Author: Suisei
Translator: Rinkage

Character page: Here

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Chapter 105 – I took on a guild mission with the girl I like

“With this, there should be no other issues. You’ll be content taking on just one mission as well, right?”  [Cecilia]

“Well, yeah.”  [Youki]

I didn’t plan to accept that many quests to begin with. Since it had been a long time, I was just itching to take on an A-rank mission. Considering that Cecilia is joining me, even one mission is sufficient.

“Shall we go to the guild then?”  [Cecilia]

“Wait, are you planning to have us accept the guild mission now? It’s already dusk. Considering the time required to travel, wouldn’t it better to disband for today and depart tomorrow?”  [Youki]

It would be fine if the mission is nearby, but otherwise, we’d have to travel. We might even need to camp out if things take a turn for the worse.

“It’s okay. I’m used to camping out.”  [Cecilia]

“No, no, no. That’s definitely not a good idea.”  [Youki]

“…Right now, I’m an adventurer who goes by the name, Cecily. I am not a noblewoman. When you took on your quest the last time, did the conditions of the day deter you from accomplishing your goal, Magic Knight-san?”  [Cecilia]

“Ugh…”  [Youki]

I only recalled myself running around without a care in the world. I managed to find the thief’s hideout and capture them even though it was nighttime.

“A-rank missions may be urgent. It is a different story if you’re not feeling well, or aren’t prepared for the journey. But when you have to go, you have to go.”  [Cecilia]

“Ngh… if you put it that way, let’s go then. As Magic Knight of Black Lightning, I thrive on speed. Let’s do this!”  [Youki]

“Yes.”  [Cecilia]

It felt like Cecilia was in a bit too much of a hurry. However, as an adventurer, Cecilia was still my senior, so it was an opportunity to learn from her. Even though Cecilia concluded our discussion, I was the one walking in front. It made me feel like I was guarding an archaeologist or something similar, giving me the sense that we were on a mission to investigate ruins.

“…So, do you have any A-rank requests related to ruins investigation?”  [Youki]

“What do you mean by ‘so’? You haven’t explained anything! You’re asking for a request at this hour? If you’re going to take one, you should have done it earlier!”  [Clayman]

As soon as we arrived at the guild, I went to the counter for a new quest, but Clayman started barraging me with complaints.

We have our own circumstances, you know.

“I’m really sorry for the trouble caused time after time…”  [Cecilia]

“Hmm? Ah, what happened to the big-sized newb?”  [Clayman]

“It’s something of a faux pas to ask. A man would like to be independent, so we didn’t stop him.”  [Youki]

“I see. Just don’t cause any problems. It would be a hassle if I had to deal with the paperwork.”  [Clayman]

“Don’t worry. Gai wouldn’t make such mistakes.”  [Youki]

“…Umm, if it’s Gai-san, I think it would be fine too.”  [Cecilia]

“Well, since the young mistress said so…”  [Clayman]

“Clayman-san, I’m just an adventurer now. I’m not any noblewoman.”  [Cecilia]

“O-Oh, is that so? Sorry about that… Here, you wanted an A-rank request related to ruins investigation, right?”  [Clayman]

I checked the request form handed over by Clayman. The mission was to ensure that the dispatched scholars could safely conduct their ruins investigation.

“Is this really an A-rank request? It seems a bit too easy.”  [Youki]

“Ah, well, for that part, I’ll let the young mi… young lady explain. Go on.”  [Clayman]

Clayman waved his hand dismissively.

What’s with this behaviour of his? It feels like he’s trying to avoid being involved in something troublesome.

“I understand. Magic Knight-san, let’s go. I’ll explain it to you as we walk.”  [Cecilia]

“Hmph, got it. I’m leaving then! I’ll definitely complete this quest!”  [Youki]

Leaving the guild with a decisive parting line, we headed straight for the ruins, the site of our request.

“But there’s no village or town nearby. We’ll completely be camping out. It would have been great if there is an abandoned village or someplace similar.”  [Youki]

“The lack of such amenities is part of why this is classified as an A-rank request.”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia explained as we walked. Appearance-wise, she looked more like a typical adventurer, while I… Regardless, I am Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Even if someone mocks me, I will always hold onto my pride.

“If you can’t stick to the decisions you’ve made, you don’t deserve to be an adventurer!”  [Youki]

“You’ve retreated into your own world again, haven’t you? Did you listen to what I just said?”  [Cecilia]

“Of course. I wouldn’t ask a question and then not listen to the answer.”  [Youki]

“I see. Well, let me continue then. It’s not just facing strong demons, or going to treacherous places that make a request A-rank. You understand this, right?”  [Cecilia]

“Yes, I understand. I’ve learned it the hard way before.”  [Youki]

I had previously thought that having strength alone would be sufficient. I could easily dominate any opponent with just that. As a result, I skipped out on information gathering and preparations, so I ended up getting into quite a bind. I wished I could punch the old me.

“This time, I’m here as well, and it seems like Magic Knight-san has a different mindset, so I think we’ll be fine… There are other reasons for the classifications, too.”  [Cecilia]

“What reasons can you think of for this ruins investigation?”  [Youki]

“Yes. Firstly, it’s important not to damage the interior of the ruins.”  [Cecilia]

“Is that all?”  [Youki]

It’s a bit of an anticlimactic reason. In other words, we shouldn’t break things as we go.

“You’re taking this too lightly, aren’t you? What if there are demons in the ruins?”  [Cecilia]

“I’ll fight them.”  [Youki]

“However, you must not damage the ruins. Even if it’s in self-defence… that would be classified as a B-rank. For an A-rank, you need to subdue the demons before they can cause significant damage to the ruins.”  [Cecilia]

“I see. So, we need to fight in a way that doesn’t damage the ruins.”  [Youki]

If we hold back too much, we won’t be able to defeat the demons. If we take too long, the ruins will gradually be damaged as well. These are some troublesome conditions.

“Moreover, try not to kill the demons as much as possible.”  [Cecilia]

“Is that because they don’t want the ruins to be soiled with demons’ blood?”  [Youki]

“No, the demons living in the ruins are also part of the investigation. It seems that they might gain some information about the ruins from the demons’ ecosystem.”  [Cecilia]

“Hoh? Quite a tall order we have here.”  [Youki]

So that’s why this is an A-rank request? Is the ruin valuable enough to justify spending that much money? No, maybe they are chasing some kind of romantic notion. Something that they want to achieve even if it costs a lot of money…

“I’ve accepted many missions with severe restrictions before, but it looks like the request this time is even more difficult…”  [Cecilia]

“All right, let’s make this mission a success!”  [Youki]

“You’re suddenly motivated, aren’t you?”  [Cecilia]

“Leave it to me! Anyone who seeks romance can’t be a bad person!”  [Youki]

Even though we had already left Minerva, I shouted enthusiastically as we walked along a dark path. My loud voice might have ended up attracting demons, but I could easily drive them away, so it wasn’t an issue.

“Please be quiet.”  [Cecilia]

Cecilia tapped me on the head with her spellbook, which made a soft “pon” sound. But the more I fooled around, the stronger Cecilia’s hit would usually get. I needed to restrain myself.

“…So Cecily, who is this deeply passionate client who made this request?”  [Youki]

“Umm, the client is the Minerva Research Institute… A request from a royal institution?! If we fail, both the guild and we could be in trouble.”  [Cecilia]

“It’s a matter of trust, isn’t it? Clayman handed us quite an important request.”  [Youki]

Is it really okay to entrust such an important request, one that concerns the guild’s reputation, to adventurers? If I were Youki at the moment, I would probably shoot Clayman right in the face, telling him to handle it himself. But unfortunately, I am currently Magic Knight of Black Lightning. Failure is not an option, so we just have to succeed. Don’t underestimate the team of Cecilia and me.

“Clayman-san, why did you assign us such an important request…”  [Cecilia]

“In my opinion, this request is of no problem to us. I think Clayman must have issued us this because he trusted us.”  [Youki]

Although, it was probably also because Clayman felt that it was too troublesome to handle it himself.

“That’s right. Once we’ve accepted the request, we have to accomplish it. It seems your attitude has rubbed off on me, Magic Knight-san.”  [Cecilia]

A smile blossomed on her face. I think it’s not bad to enjoy this situation instead.

“We’ll complete this ruins investigation smoothly!”  [Youki]

“I’ll also do my utmost. Let’s give it our best. I’m counting on you.”  [Cecilia]

“…By the way, what exactly should we do for this ruins investigation?”  [Youki]

It was embarrassing to ask after trying to look cool, but there was no way around it – if I don’t know it, I don’t know it.

Cecilia, without showing any hint of exasperation, nodded with an understanding expression as if she was saying, “Yeah, that’s right.”

“We don’t have specialized knowledge, so we don’t need to think too deeply about it. We’ll discuss the details later. For now, let’s start preparing for the campout.”  [Cecilia]

The sky was turning into a hue of orange, so we needed to secure a spot for the camp.

…Now that I think about it, I’ll be camping out alone with Cecilia. Normally, I’d be extremely flustered and nervous, but not now. Let’s prepare the camp perfectly and have a comfortable night.

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