Chapter 194

That day, Liche was plotting to kick Kurt out and take his place.

“First, to gain recognition from the three, I must prove that I am greater than Kurt… But with cooking…?”

However, the memory of the shock from tasting the sous-vide steak Kurt had made was too vivid.

Even when she left the mansion, her confidence in her cooking surpassing Kurt’s had vanished, leaving only a sense of helplessness in her mind.

How could she create a dish that could defeat Kurt…?

No, could she even defeat him?

Even now, closing her eyes, she could recall the mysterious and enchanting taste of that sous-vide steak.

Though Liche was in a position to oppose Kurt, the taste of that steak was something she could never underestimate.

Soft and moist…

“Ugh… Just imagining that taste makes my body react… It’s unbearable!”

When she left the mansion, she thought she could soon join Karina and Serena on adventures, but the closer she got, the more it felt like it was slipping through her fingers.

Could it be that friends were nothing more than an unattainable mirage?

Something that seemed within reach but always just out of grasp…

Of course, Karina, Serena, and Mari had never said they wouldn’t include her unless she made better food than Kurt. If she just asked to join them on a quest, they would have agreed immediately.

But faced with the towering wall that was Kurt, Liche, consumed by self-doubt, couldn’t even grasp that simple fact and was left in a state of anxiety.

But no matter how much she fretted, no answer would come.

Eventually, Liche decided to put her goal of defeating Kurt through cooking on hold and instead moved on to her second plan.

‘That is, to become a Silver-ranked adventurer.’

She thought that with her skills, reaching Silver rank would be easy, and if she did well, she could even aim for Gold rank. But for some reason, after being evaluated at the Adventurer Guild, she was ranked Bronze.

It was truly disappointing.

To stand alongside Karina and Serena, she needed at least a Silver rank, but she was stuck at Bronze…

‘To think I was only ranked Bronze… It’s an unbearable humiliation.’

What made it even more humiliating was that the Bronze rank was the same as Kurt’s.

Already harboring a strong sense of rivalry toward Kurt, the fact that they shared the same rank was too much to bear.

With no secret dish in mind to immediately defeat Kurt, Liche decided her top priority was to rise above Kurt’s rank and reach the same level as Karina and Serena.

“Then, for now, completing quests is the priority.”

Though her worries were long, once she made up her mind, she acted without hesitation.

Determined, Liche headed to the Adventurer Guild’s bulletin board, aiming for a quiet time when fewer people were around.

As she approached the bulletin board, she noticed another adventurer scanning the quests with sharp eyes.

‘Even though I aimed for a quiet time, someone else is here…’

The adventurer was a Dark Elf with a cold, sharp demeanor.

The Dark Elf exuded an aura so sharp it felt like touching her would cut you, and her intimidating presence made it hard for strangers to approach.

But

Heroes recognize heroes, and losers recognize losers.

Despite the Dark Elf’s icy appearance, Liche immediately sensed they were kindred spirits.

Noticing Liche’s gaze, the Dark Elf turned to look at her.

Their eyes met…

…

…

…

“…So, to adventure with my friends, I must defeat that evil Lizardman. To do that, I need to achieve the Silver rank.”

“I see…! I understand your story well!”

Before they knew it, the two had found a corner in the Adventurer Guild and were bonding.

“I, I understand not wanting to part with friends.”

“You understand…?”

“I also have a close, uh, friend who I go on quests with. Recently, I feel like they might soon be promoted to Silver rank. They’re already in a party where everyone else is at least Silver rank…”

Liche knew exactly what party she was talking about.

But Liche had no idea that the party Arisa mentioned was the very one she knew so well.

“…If my friend gets promoted, they’ll leave me behind at Bronze rank… So, I’m looking at the quests on the bulletin board to try to get promoted to Silver rank too.”

“What a noble story…!”

For the sake of being with friends…

Those words moved Liche deeply, and she grabbed Arisa’s hand.

Liche was the type to positively embrace most things if it was for her friends.

“Ah…!”

“Miss Arisa! I’ll support your goal of being with your friends!”

“Th, thank you…?”

Despite it being their first meeting, the two talked as if they were old friends and soon decided to tackle a quest together.

…

…

…

As the two were about to leave the Adventurer Guild after choosing a suitable quest, a woman with a ladylike smile appeared before them.

“Fufufu. Do you two need a porter?”

“…Huh?”

“Eh…?”

The woman, who still had a youthful appearance—no, she looked more like a teenager—had a noble air about her.

“Then, how about hiring Yuri Blossom as your porter!”

“…It’s fine.”

“Y, yes. Me too…”

“What!? Why!?”

The two cautiously declined Yuri’s suspicious offer.

Yuri, genuinely shocked, hadn’t expected her offer to be rejected.

“Why are you asking…? Rather, I don’t understand why you thought we’d hire you…”

“W, well…”

The two quietly tried to slip past Yuri and leave the Adventurer Guild, but Yuri desperately grabbed Arisa’s hem and pleaded.

“P, please hire me as a porter! I won’t take any money! No, I’ll even pay you!”

“Eek…”

“Actually, I’ve been trying to observe adventurer life by asking other adventurers, but most either seemed dangerous, shady, or just refused! You two are my last hope!”

“…Even if you say that, we’re not exactly going on a leisurely trip.”

“Please! I won’t be a burden!”

Yuri bowed her head to Liche.

Why didn’t she realize?

That most requests claiming not to be a burden were already a burden by the time they were made.

As Yuri clung to them, Liche, now more annoyed than troubled, naturally lowered her voice to warn Yuri.

“You seem like a wealthy family’s child, but we’re not free enough to indulge a spoiled young lady’s whims.”

“I, I’m not spoiled! I seriously want to become an adventurer!”

“Don’t joke. Even if your current desire to become an adventurer seems genuine, it’s just a fleeting adolescent impulse. The life of an adventurer may seem romantic from afar, but up close, it’s just a pretty facade.”

Liche’s words were based on her years of observing adventurers’ lives using astral projection.

Why hide it now?

After all, Liche had once dreamed of becoming an adventurer at Yuri’s age.

Though much better now, Liche, who was once too frail to even leave the mansion, had idolized the adventurer’s life, where one could go anywhere on their own two feet.

So, she had used astral projection to vicariously live through the adventurers she admired.

But in the process, her dream of becoming an adventurer had faded.

The life of an adventurer wasn’t as beautiful as she had imagined.

Rather, it was fierce and sometimes even dirty.

If she hadn’t met Karina and Serena, she wouldn’t have pursued adventuring even after her health improved.

Perhaps because of her own experiences, Liche’s words carried weight, even though she was still a novice who hadn’t completed any quests.

But Yuri shook her head, denying Liche’s words.

“I know! Being an adventurer isn’t as glamorous as it seems!”

But Liche, with a rare cynical expression, coldly asked,

“Then why do you want to become an adventurer?”

“I want to repay a debt of gratitude to someone! And someday, I want to be like that person!”

“What…!”

To stand by someone important, knowing the adventurer’s life isn’t romantic…

“What a touching story…!”

Perhaps seeing herself in Yuri’s words, Liche, with a rare flushed face, even shed a tear.

“To go as far as offering to be a porter just to adventure with that person…”

“Cl, Clarice…?”

“I didn’t say I wanted to adventure with that person…”

“Alright! I understand your passion to adventure with someone important!”

“…Then?”

“In the name of Clarice Everlit, I’ll protect you while we complete quests! Is that okay, Miss Arisa?”

“If, if Clarice is okay with it…”

One sought to defeat her rival.

One wanted to adventure with her closest friend.

And another aimed to share the same profession as someone she admired.

Thus, the three left the Adventurer Guild, unaware that their goals all aligned within the same adventurer party.

That day, a new adventurer party of three was born at the Adventurer Guild.