第4章 神级剑士与神级魔法师的邂逅

"P-Please, take a look!"

The blonde female clerk placed several commissions before Kain.

"Hmm... Eliminate ten Mud Dragon Beasts, B-rank."

"Red Dragon's Grave, an A-rank dungeon, personnel..."

Kain noticed that beneath each of those commissions was written that only parties of two or more could accept them. The corner of his mouth twitched.

As a lone wanderer, where was he supposed to find teammates...

Just then, his gaze swept over the adventurers still in the tavern.

But everyone avoided his gaze, turning their faces away rather than meeting his eyes...

The corner of Kain's mouth twitched unconsciously.

Uh, was he being isolated...

He should have kept a lower profile earlier...

No matter how he looked, those evasive gazes remained unchanged. No one was willing to respond to him. Helplessly, fighting had been his fault, but the other side had gone too far first. When they needed to be taught a lesson, there was nothing he could do...

In the end, Kain's gaze fell upon the small figure with two blue braids lying on a table.

The girl was still gulping down alcohol. Her cheeks were adorably flushed, and half her body was draped over the table. It looked as though she was drinking herself into a stupor over some troubling matter.

No, forget it. He wasn't into little girls! Yeah, definitely not. This kind of child had probably just sneaked out to play...

But that possibility was slim. After all, anyone who could drink alone safely among so many uncouth adventurers probably wasn't simple.

Yeah, perhaps she was Divine Rank like him, or someone exceptionally skilled in some area. She might even be stronger than him!

After thinking for a moment, Kain nodded slightly, turned toward the female clerk, and smiled.

"Can I complete a commission alone?"

He wasn't into little girls. He wasn't!

"O-Of course, Sword God, but this is your first commission, and you are only B-rank. Normally, only A-rank adventurers and above may complete commissions alone. It would be best if you found someone to form a party with. Of course, I absolutely do not mean to look down on you."

In truth, the requirement for a two-person adventurer party applied to B-rank adventurers and above. C-rank and D-rank adventurers had to form parties of at least four.

"It's fine. I will complete the commission. Please allow me to tackle it alone."

"Ah, all right then."

The female receptionist respectfully handed over the paper recording the commissions.

Kain took the commission sheet and looked it over. In the end, he chose the B-rank mission to eliminate ten Mud Dragon Beasts. It was his first time accepting an adventurer commission, so he decided it was best to be cautious.

Besides, the edges of the commission for the A-rank dungeon, Red Dragon's Grave, had yellowed somewhat. It was clearly a mission no one had accepted in a long time. It would not be too late to go after he became familiar with dungeons.

Moreover, he had heard that anything could happen in a dungeon. To be honest, he still felt somewhat uneasy about conquering one alone.

Though he possessed Divine Rank strength in the Sword God Style, swordsmanship alone was not enough for dungeon delving. He also needed extensive experience. After all, caution was the most important thing.

He had heard that magical teleportation traps in dungeons could even send people to other continents. How terrifying! If that happened, he would probably never make it back to the Central Continent in his lifetime...

In any case, Kain had never entered a dungeon before. An A-rank dungeon was already a very high-level one, so it would be better to practice with simpler commissions first.

The northern Yatas Village had been ravaged by migrating Mud Dragon Magic Beasts. The local villagers were willing to pay five silver coins to hire brave adventurers to slay those evil Mud Dragon Magic Beasts.

Mission objective: Tails of ten Mud Dragon Beasts.

Kain rubbed his chin and nodded slightly. Ten Mud Dragon Beasts were no problem, but...

He looked at the location beneath the commission—Yatas Village, three kilometers to the north—and pursed his lips, frowning.

Three kilometers...

Kain remembered that even when he had gone to a village five hundred meters from the Sword God's Holy Land, he had gotten lost despite having a detailed map. And three kilometers was three thousand meters...

How long would it take him to reach that place...

Forget it. It would be safer to find a guide...

His first commission was an important battle to prove his ability. Kain did not want to fail it because he got lost and turn the first battle of his adventurer career into a lifelong disgrace.

If rumors spread about some lost Sword God, or a foolish Sword God with no sense of direction, that would be unbearable...

Kain swallowed, cold sweat forming on his forehead. He always felt as if he had been cursed. Even in his previous life, he had not been this directionally challenged. Still, he would never admit that he had no sense of direction. Yeah! He could never admit it, even if it killed him!

"L-Let's tackle it as a pair after all. I-I'll go find a teammate now."

"Ah, is that so? That would be for the best." The receptionist at the counter watched the awkward-looking Kain leave, then let out a breath of relief and smiled.

Kain turned back and swept his gaze across the Adventurers' Guild.

The blue-haired girl with twin braids was lying on the table, snoring evenly. She seemed to have gotten drunk...

Hmm... That blond man with curled bangs among the group of five was probably their leader. One could tell from his battle aura that he was likely a Saint Rank swordsman. If Kain asked him...

No! He had been secretly looking at Kain with an expression that said he feared trouble. There was a high chance he would not help...

The others were beneath notice. Too weak...

He was lost.

Ah, what a pain. Maybe he should just tackle it alone and randomly hire a local guide to lead him there.

Thinking that, Kain headed out of the guild. But when he reached the doorway, a wooden cup suddenly clattered onto the floor. Alcohol spilled everywhere, fizzing into a patch of bubbles.

Kain's footsteps seemed to have disturbed the blue-haired girl sleeping at the table by the door.

"Hey, hic! You can't find any teammates either, can you? Hehe."

Watching the girl with two blue braids stagger to her feet and block his way, her face flushed red, Kain blinked in confusion. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"Um... Miss, is there something you need?"

"Hic! How about me!"

"H-Huh?!" Confused.

"I mean, how about forming an adventurer party with me! I don't mean that kind of confession!"

I never said you meant that kind...

Kain's eye twitched violently, and a bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead. His cheeks reddened slightly. He had no idea how to handle this suddenly appearing blue-haired girl who kept hiccuping.

And he definitely was not into little girls... Yeah, probably not.

"You, hic! You're alone too, right?"

"Um..."

Kain scratched his cheek as he looked at the girl before him, whose flushed cheeks, azure eyes, and two blue braids stood out vividly.

Her staff was just lying on the chair behind her. Was she really not afraid of it being stolen...

"Heh, how ridiculous. Why would the Sword God of the Sword God's Holy Land agree to a party request from a third-rate mage? A person like him could have any mage teammate he wanted. Besides, people whose individual strength is too great usually choose to travel alone."

With a mocking expression, Zoldat glanced at the Devil Race girl blocking Kain's way, then continued gulping down his drink.

Kain took half a step back and coughed twice. He looked at the drunken Roxy before him, her cheeks covered in blush, and pondered for a moment.

Roxy was swaying unsteadily, but her azure eyes still held an intense yearning. Kain's expression became somewhat serious.

Kain nodded gently. He was not someone who acted casually, but his master had once said that eyes were the best way to see a person clearly.

The girl before him had eyes filled with a yearning to be acknowledged by others.

"How is your sense of direction? I would be troubled if we got lost."

Kain folded his arms and spoke with a completely serious expression, as if he had never gotten lost in his life.

"Are you looking down on me?! Hic!"

"N-No, I'm just asking normally! I don't mean to look down on you."

"Hic! I came from the Demon Continent. Even without a map, I can find my way by relying on my sense of direction. I could even walk all the way back to the Demon Continent from here, I-I could!"

With flushed cheeks, the drunken Roxy patted her small chest and looked at Kain with conviction. Naturally, there was definitely some boasting in what she had just said, but having traveled alone for so long, she certainly had a sense of direction. At the very least, it was far better than Kain's.

"Deal!"

Kain nodded slightly, his eyes sparkling as if he had found some priceless treasure. He reached out, tightly clasped the little hand of the blue-haired girl with two braids, whose expression was somewhat blank, and shook it up and down.

Right now, he needed someone to show him the way, and Roxy was the only adventurer willing to help him.

"My name is Kain Brand Reiback. I look forward to working with you."

Kain tilted his head slightly and smiled faintly. Slowly releasing Roxy's little hand, he placed his own hand over his chest and gave a polite, slight bow in a standard knight's salute. With relief in his eyes, Kain watched Roxy's azure eyes gradually brighten.

Mm, with a teammate, he probably would not get lost now, Kain thought smugly.

"Huh?"

"Huh?!"

Zoldat, who had been smiling confidently nearby, suddenly spat out his drink, spraying Bruce across from him in the face.

"Hey! Zoldat!"

"S-Sorry..."

He, the mage beside him, their other teammates, and every adventurer in the guild were all dumbfounded.

"Huh?! No way! He agreed that easily?! Isn't he a Sword God?!"

The mage Rina's eye twitched violently as she felt like she had missed some great opportunity.

Raffy and Mia could not help opening their mouths slightly in shock as well.

"H-Hehe, he really is... unexpectedly easygoing..."

"No?! W-Wait a second?!" Roxy's blank expression instantly turned flustered, and she began stumbling over her words again.

"W-What's wrong?!"

Kain was also confused. He had already given his name, so should the other person not give hers as well? Failing to do that when meeting for the first time would cost her impression points.

And had he agreed too readily? Was he supposed to refuse three times before finally agreeing? There should not be such a custom in this world, right...

"N-No! You're the Sword God who reached Divine Rank in the Sword God Style, right?!"

"Uh, I suppose so."

"What do you mean, you suppose so?!"

"Mm, aren't you a Divine Rank mage?!"

Kain's gaze drifted behind Roxy toward the staff lying on the chair. At its tip was a thumbnail-sized, entirely transparent azure mana stone. It looked very expensive.

"Of course not!! How could someone earn the title of Divine Rank so easily?!!!"

"No, what I mean is, shouldn't you reject my invitation, then I invite you again, then you reject me again, and finally leave with a look of disgust? This is completely different from how normal conversations go!"

Roxy grabbed at her sky-blue hair in frustration. The light faded from her eyes, her expression becoming extremely pessimistic. At the same time, her cheeks reddened even more, and she babbled incoherently like someone who had drunk far too much fruit wine.

Just how many times had she been rejected to say something so pessimistic...

"Phew..." Kain let out a breath. Looking at Roxy's dejected, frantic expression as she clutched her hair, he felt like laughing. Her foolish appearance was rather cute.

But he was looking for a reliable teammate, not a girlfriend. Helplessly taking a deep breath, Kain lightly patted Roxy's shoulder and gave her a warm, healing smile.

"You can read maps, right? You won't get lost even with your eyes closed, right? Then that is enough! You are my teammate now! Could you tell me your name, beautiful lady?"

"Huh?! Huh?!"

Roxy froze in place. Her blue eyes trembled, reflecting the boy's youthful, handsome face. He was not joking?! And what was this beautiful lady nonsense?! He did not see her as a child?!

Ah, no! He was the one who looked like a child!

She was actually being comforted by someone younger than herself...

Tch! It's not like that makes me happy!