The World's Strongest Rearguard (世界最強の後衛 ～迷宮国の新人探索者～)

You, too, Kyouka-oneesan?

All of you, too?

He's certainly sleeping well.

He looks so cute in his sleep.

Such big hands...

Just a little bit should be fine...

Did anything strange happen while I was asleep last night?

N-No, nothing!

We should be good leaving the rest to them.

So now we can go for our viewing of the royal suite and...

...the Chest Cracker.

We're going to see the Chest Cracker to get the black chest opened.

You guys should finish getting yourselves moved in.

Right.

And after that, we're all heading to Field of Dawn!

You're sure in a good mood, Misaki-chan.

Yeah! 'Cause I get to live and sleep in such an amazing lodge!

That place is peak luxury!

I'm finally one of the rich and famous!

I'm sorry. She's been like this since last night.

It's good that she's motivated.

Okay, we'll meet you guys later.

'Kay!

The Chest Cracker should be right around here...

What is it, Theresia?

What's that?

A monster in the middle of town?!

Oh! Would you happen to be Mr. Arihito Atobe?

Huh?

Oh... Y-Yes, I am.

The guild told me about you.

Welcome to Arthur Chest Cracking.

I'll be opening that black chest for you.

My name is Falma Arthur.

THE WORLD'S STRONGEST REARGUARD

THE BLACK TREASURE CHEST AND THE YOUNG WIFE'S SECRET

I'm sorry Cion startled you earlier.

Cion?

Yes, that large dog.

She's a breed known as a Silver Hound,

and she used to be a guard dog that traveled with Seekers.

Wow...

So does she guard your children now?

Yes.

Mom, are you gonna open a chest?

Yes. You and Plum be good and wait for me, okay?

'Kay!

Anyway, Mr. Atobe...

Would you mind letting me see that chest?

Sure, go ahead.

Oh, I haven't felt this sensation in so long!

This is a type of chest I only encounter once a year or so.

The treasure inside it is a rarity of very high value.

But if I should happen to make a mistake when opening it...

it could summon a horde of powerful monsters

or even wipe out a whole section of the city.

It will cause some sort of massive disaster.

But you needn't worry.

CRAFTSMAN'S EARRINGS

I have Craftsman's Earrings and a Ring of Mysteries,

which raise my odds of successfully cracking it to 100%.

RING OF MYSTERIES

You can rest assured that I'll open it safely.

Now, why don't we go get this chest opened up right away?

Don't worry. I'll open it slowly and carefully.

Now...

I'm going to begin opening the chest.

What's all this?

It looks like a maze, doesn't it?

It's a defensive mechanism intended to prevent the chest from being opened.

It won't open unless all the balls are placed inside the chest.

Through passages that narrow?

If a ball touches the edge of a maze passage,

something terrible will happen.

What?!

But it'll be fine. Just leave it to me.

Oh, dear.

Now this goes this way...

No mischief, now.

There, see? It went through.

I'll keep sending them inside...

deeper and deeper... all the way to the finish line.

Yes, there you go. And that's...

all of them!

The opener of this Dimensional Barrier Lock...

is Falma Arthur.

Very good. Now, show us everything.

Open!

It's blinding...

Nicely done. It's safe now.

Go ahead and have a look at the chest's contents.

Unbelievable...

What's that? The end is shaped like a key.

It may contain some objects that are cursed.

Please don't equip anything until I've appraised it.

Okay.

What's taking them so long?

The black chest probably had some equipment pieces in it.

Maybe it's taking a while to choose.

Oh!

Wow, that looks like a bulletproof vest!

Arihito, is that...

Yeah. It's called an Ebony Sling, apparently.

EBONY SLING +1 TO ATTACK, ACCURACY, AND RANGE

I see it has slots on the grip for adding runes.

Runes?

Runes are basically superior magic stones.

Gear that has rune slots is valuable, so take good care of it.

I see...

And what are those gloves?

Light Steel Chain Gloves +1.

They apparently boost support abilities,

LIGHT STEEL CHAIN GLOVES +1

so they might work well with my skills.

Those all seem pretty amazing.

Hey, Eli-san, what about those?

Those are called Chameleon Boots.

They give you the ability to blend into your surroundings.

CHAMELEON BOOTS

Wow, Chameleon? Are they made from monster materials?

That's right.

Wow!

But the rough texture feels so nice!

Hey, by the way, where's Kyouka?

Oh... Igarashi-san is...

What's she doing?

That's some armor!

But it looks great on you, Kyouka-san!

What Kyouka's wearing is Light Steel Ladies' Armor +3.

LIGHT STEEL LADIES' ARMOR +3 HEALING POWER (MODERATE), INDIRECT DEFENSE (MINOR), MAGIC DEFENSE (MINOR)

It has a magic defense increase added to it. It's excellent armor.

Really? When it leaves so much exposed?

That just makes it lighter.

Still...

it leaves way too much uncovered!

I just can't help looking...

Suzuna-chan, I was using this Silk Sash to cover myself,

but you should have as much defense as possible, so try equipping it.

I almost feel bad accepting it now... but thank you.

Hey, that suits you! Leave it to a shrine family's daughter!

A shrine family's daughter?

Yes, my parents ran a shrine, so I helped out there.

Oh, really? I had no idea.

By the way, Arihito-san, when I checked my license earlier,

my level had gone up and I had some skill points.

Same here, actually.

Me, too.

Ooh! Then Field of Dawn will be a great place to test out some new stuff!