“U-um……are you alright?”
Luna asks nervously, but gets no response from Owl.
(Wh-what do I do, I might have actually done it……. I only punched lightly, I didn’t mean for any of this……)
As she spins in a daze, she hears the sound of someone hurrying down the stairs behind her. Clang clang clang.
“There was a huge noise and shaking, so I came to see what was happ——Owl-san!?”
The receptionist who had come to check on things opens her eyes wide at the unbelievable scene before her.
“What on earth happened!? Everyone, come here quickly and dig him out of the wall!”
Hearing her say this, the adventurers standing dumbstruck finally stir into motion.
Three of them working together slowly pull from below, carefully excavating Owl’s upper half from where it is embedded in the wall.
“Th-thank goodness, he’s still breathing……!”
The receptionist sighs with relief and immediately calls for backup from the floor above.
“——Excuse me, please bring the stockpiled potions here at once! And contact the hospital right away……!”
Owl is completely unconscious and out of commission——but still alive.
Using 〈Omen of Death〉 to precisely predict Luna’s next attack, and substantially boosting his agility, reflexes, and luck through enhancement-type divine gifts, he had shifted the punch that should have hit him square on the nose by just a few millimeters to the side.
A mere few millimeters. And yet, those few millimeters.
That tiny difference had determined whether he lived or died.
(Ahhh, thank goodness……. I’m so glad Owl-san is alive……)
As Luna breathes a sigh of relief, the adventurers behind her begin to murmur.
“S-so like……what the hell just happened……? I blinked, and the next instant Owl-san was flying through the air……”
“……I don’t know, I think I blinked too.”
“M-me too, by the time I noticed, Owl-san was just growing out of the wall.”
By sheer coincidence, every adventurer present had blinked at the exact same moment, and so not a single person had seen what happened.
In reality, of course, that isn’t what happened.
None of them blinked.
Luna’s movement had simply been too fast for them to see.
“Still though, that adventurer Silver……he’s no ordinary person……”
“No kidding, taking down the divine gift swordmaster in a single hit——he’s something else.”
“I-I……might go ask for an autograph……”
While curious stares bore into Luna’s back, Berg nods with genuine admiration.
“Even accounting for that idiot being too careless, I’ll be honest, this result surprised me. Silver——you’re pretty good. You pass!”
“Th-thank you!”
“Alright, one last thing: a quick training session in a separate room. This way, follow me.”
“Yes.”
Brought to a conference room on the first floor by Berg, Luna ends up receiving a full three hours of what was described as a ‘quick training session.’
“An adventurer must, in any and all circumstances, place their own life and the lives of their party above all else. Completing a quest comes second, third, even further down the list. The reason being——”
Berg’s instruction was intense, to put it simply.
The foundational knowledge and mindset of an adventurer.
And then his own personal theory——the equipment might be broken; the potion bottle might have a hole in it; a magic beast might be lurking in the shadow of that rock over there——she was drilled in the supreme wisdom of the ‘what-if adventurer.’
“——Alright, I think that’ll about do it.”
“Th-thank you……very much……”
Luna, looking like she might spike a fever from sheer information overload, gives a small bow.
“Now then, take it. This is Silver’s adventurer plate!”
“Oh, oh……!”
What is handed to her is a plate of iron.
Engraved with the name Silver and her registration number, it serves as an adventurer’s identification.
“New adventurers all start at the lowest rank, Iron. After that, you complete higher-difficulty quests, have your ability recognized by those above, and advance: Iron → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Mithril → Orichalcum.”
“I see……”
She listens to the explanation with a serious expression, but inside, Luna is brimming with joy.
(Ehehe, Iron-class adventurer……)
Three hundred years ago, she had operated strictly within the category of ‘Saint’——not ‘adventurer.’
Having acquired this new identity as an adventurer feels somehow like she has taken her first step into a new life, and she finds herself genuinely, quietly happy.
“So, what do you want to do, take one right away?”
“Um, take what?”
“A quest, obviously.”
“Ah, of course. Since I’m here, I’d love to, please.”
“Quest acceptance is handled at that reception counter over there. Hand over your adventurer plate and it should flow from there.”
“Yes, understood.”
Luna starts toward the reception desk, then stops mid-step and turns back around.
“What is it, something else you want to ask——”
“——Berg-san, thank you for teaching me so many things.”
She says this and bows her head.
Berg has a terrifying face, and the training session was incredibly long——but the feeling came through clearly: he doesn’t want the adventurers operating in his guild to die pointless deaths.
“Don’t be stupid, I was just doing my job. I don’t need your thanks.”
He says this bluntly and looks pointedly away.
That it is nothing but shyness is obvious to anyone watching.
And so, having successfully registered as an adventurer, Luna heads for the reception desk at last and presents her adventurer plate.
“Excuse me, I’d like to accept a quest.”
“Y-yes! For a quwest, right this way!”
The receptionist standing before her bites her tongue with impressive completeness.
“……”
“……”
A silence of some indefinable quality follows——and then the red-faced receptionist gives a small bow.
“I-I do beg your pardon. The truth is, today is my first day on the floor……and you’re the very first adventurer I’m handling. ——Oh, I’m sorry, I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Occho Navarro.”
She admits, with a somewhat bashful air, that she is a complete newcomer.
Occho Navarro, sixteen years old.
Height one hundred and sixty centimeters, a slender build.
Flaxen hair extending down to her back, an excellent figure, dressed in the guild’s uniform——white blouse, black skirt.
“What a coincidence. I only became an adventurer today as well. It’s nice to meet you, Occho-san.”
“Y-yes! Likewise, um……Silver-san!”
Taking a glance at Luna’s adventurer plate to confirm the name ‘Silver,’ Occho clears her throat with a small cough.
“Then, once more from the top——welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild, what sort of quest are you looking for today?”
“Since it’s my first quest, something relatively simple……yes, something like herb gathering, perhaps?”
“Herb gathering. Let me see……Since Silver-san is an Iron-class adventurer, the herb gathering quests available for posting would be these.”
Occho goes “heave-ho” and drops a massive stack of request forms onto the counter with a thud.
“T-there’s quite a lot, isn’t there……”
The towering mound of paperwork piled before her——several times more than she had anticipated——gives her pause.
“Herbs are essential for making potions, you see. And lately, the fighting against demons and demi-humans has been intensifying, and the number of potions is nowhere near sufficient. So right now, this kind of quest has been coming in quite frequently——or so Guild Master Berg-san was saying.”
“I see.”
“By the way, Silver-san, whereabouts were you planning to operate?”
“I haven’t decided on a specific place……but somewhere a bit far away, somewhere with beautiful nature, would be nice.”
Luna had come outside today to wait out the anxious limbo of the entrance exam results and blow off some steam.
She plans to use the space magic for travel, so distance is no issue whatsoever.
If anything she wants to go a little far rather than somewhere nearby, have a proper refresh——that is Luna’s honest feeling.
“Hmm, hmm……in that case, what about this quest?”
Saying this, Occho presents a single request form.
Herb Gathering in the Canopus Plains
Required amount: 7kg of Miria herb
Reward: 10,000 Gold
“The Canopus Plains here are a good distance from the capital, and above all the nature is wonderfully abundant, so it would make a nice change of pace.”
“The Canopus Plains……”
Luna puts a hand to her chin and searches back through memories from three hundred years ago.
(The Canopus Plains, if I recall, were a tranquil expanse of lush green grassland and a beautiful lake……. Yes, that sounds ideal for clearing my head)
A wonderful suggestion that perfectly matches her hopes.
Occho’s rating in Luna’s mind shoots upward.
“Then, could I take that quest?”
“Yes, of course.”
Occho nods energetically and works through the paperwork with a practiced hand.
Her brisk and capable performance is hard to believe is her first day on the job.
“The quest completion deadline is one week from today inclusive. If you fail to meet this deadline, you will be obligated to pay a cancellation fee of 10% of the reward, so please do bear that in mind.”
“Understood.”
Having successfully accepted the quest, Luna gives a small bow and takes her leave of the Adventurers’ Guild.
The moment Luna steps out of the guild——
“……Fuhhh, so this is what it’s like to be a guild receptionist. It really is meaningful work!”
Having safely seen through her first assignment, Occho pumps her fist with a self-satisfied look——and Berg comes over.
“Hey Occho, looks like you managed to get through your first job.”
“Yes, absolutely! You drilled it all into me so thoroughly, Berg-san!”
“Heh, good. So? What kind of quest did Silver take?”
Berg asks with an air of genuine curiosity, but the answer he gets back is nothing like what he expected.
“Herb gathering.”
“H-herb gathering? Ha, he’s a surprisingly sensible one, is he……wait, hold on, Occho! Don’t tell me you issued this quest!?”
“Yes, the F-rank quest ‘Herb Gathering in the Canopus Plains,’ is something the matter with——”
“——You idiot! Do you have any idea what you just did!?”
Berg’s thunderous roar shakes the entire guild.
“Huh, um……did I do something wrong again……?”
“Wasn’t it announced at this morning’s briefing!? The Canopus Plains have been designated a ‘Special Restricted Access Zone’ by the royal government right now!”
“……Oh!?”
The color drains from Occho’s face.
“Oh no, I went and did it again……what do I do……!”
“If they’re going to the Canopus Plains, they’d pass through the north gate……not much time has passed——go get that new adventurer back here right now!”
“Y-yes……!”
She bolts out of the guild in a panic and takes off running after Silver.
“……Damn it all, what a mess……”
Guild Master Berg scratches his bald head in agitation and gives the chair at his feet a rough kick.
The Canopus Plains, in the territory of the Kingdom of Elgia.
With a beautiful lake at its center and lush green grassland spreading all around it, this place is blessed year-round with a mild climate and a pleasant breeze, bringing a sense of peace to all who visit.
This plains, popular as a tourist destination, has today——become a fierce battlefield.
“Now——fire!”
“[Mages]: ——!”
Fifty elite mages selected from across the kingdom activate a mid-tier fire-attribute spell all at once.
A total offensive, directed at their subjugation target——the Moon Wolf.
Fifty blazing fireballs all strike the target simultaneously, and a tremendous roar and massive explosion tears through the air.
Through the thick cloud of rising dust——
“……D-did we get it……?”
As if in answer to the mage’s murmur, a low growl echoes out.
“——Pathetic.”
When the dust clears, an unharmed Moon Wolf stands there, commanding the space.
“[Mages]: Th-that’s impossible……!?”
The Moon Wolf issues a warning to the thunderstruck mage unit.
“Beyond this point is a place dear to me. I will not have it trampled by trespassers. ——This is my final warning: leave at once.”
The Moon Wolf, mythical beast species Moon Wolf.
A named magic beast that inhabits the Canopus Plains.
While it has never attacked humans on its own initiative……over the years, scores of adventurers who challenged it as a test of strength have been beaten back in defeat.
The royal government, having decided it could not leave a ferocious magic beast living within its own territory unaddressed, has launched this subjugation campaign.
“Ugh……d-don’t falter! Prepare a second volley!”
The mage unit immediately channels their magical energy and readies another attack spell.
Watching this, the Moon Wolf mutters with something like exasperation.
“I did warn you. ——Black Roar.”
That great mouth slowly opens, and the next instant, a massive shockwave packed with terrifying magical energy tears through the air.
“[Mages]: Gaaahhhhhh……!”
The kingdom’s proud mage unit, wiped out by a single cry.
The gap in ability between the two sides is simply too vast.
“……Pathetic. Why must I suffer these inferior creatures……”
The Moon Wolf shakes its head slightly, seething with resentment, and lets out a sigh.
Then——it turns on its heel, making no move to finish off the fallen mages.
At that instant, a large door materializes in empty air, and from it emerges a large figure encased head to toe in plate armor.
“……Reinforcements?”
The Moon Wolf rumbles with displeasure and turns slowly around.
Meanwhile——
“Uh, um……”
Luna, who has come flying from the capital to the Canopus Plains via the space magic , gapes with her mouth wide open.
Scorched grassland. Upturned earth. The smell of smoke and soil. Whatever had become of the beautiful Canopus Plains she remembered——spread out before her is nothing but the aftermath of fierce battle.
And above all——
“Oh, it’s a r-really big doggy……”
Standing before her: an enormous silver-white wolf, tall enough that she has to look up.
Sharp gleaming blue eyes, lustrous silver-white fur, sharp pointed white claws——an air of dignity and gravitas drifts from its imposing bearing.
“Reinforcements, at this late stage……. You humans are always slow. You’re laps behind the rest of the race.”
“No, I’m not a reinforcement, I’m just an adventurer——”
Just as Luna is trying to correct the misunderstanding, a desperate voice rings out from behind her.
“——Adventurer, run, right now……!”
“We’re grateful you came to help. But that thing is a genuine monster……don’t fight it!”
“Don’t worry about us, just save yourself and get out of there……!”
The mage unit, mistaking Luna for ‘an adventurer who came to help,’ used their last reserves of strength to tell her to run.
This was an act of pure, one-hundred-percent good will——but in this particular situation, it has completely the opposite effect.
“Hmph. So you are their ally after all.”
“N-no, this is a misunderstanding——”
“——Enough. I have already warned you. ——Black Roar.”
The next instant, a roar packed with extraordinary magical energy is unleashed once more.
Catching it full on, Luna——
“……!”
——winces involuntarily.
(Th-that is an awfully loud bark……. At this rate, the people in the surrounding area are going to be troubled……)
She blocks her ears with both hands while her mind races at high speed.
(Excessive barking from a pet can easily escalate into a serious dispute with the neighbors. If that brings in a flood of complaints and the authorities have to step in……that would be a sad outcome indeed)
At this point the ‘authorities’——the royal government——have already deployed a full subjugation force, but of course Luna has no way of knowing that.
She resolves that she has to put a stop to the barking, here and now, no matter what——and looks up.
“For now……sit!”
She leaps high into the air and delivers a gentle chop to the forehead.
The next instant——
“Gugh……!”
An extraordinary impact runs through the Moon Wolf’s skull, and it slowly pitches forward and collapses.
“[Everyone]: ……What?”
Every member of the mage unit who witnessed the unbelievable scene stares open-mouthed, no exception.
Meanwhile, the brain of the Moon Wolf, having received a tremendous blow to the head, surfaces a hazy memory from just after birth.
A warm and happy time——spent with a certain human who took in and raised a pup that had been separated from its pack.
[Hey, I know your teeth itch, but that doesn’t mean you can just bite everything! Cut it out!]
[Kyaun……]
[Oh stop, don’t make that whimpery sound. Here, I’ll give you your favorite milk, so cheer up, alright?]
[Hff, hff, hff……!]
Back then too, when it had been scolded for biting, a gentle chop had come down on its forehead.
“That kind voice and that great power……could it be——my Master?”
The Moon Wolf pulls out from the thick fluff of fur around its neck a battered old name tag reading ‘Tama.’
“My Master, you say……hmm?”
The sight of the old name tag brings a memory from three hundred years ago surfacing in Luna’s mind.
It was a cold night, with snow falling softly and steadily.
[……Oh, an abandoned kitten]
[Kyuun……]
Luna, having found what appeared to be an infant of some cat-like species (?) that seemed to have wandered away from its group, picked it up and decided to look after it.
[Alright, your name is Tama!]
[Waf?]
[Come on, say ‘meow.’ Together now, meow!]
[Nya……nyaa……?]
[Heh, good, good. I’ll warm up some milk for you, just wait a moment]
[Waoooon!]
The kitten (?), raised on milk infused with a saint’s magical energy, eventually grew into a Moon Wolf carrying an immense reservoir of magic within itself.
[Tama……listen carefully. You’re not a cat……you were a dog……you were a Moon Wolf]
[Waf!]
[Moon Wolves are a species that cherishes their family deeply, apparently. Your father and mother are surely out there somewhere in the forest, searching for you desperately right now]
Luna had searched the forest where she found Tama from end to end, and eventually found a pair of Moon Wolves.
That these two were Tama’s parents was obvious at a glance.
The face and the color of the fur were identical——and above all, Tama was wagging her tail so enthusiastically it looked like it might come off.
[Alright, Tama——take care of yourself]
[Kyuuun……]
[Here, a parting gift. ……Yes, this way she’ll be easy to identify right away. ——Take care, Tama. Don’t you forget about me, alright?]
[Aoooon!]
And so Luna, giving Tama the name tag as a gift, tears rolling down her cheeks, had said her goodbye.
“Could you be……Tama?”
“……!!”
The next instant, the Moon Wolf’s massive body rapidly shrinks, returning to the palm-sized little Moon Wolf cub that Saint Luna had once picked up.
“I’m so glad, Master, I’m so glad……”
A reunion after three hundred years.
Tama wags her tail hard enough to tear it off and licks Luna’s face through the plate armor, over and over.
“I can’t believe how big you’ve grown, and you can even speak now……Tama really is such a clever girl.”
“Waf!”
Meanwhile——the royal mage unit watching from a distance gapes in wide-eyed disbelief.
“Impossible……that person tamed the Moon Wolf……!?”
“Just who is that armored adventurer……!?”
“I-I don’t know……. However, there is little doubt they possess ability at the very least on the level of ‘Mithril’ class.”
Having suffered devastating losses but somehow escaped with their lives, they drag their battered bodies away and retreat——reporting the mysterious adventurer to the royal government.
Having secured the Moon Wolf, Luna hums cheerfully to herself as she goes about gathering her objective——the Miria herb——heave-ho, heave-ho, stuffing it into the leather sack she brought along.
“Even so, Tama has really lived a long life, hasn’t she. You’re already three hundred years old, aren’t you?”
“Waf!”
Having been raised on milk containing a saint’s magical energy, Tama’s body has transcended the concept of a natural lifespan.
“Heave-ho——I think I’ve gotten enough from around here. If you take too much from one spot, it stops growing back.”
As Luna turns her eyes to the surroundings to find the next gathering spot——
“——Wafwaf!”
Tama is barking energetically at a certain location.
“Hm, what is it……oh, this!”
Spread before her is a large dense patch of Miria, growing in abundance.
“Amazing, Tama! Did you find this for me?”
“Waf!”
“Heh, thank you. Then let’s gather it together!”
After that, Luna and Tama work together on herb collecting for an hour.
“Heh, what a haul!”
“Waooon!”
The leather sack that had been empty is now stuffed to bursting.
“That’s more than enough, shall we head back?”
“Waf!”
“Stay back a little, it might be dangerous——“
Space magic activates.
Leaping straight to a forest near the capital, Luna heads directly to the Adventurers’ Guild without any detours.
As for Tama——whether she tired herself out from all the excitement——she is sound asleep, curled neatly atop Luna’s head. On the iron helmet, specifically.
Upon arriving at the Adventurers’ Guild and pushing open the door, Luna finds——Occho, visibly exhausted to the bone, sitting on a folding chair with the look of someone all the life has drained out of.
“Um……Occho-san, are you alright?”
The moment Luna calls out to her, Occho leaps to her feet.
“S-Si-Si-Si-Silver-san……!?”
“Y-yes, what is it?”
Patting the plate armor all over, confirming it has a proper shadow——confirming it is not a ghost——Occho breathes a sigh of relief and then——
“Thank goodness, you’re safe……truly……I’m so gladd……”
——bursts into great rolling tears.
“Um……well……?”
Completely left behind, Luna is at a loss.
Some time later, having stopped crying, Occho begins to explain.
“The Canopus Plains are home to a ferocious magic beast called the ‘Moon Wolf,’ and a large-scale subjugation campaign had been planned for the near future. I carelessly forgot all of that, and sent Silver-san into a dangerous quest……”
“I see, so that’s what happened. (To think such a dangerous magic beast was nearby……. It’s a blessing in disguise that I got to Tama before she was harassed any further)”
Luna, Moon Wolf perched on her head, breathes a sigh of relief.
“This time, due to my foolish mistake, I put Silver-san in danger, and I am truly so sorry……”
Occho says this and bows deeply.
She offered no hollow excuses, acknowledged it as her own mistake, and apologized sincerely and with genuine humility.
Occho has always been scatter-brained to a fault——but she is not rotten at heart.
That much comes through clearly to Luna.
“Occho-san, please lift your head. Nothing dangerous happened, and there is no need to apologize so much. Besides——thanks to you, something good came of it.”
Luna says this and gently strokes the head of Tama, sleeping soundly on top of the helmet.
“Something good……would that perhaps be that puppy?”
“Yes. I found a pet I used to have——a cat……no, a dog——at the Canopus Plains. We’ve decided to live together again.”
“Wh-what an incredible coincidence!”
“Yes, today was very lucky.”
After a bit of small talk, once Luna is satisfied that Occho has recovered a little of her energy, she drops the leather sack from her shoulder onto the reception counter with a thud.
“Now then, shall we get to the main event.”
The moment she unties the drawstring of the sack, a fresh green scent rises up, and a heap of herbs peeks out.
“My goodness, so many……!”
Weighing on the scale, the herbs Luna collected come to 10kg.
The quest required 7kg; the extra 3kg she decides to give to the guild.
“Silver-san, here is your reward of 10,000 Gold.”
“Received with thanks. (An easy quest like this pays 10,000 Gold……. Heh, I’ll use this money to go buy some modern villainess novels next time!)”
Luna, having found herself a very nice source of pocket money, is looking extremely pleased with herself.
“——Well then, Occho-san, I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes, please do come again!”
And so, having safely completed her first quest, Luna makes her way back to the Spedio household.
A little while after Luna leaves the Adventurers’ Guild, Berg returns to the workplace after finishing dinner at his usual set-meal restaurant.
“Berg-san, Berg-san, I have news! Silver-san came back safely!”
“Is that so, thank goodness. I’ll personally apologize to Silver next time I see him.”
“Thank you. Berg-san, I’m also truly sorry for causing you so much trouble this time……”
“I think this made it very clear how much responsibility a guild staff member carries. One mistake and a person dies easily——not you, but the adventurer you’re handling. Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
“Yes……I didn’t feel like myself all day. I’ll be extremely careful going forward so nothing like this ever happens again.”
“Good. Keep at it.”
Berg left it at that, without pressing further.
Because he knows——Occho had spent the entire day running all over the capital, until her feet blistered and her voice wore down to almost nothing, searching for Silver.
“Come to think of it……I heard something interesting.”
“Something interesting? What would that be?”
“Apparently that Moon Wolf was subdued.”
“Oh, how wonderful! As expected of the kingdom’s finest mage unit!”
While Occho claps in delight, Berg shakes his head.
“No, word is that side failed. They took a severe counterattack and were wiped out.”
“What? But you just said the Moon Wolf was subdued……”
“The kingdom’s mage unit was wiped out by a single howl from the great wolf. But right after that, a mysterious adventurer appeared out of nowhere and took it down by brute force——in a single blow, apparently.”
“Oh, oh my goodness……. The world really does have some extraordinary people in it.”
“And here’s the thing. Apparently, this adventurer was a large figure encased entirely in plate armor.”
“Plate armor……you don’t mean……!?”
“Yeah. ……Could be that one’s an absolutely extraordinary adventurer.”
The name of the legendary adventurer ‘Silver’ echoing across the world——that is still a story for a little while later.
Arc Two: Adventurer, Complete.