The man introduced himself as Hero Eligion. It was a familiar name. In the world of the future, he was celebrated as the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord. And now, he stood right before me.
According to their account, during the large-scale war between the Demon Lord's army and the Hero's forces that took place in the Arianne region, known as the "Battle of Arianne," the Hero's party achieved a dramatic victory. However, they couldn't kill the Demon Lord. The defeated Demon Lord sought refuge deep within the Katarov Dungeon to hide. Unfortunately, they lacked someone with detailed knowledge of the interior structure of the Katarov Dungeon. After all, it was considered an S-rank dungeon, and no one had successfully cleared it. In their despair, they had just heard rumors about an adventurer who had conquered the Katarov Dungeon.
After searching extensively, they had finally found their way to me.
"So, Kiska, can we ask for your guidance?"
Saying this, Hero Eligion extended his hand.
"May I ask one question?"
"Of course, feel free to ask anything."
"Do you happen to know someone by the name of Agetha?"
"I don't know. Is she an acquaintance of yours?"
Hero Eligion responded immediately. He looked to his companions for any sign of recognition, but no one seemed to know.
"Well, actually, I'm on a missing person search."
"I see. I'm sorry if I can't meet your expectations."
"No, it's fine. If you don't know, then there's nothing you can do about it."
"So, sorry to rush you, but would you be willing to cooperate with us? Of course, we promise to provide appropriate compensation."
Now, what should I do? Should I cooperate or not? My primary goal is to meet Agetha. As I pondered, I recalled the words of the vampire Judite.
The Demon Lord was defeated by the Hero Agetha. In other words, if I get closer to the Demon Lord, there's a high chance Agetha will appear sooner or later.
"I understand. Please let me assist you."
Since they were chasing the Demon Lord, my cooperation would undoubtedly bring me closer to Agetha. Hoping that this would lead me to Agetha, I offered my help to them.
◆
Then we briefly introduced ourselves. Since we were about to dive into a high-difficulty dungeon together, it seemed essential to know a little about each other.
"I'm Kiska, a swordsman. I also have the 'Provocation' skill, which allows me to draw the attention of enemies."
"That's great. You could be a good evasion tank."
Hero Eligion said that. An evasion tank was someone who could avoid enemy attacks while drawing their attention. I'd heard of it before but had never done it. Still, I didn't think it would be a problem.
"What's your rank, by the way?"
"I'm a Platinum rank."
"Platinum, huh? Then you won't be a burden to us."
I breathed a sigh of relief at the knight's words. Thanks to my Platinum rank, I wouldn't be underestimated.
"Well, let me introduce myself next."
Said Hero Eligion.
First, he introduced himself as the main force of this party and the hope of humanity, Hero Eligion.
His full name was Eligion Rastarna.
He was the first prince of the Rastarna Kingdom.
Come to think of it, I had heard that Hero Eligion was a prince. I remembered that according to history, he would eventually become the king.
It was a bit nerve-wracking to have someone of such high rank right in front of me. By the way, the Rastarna Kingdom was a large country that included Katarov Village in its territory.
Of course, his profession was a Hero.
He fought with a sacred sword.
He was the highest Master rank. His rank was 7th in the hierarchy.
Next was the introduction of the female knight who had dragged me from the Adventurer's Guild.
Her real name was Canaria Glisis.
Her profession was a Holy Knight.
She excelled in swordsmanship and healing magic.
It seemed she also served as a royal guard.
Her rank was Diamond.
Next was the dwarf named Gorgano.
He wielded an axe.
His profession was a warrior.
"Nice to meet ya, lad!"
He said, patting my shoulder.
He seemed friendly.
His rank was Diamond.
Next was a tall man cloaked in a long, eerie robe. The deep hood made it impossible to see his face.
"I'm Noct. Nice to meet you."
The man introduced himself with words devoid of emotion.
"He's always like this. So, don't worry about it!"
Warrior Gorgano chimed in with a reassurance.
Perhaps he was just shy.
Surprisingly, his profession was a swordsman, despite the robe. I had assumed he was a mage due to his attire, but I was mistaken.
He didn't reveal his rank.
And then, there was one more person.
"May I speak? Nyau may often be treated like a child because of my appearance, but, as you can see, Nyau is much older than you. Please, don't treat Nyau like a child!"
A visibly young girl began her introduction.
I didn't understand the reason, but she seemed upset about something.
"Sweetheart, we're having an important discussion right now, so it would be great if you could go over there. Oh, by any chance, did you get separated from your mom?"
I asked while wondering why such a young girl would be in a place like this. If she were lost, it was important to find her mother quickly.
"Waaaah, this person treated Nyau like a child!!"
The girl cried while clinging to Hero Eligion.
Hey, bothering the hero is not a good idea.
"This child may look like this, but she's actually an older elf than us. So, please don't tease her too much," Hero Eligion explained.
An elf, huh? I couldn't see it well because her hair obscured it, but her ear tips were pointed. I remembered hearing that elves are long-lived and slow to grow.
"Um, I apologize for not realizing that you were an elf." I offered an apology just to be polite.
"If anyone treats Nyau like a child again, there will be no forgiveness!"
The young girl said, still sniffling.
To be honest, I couldn't imagine that she's older than me.
She's an elf named Nyau. In her hands, she held a rod much taller than herself. Her profession was a magician, and her rank was surprisingly Diamond.
So, with that, everyone's introductions were completed.
Hero Eligion.
Holy Knight Canaria.
Dwarf Warrior Gorgano.
The mysterious robed man, swordsman Noct.
Elf magician Nyau.
And me, Kiska.
With this group, we were about to embark on a journey into the Katarov Dungeon.
For me, it was my second dungeon expedition in my life.