Chapter 42
And just as I expected, Ferdia was standing next to Adrian.
Short-cropped, curly brown hair and cheeks covered in freckles.
Wearing sturdy overalls with suspenders, her first impression could be summed up in one phrase: “She looks easygoing.”
Looks, because I knew that despite her gentle appearance, she had a firm and determined personality.
Adrian, who came up with her, quickly scanned our faces.
His eyes seemed to ask, “How did it go?” — though he didn’t say it out loud, probably because of the guest.
To his silent question, I quietly shook my head.
It meant nothing had been resolved.
And then, standing confidently beside Adrian and looking around at us, Ferdia spoke up in a bold voice.
“You guys are the ones going around stirring up the village lately — the so-called Hero’s Party from Hagion, right?”
There you go. The first words out of her mouth — with a face that looked like she wouldn’t hurt a fly — were that.
In the original game, her aggressive tone led to Lena confronting her, and the two would have a big argument.
Right now, though… well, should I say it’s a relief Lena’s not here?
Thinking that way might be disrespectful, considering Lena was still shut away, emotionally wounded… but it was true that her absence made things go a bit more smoothly.
“Uh, who might you be? What brings you here to us?”
Leo finally broke the silence, voicing our collective confusion.
Though his question was directed at Ferdia, his gaze lingered on Adrian, as if to say, “Who is she, and why did you bring her?”
“This is Miss Ferdia, an herbalist affiliated with the Forest Guild. She came because she has a proposal for us.”
At Adrian’s answer, Darren, who had been lying face-down, suddenly shot up and looked toward Ferdia.
The phrase “herbalist from the Forest Guild” seemed to snap him back to reality.
“A p-proposal? What kind of proposal?”
“…You’re here to deal with the darkness that’s spread through the forest, right? I want to help.”
Ferdia spoke with confidence.
It was exactly the kind of offer I had been waiting and hoping for — and not just me. It was something everyone had been hoping for.
“O-oh!”
Darren clenched his fists in joy and shouted excitedly.
He seemed to have completely forgotten about the incident earlier that had made a comrade cry. What a simple guy.
“Let’s sit down and talk more in detail.”
Adrian calmly gestured toward the table, and Ferdia sat down with the same fire and determination on her face.
“I’d like to hear how you plan to help. For starters, we really need up-to-date information on the geography of the Silvagrove Forest. Would you happen to have a map?”
“Hm, nope. I can’t give you a map. Someone like me — just a low-ranking member — wouldn’t have access to something that important, right? If those stiff old guys in the guild had any flexibility, they’d have asked you for help themselves already.”
To Adrian’s question, Ferdia firmly shook her head.
“Then how do you plan to cooperate with us?”
Leo tilted his head, clearly confused.
“I’ll guide you myself. I may not look like it, but I’ve been running through those woods since I was a kid. I know the terrain like the back of my hand.”
Ferdia proudly thumped her chest.
A local, and an active herbalist, with deep knowledge of the forest terrain.
Exactly the kind of person we had been waiting for.
“Hmm… but wouldn’t that be dangerous? I’ve heard the monsters in there are seriously strong.”
Darren cautiously voiced his concern.
“I’ll be fine. I’m not a coward like the higher-ups in the Forest Guild, who only worry and do nothing. And besides — do you guys have any other options right now?”
But Ferdia didn’t back down an inch.
“…She’s not wrong. We’re not in a position to be picky right now.”
Adrian swallowed hard.
“The darkness is practically knocking on the gates of the capital. And those frustrating guild leaders are still more worried about their rice bowls than actually solving the problem. I remember exactly where the darkness first started spreading. I’ll lead you there.”
The others went quiet, each lost in thought.
No one looked opposed. In fact, it seemed they were all tempted by her bold offer.
“Well, sorry, but I can’t give you too much time to think. If the guild finds out I’ve contacted you, I’m done for. If you’re interested, meet me outside the eastern gate tomorrow morning.”
Just like her proposal, her farewell was blunt and straightforward.
She stood up without hesitation, walked down the stairs with confident steps, and disappeared outside the inn.
“…What do you all think?”
Adrian turned to us, looking to consolidate our opinions.
“I’m in.”
“Yeah… I don’t think we have a better option, so I’m in too.”
Darren and Leo gave positive answers. That just left me.
And I had no intention of disagreeing.
After all, in the game, we did go into the forest with Ferdia’s help.
“I’m on board too.”
So, unanimous.
Ah — no, not really. We hadn’t asked Lena yet.
Of course, in the game, Lena agreed without question.
But now, she wasn’t even here…
“Well then, we have another problem to deal with.”
Adrian’s gaze shifted, as if he were thinking the same thing — he stared at the tightly shut door Lena had slammed when she left earlier.
“…”
Darren noticed the shift in mood and clamped his mouth shut.
The guilty party had no right to speak.
And it was me who broke the silence.
“Let’s clear something up first, Darren. Earlier — did you really mean what you said?”
The Lena I knew had a strong sense of pride and didn’t open up easily. She could be prickly.
But she wasn’t the kind of person who looked down on others based on social class.
The reason she had acted so harshly toward me at first was because I hadn’t proven my skills — not because she thought I was beneath her.
But what Darren said earlier sounded like he really believed that — that commoners were beneath nobles like her.
If he truly believed that… that was a serious problem.
“…No. I didn’t mean it. I was just trying to tease her a little.”
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he was being sincere.
I still thought he had terrible timing for jokes, though.
“You really went too far today, Darren. You’ve always been a bit of a prankster… but you need to learn when enough is enough.”
Adrian once again said exactly what I wanted to say.
Seriously, it was hard to believe there were only two years between mature Adrian and childish Darren.
“…I’ll reflect on it.”
Darren hung his head, remorseful.
At least he was quick to admit when he was wrong.
“Reflecting in front of us doesn’t mean anything. You need to apologize to her directly.”
“R-right! I’ll go now—!”
As I shook my head and said that, Darren immediately sprang up, ready to storm into Lena’s room.
“No, no! Not now! Let me go first and check how she’s doing. If she looks ready to talk, I’ll come out and give you a signal.”
“Oh—uh, thanks.”
I hurried to stop him, and he quickly sat back down.
He was weirdly obedient in moments like these.
“Uh, then I guess I’ll—”
Just as I stood up—
“No. There’s still an unresolved issue.”
Adrian blocked my path and stopped me.
“Huh? What is it?”
“…The fight within the darkness. As things stand, Elaine — you’re the only one who can fight at full strength in there.”
His words hit me like a giant toy hammer to the back of the head.
Ah. That’s right.
I’m the only Hero of the Goddess in this world!
In the game, up to four people could enter a dungeon. You’d party up using the matchmaking system at the entrance.
Typically, it’d be one tank, one healer, and two damage dealers.
You could go in alone.
But monsters inside dungeons — especially those within the darkness — were three times stronger than regular ones.
It wasn’t easy to handle them solo.
And they didn’t even come one at a time — they came in packs.
Unless your level and stats were high enough to make up for those odds, you’d be in serious trouble.
And me? My stats were just barely above the recommended range.
Wait — why hadn’t I thought about this until now?
I really was an idiot.
A lone Hero of the Goddess, thrown into this world.
Of course I wouldn’t have party members to go into the dungeon with…!
“Well, we’ll obviously go in with you, too, but…”
Adrian trailed off.
Right. In the game, Ferdia and the other party members did enter the dungeon.
But they didn’t fight. They stayed back and watched while I fought with the monsters.
Naturally — because they were under a debuff inside the darkness that made them sluggish and weakened their combat abilities.
“N-no way…”
Overwhelmed by despair, I slammed my face onto the table.
I was the third person to do that today.
At this point, I was starting to think the table itself was cursed.
“Hmm… isn’t there some way? We can’t just let Elaine fight alone — it’s way too dangerous.”
Darren scratched his head in frustration, and Leo nodded enthusiastically beside him.
