Chapter 683
Chapter 683
TENKEN 683 Katley
「It's almost our turn」
「Yes!」
「Don't let your guard down」
「Yes!」
The day after we explained things to Diaz and Rumina.
We're now waiting in line to one of the dungeons in Ulmut. We're not going to the eastern dungeon where Rumina's living space is, but the western dungeon for beginners.
It was originally at a level that could be explored by even a fledgling adventurer, but now that it has been weakened, it's even less of a threat now.
So much so that even ordinary people, beginners, and children are allowed to enter as long as they have a weapon.
The Adventurer's Guild of Ulmut has been preparing this dungeon as a place to train beginners over the past year too.
Now that the word has gotten out, people who don't even look like adventurers are lining up in front of the dungeon.
In the midst of them, Fran and a girl younger than her are waiting in line together. She is a beautiful girl with twin-tailed silver hair.
「Fran-oneesama, are you sure that I only need a sword for my equipment?」
「Nn. Katley is still small, so heavy armor would be more of a hindrance for her. Besides, you should be better at dodging in fights like this」
「I-I see」
「If it's just a torn arm, I can heal it with my magic. So it's no problem」
「I see――eEeh?」
「Let's go」
「Eh? Eeh?」
It was only a few minutes ago that we met her in a courtyard inside Aurel's mansion.
「This is my granddaughter. Come on, say hello」
「Yes! My name is Katley Aurel!」
「Nn. I'm Fran, an adventurer」
「It's an honor to meet you! Fran-oneesama!」
「Oneesama?」
「Y-yes. Is it no good?」
「...I don't really mind」
「Thank you very much!」
When we visited Aurel's mansion, we were immediately introduced to a girl from the White Dog tribe. What a surprise, so Aurel really has a granddaughter, huh?
She is a beautiful girl who looks nothing like Aurel. Her slightly sullen eyes give me the impression that she is a timid person. Is she really Aurel's granddaughter? The resemblance is so faint that it makes me wonder.
She is ten years old this year, a little younger than Fran.
「Do I just have to take this girl to the dungeon?」
「Ou. That's right」
Yesterday, Aurel had asked her to take his granddaughter to a dungeon and let her fight some magic beast.
Apparently, his granddaughter has been longing to become an adventurer, and has recently begun to learn sword fighting in earnest. But Aurel's son and daughter-in-law think that their daughter is unsuited to be an adventurer because she has always had a timid personality.
However, Aurel's own belief is that what's important for an adventurer is motivation and caution. With that in mind, a timid personality is not necessarily unsuitable for an adventurer.
All that was left was motivation, and from Aurel's point of view, his granddaughter seemed to be motivated enough for this.
So, apparently, Aurel decided to show her granddaughter some reality by throwing her into a simple dungeon and have her fight some magic beast for now.
If she gets tired of it and gives up on being an adventurer, she can go to a school for girls as originally planned. If she still wants to be an adventurer even after the horrible experience in the dungeon, then Aurel will personally train her.
That's what he thought.
「You're not going to make her give up on this, are you?」
The request must be a NG from Fran's point of view. But Aurel then nodded in response to Fran's question.
(TLN: NG, No-Good, a Japanese-made english term meaning the opposite of okay)
「Of course. I only wanted to show her the reality of being an adventurer. Well, it's too early to decide whether or not to give up on one's dream at the age of ten, but she's still my granddaughter」
「Is there something about being Aurel's granddaughter?」
「Even though I look like this, I still have a lot of money. There might be some people who were aiming for it out there」
Aurel is a successful businessman who started his own trading company. His son and daughter-in-law have taken over the business, and the granddaughter who asks Fran to escort her was their child.
What would happen if the only daughter of a prosperous trading company showed up as a fledgling adventurer? She would surely become a valuable prey for kidnappers.
「It's hard to expect a 10-year-old to be ready for that」
「She didn't have any interest in being an adventurer before?」
「Yeah, I've had her train a little for self-defense, but she's far from ready」
「Why is she suddenly wanting to become an adventurer?」
Being an adventurer is the best thing for Fran, but it's not common sense for everyone. That's why she wondered.
Then Aurel shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile.
「...Well, a girl her age has a lot going on in her mind. She heard about the exploits of a certain famous adventurer and then longed to become one」
「?」
Fran doesn't seem to understand, but it seems that Aurel's granddaughter has been inspired to become an adventurer by Fran.
When she heard that there's a beastman girl not much older than her played an active role in various things as an adventurer, it's no wonder that she can't help but admire her.
「Well, anyway, I'd really like you to accept this request, how about it? I could do this myself but I would end up spoiling her. There'd be no point in doing this then, right?」
Though he said that, he probably really wanted to let his granddaughter meet Fran, whom she admired. So, even if this would make her give up on being an adventurer, this should be a great memorable experience for her.
「Would you take it?」
(Master? Should we take it?)
『Well, it's up to Fran. It's not the kind of request that will hold us up for a long time anyway』
「Nn. Okay, I'll take it」
「Ooh! That's great!」
After such an exchange, the next morning Fran came to pick up the girl who was the subject of the request.
「Take care of Katley for me, young miss. I'll have no say in the matter from here on out, so you can do anything to her in any way you like」
「Okay」
「I-I'll be in your care!」
Katley gulped down her throat with a blue face when she heard the exchange between the two, she must have been a little frightened.
She's timid indeed. Her status was quite low too. Her level was 10, and her various skills were appropriate for her level.
As she was originally a student, her skill set was heavily weighted towards academics. Arithmetic, business administration, and so on... I'd say that it was a rather suitable skill set for her to succeed the trading company.
On the other hand, she only had three skills for combat and exploration. Swordsmanship: Lv1, Quick Movement: Lv1, and Keen Smelling Sense: Lv1, that's all.
Fran looked at her and must have sensed how weak she was in an instant. She also asks me about her skill set then frowns when I tell her my opinion.
「First of all, you don't need that armor. Take it off」
「Eh? Eeh?」
When she was suddenly asked to take off the armor that was supposed to protect her life, Katley turned to Aurel as if to ask for help. But there was no help coming for her.
「I've got some work to do, so I'll be taking my leave. See ya」
「Nn. Katley, take it off now」
「Y-yes!」