Jack of All Trades, Party of None

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“Hey! Give me the materials, you demonic beasts!!”

Mr. Haruto let out a valiant shout as he turned the demonic beasts into magic stones.

“Haruto, why are you so desperate?”

After hunting down the surrounding demonic beasts, Fuuka asked Mr. Haruto.

There was a stark contrast in their attitudes.

“Of course I’m desperate! My debt to Orun is increasing day by day! You should be more anxious too!”

Mr. Haruto widened his eyes in surprise at Fuuka’s question, as if to say, “What are you saying now?”

Time flew, and it was already late February.

More than a month had passed since His Highness Lucilla commissioned us to conquer various dungeons.

Even after completing the dungeon conquest in Sabona Village, we continued our dungeon conquests, and now only this dungeon remained.

During this journey, there were many unexpected events, but the schedule was not much different from what we initially envisioned.

The one thing that deviated significantly was the operating funds.

We had concerns from the start, and indeed the funds provided by the kingdom were insufficient.

The deficit was to be covered by the “Red Copper Twilight,” but since neither Fuuka nor Mr. Haruto had that much cash on hand, it was decided that I would cover the expenses until we returned to Tsutolairu.

The debt Mr. Haruto mentioned to me was about this.

“...? The clan home has money, right? Won’t you pay Orun once you get back to Tsutolairu?”

Fuuka tilted her head with curiosity.

“Yeah. Once we’re back in Tsutolairu, I can pay immediately. But if I try to cover it all from savings, Fuuka will have to eat less for a while.”

When Mr. Haruto told her she’d have to eat less, Fuuka’s eyes slightly widened, and then she turned her back to us and started briskly walking toward a place where many demonic beasts were likely gathered.

“What are you doing? We need to gather magic stones and materials quickly.”

After walking for a while, Fuuka noticed we weren’t following and called out to us, turning around.

Her adorable figure made me smile involuntarily.

“Mr. Haruto, you handle Fuuka well.”

Following behind Fuuka, I spoke to Mr. Haruto.

“Can you really call this ‘handling’ well? Our princess is easily lured by the promise of food... I worry she might someday be tricked by someone with ill intentions.”

“That’s okay. Fuuka isn’t thoughtless; her free-spirited behavior here is a sign of trust in Mr. Haruto.”

On the surface, Fuuka’s actions might seem impulsive, but having spent over a month with her, I know she acts based on her own careful considerations.

In fact, she’s quick-witted, able to make instant decisions and act on them.

But because she’s so capable, she tends to keep her thoughts to herself, which is a slight flaw.

Thinking objectively about Fuuka made me realize I might have similar tendencies.

“Learn from others’ mistakes and correct your own,” as the saying goes—I should be careful too.

◇

With Fuuka becoming more proactive in hunting demonic beasts, what was supposed to be a detour quickly became a situation where only the deepest chamber remained.

(This is it—the end of our dungeon conquest journey.)

Descending the stairs leading to the deepest part, I was absorbed in reflection.

It had been a long journey, but I gained a lot.

I got to see Fuuka’s close-combat fighting style up close many times, and learned about the application of qi from Mr. Haruto.

This journey certainly helped me grow, and I can say that with pride.

Once we acquire the dungeon core at the deepest point, this dungeon conquest will be complete.

After that, we’ll report the completion of all the dungeon conquests to His Highness Lucilla at Darane, reunite with Ms. Selma, and then return to Tsutolairu.

While thinking about this, Mr. Haruto spoke.

“Orun, it seems there’s one last event left.”

Though his words carried the usual teasing tone, his expression was the most serious I had seen on this journey.

He must have checked the deepest chamber with his bird’s-eye vision.