Volume 2 - The Princess and the Grand Duke

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  Chapter 1: The Unventional Adventurers

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  “Ah! I’m so tired! I don’t want to try anymore!”

  In the depths of a lush forest, a blue ball of fluff rolled around on the ground, akin to a little girl who hadn’t a care in the world except for the page of her favorite novel.

  “Hmph! Ha ha! Yiving up after such a short jourhat’s hardly the spirit of a future top adventurer!”

  Beside the rolling blue creature stood a girl traditional mage attire, plete with a pointed hat and a flowing cloak. Though all appeared proper at first gnce, her posture suggested something was off.

  With her head tilted at a curious angle, gng upward and to the left at the blue ball, her left haed half on her face while her right hand yed out dramatically before her.

  “I am a prodigy of the Crimson Demon Tribe! A mere challenge such as this shall not deter me!”

  Bang!

  Suddenly, a resounding etal echoed through the air, halting the two in their pyful antics.

  “You two! There’s a new panion joining us for this mission, so keep it down, or dinner will be the least of your worries!”

  A woman with auburn hair, dressed in a cooking apron and wielding a dle, admohe girls, instantly sileng them with her authoritative presence.

  “Apologies; my panion is… a bit too free-spirited.”

  “It’s quite alright, I don’t mind.”

  The speaker etite silver-haired girl, with a touch of gra her every movement. Beside her stood another silver-haired girl whose more voluptuous figure trasted the daintiness of the first, leading oo assume they must be sisters.

  “By the way, I’m quite curious now—what is the Crimson Demon Tribe like? Is it reted to bck demons in some way? I don’t think I’ve heard of it before.”

  Responding to the silver-haired girl’s inquiry, the more voluptuous of the two spoke up.

  “Hmph! Since you’ve asked so early, I shall generously enlighten you! The Crimson Demon Tribe is a group known for their outstanding achievements in the field of magic, characterized by their striking red eyes!”

  “Eh? But why is it that you seem less skilled in magic than that blue-haired little girl?”

  The silver-haired girl observed the bck-haired self-procimed member of the Crimson Demon Tribe with i curiosity.

  One must not be fooled by the appearance of the blue-haired little girl, who seemed rather foolish; she was, in fact, a talented healer.

  Those capable of perf healing magic were typically regarded as priests or healers, with those masteriorative spells sidered exceptional talents. Mastery of healing magic requires not only an abundanagical energy but also the willpower to wield it effectively. Moreover, advang one’s healing abilities ates aensive uanding of biology. Thus, those skilled in healing magic are regarded as prodigies—hardw prodigies—capable of outg many profit mages.

  When a healer appears, they often bee the most sought-after individuals, as the wisdom of otherworldly cultures has taught many the truth of the saying: “Tra damage, ironcd support.”

  The blue fluffball was an exceptional talent among such healers, having reached fifth-tier proficy by the young age of merely twenty-four—a feat that typically required a lifetime of relentless effort for an average person to achieve.

  A side note: As beings attain fourth-tier status and begin to brush against the realm of souls, their lifespans also begin to extend; a fifth-tier human may live twice as long as those of third-tier or below.

  In light of this, the youthful age of the “blue ball of fluff” was exceedingly remarkable.

  “Um... well...”

  Faced with the enlightened inquiry from the silver-haired girl, the self-procimed member of the Crimson Demon Tribe fell into silence.

  “Is the Crimson Demon Tribe even real? I like to think I have quite the knowledge of the various races in this world, yet I’ve never heard of your so-called Crimson Demon Tribe...”

  “Waaah! ...U-uh...”

  As the silver-haired girl tinued her relentless questioning, the bck-haired girl felt tears welling up in her eyes, turning them into glistening orbs.

  How could she fess that the “Crimson Demon Tribe” was merely a fanciful creation from the pages of her otherworldly books? She had stumbled upon it, reizing their traits as remarkably simir to her own, and so had taken to calling herself one.

  “Alright, that’s enough! ’t you see the pirl is getting upset?”

  The silver-haired girl abruptly tugged at the ear of her panion, putting ao the barrage of questions that threateo reduce the bck-haired girl to tears.

  “Never mind, never mind! The stew is ready; e a!”

  The auburn-haired woman beed, lifting the pot’s lid. Instantly, a rich aroma wafted over the group, tempting their senses.

  “...Ah, truly, Captain’s cooking is the best in the world.”

  With a hiccup, the tearful bck-haired girl approached the pot, extending her hands to receive a bowl brimming with savory stew, and dow in one gulp.

  “...Huh? What’s wrong with you two? Is Captain's cooking unsatisfactory?”

  “What?! Is there someone here who fails to appreciate such delight?”

  The duo of one short and stout, oall and slender—one dark-haired, one blue—fixed their gaze owo silver-haired girls who merely took a timid sip from their bowls.

  “Oh, no. It’s just that it’s too good! I had thought that apart from blood and... codfish stew, there was nothing else delicious to be found!”

  “Of course! If any foul man dares to attempt to steal Captain away from us, I’ll gdly serve him a taste of explosive magic!”

  With a g the girl brandishing a wand while making such daring procmations, the silver-haired girl turo her simirly hued panion.

  “Hey, you’ve been on the road for a while, haven’t you? You’ve asted anything like this before?”

  “... No, it’s just that, thinking back to what I used to make when I was alo pales in parison to this.”

  “Ah… indeed. With your cooking skills, it’s no wonder you wouldn’t have managed anything worthwhile.”

  …

  After a while separated by feasting and light banter.

  “Alright, now that we’ve rested suffitly, let’s return to our task!”

  “Ugh… I don’t want to move… Carry me!”

  “Rejected.”

  In the face of the blue-haired little girl’s adorable pout, the auburn-haired captain showed no mer her dismissal.

  “Now, let us go over the details of our mission once more.”

  The captain produced a piece of paper filled with meticulous notes and began reading aloud.

  “The task is to iigate the so-called ‘Wyrm’s Abyss’ he towly, we’ve received reports of some anomalies there, and our job is to firm whether any dangers have arisen.”

  “The ‘Wyrm’s Abyss’? That’s the pce where, during the Great War, the Lady of the Witch caused such devastation, isn’t it?”

  The name of the Witch drew awe; she was heralded for ending wars and saving all races. The Wyrm’s Abyss romi location, known even among those who practiced the esteemed faith of the ‘Witch’s Church,’ as they made pilgrimages to this site with unwavering respect.

  Of course, even those who did not join the ‘Witch’s Church’ were not deterred from expressing their revereoward the sorceress.

  Only the most bitter and isoted could harbor hatred for the Witch.

  “Now that we have reiterated our missio’s set forth!”