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 5 Chapter 41   New Year’s gatherings and early incidents

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After a successful Christmas and uneventful first shrine visit, today is January 2nd. I gathered with my former team members, just like the old times when we used to be a team, and we were having a drinking party in Yasu’s room.

This room is the largest and most suitable for making noise. After all, he’s from a wealthy family in a major corporation.

“It’s been a while since the four of us got together like this.”

“Yeah, true. It’s rare to do this kind of thing once we started working.”

“Even so, it’s not like we have a specific purpose for gathering, we’re just here to drink.”

“That’s what makes it great. Sometimes, humans need to unwind and relax like this.”

Absolutely. Even if we don’t have anything specific to talk about, just casually chatting like this helps us feel mentally at ease.

Unlike company-related gatherings like New Year’s parties, which can be bothersome, drinking with these guys, who are almost like family, is enjoyable.

“I need to unwind. I think there’s someone who really needs a break, right?”

While pondering about such things and sipping my drink, Yasu glanced at me and made that comment.

“Ah, the guy surrounded by high school girls.”

“It wouldn’t be a problem even if he got involved with them. I mean, it’s like a daily stress relief for him, and he doesn’t even need to look for extra relaxation.”

Hearing Yasu’s words, the other two joined in with smirks, glancing at me. But I have something to say about this.

“Don’t joke around. I’m the one who needs stress relief the most. Sure, I might be surrounded by high school girls, and they might have feelings for me, but believe me, it’s not as easy as it seems. Just recently, I lost my left arm and leg! Clearly, I have the most hardships here.”

That’s right. From an outsider’s perspective, it might look like an older guy having a blast with high school girls, but it’s not that simple.

Well, admittedly, I am indeed surrounded by high school girls who admire me, so that part isn’t entirely wrong. But there are risks involved too. During the school trip not long ago, I nearly died, even though the odds were in my favor.

“By the way, how the heck are you still alive after all you’ve been through? Facing multiple dragons and dealing with over a hundred terrorists. Why are you still here?”

Hiro asked, looking more astonished than before by my words. Well, I’m still alive because I don’t want to die, plain and simple.

“And, on top of that, even though you should be safer now, away from the danger of third-class dungeons, you’re getting more injured. What’s up with that?”

“That’s right. You’re making our concerns for you all in vain. What are you doing?”

“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose. If possible, I would have preferred to end things peacefully.”

“Of course, we understand that. You’d be just plain foolish if you willingly jumped into danger and then complained about it.”

Yasu said that and laughed, taking a sip of his drink.

“Well, have a drink. I’ll listen to your complaints, so go ahead and share them.”

Hiro urged, holding his glass towards me, prompting me to take a drink. I sighed lightly and then brought the glass to my lips, tilting it back.

“…But, hey, aren’t you worried about getting involved in a problem that will determine the fate of the world?”

As Kei spoke those words while taking a sip, my movements paused for a moment.

I’ve encountered various problems before, and some of them would be considered not just third-class but even special-class issues that don’t come easily.

However, even if they were highly unlikely occurrences, they were still within the realm of common sense. It was like rolling a twenty-sided dice and getting a one ten times in a row.

…I thought it might sound a bit concerning when I said it, like a crazy probability, but I didn’t dwell on it.

Sure, the chances were astronomically low, but it’s merely a matter of encountering events that are at least possible within the bounds of common sense.

But the fate of the world? That’s not something within the scope of common sense. It doesn’t exist within the realm of what is considered reasonable, so it’s impossible to encounter it.

It’s like rolling a twenty-sided dice and getting a twenty-one. An absurdly impossible probability. Frankly, it’s zero.

“There’s no way that could happen, seriously.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Huh? Of course, I do. It’s not like someone like me would get involved in an issue that affects the whole world… It’s just not possible, right?”

But, upon further reflection, considering the extraordinary probabilities I’ve encountered so far, I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I could also stumble upon something that defies common sense. However, I quickly shook my head to dismiss the thought and took another sip of my drink.

“You paused for a moment there.”

“You thought that might be a possibility, didn’t you?”

I didn’t think that at all. Absolutely not. So, there’s no way any problems like that will ever arise.

“Is our next enemy a god?”

“A god, huh? You mean the kind of god who’d curse someone with a twisted fate like this guy?”

“If we manage to defeat a god, make sure to bring me the loot. I’ll buy it at a high price, so sell it to me.”

“First of all, can we please deny any future where we have to fight against gods…?”

I can’t imagine taking on a god. What am I, some incomprehensible existence facing off against a god—oh.

…Come to think of it, when I went to the shrine with Miyano and the others for the New Year’s visit, I might have picked a fight with a god, in a way.

Wait, hold on, that’s not right. Probably, yeah. I mean, it was nothing serious, and even if there were a god or something like that, they’d forgive me, right?

“There’s nothing to deny.”

“Well, in the end, you’ll come back, no matter how much you get dragged into things. ‘The Survivor’ is not just a title for show.”

‘The Survivor,’ huh?

I never thought I did anything particularly special. I just desperately wanted to stay alive because I didn’t want to die.

As a result, I ended up with such a name, but it’s not like I want to be relied upon just because of that. I’m just a third-class adventurer, not a hero.

“That’s right. Instead of worrying about useless things, it’s better to worry about other matters.”

Hey, don’t call it useless. I’m anxious about whether something will happen from now on, you know.

“What other matters, for example?”

“Oh, right… How about the matter of my daughter’s awakening?”

“How old is she now at your place?”

“She just turned four recently.”

“Oh, congratulations!”

“Thanks. So, about my daughter—”

Well, even if I were to get caught up in a fuss about fighting gods or determining the fate of the world, I have no intention of neglecting preparations. However, the truth is, worrying about things that haven’t happened yet is pointless, even if there are signs of it happening.

So, for now, let’s enjoy this time together, making noise and having fun.

And from tomorrow onwards, let’s work hard so we can gather again next year.

──◆◇◆◇──

The new year arrived, and Miyano and the others finished their winter break, but nothing significant happened afterward.

After having a series of events in October and November not too long ago, it felt a bit unsettling to have several months pass without anything happening. But that’s okay. This is normal. This is what normalcy feels like. Peaceful moments are truly wonderful.

So, time passed with nothing particular occurring, and it was now April. Miyano and the other three became third-year students.

“But what about the cultural festival in June? What are we going to do this year?”

“The cultural festival, huh… Don’t ask me. It should be decided by you guys, the students. After all, you’re the main actors, right?”

However, that’s precisely why. Since the last incident and the warning we received, our vigilance had somewhat relaxed.

Of course, we took precautions in case another incident occurred. As we discussed before, these guys obtained new equipment, and I even depleted my savings to prepare some over-the-top tools I probably won’t even use. We also engaged in training, though it might seem a bit ridiculous for someone my age.

But even with all that, the fact that nothing happened for several months did have an impact.

“That’s true, but you, Igami-san, are part of the group too, so we can’t just ignore you, can we?”

“Besides, if we don’t have someone to coordinate, we’ll probably go off the rails.”

“If you know that, then stop”

“I can’t. I’d probably go off the rails too.”

“…If you know that, then stop Seriously.”

And then…

“Huh! Hey!”

“Huh!?”

As if taking advantage of our momentary lapse in vigilance, the unexpected happened.

During the lunch break at school, we were casually chatting in the cafeteria without any particular purpose. Suddenly, we all sensed that familiar ominous feeling and instinctively stood up.

Not only I reacted, but also Abe, who seemed to hear something falling, as she quickly stood up, knocking over her chair. It appeared that she, too, sensed the abnormality, and her expression turned grim.

“What… What’s going on?”

“Wait. Could this reaction mean…”

“Another gate?”

Seeing our reactions, Asada looked slightly bewildered for a moment, but she quickly shifted to a serious expression and asked.

And once she realized that something abnormal was happening from our responses, Miyano and Kitahara followed up with their own questions.

But it was too late. If they were seriously on guard, they would have reacted immediately after observing our responses, standing up, and reaching for their backup weapons.

Indeed, it seemed like they also had their guards down.

“Perhaps.”

“I’m not sure if it’s a gate, but I sense something unpleasant. Actually, I still feel it.”

Abe seemed to have realized that she could see magical energies that ordinary people couldn’t, indicating that it might be a gate. As for me, it was more of a vague and uncomfortable feeling.

Nevertheless, I’ve been saved by this intuition many times before, so I can’t just ignore it. In fact, there’s no way I could ignore it.

I tried to glance at Miyano to discuss our next move, but she was already ahead of me, speaking before I could say anything.

“Let’s head back to the classroom to retrieve our weapons! After that, we’ll head to the location that seems like a gate!”

Exactly. We need our weapons first; without them, we can’t proceed with anything, and we also need to assess the situation before deciding on our actions.

The other three nodded in agreement, without any particular objections. However, the other students in the cafeteria were giving us curious looks, not knowing what was happening or if anything was happening at all.

But in a situation where we didn’t know what was going on, we couldn’t issue any instructions, and there was even a slight possibility of misunderstanding.

So, we ignored the onlookers and rushed back to the classroom.

Once we reached the classroom with full speed, Miyano and the others received strange looks from their acquaintances and teachers, and I felt like saying something about their reactions.

However, there was no time for that. Just like we did in the cafeteria, we focused on arming ourselves and forming a formation to be prepared for any attack. We also left some reserve strength, ready to run towards the source of the anomaly at any moment.

Eventually, we arrived at the location we expected, and just as we had anticipated, a gate had opened. Moreover, it was a fairly large one.

And as a characteristic of spontaneous gates, monsters would come out of the gate right after it opened. This gate was no exception, as slim humanoid monsters made of just bones and skin emerged on our side.

These monsters are commonly seen in gates that appear in crowded areas, but their attack methods are limited to biting, making them just small fry.

However, with this many of them, they posed a significant threat.

“Seriously, a gate has appeared…!”

“Why are there so many?! It hasn’t even been half a year since the last one!”

“Igami-san, are you really not cursed!?”

“I recommend a purification ritual.”

“Shut up! I’ve already done that! Just focus on dealing with the enemies for now!”

The instructors, who were specially hired by the country through a licensing system, were not only feeling a sense of unease but also taking cautious actions. Some of them had already gathered at the scene, but they accounted for less than ten percent of the total number of people in the school.

Moreover, unlike us, those who hurriedly came to the scene were not well-armed for battle. Some were even fighting with bare hands or wielding makeshift metal rods that seemed to be random parts lying around.

Despite lacking proper weapons, they were managing to hold their ground, likely because those present were the few individuals recognized by the country as having the ability to handle such situations.

However, just maintaining control over the monsters was already a challenge. That is until Miyano and the others, who were fully armed, joined the fight, significantly increasing the power to eliminate the monsters. Soon, other well-armed individuals arrived, and every monster emerging from the gate was successfully taken down.

“Fortunately, they were all weaklings, so we managed to get through it without any major casualties.”

“But if a dragon appeared again, it would have been a disaster.”

“Honestly, I can’t stand the thought of them appearing repeatedly.”

If those were not just weaklings but even a single dragon, nearly half of the people gathered here would likely have died. No, it might have been even more.

The instructors might have been unscathed, but for the students, surviving against a dragon would have been extremely difficult.

Moreover, even though the instructors were safe, it’s doubtful that they could have contained a dragon on their own.

In that case, the damage would have been much greater, so while we can’t welcome the fact that the gate appeared, we should be thankful that only weaklings emerged from it.