The man introduced himself as Hero Eligion.
It was a name I recognized.
A century into the future, he would be remembered as the legendary Hero who defeated the Demon King. And now, that man was standing right in front of me.
From what they told me, the Hero Army had won a dramatic victory against the Demon King Army in a massive conflict known as the "Battle of Arianne," named after the region where it was fought.
However, they had failed to finish off the most important target: the Demon King itself.
They had tracked the fleeing Demon King to the depths of the Kataroff Dungeon, but none of their forces were familiar with the structure of the place. After all, the Kataroff Dungeon was an S-Rank Dungeon, and it was common knowledge that no one had ever successfully conquered it.
While they were at their wits' end, rumors reached them of an adventurer who had actually returned from the depths of the Kataroff Dungeon. They had been searching for that person, and their search had eventually led them to me.
"So, Kiska-kun, would you be willing to act as our guide?"
With those words, Hero Eligion extended his hand toward me.
"May I ask one question?"
"Of course. You can ask me anything."
"Does the name Ageha ring a bell to you?"
"I'm afraid not. Is she an acquaintance of yours?"
Hero Eligion answered instantly. He glanced at his companions to see if anyone else recognized the name, but none of them showed any sign of knowing it.
"I see. Actually, I'm searching for someone."
"Is that so? I'm sorry we couldn't be of more help."
"No, if you don't know the name, there’s nothing to be done."
"Then, though I hate to rush you, will you cooperate with us? I promise you will be compensated appropriately, of course."
Now, what should I do?
Should I cooperate or not? My ultimate goal was solely to find Ageha. As I weighed my options, I recalled the words of Vampire Eudite.
The Demon King had been destroyed by the Hero Ageha.
If that was true, then staying close to the Demon King meant there was a high probability that Ageha would eventually appear.
"I understand. I'll help you."
As long as they were pursuing the Demon King, traveling with them was undoubtedly the fastest way to get close to it. Hoping this path would lead me to Ageha, I accepted their request.
◆
We moved on to brief self-introductions. Since we were about to dive into a high-difficulty dungeon together, it was only right that we knew the basics about one another.
"I'm Kiska. My class is Swordsman. I also have the <Provocation> skill, so I can draw the enemies' attention."
"That's good. It sounds like you could serve as an evasion tank," Hero Eligion remarked.
I’d heard that an evasion tank was someone who pulled the enemies' focus while dodging their attacks. I had never officially filled that role before, but I was confident I could manage it without any issues.
"You there. What is your rank?" the female knight asked.
"I'm Platinum."
"Platinum, I see. Then at least you won't be a hindrance to us."
I breathed a small sigh of relief. It seemed that thanks to my Platinum rank, I wouldn't be looked down upon.
"Well then, I'll introduce myself next," Hero Eligion said.
First was Eligion, the party's main force and the hope of all humanity. His full name was Eligion Lastana, and he was the First Prince of the Kingdom of Lastana.
Now that I thought about it, I did recall hearing that Hero Eligion had been a prince. If historical records were accurate, he was destined to ascend to the throne as King after this conflict. It made me a little tense to realize such a high-ranking person was standing right here.
For the record, the Kingdom of Lastana was a major power that included Kataroff Village within its territory. His class was, naturally, Hero. He fought using a Holy Sword. His rank was the highest possible—Master—and he was ranked 7th in the global sequence.
The next to introduce herself was the female knight who had dragged me out of the Adventurer's Guild. Her name was Kanaria Grisis, and her class was Holy Knight. It was a job that specialized in both swordsmanship and healing magic. She also served as a royal guard for the King. Her rank was Diamond.
Next was the dwarf, Golgano. He used an axe, and his class was Warrior.
"Nice to meet ya, lad!" Golgano said, slapping my shoulder. He seemed like a friendly, approachable man. His rank was also Diamond.
Then there was the tall man wrapped in an eerie robe. His hood was pulled so low that I couldn't even see his face.
"Noc. Nice to meet you."
The man spoke in a flat, monotone voice.
"He's always like that, so don't let it get to ya!" Golgano followed up for him.
I assumed he was just socially awkward. Surprisingly, his class was Swordsman. Given the robe, I’d assumed he was a mage, but I was wrong. He didn't mention his rank.
And then, there was one more.
"Listen well! Because of her appearance, Nyau is often treated like a child, but despite how she looks, her age is way, way higher than yours! So don't you dare treat Nyau like a kid, okay?!"
A girl who looked incredibly young shouted this as she began her introduction. I wasn't sure why, but she seemed very angry about something.
"Listen, little girl, we're discussing something important right now, so it would be a big help if you'd go over there. Oh, wait, did you get separated from your mommy?" I asked. If she was a lost child, I needed to help her find her mother quickly.
"Waaaaah! This guy just treated Nyau like a child!"
The girl burst into tears and clung to Hero Eligion. I winced; making trouble for the Hero was probably a bad move.
"Despite her appearance, this girl is an elf who is much older than any of us. Please try not to pick on her," Eligion explained with a wry smile.
An elf? Looking closely, I could see the tips of her ears were pointed, though they had been hidden by her hair. I remembered hearing that elves were long-lived and matured slowly.
"My apologies. I didn't realize you were an elf." I offered a formal apology.
"There, you see? He’s apologized. Forgive him, all right?"
"If you treat Nyau like a child again, I won't forgive you!" she sobbed.
Honestly, I still found it hard to believe she was older than me. Her name was Nyau, and she carried a rod that was taller than she was. Her class was Mage. Despite her looks, her rank was Diamond.
With that, all the introductions were complete.
Hero Eligion. Holy Knight Kanaria. The dwarven warrior Golgano. The mysterious robed swordsman, Noc. The elven mage Nyau. And finally, me—Kiska.
With this party, we were going to descend into the Kataroff Dungeon. For me, it would be the second time in my life I set out to conquer it.