Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Raising the Lowest-Ranked Adventurer, the Heroic Girl – Wasn’t I Just a Substitute Old Man?

Volume 3 Chapter 21   Anomaly and discomfort

“Should we take a rest for a bit?”

“Even if we rest, it’s hard to relax in a place like this.”

“Don’t worry. This container has a barrier function.”

As I said that, I fiddled with the storage container carried by Asada and activated the barrier.

It won’t last for a very long time, but it should hold for about thirty minutes.

“We seem to have enough magical energy, but physically, we’re reaching our limits around here.”

When I activated the barrier and conveyed that information, Kitahara, who had been in charge of the barrier until then, let out a deep breath and sat down on the spot. Seeing that, the other three also sat down, but judging from their appearance, it might be better to turn back at this point.

“Should we call it quits here?”

“…It seems like a good time, doesn’t it? Considering it will take twice the time to return from here.”

Miyano, who had just witnessed someone’s death from a distance and had a slightly somber tone in her voice, responded, but she quickly switched gears and her responses were still firm.

“How about you guys?”

“Well, um… I think it’s fine.”

“Agreed.”

“I’m in favor too.”

“Alright then, Miyano, Asada, remove the lid of that one and place it outside the barrier. If you do it one by one, we can collect the raindrops without deactivating the barrier.”

Following my words, we started collecting the raindrops from Asada’s container first by placing it outside the barrier.

“Do we need to sort them by color or shape?”

“We can, but… do you want to? For this?”

There’s no difference in taste based on the color. It’s just the taste of plain sugar.

There might be differences in colors and shapes, but it doesn’t really matter. In fact, having a variety of colors would be better, I think.

There might be variations in magical energy infused into them, but since we’re selling them to the general public, there’s no need to worry about it.

Besides, it’s such a hassle to sort through thousands or tens of thousands of them. I have no motivation to do it. If someone wants to do it, they can do it without me, for sure.

“…Maybe we don’t need to do it after all?”

“I guess not.”

As Asada made a displeased face while looking at the accumulating candy inside the large commercial storage unit, she shook her head.

And once that storage container was full, we activated the barrier on the commercial unit and started collecting the raindrops from the container Miyano brought by placing it outside the barrier.

“Alright then, let’s head back. Abe, you’ll take over as the umbrella carrier for the second half, right?”

“That’s right. Leave it to me.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After finishing the collection and taking a short break, everyone stood up, and Miyano and Asada readjusted the storage containers on their backs.

“Alright, everyone. We’re halfway there, so let’s give it our all!”

“Are we walking again? This dungeon, I feel like the biggest enemy is the travel time, isn’t it?”

I agree. Seriously, the travel time is tiresome. Well, if we compare it to the danger zone where enemies appear, which one is better? It’s a tough call.

“Wait a minute.”

“Mizuki? What’s wrong?”

“A car?”

However, as we stood up and prepared to return, we looked around as a precaution, and that’s when Miyano exclaimed.

“It’s not a car… Did I mistake something?”

“What do you mean?”

If it was just a car passing by, it would be fine, but Miyano’s strange demeanor gave me an uneasy feeling, and I involuntarily asked with a stern voice.

“Um, well, I felt like I saw something floating in that direction that resembled a squid.”

“A squid? Not the kites they fly in the sky during New Year’s, but a sea squid?”

“Yes, that squid. But maybe I mistook—”

“Everyone, stay alert.”

The moment I heard Miyano’s words, I slightly crouched down and urged everyone to be on guard.

…Could it be happening again? Another anomaly? If that’s the case, it’s just too much, damn it!

“What are we going to do?”

“There’s nothing, though?”

Despite my inner thoughts, Miyano and the others reacted to my words and assumed a defensive posture. However, after a while with no signs of anything, they began to relax.

No, is Miyano still somewhat cautious? But it seems like she’s not as focused as usual and appears to have a sense of unease.

“There are no squids in this dungeon. I’ve told you before, there’s only one type of monster in this dungeon. You should have researched that too.”

Even if there’s the slightest hint of an anomaly, I’ve taught them to remain fully alert until the cause becomes clear.

Are they getting overconfident just because they survived encounters with high-level monsters and the school attack?

If that’s the case, it’s a problem. I must have taught them the wrong way.

However, I’ll think about that later. Right now, the priority is to deal with the current situation.

“Besides, I haven’t heard any discussions about launching something into the sky, and there are no adventurers who would do such a thing.”

“But isn’t it more likely that it was just a mistake? Considering the rain and all.”

…? What’s wrong? Something feels off.

Even though I’m so cautious, is Asada the kind of person who would still argue?

It’s not a problem to have a different opinion. I don’t consider my own opinion to be supreme or anything.

However, even though they usually pester me, would they let their guard down in a situation like this?

They may have their flaws, but they should be reliable in critical moments like this, shouldn’t they?

“If it’s just a mistake, then so be it. But what if there really is a flying squid?”

“Irregular.”

With my statement, they seemed to understand why I was being cautious. Triggered by Abe’s words, their previous relaxation disappeared, and they became alert to their surroundings.

“There’s a possibility… If that’s the case, Asada and Miyano, be ready to abandon that idea and switch to attacking immediately. And, I’m sorry, but I need to rely on Kitahara to continue being the rear guard. Abe, make sure you can attack while being cautious of any accidental contact.”

“Yes.”

They responded in unison, and I believed that I had restored their vigilance. However, an indescribable unease and restlessness swirled within my chest.

I need to keep my focus sharp, don’t I?

…No, with Miyano and the others here, I should be able to manage as long as we survive.

“Now, the question is what to do next.”

“Aren’t we going to run away?”

“But don’t we need to go and see? If it’s an anomaly, we have to inform the guild, right?”

Personally, I wouldn’t mind following Miyano’s suggestion to escape, and I’ve taught them to do just that. However, this time, there are circumstances that make it impossible to do so.

“Ah, what to do in case of a problem depends on the situation. But in the current situation, my plan is to go and investigate first. If it seems like we can defeat it, we’ll fight. If it seems impossible, we’ll escape in that instant.”

“Huh? …Why would you do that? In times like these, we should run away…”

“Yeah, I’d like to say the same, but it’s not that simple.”

Miyano’s face momentarily showed a puzzled expression in response to my answer, but then it transformed into one of confusion.

Certainly, if it were the usual me, I would choose to flee. After all, their lives are at stake.

However, this time we can’t run away.

Well, it’s not that we can’t run away, but rather not running away would be more beneficial in the long run, or at least in the current situation, I don’t feel like fleeing.

…What do I mean by “I don’t feel like it”? Even talking about myself, I’m not being clear about it.

“As I mentioned before, if an irregularity appears, we need to report it to the guild. However, if we don’t have any details to provide, they might criticize us with comments like ‘despite being heroes’ and it will affect the guild’s evaluation and response. Regardless of whether we defeat it or not, at the very least, we need to confirm the enemy’s appearance to make future actions easier.”

“Well, that sounds bothersome. It means more trouble, doesn’t it? We already have enough annoying things to deal with sometimes.”

“Yeah, I agree. Less trouble is always better.”

“Well, as long as we just go and take a look before returning, it should be fine, right?”

Asada, Kitahara, and Abe seemed to understand my perspective and nodded firmly.