I Said Make My Abilities Average! (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 59

Chapter 59:

Leatoria Returns 

“You deceived me!” 

One day, as the Crimson Vow headed into the guildhall to see what was up on the job board for the day, a little girl came rushing their way, red in the face and screaming. 

“Oh, Miss Leatoria…” 

Indeed, it was the young daughter of Baron Aura, Leatoria. 

“You said that you were going to be my friend, so why haven’t you come to visit me at all?! Plus, I heard that I could register as a D-rank hunter!” 

“Oh no! She found out!” 

“I registered as a hunter! I’m the D-rank magic war club wielder, Leatoria the Crusher! You better remember my name!” 

“What the heck is thaaaaaaaat?!?!” 

A war club. It was a six or eight-sided rod, originally made out of a dense wood like yew but later covered in metal plates or 

made entirely out of metal. The all-metal versions were incredibly heavy and difficult to handle even for an extremely powerful wielder, so there were limits to how long or thick they could be. Yet somehow, the one in Leatoria’s hands was made fully of metal, with a length and girth that was completely out of proportion to a small girl’s hands, and countless hideous-looking bumps protruding from it. 

Unconsciously, Mile suddenly began to sing to herself, as the theme song of a particular anime came to mind. “Pi-piru, pirupiru…” 

Behind Leatoria was Bundine, his face looking utterly pained, along with a maid who was by all appearances a completely normal person, wearing leather armor that did not suit her at all and looking as if she was about to cry. 

No, well, that was a bit of an understatement—she was actually crying. Under what looked like hand-me-down leather armor, she was still wearing the uniform garb of the Aura household, frilled headband and all, even as she held a staff. Perhaps she had some magical ability and so had been conscripted by the baron into accompanying his daughter—as someone who might take care of Leatoria’s daily affairs, and, should it come down to that, serve as a human shield. 

“That’s terrible!!!” the Crimson Vow cried as this last thought occurred to them. 

If the baron had indeed ordered the maid to accompany Leatoria, then that was clearly some sort of violation of contract. However, none of them could imagine the baron actually doing such a thing, which meant that this young woman had probably volunteered herself—though whether she had truly volunteered of her own free will or had no choice but to volunteer was unclear. 

No matter how good a person he might have been, a noble was still a noble. It was only natural that he would value the life of his own daughter over that of a peasant in his employ. 

“If that’s the case, then he should have just told his daughter to give up on it from the staaaaaaaaaaaart!!!” Reina shouted to the universe. Everyone in the hall who overheard her nodded in agreement—including Bundine the butler and the weeping maid herself. 

“Leatoria,” said Mavis, a serious expression upon her face, “there’s something I would like to ask you. Do you mind?” 

“S-sure. What is it?” 

Silence fell across the guildhall. Mavis’s voice rang out loud and clear. 

“How did you get a nickname so soon after joining the Guild? Tell me!” 

“What the hell kind of a question is thaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!” 

*** 

Several minutes later, Leatoria, Bundine, the young maid, and the members of the Crimson Vow sat in the Guild’s snack corner. The seats around them were unusually full, and everyone was listening attentively rather than conducting conversations of their own. 

“Anyway, if you don’t want this maid to begin to resent Leatoria, I suggest you send her back home,” finished Reina. 

Bundine nodded and signaled to the maid with his chin. The maid rose and bowed her head respectfully to Reina and then flew from the room like a bat out of hell. Apparently, even Bundine thought that her presence was a tad unnecessary. 

“So, what are you going to do now…?” 

This was as far as anyone had planned. 

“Well, obviously,” said Leatoria, “I’m going to become a member of the Crimson Vow and work my hardest to be a strong hunter!” 

“Ah, of course…” 

The four members of the Crimson Vow were at their wits’ end. If you counted Bundine, that made five people in this position, and if you added everyone in the Aura household, there were plenty more. And then, when you considered the trouble it would cause to send a noble’s young daughter straight to her death, the number expanded to include every guild employee, from the guild master down to the clerks. 

The whole debacle really had nothing to do with the regular hunters, though. Unlike Mile, none of them would even think to lay a hand upon the daughter of a noble. If any of them were to ever dare, heads would roll. And in this world, of course, such expressions were not figurative but quite literal. 

Actually, if a noble’s daughter were to join the Crimson Vow, it would make it that much harder for anyone to make passes at the rest of the party. That was yet another vexing aspect of the situation. 

“But,” said Mile, “we’re a party from another country in the midst of a journey of self-improvement through other lands. So I mean, there’s a chance that we’ll be leaving this city—in fact, even leaving this country—fairly soon… I mean, I’m sure that the baron would never permit that, would he?” 

Leatoria just smirked. 

“My father has no power over me. He could never stand up to my secret technique!” 

Mile reflexively looked to Bundine, who nodded, his brow wrinkled and a somber expression upon his face. By “secret technique,” she surely meant that—the ultimate surprise weapon, which Mavis had used in the battle against her older brother. There was no mistaking the fact that it must be something along those lines. 

The members of the Crimson Vow began to ponder other excuses. For one, there was the fact that they were a fairly exceptional party. No normal person would ever be able to keep up with them…but then Leatoria was by no means “normal,” was she? So that was another argument gone. 

“Well, I mean, what we’re saying is, we’re technically stationed back in the Kingdom of Tils, and we’ll have to go back there at some point soon. You have a home and a family here, don’t you…?” Mavis asked. 

Leatoria appeared unmoved. “I have older brothers and sisters, so I might be married off to someone in another country anyway. And if making the acquaintance of you and Mile gets me closer to marrying into a noble household, then that’s a cause for celebration! Otherwise, the third daughter of a baron who already has sons to inherit his title is no better than a commoner. It would be a step up just for me to worm my way into the arms of some influential merchant, bureaucrat or some high-ranking military officer. That’s about as far as my station will carry me.” 

Apparently, she still had no idea of her true value. She was the beautiful daughter of a noble, and she could use combat magic. As she was even now, she could easily catch the eye of a count or even a marquis. 

“………” 

Leatoria was formidable. And by all accounts she had more or less made up her mind. Why was she so determined to join up with the Crimson Vow? 

If she were a normal girl, it would be impossible. She would never be able to keep up with their traveling speed, combat ability, level of confidentiality… There really were a million and one issues. However, Leatoria had decent magical ability and apparently could use several different varieties of spells. Plus, for some reason, since her recovery from her illness, her physical strength and endurance had drastically increased, and if she wielded a weapon that required little finesse—such as something of the bludgeoning-type—she could be quite a formidable contender in close-range combat. It was also true that she would never break the trust of the Crimson Vow. They had saved her life, and being still as young and pure as she was, her pride as a noble would never allow for such a betrayal. 

Nevertheless, the members of the Crimson Vow were not prepared to let her in just like that. 

The Crimson Vow was a party of four bosom companions, joined at the soul—Mile, Reina, Mavis, and Pauline. That was something that nothing and no one could take away from them… 

The four desperately wracked their brains. 

Ka-cling. 

Just then, the doorbell chimed and another rather unique party walked through the door. 

“Oh, if it isn’t the Crimson Vow! How have you all been holding up?” 

“I mean…y’all know how it goes…” the members of the Crimson Vow casually replied. 

Apparently, some of the language from Mile’s strange stories was starting to rub off on them. 

“Wh-what sort of phrasing is that?” The Servants of the Goddess appeared rather taken aback. 

That’s it!!!! 

Suddenly, all at once, the four members of the Crimson Vow came to the same conclusion—a rather wicked one. 

“Hey guys, I’ve got a proposal for you…” Mile said, rising from her seat and rushing over to the Servants, dragging them to a spot a short way from the snack corner. 

“H-hey! Don’t pull so hard! We’re coming already!” 

“Would you come here a moment?” asked Mavis, tugging at Bundine’s sleeve. 

“Huh? Wha…? What’s going—?” 

Reina and Pauline stepped in, keeping the apparently oblivious Leatoria distracted with a bit of conversation. She was an easy mark. Leatoria’s eyes sparkled as the three of them had a lively talk concerning tips and tricks for new hunters. 

“What is it?” Telyusia asked suspiciously. 

“Actually, I think this should be a welcome proposal for you. The only mage you have among the Servants is Lacelina, right? So your back line is spread a little thin, isn’t it?” Mile asked. 

“W-well, I suppose that’s true…” Telyusia replied, a bit hesitantly, glancing furtively Lacelina’s way. 

In their party of five, they had only one mage. Well, in fact, there were plenty of parties who had no mages at all, so to complain about having only one was in somewhat poor taste. The Crimson Vow, in which three out of the four party members were mages, was an anomaly. In fact, their front line was lacking, which put their balance way out of whack—or at least, it would have under any normal circumstances. 

In any event, Lacelina, who was still a D-rank, was not that strong. As previously stated, she was what might politely be called an “all-purpose” mage, but she was utterly lacking in powerful combat abilities. Even if she only supported the others on a utility level, the danger of her overusing her magic and running out was far too high. Yet without Lacelina’s assistance, the combined strength of the Servants of the Goddess, who were not particularly strong as individuals, would drop immensely. They were all aware of this particular weakness of theirs. 

However, no matter how aware she was of this fact, Telyusia kept her words non-committal, not wanting to say anything that would imply that Lacelina was anything less than capable… 

“What if I were to tell you there was a lovely 14-year-old mage who just became a hunter but was allowed to skip to D-rank… And in fact, since she’s proficient in several types of combat magic, her ability is more on par with a C-rank hunter. She also has a fair bit of physical strength for a mage, so she can both serve as a porter and contribute to close-range combat. She has a house in this city, and her family has already recognized her desire to be a hunter… Might you have any use for a girl like that?” 

The response from all five was emphatic and loud: 

“We’ll take heeeeeeeeerr!!!!!” 

Meanwhile, Mavis gave Bundine the rundown on the Servants of the Goddess. 

They were a party of all women who had clawed their way up from E-rank, never once losing a person to withdrawal, injury, or death in their whole run so far. There was a D-rank mage who was likely close to Leatoria in age, and the others were not much older, so she would fit in swimmingly. 

Unlike the Crimson Vow, the Servants were a reliable, more orthodox sort of party, so traveling with them would be far safer—and far more beneficial to Leatoria’s development—than traveling with the Vow. 

And, above all, the Servants were a stationary group, firmly settled in the capital… 

Bundine already thought very highly of the Crimson Vow’s abilities, but no one outside of the Guild yet knew of the incidents with the demons and the kidnappers and such. Moreover, he had yet to witness their combat strength with his own eyes. Thus, while he found their knowledge, wit, and sense of justice to be incredibly admirable, he had no way of knowing how that very particular knowledge translated to their skill in battle. 

Plus, even if he did know how strong they truly were, Bundine still thought of Leatoria as a weak and sickly young maiden, and he worried that, should she end up surrounded by individuals much stronger than her, she would be crushed by her own sense of helplessness. 

Compare this to the prospect of an all-female party with plenty of experience who always protected their allies, had a mage at the same level as Leatoria, and moreover, were stationed here in town. As far as Bundine—nay, the entire Aura household—was concerned, the choice was obvious. 

The idea of Leatoria joining a party that included men and sleeping out in the open, in a coed environment, was something that the Baron could not abide. As a result, both he and Bundine had thought it would be preferable for her to go out in the company of the trustworthy members of the Crimson Vow—however, considering how much the Vow moved around, the Servants of the Goddess really were a far better choice. If every member of the Vow gave the Servants their endorsement, then surely they must be equally trustworthy. 

“They’re a good bunch,” Mavis explained. “They took on the job of rescuing a young girl with only one silver as pay, and their leader even put herself in front of a magical attack to protect our Reina.” 

Bundine was shocked. That wasn’t good-heartedness—it was practically stupidity. But even so, no one had been killed or seriously injured. 

The Crimson Vow had come into town just the other day, so this incident would have to have been very recent. And yet, there did not appear to be any casualties among the parties—not even minor injuries. Which meant that they were strong enough that even a magical attack was nothing to them. 

The Servants of the Goddess had defended the Crimson Vow easily! What an incredible party! 

“If you can ask them,” he replied, “please do so!” 

“…And, their leader, Telyusia, is incredible. She’s so mature, and a wonderful person. She saved my life! I think that their mage, Lacelina, is the same age as you, too. I’m pretty sure she’s a D-rank, the same as you, too. Of course, she had to work her way up to that rank from the bottom. Hmm. Actually, mages usually get to skip a rank, so if she didn’t start as a D-rank, I suppose that means she began at E?” 

Reina recounted as much of their recent adventure to Leatoria as she could without lying. Naturally, Pauline chimed in as well. 

“Wow, they sound amazing!” Leatoria said, audibly impressed. 

Reina and Pauline looked on with smiles…wide, wicked smiles. 

Mile and Mavis then brought both the Servants and Bundine back to the corner and pulled together the neighboring tables and chairs so that they could all speak as a group. 

The hunters seated at those neighboring tables picked up on the situation and quickly cleared the space. 

“You’re Miss Leatoria, correct? We’re the C-rank party, the Servants of the Goddess. I’m Telyusia, the leader. Nice to meet you!” 

“Y-yes, I am! It’s lovely to meet you!” 

Leatoria’s voice rose unnaturally. Of course, she couldn’t help it when she suddenly found herself sitting before a powerful hunter, the leader of a party who had been so talked up by Reina and Pauline. 

Mile had already shared quite a bit of information about Leatoria with the Servants. She rattled off a number of details and then explained that she had not yet suggested to Leatoria that she join up with them, since it would be more natural if the invitation came from the party in question. 

Of course, she also explained to them that Leatoria really wished to join the Crimson Vow and offered some ideas about how the Servants of the Goddess might cajole her. 

“You see, our party already has three mages, with only Mavis on the front line…” 

“Ah…” 

The Servants of the Goddess understood at once. No one had ever heard of a party with four backline mages and only one frontline fighter. Not that a party with a three-to-one ratio was any less unprecedented, of course. But at any rate, there was no doubt in any of their minds that a hopeful young newcomer could not possibly join up with the Crimson Vow. 

And so the battle for the future of the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess—and the peace of mind of the Aura household—began. 

“So, Leatoria, I hear that you just recently registered as a hunter?” 

“Y-yes! I got to skip, so I’m a D-rank! The officials told me that even though my skill as a mage was on par with a C-rank and my close-range combat ability with my war club is C-rank as well, I don’t have any of the knowledge or sensibilities that a hunter would. Without any experience fighting monsters or people on the battlefield, I had to start off as a D-rank…” 

At this, the eyes of four of the Servants sparkled wildly. They had already heard this much from Mile. Leatoria was without a doubt, quite the delectable prize…er, party candidate. 

“This really takes me back. I remember when we first registered as hunters and formed the Servants of the Goddess…” 

Telyusia had deftly managed to transition the conversation to a self-introduction. Through one anecdote after another, she told of the party’s strengths, naturally conveying their group’s appeal. 

That’s an older person’s wisdom for you!!! thought Mile, Mavis, and Pauline, all quite impressed. 

Reina, meanwhile, softly said, “That’s big sis for you!” 

Aghast, the other three exchanged looks, wondering, Who the heck are you?!?! 

When the time finally seemed right, Telyusia let loose the decisive phrase: 

“Leatoria, won’t you join us, the Servants of the Goddess?” 

H-here it is!!! 

The Crimson Vow watched nervously, wringing their hands. Leatoria was speechless at this sudden, unimaginable invitation. 

“Huh? Well, I’m really glad that you would want me, but I’m going to join up with my friends, the Crimson Vow…” she replied as she came back to her senses. 

Naturally, Telyusia was prepared for this reply. She looked to the Crimson Vow, and with a smile, she asked, “Won’t you let us have Miss Leatoria?” 

“She’s all yours!” they all said. 

“Huh…?” 

Leatoria seemed a bit taken aback at this reply. Quickly, Mavis provided an explanation. 

“Ah, well, uh, you see, three-quarters of our party’s already made of mages, right? If you joined, that’d make four mages, with me as the only swordswoman, which is kind of, yeah…” 

“Nnh…” 

Leatoria, who had no idea that Mile formed a part of the front line as well—and who still had yet to confirm whether she would truly be able to contribute as a melee weapon wielder beyond simply a “mage who happened to be able to hold a bludgeoning weapon”—was unable to provide a rebuttal. 

Honestly, the only value of her war club-wielding ability was pure destructive power; she hadn’t the slightest fraction of actual technical skill. She had smashed through her sparring opponent’s practice sword and struck them down. She had crashed into another’s shield and blown them away, striking them into the wall. 

A win was a win, but she still could not think of herself as particularly adept with a weapon. Even Leatoria herself recognized that the war club was nothing more than a means of self-defense. 

Reina and Pauline went on to explain that the Crimson Vow were going to be traveling across the land after their stop here, whereas the Servants were going to be staying in this town, meaning that it was probably better for Leatoria to choose the group that would allow her to stay close to her family. And then, Telyusia landed the finishing blow. 

“Leatoria, you wanted to join the Crimson Vow so that you’d have friends, right?” 

“Y-yes. They’re my first ever friends, so…” 

Telyusia smiled wide. “It’s true that if you joined the Crimson Vow, you would have four friends. But, if you joined up with us, you would have five new friends who would always be by your side. And the four friends you had before would still be your friends, too. Plus, you could stop at home whenever you like…” 

“Oh…” Leatoria’s jaw hung wide. She was utterly lost for words. 

She’s good!!! The members of the Crimson Vow and Bundine were all astonished at Telyusia’s skill. 

As far as Leatoria was concerned, the members of the Crimson Vow were her benefactors, the ones who had cured her of her illness. However, it had really only been a few days since she had first met them, and they had spoken no more than a total of several hours in total. Anyway, it was not as if they had even ever done anything together beyond sitting on beds and chairs and talking. 

Sure enough, while she thought of them as her “first ever friends,” in truth, they were merely the first girls her age whom she had gotten to sit and talk with. Thus, it wasn’t as though the whole thing was really a matter of Crimson Vow or bust. 

Lacelina gently reached out her hand and grabbed Leatoria’s. 

Tasha smiled. 

“We need you, Leatoria…” Willine whispered sincerely. 

“Stand by our side and become the pride of our land, your family, your companions, and all those who live under the Baron’s rule!” said Philly, giving a big thumbs-up. 

“I… I-I-I…” 

Do it do it do iiiiiiiit!!! 

The bystanders, who had been watching the proceedings with interest, could practically hear the hearts of both parties screaming. 

“I’ll do it! I’ll join the Servants of the Goddess!” 

“Welcome to the party, Leatoria! We’re so happy to have you!!!” they all shouted. 

“Hooray!!!” the Crimson Vow cheered. 

“Yeah!!!” cried the hunters and guild employees who had been listening in, the whole room raising their voices joyously in unison. 

The guild staff were particularly overjoyed to see this young noble joining a party that would be free from the worries of coed living and one in which the danger of a newbie dying an early death was as low as it could be. It was an exceptional load off of their minds. Behind them, Bundine was nodding emphatically as well. 

Mile seemed to be joyful for a slightly different reason. Thank goodness she fell for it! 

Mavis was thinking something cruel. All right! We got away! 

We let a real moneymaker get away here. This seems like a bit of a waste… Pauline was her usual self. 

The Servants really are the much better party for Leatoria’s sake. As long as Telyusia’s there, there’s no doubting that… 

For some reason, Reina was the only earnest one. 

All the loose ends were tied up nicely. This was a good result for everyone—no one got the short end of the stick. If only everything could go this smoothly, Mile started to think. But just then… 

“Oh yes! I forgot to tell you!” said Bundine abruptly. “We’re holding a celebration in honor of Lady Leatoria’s recovery! We would like for you, the Crimson Vow, as well as Lady Leatoria’s new friends, the Servants of the Goddess, to be in attendance…” 

That was the promise made to the citizens who had lent Bundine money—and besides, people would be seeing a lot more of Leatoria, happy and healthy, around town from here on out. Plus, between starting work as a hunter, and the many hats that the daughter of a noble was required to wear, she was only going to get busier and busier. If such a celebration were to be held, there was no time like the present. 

Provided she was not bedridden with illness, the daughter of a noble was, in fact, quite busy with a variety of tasks—so much so that one might call it a career. She was expected to study a variety of disciplines, memorize the histories and coats of arms and other miscellany regarding every noble household in the land, learn the names, lineages, and hierarchies of every royal and noble, pursue general studies, and become accomplished in the arts…and she was expected to master each of these pursuits perfectly. 

Fortunately—or as fortunately as could be under the circumstances—Leatoria had had plenty of time to study while stuck in her room as a result of her illness. Thus, her skills were already well beyond what was expected of her age. Then again, a noble’s work was never truly done… 

“Hm? Leatoria, you were sick?” Telyusia asked worriedly. 

Flustered, Leatoria quickly waved her hands in front of her face. 

“No, no, it’s fine! I’m completely cured now! We know the cause, too, so there’s no chance of a relapse. I’m fit as a fiddle! And it’s all thanks to the Crimson Vow!” 

“Oh, is that so? That’s go…od…” 

Telyusia trailed off, her expression suddenly going dark. 

“You were cured by the Crimson Vow…were you?” 

Indeed, she remembered hearing a story like this very recently. 

“D-d-d-d-don’t tell me. She’s…” 

The cat’s out of the bag, Mile thought. The illusion had been broken. 

“Yes. You are speaking to Lady Leatoria von Aura, the daughter of Baron Aura.” 

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!” 

Indeed, up to this point, the Servants of the Goddess had no idea that Leatoria was a noble. They had just missed meeting the maid, and while her appearance clearly gave the impression of a well-off young maiden, they had merely assumed that Leatoria was the daughter of a middle-class merchant or something along those lines. Even then, they would have guessed she was nothing more than a third daughter or perhaps the daughter of a mistress—someone who would rank fairly low in the line of inheritance. If she wasn’t, there was no way that her family wouldn’t have put a stop to her dreams of becoming a hunter. In other words, the Servants had assumed she was a child who her family could have easily been able to spare. 

And since she was, of course, a beauty, they had assumed that there must be some other factors that further offset her value beyond simply her rank. Was she perhaps a bit soft in the head or…? 

For a hunter, the advantages of a party was such that one member might make up for the shortcomings of another, so as long as you were skilled in combat, you were fine—within reason, anyway. However, for the daughter of a merchant, even the slightest flaw might be the kiss of death. 

Anyway, no one would ever imagine a noble daughter in existence who could wield an all-metal war club. And so, the Servants of the Goddess had assumed Bundine must be merely a retainer or a clerk who had come along to accompany the supposed merchant’s daughter. 

Now, it was all becoming clear. A butler would never accompany a daughter of a mistress. Leatoria was the Baron’s legitimate daughter. 

“Y-you set us up…” Telyusia said, glaring at Mile, who had purposely failed to offer up any information regarding Leatoria’s family. 

At the same time, Mile had not told a single lie—and it remained true that Leatoria possessed all of the elements that the Servants desired. Therefore, the Crimson Vow felt no guilt in the slightest. Even if Mile had told them who Leatoria was from the start, the Servants probably still would have taken her in. They were just that sort of party, after all. 

And so, Mile merely whistled, averting her gaze from Telyusia’s glare… 

*** 

Several days later, a celebration of the recovery of Leatoria von Aura was held at the Aura family’s capital residence. 

Besides the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess, the invited guests included a number of commoners—in other words, the people who had donated money to Bundine back during the incident with the merchant. They had been promised as much, after all. 

Normally, the family would have been making preparations for Leatoria’s proper debut into society: her debutante ball, which was already a year late. They would be inviting acquainted nobles and sharing the good news of her restored health. However, under current conditions, if word of her combat magic ability, her health, her enhanced strength and stamina, and her pure and innocent beauty, on par with that of a goddess (her father’s assessment always added about fifty percent) started to get out, nobles of influence would come breaking down the doors to force proposals on her, and the moment she turned fifteen, she would doubtless be whisked off into marriage. Frightened of this prospect, the Baron had firmly declined to introduce her more widely. 

And of course, there was not a single person in the Aura household who objected to this approach. 

So that these commoners, who had little concept of what went on at noble gatherings, would not find themselves lost, the Baron had suggested that they include only things with which their guests would be familiar. However, Bundine refused. These commoners were expecting to experience a noble’s celebration—something new and exciting. What did the Baron think would happen if they didn’t give them what they wanted to see? 

Bundine was right, of course, so the Baron consented and set about preparing a party fit for nobles. 

“Whoooooooaaaaaa!!!” 

The invitees, who included the owners of businesses both medium and small, raised a cry of astonishment at entering the ballroom of a noble household, the likes of which they had never seen before, and taking in the sight of the splendid dishes that were lined up upon the banquet tables. 

Among nobles, a baron was more or less the lowest of the low—and in fact, the food that he had put out was still cheaper than what would normally be served at a party. Yet there was still a clear enough difference between these dishes and the food of a commoner’s banquet for them to be surprised. 

That said, a real party thrown by nobility would also feature plenty of nobles talking and laughing and dancing, so the ballroom, mostly empty, was really little more than a big and fancily decorated room filled with lots of gourmet food. One simply could not think of inviting commoners to a party that was truly meant for other nobles. Honestly, what would the other noble families have thought? 

“Thank you truly, all of you, for lending my daughter, Leatoria, your strength…” said the baron’s wife, lifting the hem of her skirt in a curtsy, followed by her eldest daughter, which was echoed by her second daughter, and then her third daughter, Leatoria herself. The baron’s eldest son offered a noble greeting as well, though the baron himself stood apart, smiling from a short distance away. 

Even so, for a commoner to be greeted by the wife, son, and daughters of a noble in such a manner was unthinkable. This was literally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, the first and last time they would ever witness such a scene. The invitees were all trembling with emotion. 

“It seems to be going well…” 

“Yeah, Lady Aura and the others are really giving it their all.” 

“At this rate, I’m confident that the house of Aura will come to be thought of as good nobles, who are sincere and keep their promises even with the common folk. Plus, tales of this day are going to be told over and over again, all over the place. Nothing like this has ever happened before, so the rumors are sure to spread widely. Which means that, one of these days, the rumors that the Aura family are allies of the common man might even reach the palace…” 

Indeed, just as Mile implied, the growing reputation of the Auras as a family who truly valued common folk might in fact prove to be of use to them someday. After discussing this with Mavis and Pauline, she decided to go and convey the sentiment to the baron, his wife, and his children. 

The Auras truly were thankful for all of the people who had helped them out in the incident with the medicine. As such, hosting this party was both in their own self-interest and a genuine act of gratitude. 

“Thank you so much, everyone! My good health is all thanks to you!” Leatoria said warmly, shaking each of the guests’ hands. 

Secretly, the baron was very reluctant to go along with this, but he plastered a forced grin upon his face as he stood watching. After all, no father in the world would be happy to see his daughter holding hands with strange men. 

“You all really did it this time, huh?” 

“Hm? We never lied to you, did we? This all turned out to be quite the boon for you, didn’t it?” 

“Ngh…” 

Later, the Crimson Vow and the Servants of the Goddess chatted with one another, stuffing food from overflowing plates into their mouths. 

The Servants had already made their introductions to the Aura family. Naturally, there was no way that the family could entrust their dear girl to anyone without scrutinizing them first. However, it seemed like they had safely obtained the family’s approval. 

Of course, Bundine had already told the family what he knew of the Servants, and a background check had been conducted via the Guild. The Baron was exactly the sort of father who would hire a private eye just to learn more about his daughter’s associates. 

The hunters could talk Leatoria’s ear off at any time they pleased, so for today, they left her to the other guests, content to chat among themselves as they scarfed down the delicious provisions. Leatoria had been informed of the same and instructed to give her all in entertaining the invitees. Without such instructions, she probably would have stuck to the hunters like glue. 

Still, Leatoria was no dummy, and she knew that she would have plenty of opportunities to spend time with her new friends from now on, so she dutifully followed her orders. 

Now, while the Servants of the Goddess talked among themselves, the Crimson Vow huddled in together as well, discussing in hushed voices. 

“It looks like we’ve cleared all the side quests in this town now…” 

At this point, the others understood perfectly well what Mile meant by “side quests.” They had gotten the general idea from the recurring elements that tended to pop up in her Japanese folktales. 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Mavis agreed. “Guess we should be rolling out soon.” 

The Crimson Vow was still a party on the move. It wasn’t as though they were hurrying forward, though they did strive for continual progress. If they didn’t take the time to stop and learn about each country they passed through, they would be little more than tourists. Thus, it made the most sense for them to stop and stay a while, understand what they could of the land, take on some exciting jobs, and build their reputation—not among the common folk, mind you, but among the guild staff and local hunters, at least. 

However, this still did not mean that they could stay indefinitely. If everyone in the region at least got to know them well enough, their reputation would remain, and they would be known as young hunters off on a journey of self-discipline. 

For these reasons, Mile and Mavis were beginning to suggest that it was time to go. 

“Oh?” Reina tittered. “I’m surprised, Mile, I thought you’d be all, ‘But, the catgirl! Let’s stay here a bit longer—scratch that, let’s stay forever!’” 

Pauline giggled in turn. “I was thinking the same…” 

“Wh… Well I was thinking that you would be saying, ‘Oh, but I can’t leave ‘big sis’ behind!’” 

“Wh-wh-wh-wha…?” Reina went red in the face at Mile’s unexpected retort. 

“Got something to say?!” 

“Do you?!” 

“Gnrrrrrrrrrrrrgh…” 

“Okay, okay, okay, okay!” 

Mavis hurriedly intervened. Naturally, as a daughter of a noble family, Mavis’s sensibilities would not permit such an argument to unfold at a formal party. The only area in which Mavis was lacking was when it came to things that were common knowledge to the masses. At least as far as most nobles would be concerned, she was a perfectly sensible individual—except, that is, for her exaggerated impression of the abilities of mages and knights, which had been shaped by various legends and the hyperbolic boasting of her brothers. 

As the party slowly separated into three groups—the commoners and the Aura family, the Crimson Vow, and the Servants of the Goddess—everyone talked, ate, and drank their fill, and the rest of the celebration went off without a hitch. 

Yes, as long as the invited guests got to speak with the daughter of a noble—and as long the two hunting parties got to eat delicious food until their bellies were bursting—everyone was happy. 

*** 

I still don’t know if I’m happy about this… 

As Leatoria spoke cheerfully with the merchant guests, a mildly troubling thought crossed her mind. 

She really had wanted to travel with the Crimson Vow. Thanks to her illness, she had thought that she was going to live the whole of her short life as a caged bird, and they were the ones who had come and flung open the doors, letting her fly out into the big, blue sky. 

I bet they spend their days on strange and exciting adventures—things that other hunting parties could never even dream of, she thought. They’re a mysterious, wonderful party. 

I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to travel with them, to be a member of that strange and marvelous party…but alas, that’s impossible. 

Among the four of them, there isn’t a niche for me. 

Plus, for someone like me, who can’t possibly abandon their home and family, there’s no benefit to my trying to go with them. Someday soon, I’ll be married off into some other household somewhere, so for the few short years that remain until then, the greatest freedom I can have, and the most valuable thing I can do, is to work from home as a commuting hunter. 

That’s why I decided to go along with their charade and join the Servants of the Goddess. It’s what everyone wants, and the most valuable choice that I can make right now. 

There’s no other path for someone without any special abilities—someone like me. 

Besides, it’s not like I hate the idea of joining up with the Servants. Unlike the members of the Crimson Vow, they’re all normal girls, doing their best, just like me. They’re a wonderful party. 

I have to make the most of these next few years. I have to give it my all and have lots of fun. And then, someday, when I meet up with the Crimson Vow again, I can tell them all about what the adventures of a “normal girl” are like… 

And so, the tale of Leatoria von Aura, a young noble maiden who thought of herself as a “normal girl,” began…