Reunion
Translated by GXYRU
Edited by GXYRU
When I returned to Gale’s table, food and drinks were already brought over. I dug into the piled-up meat and washed it down with cold ale.
The meals at the academy are not bad, but I prefer this hearty kind of food. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about table manners.
“Master, bring me seconds. And more ale.”
“Arius, I always thought you had a big appetite, but you’re still eating like a growing boy. You’re only 15, right? I’m already too old to eat that much.”
“Gale, what are you talking about? You’re still 28. Adventurers rely on their physical strength, so eat as much as you can.”
“Well, I get my nutrients from alcohol, so it’s fine for me. But anyway, Arius, Jessica came to the guild today. It seems like she finally returned from her expedition.”
“Ah, Jessica. Is she still based in this town?”
Jessica was the only adventurer who picked a fight with me five years ago in the town of Kernel.
Well, to be fair, she approached me first, so I silenced her with my skills. But saying it like that makes it sound pitiful. Well, we have a complicated relationship.
She was 15 back then, so she must be around 20 now. She might have matured a bit, but from the perspective of my 40-year-old mental age, she’s still a child.
“What’s wrong, Arius? You don’t seem very interested.”
“Well, it’s nothing. She just came to bother me on her own back then.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is. Jessica has always been a beauty, and now she’s quite the stunner. I guess handsome Arius doesn’t have any trouble with women?”
“What are you talking about, Gale? It’s not like that between me and Jessica.”
Even after the small incident five years ago, Jessica always approached me whenever I came to the Adventurer’s Guild.
But it wasn’t the kind of approach that started a fight, so I just considered her a normal acquaintance out of convenience.
Come to think of it, I was forcefully registered for “Message Exchange” for some reason.
I received a few messages from Jessica, but they were all trivial things like “How are Grey and Serena doing?” or “Which dungeon are you in now?” I just replied with a simple “Yeah” and the name of the dungeon.
“Hey, Arius. Are you seriously… well, you don’t lie, do you? Jessica is starting to feel sorry for herself.”
“Why does the conversation always end up like this?”
“When I mentioned that you were in this town, Jessica was eager to meet you.”
“Yeah, Jessica probably thinks Grey and Serena are together. Hey, Gale. Just tell her that I’m alone.”
“No, it’s not about that. I did tell her that you’re alone. But Jessica was still happy to know she could meet you.”
“That’s impossible. Then why did she leave without waiting for me? She must have been disappointed when she found out Grey and Serena weren’t here.”
“Arius, you really don’t understand women. She doesn’t want to show up in her dirty expedition clothes in front of you. She needs some time to dress up.”
I do acknowledge that I don’t understand women, but I don’t want to hear it from Gale, a 28-year-old bachelor who earns quite a lot as a Class A adventurer. While I was thinking that, the door of the guild swung open with a loud bang.
In walked a girl with ash-gray hair in a short bob.
She was wearing a blue half-plate and looked like a rival character straight out of a
romance game… No, she’s definitely a beautiful girl, even at this age. It’s undeniable from an objective standpoint.
“Hey, Jessica. Long time no see.”
Jessica had grown taller and matured in various ways since five years ago… at least in appearance.
But Gale mentioned that she should change her clothes, yet she’s still wearing her adventurer’s equipment. It’s probably just Gale’s misunderstanding… Well, her sword and armor look shiny as if they’ve been well taken care of.
“Arius… right?”
It’s understandable that Jessica is confused. I’ve grown more than she has in the past five years, considering I was only 10 back then.
Now I’m over 190 cm tall and have gained more muscles. Maybe it’s because I’m one of the romance targets in “Love Academy,” but no matter how much I train, I can’t seem to get a muscular physique.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, Grey and Serena are not together.”
“I heard that from Gale, but… Ugh! Why didn’t you tell me you were returning to Kernel? If you had sent me a ‘message,’ I would have come back sooner!”
“Well, it’s not something worth informing you about. Besides, I’ve never sent you any ‘messages’ in the first place.”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“Hey, Arius. Don’t say such cold things. Jessica worked hard and conquered a high-level dungeon of great difficulty just to catch up to you,” Gale said.
“G-Gale, what are you talking about? It has nothing to do with Arius!” I protested.
“Oh… so Jessica also conquered the ‘Gyunei’s Great Labyrinth’?” Gale asked.
“No, we haven’t conquered the ‘Gyunei’s Great Labyrinth’ yet. We conquered a different high-level dungeon called the ‘Bisterta Gate,” Jessica clarified.
Well, ‘Gyunei’s Great Labyrinth’ is one of the most difficult dungeons, so I understand.
“But even conquering a high-level dungeon means that Jessica is also an S-ranked adventurer,” Gale commented.
An adventurer’s rank is determined by their achievements. Conquering a high-level dungeon is a significant achievement that can promote someone to the S-rank.
“Yes, that’s right. But… it’s not like I worked hard just to catch up with you… I still haven’t caught up to you even now,” Jessica admitted.
I had already reached the SSS rank three years ago when Grey, Serena, and I conquered the first top-level dungeon together.
By the way, becoming one of the ten SSS-ranked adventurers in the world requires not only achieving great accomplishments but also defeating an active SSS-ranked adventurer in a mock battle to take their position in the rankings.
Of course, I won the mock battle and became an SSS-ranked adventurer. It was somewhat of a one-sided victory.
“Well, that doesn’t really matter,” I said dismissively.
“What… What do you mean it doesn’t matter?” Jessica pouted. Some things never change, even after five years.
“No, I mean the reason doesn’t really matter. You became an S-ranked adventurer through your own abilities, so you should be proud of your accomplishments,” I clarified.
“Arius… Yes, you’re right!” Jessica smiled happily… but her face was flushed for some reason. Well, she can be quite troublesome when she’s in a bad mood, so it’s always better when she’s in a good mood.
“By the way, Jessica, if you have something to discuss with me, why don’t we sit down? Well, it’s not like we can have a proper conversation standing here… Oh, but there’s no vacant seat,” I suggested.
“It seems like you’re not alone either. Shall we move to another table?” I added.
Behind Jessica, a fellow adventurer who entered the guild after her was standing with a smirk on her face.
She was a beast-eared girl in black leather armor, around the same age as Jessica.
“M-Marcia! How long have you been there?” Jessica exclaimed in surprise.
“Hey, Jessica. That guy over there is… Arius, right?” Marcia asked.
“Yeah, but… Marcia, please don’t say anything unnecessary!” Jessica pleaded.
“Sure, sure. I understand… Nice to meet you, Arius. I’m Marcia Esper, an S-ranked adventurer who’s in a party with Jessica. I’ve been hearing rumors about you from Jessica for a long time… So, Jessica, don’t worry. I won’t say anything unnecessary,” Marcia introduced herself.
“That’s a lie! Marcia is definitely going to say something unnecessary!” Jessica protested.
Why is Jessica so flustered? Did Marcia say something bad about me?
“Well, it seems like I don’t need to introduce myself. Gale, let’s have a drink together next time,” I said.
“Sure, Arius. You should spend some time with Jessica. I’m not a guy who lacks the delicacy to
interfere with young love,” Gale replied.
“G-Gale, what are you saying? Arius and I aren’t like that!” Jessica blushed.
Hey, Gale. That was a really tactless comment you made.
※ ※ ※ ※
Arius Gilbert, 15 years old
Level: ????
HP: ????
MP: ????
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