Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 109: A Companion’s Past
The dispute between Black-Gold Wings and the Jet-Black Swords outside the guild appeared to be over.
Surprisingly, however, the Jet-Black Swords didn’t leave the village.
They had originally come only to recruit Aeris after hearing of her reputation, so they no longer had any reason to remain.
After their argument with Aeris, the Jet-Black Swords first requested a meeting with Chloe, the guild’s branch manager. They apparently tried to bribe her into promoting them to the E-rank range. Chloe refused outright and told them to leave the guild if they didn’t want her to expose the attempted bribe.
Most people would have tucked their tails between their legs and fled Dansas. Remarkably, the rebuke only ignited the four adventurers’ defiance.
Speaking in place of their leader, Iratuk declared to Chloe, “We’ll prove our strength!”
Then they left the guild—and lodged at the Resting Pavilion, the guild-operated inn established under Chloe’s direction. Their nerve was impressive.
Or perhaps they were simply ignorant.
Beginning the next day, the Jet-Black Swords commendably started taking F-rank-range quests seriously.
Their flirtatious Mage, however, complained that gathering herbs was dull and uncool. He promptly left the team and departed Dansas.
The remaining members were so shocked by the unexpected defection that they didn’t emerge from their rooms for the rest of the day.
Other adventurers predicted that the team would collapse.
This was common among low-ranked teams: conflict erupted when ideals collided with reality, and the group fell apart.
The following day, Nasirus gathered his companions in the Resting Pavilion’s dining room and began a speech.
“Can we allow Black-Gold Wings and this guild’s branch manager to keep mocking us unjustly? No! We must overcome this trial, clear our names, and climb the stairs to heroism! We may have lost one member, but we can still succeed. Now is the time to unite!”
Moved by his speech, Iratuk and Vichina embraced with tears streaming down their faces.
“…Was there anything in that speech worth crying over?” Aeris murmured.
“…Apparently, we’re the ones who treated them unfairly,” Tauro replied.
All four members of Black-Gold Wings had witnessed the scene. Although they disliked being used as props in Nasirus’s story, they agreed to ignore it and continued their meal.
The other adventurers either sympathized with Black-Gold Wings for being dragged into this cheap melodrama or laughed and teased them while enjoying it as entertainment with their drinks.
That night, Aeris knocked on Tauro’s door with a serious expression.
“Do you have a moment?”
Hearing her voice, Tauro immediately stepped out. He sat at the table where they normally ate, and Aeris took the chair opposite him before speaking.
“There’s something I want you to know… My family is noble.”
“I’ve suspected as much for a while.”
Tauro answered without surprise.
“Since when?”
“When I realized how familiar you were with state-controlled dungeons. I assumed you were either a noble or closely connected to one.”
“I see…”
“So, as you’ve probably gathered, being a noble won’t change how I treat you. You’re still Aeris. Unless… would you prefer better treatment?”
“N-no, of course not! …Thank you, Tauro. And please continue to look after me.”
For once, Aeris made the request meekly.
“Of course. But why did you become an adventurer?”
Tauro had long wondered about that. Aeris was only fourteen, an age when she should ordinarily have been attending school and enjoying her youth.
“My father disappeared in a dungeon. I was his only child, so my mother brought in a fiancé for me to preserve the family name. But the man was also my mother’s lover. That’s why I ran away from home.”
“…That’s terrible.”
Offering her own lover to her daughter suggested that Aeris’s mother was desperate to preserve her position.
Perhaps she intended to preserve the family name while having a child with the man herself, then make a son of theirs the heir.
Tauro didn’t want to imagine it, but the decision to make her lover Aeris’s fiancé already revealed how heartless she was.
“My father used to tell me many stories about adventurers before he disappeared. I decided that if I was going to live on my own, I wanted to live as an adventurer.”
“I’m sorry for asking about something so painful.”
Tauro apologized.
“No. I feel relieved now that I’ve told you. Thank you for listening.”
Aeris thanked Tauro and bowed deeply.