CH 65

“You know!” (Lizzy)

“Uhuh.”

“There were a lot of humans in the garden today!” (Lizzy)

“Eh?”

“They were saying something about the pillar, looking very confused…” (Lizzy)

“Ehh…”

In the past, I cleaned the pillars in the Fairy Garden – the Fairy Gates – with [Purification], but I wonder if someone came to investigate the matter?

“So! I was taking a nap on the flowers, and then they were gone!” (Lizzy)

“Is that so…”

“Ah! It’s time to go home! I have to go home now! See you later!” (Lizzy)

“Oh, yeah. See you again.”

Lizzy glowed and disappeared as usual.

This magic consumes too much magic power to be used often.

I’m not sure what the meaning of this magic is.

………………

…………

……

There was a time when I used to think like that!

It’s been a few days since I first tried [Summon Fairy].

In the next village I stayed in, and the one after that, I summoned Lizzy, despite what I said. As for the large consumption of magic power, I managed to do so by adjusting the timing of making the Holy Stone carefully.

The reason for summoning her? The reason… maybe I was just lonely.

I left my party and became a solo adventurer. Then, I left the town where everyone was, traveled to this otherworld. I walk through a town where I don’t know anyone, and then I move to another town where everyone is a stranger, again.

As a foreigner to this world, I have no hometown and no place to return to. I knew this without even thinking about it, but traveling solo from a party to a place I didn’t know was more mentally taxing than I thought it would be.

It was still good when I was in the Southern Village.

There was so much to do, so much to learn, so little time to think about anything else.

I didn’t know what a party was at that time. I didn’t know any friends in this world.

Now I know about parties. I have friends. And because I know them, when I lose them, there’s a hole in my life.

“… Let’s sleep.”

You know, …… it’s not good to have time to think about unnecessary things like this!

Oh boy, I thought as I leaned back on my bed, dispelled the magic [Light Source], and slowly closed my eyes.

“We’ve arrived at Elem.” (Coachman)

I looked ahead at the voice of the coachman and saw the walls of the city through the gap.

This city is called Elem, the Labyrinth City. As the name suggests, it’s a city with a dungeon.

As a solo player away from the Wind Troupe, I had a few choices to make.

First, I could try to go to the Forest Village again.

Second, I could head north to the Royal Capital.

And finally, I could head west to the Labyrinth City Elem.

In the Forest Village, I thought it would be interesting to check out the Fairy Garden and ask Grandma Hana for some advice, but the lack of carriage rides in that direction and the fact that it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do.

I had an image of the Royal Capital as a place where people, goods, and money gathered, given its importance, so I felt that there would be something to be found there. I thought this would be the place to go if I mainly wanted to get information and good items, but I’m too lacking in money and power right now to do anything else, so it’s too complicated. I might need to go there someday, but I felt like it wasn’t the right time.

Finally, the Labyrinth City Elem. It’s a town with standard underground labyrinth-type dungeons, and it’s a town bustling with adventurers who gather in the dungeons. The dungeons here in Elem have a wide variety of monsters, from weak ones in the shallow floors to powerful ones in the deeper floors, so I’ve heard that adventurers of all ranks are active here. I thought, “Isn’t this a good place for me to raise my level?”

After thinking this far, I then thought about what I wanted to do, what I needed to do, and what I should do.

What I remembered was the story Hans-san had told me.

In this world, there are legends, mysteries, and hidden treasures. There are uncharted lands that no one has ever visited before. There are dungeons that have yet to be conquered. There are items whose names remain only in legends. These stories made my heart race, and I knew I wanted to go for it someday.

And then I remembered… the Great Boar.

I was only being pushed around by a B-ranked monster. My power, I’m not even close to being a legend, let alone a C-rank adventurer who managed to take the Great Boar’s thrust head-on.

When I think about it, a feeling of frustration, inadequacy, and helplessness rises up from the depths of my heart. Ruminating deeply, my heart was set.

If I want to achieve something, I need the right kind of power to do it.

I got off the carriage and looked around the city from the gate.

The street was about six meters wide, with carriages and all sorts of people coming and going.

Most of the buildings were made of wood, but there were a few buildings made of brick or stone.

The sound of merchants and customers buying and selling something, and the whinnying of horses echoed, and a group of what appeared to be adventurers seemed to be heading off to a building that looked like a tavern.

“… Okay, I’ll do my best!”

And I took my first step in the City of Elem.