Evil Avalon

Chapter 193 Beyond Strength

(TL:By Rafael,valhallatls.blogspot.com)

Inside the passenger car, which was furnished with leather seats offering excellent cushioning, we gathered around the two bunny-eared girls and listened to their story. Kuga-san, however, apparently wasn't interested. As usual, she was lying on her back alone in the cargo car at the rear.

"Arena fighters?! And you're both B-rank?! That's amazing!"

"I've heard that becoming an arena fighter requires considerable skill..."

When Tsukuyo and Nonoka introduced themselves as B-rank arena fighters, Majima-kun and Tachigi-kun reacted with keen interest.

To become an arena fighter, you had to pass a difficult examination. But to rise through the ranks, you needed to combine a high level of knowledge with extensive experience in player-versus-player combat.

Arena fighters were frequently featured in various forms of media and could be considered, alongside dungeon-clearing clans, among the most prominent figures in the adventurer world. Usually, the media focused on A-rank fighters, but even B-rank fighters were leagues above ordinary adventurers. In the eyes of Akagi-kun and Kaworu, who aspired to become first-rate adventurers, there was unmistakable respect in the way they looked at the bunny-eared pair.

The girls themselves, however, shook their heads as if to say they didn't deserve such praise. The reason was—

"Those uniforms. You're students at an adventurer school, aren't you? Once you graduate, becoming arena fighters should be easy for you."

"……"

Nonoka pointed at the uniform Akagi-kun was wearing and remarked that they were elites in their own right.

The two bunny-eared girls had tried to get into an adventurer school but failed. Instead of attending high school, they'd chosen to work as laborers for a dungeon-clearing clan. In their spare time, they devoted themselves to dungeon dives from morning until night. Apparently, for the first few years, they practically lived inside dungeons.

If you wanted to rise to the top as an adventurer, that was one possible path. And these bunny-eared girls had indeed become B-rank arena fighters, drawing close to the level of first-rate adventurers.

Meanwhile, those who'd been called elites could only lower their heads.

It was true that students in classes D and above might be considered elites, but nobody regarded students in Class E that way. Students who entered the school from high school were looked down upon as inferior by those who'd advanced internally from middle school, and were treated like pawns. From the outside, every student at an adventurer school looked like a glamorous elite, but behind the scenes, the place was rife with terrible violence and inequality.

The two bunny-eared girls had failed their entrance exams, yet they'd steadily worked their way up from menial labor and were now walking a promising path. Meanwhile, these students had passed the entrance exam dreaming of becoming first-rate adventurers, only to find themselves unable to make the progress they'd hoped for.

That was probably what they were thinking.

Unable to hide his disappointment and frustration, Akagi-kun finally asked a question.

"How did you do it...? Could you tell us how to become as strong as the two of you? Is it best to spend all our time inside dungeons? I... We want to get stronger."

What was the secret to becoming strong?

Nonoka bluntly dismissed the question, saying there was no such secret. Tsukuyo, however, thought for a while before offering more constructive advice.

"Maybe it helps to have a strong sense of purpose."

For example, the two bunny-eared girls had a goal: they wanted to create an ideal society. Whether it was protecting people, speaking up for their opinions, or convincing those around them, everything depended on their own strength. That was why they could keep pushing forward with all their might without giving up, even when the road ahead was difficult.

Tsukuyo then turned the question back on them.

What did they hope to achieve once they became strong? Were they prepared to see it through?

Akagi-kun was at a loss for words. Perhaps he lacked confidence in himself at the moment. He clenched his fist tightly for just an instant in frustration, but soon his strength drained away, and he hung his head.

"……I wanted to become the strongest at the adventurer school... Is that not good enough?"

"I think that's a perfectly admirable goal."

Akagi-kun had set his sights on becoming "the strongest at school." But compared with Tsukuyo's lofty ambitions, his own goal suddenly seemed terribly small, and he shook his head as though ashamed of it.

Yet becoming the strongest in a school filled with nobles was an extraordinarily difficult feat. Kaworu pointed out that if he could accomplish that, it would be impressive enough for him to call himself a first-rate adventurer. Pink-chan nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Meanwhile, Nonoka looked around at us as though she knew nothing of their inner struggles.

"By the way, you guys are commoners, right? And yet you get along with nobles... Has the world really changed that much?"

"I've never seen nobles go hunting alongside commoners before, either."

Their gazes moved between us and Tenma-san, who'd been sitting quietly in a corner of the Road Train, observing everyone. Nonoka spoke with wonder at how much the world seemed to have changed, while Tsukuyo nodded in agreement as she looked at the butlers guarding us.

Generally speaking, nobles didn't go hunting with commoners. They had large numbers of retainers at their disposal, so there was no need for them to form parties with ordinary people.

So why was Tenma-san traveling with us? Were we simply friends, and that was why she hung out with us?

"Whether we can become friends depends on what happens from here on out, I suppose. Today is more or less just an introduction."

"O-Of course! I shall devote every fiber of my being to meeting Tenma-sama's expectations—"

"What you're describing doesn't sound like friendship to me."

Tenma-san delivered a perfectly timed retort to Majima-kun's awkward attempt at humor, and the exchange filled the car with laughter.

Seeing how Tenma-san didn't look down on commoners, Nonoka nodded with a smile brighter than any she'd shown us before.

"I thought nobles and commoners living together was just a pipe dream, but seeing you guys makes me think it might not be impossible after all... Wait, we're already at the eleventh floor? Nonoka, let's get off."

"Thanks for letting us ride the Road Train! My dream came true!"

"We got to hear some interesting stories, so don't worry about it at all."

Less than an hour had passed since we'd left the tenth floor, and the route leading to the eleventh floor was already coming into view.

The two bunny-eared girls took the short staffs they had tucked into their belts and transformed them into whips, signaling that they intended to get off. Large demi-human monsters roamed this area, but with their abilities, the two shouldn't have any trouble dealing with them.

At first, I'd thought they were rough and intimidating, the sort of people best avoided. Surprisingly, they turned out to be pretty decent folks.

I was grateful for the valuable information they'd shared, too.

We all waved goodbye as the Road Train continued into the entrance plaza on the eleventh floor. From this floor onward, there were noticeably fewer adventurers around, so the butlers didn't need to clear a path for us. We could simply drive straight through the center of the plaza.

Our destination, the hunting ground, was some distance away even within the same floor, so we'd be relying on the vehicle for a little longer.

However, Akagi-kun had been sitting in silence with a grim expression for some time.

Maybe he needed to use the bathroom?

I was about to suggest another break when—

"Hey, does everyone have a purpose or a goal? I'd like to hear about them, if you don't mind."

So that was it. He was thinking about what Tsukuyo had said about having a strong sense of purpose.

Everyone here, however, was the sort of person who had a firm will of their own. They were bound to have some kind of goal, and I thought this was a good opportunity to find out what they were thinking at this point in time.

I settled in and quietly listened.

The first to speak were Majima-kun and Tachigi-kun.

"I'm from a retainer family, so my goal is to serve a noble. That's why I enrolled in the adventurer school."

"……Well, you could say the same about me."

As members of retainer families, their goals were indeed to serve nobles.

Retainers were commoners who served nobles, and it was typical for the position to be passed down from parent to child, with each generation serving the same noble family. However, if there were siblings or relatives who could inherit the position, or if someone served a one-generation noble like Majima-kun's current employer, a quasi-noble, they would need to find a new place of employment.

If I remembered correctly, Tachigi-kun was an only child, and there was a noble girl his family had served for generations who attended the adventurer school.

Still, it was probably better not to ask too many questions about that here. I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the DunEx heroes, so I might end up stirring up trouble.

In any case, serving a new noble required a suitable level of ability. For example, if someone wanted to become one of Tenma-san's Black Butlers, they'd need to be close to level twenty. That was hardly an easy hurdle to clear.

If they'd enrolled in the adventurer school with the determination to grow stronger so they could achieve that goal, then surely it was a fine ambition.

Next were Sanjo Sakurako—better known as Pink-chan—and Kaworu. Pink-chan stroked her soft, voluminous pink hair and spoke hesitantly, with little confidence.

"My goal was... to become a first-rate adventurer. But now that we're talking about forming a clan, I think I'll try my best there instead."

"That's right. If things go well, it could broaden the range of options available to us in the future. I'm thinking the same way."

Pink-chan planned to join the clan Akagi-kun was forming. She wanted to do her best there and expand her options after graduating from high school. Kaworu would be joining as well.

If they managed to operate as an official clan and build a reputation, they'd enjoy various benefits whether they chose to pursue further education or join a dungeon-clearing clan. For two people aiming to become first-rate adventurers, it was a practical choice.

DunEx had an event in which the protagonist's party formed a clan, and it seemed the story was progressing along the same lines in this world.

That was good news for me, since I wanted the story to stay on track.

But why had Kaworu been glancing at me repeatedly?

Was she worried I'd suddenly announce that I wanted to join, too?

It was true that I felt a little prickling sensation deep in my chest. If I let my emotions take over, I might end up shouting, "Let me join, too!"

But I'd gotten much better at controlling myself over the past few months, so there was no problem. I didn't know whether that was because I'd grown as a person or because Butao himself had matured, but I wasn't going to force my way into their group, so she could relax.

Even so, wouldn't it be incredibly difficult for me, Butao, to raise Kaworu's affection toward me?

If I approached her, she'd become wary. If I kept my distance, I'd have no chance to build any connection with her.

While I was beginning to feel a little discouraged, a casual question from Kaworu suddenly changed the atmosphere.

"By the way, Tenma-sama, do you have any goals of your own?"

"I'm planning to join a clan and do my best, too. Right, Narumi-kun?"

"……Huh?!"

Tenma-san had been casually drawn into the conversation, but she ended up revealing that she intended to join a clan together with me.

Kaworu practically jumped in surprise and stared at me in shock.

Then a voice tinged with quiet anger interrupted from behind her.

It was Majima-kun.

"……Please wait a moment, Tenma-sama. Surely Buta—Narumi would only hold you back!"

"Huh? Hold me back? Narumi-kun?"

Tenma-san tilted her head so far that I wondered whether her slim armor allowed her neck to rotate nearly ninety degrees.

I was curious about how that mechanism worked, but that could wait.

This cheerful girl in full-body armor treated me just like everyone else. Yet she was also a formidable talent who competed head-to-head with the illustrious student council president, Seira Kikyo, for the top position in the school. Several of the Eight Dragons were even fighting to recruit her into their respective factions.

What could someone like her possibly gain by teaming up with me, a student regarded as one of the failures in Class E?

That was Majima-kun's argument, and to be fair, it made sense.

Of course, there were reasons for Tenma-san to team up with me. We needed to resolve two major problems: the curse-removal event and the rescue of the maid.

Both would be difficult, but I believed my knowledge as a player could help, at least to some extent.

However, I hadn't told anyone about those circumstances or my reasons. I could understand why Majima-kun would object.

On the other hand, if I remained silent, Tenma-san might argue back on my behalf, so I had no choice but to intervene.

I cleared my throat and offered the excuse I'd prepared in advance, just in case something like this happened.

"Even though we're talking about a clan, we were only discussing forming an unofficial one in name only, not a proper clan. So—"

"Aren't you getting a little too full of yourself? What the hell are you thinking?!"

Majima-kun stood up and reached out to grab me by the collar, but Tenma-san immediately slapped his hand away.

Magic power began to spread slowly from her slim armor, filling the car with a different kind of heavy atmosphere.

"Narumi-kun is my benefactor and a very, very important friend of mine. Besides, he organized this hunting trip out of the goodness of his heart, you know?"

"Huh? But I thought Omiya organized it..."

"……Is that true?"

Tenma-san explained the situation in a controlled, admonishing tone, clearly trying to suppress her anger.

As Majima-kun had said, the official story was that Satsuki had organized this dungeon dive. But the truth was that it had been my idea.

Akagi-kun looked surprised and asked for confirmation, but I decided to admit it.

"I've already received plenty of power-leveling myself, so I wanted everyone who'll be leading Class E to get stronger next. That's why I organized this."

"……Power-leveling, huh?"

Tachigi-kun looked at me sharply, as though trying to figure out what I was up to.

Even though we were in the same class, we were also rivals competing for the limited spots available for promotion to a higher class. Perhaps he was wondering why I'd willingly give up my own advantage.

Kaworu and Pink-chan also looked at me as though trying to determine my true intentions.

I decided to give them the other excuse I'd prepared.

"Come to think of it, my goal—or rather, my dream—is to live a carefree, comfortable life without having to work too hard. I thought enrolling in a famous adventurer school would make that dream come true, but the higher-ranked classes keep picking fights with us, and the atmosphere is terrible. So—"

In other words, I wanted to change the gloomy atmosphere in our class, but I didn't have the temperament or energy to do it myself. So I wanted everyone else to become stronger and deal with the problem.

That wasn't a lie. It was genuinely how I felt.

Still, I knew these people weren't so easy to fool.

Kaworu stared straight at me, as though trying to read whatever information I was hiding behind my expression.

"……I see. But if you've received power-leveling, your level should be higher than ours, shouldn't it? So why did you pretend to be a failure? Didn't it bother you?"

"Because it's easier that way. Besides—"

When she asked whether I wasn't frustrated, I answered with a friendly smile that it was troublesome when people started expecting things from me.

But in truth, I didn't particularly care about being looked down on by my classmates.

More precisely, it wasn't that I had no pride. It was that I simply didn't care what people in Class E thought of me.

After all, if I went all out right now, I was confident I could crush anyone in a one-on-one fight, whether they belonged to Class A or were one of the Eight Dragons. I even believed that, someday, I could genuinely reach the point of becoming the world's strongest adventurer.

With that kind of mindset, why would I waste time worrying about my position in Class E?

What concerned me was that revealing my strength would make me more likely to get dragged into troublesome situations.

There were countless threats out there: players I hadn't encountered yet, nobles, large-scale dungeon-clearing clans, and ruthless countries or organizations like the Holy Empire that had no qualms about slaughtering people.

If those people took an interest in me, something like the incident in Tokyo could happen all over again. And if that happened, even the people close to me—my family and Kaworu—could become targets.

It was more convenient to keep a low profile until I'd grown strong enough.

If people thought I was a failure, that meant things were going well. It was exactly what I wanted.

Still, my being looked down upon had caused people like Satsuki and Tenma-san to feel sad on my behalf.

So I'd decided to act in a way that would make people look down on me a little less.

"—My level is twelve. I can already defeat an Orc Lord on my own."

"T-Twelve?!"

"Seriously?! Damn it...!"

I flexed my fat-covered biceps to show off my level. Kaworu's already-large eyes widened even further, while Majima-kun slammed his hand against the floor in frustration.

Akagi-kun and Tachigi-kun, on the other hand, reacted positively in a way I hadn't expected.

"That's amazing. But we'll be able to benefit from power-leveling, too, won't we? In that case, we should be thanking you and Tenma-sama. Don't you agree?"

"……You're right. This is the experience we've been desperate to obtain. Narumi, I'm sorry, but I'll gladly accept the benefit. Tenma-sama, I offer you my heartfelt gratitude."

If you wanted to arrange power-leveling, you'd need to hire several capable adventurers, and the cost would be enormous.

For example, hiring even one adventurer as powerful as the Black Butlers who guarded Tenma-san could easily cost a million yen per day. And since you'd be entrusting them with your life, being able to trust them was an absolute requirement.

Hiring several adventurers like that was simply impossible for ordinary commoners.

In practice, power-leveling had become something of a privilege reserved for nobles.

Yet, if they could enjoy that privilege despite having nothing themselves, there was no greater blessing. Akagi-kun and Tachigi-kun bowed deeply to me, despite the fact that I'd been getting a head start myself.

Kaworu hesitated for a moment, but she eventually bowed alongside Pink-chan.

Perhaps this single-minded pursuit of strength, combined with their sincerity and willingness to humble themselves, was what defined the protagonist's party.

In DunEx, too, they had no qualms about bowing to people weaker than themselves or those of lower status. That was probably the secret behind their charisma and their ability to win support and assistance from so many people.

Majima-kun, meanwhile, bowed only to Tenma-san and continued to seethe with irritation.

If he could adopt a more flexible way of thinking, there were plenty of advantages he could gain...

Back when I was younger, and even before enrolling as Butao, I had been just as proud and stubborn, constantly taking the harder path and missing out on opportunities.

Even when I understood something intellectually, I couldn't always control my emotions.

I knew that pain all too well, which was why I felt a certain kinship with Majima-kun's awkwardness.

Well, at the moment, his frustration was getting the better of him. But he was clever, and sooner or later, he'd realize the enormous advantage he already had.

I hoped he'd use that frustration as fuel and continue leading the class.

Tenma-san looked as though she wanted to say something, but she realized I wasn't going to speak up and stayed quiet.

Perhaps I should make sure everyone was on the same page again, including Kuga-san, who was still sleeping in the cargo car at the back.

All right, we should be arriving soon.

The clouds overhead had grown thicker, swirling gloomily across the sky.

I checked our current location on my terminal and confirmed that we were nearly at our destination: the hunting ground.

The scenery was completely different from the passage map we'd followed up to the tenth floor. An endless, featureless wasteland stretched out in every direction.

The monsters that spawned here were almost exclusively undead, such as ghosts and skeletons, so it was hardly a pleasant place to visit. However, considering all the factors involved, this was the most suitable hunting ground.

Still, the main purpose of this dungeon dive wasn't so much power-leveling as it was bringing Akagi-kun and Tenma-san closer together.

I thought I'd prepared a strategy to make that happen, but given how long I'd spent being a loner, I wasn't sure I'd be able to manage things smoothly.

Even so...

In the distance, a girl with her hair tied into pigtails was waving enthusiastically to welcome us.

With that socially gifted girl on our side, we'd be practically unstoppable.

First, we'd unload our luggage and take a breather. Then we'd get started on the plan.

TL Note- Souta in this chapter: Wake up to reality. Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world.

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