Extra Story: The Story of a Certain Group of Adventurers 3

The adventurers' guild.

They would buy relics or materials harvested from monsters found in

dungeons explored by adventurers, who made their living doing so. They

also were an intermediary for quests that involved things such as dangerous

beast eradication, protection of merchants, and slaying of monsters that

came out of dungeons.

Because adventurers traveled around many countries, the adventurers'

guild was independent from the states it operated in.

A party was visiting the branch of the guild in Parnam. The party

consisted of the hot-blooded and handsome swordsman Dece, the babyfaced, slender female thief Juno, the brawny, macho brawler Augus, the

gentle, affable young priest Febral, and the quiet, shapely mage Julia.

"Dece's party, right?" the receptionist asked. "Your reward for the

villager escort quest is here."

The girl at the reception gave them a perfunctory greeting and a bag full

of silver coins. The bag bulged slightly, making Juno and Augus's eyes

glimmer.

"We've got more than a couple months worth of earnings here, don't

you think?!" Juno asked excitedly.

"Even split five ways, it'll be a lot, won't it?!" Augus exclaimed. "Now

I can get some new knuckle dusters... No, maybe something even higher

quality!"

Standing beside the two who were blinded by the prize money, Febral

tilted his head to the side questioningly. "Even if we're being paid on an

individual basis, not as a party, this reward seems too high for the quest.

Was there some sort of special bonus applied?"

The receptionist grinned and nodded. "Yes. This quest was issued by the

royal castle. It said, 'What is believed to be a new breed of monster, the

flame pierrot, has appeared to the south. We would like to request your

assistance in escorting the residents of nearby villages as we evacuate

them.' But, with the untimely invasion by the Principality of Amidonia, we

received reports that many of our people had encountered forces from the

principality."

"Oh, that," said Juno. "I encountered them, too."

The receptionist nodded. "Fortunately, because the people of the villages

were evacuated, they were able to minimize the harm to citizens of the

kingdom from principality troops. However, because of the unexpected

trouble this meant for the adventurers, the castle has issued a special hazard

bonus. That would be the extra amount you see there."

"I see," she said. "That makes sense..."

Dece and the others accepted their reward money, heading over to a

table in the cafe and bar that was set up inside the guild.

Once the money was evenly split five ways, Dece asked Febral, "So,

about what she just told us... What do you think?"

"You mean about the unexpected hazard pay?" Febral asked him back,

to which Dece nodded.

"The towns and villages that just happened to be being attacked by the

flame pierrots just happened to be on the route the principality's forces

took, and because we just happened to be evacuating the residents human

loses were kept to a minimum... I mean, isn't that all a little too

convenient?" Dece said.

"...You're right," said Febral. "Perhaps what the kingdom was on guard

against was the principality's army all along. Could they have hurried to

have us evacuate the residents because they were anticipating an attack?"

When Febral presented that theory, Juno tilted her head to the side.

"Hm? But, I saw the flame pierrots myself when I was with Mr. Little

Musashibo, remember?"

"They looked like mannequin torsos with torches for heads, right?"

Febral said. "That sounds pretty easy to make, doesn't it?"

"Were they made-up, thennnn?" Julia asked in a relaxed tone, to which

Febral nodded.

"Yes. That sounds highly likely. The king must have had some reason

for it."

"Heh. Not like it matters to us." Augus wrapped his thick arm around

Febral's neck. "The intrigues of countries are no business for adventurers.

What's important for us is that we complete the quest, and that we make

good money for it. Am I right?"

Dece smiled wryly. "You're right. Rather than fret over it, let's think

about what we're going to do with all this money."

"For tonight, how does a feast sound, hmmmm?" Julia said gently... and

then it happened.

A roly-poly something-or-other came in through the guild's entrance. In

its hands was a naginata, over its back a wicker basket, over its face a silk

covering from under which peeked two adorable acorn-like eyes and bushy

eyebrows. Who was it?! Was it a big moth cocoon?! Was it an egg

monster?!

"Wait, that's Mr. Kigurumi!" exclaimed Juno the moment she realized it.

When Little Musashibo entered the guild, he tottered over to the

receptionist and handed her something. It was... a letter?

"Oh! A delivery, I see," said the receptionist. "Thank you for your

service."

"..." (Little Musashibo gave a thumbs up.)

Having delivered the letter, Little Musashibo turned to go, his job done,

but Juno wasn't going to let that happen.

She leaned on the top of his head. "Hey, long time no see. You're back

from down south, too, I see."

"..." ("J-Juno?" Little Musashibo reacted with surprise.)

Little Musashibo, who had shrunken slightly under Juno's weight,

flailed his arms around.

Juno stayed on top of Little Musashibo, rubbing his cheeks teasingly.

"Thanks for the save back there. The principality almost got me."

"..." ("No, I'm just glad you were okay," he said, clapping her on the

back.)

"Ahaha! But, now I think about it, weren't you in more trouble than me,

walking around all alone like that? I'll bet you were there on the same

quest, so you could have relied on us for help, you know."

"..." ("I-I'm honored to hear it," he said, bowing his head repeatedly.)

The rest of the part watched this exchange unfold with rolled eyes.

"How do they even make a conversation work like that...?" Dece

wondered aloud.

"Could it be... love?" suggested Febral.

"Oh! You're starting to believe Julia's theory now, too, huh, Febral?"

said Augus.

"Hee hee," giggled Julia.

While the four of them were talking about it, the receptionist, who had

been reading the letter, called them over. "Oh. You over there. You took the

villager escort quest, didn't you?"

"Hm? Yes, we did... Did something happen?" Dece asked.

The receptionist grinned. "It looks like there's another additional reward

for you from the castle. It was in the letter that just arrived. 'The work of

adventurers saved the lives of many of the people of this country, and so, to

reward their hard work, a small banquet will be held at the castle, which

they are most welcome to attend.' That's what this says."

"A banquet at the royal castle?" Dece furrowed his brow. When they had

already received hazard pay, a banquet seemed lavish.

"I don't wanna go," Juno said, clearly uninterested, as she continued to

lean on Little Musashibo. "The castle sounds like a stuffy place. We'd look

so out of place there."

"Heh heh heh. Are you sure you want to say that?" the receptionist

chuckled and said in a confident tone. "The banquet is being held at

Ishizuka's Place, you know?"

""Did you just say Ishizuka's Place?!"" Augus and Febral gasped.

"You've heard of it? Augus, Febral?" Dece asked.

The two of them nodded eagerly.

"We haven't just heard of it—it's the talk of the town," said Augus.

"There's a restaurant with amazingly delicious food in the castle, they say."

"From what I've heard, it's a restaurant that King Souma and the

Minister for the Food Crisis, Mr. Poncho Panacotta, set up inside the

castle," said Febral. "I hear it was made to see if people in this country

would be able to accept the dishes eaten back in King Souma's old world."

"Yes, yes, yes, that's right!" For some reason, the receptionist was

getting very excited as she spoke. "There are various dishes there, but all of

them are quick, cheap, and tasty. It's the best. However, with it being inside

the castle, and only open at night, you can't eat at it unless you work there.

Just once, when I accompanied the guild chief to the castle, I had the

opportunity to eat there... Slurp, the taste was unforgettable."

When he saw the receptionist wipe the drool from the corner of her

mouth with an enraptured look on her face, Dece was weirded out. "Are

you all right? You're sure there're no weird ingredients in that food, right?"

"I'm sure it's probably fiiiine," said Julia. "It's food fit for a king, after

all."

Juno tried asking Little Musashibo, who was underneath her, "You want

to come, too, Mr. Kigurumi? You took that quest, too, right?"

"..." ("Oh, no, not me..." he said, sticking his harms out in front of him

and shaking his head.)

"What? Come aloooong," pouted Juno. "If you don't, I'll pull you out

from inside there."

"..." ("N-No, stop, please!" he said, flailing his arms and legs around.)

Juno kept manhandling Little Musashibo. In the end, she forced him to

promise he would attend the banquet.

And so, on the evening of the banquet.

In the castle, an old wine cellar in the castle that was no longer in use

had been remodeled into something like an chain izakaya and given the

name Ishizuka's Place. It was here that the few dozen adventurers who had

participated in the escort quest were celebrating.

For this banquet, tables were lined up in the center with large plates of

food that everyone was free to take from. It was what would be called a

buffet. The adventurers ravenously swarmed around the unusual and

delicious-looking dishes. (Especially those using soy sauce and miso.)

It happened just when Juno's party, with Little Musashibo in tow, had

finished getting in line, securing all of the different dishes and alcoholic

beverages they might want, and returned to their seats.

Someone walked up to the podium opposite the entrance. It was a young

girl who wore a red military uniform and had medium-short hair.

When they saw that girl...

"Wha?! The princess?!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

There was an excited murmur that spread through the room. The one

standing at the podium was, without a doubt, Princess Liscia, the daughter

of this country's former king and the one betrothed to the current

(provisional) king, Souma Kazuya.

Liscia bowed, then began to speak in a clear voice. "Adventurers, I

welcome you to Parnam Castle. I am King Souma's fiancee, Liscia

Elfrieden. I am here to greet all of you today, in place of Souma who is

currently indisposed due to his heavy workload. I would like to thank all of

you for accepting the recent quest."

Liscia bowed once again.

Juno looked on, seeming deeply impressed. "That's a princess for you.

She looks about my age, but she feels so ladylike."

Little Musashibo blatantly averted his eyes when Juno gave that

impression. That was because he was hesitant to call the princess ladylike,

given that she had, just recently, been leading a massive force on the

battlefield.

Liscia picked up a glass of wine. Lifting it up high she said, "Thanks to

all of you, many of our people were saved. On behalf of Souma, and all the

people you saved, I salute you. Now... Cheers!"

"""Cheers!"""

With that, the banquet began. The adventurers drank much wine, and

smacked their lips at tatsuta-age, spaghetti buns, fried seafood skewers, and

many other dishes not yet common in this country.

"This tatsuta-age stuff is great! I can't get enough beer with it!" Augus

declared enthusiastically, and Febral nodded in agreement.

"It seems they use the mystic wolves' soy sauce for it," said Febral. "It's

very good."

"The fried octopus skewers are good, too," said Julia. "Here, Dece. Say

ahhh."

"Wait! Julia?! Are you drunk already?!" Dece exclaimed.

They each enjoyed themselves. Juno, whose eyes were already a little

unfocused, was wrapping herself around Little Musashibo. She was pushing

a wooden mug full of beer up against his cheek. "Come on, Mr. Kigurumi,

you've gotta drink toooo."

"..." (Y-You're a bad drunk?!" he said, panicking.)

"If you won't drink, I'll give it to you mouth-to-mouth," Juno

threatened.

"..." ("It will just stain the cloth, so please don't! I'll drink it myself,

okay!")

Then Little Musashibo turned his back to Juno. When she was

wondering what was up, looking at him dubiously, suddenly a man's hand

came out of the seam in his back.

"Wuh?!" That shocking scene made Juno throw her head back in

surprise. The arm that grew out of Little Musashibo took the mug of beer

from the dazed Juno before slipping back inside Little Musashibo's body.

Then, after some gulping sounds from inside, the empty mug was expelled

from his back.

"Whaa, what was that just now...?" Juno yelped.

Little Musashibo turned to face her and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"..." ("A fantastical illusion." he said, nodding his head up and down.)

"Huh? But, just now I saw..."

"..." ("A fantastical illusion." Got it? He tilted his head to the side.)

All Juno could say at this point was, "Uh, sure."

From there on, with the occasional interruption for a fantastical illusion,

the two drank together.

As they did, Liscia kept peeking over and watching them.

Twenty minutes later.

"..." (Little Musashibo's body suddenly tilted over and he fell down on

his back.)

Juno who was eating and drinking beside him, shouted out in surprise.

"Whoa, are you okay, mister?! Isn't it a bit early for you to pass out?!"

Juno shook his body, but Little Musashibo couldn't get up, it seemed.

Then, "Pardon me a moment," said an adult voice.

"Huh?" Juno asked.

When Juno looked up at the voice that suddenly called out to her, the

young girl in the military uniform was rushing over to Little Musashibo. It

was Princess Liscia. She was so surprised to have the princess suddenly call

out to her that her mouth bobbed open and closed in mute shock.

Liscia pressed her ear up against Little Musashibo's mouth.

"You're at your limit. Because of the alcohol. That makes sense." With

those words, Liscia sat Little Musashibo up. "I'll take care of this guy. You

handle things here."

"S-Sure..." Juno replied vacantly.

Liscia stared into Juno's face.

"Hm? ...Um... is there something on my face?" Juno asked.

"No, it's nothing," said Liscia. "Anyway, I hope you enjoy yourselves."

With that said, Liscia took Little Musashibo away.

Juno was at a loss for what to think, only able to watch their backs as

they departed.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Why did you push yourself so far to be able to participate?" Liscia

demanded. "Even going so far as to wear a kigurumi suit."

As they walked down the castle hallway, Little Musashibo borrowing

Liscia's shoulder for support, a male voice came from inside Little

Musashibo. "Hey, can you really blame me? Even I've got people I have to

go out and socialize with."

"You say that, but they're not your associates, they're that doll's, right?

Now hurry up and get out of that thing. Nobody else can see you here."

When Liscia said that, the doll's back opened wide and Souma emerged,

dripping sweat. In addition to the heat of the kigurumi suit, he had alcohol

in him, so his face was pretty red. When he finished crawling out of Little

Musashibo, Souma sat down on the floor right there, exhausted.

Normally, Souma controlled Little Musashibo remotely with his ability,

Living Poltergeists, but today he'd to eat and drink, so he'd gotten inside it

himself.

Liscia looked at him with exasperation, lending Souma shoulder to lean

on. "Look, if you're going to rest, don't do it here, do it in your bed in the

governmental affairs office. I'll have someone put away the doll later."

"Ahh, sorry," said Souma. "It'd be a big help if you could do that for

me."

Souma leaned on Liscia for support as he walked on shaky legs.

"By the way, that girl, Juno?" Liscia asked as they headed to the

governmental affairs office. "She was pretty cute, huh?"

Souma looked away. "I haven't done anything with her that I should feel

bad about, okay?"

"Oh, I never said anything about that, did I?" Liscia asked.

Liscia was staring, while Souma couldn't meet her gaze.

If anyone had overheard, they might have sounded like an old married

couple.