It happened when Alina was still young, and her age had not yet reached double figures.

Alina’s family ran a pub back in her birthplace, an isolated, rural town far from Ifühl in the far east of the continent. Naturally, the pub, of which there were few in the countryside, was always packed with local adventurers. One of them, a young adventurer by the name of Shroud, was particularly close to Alina.

‘Oi, Alina. how many times do I have to tell you I’m not an uncle? I’m still in my twenties, so at least call me your cool older brother or summin’.’

In the noisy, jam-packed pub, Shroud pointed his finger at Alina, his brow furrowed. How many times had Alina heard him make the same complaint?

The slender young man was a very ordinary adventurer, with his very ordinary vanguard equipment of a set of light armour and a longsword. Alina was so amused by the twenty-something youngster’s reaction when she called him “uncle” that she took to calling him “Uncle Shroud”.

‘Repeat after me: “big bro Shroud”!’

‘Uncle Shroud!’

‘I give up.’

Shroud’s shoulders slumped in dejection as he sulkily sought solace in his ale. Satisfied that his reaction was in line with what she expected, she bent double laughing, as did his adventurer buddies, who had been spectating the comedic duo.

‘Gyahaha! To Alina, you’re an uncle just like us, Uncle!’

‘Shut it! Don’t lump me in with you pot-bellied old farts. I’m still a lively twenty-three!’

‘Hey, uncle Shroud.’

‘Whadda ya want, Aunt Alina?’

Alina’s eyes lit up at his childish retaliation as she made her usual request:

‘Tell me about your quest! What kind of dungeon did you go to today?’

‘Haa. You have some strange tastes. There’s nothing interesting about this boring adventurer’s stories.’

‘That’s not true!’

Alina loved listening to Shroud’s stories. Every day, under the pretext of helping her parents with their work, she served him ale and pressed him for tales of his exploits.

Though, as he said, his weren’t the kind of stories that made you sit on the edge of your seat, of dauntless heroes facing off against fearsome monsters.

Unlike the hot-blooded type of adventurer who boldly challenges monsters and dungeons in search of glory, Shroud was of the type who prefers the safe, boss-less dungeons that have already been captured. These adventurers map out every nook and cranny of the dungeon, gathering relics that, by good fortune, other adventurers had failed to pick up and sell them for a profit. It’s for this reason that Shroud calls himself “a cowardly hyena”.

And yet, Alina loved his stories. Why?

‘When I grow up, I’m gonna be an adventurer just like you!’

Alina declared with clenched fists, prompting cheers of “That’s the spirit!” from the surrounding drunkards. Emboldened by this show of support Alina, her cheeks flushed with excitement, told the audience of her dreams:

‘I’m gonna become a suuuuper strong adventurer, I’m gonna go on adventures in the dungeons with uncle Shroud, and I’m gonna become super rich! I’ll live in a big house and live a life full of excitement!’

There were cheers like “Hurrah for Alina the adventurer!” from the merry drunkards, but Shade was less amused.

‘Adventurer? Forget it. A shorty like you can’t possibly become an adventurer.’

‘Shorties can become adventurers too, you know!’

‘Instead of an adventurer, you should, hmmm… that’s it, you should become a receptionist! Oi Alina, you’re sure to be a good-looking lass when you grow up, so being a receptionist would suit you perfectly.’

‘Yuck. I don’t wanna be a receptionist. They’re boring. I want to quest with Uncle Shade.’

‘As if I’d take a brat like you along.’

‘Hey!’

‘There’s nothing good about being an adventurer anyway. Monsters are scary, dungeons are cold, you live hand-to-mouth on an unstable income. You can’t take out a loan, and even though weapons and armour cost an arm and a leg, they break instantly.’

The immature Alina had no idea what half of what Shroud was wailing about meant. She didn’t understand the meaning of a loan, or living hand to mouth, or why any of this was bad. Shroud glanced at the confused Alina and continued:

‘Besides, I’ve only awakened a lame common skill. You won’t get very far as an adventurer with that. Receptionists are perfect in that respect. It’s a government job, first of all. The job’s stable and for life. You can take out loans. You don’t need expensive weapons or armour, and best of all, you get paid by the hour. You go to work on a fixed time, you go home on a fixed time. And after that you are free to eat, sleep, drink, do whatever they want. Shit! If I’d been a woman, I would’ve become a receptionist!’

‘I don’t really understand, but being an adventurer sounds more fun.’

‘Haa, you really are kid. That’s how kid think. Well you are a kid, so you can’t help it.’

Alina puffed up her cheeks at Shroud, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in an exaggerated manner.

‘You talk big for a twelvepenny adventurer.’

Hearing Alina’s confrontational words, Shroud spat out his drink.

‘Oi, which one of you bastards taught Alina to say that?!’

Shroud slammed his mug down on the table and shouted, causing his adventuring buddies to roar with laughter. Seeing that they were all guilty, Shroud grimaced.

‘Don’t worry! I will protect you, Unle Shroud!’

‘God damn it, don’t say that with those twinkling eyes! Don’t you understand how a man feels when a little girl tells him she will protect him?’

‘I’ll be your party member!’

‘Right, right, I got it. Welcome to the party.’

‘Really? That’s a promise! Don’t break it!’

‘I won’t. I may be weak, but I’m not the kind of man to break his promises.’

Shroud locked his pinky finger with Alina’s and, as usual, left to go out on a quest with his buddies.

But from that day on, Shroud and his company stopped coming to the pub. Not only that, but they hadn’t returned to the town even after a week had passed.

‘When is Shroud coming back?’

Unable to bear it, Alina asked the regulars. As soon as she did, the adventurers, who were engaged in solemn drinking, froze. The men and women who were always merrily laughing, now looked serious and kept quiet.

They all knew what it meant when an adventurer went into a dungeon and didn’t come out for a week. But none could muster the courage to tell Alina the truth.

Just then, a panicked man burst into the pub.

‘Shroud’s party has returned!’

Alina’s eyes lit up. Those were the words she’d been waiting for.

‘Wait, Alina!’

She thought she heard someone calling her to stop, but she rushed outside without looking back. As she headed towards the town’s entrance, she spotted a group of haggard adventurers, their equipment tattered and broken in various places. It was Shroud’s party.

The young man himself, however, wasn’t among them. And even the young Alina noticed the unusually depressed mood of the men whom she had always known as a pint-downing, boisterous lot. She leapt at the haggard group.

‘What about Shroud? Where is Shroud?’

One party member raised his head, a vacant look in his eyes. He must not have eaten or drunk anything for days, for his eyes and cheeks were sunken, his face drained of life. The sight the man, who looked as if he had barely escaped from the deepest pits of hell with his life, deepened Alina’s fear.

Is Shroud also like him? Then I must look after him quickly. I’ll make him some warm soup, a pint of ale, tease him by calling him uncle, and cheer him up like I always do with him when he is grumpy.

‘He died.’

The man muttered.

He was so exhausted that he didn’t even have the energy to consider whether he should tell young Alina the truth.

‘Eh?’

The words came too sudden for Alina to grasp their meaning.

‘He… died?’

Alina tried to force a smile and grabbed the man’s battered armour.

‘You’re lying, right?’

He’s just teasing her. Just like when she jokingly calls Shroud “uncle”.

But none of the adventurers contradicted her. Seeing their sad expressions, the meaning of the man’s words began to sink in.

Suddenly Alina caught sight of one of the carts the adventurers were pulling. The platform, only large enough for a single person to lay down on, was covered with a cloth. An arm dangled out from under it.

‘Shroud?!’

Alina ran towards the cart. As she was about to throw off the cloth, she was stopped when someone grabbed her arm.

‘Alina. You must not look.’

Squeezing out what little strength he had left, the man, whose exhausted eyes had suddenly regained their brilliance, chided Alina.

‘No! Shroud! Uncle Shroud!’

‘It was his last wish, and I will not betray it!’

When she heard the man’s raised voice, Alina, who was struggling with all her might, suddenly stopped.

‘Eh?’

The hand gripping her arm was trembling. Finally, Alina confronted the truth. The fingertips of the arm dangling out from the hemp canvas were deadly white. Even though Alina made such a stir, the body didn’t so much as twitch. As Alina stood frozen on the spot, the man averted his eyes and said the decisive words:

‘Shroud is not coming home.’

Confronted with the truth, Alina felt as if her whole world had come crashing down. She let go of the hand and retreated two, three steps, as if fleeing from the corpse whose coldness she could feel even through the cloth.

She tripped over her feet and tumbled backwards to the ground.

As the procession made its way towards the clinic, the surrounding adventurers spoke words of reassurance in their concern for Alina. But none of their words seemed to reach the girl.

Shroud is not coming home.

Those cruel words shattered the precious happy memories of her and Shroud, blacked out his stories of daring-do. His cheeks flushed from drinking, the look on his face when she called him uncle, the dream of them one day going to the dungeons together.

‘Shroud, what about our promise?’

Every day before she went to bed—why, only last night—Alina fantasized about her happy future. Together with Shroud, Alina, who by then would’ve become an adventurer, would square off against monsters with fierce courage. If she were to steal Shroud’s exploits, he’d surely pull a face. But eventually he would give up and laugh, saying “that was amazing, Alina” and pat her on the head.

‘Please come back…hey…Uncle Shroud…’

For what seemed like an eternity, Alina just sat there on the cold ground, staring into nothing. Even when the adventurers left to let Alina be on her own, the presence of people around her faded, the sun set, and the cold veil of night fell, she just sat. Waiting for a glimmer of shroud’s presence, Alina continued to look through the town gate.

But no matter how long she waited, Shroud never came back.

There was no warmth in the facts told to her. They were cold, hard, endlessly cruel. It was the first time Alina had experienced how ruthless this world can be.

****

Alina jumped out of bed with a start. There was a moment of panic when she didn’t recognise the room she was in, but when she realised she was in the Blades apartment, she let out a long sigh. The nape of her neck was drenched in sweat. Grimacing at the unpleasant feeling, she got out of bed and opened the window, letting the cold air of the early morning in.

It’s been a while since I last saw that dream.

She had witnessed the destruction of Rufus’ party in the Tower of Chalk, felt the stinging cold of their corpses. Naturally, it made her recall her memories of Shroud.

As she stared absentmindedly into the gloomy streets of Ifühl, Alina searched her distant memories.

It was a floor boss that killed Shroud. He was exploring a captured dungeon as usual. But although the dungeon was thought to be completely conquered, there was another floor whose existence had never been noticed. Having haplessly wandered in, they were caught of guard by a floor boss, and the “twelvepenny” party, who always tried to avoid fighting monsters, proved to be no match for it.

Alina shook her head, forcing the sad memory from her mind. For some reason, Jade’s face from yesterday had overlapped with that of Shroud. Trying to get rid of this unpleasant premonition, Alina opened her mouth:

‘So, it’s overtime from today.’

She let out a theatrical sigh and began to change into her receptionist uniform.

Alina had never imagined that she’d ever use those words to distract herself.