227 There is no Kindness within Adventurers
.
.
.
------------
"Hm?"
'Hearing the call of a young girl, the adventurer in question turned around to face her.'
"Can I help you with something?..." He asked as he raised one of his eyebrows
"So uh… I noticed that you are alone and…"
'The man looked her up and down, it didn't take much to understand what she wanted.'
"... Sorry girl, I already have a party, I was just about to meet them." He said plainly as he turned around, raising his hand to wave her off
"Good luck finding someone to accompany you though."
'He didn't mock her, he was genuinely wishing her good luck… Or as genuine as he could be...'
'Because honestly, he was alone, it was just that the moment he saw her he understood she would be nothing but dead weight to him.'
'A young girl that seemed to struggle to even carry her own bag, her clothes were a bit ragged and her bag had clear signs of being patched up here and there...'
'Dark circles around her eyes, bandages around her arms, rough fingers, dead eye expression...'
'She was just another one of those poor people that tried to make a living by leeching off on others' hard work.'
'At least, that was what he believed.'
"..."
Dammit… Another Prick.
'But for the desperate girl, this was the greatest mockery she could receive.'
As if you had a team! You were fully equipped to go on a solo hunt!
A bag, good equipment, weapons... All of it together is at least 180 thousand Valis.
Sigh, what can I do?… Looks like today I'll be in the red… Again.
All because of those newbie idiots!!
They ignore my words, neglect caution, and are just too busy being full of themselves to pay attention to their surroundings, forcing me to use one of my potions on them when one of them was fatally wounded by a War shadow!
And then, they have the audacity to leave me with almost no compensation!!
Just because I am the Supporter!
What a damn waste! I shouldn't have used it on them!...
It would've been best to turn around and let them... I need to calm down... Had I not used it on them, they would've blamed me for their injuries.
And things would've become worse, specially if one of them had actually died, they would've held me accountable for that...
That already happened before.
Still, tears won't bring me money, I tried that before already too, and was only received with contempt.
I have none to spare anymore.
"Si-gh... Money is so hard to come across these days..." She said out loud as she scratched her head
At this rate…
/Step…/
"Excuse me." Someone said from behind her
"Ah! M-My apologies I'll get out of the way!…"
'Taking a step back hurriedly, the small girl cowered back.'
'During her many years living as a Supporter, she already understood the personality of adventurers.'
'If she were to bother one, the chances of the adventurer raising his hand against her were high, as they were selfish.'
'Most of them at least, but even then, the ones that weren't at first merely hid their own greediness in different levels.'
'Each with their own moral lines.'
'Some would take pleasure in being looked up to, others might prefer money at any costs.'
'But in the Dungeon, amidst 100 Killer ants, how many of them would think twice before running alone, ignoring their companions?'
'When that happens, how many of them would stop to save her too?'
'A Supporter was often the weakest link in a team, and that was why this position was also the one with the highest mortality rate.'
'Because they would often run the slowest...'
'And given all of this, who would go out of their way to protect a Supporter, a person they never saw before?'
'Of course, they were beneath Babel, no one would cause trouble here where people from all over Orario gathered, at least, not too much trouble.'
'It wouldn't take long for someone of justice to go to her to see what was the problem…'
'But… She considered that to be even worse.'
'They may protect her now, but adventurers were petty.'
'The moment they were shown their inferiority, they would seek her out again outside to bully her for their lost pride.'
'It happened more than once… She was tired of it, the wounds on her face said it all.'
'So she preferred to not be saved, to receive one punch now than ten later.'
'She just wanted to… Be free for once.'
"..."
Nothing happened?...
'And that was when she noticed the man in front of her hadn't left.'
'He hadn't raised his voice nor his hands, only his right eyebrow as he looked at her patiently, waiting for her to raise her head.'
"Mister?..."
He…
"Sorry if I startled you." The man said with a smile as he scratched the back of his head
'The girl raised her head to look at him, noticing something immediately…'
He's tall…
'The boy looked to be around 1.85M tall, his hair was black, albeit most of it was hidden behind a simple but sturdy metal helmet.'
'His eyes were also black and his face was sharp, he was relatively handsome.'
'As for his equipment, he was wearing a medium-weight metal armor protecting mostly his chest and back, together with a portion of his arms and legs.'
'On his back was a small backpack together with a spear, on his waist was a sword.'
'With her keen eye, she also noticed a few other things hidden beneath his armor such as a small set of knives, and a large carving knife on his back.'
'And all of it seemed to be of rather good quality, something that puzzled her.'
'In her string of thoughts, it didn't take long for her to assume he had some sort of dark intention, otherwise, why would he approach her?'
'But… In the depths of her mind, she smiled as well.'
A big fish came to me on his own...
'If he wanted to make use of her… Then she would make use of him also.'
'She could see it, this man might be her ticket out of her troubles.'
'The only thing she needed was to…'
…
/A few minutes later… On the first floor of the Dungeon…/
"... Thank you for accepting me Mr. Antony." The girl said with a smile as she adjusted her bag on her back
'Her voice was smooth and even cute, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't take away the weight hidden within it.'
'Naive boys may not recognize it, but Antony could… She was hiding her tiredness, if the dark circles around her eyes weren't enough already.'
'She seemed to be using some cheap makeup, nothing impressive as it seemed her only purpose was to hide it a bit.'
"There is no need to speak so formally Lili, instead, I should be the one thanking you."
"Huh?"
What is he speaking about?...
"As I said before, this is supposed to be a fast run, no need to go too deep."
"I'm just happy that I have anyone to accompany me, being hurt and all." He said as he touched his shoulders
'According to his story, Antony was a Level 2 adventurer that got hurt in an expedition to the Dungeon a few days ago.'
'But since he couldn't take staying home all the time, against his companions' wishes, he dived into the Dungeon to cure his boredom.'
'He made sure to explain his situation to her so she could understand it, as diving with a hurt adventurer, especially one that acts as the vanguard can be incredibly dangerous.'
'Lili appreciated his honesty, though it only made her that more suspicious.'
'Her worries are well founded though, as in all her experience as a supporter struggling at the bottom, there wasn't a single time where her trust was rewarded.'
'Every single time she decided to trust an adventurer… She lost something.'
'Money… Freedom… Blood… Family… Home.'
'The moment she lost the very thing that had taken a large place in her heart, she lost all faith in adventurers as her heart shattered into pieces.'
'Since the world decided to treat her like this, then she would do the same to it.'
'Because she was only a weak girl, she couldn't take being beaten down time and time again.'
'She wouldn't change anything, she couldn't, she only wanted to survive.'
"Then… May I inquire about your plans for today?" Lili asked as she held onto her large backpack
It's too late to turn back now, so its time to start... Like usual.
First, I need to understand him, it doesn't seem like this will be an easy target.
I can't take his spear, nor his sword, both are too big for me to carry...
Perhaps his knife, but he doesn't seem that distracted...
He's a Level 2 adventurer, and he doesn't look stupid, so tricking him won't work that easily...
What do I do?
'Lili was deep in thought.'
"That'll depend on my shoulders… The moment they start to feel a bit sluggish we're out of here…" He said as he touched his right shoulder
"I see…"
He is different from those newbies, he knows what he's doing.
That's even better, instead of losing resources and exhausting myself I can focus on just doing my job.
Hopefully this time, nothing bad happens...
"What do you think?" Antony continued, cutting through her words
"H-Huh?"
'Lili found this young adventurer pretty weird, more so than the others.'
'He was constantly trying to ask her opinion, and even showing her some level of respect…'
'She was baffled at this behavior, never had she seen such things coming from adventurers, at least directed at her.'
'Albeit, she had also been unlucky with her choices…'
"What "huh?", I'm asking what do you think of this plan?"
"The Dungeon is pretty dangerous, we shouldn't joke around while in it."
"If you aren't comfortable with this, we can stick with a simple path on the Upper floors and hunt for some time, I myself didn't come here for the money, more so to waste some time…"
"I…"
"If I weren't ready for some danger, I wouldn't be here." She said with a small smile after a small moment of hesitation
How can I get rid of this debt if I remain still?
Besides... Was I ever truly safe?
"... Then onwards! Though make sure to tell me if you need some time to rest, that bag is quite massive." He replied with a small smile after a moment of silence
'And indeed it was, Lili's bag was several times bigger than her.'
She may not show it, but...
Her eyes are heavy and she is sweating a little.
She must've been in the Dungeon all day, perhaps she barely even ate anything.
That's not good, even if she is stronger than she looks.
'Lili was a small Chienthrope girl about 1.20 cm tall with chestnut hair and fur.'
(Image? Like... Come on bro)
'She walked around with a white and dirty leather cloak around her body, making her appear rather shy and even a bit sketchy.'
'On her back was a massive backpack that was at least 3 times wider than her and around 1M tall, it was a pretty heavy and expensive bag, it was her treasure in a sense... Albeit an old one.'
'She bought this big bag to carry a lot of things with her to save her life whenever she needed, it was almost like a mobile home for her.'
'Because of the way she was treated, she learned to be sketchy and resourceful, she knew when she needed to save her companions and when it was the time for her to run.'
'She never actively led someone to their deaths in the Dungeon, in fact, she always tried to give advice when she noticed their bad choices.'
'But it would be a lie to say she always gave it her all whenever her team found some sort of danger.'
'Lili only helped until a certain point, the moment she realized this wasn't enough, she would be the first to dip, even more if her team wasn't being respectful.'
'Sometimes this would result in good things for her, she would keep all of the magic stones and loot… Other times, the survivors came after her as if that would bring back their lost ones or merely to vent at her.'
'She lost people she liked and cared about to the Dungeon, the few adventurers she might've liked... Only to see the ones she never wanted to see again come back from certain death to bother her like the vultures they were…'
'Lili's life was a rollercoaster of bad luck, one that was in a constant descent…'
…
/Later…/
'Lili and Antony made their way across the first floor, entering the second floor without meeting a single monster.'
"Things are quite busy today ain't it?" Antony joked as he looked at the dark corridors of the Second floor
'Well, they weren't 'that' dark, the light on the ceiling was more than enough to make this place clearer than the roads of Orario during the night…'
"The Dungeon has been quite busy these days, a lot of adventurers have popped up after the recent… You know what." Lili said quickly as she followed him
I would say this is good for business, more chances to meet with unsuspecting adventurers... But it's not really like that.
"A lot of small Familias managed to gear their adventurers or recruit more, and due to these news, the Dungeon has overflown with newbies."
Newbies with fat pockets.
"I heard the markets were also being stretched thin…" Antony spoke slowly as he took a peek from the corner of their path, gazing at another hallway
"It's clear here too…" He mumbled to himself as he turned to look at Lili
It's not rare to not meet with monsters on the path to the second floor, but unusual regardless.
"With all that's happening, I'm surprised the Guild's still standing, I don't normally approach their main Branch, but I heard they completely closed doors to deal with this mess."
Going there is just a recipe for trouble, I would be spotted easily.
"The problem with this situation is that the branch beneath Babel is at full capacity, I had to stay in a line for close to half an hour just to exchange a few magic stones…" She spoke with some annoyance as she adjusted her bag again
Each minute wasted in there is one minute less I could be making money.
"That sucks, with some luck, things should stabilize soon…" He replied with a pensive expression as he turned around
/Crack…/
"Anyway… We can leave that conversation for later." He said with a thin smile as he unsheathed his sword from his waist
Finally something.
'Lili's ears twitched, but by the time she processed the information, a small group of monsters had already appeared in front of her.'
"!"
I didn't hear it…
'Lili already knew Antony was a Level 2 adventurer, and this was the only reason why she accepted going with him despite his injuries.'
'In fact, if he were fully recovered, she would've refused, for the sole reason she doesn't feel safe following a male Level 2 adventurer into the Dungeon.'
'But a hurt one… Is something different.'
'She didn't think much about his actions, after all, this was the first time they met, why would he try doing anything complex?'
'Regardless, she was the one watching his back…'
/KIII!/
"3 goblins…" Lili said as she took a step back
Not really a problem, I can deal with that much on my own.
But I would have to reveal my secret weapon...
'Hidden within her sleeves was a small crossbow, it was strong enough to kill these goblins, but Lili preferred to keep it hidden until the last moment.'
'It saved her life more than once, she knew the worth of keeping it hidden even if it meant not helping in a fight.'
'Besides, she was just a small and weak supporter, no one expected her to help in the first place.'
'She had already gotten used to her role as a mule, she was just there to collect the loot and move on...'
"No, stay close to me, there are 5 goblins." Antony spoke quickly as he turned around to face her
"F-Five?!"
Where are the other two?
/Thud thud.../
'She turned around, only to see two goblins fall from the walls.'
'They had been born right behind her, they were surrounded!'
"!"
Dammit! I need to...
'Her hand unconscious went inside her robe, that was where many of her hidden cards were stored…'
/FWOOSH!/
'But before she could react, a pair of sharp objects flew across the air, piercing the heads of the two goblins!'
"Wh…"
"Be careful Lili, more could be on the way." Antony said as he slashed his sword at one of the Goblins' head
"A-Ah, y-yes!" She said quickly as she recomposed herself…
/Poof!/
'But by the time she did so, the other three Goblins had already been dealt with, with the last one having its magic stone impaled by his sword, exploding into dark dust.'
'Extremely surprised at his speed and precision, she became stunned for a few moments, giving Antony the time to approach her and ask:'
"Are you okay?"
"..."
'Lili raised her head to meet his eyes, complete disbelief plastered on her face.'
"Yes…"
So fast...
I'll have to change my plans...
'Smiling, Antony turned around, saying "Sorry for being a brute, I didn't expect 5 to appear on the second floor at once just like that, so I just moved hastily." as he moved to the bodies of the 3 Goblins he just killed.'
"It's rare to see such numbers so high up in the Dungeon, guess we got a bit unlucky." He said as he crouched down near the Goblins
'All of this was so bizarre to her she had yet to still move.'
/Splat!/
'Taking a small knife from his inventory, Antony proceeded to remove the Magic stone from the Goblin's chest, it was a very bloody endeavor, but he did it without changing his expression.'
"Perhaps I shouldn't have broken that other Goblin's stone…" He mumbled to himself as he got up
"W-Wait!"
"Hum? Something's wrong?"
"I… Uh… Let Lili do this dirty job! This is her task! You need to preserve your strength!"
If I keep on doing nothing, he will…
I cannot stay behind…
'She seemed rather distressed.'
'Antony was a bit confused by her sudden outburst, but he smiled slightly as he removed his cleaning gloves.'
"You're right, we are a team, I can't do everything alone." He said as he rested his back on the wall
"I'll stay on watch, so take your time, once you're ready and rested, let's continue."
Despite her looks, she's more snappy than a cat.
"..."
'Seeing him do just that, standing on the wall and gazing at the corridor made her feel like she was seeing an alien.'
'He didn't call her useless, much less forced her to hurry up, instead, he tried to help her while also understanding her situation.'
'This made her feel a bit weird, but she quickly shook off this feeling as she turned around, her expression growing a bit dark.'
They're all the same.
/Splurge!/
'That was what she thought as her knife plunged into the heart of the Goblin.'
.
.
.
Notes
I tried to make this chapter sound a bit dark, but I'm not that good at such things.
I also tried giving Lili wayyy more development than what she was given at the start of the show, so as to give a bit more detail and insight into who she was instead of the pitiful and deceitful supporter she was by the time she converted to the Hestia Familia.
The reason why I wanted to introduce Lili was a mix of necessity and because I felt that... Well, it had to happen at one point.
Who knows what I'll do with this, but we'll see, what would you like me to do with her?
Anyway, peace, I'm out.
