Zena’s Training
Satou here. Taking the first step of a new venture can be intimidating, at least to some degree, don’t you think? Personally, I believe if you gather your courage and take that step anyway, you’ll find an exciting new experience awaiting you.
“Satou, I…”
Miss Zena Marienteil, a Seiryuu City magic soldier with her brilliant golden hair in a braid, was blushing bright red and clenching her fists tightly as she gazed up at me.
We were standing at the gate of my mansion in Labyrinth City.
“…I…um…I have a request for you!”
“What is it? I’d be more than happy to help, if I can.”
I didn’t know what she wanted, exactly, but I wanted to be of use to Zena if her request was reasonable.
“I want to get stronger. Strong enough to protect someone…”
I was bracing myself for a confession of love, but I guess that was just me being full of myself.
I guess she wouldn’t have come in her army uniform if she was really going to confess.
Zena wore a serious expression as she continued. “So please teach me! I want to know how to get stronger like you and your party!”
“…How to get stronger?”
My response ended up sounding a bit incredulous.
It seemed that my companions watching from the entrance hall felt the same way: I could feel a wave of relief coming from their direction.
At first I thought she wanted me to power level her, but the ever-diligent Zena just wanted to know the best methods for getting stronger on her own.
A few days ago, while Zena was exploring with Labyrinth City Celivera’s Elite Training Corps, she’d been attacked by a sword ax mantis and had suffered serious injuries.
She was rescued by the vampire progenitor Ban, a reincarnation who happened to be in the area, but since he was disguised as a cloud of mist at the time, there was an uproar about her being kidnapped by a mysterious monster.
In the end, Kuro brought her back to the surface under the pretense that I’d sent him to rescue her, but if Ban hadn’t happened to be there, there was a good chance Zena could have died.
After such an experience, it was no wonder Zena would want to get stronger.
“Yes, I know it’s a lot to ask…” Taking my tepid response as a rejection, Zena lowered her gaze, her tone sinking, but then looked up and pressed on with renewed determination. “But please! I’ll do anything, I swear…”
Looking at her earnest expression, I remembered when I first arrived in Seiryuu City.
Back then, I think she made a declaration along the lines of “I swear on the Marienteil family name that I will find a way to thank you!”
“Don’t worry, Miss Zena. I would be happy to teach you.” I patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Besides, a young lady your age shouldn’t make promises like, ‘I’ll do anything.’”
“I—I’m so sorry.”
I was warning her jokingly, but Zena ducked her head when she realized her misstep.
“Let’s see. How to get stronger…”
“Yes, please. Could you at least tell me whatever you’re comfortable sharing?”
“We don’t do anything so unusual that it needs to be kept a secret.”
With that, I explained my method of training my companions.
“As you know, Liza, Pochi, and Tama raised their levels a decent amount in the labyrinth below Seiryuu City, but the other girls have slowly built up experience by training with experts we met on our journey, fighting monsters and bandits we ran into on the road, and so on.”
I think Lulu is the only one who did any power leveling on our travels to the old capital, right?
I made sure the haunted fortress in the Muno Barony was safe, but other than that I think our group has fought most things normally.
“Once we reached Labyrinth City, we started staying in the labyrinth for days on end, constantly fighting monsters around the girls’ level or slightly higher. It seems like the best way to make the most of the experience is to fight lots of different kinds of strong enemies.”
While training my group, I figured out that they leveled up after defeating around twenty enemies around their own level. Against enemies of a lower level, they would have to defeat far more of them to level up.
However, elves require almost twice as much experience as humans do to level up, so I power leveled Mia some to keep her experience on par with the others.
“E-erm, Satou…Silverlight told me that most explorers don’t attempt to battle enemies as strong or stronger than themselves and that they only fight enemies they can defeat safely, since it would be a huge loss if they were injured. Was that wrong?”
Zena was referring to the mid-level all-female explorer group Silverlight, with whom her group trained recently.
“No, that’s true.”
At my seemingly self-contradictory response, Zena’s face clouded.
I got the feeling I wasn’t explaining myself very clearly, so I continued.
“Which is why I made adjustments so that they could fight stronger enemies, too.”
Zena waited for me to explain.
“I equipped my group with the best armor possible so they wouldn’t get hurt, stocked up on potions and recovery methods in case anything went wrong…”
At this point, I think the equipment I’ve made would keep my girls alive even against a greater demon.
“…and gathered information.”
“Information?”
“That’s right. I studied the terrain of the labyrinth and the distribution of monsters, investigated the monsters that would appear in the area we were entering, and shared all that information with my group. We also made advance preparations to ensure that they wouldn’t have to fight multiple enemies at once.”
It’s not much to brag about, since all I really did was use “Search Entire Map” and read the detailed information that came up as a result.
But gathering information is important for labyrinth exploration, too, so I decided to exaggerate.
“…That’s very impressive.”
“You can get information at the explorers’ guild about monsters that normally appear in the first section of the labyrinth, and there are also some mapmakers who keep track of what kind of monsters appear in other parts. I would recommend talking to veteran explorers to get advice on where to find the best maps.”
I also recommended that she stop by the newbie explorers’ classes I had organized.
That way, I could supply her with the maps used for the newbie explorers’ practice runs and eventually could even draw some for new sections.
“In fact, the girls’ first teacher is working at the explorers’ school now, so I could introduce you if you’d like.”
“Oh, master, don’t be silly!”
Arisa rushed over with a cheerful shout, a blond wig covering the lilac hair that was considered unlucky in this world.
She’d been watching all this time from the entrance, but I guess she couldn’t resist jumping in any longer.
“If you need teachers, we’re right here!”
“We’ve got thiiis?”
“Pochi can teach, too, sir!”
Arisa pounded her chest confidently; the white-haired, cat-eared girl Tama lined up on her left, while the brown-haired, dog-eared Pochi stepped up at her right.
Their tails swishing, the two younger girls struck their signature poses, trying to show Zena their willingness to help.
“Forgive my arrogance, but perhaps I could help to teach you spear techniques, how to handle monsters, and so on.”
Liza, who came running after Tama and Pochi to make sure they didn’t do anything foolish, volunteered her services to Zena, who once saved their lives.
Her orange-scaled tail flicked toward the sky, reflecting her earnestness.
“I could provide shield-related teachings, I declare.”
The busty, stone-faced homunculus Nana stepped out from behind Liza, her blond ponytail bobbing.
“Magic.”
Mia spoke a single word from behind me.
She was likely volunteering to teach Zena magic.
Her slightly pointed ears, identifying her as an elf, peeked out from beneath her aqua-green pigtails.
“All I can really offer is ‘Self-Defense’ and ‘Marksmanship,’ but if that’s all right, I’d be happy to help.”
This modest offer came from Lulu, who was so beautiful that she could bring down a fortress with a single smile, in my unbiased opinion.
Her glossy black hair was as silky as ever, even in the dusty air of the Labyrinth City, Celivera.
“What do you think, Miss Zena? We’re no expert instructors, but would you like to try joining in on my group’s training for a while?”
“Y-yes, please! I would love to!”
Zena nodded her head rapidly.
My original plan for today was to take Zena out for a delicious meal somewhere, but there was probably no harm in delaying that for now.
“Miss Zena and company are going to train at the explorers’ school today. Would you like to join us, Lady Karina?”
“…Training at the explorers’ school?”
A frown crept across the lovely face of Karina, the second daughter of my employer, Baron Muno.
“No, thank you,” she declared, flipping her luxurious golden ringlets over her shoulder.
She was probably still a bit scarred from being expelled after half a day’s trial lessons at the explorers’ school.
“Come with uuus?”
“Pochi is going, too, sir!”
Tama and Pochi tugged on Karina’s hands.
They seemed to be trying to treat the much older girl as a younger sister.
“I most certainly shall not. Didn’t you two say yourselves that the best training is real combat?”
At that, Tama and Pochi trembled dramatically.
“Oopsie-daisyyy?”
“Th-that’s right, sir. I’ve become a hippo-critter, sir!”
I think Pochi was probably trying to say “hypocrite.”
That seemed excessive to me, but maybe she felt guilty because she hadn’t fought a strong monster in the past two weeks or so.
“As long as we’re clear! Then we shall go to the labyrinth! That’s all right, isn’t it?”
Having successfully persuaded Tama and Pochi, Karina crossed her arms beneath her impressively ample chest and stared at me triumphantly.
It took all of my willpower to resist the powerful forces drawing my gaze toward her bust.
“Sure, that’s fine. Are you going after plunderers again?”
“Yeah, of course!”
“Right, Lady Karina?”
Instead of Karina herself, it was her guardian maids, Erina and the newbie, who responded.
For some reason, nobody ever called the poor newbie by her name. But since it didn’t seem to bother her, I was going to stick with it until Erina mentioned her actual name.
“But of course!”
Karina nodded agreeably, but the maids’ boss, Pina, was quick to scold them for their overly pushy behavior.
For some reason, instead of the maid outfits Arisa popularized in the Muno Barony, Pina was wearing a battle outfit and some secondhand leather armor and carrying one of the large baskets often used by carriers in Labyrinth City.
“Hmm? Are you going into the labyrinth, too, Pina?”
“I am. There’s not much to do if I just stay around here, and I can help carry maze ant materials and such.”
It sounded like a noble enough reason, but the dollar signs in her eyes belied her true intentions.
The last time Miss Karina explored the labyrinth, she had to leave behind a great deal of maze ant materials she couldn’t carry. Pina must have seen that as an enormous waste.
I had already told my companions not to carry monster materials in their Fairy Packs, in order to avoid drawing attention to the unusual bags.
“Just be careful not to get hurt. If things get too dangerous, drop the materials and run.”
As a precaution, I made sure to warn Pina, too.
“Young master, Lady Marienteil and company have arrived.”
After Karina’s party left for the labyrinth with Pochi and Tama as guards, Zena and her friends arrived less than an hour later.
The head maid, Miss Miteruna, led me to the parlor, where Zena was waiting with the three female soldiers from her squad—her best friend, Lilio the scout, the lovely broadsword user Miss Iona, and the stocky shield user Lou.
For some reason, there were three more people along with them: Sir Hence, who was the young commanding officer of Labyrinth City Celivera’s Elite Training Corps, and two civil officials.
They were here with the Labyrinth Elite to research how to manage the labyrinth that had recently emerged in their own Seiryuu City, so they were investigating Celivera’s peacekeeping and guild management, among other protocols.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Sir Hence. And I don’t believe I’ve met you two. I am Satou Pendragon, honorary hereditary knight and vassal of the Muno Barony.”
When I introduced myself, the two civil officials did the same: The middle-aged man with the receding hairline was Toril, and the straitlaced woman in her late twenties was Karana.
“I heard that you gave Zena and her squad some valuable magic potions the other day. Were it not for those potions, several of my soldiers might have been lost. I owe you a great debt of gratitude, Sir Pendragon.”
“I’m just happy to have been of help.”
I gave a harmlessly generic response to Sir Hence’s thanks.
He was probably referring to when I gave Zena some middle-grade magic potions, cure-alls, and such when she went into the labyrinth.
“Sir Pendragon, I must also thank you for your efforts in rescuing our magic soldier Zena.”
After Sir Hence, the male civil official gave his thanks as well.
It seemed that the three of them had come along with Zena and friends to thank me for the other day.
“It isn’t much, but this is a small token of appreciation from Seiryuu County’s Labyrinth City’s Celivera Elite Training Corps.”
The man nodded, and the female official placed a wooden box wrapped in cloth on the table.
When I opened it, I found a valuable-looking knife made from a wyvern’s talon and two small jars.
According to my AR, one of the jars contained already-processed white dragon stone powder, one of the key ingredients to an all-purpose antidote, while the other contained a fragrance called “flying dragon spice.” Both were fairly expensive in Labyrinth City.
“This is a splendid knife. Is it made from a wyvern talon, by chance?”
“Yes, it’s a masterpiece by Seiryuu County’s finest craftsman, Toreban.”
The male official sounded rather proud.
“Simply remarkable. Thank you very much, I’ll use it with care.”
Wyvern talons are very solid, so it should come in handy for breaking down monster bodies.
That was probably the end of their business, but it wasn’t considered polite to leave immediately after finishing what you needed, so we chatted about nothing for a while.
“…Well, if you’ll excuse us. Zena and our soldiers are in your care.”
“Thank you.”
Once the conversation dried up, Sir Hence excused himself, and we waved good-bye to the three of them.
Sir Hence and the male official were going to the viceroy’s residence, while the female official was heading to the explorers’ guild.
Once they left in their carriages, I walked with Zena’s squad to the explorers’ school near the mansion.
“Satou, are you sure it’s all right if we borrow such expensive-looking equipment?”
“Yes, of course. They’re just some pieces of my party’s old equipment that I repaired, so please don’t worry.”
Zena and her squad had damaged a lot of their equipment in their recent battle against the sword ax mantis, so I gave them some refurbished weapons and armor that my group had been using.
It wouldn’t be quite strong enough to fight an areamaster, but the defense was high enough to take on a lesser demon without a problem. At the very least, it should protect them from fatal injuries against something like a sword ax mantis.
“You call this ‘old’…?”
“This stuff looks brand-new to me.”
Lou and Lilio looked at each other, but Miss Iona scolded them quietly.
“Lou, Lilio, mind your manners. It’s impolite to make such comments as thanks for Sir Knight’s kindness.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“This is good stuff. Seem like monster parts, but they’re light and sturdy.”
“They seem quite impact-resistant as well.”
“Iona! Don’t test it by punching me in the stomach!”
I had never seen the coolheaded Iona joke around before.
She must have been excited about their new equipment, too.
“Honestly! Couldn’t you thank Satou first?”
Zena appeared to be pleased, too, as her scolding voice was much lighter than usual. I was glad that they all seemed to like it.
Once the squad all thanked me again, we discussed the schedule.
“As far as the training period, we have to go to the royal capital by airship in eight days, so we can only train with you until the day before we depart. Is that all right?”
“Yes, that’s fine!”
Once Zena agreed, Lilio looked at me curiously.
“What’re you going to the royal capital for?”
“We’re being conferred medals for defeating a floorlord.”
“Wow, very impressive.”
“Zenacchi, your man’s moving up in the world again,” Lilio whispered to Zena.
“Baron Muno, whose house I serve, is also going to the royal capital to participate in the kingdom meeting, so we’re going in order to escort his daughter, Lady Karina, as well.”
“Lady Karina is that super-pretty lady with the blond curls, right?”
“Yes, that’s her.”
At that, Lilio continued teasing Zena. “If you’re not careful, that pretty lady’s gonna steal your boy toy away!”
Zena looked genuinely worried, so I quickly assured her that I had no such relationship with Karina.
“Right, because he’s already got us!”
“Mm, fiancé.”
Arisa and Mia chimed in to make things worse.
After that small digression, we finally started the training.
“Shall we break up into the vanguard and rear guard, then?” Arisa proposed.
“I’m a scout, so which group should I go with?” asked Lilio.
“Tama would be best equipped to teach you about scouting, but she’s in the labyrinth with Lady Karina, so maybe you should join in with the vanguard for today?”
“All right, sounds good. Later, Zenacchi.”
Lilio nodded at Arisa, waved lightly to Zena, and went off toward Miss Iona and the others.
“All right, Zenny, we’ll teach you all about being in the rear guard.”
“Mm. Trust.”
“Thank you very much.”
“We’d get in the way of Liza and the others if we stay here, so let’s do it over there.”
Arisa and Mia led Zena over to a shady area nearby.
Since Lulu wasn’t included, she joined me in observing.
“Nana will be your sparring partner first. There’s no need to hold back—please attack with all your might.”
I heard Liza’s voice and turned to see that the vanguard contingent was already starting group battles.
“Allow me to be the first challenger, then.”
Iona readied her own shield and stepped toward Nana.
“All three of you may attack at once, I declare,” Nana informed her expressionlessly.
“I think you’re underestimating us.”
“Right, we’re not some greenhorn soldiers. Even vice captain Leelo couldn’t take on all of us at once.”
Nana tilted her head to the side at Lilio and Lou.
She could probably handle them easily, but since they hadn’t witnessed Nana’s genuine strength, it was understandable that they wouldn’t accept it without proof.
“Very well. Then let me begin by demonstrating that no restraint is necessary.”
Liza seemed to reach the same conclusion as I did and stepped up to Nana with her spear.
“Here I come, Nana.”
“Whenever you’re ready, I declare.”
Liza used “Blink” to attack Nana with a series of spear strikes.
The spearhead jabbed in all directions, tracing red lines in the air as it tried to break through Nana’s defenses.
“Whoa.”
“What in the world…?”
“I must admit, that is impressive.”
Zena’s squad all exclaimed in surprise.
Listening to Arisa and Mia’s lecture, Zena glanced at me, clearly worried about the aggressive attacks.
“S-Satou, are they all right?”
“It’s fine,” I assured her, watching Liza and Nana’s sparring match.
Powerful as she’d become, even Liza couldn’t break through Nana’s defenses without Pochi and Tama to assist her.
“Your defense really is remarkable.”
“It will be difficult to break through with only spear attacks, I respond.”
Nana seemed to feel that it was easy to defend against Liza when she wasn’t attacking with her tail, feinting with “Spellblade Shots,” and so on.
If she used a special attack, she might be able to push through, but that would probably cross the line beyond a sparring match.
“So, as you can see, your attacks will not harm Nana. Please don’t hold back when you’re attacking her.”
With that, Liza stepped aside for Iona and company to take on Nana.
“Understood. I apologize for being presumptuous earlier. Lou, Lilio—let’s go.”
“Yeah, let’s do it.”
“Coming!”
With Lou in the front with her shield, Iona as the main attacker, and Lilio doing hit-and-run attacks, the trio began sparring with Nana.
Liza was looking on to provide guidance.
It looked like Liza had things under control, so I turned my attention to Zena.
“So, you’re proficient in attacks, defense, surveillance, support, obstruction, and communication, right?”
“Yes, but wind magic users are often in a supporting role in the army, so I don’t use attack magic much in actual combat.”
According to Arisa and Zena’s conversation, Zena was a bit of an all-rounder type as a wind magic user.
In this world, normal people have to memorize long chants to use spells, so many people can’t use magic outside of their area of expertise without consulting a spellbook.
“As long as you’ve got an individual attack spell for backup and a wide-range attack spell for wiping out small fry, you’re golden.”
“Mm. Wide range, important.”
Mia nodded and agreed with Arisa.
Without a wide-range attack that can blow away a bunch of monsters at once, it can be a huge pain to take on amorphous monsters that are difficult to attack with weapons, monsters that travel in packs, and other types of obstacles.
“Enemy detection is really important in the labyrinth. Zenny, can you do other things while maintaining a detection spell?”
“What do you mean?”
Zena tilted her head in confusion.
“Exactly what it sounds like. Even though a detection spell tells you the area is safe for now, that could change at any moment in a place like the labyrinth.”
“Detection, important.”
Mia agreed with Arisa again.
“What did you do with the army?”
“Since Lilio’s the scout, she did enemy detection and monitored the area and such.”
“Makes sense. But ideally, it’s more efficient for the scout to separate from the party and pull the next monster toward the end of the battle, so it certainly wouldn’t hurt for you to learn it.”
At Arisa’s recommendation, Zena nodded and began practicing.
“…Ah, did it break?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so… It’s difficult to keep it up while doing things like chanting or using Magic Items.”
After a half hour or so of observing, it seemed like Zena was having difficulty maintaining a detection spell while doing something else at the same time.
It can be pretty hard to multitask when you’re not used to it. Adding a second spell while maintaining a continuous spell is especially difficult.
“Arisa, you can’t expect her to get it right away.”
If anything, it’s impressive that Arisa and Mia were able to master it so soon after I taught them.
I went over to the group and took over as teacher for a bit.
“Zena, try using detection magic, then focus on the rest of your squad practicing in the yard.”
“A-all right. ……”
I used my “Magic Power Vision” to watch the flow of wind and magic as Zena’s spell activated, then concentrated on Lilio and the others.
> Skill Acquired: “Wind Reading”
It seemed like I should already have that skill by now, but I wasn’t complaining, since it’d probably be useful for using bows and such.
“Now expand the range of your detection, and try to count the number of students and teachers on the school grounds.”
“All right. One, two, three…”
Zena closed her eyes to concentrate on the magic, and I waited for her to finish counting.
“Great. Now try to picture all of that from a bird’s-eye view.”
She wouldn’t be able to analyze each individual, but I figured it’d be good if she could keep a vague idea of all their positions in the bigger picture.
“Liza, do a light dash toward Zena, please.”
“Understood.”
Next, I used the Space Magic spell Telephone to stealthily give Liza a request.
“…Huh?”
As Zena was using detection magic to monitor everyone, she raised her head in surprise when Liza suddenly started approaching.
“Focus on the detection spell.”
“R-right!”
I prodded her attention back toward the wavering detection spell.
“Now, try to keep up that bird’s-eye view until noon, please. Liza or I will act like we’re charging once in a while, but just stay calm, track our locations, and tell Arisa and Mia who’s approaching and from what direction.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
Zena nodded firmly.
“Aww, that’s aaall?” Arisa sounded disappointed, but she would have to wait a little longer. In the afternoon, their special training would really begin.
“Tch, blocked again!”
“Shield attacks must only be used when one of the opponent’s feet is off the ground, or when their center of gravity is off-balance, or else they will simply be blocked, I inform.”
Nana gave some advice to Lou after neatly parrying her shield bash.
Meanwhile, Iona’s broadsword swooped in from the opposite side of Nana’s shield, but Nana quickly knocked it aside with her one-handed sword.
“Heh-heh, you’re wide open!”
Lilio jumped in from her blind spot, only for Nana to block her attack with her sword without turning around.
“H-how? I made sure to come from an angle where you wouldn’t see my shadow…”
“I could tell from the tremors in the ground and the air, I report.”
Nana continued parrying Iona and Lou’s attacks as she responded to Lilio.
A lot of monsters attack in tricky ways, so Nana had picked up skills like “Presence Perception” and “Spatial Awareness,” which were probably coming in handy here.
Although more importantly, I’m pretty sure a surprise attack from even the perfect angle won’t work if you yell “you’re wide open!” while you do it.
After about an hour of exchanging blows, the three of them were near collapsing from exhaustion.
While all three of the attackers were drenched, Nana hadn’t broken a sweat.
“Once we’ve taken a break for a while and you’ve caught your breath, I’ll take you on next.”
“The shield babe is one thing, but there’s no way a spear user can block three attackers at once, right?”
“I should hope so, if you’re to protect Lady Zena.”
While Lilio grumbled, still panting, Liza responded with a calm smile.
Once the break was over, it was her turn to train the trio.
“If that’s all it takes to knock aside your shield, you’ll bring shame upon shieldmaidens everywhere. Don’t just depend on muscle—use your body weight and the ground itself to stand up to such blows.”
After Liza’s spear attack knocked Lou to the ground, she used the Magic Spear to catch Iona’s swinging broadsword and toss it aside, then used the momentum to lightly strike Iona’s forehead with the butt of the spear.
“A swinging broadsword with centrifugal force is certainly powerful, but it’s easy to dodge and therefore to counterattack, so please be careful.”
As she gave this warning, she turned to face Lilio, who was approaching from behind Lou.
The scout attacked from her blind spot, but Liza deflected each of her thrusts directly with a jab of her own spear.
“Whoa, whoa! W-w-wait a sec—”
Lilio’s short sword was knocked out of her hand, and she tumbled to the ground, pursued by a rain of attacks from Liza’s spear.
“Hold up! I’m a scout, so I can’t keep up with a long rally like that…”
“Then you should be sure to retreat right after a single strike to keep your opponent on their toes.”
As Lilio made excuses, Liza scolded her lightly and turned back to Lou.
Iona seemed dazed for a moment after the blow to her forehead, but Liza had been holding back, so she quickly recovered.
The training continued until the lunch bell rang, at which point Iona and Lou collapsed to the ground as soon as Liza declared the match over.
Lilio was wobbling too, but she didn’t seem quite as exhausted as Iona and Lou, who’d been fighting Liza and Nana head-on the whole time.
“So there’s a shooting range here, too?”
“Yes, we built it for children who are interested in scouting.”
Drinking the cold veria water that Lulu handed to everyone, Lilio gazed at the four-lane shooting range in one corner of the schoolyard.
“You used a crossbow in Seiryuu City, right, Miss Lilio?”
“Uh-huh. I’m actually one of the better shots in our army, y’know.”
Lilio looked proud.
“Would you like to try some shooting, then?”
“Yeah, sure. Once I’ve got enough strength to draw a bow again, maybe I’ll take you up on that.”
Lilio’s hand was still shaking too much to pull the bowstring, so I pulled it for her instead.
“Whoa, Zena’s man! How strong do you gotta be to be able to pull that so easy?!”
For some reason, Lilio seemed surprised.
I learned later that the normal method of using a crossbow is to put the tip of the bow on the ground and hold it in place with one foot before pulling it taut.
“Oh, I was using ‘Body Strengthening.’ It’s very convenient.”
I didn’t actually use any such skill, but I figured it was better to say I did.
“Well, since you pulled it back for me, I guess I can pop a bolt in there and shoot it myself.”
Lilio readied her crossbow at the shooting range.
This lane had white lines every ten yards, with targets at the twenty-and fifty-yard marks. Instead of simple bull’s-eyes or human shapes, they were shaped in the silhouettes of monsters. The highest-scoring areas were the monsters’ respective weak points.
The practice area for slings had some pretty worn-down targets, so I set up different ones.
“…Hmm, I can hit the close one pretty easy, but the faraway one’s tougher.”
Lilio modestly played down her achievements, though she looked pleased.
Though she said the faraway target was tough, she’d hit the one that was barely within range without a problem, which was definitely more than good enough for a scout.
“Who does the long-distance stuff in your party? I’d love to see a mithril explorer’s skills.”
“Mia and I can use bows, but Lulu usually handles the long-distance attacks.”
I turned to Lulu, who looked a bit uncertain.
“Erm, the Fire Rod Gun would burn the targets, and the regular rifle is awfully loud. What should I do?”
“Rifles? A Fire Rod’s one thing, but you guys use antiques like that as weapons?”
Lilio seemed to be familiar with rifles.
In the Shiga Kingdom, they were generally considered old-fashioned weapons with lots of drawbacks.
“Yes, since there are a lot of enemies in the labyrinth that are resistant to magic attacks.”
“Gotcha. Why not try a crossbow, then? It’s a little different from the rifles I’ve seen in the castle, but it’s still just pointing at a target and pulling the trigger, yeah?”
Lulu looked to me, so I nodded.
“All right, I’ll give it a try.”
Lulu steadied her aim on the faraway target and pulled the trigger of the crossbow.
Her shot was a little off from the center of the target.
“Whaddaya think?”
“I think I understand now. I’ll hit it this time.”
“Huh? Wait, you’re not…” Lilio trailed off mid-sentence. “Seriously…?”
Lulu had pierced the center of the target with several shots in a row.
“It’s crazy enough that you hit a bunch in a row when you’re using a crossbow for the first time, but it’s even more amazing that you did it at this distance without aiming for more than a second. You’re a total prodigy!”
“A-a prodigy? Oh, goodness, no. Master is much better than I am.”
As Lulu deflected Lilio’s praise with a blush, she ended up turning the attention toward me instead.
“Is that true, Zena’s boy?”
Lilio stared at me with great interest, so I wound up agreeing to just one shot.
I thought about missing on purpose and laughing it off, but I couldn’t bring myself to betray Lulu as she gazed at me eagerly, so I decided it was worth causing a little bit of a fuss.
“All right, then, here goes.”
I had a good idea of how Lilio’s crossbow worked from watching Lulu, so I just notched a bolt and pierced the target right away.
“Not even a test fire first?”
“Amazing as always, master!”
“This is a very good crossbow.” Smiling at Lulu, I handed the weapon back to Lilio.
Arisa stood off to the side, crossing her arms and grinning smugly as she remarked, “Nice ‘GG Master’ moment, Lulu!” I decided to ignore her stupid comment, as usual.
“Shall we have lunch now, then? Zena, please try to keep up your magic while you’re eating, too.”
“O-okay, I’ll do my best.”
“Talk about Spartan,” Arisa muttered, but I figured it was a good ability to have even outside the labyrinth, so I was trying to harden my heart and keep pushing her anyway.
“So, Zena’s boy toy, where’s this explorer you said could teach me some scouting tips?”
After lunch, I brought Zena and Lilio to the west guild.
For a scout like Lilio, it was extra important to get experience in the field, so I was planning to ask Mr. Dozon or Mr. Koshin to let her train with their party.
Both Dozon and Koshin had a lot of connections, too, so if I introduced them to Zena and Lilio, they might make good allies for the girls in case anything happened while I was away from Labyrinth City.
“He’s usually around here somewhere… Aah, there we go.”
I knew everyone’s locations already from my map, but I made sure to act like I’d just spotted him.
“…and the usual tamers Behin and Lahin got poached by some damn nobles, so now the labyrinth village is short on beasts of burden.”
Dozon appeared to be exchanging information with another explorer.
Located in the Upper Stratum of the Celivera Labyrinth, the labyrinth village was a small settlement that functioned as a stopover point for explorers. The village also offered rentals of tamed monsters that couldn’t be brought aboveground, for carrying items and exploring the labyrinth.
“So has the price gone up?”
“Better believe it. Most monsters that’ve been trained by proper tamers have gone up thirty, forty percent.”
“That much…?”
“Yeah, at this rate we’ll get stuck renting sketchy monsters tamed by that Kannoke bastard.”
As we approached Dozon, he noticed me and waved.
“Hey, young master. You’ve got some new arm candy today, eh?”
“Good afternoon, Lord Dozon.”
I greeted the explorer who Dozon was talking to as well. We’d never been introduced, but I was fairly sure this was the scout from the Hellfire Fangs, a famous garnet-badge explorer party led by the Magic Sword user Zarigon.
“Lord Dozon, this is Miss Zena Marienteil, a magic soldier from the Seiryuu County army who once saved Liza’s life, and Miss Lilio the scout.”
“You saved that powerhouse, eh? You look like a sweet little lady, but you must have some serious strength.”
“I see. So she’s walking around using enemy detection Wind Magic as some kind of training, eh?”
“That’s right. You’re very observant.”
Wow, the veteran scout noticed Zena’s magic.
I introduced Dozon and company to Zena and Lilio, too.
“Any friend of the young master’s is a friend o’ mine. If anything happens while he’s not around, come see me anytime.”
“Thank you very much.”
Zena bowed her head deeply to Dozon, who seemed to have figured out my intentions.
“So, didja come here just to introduce them or what?”
“Nothing gets past you, Lord Dozon. You see, I was hoping you might be able to set up Miss Lilio here with someone who can teach her how to be a scout in the Celivera Labyrinth.”
“Huh? Why don’cha just have your scouts—oh, I getcha. The little cat-eared girl in the bean armor is a natural, so maybe she ain’t so good at teaching others.”
Dozon had never gone into the labyrinth with Tama before, but he seemed to know her pretty well.
“In that case, I can teach you. You’ve been a great help to our captain, and you saved my comrades from being eaten by the lightning elder stag, too.”
Remembering the incident when I helped them with the areamaster, the scout offered to be Lilio’s teacher.
“Oh-ho, learning the basics straight from Poes, one of the best scouts in Labyrinth City and a member of the elite Shadowfangs? You oughtta teach my scouts, too, then.”
“You never do miss a beat, Dozon. Then I suppose I can teach the Hellfire Fangs’ scouts-in-training along with her.”
The scout paused to ask if that was all right with me; Lilio didn’t seem to mind, so I agreed to his proposal.
As part of her scout training, he immediately offered to teach her new skills like how to tell a good flash bomb or smoke bomb from a dud and how to use the maps and materials in the guild, so we left Lilio with him. They would be training in the labyrinth for two days, and we’d reconvene after that.
“…So that’s about it.”
I introduced Zena to some well-connected veteran explorers, the guild workers, and others, explaining who was best at what roles.
“That was a lot of introductions in one go. Are you keeping up all right?”
“Oh…yes… I’m fine.”
Zena nodded, although she looked dizzy with information overload.
I made sure to tell her beforehand which people’s names and faces were especially important to remember, but I guess it was a lot to ask her to memorize all at once.
Maybe it would be best to imitate my friend Tolma from the old capital, make a little notebook containing the names and information of important figures, and give it to Zena later.
“You certainly know a lot of people, Satou.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, really.”
Although I guess I do have a lot of acquaintances these days.
“Um…Satou?”
“What is it?”
“Do you know anything about people with blue skin?”
I nodded. “I believe so. I’ve never met them directly, but you mean the Blue People, who are said to appear in the labyrinth village or to those who get lost in the labyrinth, yes?”
I also knew they were really the vampires who lived in the Lower Stratum, like the progenitor Ban Helsing and his wives, but I decided to avoid mentioning that, since I was the only person who knew. I didn’t want to cause an uproar.
“So it would be possible to meet them in this labyrinth village place?”
“If you’re lucky, yes. Why, did you want to meet them?”
“Yes, before Sir Kuro saved me from the labyrinth, they healed my wounds.”
The progenitor really did heal Zena’s serious injuries.
“But I came back without ever thanking them properly, so I want to apologize.”
Since I was the one who had assumed she’d been kidnapped and stole her from the vampire lord’s castle disguised as Kuro, that was technically my fault.
I apologized and thanked the progenitor on her behalf, so there wasn’t really a problem, but of course I couldn’t tell her that.
“Why not try writing them a letter, then?”
“A letter?”
“Yes, since there’s no telling if you’ll actually be able to meet them in the labyrinth village, I think it might be best to write a letter and give it to a representative in the village instead. If a letter doesn’t feel like enough, you could always offer some of the Blue People’s favorite wine, too.”
“Perfect! I’ll try doing that, then!”
I told her the brand of their preferred wine.
It was a little difficult to find in Labyrinth City, but I could always give her some extra when I went to pick up more, since Ban had asked me for some directly.
As we were walking along, talking about stopping by a bar to see if they had any of the wine, Zena suddenly stopped.
“…Miss Karana?”
Zena had spotted a woman standing glumly in the shadow of a pillar.
Sure enough, it was the civil official who had come to my mansion with Zena earlier.
We approached her, and she told us the situation with a bit of complaining mixed in.
“…I see. So you asked to audit the newbie explorers’ course at the guild, and they turned you down?”
“That’s right. I begged and pleaded with the clerk, but they just shut me down over and over, saying the class is only for explorers.”
When I helped organize these newbie courses, I did add the requirement that the class was for explorers only.
This was kind of my fault, so I felt like I should probably help her a little.
“Why not get your wood badge and participate, then? Just getting an explorer’s badge doesn’t mean you have to go into the labyrinth or anything.”
If one got a wood badge and never entered the labyrinth, the badge would expire in two months, but that shouldn’t be a problem if her only goal was taking the introductory course.
Karana blinked and murmured, “Good point.”
Oh, I know.
“If you’re interested in explorers’ education, would you like to observe the explorers’ school, too?”
“D-do you have a connection with some important person at the explorers’ school? Because if so, please introduce me!”
The civil official jumped on my casual offer so intensely that it was a little jarring.
“Well, I don’t know if I’d call myself important, but…”
With that, I revealed that I was actually the owner of the explorers’ school and returned to discussing the observation.
“As long as you’ll obey the instructions of the teachers there, I’ll gladly allow you to observe the explorers’ school classes. I’m sorry to say you won’t be able to participate in the hands-on training in the labyrinth, but as long as that’s not a problem…”
“Of course! I’d happily accept those conditions. Thank you.”
She wanted to invite her captain, Sir Hence, and her superior, the male official, too, so for the time being, we parted ways near the guild.
“Masterrr?”
“And Zena, sir!”
As soon as I heard Tama’s and Pochi’s voices, I turned and saw the pair of them supporting a very pale-faced Karina.
Looking at my AR display, I gathered that she was suffering from level-up sickness.
Her entourage of Pina and the other two maids were behind her, but they hadn’t leveled up enough to be afflicted.
Judging by their maze ant material-filled baskets, Karina must have taken the lead in battle, while the others supported her and broke down monster parts.
“Doctorrr?”
“Master, is Karina all right?”
“Yes, she’s fine. Just let her rest someplace cool for a few minutes and she’ll be back to normal in no time.”
I wiped the sweat from Karina’s brow with a handkerchief as I pretended to assess her condition, then reassured the worried Tama and Pochi that she would be fine.
It was a little far from here to the mansion, so I got a guild employee’s permission to let Karina rest in the shade of a tree in the courtyard.
While Karina was asleep, there was little evidence of her usual awkwardness, so she had the elegant air of a secluded sleeping beauty.
The effect was promptly ruined, however, when Tama and Pochi opened their lunch boxes and started feasting right next to her.
“All right, once Lady Karina awakens, be sure to have her drink this nutritional supplement potion.”
“Yes, Sir Knight. Thank you very much.”
After Pina thanked me, I left with Zena to head toward the area with artisans and alchemists.
Along the way…
“Satou!”
With her enemy detection magic, Zena sensed a horse and carriage that came flying around a corner, grabbed my arm, and pulled me out of the way.
Of course, I was already aware of its approach, thanks to my radar, but I decided to keep walking in order to test the results of Zena’s training.
“Thank you very much, Zena. You saved me.”
“Oh no, not at all!”
Zena blushed at my thanks.
“It looks like you’ve gotten used to keeping enemy detection magic active at the same time, so once we’ve talked to some artisans, we can take things to the next level.”
“A-all right. Please be gentle with me.”
Confused by Zena’s nervous expression, I nonetheless introduced her to some magic tool craftsmen and alchemists I knew by way of Baronet Dyukeli, armorers I’d met while selling extra monster parts from the labyrinth, and other helpful figures.
This way, while I was away from Labyrinth City, Zena would be able to get by just fine.
Returning to the explorers’ school, I found that the officials and Sir Hence had already arrived, and I introduced them to the principal before participating in my group’s afternoon training.
I left Mia and Arisa in charge of Zena’s training as originally intended.
She still couldn’t quite maintain enemy detection magic while chanting, but she was able to keep it up without a problem while dodging Arisa’s and Mia’s toy hammers.
Iona and Lou were facing off with Liza and Nana, drenched in sweat but determined to keep training.
I always thought of Iona as a beautiful, coolheaded woman, but she was clearly a gutsy hard worker as well.
I gave them some stamina recovery potions and nutritional supplements to cheer them on.
For some reason, Iona and Lou looked like they’d been saddled with despair when I gave them potions that would let them keep training, but I’m sure that was just my imagination.
After another day or two of tough training, they should be able to join us in the labyrinth to level up against monsters.
“Oh, right.”
That reminded me to use the Space Magic spell Clairvoyance to check on the breeding area I built in the labyrinth for power leveling.
The holding wells I’d created for breeding were full of a disturbing amount of monsters.
It was a little sooner than I expected, but maybe tonight… No, that would still be too soon. I could start training the Echigoya Company top brass tomorrow night or something.
In between Zena’s and the others’ training, I went to the Echigoya headquarters in the royal capital and told them my power leveling plan for the following night.
The elves had warned against this kind of overprotective leveling up, but that was only because the participants wouldn’t properly learn their battle techniques, so they would end up weaker than other people around the same level.
I was only power leveling the Echigoya staff to improve their base stats, mostly stamina, to help them handle their difficult work, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
They might end up learning some pointless skills along the way, but I’d warned them to start studying and practicing anything they found interesting a few days in advance, so it would likely be fine.
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