Iris stared in a daze at Vivy, the water mage who had taken a hit to protect her. She was trying in vain to get to her feet, still conscious.

In any case, she wasn't pretending. The shock wave had hit her head-on, at a distance even closer than the limit Iris had pinpointed.

That meant that she genuinely was helpless and that the bholphan that was about to lunge at her could harm her with its sharp claws.

(This happened because of her unnecessary heroics... Well, it's not the time to dwell on this. She's vulnerable at the moment.)

Iris had expended quite a bit of her mana pool between strengthening herself to carry the baggage and creating mana armor for protection against the shock waves. If she was going to protect Vivy from further injuries and retaliate against the bholphan, it seemed prudent to channel more mana from her artifact.

(A kinetic armor large enough for both of us... that's the plan.)

When Iris touched her green pendant, a ripple of mana pulsed out. While the other three adventurers felt merely a chill, the monsters froze, their instincts reacting to the mana pulse. They proceeded to silently analyze the area and, as if they had managed to pinpoint the source of that mana burst with only their sense of smell, they all looked and snarled in the direction of Iris and Vivy as if to observe what would happen next.

(Ah. That was unexpected.)

"What's going on, over there?! Vivy, Iris, are you alright?!" George shouted, not getting why all the bholphans, even the one he had been locked in battle with, had suddenly shifted their focus.

"... We'll manage!"

As Iris began to shape the summoned mana into a demi-sphere, she noticed the front-line monsters retreating slowly. And when she tried to increase the volume of her mana even more, they squealed and ran away. Perhaps the alpha of the pack was among them since all the bholphans followed them and disappeared in the bushes.

(... That certainly simplifies matters.)

“Vivy! Are you alright?!”

Kiara was the first person to attend to her comrade who was now in a sitting position. With a faint smile, the water mage nodded.

(Are they getting along after all?)

After confirming there were neither internal nor external injuries on Vivy’s abdomen, the swordswoman helped her stand up and lent her a shoulder for support.

“Vivy will be alright, George. We should go back for now.”

“... Are we giving up the mission?” Iris asked apologetically.

“Who do you think is to blame? It's your actions that led to her injury.”

“Ease up, Kiara. She’s still learning the ropes.”

“You're too nice, George. Making a mistake is one thing, but voluntarily breaking the formation and approaching monsters without any intention to fight is another. Someone needs to make her realize that behavior was dangerous.”

Even Iris could tell that saying Vivy's help had been unneeded and even counterproductive would only further infuriate Kiara, so she remained silent with a grave expression as she carried the bag.

***

A few days later, Iris was sitting at a table, mumbling to herself.

“Lady Alice, you can’t drown your sorrow with water,” the Adventuring Guild’s clerk sighed as she sat in front of the now infamous ‘hooded liability’.

“Oh, Mel. Please do not call me that here.”

“You are the last one, this is fine. We’ll close soon, so you should return to your room and rest.”

“What would I need to rest for? I will be expelled for the fourth time tomorrow anyway…”

“Don't be so down... You just haven't found the right party yet.”

“... I am begging you, please let me go solo.”

“We can’t allow that. You need more experience. How many stars did you get in total this week? Three? This is not good enough.”

“I know, right…? I cannot possibly return to my estate with only this many stars and no stable party. In fact, I sent a letter today to tell my family that I was so busy I would come back later than planned…”

“Good heavens, you've started lying to them already?”

“It will not be a lie if you book me some solo quests this weekend,” Iris said with an expectant look.

“That’s still a no, even if you try to force my hand. You need to surpass yourself and socialize with others. Even as a noble, developing this skill should prove useful.”

Realizing that her puppy eyes had no effect on the clerk, Iris looked at her with determination.

“I know I sound like a typical loser by saying this, but I assure you I am capable of more than what I have shown. The problem here is that I was not alone. An influential philosopher once said that hell is other people.”

“Are you saying it's the other adventurers' fault now...?”

“Er… What I am saying is that I only look like a useless, suspicious, and reclusive hindrance in the presence of others because they are here to perceive that image of me. If I were alone, I would not feel this anguish and I would be more competent.”

“So you are aware of the image people have of you… Still, nobles really are something. It sounded deeper than it should have been.”

“I know, right? This is called existentialism. The idea is to emphasize individual freedom and-”

“But I refuse. You're just making excuses. Give it up.”

(Tch.)

Somehow, invoking Sartre to bolster her argument had backfired. The only thing it had emphasized was Iris' disinterest in getting better in areas she struggled with.

***

Iris the adventurer was strolling through the city. If her neutral face might suggest all was well, it wasn't the case. A handful of people would quickly understand that she was currently in turmoil.

The day before, she had hunted some wirants with a party of men. She had felt incredibly alienated among the group of four who had known each other for several years. Every interaction she had with them had been unbearably awkward.

(If this continues next week, I may need to reassess my agreement with the guild and settle for E-rank...)

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Although she would have the freedom to undertake missions solo, there were many drawbacks. First, E-rank quests were usually unchallenging and boring and the next graduation exam would be in about a month. If she were to fail to obtain 50 E-rank stars by then, it would take several months to get to where she already was now.

(Well, that’s a decision for future me. For now, there is a complex family reunion that awaits me.)

At the end of an empty alley, the young girl snapped her fingers, and a couple of seconds after, a large black wall appeared out of thin air to block the view. She put her bag on the ground and exchanged her large dark blue robe for a plain dress that would make her look like the daughter of a rich merchant. The outfit's quality was such that Alice would at the same time avoid drawing attention in the city and being yelled at upon her arrival at the mansion.

With her long white hair tied behind her head, Alice left the alley and casually walked towards the outskirt of the city. A few people may be surprised to see her hair, and a couple of them might even deduce who she was, but she was fine with it as long as nobody could connect her to Iris.

***

“We have arrived, Lady Alice,” announced the mansion's butler.

“Thank you, Rupert. You can go now.”

The middle-aged man nodded and went his way as Alice gulped and opened the door.

There, she found her mother, Leila de Ravendall, sitting by the hearth. Her eyes were focused on the dancing flames. At the sound of Alice's entrance, Leila turned to face her, a soft smile on her face, and yet her eyes betrayed a different story. A subtle glimmer of sadness and worry was apparent.

“Ally, welcome home. I missed you."

“I am back, Mother,” Alice said hesitantly. “Is Father away?”

“Yes, he set off yesterday for a mission. ... It is unfortunate that he is not here to assist you, given the part he played in your leaving us.”

(Explicitly pointing it out is a bit unlike her… Am I in trouble?)

There was a long pause and, at some point, Leila asked the question Alice had been dreading.

"Did you find your experience at the Adventuring Guild fulfilling?"

“...”

“Do not be so tense, Ally. I do not plan to forcibly make you resign.”

“I cannot say I had a leisurely time. Being an adventurer is hard, and I had to talk with a lot of people. Nevertheless, I do think straying a bit from my comfort zone is a good thing.”

“... I expected you to leave out the difficulties you encountered and only tell me that it was exciting,” Leila said as she studied her daughter’s face, searching for the truth.

“I do not want to lie to you, Mother. I am currently still looking for a party to join.”

"I see... I suppose you intend to continue next week, then?"

Hearing her voice wavering slightly, Alice could tell her mother had hoped she would change her mind and realize her place was here.

Still, Alice's answer was immediate.

“I do. I believe it is where I need to be.”

Leila sighed deeply. A part of her admired her daughter’s newfound independence and motivation, and yet the thought of her being away, adventuring, and facing the world without her by her side was still hard to accept.

“You are not putting yourself in danger, are you…?”

“I am not, Mother. Even if I wanted to, the Guild would prevent me from participating in dangerous quests or on missions alone.”

“... Just remember that, wherever you may go, you carry our family's name and legacy with you."

"I am aware of this responsibility."

"Alright. Given the hour, I assume you already had dinner? You should wash away the dirt and go to bed, Ally. We shall talk tomorrow after you had some rest."

“Have a good night, Mother.”

“Thank you,” Leila said before remembering something just as Alice was about to leave the room. “You should write a letter to your instructor tomorrow. She was here the day before yesterday, and she seemed especially eager to see you.”

“Serena came by? Well, I suppose she would have expected me to be here two days ago…”

***

(Where is Mia, anyway…? Rupert said that she was busy looking for someone, but it’s already past the usual time for me to take a bath. Well, this week has proven that I can wash myself just fine, but it feels strange to be left out in the mansion…)

After a while, Alice closed her book and shut off the light radiating from her mana, before standing from her chair. Just as she was about to leave the room, she heard a noise behind her and froze.

She slowly turned her head, but nobody was there. She sighed in relief.

(Wasn’t it a rustling sound…? From fabric, maybe?)

Alice looked at her bed, and she started sweating profusely when she realized there was a bump under her bed sheets.

(S-someone is hiding there…! What do I do?!)

Without a sound, Alice took hold of a large book in her library and approached her bed. Just then, she lowered her arms and struck the figure where their head should have been.

"Aaaargh!!" A high-pitched scream echoed from the intruder, slightly muffled by the sheets.

Alice was so scared by that sudden scream that she fell on the floor as she tried to distance herself.

“W-who is there?!”

“Wh… what the hell was I hit by…?”

The figure sat up, and Alice saw long strands of blond hair coming down.

“... Serena? Is that you?”

“Alice…?" The instructor, who seemed to have been woken up by the hit, was trying to focus her eyes. "Alice! You’re finally here! I've been waiting for your return!”

“Do not wait for me in my bed, you creep! Why are you even here for?!”

“A-ah… Um… P-pajama party! I'm here for that pajama party you wanted to organize a while ago! C-congrats on becoming an adult!”

“Go away!”