Chapter 119
“All right, everyone! This is where the legendary holy sword once rested!”
The Ancient Cave lay southeast of Valman. It was the place where the legendary holy sword—once permitted only to heroes of level 90 or higher—had rested, glowing with a mysterious white light. A tour guide exuding sensual allure, dressed in a mage’s robe with a plunging neckline, spoke as she waved her flag.
“Hey, hey, Guide, what happened to the legendary holy sword? Does the hero have it?”
“The legendary holy sword was never used. A certain villager you all know very well sold it to a traveling merchant without even realizing what it was!”
At the guide’s words, the dozen or so tourists she’d brought here—including both demonkin and humans—began murmuring. They all knew what the legendary holy sword was. Seeing their reaction, the tour guide, a woman with wavy purple hair, gave a light snort. “Well, I suppose that’s how you’d react.”
“T-this is where the sword was stuck, right? Why does it look like it was ripped out so forcefully? The pedestal’s practically been gouged out!”
“That was also ripped out by the famous villager.”
“W-why was it ripped out? Was there some reason? Were they trying to pull the sword out?”
“We haven’t been told the details. All we know is that the villager ripped it out.”
After answering, she thought to herself, ‘The truth is, it was because we refused to acknowledge his strength.’ Parna, who hardly looked like a tour guide, saw no need to expose her own disgraceful behavior and deftly fielded the tourists’ questions one after another.
“You will now have thirty minutes to rest. This area is protected by the power of an ancient mage, so no monsters can enter. If you would like to leave this area and explore the cave, please speak to one of the accompanying staff members and stay with them. Although the staff will ensure your safety, please remain alert for monsters in the dungeon.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Parna hurried out of the area where the holy sword had rested, almost as if she were fading away. “...I’m exhausted,” she muttered, letting out a deep sigh and rolling her shoulders.
To turn the Ancient Cave into a tourist attraction, they had hired former adventurers to exterminate monsters nearly every day, reducing their overall numbers. So, unless something unusual happened, it was quite safe.
The demonkin visiting as tourists also had cloth wrapped around them to suppress their magic. And if anyone tried to leave the area, the veteran former adventurers they’d hired would protect the tourists.
“...I should take a break, too.”
Three years had already passed since Kagami disappeared from the casino.
The casino had developed even further. It had turned the dungeons around Valman—places ordinarily accessible only to high-level people—into tourist attractions and started making money from them. Maintaining safety cost money, but by counting the income from exterminating monsters as profit, they ran it as a lucrative business.
Even so, since there was still some danger, having experienced adventurers accompany the tourists was essential.
Normally, this was a job assigned only to adventurers hired by the casino. But they happened to be short-handed that day, which was how Parna ended up being picked for it.
“That David... I’m definitely making him treat me to something when I get back. And he’d better bump up my pay for today, too. ‘With Lady Parna here, we’re in safe hands, fofofofofo!’ What does he think he’s saying?!”
As she wandered through the dungeon, Parna grumbled to herself.
But David’s words had, in fact, been right.
“Gyaaaah!”
“Out of my way!”
A demonkin’s magic had drifted in from somewhere and accumulated in a monster spawner, causing a Blue Devil to appear just now. Parna’s explosion magic obliterated it in an instant.
The magic she’d used was exactly the same explosion spell Parna had wielded three years ago. And yet she’d instantly destroyed an opponent she’d once struggled against, simply because her level was now 143, making her a formidable fighter.
She had reached this level of strength entirely to keep the promise she’d made three years ago—and because she had kept it.
“Alice! You’re here again today, aren’t you? Come out!”
After wandering through the cave for a while, Parna suddenly began calling out.
There was no reply, but she had a pretty good idea where Alice was likely to be. Still calling out, she continued walking through the Ancient Cave until she spotted a petite girl with long, jewel-bright red hair, about as tall as Parna’s chest, fidgeting in front of one of the cave walls.
As Parna approached, the girl swung the hammer in her hand, tapping away as she worked to break something apart.