAAAAaaA*
“Ooh! A giant waterfall!”
A waterfall up ahead is waiting for them.
At this rate, they will fall.
“HYAAA! WE’RE GOING TO DIE! WE’RE GOING TO DIE! HELP ME, PAPA,MAMA, SHISHOUU~~!!”
Without any miracle or someone to save them at a nick of moment like a hero show, they fall.
“YAAAAAAAA~HHH!!”
“AHAHA, WE’RE FLYING! FLYING”
While one is making a face not befitting the holy maiden while crying, and one keep having fun they reach deeper inside the dungeon most deepest part.
…..
Many hours later…
Inside the adventurer guild of Alexandria.
*Gacha!*
A sound of a heavy item bag is placed above the guild desk.
Arisa, with a haggard face and blackened eyes is handing over the quest item and guild card while she was wearing a hood above her face.
“Please count them...”
She speak with such a low voice like a witch.
The guild clerk is hesitantly reading her guild card because she looked suspicious. But because it was a part of his job, he was doing it anyway.
“A..ah, sure… huh? Rank S !!??”
The clerk almost had his jaw dropped while looking disbelieved.
“Furthermore its triple S!? How is it possible?? How many years ago… no, how the hell does it even exist since the start!?”
Because he was noisy, the surrounding people is getting curious and looking at them.
“Huh?, wait… i think i saw your face before, in the hero parade or something.."
He was curious.
Because it was such a rare occasion where one person is receiving both titles at the same time, Arisa is famous, especially in Alexandria since it was her current base.
Furthermore, because of her scent, or her aura which is liked by everyone else that hasn't changed even in the another world, she gathered a fanbase in no time at all.
But...
“It's just your imagination”
“Huh?”
She denied it instantly.
“It's just your imagination. I am just a villager a…”
“Eh? B..but, this magical power, and this premium membership card… it’s even signed by the holy maiden Arkenia - sama herself...could you possibly be Arisa sama..?”
“You’re got a wrong person”
“B..but…”
“You’re got a wrong person”
“At, at least let me called the guild master to clarify...”
“I’m leaving...”
“...Huh!? Wa,wait! O, okay. Okay. I understand! It must be my mistake. Man, it was suck being this old. Nothing i appraised ever got right lately. Ha..hahahahah”
Because Arisa is speaking like a broken record and she didn't seem to want to answer any further, the clerk didn't ask her any further and he tried to convince himself that he was mistaken. Thankfully, the curious onlooker is thinking it was just a mistake too and return to their previous activities.
The adventurer guild respect some privacy too, so if their member didn't want to answer some private question they’re allowed to on certain degree. As long as they’re not a criminal or suspicious crime activity.
Furthermore, since Arisa bringing a lot of precious material here, they don't want to lose her and those material to somewhere else.
(It must be a top secret mission, or a dangerous quest involving the world that she can’t speak to anyone… come to think of it, her face looks like she was bearing the burden of the world.. just what happened to someone that young?)
Because it doesnt seem like she was a bad person, the clerk is not inquire further about Arisa identity.
While bringing the item bag, he wonders what kind of mission she had given.
……
“Funyaah...”
Arisa is sitting on one of the table in the adventurer guild while she was waiting for the item appraisal.
*chomp chomp chomp chomp*
While her companion is wearing hood too and too busy eating that she didn't realize her surrounding
*mogu mogu*
“Arinnnya, noty ghonnya eat?” (Arisa, not going to eat?)
Arisa lied her face to the table while looking at Aimi.
”Ahaha.. i am already full looking at you, Aimi chan. Thanks...”
“Munya, i cee! I whill finishy thyis ghratyfully thyen!” ( i see! I will finish this gratefully then!)
It was a lie.
In truth, she was already hungry and parched.
But her tiredness is exceeding her hunger, so all she wants for now is a quick rest.
After all…
(Out of the quest list, 49 is already done out of 50. Just one more…)
Reading at the list she received a few weeks ago, she was reminded of the face of the evil oni that gives her this assignment.
….
-Few weeks ago, Alexandria holy capital-
“Just saying, you don’t think you can just skip training while i am not here, didn't you?”
Lily said to Arisa.
“Huh? Uh.. erm, what.. makes you think that, shisho.. i mean, Lily- chan!?”
Because of her glare, she immediately calls her back as Lily chan like their promise.
“Really.. from what i see, you seems like the type that slacks off without anyone keeping watch.”
“Of.. of course not, Lily-chan! See, my eyes is serious isn't it??”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Arisa is panicked, while Lily is staring at her suspiciously.
In fact, actually, Lily was right.
In the previous world, Arisa often spend her time lazing around. Either with her pet or sleeps when nobody's looking at her.
Because of a certain incident in the middle school, she was working hard lately. But that doesn't change the fact that she was rather lazing around inside her room when nobody keeps watch.
When her shishou is having a important meeting in Abona, she thought she was finally able to take a break.
“Is that so? Good!”
Lily sparkles while saying that.
She made a smile that at glance would looks like a angel had descent upon the world.
But,
Arisa is getting pale from looking at her smile instead.
Because she realized,
When Lily is smiling like that, nothing good will ever happened.
“Here”
Lily hand over some gold coated card to Arisa while acting cutely like a little girl.
“Uhm, what is this Lily-chan?”
Arisa made a dumbfounded face.
“It was my former adventuring days card. It had been modified so it was registered with alias instead.”
The card was a proof of identity of adventurer, and the identity of the hardship and journey that they had gone through.
If it was gone, it would be impossible to retrieve the record completely, and one must start all over again regardless of their previous rank.
“Such important item, why?”
Arisa knows a bit about it.
Before being a holy maiden, Lily did becoming an adventurer once. She talked about her experience when she got drunk drinking sake.
She didn't know what rank is she, or what kind of adventure she experienced.
But knowing Lily, it was definitely not a normal adventure.
At least, a proof is there.
A proof of her adventure, the side of Lily that she didn't know anything about.
“Naa, don’t think about it too much. Even i was receiving it from someone else originally. I was actually relieved it was coming off from my hand. Looking back, the one who gave me this at first is a suspicious person at least so who knows what kind of tracking curse… magic it have. Well, nothing bad happened when i use it so it would be safe at least, for now”
“Eh?”
She seems to heard some dangerous sounding explanation at the end.
“Dont mind it. It’s not dangerous. I can guarantee that much at least.”
How did you read my mind!
Lily made a refreshing smile, but it would only serve to worry Arisa further.
“B,but what am i gonna use it for?”
“Isn't that obvious? Go do some quest and have a little adventure. I have already written the list. here”
Saying that, Lily hand over a list of quest details.
“...!!”
Reading some of the list, Arisa cannot believe her eyes.
“Bringing a fresh dragon egg safely without breaking, investigate the deepest part of hell banquet dungeon full of nasty undead and evil lich necromancer that plotting to destroy the world, locating and destroying a underground evil organization headquarters… shishou..!“
After reading the list, she cried.
"Impossible impossible ! The list is either stealing from a group of dangerous even among A ranked monster and furthermore bringing the egg safely, investigating potential s rank dungeon that even the knights and adventurer in this country didnt even dare to go inside, or even destroying a organization which holds the most power in the continent..!”
And as expected, she got a chop instead of consolation.
“There's no need to think its impossible if you didn't even tried it yet!”
“But, i have to do it? Alone? I am gonna die, i really am going to die this time! To begin with, my skill doesn't mean it’s making me immortal, i just can't lose consciousness! I can still die, shishou. Or rather, please realize that humans die when they got killed! Death is not equal with eternal sleep! It might be fine for shishou which is outside mortal comprehension and getting rid of anybody she didn't like with precision and violence like a fine tuned killing machine! A living beings made from flesh and blood definitely can’t mimic... Ow!”
She got another chop and her face is buried in the ground with axe kick.
“That’s exactly why you must challenge your limits while you’re still alive! What? Don't tell me you actually wants to live forever? Also, i was made from a flesh and blood too! What do you think i am?”
Isn't that obvious, who actually wants to die.. but Lily doesn't seem like she was going to listen, so Arisa is keep quiet while getting her face buried because nothing good happened if she was standing while forcefully holding her skill to automatically activates while lying down in the ground.
“Well, you're not alone though. Just bring that annoying brat as a safety measures. If it’s getting too dangerous just toss her as a bait for monsters.”
By brat, she was talking about Aimi chan. Looks like Lily still didn't like her.
Please don’t actually encourage someone to do a murder on purpose shishou. Isn't the job of Holy Maiden is saving people, not killing them instead?
“Don’t worry. That brat is durable enough to withstand one of my best technique. Heck she wont die that easily. Well, she might lose a limb or two, but that’s the price to paid for your life.”
Umm you make it sound justified, but isn't that still an attempted murder?
“As long as you lives a limb or two is a cheap price to pay”
People needs their limbs, shishou… it's not an unnecessary spare parts..
“It seems like you’re getting cocky lately. Did you had any problem with it?”
Starting to cracking her fist, Lily seems to prepare to hit Arisa a few more times if she was disobedient.
“Ah, i am okay shi.. Lily-chan! I will do it! Arisa will take off!“
After standing immediately, Arisa remembers something.
“Oh, but what about the high priest Barnabas? Shouldn't we asked for his permission first?”
“You just ignore that baldie!! Remember i was the one who holds the top authority, not him!”
“Eeh? But if we talked about the contribution to the church then isn't he better than you shi..”
*swoosh*
Arisa got smacked in the head and this time her legs is buried deep in the ground while she was still standing.
“Got a problem?”
“..Yes, loud and clear shishou..”
She was getting dizzy from the smacking, so all Arisa can do is only agreed.
“Well, you’re awfully carefree. Don’t you know about it yet?”
“Huh?”
Saying that, Lily is handing her a invoice.
“W..wait, what is this number, shishou?”
Arisa's is dumbfounded by the length of numbers that she never seen before.
“That brat expenses until now. You didn't realized?”
Having said that, Arisa looked surprised.
“Eh? Eh? Wait, how did it was increase this much in short amount of time? It was almost the same as the total wages of normal soldier make in 10 years..”
Lily start to explain.
“If it was just a food problem then it's not that much. However, she eats a lot of material and parts of monster that is supposed to be used to create materials and clothes for new monks in training which forced us to resupply. But for the material because the usual supplier did not have enough, we need to order them from adventurer guild or merchant guild. Which result in heavier taxes than our usual supplier. To make matter worse, she eat a pet of a certain noble which is supposed to be very expensive. The noble demand that we compensate him three times the price of that expensive pet or else he will stop supplying us with goods and materials”
“Because we basically live from donation and goodwill of our people, we can’t just suddenly asked for emergency tax either. Furthermore, since the problem is from one of us it can be said that it was our responsibility since the beginning, so the other country won’t give additional help either”
Lily is adding Aimi as a trainee nun so people won’t suddenly suspect her as outsiders but it backfired.
“So, you think you still have a leisure time? Just saying that those numbers might, no, it will increase in the passing time.”
Arisa looks at her with disbelief.
“Eeh? B..but...”
You’re the one that force me to taking responsibility of her. Is what she can’t said aloud.
After Lily staring at Arisa for a few moment, then make a smile.
“If you don’t want it, hmm, that’s bad. The guarantor of that brat is basically you even in name only. So, to paid the debt you guys might be sold together somewhere as a slave. Oh no, a Holy Maiden candidate is sold somewhere and becoming a slave because of a dumb reason. I can’t face our predecessor at this rate..~”
Making a pose like she actually isn't worried at all made Arisa is getting a bit angry that she got a bit of urge to hit her for a first time.
“So that’s it. Just think of it as your holiday. You can do whatever you want, but if something happened because you cannot pay, well, i won’t have anything to do with it”
“Uu....uuuu..uuu…sob...sob...”
Arisa cried while putting both of her hand in her face after realizing that she cannot running away anymore and she have no other choice.
"At least, help me get out from here? I am stuck..."
Both of her legs are still stuck in the floor, so she was begging Lily for some help.
"Seriously? You're hopeless *sigh*"
Her title had changed from Future Holy Maiden into Holy Maiden Slave, but that’s something that she will not realize until later.
……
-back in adventurer guild near the holy capital-
And that is why,
She was hanging her head lifelessly in the table.
*sigh*
Her eyes is clearly have no motivation.
After experiencing some hell 49 times that she doesn't want to even speak or remembering anymore, she didn't have much energy left.
But finally,
She had reach this far.
"Only one left.."
While she was looking at the list of quest in her hand, only destroy the evil organization is left.
But picking a fight with such a organization, no matter how many lives she had it probably not enough. Not to mention she needs to destroy, not just picking a fight.
"Perhaps i should look for more ally…"
Just when she was thinking that, a group of strong looking adventurer in 5 people is coming inside the guild.
A party of tank,warrior,mage,thief and archer.
"Look, its the famous a rank group "Dragonslayer" lead by their leader warrior Kite"
"Seriously? That kite? I heard he was even stronger than a hero"
"His party is not to be underestimated either, i heard they managed to goes to the deepest part of dragon lair and slaying them with one swing"
"Seriously? That was awesome"
All of the people are in awe inside the guild.
"Hmph"
Kite is not looking like he was dissatisfied.
(Bunch of commoners)
Hailing from a noble family, all he do must be perfect.
A perfect lineage, a perfect family, a perfect fiancee, a perfect record and perfect future.
All that he does have never strayed from the right path. All of his life he never experience hardship.
That's right.
This man who called Kite, is absolute narcissist that only love himself!
(I am perfect...)
Imagining that he himself is probably descendant from goddess instead of humans is what he think as natural.
Yes,
His record is perfect.
Thats why,
There should be nothing that bothers him the slightest.
That was it supposed to be, and yet..
"Ah, Kite san!"
He seems to hear a lovely voice calls him.
"Yes, mademoiselle?"
Acting like a gentleman as he should, he turn around to look at the owner of the lovely voice.
Only to turn pale like a ghost on that second.
".....I'm sorry, you got a wrong person"
He was merely avoiding eye contact and running away from Arisa.
"Huh? Wait, Kite san!"
She tried to stop Kite yet he was not only avoiding eye contact, he seems like trying to run.
Yet, Arisa with her status and level increased after this ordeal managed to catch him immediately.
"Kite san! I need your help again! Please listen to me"
"Gaaahh..! I'm sorry mademoiselle, do we ever met? One thing for sure, i am not this Kite that you mentioned about. I'm sorry but you got the wrong person"
He was pale, and his breathing is rough when meeting Arisa.
He looked as calm as possible, but on inside his heart feels like it could jump at any moment.
He tries to run away, but Arisa grab him on the shoulder and he could not move.
(Just what is wrong with her? I cannot break free, and strength is the only thing i am proud of!)
"I'm sorry, but i really need your help again this time! Just like at the evil lich dungeon back then"
"Hu..huh? What dungeon are you talking about? Hahaha i dont know what you are talking about, surely you didn't mistaken me with someone else?"
However, Arisa is not convinced and grab his shoulder harder.
"Please! I only need one more and this hellish unreasonable quest is finally over!"
"That hell is still not over yet!!? Ah"
He accidently raised his voice.
"Kite san! As expected, you understand right? Yes , like that lich dungeon where you managed to lure the hordes of skeleton to give us time to defeat the lich, or your quick decision to mark the way home so we wont get lost. We need your strength, please help us!"
"As if! I refuse!"
Arisa is desperately begging, but Kite refused with all of his might.
While Aimi is already full and sleeping peacefully in the chair.
...
A week ago he was seeing Arisa looking for a party to the lich dungeon.
Of course, nobody would accept going together with her which is the same as suicide.
Back then, he was arrogant and didn't know the dungeon difficulty level.
Seeing a girl in distress, he was thinking "hey i can look cool if i help this time" and without much thought he was joining her party.
And now, he regrets his spur in moment decision.
(I didn't plan to lure them! I was just scared that i want to running away from those skeleton! But just my luck, they all coming to me instead. Furthermore there's a group of zombie dragon and zombie warrior which have ten times my status! I was so scared that i peed my pants for the first time since i was five years old! I cannot stop my bladder from leaking that it looks like i was marking all over the place so we wont get lost! But the truth is I don't want to experience that humiliation anymore!)
He didn't even remember much of the rest, but all he know is that the quest was greatly traumatized him so much that he was crying and keep weeping like a baby in his fiancee lap. It was only today that he managed to get out from his house after holing up inside.
(Just my luck, when my party member had gathered for first time in a while i was planning to grab some easy request, and returning home. yet we meet again! I don't want to remember that nightmare anymore!)
The rest of his party is wondering why did he refuse so much this time.
Usually they knew he was the type that accepts any interesting looking job without looking at the content.
This is the first time he was ignoring a request from a girl. Especially since she was pretty good looking.
"I said no! You're mistaken me mademoiselle! I am not that adventurer Kite that you talked about! I am.. yes, i am his twin brother Kato!"
"Huh??" The rest of his party speak at same time.
Being his party member, naturally they know he didn't have any siblings as he was the only child.
"Eh? Ah, is.. that.. so? I am sorry, you looks like Kite san so much that.."
Arisa seems to remove her grip after that explanation.
(Wait, you really believe that??) Kite party member is speaking in unison.
"H..hmph, as long as you understand..."
He fixes his clothes that get wrinkled from arisa grip.
"B..but, if youre Kite san brother, you must be a adventurer too right? Please Kato san, help me!"
"You're still not giving up!!??"
They bicker forth and back, that it took the whole day to finally convinces Arisa to let him go.
…..
-at tomorrow-
(Uu.. I didn't managed to get his help after all..)
She was waking up sluggishly.
Yesterday end up taking too long to convince Kato (Kite), in the end he agreed to just escort her to the outside of the place, but not helping her once she got inside.
(What should i do? At this rate Lily chan will return to the capital soon. And I haven't done the last one yet..)
Like a student afraid of being caught by her teacher lazing from her homework, she was getting worried she won't make it in time.
While wondering what she should do.
The atmosphere in the holy capital is getting tense.
(Huh? I wonder why everybody looked tense and moving around so much?)
She was overslept and only wakes up in the evening.
"Arisa sama!"
A paladin from the holy capital is calling her.
"Ah, bones san. Whats wrong? Why is everybody so tense?"
"Huh? Ah umm, haven't you seeing the oracle?"
"Oracle? No i over.. i was busy with holy maiden trial"
She almost said overslept, yet managed to change it midway.
"O,oh. I see. It must be hard, especially since it was trial from holy maiden."
He looks empathized with Arisa. Being in this line of work for so long, he got a rough understanding of Lily personality.
"Anyway, i am sorry. But there's an urgent order for you from the capital of rabona."
"Urgent?"
She was curious why did the capital is suddenly giving order when she was in the holy capital.
"Actually, this was a joint decision between the capital, the holy capital, and military nation together"
"Huh? What is it?"
"I'm sorry. I dont know much details either but apparently.."
He said with a heavy atmosphere.
"You had been chosen as the supreme commander for alliance to defeating the demons by the unanimous decision of the three leader of the nation, representing as the leader of the entirely of human race and demihuman race altogether to win this war. Congratulations"
"..............."
Arisa mind is blanked for a few minutes.
Then…
"EEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!???"
She finally screamed.