Extra 4: The Girl with Accounting Skills

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Translator: Soafp

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After it was decided that Lena would join Erius's party, she was introduced to his partner, Phalan.

“I'm Lena. It's nice to meet you.”

Phalan didn't respond to her greeting. He simply stared at Lena for a while, then said,

“…Yeah. Nice to meet you.”

With just that, he abruptly turned his face away.

Seeing his attitude, Lena grew worried, but…

“Sorry about that. He's usually a bit more friendly, but… it seems he's embarrassed after seeing a beautiful woman,” Erius said apologetically.

“D-don't say unnecessary things, Erius!”

Phalan's face was bright red.

Lena thought that hers probably was too.

Erius wasn't all seriousness—he seemed quite good at jokes as well.

Lena joined “Dragon Fang's Bite” with the determination to support Erius in defeating the Demon King, but…

“…Can't you heal something like this a little faster?”

After her first battle since joining, Phalan—who had been injured by a monster—said that while receiving Lena's healing magic.

“I-I'm sorry. I can only use beginner-level healing magic for now…”

“Phalan, it can't be helped. This was Lena's first real battle. Her ‘skill' hasn't been trained yet,” Erius said.

“I know, I know. I was just saying,”

Phalan replied, but he was clearly disappointed.

Lena, too, felt frustrated with herself.

Despite having such a grand skill called “Saint,” she was nothing but a burden.

She needed to master her skill as soon as possible.

A month passed like that.

During that time, she could only watch Erius and Phalan from the sidelines as they fought, but the party successfully conquered one labyrinth.

When the guild paid out the reward, Erius handed more than half of it to Lena.

“This is your share, and a donation for the church.”

“Eh, but…”

If it was a donation from the party, shouldn't the leader, Erius, be the one to give it?

Sensing her doubt, Erius explained.

“The priest is probably worried about whether you're truly contributing to the party. If you're the one who hands it over, he might feel reassured knowing you're trusted here.”

Grateful for Erius's thoughtfulness, Lena returned to the church with him and made the donation.

Just as Erius had said, the priest was deeply moved that the donation came from Lena herself, and thanked her repeatedly.

They stayed at the church that day, and on the way back to their usual inn the next day, Erius said he wanted to stop by somewhere and asked Lena to come with him.

The place they visited together was a group of refugees who had lost their homes after their settlement was attacked by the Demon King's army.

“We can't help everyone right now. But I want to help them, even if only a little,”

Erius said, and immediately began helping them energetically.

Lena was deeply impressed—he didn't just donate to the church, he did things like this as well.

After that, the two of them visited the refugees several more times.

One day, while helping them together…

“Lena, I'm sorry. There's someone who was injured by monsters. You might not feel comfortable with it, but… could you lend us the power of your healing magic?”

In Erius's gaze, Lena sensed consideration for her.

He understood that she was reluctant to use her skill in front of others, and asked her anyway, gently.

“Of course, Erius. If there's anything I can do to help.”

When she was led to the injured person and cast her healing magic—

Lena noticed a change in herself.

Just slightly… but the wounds closed faster than before.

“What does this mean?”

Honestly, she couldn't think of any reason why her skill had strengthened.

Erius pondered for a moment, murmuring “Hmm…” before speaking.

“Maybe…”

He explained his thoughts.

Skills, he said, could sometimes be strengthened through specific actions.

If Lena's skill had improved, then the possible reasons were likely these: conquering a labyrinth, donating to the church, or helping refugees.

One of those three.

“This is just my guess, but… ‘Saint' is, at its core, a symbol of hope for people. If that's the case, then perhaps performing ‘good deeds' strengthens the skill.”

Erius's guess seemed to be correct.

After that, whenever they made donations, helped refugees, or completed adventurer requests, the effect of her healing magic steadily increased.

She wanted Erius to defeat the Demon King as soon as possible.

Driven by that desire, she spent her days trying to accumulate as many good deeds as she could.

About half a year into that life, a change came to the party “Dragon Fang's Bite.”

“I'd like to introduce a new member,”

Erius said, bringing along a young girl.

“This is Nonoa. She'll be handling accounting and support for the party.”

The girl Erius introduced had black hair.

She had a cheerful air about her, and eyes that showed a strong will.

“I'm Nonoa, nice to meet you! My skill is ‘Accounting.' I'm not suited for combat, but I'll do my best to contribute to the party!”

“Accounting!? Why bring in someone with a skill like that…”

Phalan looked surprised, but Lena understood Erius's reasoning—and felt a pang of guilt.

Erius had likely invited her in to effectively strengthen Lena's skill, “Saint.”

There was something Lena had realized from traveling with Erius.

Up until then, he had been pushing himself quite hard to secure the funds for donations.

Even as an S-rank adventurer, money didn't simply flow endlessly.

And now, because of Lena's immaturity, there was pressure to make donations quickly, increasing the financial burden.

To improve that financial situation, Erius had no choice but to recruit someone with an accounting skill.

She also felt guilty toward this girl.

Adventuring was always dangerous.

If Lena could fully wield her skill, Nonoa wouldn't have to take on such a risky role.

She had to free her from this danger as soon as possible.

And…

She couldn't allow herself to grow close to her.

If, once her skill was fully trained, Nonoa would need to leave the party, then all the more so.

…She was done with parting from people she cared about.

Nonoa's abilities were the real deal.

She didn't just keep the books because she was an accountant.

She handled negotiations for request fees, bargained over supplies for labyrinth raids and daily necessities—everything related to money.

Despite being about the same age as Lena, she had mastered her “Accounting” skill.

“If we raise our fees, people might say we're taking advantage of those in need. But I believe Erius—and this party—can save a lot of people. If that's the case, then making our activities as efficient as possible will ultimately save more lives.”

Saying that, Nonoa didn't hesitate to play the villain.

In fact, after she joined, the pace of donations to the church increased, and not only did Lena's skill grow stronger, but the living conditions of the orphans improved significantly.

Watching Nonoa work stirred feelings of inferiority in Lena.

More than that, it strengthened her resolve that she needed to become fully capable as soon as possible.

Thanks in part to Nonoa's efforts, as Lena's skill continued to grow, the party began taking on more dangerous requests.

For now, Erius managed to support them well, and Nonoa barely stayed alive, but there were many moments that made Lena's heart race.

She often witnessed scenes where, at the very last moment, Erius's almost godlike movements saved the day.

And above all… the way Erius treated Nonoa…

Three years had passed since Nonoa joined the party.

Lena was at her limit.

With Nonoa around—being crushed by both her worry for her, and the jealousy she felt toward her—Lena felt as though she might break at any moment.