Chapter 74: Return of the Braves

「Oi, look, it’s Aria-chan! 」

「Yeah, and Stella-chan too!

「Kyaa~! Tama-chan is so cuuuute! 」

「… Our brave heroes returned! 」

「Hey, those little girls… Could they be… Fairies? 」

Aria and co, along with Vulcan, were heading toward the Adventurer’s Guild to report the completion of the escort mission.

Although the requester was currently imprisoned due to his role in Gladdstone’s riot, the matter was set aside.

As soon as Aria and co entered the guild, the adventurers started clamoring among themselves and stared at Aria with a passionate gaze.

「W-Why is everyone looking at us like that?」

「Their gaze is… Disturbing! 」

Both Aria and Stella felt uncomfortable upon receiving those adventurers’ gaze.

Lily and Faeri escaped by hiding behind Aria.

「Nyahaha, can’t be helped, nyan. You guys were the braves who saved Gladdstone from its doom! Naturally, everyone knows about your heroic deeds, nyan! ?」

Vulcan explained the situation with a smile on her face. Just as she told them, Aria and co were braves now.

And that was just natural.

They were called such because of their bravery in saving Gladdstone from the crisis of the Undead raid led by Reis. On top of that, they also fought against an Undead Dragon, putting their lives on the line.

Especially Tama and Aria, who protected the civilians of Gladdstone from the Undead. They were hailed as braves by the people they saved.

Not just that.

Aria went as far as using a rare magic item, the Droplet of Truth, to uncover numerous evil deeds of the Gladdstone Earl. He was the one who murdered Reis’s wife and drove him to the brink of madness.

If such deeds weren’t worthy of them being hailed as braves… Then what title was worth more than that?

(Fumu… My master, who was just a mere fledgling adventurer a while ago, has finally arrived at this stage… This knight is proud of you, master.）

Tama, who was enjoying the warmth of his master’s twin melons, stared at Aria’s embarrassed face.

Seeing his master being showered by so many praises made him wear a proud look on his face.

「Ara? If it isn’t Aria-chan and co! Welcome back! ?」

「Ana-san! 」

Aria’s red face brightened when a certain person greeted her.

It was a giant skinhead-muscular (wo)man clothed in bondage fashion. The guild’s (fe)male receptionist, Arnold Hwarzenegger.

(S)He was a sister-like existence for Aria.

「I’ve heard about your victory against an Undead Dragon! I never expected Reis-chan to do that, but still… Will you… Forgive me? 」

「W-What are you apologizing for, Ana-san? Don’t mind it. An adventurer’s job is always side-by-side with danger, after all! ?」

Arnold was really happy about Aria’s achievement.

But that expression clouded immediately.

(S)He was constantly worried about Aria after she had accepted Reis’s commission. But Aria was right about an adventurer’s job being always side-by-side with danger.

Thus, she has no reason to be angry at Arnold and smiled happily instead.

「Fufufu, thank you very much.」

Seeing Aria’s cheerful state, Arnold sighed and smiled back at Aria.

「Ah, that’s right, I forgot about it! Can you wait for me for a while, Aria-chan? 」

「Of course but… What’s the matter, Ana-san? 」

After being introduced to Lily and Faeri, Arnold seemed to recall something.

When Aria asked about it, Arnold just dismissed her question by stating she’d know soon. Then (s)he went into the inner part of the adventurer’s guild.

「That Ana person’s appearance is scary but that human is surprisingly kind! 」

「Ye~sh, it’s one of Aria-chan’s friends, after all! 」

Although both Lily and Faeri let out a small scream when they saw Arnold’s appearance, they calmed down immediately as soon as Aria chided them.

Both of them then showed a keen interest in Arnold’s bondage-style fashion and muscles. Their curiosity was so great, they wished to touch Arnold’s muscles.

Aria let out a giggle when she saw the two fairies’ innocent reaction.

「ARIA, ARIA! What is this super nice smell?! This is definitely roasted meat! 」

While Lily and Faeri frolicked with each other, Stella appeared and shook Aria’s shoulder with an excited look on her face.

The fragrance of roasted meat was drifting from the kitchen of the Guild’s bar.

「You’re right, and yet it’s still morning. Were the adventurers planning to have a drinking party in the morning? 」

「I want to eat that meat too! We haven’t eaten breakfast yet! 」

「Fufufu… Can’t be helped, then… Shall we have breakfast in the bar after I finish my business with Ana-san? 」

「YAAAAAAY! 」n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In a normal situation, both Aria and Stella would quarrel over the right to hug Tama. Aria couldn’t help but smile when seeing Stella acting like a kid whenever mealtime arrived.

Despite their perfect appearances in all aspects, their exchanges were completely like that of a pair of sisters.

「Aria! I want to eat some sweets too! 」

「Me too~! 」

「Fufufu… Lily-chan and Faeri-chan really love sweets! Don’t worry, this bar also has sweet pancakes and other delicious desserts. Please enjoy them to your heart’s content. ?」

「Pancake! It’s that fluffy-sweetie thing, right? 」

「Fluffy~! Loooove~! 」

Lily and Faeri drooled as soon as they heard the word “pancake”. It seemed they recalled the time when they ate pancakes back in Gladdstone.

「It’s been a while since we last had breakfast together… Will you join us too, Vulcan-san? 」

「You’re right, but… Maybe I can only accompany you for breakfast.」

「EH? What does that mean?」

「Everyone, thank you for waiting! 」

Aria was confused by what Vulcan said. As she pondered about the meaning behind Vulcan’s words, Arnold came back from the inside of the guild, skipping steps and holding something that resembled two small boxes.

「Ufufu, this is for you, Aria-chan. And here’s yours, Stella-chan. ?」

「… Uhm? An adventurer’s tag! It’s golden! 」

Stella opened the box first. Inside was a golden adventurer tag, the proof of a B-rank adventurer.

Seeing that, Aria also opened her own box while hope filled her chest.

「A… Platinum adventurer’s tag. I-I am an A-rank adventurer?! 」

Inside of Aria’s box was a platinum tag, the proof of an A-rank adventurer.

(Uhm, that’s natural. You defeated Beryl of the Demon race in Renault. You also defeated Reis along with his Undead Dragon. It was an act befitting of an A-rank adventurer.）

It was the result of the several months Aria spent operating in that city. And those few months were enough time to judge Aria’s character.

Tama proudly recalled Aria’s efforts as he rubbed his cheeks on Aria’s.

「Geez, Tama! ? So you’re blessing me too, huh~? ?」

After Tama rubbed his cheek on Aria’s, she finally accepted the fact that she had become an A-rank adventurer.

Stella was delighted with Tama’s telepathic praise.

In the Gladdstone case, Stella played a big role in fighting against the corpse of her past self. She fulfilled her role as the party’s tank even in her anger and sorrow. It hurt her to see her past self’s corpse misused like that.

In fact, the Gladdstone case raised Tama’s evaluation of Stella by several degrees.

「Ana-san! The preparation is complete~! 」

「Roger~! Well, girls, shall we head to the bar-room now? To celebrate, of course! 」

Arnold invited Aria and co to the bar.

At the same time, numerous meat and vegetable dishes, a whole-roasted pig and even a wine barrel were carried into the bar-room one after another.

「T-This is…」

「Nyahahaha! It’s the celebration of the birth of an A-rank adventurer and the return of the Braves! 」

Vulcan replied merrily to Aria’s curiosity.

Yes, the drifting aroma they smelled as soon as they entered the guild was the aroma of the dishes being prepared to celebrate the Brave girls’ return.

The adventurers that happened to be free held out their liquor bottles as soon as they saw the wine barrel being carried inside.

「Well, then. For Aria, who formally became an A-rank adventurer and for the return of our Brave girls… TOAST! 」

「「「TOAAAST! 」」」

Led by Arnold, the adventurers surrounded Aria and co to give them a toast. The blessings from the staff of the guild and the adventurers went on for half a day.