Chapter 280 – 280: Magical Girl Appears!
◈-Tikia’s SIDE
Shame washed over me.
I blurted out that I peed in front of Rent and his companions…!
Hah, but as a mage, explaining things for proper fact-finding is only natural…
I looked at Rent in front of me.
And then at his companions sitting next to him.
They were all looking at me with pity.
Stop it!
Don’t look at me like that!
But, are all of Rent’s companions women?
Why only women?
It’s a bit concerning…
And my comrade Elsie.
I want to talk about Marin all night with you later.
Also, this inn’s bath is amazing…
There’s a comrade and Rent… I didn’t expect it to have a bath too…
…Should I switch inns here?
No, first things first, I need to figure out Rent’s identity.
“I’ll ask again, Rent… What exactly is your identity? It’s hard to believe you’re just a rookie adventurer who’s only been one for about two months. I’ve seen the presence of A-rank adventurers.
Rent’s presence is nothing compared to A-rank adventurers. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone with a stronger presence than Rent. What… what is your identity, Rent?”
“Huh?”
The first to react wasn’t Rent, but a cat beastkin female adventurer named Noah.
“Rent, did you… not tell her? More importantly, she doesn’t know who Rent is?”
“Ah… Tikia is someone who just became an adventurer yesterday. And I didn’t lie. It’s true that I’ve only been an adventurer for about two months.”
“So?”
“Actually, I was planning to reveal it later to surprise you a little…”
“Hehehe, Rent’s so playful~.”
“Isn’t that cute?”
“That’s true.”
Somehow, Noah, that companion, and Ninya, a companion with very revealing clothes, seem close.
More than that, it looks like they both like Rent, right?
But they’re so friendly?
What is this?
Is it that?
They’re holding off on who gets him first, but it’s a friendly competition?
It’s like when Marin’s childhood friend has feelings for her, and then the rival magical girl, Cecily, falls in love with him, and Marin also starts to become aware of her childhood friend!?
Honestly, some fans don’t want Marin to be taken by another guy, but I’m in the camp that supports Marin’s love.
For reference, the ones who say they don’t want her to be taken are the little boys who get angry while reading books at the magic city’s bookstore.
I’ve had heated debates about Marin with those kids before…
In the end, the arguments got so intense that we ended up grabbing each other by the hair and fighting, and later my master scolded me for fighting with kids…
Well, I won the fight though!
I even used body enhancement magic and was unfazed by four boys!
No, no, no, why am I escaping reality by reminiscing about the past?
Let’s focus on the situation unfolding in front of me right now.
Right… about the noble love triangle suspicion between Rent and his party members…
No, about Rent’s identity…
“Hehehe, Tikia, was it? Yes… Rent was actually hiding his identity from Tikia! And it’s a huge identity!”
The cat beastkin named Noah giggled and clapped her hands, setting the mood.
“W-what is it?”
H-hmmm, could Rent actually be a hidden dragon who transformed into a human!?
I-if that’s the case, it makes sense…
I’ve heard that dragons who have lived for a long time can disguise themselves as humans…
And if he’s a dragon, his immense presence and magic power would make sense.
“Hehehe! Rent is actually the only S-rank adventurer in the adventurer city of Pladan! His name is Dungeon Crasher Rent!”
“What?”
An unexpected answer popped out.
More than that, Dungeon Crasher?
The one who was the top contributor to stopping the flood?
“W-wait a minute… Rent is Dungeon Crasher?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“B-but you’ve only been an adventurer for two months. And… S-rank?”
“Yeah! Rent is super strong and has the achievement of stopping the flood!”
S-rank adventurer… certainly, if he’s an S-rank adventurer, it’s possible to have that kind of presence… I can barely believe it.
But my mind hasn’t accepted reality yet.
Right! Comrade!
Let’s ask my comrade!
As comrades who like the same magical girl Marin, they wouldn’t lie… probably!
“I-is that true? Comrade Elsie.”
“C-comrade?”
“It means we’re comrades who like the same magical girl Marin, Elsie.”
Rent quietly explained the meaning to my comrade.
“Ah, t-that’s what you mean. Yes, c-comrade? Tikia. Rent is an S-rank adventurer.”
Even my comrade agreed.
Then it’s really… Rent is an S-rank adventurer?
But even if he’s an S-rank adventurer… considering Rent’s behavior so far, there were things that didn’t make sense.
“Rent~♡ Isn’t it better to just show her your ID tag?”
“Ah… you’re right. Tikia, please take a look at this.”
Rent took out an ID tag from his inventory.
It was an ID tag with small diamonds embedded inside and a thick diamond border.
“T-this is…”
“This is an S-rank adventurer’s ID tag.”
Honestly, I don’t know what an S-rank adventurer’s ID tag looks like, but just by looking at it, I could tell that only an S-rank would have diamonds embedded in their ID tag like this.
“W-why aren’t you wearing it around your neck?”
“…This is super precious and expensive, so I keep it in my inventory in case I drop it.”
That was an understandable reason.
I would definitely keep it in my inventory too, afraid of losing it.
“With this… can you be convinced?”
“…Yeah.”
I could accept that Rent was an S-rank adventurer.
And the reason for his immense presence too.
Certainly, if he’s an S-rank adventurer…
If he’s an adventurer who stopped the flood, it’s not strange for him to have that kind of presence, I could convince myself.
But…
“But… you’ve really only been an adventurer for two months?”
“Yes.”
“Is your hometown actually a hidden demon realm or something?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Then why is your presence so immense? Rent, you’re definitely 20 years old, right? Logically, that kind of presence is absolutely… impossible…”
Then Noah put her hand behind her head and said.
“Well~ you can only say it’s a natural talent or gift, right?”
“…Noah, was it? You accept Rent’s strength now?”
“Well~ we’re in the same party~ and I’ve seen so many of Rent’s absurd actions that now most of the time, it’s just, ‘Oh well, it’s Rent,’ and it’s done.”
I felt a sense of enlightenment in Noah’s eyes.
Rent, who looked like a cute big dog…
Was actually a super genius with more talent than me!
I’m a little frustrated.
But there’s still an unresolved question.
“Then this is my last question… why are you doing the muscle carriage… thing? If you’re an S-rank adventurer, shouldn’t you be taking on other requests?”
“Ah, that’s…”
Rent explained why he started doing the muscle carriage.
In short…
In the early days of his adventure, he was an F-rank, and he started the muscle carriage to earn money using his stamina and speed, and also to get to know various adventurers.
When I asked why it was called the muscle carriage, he said that the adventurers had named it arbitrarily and he just adopted it.
His naming sense…
After that, it seems that my comrade Elsie was kidnapped by notorious villains called the newbie killers, and when she was in danger, Rent broke through the dungeon floor to save her.
…Wait?
He actually broke through the dungeon floor?
More than that, my comrade Elsie is totally the heroine.
Anyway, that’s how he got promoted to C-rank, and when he had free time, he waited for muscle carriage requests, but…
Because of Rent’s size, nickname, and rumors, people often gave up on hiring him halfway.
On top of that, the flood happened, and after stopping it, he became an S-rank adventurer, making it even more difficult for ordinary adventurers to approach him…
Since no one used it, Rent got competitive and kept doing it whenever he had free time.
“So… I was the first customer?”
“Yes. I was really happy when Tikia used it.”
Rent smiled brightly.
Ugh, cute…
Hmm… Rent was so kind because it was his nature, but also because I was his first customer?
I’m happy, but it’s also a bit awkward to be just happy…
Then Rent apologized to me.
“I’m sorry, Tikia. I didn’t explain properly…”
“No, it’s not like Rent has to apologize. This time too… I just used my skill on my own and was surprised by Rent’s presence and ended up… um… peeing…”
“Ah, Tikia. You don’t have to try to say it.”
“…Okay.”
Everything that needed to be said was said.
In the end, Rent was actually an S-rank adventurer,
And the reason he was so nice to me was largely because I was the first customer of the muscle carriage.
But… he was still a comrade who enjoyed watching the magical girl Marin.
I still want to be friends with him.
The enormity of his presence still makes me tremble a bit when I think about it…
Let’s think positively.
I became comrades with an S-rank adventurer.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
I got off the chair and tried to go outside.
“Ah, are you leaving?”
“Yeah, we’ve said everything we needed to say.”
And I still vividly remember peeing in front of Rent.
I know everything I wanted to know, so I want to leave this place first to avoid remembering any more embarrassing memories.
“Um~ can you wait a moment?”
Then, according to Rent, a lancer named Ninya called out to me.
“…What is it?”
Ninya smiled at me and said.
“Would you like to go to the dungeon with us tomorrow?”
“Huh?”
“Ninya?”
“From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem like anyone is really at fault, but… Rent still seems to feel sorry for Tikia. And Tikia just became an adventurer yesterday, right? Since this is also a connection, we’ll go together up to the third floor… and help you get promoted♪”
Of course, that offer is very welcome to me.
But…
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”
“Besides, we still don’t know why Tikia used Mana Search on Rent, right? We want to hear more details, but…
It seems like you want to finish talking quickly right now, so let’s meet tomorrow and you can tell us slowly.”
“Ah…”
Certainly, I only told Rent’s companions that I used Mana Search and felt Rent’s presence and immense magic power, and then… peed my pants,
But I didn’t tell them the circumstances that led to that.
“Ninya, if that’s the case, I can…”
“Shhh.”
“…Okay.”
“So, let’s talk calmly while going to the dungeon together tomorrow♪ Also, I want to see the skills of the mage that Rent praised so much yesterday.”
“Huh? Rent… praised me?”
“Yeah♪ He said he met an amazing genius magical girl who uses very beautiful original magic.”
“A, amazing genius magical girl…”
My lips curled up without me realizing it.
I was happy that Rent told his companions about me like that.
But the fact that Rent, an S-rank, praised me made my heart flutter even more.
“I want to see what kind of magic Rent praised. And it’s not just me. Right, Noah, Elsie?”
“Yeah! Honestly, I was curious about what it would be like after hearing Rent’s story yesterday!”
“U-um… is it possible that the magic is also a r-recreation of Marin’s magic?”
My comrade Elsie looked at me with expectant eyes.
“Yeah…”
“Wow…! I, I want to see it! I really want to see it!”
M-my comrade Elsie’s expectant eyes!
I, I really want to show it to her!
I want to show it to her and see my comrade Elsie cheer that it’s amazing!
“Elsie wants to see it that much… how about it?”
“…O-okay, please take care of me.”
“Okay♪ Then let’s meet at the adventurer’s guild tomorrow morning♪”
“Tikia, see you tomorrow!”
When it was decided that we would go to the dungeon together tomorrow, Rent smiled brightly and waved his hand.
When he’s that happy, I feel happy too.
“Y-yeah…”
I waved my hand back slightly.
“See you tomorrow~.”
Noah also waved her hand energetically.
“S-see you tomorrow! U-um… tomorrow… after we get back from the dungeon… is it possible to talk together?”
My comrade Elsie asked if it was possible to talk after our schedule tomorrow.
“O-of course!”
…I was looking forward to talking to my comrade Elsie more than going to the dungeon tomorrow.
I got to know my comrade Elsie and Rent, who just became my comrade…
P-peeing my pants is nothing, right?
…No, that’s still so embarrassing I could die.
