Vol 1 Chapter 13 (1/2)

LEVEL 1: A Whisper, an Aria, a Prayer, an Awakening

Chapter 13: Crucial Piece

It would became just as it always did

It was about eight o’clock and everyone was gathered at Altana’s northern gate The echoes of the eight o’clock bell had yet to fade, but Ranta was there shouting at the top of his lungs

“…So there you have it!” he cried, sounding just a tad distressed “Everyone, I would like to introduce to you our new friend! Please give a round of applause to Mary, our new Priest!”

Haruhiro and Mogzo clapped hesitantly, but Yume and shi+horu were obviously dis and dragged out, so Haruhiro understood their confusion It would have been odd if they weren’t, at least a little

However, they weren’t even bothering to greet the young wo To be fair though, from outward appearances, Mary seemed cold, almost hostile, and very… obstinate Not exactly the approachable type Haruhiro wished, though, that they would at least put a littleso

Haruhiro was beginning to see why Kikkawa said that even their party would be able to recruit her

Ranta gestured once more to Mary “A round of applause for Mary!”

“N-nice to ht bow

Yume, too, bent forward a little “W-welcome”

Mary didn’t respond in kind Her eyes narrowed to slits as she peered unblinkingly at Yume and shi+horu Haruhiro, too, had been subject to the scrutiny of those saht

There was one thing, though, that he couldn’t stand She was beautiful Not just nor eyes, her curving lips, her shaped nose and the sheen of her straight hair could not be calledof this world It was like she wasn’t even human What was it exactly that made Haruhiro think so?

It was the combination, the balance The smallness of her head, her style Just one look and anyone would say that she was so different She had an air about her It had made Haruhiro extremely nervous the first time he stood before her

Then he noticed Her gaze was cold Ice cold Haruhiro had a feeling then and there that this person was trouble She was the type who you did all you could to avoid co close to; beauty to be appreciated from a distance Unfortunately, the present circumstances required that they recruit her for the team

According to Kikkawa, there was no small amount of Crimson Moon members without parties, but few of them were Priests Skilled Priests were always in demand and few in number, so teams competed to recruit them Moreover, Haruhiro and the others were still trainees, so they weren’t even in the running compared to veteran parties like Kikkawa’s Even Team Renji, formed at about the same time, would be considered superior

In other words, Haruhiro’s group ranked the lowest of loithin the Criht as well have been slithering around on their bellies, so not in a position to pick and choose Whether it was Mary or whoever else, they were thankful just to have a Priest willing to join their team

Mary tucked away a loose strand of hair and shi+fted her gaze to Haruhiro “Is this everyone?”

“Er…” Haruhiro quickly looked down

He didn’t want her to accidently catch hi at her, but he couldn’t help it It wasn’t fair She was a Priest, so her clothes hite, lined with blue They looked stylish on her and weren’t all that tight, but all the curves of her body were still plainly visible

Recovering, Haruhiro continued “Yeah, counting you, six total”

“I see,” she said, her expression just a touch disdainful “Fine As long as I get ? Damro?”

“Y-yeah…” Haruhiro looked at his co really going to be okay? “…I think”

“You think?” Mary said “Be certain”

“D-Daoblins… we don’t really know any other creatures”

“Fine Go promptly then I will follow”

“Uht at Mary “Can you talk a little less, uhh… and act a little more… you know…”

Mary’s icy eyes seeh him “What?”

“N-never…” Ranta quickly replied

Mary was scary She was terrifying She was beyond terrifying She was… just as Kikkawa had said

According to him, Mary had a number of nicknames “Wicked Mary” and “Scary Mary” were just a few of them Mary was almost constantly without a party and would often receive invitations to join fro a Priest Mary never refused any invitations, but she also never stayed in one party for any extended period of time She didn’t think of others as real people, and also, her reliability as a Priest was questionable

No one had anything good to say about her Sure, she was a beauty, but she lacked anything that reseh she accepted invitations to parties quick enough, invitations for a date were rejected at superluminal velocities

Kikkawa knew fro been rejected hientleht sarcastically

In the more or less hour it took for thele word It was an aard, uncozo and even Ranta were just plain terrified of Mary Yume and shi+horu were doubtful, distrustful, and therefore disconcerted They both seery at the same time Haruhiro had no idea how to react

Maybe they were upset because of Mary’s attitude Maybe they were upset because of a new Priest joining so soon after Manato died And actually, a small part of Haruhiro did think that maybe it would have been at least somewhat better to have waited a little more On top of that, they hadn’t discussed the decision to invite Mary with Yume or shi+horu The three of theht there and then

They shouldn’t have, though They should have taken their tis over If it had been Manato, he wouldn’t have let things turn out like this

Damro The place where Manato had died It was too soon to be co back here Much too soon

“What if we buain?” Haruhiro whispered to Ranta

Ranta replied in a dark tone “Then we fight theoblin and hobgoblin bastards and offer them on Skulheill’s altar I won’t be satisfied ’til I do”

“But…” shi+horu began coolly “We can’t win Not like we are now”

Ranta scoffed “I don’t care I’ht anyways”

“And what if Ranta dies?” Yuhtly “If Ranta dies, Ranta loses everything”

Mogzo gave a vigorous nod “Don’t die I don’t want anyone else to die”

“Are we going or not?” Mary said, frowning “If we’re going let’s go If we’re not going, fine Whichever it is, be quick about it”

Ranta stuck his tongue out at her Then he said, “Be quick about it, Haruhiro”

“Right…” Haruhiro replied

Who was this teazo wasn’t the type that could inspire others to follow him Yuht I’m no leader I can’t make any decisions on my own

But Manato had asked hi ‘please’ He was trying to say to me, ‘Please take care of everyone’ But Manato, I can’t He couldn’t do it Haruhiro wasn’t like him

“L-let’s go,” Haruhiro said to everyone nonetheless Even a phrase as simple as that and his voice was shaky, small He sounded pitiful, even to himself

Using the oblins were known to frequent Now that Manato was gone, taking on three at a time seemed unwise It was just their luck that only in tiroups of three or four By the time they stopped for lunch just past noon, everyone was full of impatience, irritation, and weariness Haruhiro had developed a stomachache

They couldn’t keep going like this, and it wasn’t just about money either Haruhiro had already inwardly made his decision They had a Priest, after all, so if there were no groups of two, they would go after groups of up to three Somehow, they would make it work

Their chance ca around a fire pit in an open area enclosed by a fallen wall One was donning chainmail armor and carried a short spear, but the other tere dressed in plain clothing One had a hatchet at its belt, the other a short sword The spear-goblin was bigger than the others and seeoblin and sword-goblin being subordinates

They seeh

“Yuoblin first Me, Yuoblin busy while Mogzo and shi+horu take down the spear-goblin If it puts up a fight, either oblin, the others should be easy”

“Wait” Mary’s voice was edged with steel “You’re telling oblin?”