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Contagious Heroism – Part 03

The adventurers raced through the 5th floor of the Great Labyrinth of Runay-aas. Encounters with enemies had been rare, a sign that Gerhardt had done a thorough job thinning out the monsters.

“Selyse! The staircase to the 6th floor is over there!”

“I can see it!”

“What do you think? Do you want to head there first?”

“Sounds like a good idea, but let’s handle this area first!”

In the center of the vast room gaped a hole with a spiral staircase. Passages extended in eight directions, and monsters flooded in from all of them.

Whether Gerhardt and the others had missed them or rushed ahead after spotting the 6th floor wasn’t clear, but leaving these monsters unchecked wasn’t an option.

“Right! We’ll handle the big ones!” said Marius of the Azure Blade Nebula.

The monsters, standing about three meters tall with six arms and snake-like lower bodies, were undoubtedly the most troublesome. And there were seven of them.

The Four Eastern Stars dealt with a group of twenty monsters that were medium-sized at most.

Skeletons wielding scythes, Lamp Demons, with their goblin-like bodies, red skin harder than iron, emitting small lights from their hands. Monsters with bat wings, cattle bodies, and human faces. Mysterious creatures with a demon’s head and tentacles sprouting from it, darting around.

“Ew! Disgusting!” Sara kicked away a severed head and used throwing knives to fend off the Lamp Demons.

“If you don’t want to get caught in it, stay clear! Frozen Wall!”

Walls rose from the floor, surrounding the monsters like a box. The walls were several degrees below freezing, instantly chilling the trapped monsters.

“Selyse, I’m ready.”

“Thank you.”

Selyse’s sword glowed with a golden light, enhanced by a spell of the holy attribute.

Dashing forward, Selyse appeared more refined than a knight of noble rank. Her cloak billowed as she sliced through the monsters’ arms. She dodged a scythe, then countered with a thrust, piercing the skull of the Skeleton, crushing it instantly.

Incredible.

Selyse was impressed by Sophie’s magic.

Originally adept at high-level Healing Magic and Support Magic, Sophie had shown remarkable improvement lately. Her skills seemed to have flourished rapidly since working with Flower Face during the Accursed Toxin catastrophe. Flower Face’s real identity was Paula, a companion of Hikaru, which meant they shared secrets, but did not actually know everything about each other. Perhaps something had triggered Sophie’s growth.

As Selyse’s team dispatched their assigned monsters, the Azure Blade Nebula finished off the last one.

“Phew… Well done, Selyse. Given the number of enemies, I thought we would finish quicker.”

“Quality over quantity. Great work as well, Marius.”

“You’ve been blessed to have such good comrades.”

With that, Marius headed over to his injured comrades.

“Aha! You two are close!” Serika popped up beside Selyse.

“Haha, you scared me. Where’s this coming from?”

“What’s the deal with you and that Marius guy?!”

“I didn’t think it was that big a deal… but it seems like you’re all curious.”

Selyse glanced back to see Sara and Sophie also observing her.

“It’s really nothing. He’s just a member of the party that looked after me when I was starting out as an adventurer, that’s all.”

“You were a rookie adventurer?! It never crossed my mind!”

“Uh, what do you think I am?”

“Selyse is Selyse!”

“That doesn’t really answer the question,” Selyse said, scratching her cheek.

She was relieved that her friends seemed content with her explanation about Marius for now.

She didn’t say anything incorrect. But it was something she preferred not to share with them.

I was a rookie once too.

Selyse’s eyes took on a faraway look.

Her clean appearance and the way she carried herself like a noble were things she learned in the past. But Selyse wasn’t of noble lineage.

She hailed from the Lande family, a prominent merchant house in a provincial city of the Quinbrand Empire, wielding considerable economic influence. A prestigious family for generations, even nobles couldn’t defy them. Despite numerous business rivals, they flourished under her astute father’s leadership.

With her grandparents gone early, Selyse, an only child, was raised with love by her parents. Her father instilled her with noble education from a young age, not to wed her off to nobility but for something else entirely.

Amidst vast wealth and material comfort, what could one possibly desire? Selyse’s father sought something “money couldn’t buy.”

Among the awards bestowed by the Emperor of the Quinbrand Empire were the Grand Medal of Excellence for nobles and the Grand Medal of Elegance for non-nobles, both equal by national law. Selyse’s father, using any means necessary—even spending a third of his amassed fortune—secured a plan to receive the Grand Medal of Elegance. This medal automatically granted noble status to its receiver.

Selyse believed her father to be a remarkable man. He could even become a member of the privileged class. Selyse, depending on the perspective, grew up either pampered or, frankly, arrogant.

She firmly believed that since her father was more powerful than nobles, she must undoubtedly be special herself. She always looked down on other people. No, she didn’t even see them as fellow human beings.

The turning point came when she was ten years old.

At last her father was to receive the Grand Medal of Elegance, and they were en route to G. Quinbrand, the capital. It was a long journey, but his wife and their only daughter, Selyse, naturally accompanied him. It was a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

To protect the Lande family, a hefty sum was spent hiring a mercenary group who promised to “protect them even if a dragon appeared.”

While traversing the outskirts, a Thunderbolt Wolf appeared, a monster the size of a car, its fur crackling with magical electricity. It sprinted at speeds of up to 100 meters per second, and shockingly, it collided with the Lande family’s carriage.

Selyse’s parents were inside the carriage, which was instantly obliterated. The flying debris erupted into flames.

It all occurred during a brief stop. Selyse, who had left the line for the restroom, was unharmed. The event didn’t immediately register. She was sure of one thing, however: her parents were in that carriage.

The sudden appearance of the gigantic monster terrorized the horses into a frenzy and froze the servants in place. The mercenaries they had hired fled, breaking their promise of protection even against dragons. A big lie. Their past achievements had been fabricated to inflate their escort fee.

The monster fixed its gaze on Selyse. It wasn’t clear what drew its interest, but it definitely noticed her. The servants who typically attended to Selyse were nearby.

“H-Help!” Selyse cried. “What is that?!”

The servants swiftly turned tail and fled.

“Wait! Where are you going?!”

“We’re not dying with you!”

Selyse had no time for shock. The Thunderbolt Wolf drew near, drooling. It had lost almost all of its electric charge from its initial onslaught.

Unable to act, Selyse stood petrified. Thoughts of life or death eluded her. She simply stood.

Then, the Thunderbolt Wolf stopped abruptly, struck from the side. A tall woman had tackled it. Puzzled, the monster turned towards her, and she stuck her tongue at it.

“Nothing scary about you when you’re not electrified,” she said.

In the next instant, the woman leapt back, and arrows and magic spells rained down, severely injuring the monster. Finally, the woman returned to finish it off.

By then, Selyse had fainted. She later learned that the woman also helped her up. Her name was Sandra, an adventurer and leader of the Rank B adventurer party Distant Dawn.

Marius was also a member of Distant Dawn, but Selyse hardly remembered what he was like in those days. He hadn’t even acquired the magic sword yet, and perhaps as a relatively unassuming professional in a party of about ten, he left little impression.

It was Sandra, the woman who saved Selyse, who left a lasting mark. She had straight red hair parted in the middle and distinctive, deep-set eyes.

Selyse quickly grasped her new reality. She didn’t even have time to mourn the loss of her parents.

While members of the company had been loyal to her father, they paid her no heed. Her father’s right-hand man began to act as if he were the company president himself. Competitors flocked to Selyse, using every possible means to transfer the rights she had inherited to them. Attacks from other companies were relentless. Every time she ventured into the city, numerous individuals approached her, trying to establish connections. She narrowly avoided kidnapping on multiple occasions, saved only by kind citizens and guards. Not one of her servants even bothered helping her during those times.

For the first time, Selyse realized that she was merely under her father’s protection and that no one cared for her at all. Just as she hadn’t viewed the servants as equals, they didn’t value her either.

Sandra alone was different. She saved Selyse even when she gained nothing from it.

Holding onto this fact, Selyse relinquished all company rights and left with just the money. Fortunately, Distant Dawn were staying in the city, and Selyse was able to meet Sandra.

Selyse begged for Sandra to take her in. Initially resistant, Sandra eventually relented out of compassion, accepting Selyse as a chore girl to the party. Selyse used the substantial sum she possessed to craft her gear, and saved the rest as per Sandra’s advice. It was also Sandra who taught Selyse the basics of combat. Back then, she didn’t even know how to hold a sword.

“This person is strong. Even my father, formidable as he was, fell to a Thunderbolt Wolf. But she defeated it.”

A goal gradually budded within Selyse: to become strong. If she were strong, she could have protected her parents. If she were strong, the members of her father’s company might have shown her respect.

Whether she possessed innate talent or her efforts bore fruit, Selyse’s swordsmanship rapidly improved, shining as a support attacker in the Distant Dawn. She talked to Marius, but only about work-related matters. Her mind was always on Sandra. Sandra was her goal. Selyse believed that by catching up to her, she would gain confidence.