Chapter 5: The Road Ahead


TL: Scaramochi


***


After Est was expelled, Stardust and I, now down to three members, visited the Adventurers' Guild.


The reason we visited the guild instead of going to the labyrinth was to meet our new friends.


Apparently, Athena, the leader of the guild, had recruited Frey, a former Dragonhead ace attacker.


I was looking for Frey's shadow and found her eating at the table, and she was eating so much that her plate was stacked.


The dragon tribe...... is very fuel-efficient.


"Hey Frey, I'm sorry made you wait."


"Hey Athena! Don't worry, I'm just a little early. I forgot to eat breakfast, can we talk while eat?"


"Yeah, no problem."


"Oh, that'd be great. Don't just stand there, you guys should sit down."


Frey urges us to sit down while she takes a hearty bite off a large piece of bone-in meat.


We sit down in an empty seat.


I observe Frey.


She had two horns above her ears, dragon wings on her back, and a red tail below her waist.


Her red hair was cut short and messy. Her skin was white and human-like, but in fact it was all dragon scales.


Her eyes are golden and sharp like a lizard's.


Her face is a fine specimen. But she has none of the feminine charms.


I have heard a lot about Frey.


Her personal rank was silver, and she belonged to a party called Dragonhead, which was composed entirely of dragon people.


She is a fighter and good at close combat. If we only look at her ability, she could have been ranked Gold.


However, Frey had a bad behavior.


She was quick to pick fights with other adventurers, sometimes picking fights herself, and often getting drunk and acting out.


She was not a woman of good reputation. In fact, there were only bad rumors.


I heard that she was kicked out of Dragon Head because of some kind of trouble.


In short, she was a problem child.


When Athena told me she was going to add her to the group, I thought it was a joke.


To tell you the truth, I was opposed to having such a problem child in the party.


But the leader made the decision, so I had to go along with it.


But I couldn't help but wonder, "Is she really going to be okay?" I couldn't shake the worry that I was going to have to do something about it.


"Oh, that coward isn't here today, is he? Did you finally cut him loose?"


Frey asks as she looks around at us.


I guess the "coward" that she means is Est.


"Yeah, I asked him to leave the party yesterday. And Frey, stop insulting Est, it's offensive."


Athena said with a grim expression, Frey clicked her tongue.


"Gee, what's wrong with calling a coward a coward. He's a piece of sh*t who didn't know his place and was clinging to you guys."


"I'm not the only one who thinks so. He's a hyena who picks up the slack of the powerful."


Frey is not wrong.


In fact, Est had a bad reputation.


People said, "Why are you in Stardust if you're not good enough?" And I don't mean they said behind his backs, but in front of his faces.


Some of them even tried to fight with Est, and Athena and I got back at them.


"I'm not the only one who recognizes you, Athena. Your strength is as good as mine, that's why I took you up on your offer."


"I took you up on your offer? You're talking from a very superior position for someone who was kicked out of Dragon Head."


"Shut up, it's not my fault. I had no choice but to leave because they said they couldn't keep up with my power. I don't approve of you either, Dale. You've been an adventurer for 10 years, yet you're still at the Silver rank, and you spent all your time in the beginner's labyrinth before you entered Stardust. Don't you have any pride? You're no better than that punk, don't tell me what to do, old man."


"Old man......?"


I'm only 20 years old.


At least call me brother, not old man.


"Frey, I will not tolerate any more insults to my friends. If you say it again, I'll pretend the solicitation never happened."


"Ho, don't take it seriously. It's just a joke, right? I'm serious this time, let's get rid of this old man and start a new party. We can go gold in no time. Oh, and you can stay, Miliaria. I know how strong you are."


"Your superiority pisses me off. I'm telling you, I don't like you."


"Oh, oh, you're telling me. I like it when people like you come straight to the point."


"I hate...... her."


Oh...... I've seen something rare, that the cryptic Milliaria was outspoken.


In the short time I've been here, I've learned a lot about Frey's character.


She's foul-mouthed, crass, and selfish, but for better or worse, she's a meritocrat.


She treats the strong as equals and has no interest in the weak.


You can tell she has dragon's blood in her veins, the king of the weak and the strong.


"Dale is a necessary part of this party. If you don't like Dale, you don't have to join."


"Wait a minute, I'm going in. I'll meditate on the old man because I don't have a choice. Pops, you should be thanking me."


"Can I really hit you once?"


"Oh, you want to? Can I hit you back?"


"What are you talking about? I'm kidding, right?"


I say this to Frey, who is making a fist and snapping her bones, laughing ahaha, and Miliaria turns to me with a jittery look.


"Don't be coward. If you were a man, you have to keep your word."


Oh, that kind of thing is called gender inequality.


I'm not sure who would want to fight with such a power-hungry idiot.


I definitely don't want to.


Athena, who was watching our exchange, sighed deeply and said,


"Let's go to the labyrinth with this party for now. Take good care of them, Frey."


"Oh! You're in a big boat!"


Frey shouts cheerfully.


(I wonder if this will be alright.......)


I let out a mental sigh.


I was already feeling a little overwhelmed with the new party ahead of me.


Hah ...... is a bit of a pain in the ass.



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