Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells (Light Novel) Vol. 2 Read online

  “But I thought elves lived inside those illusion barrier things, hiding away from humans. Why would one be walking around outside?”

  “I hear they’re so beautiful, they’ll make even the toughest mercenaries’ hearts race!”

  “The slave traders would give you their right arm for one of them!”

  “Are elves even that strong?”

  “Not on their own, but they use, like, a weird power from spirits or something.”

  “Spirits? Creepy.”

  The drinkers sure are loud, and drinking makes them talk way too much. At least it makes them easy to listen in on. I wouldn’t want to go drinking myself, but this is a great place to get information.

  “You hear about the Great Demon Empire?”

  The Great Demon Empire, and the Demon King’s armies on the march, headed this way. The whole reason I was summoned here in the first place.

  “The mercenaries are talking, yeah. They say the Nightwall’s fallen up north.”

  “I still can’t believe it. You think they’ll make it this far?”

  “Nah. This far south? Never.”

  “What happens if they keep heading south and, like, meet up with the monsters in the Great Ruins?”

  “It’s not gonna come to that, but if it does, the Goddess Vicius’ll sort them out. And we’ve got monstrous bands of knights and soldiers of our own!”

  That foul Goddess… I guess she’s pretty well known.

  “Yeah. Whose armies do you reckon are the strongest?”

  “I hear the Wildly Beautiful Emperor Falkendotzine’s Band of the Sun has never lost a battle!”

  “Even with the Nightwall gone, I wouldn’t count out the Kingdom of Magnar’s White Wolf Knights, either.”

  “Yonato—over in the west—has their Holy Order of the Purge, don’t they?”

  “We’ve even got monster-slaying knights of our own down here in Ulza!”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “The Bakoss Empire’s got the strongest warriors on the continent—their Black Dragon Knights.” All three men nodded in agreement.

  “No question about it.”

  “You know I hear the Elite Five are practically a country unto themselves with how freakin’ strong they are! Especially those two, the Heroic Blood Slayer and the Strongest Man in the World…”

  “So the Bakoss Empire and the Demon King’s armies are gonna go at it?”

  “Ain’t that Princess Knight from the Holy Empire of Neah? Their Band of Holy Knights are pretty strong in their own right, ain’t they? And I hear they’re all women.”

  “But Neah just rolled over when the Bakoss Empire came to invade.”

  “We’re neighbors with Bakoss, ain’t we? You really don’t think we’re in trouble?”

  “No way. We’ve got the Kingdom of Alion to back us up. The peace treaty’ll keep us safe.”

  “They already done their hero summoning, you reckon?”

  “They’re not exactly known for telling people what they’re doing. They might be training an army of heroes as we speak.”

  One of the men shoved his chair back noisily and raised his glass.

  “Enough already! We’ve got good drink and good meat! There ain’t a thing in the world worth bein’ scared of. Nothing can beat us, not heroes, and definitely not that blasted Demon King!”

  “I’ll drink to that!”

  “Country or no country, we drink!”

  “Well said!”

  “Cheers!”

  “Ha! Bottoms up!”

  They downed their drinks, and the conversation turned into an argument about who had to buy the next round.

  That’s enough for today…

  I went back up to my room on the second floor, happy that I’d at least learned the names of some new countries.

  Those knights have nothing to do with me, though—my only concern is Alion. I couldn’t expect anything really useful out of that conversation. It was just small talk over drinks.

  “I should buy some supplies for my journey and leave Mils sometime tomorrow.”

  I stopped in my tracks in the hallway.

  “Wait a minute…”

  Do I remember—?

  I hurried back to my room, where Piggymaru squeaked a greeting at me.

  “Oh. First things first.”

  I threw the bread I’d saved from my meal to Piggymaru, who gleefully started eating.

  “Squee, Squee~! ♪”

  “So…”

  I took the thick volume of Forbidden Arts: The Complete Works out of my leather pouch, sat down on the bed, and started flipping through the pages. My fingers finally settled on a word.

  “…This is it.”

  I knew I’d seen the name before. It’s been bugging me ever since I met that girl in the forest. I should’ve caught this earlier.

  Monster Enhancement Solution—Ingredients.

  Skeleton king powder (necessary for enhancement).

  Slime → Effective.

  Necessary for second experiment.

  Currently active skeleton king monsters:

  P29

  Mils ruins (lower floors).

  Ruins of Disposal Scouting Party

  A GROUP OF MEN walked through the Dark Forest.

  “What do you think happened to those corpses?” asked one, turning to look back at the remains they’d just passed. The party leader glanced over at him and shrugged.

  “Who knows? Probably just some mercenaries with bad luck.”

  “You think they were on their way to Mils?”

  “Can’t imagine they’d be this far out otherwise. We’re the only ones with business out here.”

  The newest member of the party was deathly pale.

  “First time seeing a decomposing body?” asked the leader.

  “Y-yes…” he responded.

  The corpses were in terrible shape. Four of them, no real faces or distinguishing features left, all ravaged by monsters or wild animals.

  “Can’t have been much good at mercenary work if the monsters in this forest were enough to take ’em down,” said a large man, gesturing to the sword swinging at his belt.

  “They didn’t have any coin on them, did they?”

  Sometimes stray corpses could earn you some pocket money. The party went through their belongings, but to no avail.

  “Probably bandits or something—I’ve heard some bad rumors about this place.”

  “You think one of those things escaped the Ruins of Disposal?”

  “Ha ha ha, then I guess we’ll go find some of those monster-slaying knights and bring ’em here, right?”

  “Ha, sure.”

  When the joking died down, one of the men frowned and gestured them over.

  “Hey, we’re here.”

  The Ruins of Disposal stood as quiet and still as they always did.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary?”

  “Never is.”

  “That’s what I love about this job. Let’s give the place a once-over and get going already.”

  Regular inspections of the Ruins of Disposal were a joint effort by the kingdoms of Alion and Ulza.

  An important step to ensure friendly relations between the two countries, thought the leader. Easy work, great pay—I’m glad I’m the one who gets to do it.

  He took a crystal ball, handcrafted by the Goddess Vicius herself, from his backpack. He approached a large, crumbling wall and touched a spot on the brick. Thunk came the sound, and a small hollow appeared. He placed the clouded black crystal ball inside.

  The work was easy, they all knew, just as they knew exactly what kind of place the Ruins of Disposal was. None of them cared. It wasn’t any business of theirs who the Goddess marked for death.

  “Huh?”

  “What’s up, boss?”

  “It’s not changing color.”

  The crystal ball wasn’t reacting at all. Usually something in the hollow would start glowing, and the ball would glow in reply, but…


  “Boss! D-does this mean…”

  “Yeah.”

  The leader looked concerned, wrinkling his brow.

  “Crystal must be broken.”

  “You think these magical device things can break?” asked one of the party members, tapping the clouded ball with his index finger.

  “It’s real old,” said the leader. “We’ll have to ask her to make us a new one.”

  “We’ve gotta go all the way back to Alion, you mean?”

  “Nah. We’ve got that annual report in six months, don’t we? Let’s just tell her then.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Getting a report all the way to Alion is going to be a real pain in the neck, crossing borders and all that… Besides, nothing looks different, right?”

  The scouting party prepared to leave the ruins.

  “Not like anybody’s ever gonna make it out of this place alive, anyway~!”

  “Ha ha hah! Never in a million years!” The whole group laughed as they turned to leave the Ruins of Disposal.

  “No matter how far back through the histories I check, ain’t no record of anybody escaping this place. Not ever!”

  The Ruins of Disposal were a death trap—nobody survived them. The scouting party leader returned the faulty crystal ball to his pack and led them out of the ruins.

  “This job’s just too easy.”

  Mimori Touka

  THE NEXT MORNING, I went to get breakfast in the food hall. I was wearing the clothes the innkeeper gave me the day before and my newly dried robes.

  I finally got a good night’s sleep… How long has it been? I feel great.

  Half the tables were already full of people with a soldier or mercenary look to them, some of them even drinking already. I ate quickly and went to talk with the innkeeper.

  “Do you mind if I ask about this ruins-clearing business? The man recruiting for it is the Baron, I believe?”

  “That’s correct, Mr. Hati,” responded the innkeeper. “I had an inkling that’s why you were here. They’ve discovered a new floor in the dungeon. If you’re interested, then…”

  He explained that there would be a meeting today, and that anyone, even people who weren’t members of the mercenary guild, could attend.

  In other words, I’m in.

  The meeting was to be held in a small square on the outskirts of town. I returned to my room, let Piggymaru hide under my robes, and headed out.

  I arrived at the square half an hour before the meeting was supposed to start, but the area was already bustling with activity. There was a crowd of people who looked like extras straight out of a fantasy TV show milling about, waiting for the meeting to begin. There was a small platform in one corner of the square—likely where someone would be speaking soon.

  Suddenly, a man’s voice cut through the noise of the square.

  “Oh ho?! Someone here is out of place, don’t you think?”

  Hm? Is he talking about me?

  “Even under that cape I can tell from a mile away! Quite pretty, aren’t you? Look at that body! There’s real beauty under that hood, I just know it! You just have to be of noble birth! But why in the world would you be in a place like this?”

  Not me.

  I turned to see a tall, well-built man rounding on a slim girl in a hood.

  “What do you want with me?”

  I know that voice…

  The tall man cupped his ear.

  “Oh! And that voice! It’s almost as if…” The man fixed her with his gaze, as if he saw right through her, and announced with great certainty, “you’re the former captain of the Band of Holy Knights!”

  The crowd murmured restlessly.

  “Eh? That’s her? That’s Seras Ashrain?!”

  “She’s from that high elf country, isn’t she?”

  “I heard she disappeared when the Bakoss took Neah!”

  “Seriously?! What’s she doing in Mils?!”

  “Doesn’t she have, like, a huge bounty on her head?!”

  He’s trying to draw attention, isn’t he…?

  I watched the situation unfold.

  That’s the girl I met in the forest. It’s hardly my job to intervene, though. I don’t owe her anything, and I don’t want to draw attention to myself, either. Besides, she looks like she can handle herself. She’s calm, collected… Could probably cut her way out of that crowd in a few seconds if she needed to. I would just be in the way.

  The tall man kept pushing, getting more and more worked up as he spoke.

  “In fact, I had the honor of meeting the captain of the Band of Holy Knights once before. My goodness, she was beautiful. But when I was kind enough to invite her to dinner, she flatly refused. Can you believe that?! Refused!”

  “I don’t believe we’ve met,” said the girl.

  He clicked his tongue.

  “I see! It’s all coming back to me. You were just as disinterested and self-important back then, too!”

  “…”

  “That’s exactly why I remember you! Your face is burned into my memory! Your face, and those shameful, indecent breasts of yours! I remember you perfectly. Don’t play dumb with me! You’re a failed knight, a miserable runaway!”

  “I’m sorry, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

  The man grinned.

  “Then why don’t you show us your ears?” he demanded, gleefully jabbing a finger at the hood covering most of the girl’s head. “That would settle it! Show us, unless you’re afraid of revealing the truth!”

  He does have a point—you could easily hide the shape of your ears with a big hood like that.

  “As I’m sure you good people are aware,” he said, addressing the crowd, “elves are rarely seen in Mils! And yet! We hear rumors of a runaway, do we not? A runaway high elf. Muah ha hah! Where a lesser man would relent, I stand firm! You’re Seras Ashrain. Admit it, pointy ears!”

  He snagged the back of the girl’s hood.

  “Ha! I’ve caught you off guard!”

  He ripped down the girl’s hood, exposing her ears for the world to see.

  “How’s about that?! I’ve found the Holy Knight! I, Monk ‘The Flash’ Droghetti, have found her! Look! Just look at her ears and see the truth!”

  He froze.

  “Wh… Huuuh?!”

  The girl’s ears were clearly human.

  Figures. Her ears had looked like that when I saw her in the forest, too. I wonder if she’s here for the clearing of the ruins?

  “I-inconceivable!! B-but…” sputtered the man, turning pale as he inspected the girl’s face. “You look completely different now!”

  “As I already told you,” said the girl with an indifferent sigh, “I believe you’ve mistaken me for somebody else. I am not Seras Ashrain. My name is Mist Balukas. Now, are you done accusing me?” she asked.

  “I-it… It can’t be!” cried Monk, reaching out to touch her ears.

  Smack.

  She swept his hand away with a firm slap. He fixed her with an angry, envious gaze.

  “I don’t remember giving you permission to touch me,” she said.

  “Impossible. Impossible! It can’t be…”

  He went way too far, calling her out like that and causing a scene. Serves him right.

  “I-if you aren’t Seras Ashrain, then…” he continued, jabbing his finger in her direction and practically foaming at the mouth, “then what are you doing in Mils?! Why are you here?! Answer me, o-o-or your cover’s blown, you hear me—?! You lying little b—!” Humiliated, he tried to save face, but his question had an obvious answer.

  “I’m here to earn enough money to continue my journey,” the girl answered without hesitation, removing a veil from the bag on her back. “Eventually, I’m bound for Yonato.”

  Yonato… I heard that name last night in the inn. They’ve got that powerful Holy Order of the Purge on their side, don’t they?

  “As I’m sure you’re aware, this veil indicates that I have been summoned
to join their order.”

  A holy order of warriors.

  “Are you quite satisfied? I simply heard that the ruins here are being cleared and decided to stop to earn a little coin.”

  “Gh… Argh!”

  The man was at a loss, and the crowd had tired of his spectacle.

  “Seriously? He was practically screaming, but he didn’t even have the right girl?”

  “I almost believed him for a second there… The Princess Knight herself…”

  “Doesn’t look much like the wanted poster to me!”

  “She’s being pursued by the Bakoss, ain’t she? She’d have to be insane to come to a crowded place like Mils.”

  “That Monk guy’s ‘the Flash’, all right! Only took a flash to realize he was an idiot!”

  Monk was trembling now, hatred swirling in his eyes.

  “I won’t forget this humiliation. You beautiful women are all the same! Mist Balukas, you’ll regret this!” he shouted. He retreated to a corner of the square, gesturing angrily at Mist all the while.

  Jeez, what are you so angry about? Suck it up.

  I caught Mist putting her hood back up out of the corner of my eye.

  I’d be lying if I said she didn’t interest me, too…

  “Mistaken identity, huh?” I said to myself.

  “Oh, they’re finally here!” exclaimed a mercenary.

  I turned to see a horse-drawn carriage rolling into the square, armed mercenaries crowded around it for protection. When the carriage stopped, a broad-shouldered man stepped down and walked straight to the stage with his mercenaries in tow.

  “Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for coming! I’m sure many of you already know me, but for those of you who don’t, I am Cred Hurkley—the Baron Hurkley, if you please!”

  “We’ve discovered a new level in the Mils ruins, and I’ve summoned you here to explore it! Additionally, I promise to pay a high price for any treasures you find down there.”

  He went on to explain that we could take whatever we wanted off the monsters’ corpses—though he’d buy those, too, if we wanted to sell.

  Looks like I can take that skeleton king powder home with me, then.

  There would be a bag search before we entered and exited the ruins.

  The treasures deep within the ruins all belong to the Baron, huh?