THE MEANING OF ADVENTURE

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She nodded to herself.

Aiz sat in an armchair, hugging her knees and deep in thought.

The room she sat in was decorated with light colors and filled with many round tables and sofas. She wasn’t alone; many other adventurers were putting their feet up and relaxing in the wide room.

It was the reception room ofLoki Familia.

“Hey, Aiz. Wha’cha thinking about?”

Aiz lifted her face from between her knees as a wheat-skinned, black-haired girl came up to her.

She had only a strip of cloth around her chest, showing vibrant skin and toned muscles around her midsection. She wore lose, traditional clothing from the waist down. She looked more like a street dancer than an adventurer at the moment.

Aiz made eye contact with the young Amazonian girl sporting a long pareu-style skirt around her waist.

“Tiona…”

“You’ve had a strange look on your face all week, Aiz. If something’s troubling you, I’ll help you out!”

Aiz’s cheeks warmed as she saw a friendly smile bloom on the young girl’s face.

Just as Aiz was opening her mouth to say, “Thank you”…

“Don’t even think about it, Aiz. Talkin’ ta Tiona ain’t gonna solve jack. You’ll just get led ’round in circles.”

“Get lost, Bete! I’m talking with Aiz, so keep your mouth shut!”

“Kind of sad that Bete has a point, though.”

“Not you, too, Tione?! Don’t take Bete’s side for anything!”

A young animal-person male with ash-gray fur entered the conversation, along with another Amazonian girl.

Bete and Tione walked up to Aiz’s armchair, teasing the Amazonian girl along the way.

“But yeah, Aiz, where are ya disappearin’ to recently? Nowhere t’be found in the mornings, and yesterday y’were gone all day, weren’t ya?”

“What’s this? You hear that, Tione? Sounds like Bete’s stalking Aiz. Even knows when she’s not home. Makes me sick!”

“Quit yer yappin’, Amazonian thugs! We’re leavin’ for an expedition in a few days, and Aiz is out doin’ who knows what! That’s what I’m sayin’ here!”

“It’s nothing big, so what’s the problem? It’s not like she’s prowling the Dungeon alone like before. Anything else is a million times safer…and who areyoucalling a thug?!”

Aiz sat quietly, knowing that she was most likely the reason for their argument. However, she also knew that if she spoke up, it would only pour oil on the fire, so she kept her mouth shut.

She watched them argue for a minute before her ears noticed something new close by. She craned her neck to see who was there.

Clack, clack.Two people were playing chess at the table across from her: a tall elf beauty and a short prum boy.

The elf had a head or two of height on the boy, with a very relaxed, almost playful expression on her face, as opposed to the boy’s serious face.

“Check.”

“Oh…”

The boy moved a piece into position before declaring, which caused the elf’s brow to furrow. She still, however, retained her refined beauty despite her arching eyebrows.

Her eyes jumped for a moment as if she thought of something, but she just set her hands on her knees and sighed.

“It’s over. I’ve lost this round.”

“That’s very sporty of you, Riveria. You could hold out a while longer?”

“I don’t like a losing fight, Finn.”

The expression on the prum’s face was completely different from the Elf as the two referred to each other by name.

Riveria noticed Aiz’s gaze. Her jade hair swayed as she turned to Aiz and asked, “What’s wrong?

“Anything we can help you with? I doubt you want to play a round?”

“Ha-ha, Aiz the chess master. NowthatI’d like to see.”

While that got a lighthearted chuckle out of most of the group, the intelligent Finn softened his lake-blue eyes.

“Tiona asked before, but is something troubling you, Aiz?”

“Wow, that’s a first. You can talk with me as well; I’d love to help if I can.”

Aiz sat there for a moment afterLoki Familia’s “top two” leaders asked her if something was wrong. Aiz suddenly started talking, the same thoughtful expression on her face.

“What would the two of you do to teach an adventurer?”

“…Another strange question.”

“Hmm. It is interesting to think about, though.”

“Eh? What was that? Aiz, what’d you say?!”

The Amazons’ argument came to a halt as they joined in.

Both of the girls found a spot close to Aiz’s armchair, Bete not far behind.

“That’s out of the blue. Aiz, did something happen?”

“When you say ‘teach,’ you’re talking about teaching an adventurer weaker than yourself, yes?”

“No need. You’d be wasting your time, tryin’ ta teach a bottom-feeder. Don’t be stupid.”

Aiz still hugged her knees to her chest as her comrades formed a circle around her. She decided to ask everyone at once.

“What would anyone do?”

“I would guide them through meditation. No one can improve without knowing themselves first.”

“Oh? I’d bring them with me to the Dungeon! Nothing like a baptism of fire to get results!”

“Sparring, I believe. Get them used to the rough and tumble of battle.”

“Tiona, isn’t that exactly what sparring means?”

The ladies of the group each said their opinions in turn, but Bete scoffed at them, snorting out his nose.

“Don’t make me repeat myself! Bottom-feeders belong at the bottom. As long as they’re weak, there’s no point in teachin’ ’em anything!”

“…Bete, that’s very philosophical of you.”

“Hah! He’s just trying to act tough!”

“I’ll bite you in half, woman…!”

“On the other hand, those with power shouldn’t think too much of themselves and show their techniques without a purpose…I never thought I would learn something such as this from Bete.”

“You wanna get in line, old hag…?”

Aiz watched as the conversation broke off into several parts. She turned to face the last person yet to speak, Finn.

“What about you, Finn?”

“Hmm, what would I do? For starters, I’d like to figure out what my student’s weaknesses are, and from there figure out a way to make them into strengths. But getting that far seems difficult.”

Finn scratched his chin as his small frame sank deeper and deeper into the sofa.

He then answered Aiz’s question with a question.

“Why do you ask, Aiz? Your answer will likely affect mine.”

“…I…”

The reason for her question was simple.

She was trying to figure out the best way to instruct a certain boy.

It had been six days since she offered to become his teacher. At first she wanted to find the cause of his rapid growth, but now she was curious to see just how much he could improve.

Aiz herself didn’t understand why she was so motivated to come up with a “menu” for their next lesson, but Bell’s desire to get stronger was a definite factor.

He was open and honest, in a good way.

More than likely he would bravely take everything Aiz might throw at him, enduring and learning from Aiz’s strict lessons, no matter how tough.

Since he never complained, and faced all situations head-on, he learned quickly.

Not that he was particularly good at learning—just quick to recover. Every time he failed, he just lined up and tried again.

So that’s why Aiz has been racking her brain these last few days. To teach him the best way she could, and to reward him for his efforts.

Right now, she was his only example.

If Finn were to figure this out, there might be problems…

However, even if there were a better way, she couldn’t let her connection with Bell come to light.

And then there was the incident the previous night, when she was away from herFamilia—a mysterious group (Aiz could only think of one “group” with members that powerful) had attacked her under the cover of darkness.

To keep her interaction with Bell under wraps, she also had to keep the night raid a secret.

“…was curious about it. Yes.”

“…Okay, then. In that case, this is my conclusion.”

Finn’s golden hair slightly shook as he tilted his head.

He gathered his thoughts before speaking.

“There are times when we as adventurers must go on adventures. Imparting the mental toughness to face that time without fear onto a student would be the best, I think.”

Aiz listened well to her ally’s words, taking them to heart. She gave a heartfelt “Thank you” in response.

Stretching his shoulders, Finn slowly got to his feet.

“While I want to avoid doing something careless, I think this is a good opportunity for you, Aiz. Whatever group you’ve made a connection with, don’t stop now. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to play stupid, but I’ll keep this a secret from Loki as long as possible.”

“……”

“However, I won’t hesitate to tell her if I think your actions are putting ourFamiliain danger. Let’s leave it at that.”

Finn smiled one last time before leaving the reception room. Aiz silently watched him go.

She now knew that she couldn’t lie to either Riveria or the prum leader of theFamilia; they could both see right through her.

“But you know, Aiz, it seems like you’re having a good time.”

“……Having a good time?”

Tiona had broken away from the rest of the group and come up to Aiz’s chair.

Aiz looked confused. Tiona simply nodded.

“When you’re not in the Dungeon, you usually just space out or practice with your saber. But now you’re nodding to yourself, trying your hardest to figure something out. I can see that much.”

The Amazonian girl’s toothy grin reflected off Aiz’s golden eyes.

“Thinking about something, realizing something, trying something…You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“…Maybe that’s true.”

“Yes, it is. You’re having fun, Aiz.”

The girl hit the nail right on the head as she confidently told Aiz how she looked.

Aiz smiled happily to herself.

Everything around me sounds distant.

A wave of shock tears through my motionless body as my eyes are locked on a piece of paper in my hands. The paper is still pinned to the wall.

Words escape my mouth.

“Level six……”

The paper is a list of public level announcements of all adventurers, strongest at the top. My spirit leaves my body the moment my eyes find the name Aiz Wallenstein.

“It was very recent. We only got news of Miss Wallenstein’s rank a few days ago…”

Eina’s words pass through one ear and out the other.

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The shock of seeing that the person I’m trying with all my might to catch up to just put even more space between us makes myhead go numb. It feels like I’m on earth and she’s somewhere in the clouds.

I came by the Guild Headquarters on my way home from the Dungeon.

I don’t normally look at the notice board in the Guild lobby, but I happened to catch a glimpse of it on my way by and asked Eina if it was true.

“According to my sources, she slew a floor boss on her own. Not in the Lower Fortress of the Dungeon, but in the even lower Deep Zone…”

Floor boss…Monster Rex.

By far the most powerful monster on their floor, it takes large groups of adventurers to take one down.

Far outclassing all other monsters in strength and size, defeating a Monster Rex is supposed to be the most difficult part of conquering a floor.

In fact, aFamiliacan be defined by how many of its members have been involved in a successful battle against one of those gargantuan beasts. There aren’t many that have even slain one…

And she did it alone…?

“Um…Bell. This might be difficult for you, but you shouldn’t think about this too hard. Even I’ve never heard of anyone slaying a floor boss alone before. Miss Wallenstein is…special.”

It’s probably just as she says.

Even still, that doesn’t stop my spirit from sinking into oblivion.

What she did in that backstreet the other night is still on replay in my mind.

I can see her facing down five of the strongest adventurers in the city without so much as a step backward, the flashes of her blade, the sudden bursts of sparks, the clash of steel on steel.

I learned just how insignificant I am on that night, watching that battle between masters.

Fast.

They’re too fast.

Just how much stronger is she, compared to me?

Can I even hope to reach that high…? Way up in the clouds?

The cold, hard truth had taken hold of my soul, and is crushing it to pieces.

“Bell…?”

“…Ah, sorry. Kind of spaced out for a minute there. I’m going home.”

Eina looks worried, so I do my best to smile at her and bow my head to be polite.

We exchange a few more words like “Good luck tomorrow” and “See you again soon” before I turn to make my exit.

Eina sees me off, waving with a very uncertain look on her face.

I’ll put on a strong face, but…

I’m floored.

The way my depressed body is walking, I’ll probably trip over every stone in the street.

Loosing sigh after sigh, I walk with my head down, staring at my feet as I make my way down Main Street.

The sun is setting in the western sky. The lower it gets, the livelier the street becomes. The bars are open, drawing in customers one by one. I can hear a harp playing—that’s new. It looks like an elf, and he’s singing in a beautiful timbre about the brave, powerful adventurers of Orario.

I stop to listen, and he smiles at me. I didn’t know what to do, so I smile back and give him a few coins out of my pocket before making a quick escape…Some powerful, brave adventurer I am.

Rather than going straight home, I double back and go into Central Park. Waves of adventurers are coming out of Babel Tower, out of the Dungeon. But I’m just killing time. After a while I decide to head back to West Main.

I don’t feel like I’m part of this town; the noise of the street has nothing to do with me.

“—Bell!”

“Huh?”

I take my eyes off the street and look for the source of the voice that suddenly calls out to me.

Swishing blue-gray hair is running toward me. Syr?

Have I already come as far as The Benevolent Mistress?

Just as I start recognizing some of the taverns in the area, Syr grabs my hand without warning.

“Huh…?”

“……”

Both of her hands grasp my right, her smooth, milky-white skin against mine.

I’m lost for words as she lifts up my hand, looking at it. It’s like she’s saying me she caught me, but she’s enjoying the warmth of my hand, too.

My face is getting redder and redder. She looks up to meet my eyes, a very happy smile on her face, and says these words:

“Bell, I’ve been looking for you…!”

“……”

Clatter, clatter.The sounds of running water and dishes fill my ears, steam in my face as I work my way through a never-ending stack of them.

The cat-people chefs are busily running around the kitchen while I quietly wash dishes in a corner, alone.

“I really appreciate this, Bell! To think you’d volunteer to help me at work!”

“I didn’tvolunteerto do anything! You practically forced me!”

She stopped her trotting feet to give me a light bow of apology as I yelled back with enough force to send spit flying out of my mouth.

I said I’d come with her for a little while when we ran into each other outside, but washing dishes isn’t exactly what I had in mind.

“I ignored a lot of chores and went out this morning…That made Mama Mia really mad at me, and now I’ve got so much more to do than before!”

“That is completely one hundred percent your problem!”

Didn’t she just say “went out” after “ignoring chores”?!

But then again, sheisrunning around like a madwoman, so I guess she really is busy.

Weaving her way in and out of other waitresses, Syr is taking care of odd jobs all over the bar and kitchen.

“Meow, this is a surprise, White Head.”

“Enslaved by Syr, meow. His duty, meow!”

“Ugh…”

Doing my best to take the teasing of the cat-girl waitresses Ahnya and Chloe in stride, I continue attacking the white mountain of plates next to the sink.

Of course I’m not very happy with this…But the people here have helped me out so many times before, and Syr is still making lunches for me, so why not do her a favor?

But why did it have to be washing dishes?I scream inside my head as I continue to fill in for Syr.

“…”

Then again, having an endless-seeming task to do might be the best thing for me right now.

The constant movement and the noise back here are keeping my mind off ofher, after all.

I keep my mouth closed as I continue whipping down dish after dish.

“Are you okay, Mr. Cranell?”

“Huh…?”

“This amount is daunting. I shall assist.”

Now I have a guest—another bar employee next to me at the sink.

Arms so thin they seem like they’re about to break set to work next to me. The girl’s long, thin ears flash in my vision.

An elf with light blue eyes, deep as the sky itself, looks up at me. It’s Lyu.

“S-sorry. I know you’re busy, too…”

“No, the situation is Syr’s fault. And blame also lies with us, the employees who couldn’t cover for her. We owe you the apology. On behalf of all of us, allow me to convey our apologies.”

“No-no-no-no, you don’t have to go that far!”

I stop washing for a moment to face the always-serious Lyu, who’s almosttooserious right now, and respond to her. I know she’s very conscious of manners and protocol, but this is a whole new level of correctness.

Whatever it is, Lyu must be a great example of elfish integrity.

“Has something happened?”

“Eh—”

“I don’t mean to be forward, but you appear to be depressed.”

I stand next to her in shocked silence as her hands fly around the sink, washing the dishes with amazing precision.

Elves are known for their good looks. Lyu is no exception. Even just looking at her profile, she’s a radiant beauty with a bit of a cold aura. It’s enough to make me nervous standing this close to her.

“If you consider me worthy, I’ll listen.”

“…”

“I owe you for your assistance at this station. If you have no reservations, please allow me to help.”

Honestly, standing here and admiring her beauty like this, part of me wants to tell her everything about anything.

But no, I can’t do that. I don’t want to.

I can’t tell her that the person I idolize has left me in the dust and exposed just how weak and pathetic I am. There’s still some sorry piece of me that has hope that I can catch up toherby trying harder.

It feels a bit cowardly, but I decide to ask Lyu about something else instead.

After hearing that Aiz had leveled up earlier today, there’s something I’d like to know.

“Um, Lyu…Were you an adventurer?”

“…Yes. There was a time I was known as one. What are you getting at?”

I quickly explain to her that I’m not trying to find out about her past, before asking my question.

“It’s about getting stronger…How does an adventurer level up?”

I’ve always thought that if I continue fighting and gaining excelia I’d rank up eventually, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The difference between Level One and Level Two…It feels like there’s a wall between them. A very steep wall, one that I have to climb over if I’m ever going to level up.

Lyu listened to my question, her eyes on me. She opens her mouth to respond.

“You must do something great.”

“…Huh?”

“You must complete a great task, something that even the gods cannot ignore.”

Great…?

“Defeat an enemy more powerful than yourself…Acquire an incredible amount of excelia in one shot. That is the requirement.”

Gaining a large amount of excelia all at once…So that means no matter how many lower-level monsters I slay, I’ll never rank up. Only my basic stats will improve.

If I don’t take down something really powerful, if I don’t pull off something great like the hero inTales of Adventure…I’ll never reach her?

“An adventurer’s level is the strength of their soul—a ‘container’ within them. A god’s blessing allows the soul to grow, but only those who have proven themselves deserving.”

“Well, what about my abilities? My basic stats…?”

“In short, they are there to prepare you to do something great. Nothing more.”

But they are also qualifications.

Lyu goes on to tell me that an adventurer can level up once all their basic stats are above D.

“But fighting a monster that’s more powerful than you are…doesn’t that mean you’d lose?”

That’s what “stronger than you” means, right?

“Overcoming that disadvantage is part technique and part strategy…I’ll tell you a common way to overcome it: form a battle party.”

“A party?”

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“Yes. Using combined strength and strategy to slay a beaststronger than any of the party members. Adventurers in Orario repeat this many times to get stronger.”

Sounds like the excelia would be split between all party members, but it’s a fool-proof way for a weakling to become powerful.

“Mr. Cranell, if you truly wish to become stronger, a battle party is required. Please keep this in mind.”

“Okay…”

But that means thatshe…

She took down a floor boss, slew a monster of that size and strength, on her own—such heights are…

Feeling trapped by just how high my goal is, it reminds me just how far up top-class adventurers really are.

“…I have advice to offer you. Is this acceptable?”

“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”

Lyu’s voice brings me out of my reverie. She starts talking.

“Mr. Cranell. Every adventure has a meaning.”

“……”

“No one knows what awaits them on an adventure. However, do not lose sight of the meaning of setting out, the purpose.”

Pausing for a moment to give me a chance to think about her words, she continues.

“You are an adventurer.”

Her words plunge into my ears and make their way to the bottom of my soul.

“What you seek, most likely, cannot be obtained without venturing forward.”

“U-um…”

“But no, please don’t worry about it. My intuition is often wrong.”

For a second there, I think she smiles at me. I blink quickly to clear my eyes, and she’s wearing her usual cold expression.

I rub my eyes, just to make sure. She asks me if I’m all right; I wave it off and say it’s nothing.

After that, the two of us manage to conquer the beast that is the mountain of dirty dishes.

“Well then, Mr. Cranell. Please visit us again when you have an opportunity.”

“Sure, I’ll drop by again soon.”

Lyu has more to do, so she sees me out of the kitchen as I walk through the door into the main bar of The Benevolent Mistress. The bar is alive with voices, busy as usual. I look out onto the café terrace for a moment before making my way to the exit. It’s time to go home.

“Bell.”

“…Syr.”

I turn around to the voice that called me, and there she is, standing right in front of me.

Her white cheeks are pinkish, and I wonder if it has something to do with finishing the job she dragged me into.

“I’m really sorry about today…Thank you so much for your help.”

“Ah, well, I said a few things at first, but you’ve helped me out many times, too…”

My words come out a bit clumsily because she’s bowing to me. Her usual hair bun with a ponytail sticking out the middle is right in front of my face.

I can’t exactly tell her off when she’s like this; it’s like an aggressive apology.

Not that I really need one.

“…Bell.”

“……?”

She raises her head and looks me square in the eyes.

Her lips open, close, open again. But there’s no sound. Is she trying to tell me something? I tilt my head in confusion.

“I’m not an adventurer, so I don’t really know how to put this…”

“Syr?”

“…But you don’t have to go on adventures, right?”

My eyes open wide as her soft voice reaches my ears.

She breaks off eye contact, looking over her shoulder and forcing a smile.

“Please don’t do anything reckless. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

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