Mnotia's Den

  Elena・Bazett A 19-year-old woman serving as Seriana’s bodyguard, born into the Bazett family, a lineage of knights serving the Müller household. She was born as the eldest daughter, with an older brother one year ahead of her. Following the family tradition, she trained in swordsmanship alongside him. Even as a child, she displayed talent not only in swordsmanship but also in horseback riding and archery. However, more than anything, she possessed an aptitude for magic. There is a knight order exclusively for women who serve and protect royal women, but joining requires being born into a high-ranking noble family or being part of such a lineage. Due to her renown even in the royal capital, she received offers for adoption and marriage engagements, but she refused them and remained in her family's territory. Five years ago, when she was about to start her career as an adventurer, she instead signed a contract to serve as an escort and tutor for the then eight-year-old Serian...

Early in the morning, I arrived at the Adventurers' Guild with Elena. Yesterday was my first exploration. I didn't get injured, and since I was just floating the whole time, I thought I had plenty of energy left. But I must have been more exhausted than I realized because after lunch, what was meant to be a short nap turned into a deep sleep until morning. Thanks to that, I feel unnecessarily energetic! "You there, young maid! You're with Elena today?" The burly receptionist called out to me, likely remembering me from yesterday. Well, I do stand out a bit, so it can't be helped. It seems he also knows about Elena being attached to the lord’s daughter. "Yes, I'm with her today. Just like yesterday, we'll be exploring the shallows." Elena replied while filling out the exploration report. She wrote down the number of members, their names, our affiliation, and the designated area for exploration. It felt a bit like a mountain climbing...

"3 coins⁉" After returning, I told Seriana about the results of my first dungeon, and she was quite surprised. Considering her usual composed expression, this look is a rare sight. This expedition mainly consisted of testing Alec’s 【Red Sword】 in actual combat and my own dungeon tour and practical training, wandering around the middle part of the shallow area for about two hours. The dungeon is composed of four sections: the shallow area, the upper level, the middle level, and the lower level. The shallow area is paved and, so to speak, a beginner’s zone where monsters appear only in small numbers. From around the middle of the upper level, the paving disappears, the rate and number of monsters appearing at one time increase, and powerful monsters begin to show up. By the time you reach the lower level, it’s filled with powerful monsters, and you have to form a party, apply to the Guild, and undergo an evaluation before you are granted permission to explore. While in the shal...

 "Of course!" I answered Alec's question in a single word. Come to think of it, I originally came here to test Alec's shield. A shield is meant to block, not to hit things, right? "Alright. From here on, don’t get off. If your claws don’t work, use this." With that instruction, he handed me a sword that had been strapped to his waist. It was a short sword—a so-called shortsword. If I charged in with this and 【Floating Orb】, I could probably handle goblins with ease. But would there really be a situation where my claws wouldn’t work? They’re my greatest source of confidence… "They're here. Let’s go." "O-oh…" Hearing Alec's voice, I looked up from my claws. In front of us stood two goblins, each holding a club. Alec had already raised his shield and moved right in front of them. The goblins, in turn, immediately began their attack on him. Come to think of it, I had only ever seen him take them down in a single hit—I’d...

 "Oh... so this is it." The second basement floor of the Adventurers' Guild. Standing in front of the dungeon entrance. Is it about 5 meters wide and 3 meters high? It feels surprisingly small. What is it made of? It looks like stone, but probably isn't. Since it extends deep inside, the dungeon itself might be made of the same material. Yesterday, after being told about the dungeon expedition, I tried to research various things. I tried, but… Even after getting permission and rummaging through the archives, I couldn’t quite grasp everything. I’m aware that I’m still unfamiliar with the common knowledge of this world, but I couldn't tell whether my knowledge was simply lacking or if the information was just inherently difficult. The few things I did learn were that monsters appear in dungeons, and you can obtain relics and Holy Coins. In this Zelkis territory capital, the dungeon spawns demonic creatures such as goblins and kobolds. That’s about it. ...

  This world has magic. Well, since there's magic, it's not surprising that it exists, but its existence has been properly confirmed. Magic is divided into smaller components called "mana," and it drifts through the air. It is especially concentrated in places where creatures are densely packed, such as deep within forests and mountains, dungeons, and bustling city areas. Though it takes a little effort, methods for utilizing it have been established. One of these uses is as an energy source for homes, such as for heating, water, air conditioning, and lighting, similar to how gas and electricity are used. Solar panel-like devices are placed on rooftops, wires are connected to them and spread throughout the interior, and lighting and other devices are connected to the system. However, this system is expensive and mainly used by nobles and the wealthy. The mansion I live in is the mansion of the Zelkis family, Count Müller’s household. It is one of the wealthiest...

 Well, I’m not sure, but the item’s form has changed. The 【Floating Orb】 was originally just a heavy ball, so perhaps by doing this, it might be able to show its effect. That aside, I wonder what they’re doing now? Seriana is trying to hand over an item to the two of them, but she’s kneeling like when pulling from a gacha. It might be fine if she’s just handing it over, but both of them are touching the item and placing their free hands together. What kind of ritual is this…? As I wonder about it, it seems that this mysterious ritual? has ended. Elena and Alec are each taking it in hand and making changes. “Do you have something you want to ask?” Noticing that I’ve been staring at them, Seriana walks over to me. “What was that you were doing just now?” “Well… give me that ring.” “Huh?!” After the recent Holy Coin incident, I instinctively pull my hand behind me and step back. “I’m not taking it. I’ll just borrow it for the explanation.” I decide it’s fine and take it...

  Before I knew it, the 10 Holy Coins that had been in the palm of my hand disappeared, and in their place, Elena was glowing faintly. It wasn’t that strong, but it stood out quite a bit. I wonder how it was that it didn’t get noticed back at the orphanage. A few seconds later, the light gradually faded, and something started floating in my palm. It was about 60 centimeters tall and 30 centimeters wide, so it was quite large. What could it be? As I was thinking this, the light vanished, and I could clearly see what it was. What is this…? A red board? While I was thinking this, Elena casually picked it up while it was still floating and placed it on the floor. Ah, so it has no weight when it’s floating, huh? I hadn’t realized it because I had only watched the【Floating Orb】and【Magic Steel】until they fell. I see now… After the light completely disappeared, Elena picked it up again. "A shield… perhaps? Well, I suppose that’s right." "It’s called【Red Shield】. It...

 "Here." "What is this?" I looked at the item presented in front of me. I knew what it was, but I instinctively asked anyway. "Sera, this is your work attire. You don’t have to do servant work, but you should wear this." "Ah, okay." I had no choice but to say that, and I unfolded the clothes I received. It was a simple black dress with a plain white apron. I knew it. It was a maid uniform. Ah, I should have introduced myself sooner. I’m Sera, a redhead with freckles, who might one day become a beautiful girl. ◇ Sera. It’s my new name. It was popular in Japan too, the kind of name that’s trending. Apparently, it’s common to name children after characters from stories or plays, or after the children of nearby lords, or even famous people. The origin of this name comes from Seriana. I’m 8 years old, and she’s 14. Though there’s a bit of an age gap, this name, being from this town, fits perfectly with my background and lends credibi...

  8 Holy Coins. Converted into gold coins, that’s 160 coins. "Give me all of that…" I was so shocked by this demand that I couldn’t hide my surprise and froze in place. This is almost all of my wealth, you know? "Hey." "You ran away from the orphanage, right? If that’s the case, your official record is tied to the church, so it’ll be tough wherever you go." Seeing me freeze, the big brother began explaining. When a child is taken in by an orphanage, they are affiliated with the church, and even nobles and lords are required to hand them over if asked. Surprisingly, or rather, as expected, the record management is quite thorough. While not everything requires proof, a lot of regular jobs or housing demand this confirmation. Of course, adventurers can’t avoid this. If they can’t prove it, they just drop out. That’s pretty strict… even though I was desperate, I hadn’t thought things through very well. "That’s how it is. If you agree to the d...

 "Don’t do anything strange!" As soon as I left the 【Hideout】, this happened. A burly guy stood in front, with a slightly older woman with brown hair drawing her sword and pointing it at me, looking cautious. Even though I look weak, I’m not letting my guard down. Well, I’ve never seen anyone come out of the 【Hideout】, so I don’t know what they’re like, but if someone suddenly appears from nowhere, I guess it’s suspicious. But having a sword pointed at me... now that’s scary. Is this what they call killing intent? "Both of you, step back." The blonde one told them to step back while glaring at us. Without even being fazed by the tense atmosphere, she started talking to me. "You don’t intend to be hostile, do you? Follow me." She said that and, without waiting for my reaction, turned around and walked off. "Eh…" No… I’m not intending to be hostile, though? What’s with that girl? "Ah… well, you won’t be harmed. Let’s go, yeah?...

 “Alex, Elena, do you two realize it?” The two standing nearby exchanged glances at the sudden words. “…Realize what?” “There’s a person who has been wandering around the garden since midnight the day before yesterday.” She said this while getting closer to the window and looking down at the garden. ‘⁉’ They were merely bodyguards and not responsible for the security of the mansion. However, even so, they kept in contact with the soldiers and were informed of both guests coming to the mansion and any suspicious individuals within the territory. The intrusion occurred the day before yesterday. And yet, there had been no reports whatsoever. Even though there were dogs in the garden, no disturbances had occurred. It doesn’t make sense to invade and do nothing, and it’s hard to believe... If they are planning an assassination or a kidnapping, it would be a very dangerous situation. However, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. “Is that person a human, not a monster?” Oc...

  Floating on the 【Floating Orb】, drifting through the night sky for a while, I had moved quite far from the hidden church. Perhaps because the surrounding buildings are only about three stories tall, the church stands out significantly. Is it a chapel, I wonder? It's about ten stories high, and the buildings adjacent to it on the same grounds are also quite large. Even from a distance, it’s clear that something Y-shaped is attached to the tip of the roof. It was the same at the orphanage, and perhaps that Y-shaped object is a symbol, similar to a cross. What’s a bit curious is that, despite its large scale, it’s located on the outskirts of the city. I had assumed churches would be in the city center, but… Is it because the lord and the church have bad relations, or is it just this city? It might be worth looking into if I get the chance. Still, this city… It’s quite big. It’s not square-shaped, so it’s hard to say for sure, but just looking at it, it seems like it could...

  Washing away the dirt with plenty of hot water, enjoying a warm meal, and reading a book under the light with a cup of hot water in hand. Isn't that quite civilized? By the way, today's menu consists of bread (stolen), bits of salted meat (stolen) rehydrated in hot water, and a soup with leafy greens (stolen) thrown in. Additionally, shredded pumpkin (stolen) stir-fried with salt (stolen). It would have been even better with some beer, but given my age, that wouldn't be a good idea. I'll save that for when I grow up. I've been "borrowing" food from inns, restaurants, and warehouses, so I've had quite a variety. While there was a frying pan available, and I had made makeshift chopsticks myself, I lacked a proper knife, so up until now, I was just sprinkling salt on raw vegetables to eat them... The first thing 【Shadow Sword】 ever cut was salted meat. After that, I tried cutting vegetables... Back when I first started living alone as a student,...