It was a rare moment of indecision for me as I y on my bed that evening, thinking about what Lucia said to me. My pn will be deyed, but that's only one of many concerns right now, I thought with a heavy sigh. Our equipment was starting to break, and our money would run out eventually if we kept buying repcements, so I had to think of missions for us to undertake. But...

  "We were to kill ten hellhounds that day, but a cyclops showed up instead," I remembered her words clearly, and the thought of that happening to me sent chills running down my spine. A boss monster ambush was one of the worst things that could ever happen to a pyer. Worse yet, they were sorely underprepared for it, which made the encounter all the more unfortunate. I couldn't forget that I was also in the Unbeatable Game. Instances like that could be fairly common.

  "Argh! I hate uncertain variables!" I voiced my frustration as I got up from the bed. Going for elimination missions would be ideal, as it would be a good way to earn extra EXP while earning money. However, I couldn't take any chances, especially not now that I had just gained their trust. I can't have anyone dying! I couldn't because there would be no way to revive them once they died. In this world, the highest-tier healing spells could probably restore lost limbs, missing organs, and the worst status ailments out there, but there was no resurrection spell. Of course, pyers could respawn back in Everst Dynasty, but what would happen to NPCs here? A picture of Lucia's crying face fshed through my mind. And what about me? What would happen to me? Ah, my thoughts are starting to run wild. Maybe I should get a drink?

  I went down the steps of the inn and noticed a party of seasoned adventurers at the counter sending strange looks my way. They were probably wondering what a little girl like me was doing all alone here, but it didn't concern me one bit as I walked past them out to the cobblestone streets.

  I made a habit of going for a walk when things became too much to handle, so I was starting to feel some relief as I admired the sunset. The tavern was not too far off from where I was, but I wondered what I would do once I got there. Do they even allow minors to drink in this world? I wondered, but I would find out soon enough.

  "Here's your orange juice," The barkeeper said with a smile, but I felt like he was mocking me! Uuu, what a shame! I thought as I looked around to see if anyone was watching. And... nobody cares. Great. I drank my orange juice while pouting as I observed the people in the tavern. As my eyes wandered over to the far end of the counter, I saw Sarde talking to a gorgeous female knight with a charming smile on his face. From where I sat, the two of them really seemed to have a thing going. He was ughing. She was ughing. It was a picture-perfect scene. Sempai, teach me your ways! And at that moment, a familiar voice called out to me,

  "Daphne?" It was Kimmel. He sat down next to me by the counter and said, "Don't worry about him. Sarde's always like that." He must have noticed me staring. How embarrassing! "What brings you here today?"

  "Ah, uhm, I have a lot of things on my mind," I admitted. I couldn't put my finger on what it was about him, but he felt like someone I could confide in. Lucia tried to hide it, but I knew she was afraid of me. Phildina was a mystery to me, so I felt it was best to keep myself guarded around her, and although Hertz could keep a secret, he wouldn't truly be able to rete to how I felt as a leader. "I want everybody to be strong, but I also don't want us to rest on our urels and run out of money."

  "Yeah, that would be horrible," He remarked with a slight frown on his face. Without money, you wouldn't be able to buy weapons to fight with or food to eat. And if all your weapons were in bad shape, then... You'd truly be screwed, I thought, with worry probably written all over my face.

  "I wanted us to go on elimination missions to earn money and extra EXP, but..."

  "But what?" He probed with a curious look in his eyes. I looked down and wondered about how I would say it for a while.

  "I-I learned about what happened to you," I began. Widening his eyes, he listened to me as I continued, "Lucia told me about it. How you took up that elimination mission and how it all ended." It may have been insensitive of me to bring up the subject, so I chose to word it in the most tactful way I knew how.

  "T-that's... something I regret to this very day," He began. After taking a sip from his cup, he continued, "The way she looked at me that day. I knew she would never forgive me for as long as she lived. If only I hadn't taken that mission..."

  "It wasn't your fault!" I shouted, not caring about the attention I would receive. I could hardly stand watching people bme themselves for things like these. I remember my mom and how she always used to bme herself for my father's cheating. It wasn't your fault! I thought as I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.

  In response, he smiled, pced his hand softly over my shoulder, and said, "I know, but that's the price you have to pay to be a leader. You must make all the hard decisions and be ready to accept the bme when things go wrong." Don't say that! I wanted to shout back, but the warm, understanding look in his eyes dissolved all the rage within me. "I regretted it, but it didn't stop me from going on missions. Even if I couldn't go on elimination missions anymore, I could still take the party on excavation or exploration missions."

  "That's it!" I suddenly shouted, getting a lot of attention from onlookers again. I stood up from my stool and said, "Kimmel, you're a genius! We can undertake exploration and excavation missions instead!"

  "Oh, uhm, thanks?" He said while looking a bit confused.

  "First thing tomorrow morning! We'll buy you and Sarde some new equipment and be off on our first excavation mission! It'll be wonderful!" I excimed. I finally found the answer I was looking for that would help us solve the money issue, so I thanked Kimmel once more and practically skipped out of the inn to pn for tomorrow. On my way out, I could almost hear him say,

  "Where does she get all that energy?"