Chapter 01 ….
At Iz’s Tavern, Part 1 — The Blonde-Haired Sister
“Huh. So after you got separated from the forest wolves, you almost got dragged away by a kelpie, and then when you picked a hollow tree as your sleeping spot, the tree turned out to be a monster too? Just how hopeless are you?”
“Oh, shut up. It’s not like I do this stuff on purpose!”
This was the tavern in the town of Iz.
Iz lay between the larger towns of Tid and Miishia. Traveling by horse between Tid and Miishia took only about half a day, so Iz was not particularly important as a post town. However, a little south of the town were coal mines and mineral excavation sites, making it a base for mining workers.
That said, mining in Iz had already passed its golden age over thirty years ago. Those seeking rare metals or dreams of sudden fortune had long since abandoned the area. The people who remained were mostly natives or those without the ambition to leave town, and when too many such people gathered in one place, the atmosphere naturally deteriorated. Despite being located along one of the major east-west roads, Iz was unusually unsafe for a town of its kind.
Perhaps an hour had passed since sunset. Though the town was small, that only meant there were few forms of entertainment, so naturally the tavern district was crowded. Under normal circumstances, two women of their age would have attracted drunkards eager to strike up conversation. Yet everyone merely glanced their way without approaching. In fact, Alphilis felt as though she could see fear in their eyes.
(So this Sister definitely caused some kind of incident here…)
The Sister usually hid her face beneath a hood, but she was beautiful—no, stunningly so. Her translucent blonde hair and blue eyes gave her the appearance common among noblewomen from great cities. A beautiful nun like that would ordinarily travel with temple knights as escorts due to the many dangers involved in pilgrimage journeys, yet this Sister traveled alone.
Even the somewhat naïve Alphilis realized how dangerous that sounded. But despite being a full head shorter than Alphilis, who wielded a sword, the Sister possessed comparable physical strength. Naturally, her actual combat ability matched it. Alphilis didn’t even want to think about what had happened to the man who once drunkenly tried to pick a fight with her. If a young woman traveled alone, she either had overwhelming skill or a very good reason.
In any case, after Alphilis finally escaped the monsters and staggered into town half-dead, she found the Sister waiting there almost exactly as expected. The Sister spent the entire day teasing her, and by the time Alphilis finally woke up from exhaustion the next afternoon, she no longer felt like leaving town. Fortunately, she still had enough travel money, so she decided to stay another night and rest.
She would have preferred to avoid spending extra nights in such a rough town, but traveling while exhausted seemed even worse. As a result, she had endured nonstop teasing from the Sister ever since.
Then suddenly, the Sister’s expression turned serious.
“Still, it’s strange. Kelpies usually only appear in much larger rivers. Either after flooding, or in small rivers far away from settlements. And if the plant monster was really a treant or something similar, those normally appear much farther south. Once we reach a major city, we might need to ask the knights or the church to investigate.”
“What do you mean?”
The Sister swirled the ice in her glass before replying.
“Listen carefully. Monsters are usually not very intelligent, and they almost never expand their own territory voluntarily. They may try to reclaim old territory, but deliberately disrupting territorial boundaries is something humans do, not monsters.
“When monsters do expand territory, it’s usually because of a single species, like forest wolves or goblins acting in groups. But when multiple species begin changing their habitats at once like this, it usually means there’s a powerful leader involved.”
“A powerful leader?”
“It means there may be a monster commonly referred to as a Demon King.”
“You mean like those things from legends that supposedly nearly destroyed the world?”
Alphilis asked skeptically. She had always assumed Demon Kings existed only in myths. She thought humanity had wiped them out long ago, though now that she thought about it, she vaguely remembered seeing guild requests labeled ‘Subjugation of Demon King!’
But Anorn shook her head.
“That’s an extreme example. Long ago, monsters actually dominated the continent. Even after humanity expanded, there were Demon Kings that destroyed kingdoms. But nothing on that scale exists today. The kind you’re talking about are legendary individuals remembered in history itself.
“Generally speaking, any monster capable of ruling over multiple species is called a Demon King. So there’s a huge range in strength. As far as I know, there are at least four currently alive.”
“There are that many?”
“Probably more. The smarter ones stay hidden. If humans start hearing rumors about one, either it’s weak… or terrifyingly powerful.”
“Hm. Then maybe I could handle one of those four somehow?”
“No. You absolutely could not.”
“Why not?!”
Alphilis grumbled, but the Sister remained expressionless.
“Historical analysis suggests that defeating a Demon King generally requires at least one brigade—around three thousand soldiers. Demon Kings command organized armies. That estimate assumes you want to do it safely, of course. In practice, smaller forces are sometimes sent, and nations with strong mages may manage more efficiently.
“And occasionally there are heroes who defeat Demon Kings in small parties, but there are only a handful of people like that in the world.”
“I see…”
“By the way, don’t you have a mercenary guild rank badge?”
“I got something like this.”
Alphilis removed the badge hanging from her waist and showed it to the Sister. The insignia bore the image of a short sword.
“Hmm… that’s Rank E. The lowest rank. You’re still a complete beginner. Mercenaries do get hired for Demon King subjugations sometimes, but even cannon fodder is usually at least Rank C. You should focus on steadily taking jobs and raising your rank first.”
“I know, but my master told me to head east before anything else.”
“…Am I the only one who feels like you’ll never actually get there?”
“That’s rude!”
Feeling like she was being treated like a child, Alphilis gulped down her fire liquor in protest—only to immediately choke on it. The Sister grinned smugly.
“There, there. Even if you’re technically an adult, you’re not even twenty yet. Don’t chug alcohol. If you’re traveling, drinking is useful for gathering information, but remember: drink alcohol—don’t let it drink you.”
“You sound preachy for a Sister.”
“Well, obviously. We Sisters make our living by preaching.”
The Sister laughed cheerfully.
“Honestly… Still, you really know a lot. How long have you been traveling on pilgrimage?”
“Let’s see… it’s probably been ten years since I left the convent that took care of me.”
“Wait, then you must be almost th—”
“Did you say something?”
The Sister poured liquor into Alphilis’s cup while smiling with completely dead eyes. Alphilis’s instincts screamed that pushing further would endanger her life, so she hurriedly changed the subject.
“S-so where are you headed next, Sister?”
“Nowhere in particular. But because of these monster incidents, I’m at least going to Miishia.”
“I’m heading there too… so I guess we’re traveling together until then.”
“Looks that way. I’m just a fragile little Sister, after all. I’ll need a mercenary to protect me.”
Anorn winked. Alphilis barely resisted saying ‘What part of you is fragile?’ because she knew that would probably trap her into drinking together all night.
“But even if an ordinary Sister says something, will knights actually listen?”
“Oh? I may look delicate, but there are only a handful of people in church headquarters above me in rank. Someone with my status can independently mobilize at least some knight orders from our affiliated nations.”
“R-really?”
Alphilis looked utterly unconvinced, but the Sister answered with an expression that suggested it was nothing worth bragging about.
“Well, I just sort of ended up in this position. I never cared about status, but apparently traveling alone on pilgrimage like this is highly praised at headquarters. They keep saying things like, ‘It is suffering worthy of a saint!’ Though saints aren’t supposed to seek suffering in the first place. The church brass are strange people.”
“The fact someone like you is important makes me think the world is broken…”
“Why?! Though honestly, even with my rank, I absolutely refuse to take disciples. I had tons of applicants, but I gave one speech at headquarters and they all withdrew.”
“…For safety’s sake, what exactly was the speech about?”
Seeing Alphilis ask nervously, the Sister grinned.
“How to handle alcohol and men while traveling.”
“…I can’t believe this.”
“The archbishop’s horrified face was priceless! The Sisters were so moved by my speech that one after another they fainted. It was a wonderful time.”
“My head hurts just hearing this…”
And she said all of this while looking like an angel. Who could possibly guess her true nature from her appearance alone?
“Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about yourself for once.”
“There’s nothing interesting about me.”
“Oh, I disagree. Spending seven years training in the mountains isn’t normal. And when we first met, you were wearing long underclothes in the middle of summer, right? On a day that ridiculously hot, of course it caught my attention. Though your height, your beauty, and especially your black hair stood out too.”
“Sisters aren’t supposed to say things like ‘ridiculously hot.’”
“Don’t dodge the subject. Adventurers layering clothing isn’t unusual since they often hide things underneath, but robes or cloaks would’ve worked too. You absolutely refuse to show your skin… If it’s illness, or guilt, or something you need to confess, a Sister’s the perfect person. I’ll even hear your confession at a discount.”
With that, the Sister downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. Was she seriously planning to hear confessions while drunk?
“You charge money for confessions? Well… it’s not that I’ve done nothing worth confessing.”
“If you can tell someone, it’ll make you feel better. I am a Sister, after all. I won’t reveal your confession to anyone.”
“Yeah… thanks. But my master told me not to talk much about this. Still, if it ever affects you somehow, I’ll explain properly.”
“I see. Then I won’t push further. But dressing like that in summer makes you stand out no matter what. If I knew even a little about your circumstances, I might at least be able to offer advice.”
“That’s…”
Just as Alphilis thought perhaps she could trust the Sister enough to share a little—
“Hey old man! Booze! Hurry it up!”
A rough voice suddenly echoed through the tavern as a group of thugs entered.
The regular patrons here already looked rough enough, but these newcomers were on another level entirely. Judging people by appearance wasn’t ideal, but one’s habits inevitably showed through in their face. Though Alphilis hadn’t traveled long, repeated brushes with danger had sharpened her instincts about people.
These men had exactly the sort of faces belonging to people who enjoyed intimidation and violence.
Even if she hadn’t recognized the danger herself, the reactions of the other customers made it obvious. Some hurriedly left the tavern, while others carefully avoided eye contact. These were clearly dangerous men. Anyone incapable of reading the atmosphere like this had no business traveling.
“I hope this doesn’t become troublesome.”
The Sister, whose eyes had been hazy from heavy drinking moments earlier, now looked razor sharp again. Alphilis was reminded once more not to underestimate her.
“Should we head back to our rooms?”
“And walk right past the table they chose? We’re already seated in a corner. As long as we don’t stand out, they won’t notice us.”
“No, you stand out, Sister.”
“That’s true… Hey, you there!”
The Sister called over several men seated nearby.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Call me Sister. Gather some large fellows and make sure those ugly-looking idiots stay where I can’t see them. They’re ruining my drink.”
“R-right away!”
A group of fully grown men immediately obeyed and hurried off.
(Seriously… what exactly did this Sister do before I arrived?)
Alphilis couldn’t be blamed for wondering.
“What’s with them calling you ‘boss lady’?”
“Let’s ignore that part. Anyway, this solves the problem. The best thing with people like that is not getting involved.”
“If they get involved with you, they might be the unlucky ones.”
“What a terrible thing to say.”
“It’s the truth.”
As the two continued chatting, it didn’t take long before obvious threats and intimidation began echoing from the group of thugs.
