23-23. After victory

After winning the underground arena, we got our winnings and quickly decided to have a meal at a nearby restaurant.

It's good! Yum!

Raina is gobbling up a delicious meal.

The dish I asked for was bread and a soup made of meat and various vegetables stewed together.

It's a little lightly seasoned, but it's definitely better than those bitter mushrooms, so I ate it to my satisfaction.

But I'm glad it's all over.

Meku, who had been watching us eat from the side, said.

''Hm? You said there was no way you could lose, Meku.

I'm not worried about you, my Lord. I was only worried about Lenya. When I was watching the fight in the arena, there was a lot of verbal abuse directed at you. I didn't want her to stop the fight, so I tried to calm her down.

You can't be...

Because they made fun of Tetsuya, and I was so angry!

Lenya stopped eating for a bit and gave me a grim look.

Sure, I might have gotten in trouble for being out of control, but I was a little glad that she was that angry at me for being ridiculous.

And then I finished my food.

Raina was saying that with a happy expression on her face.

That's an exaggeration.

Well, since she's been in that valley for much longer than me, it's probably not surprising that she has that kind of impression.

''There are so many better things in the world, it would be a shame to die from this alone.

Meku said in a slightly dumbfounded tone.

'Really? Then I can't die!

Lenya was a little surprised.

'I'm sure you eat a lot more than you remember.

I don't remember any of it.

Come to think of it, Lenya didn't remember before she came to the valley.

It's hard to believe that she would come to the valley without any reason, so there may be a reason.

But I can't wait to get back to normal and have something to eat. I can't even remember what my last meal tasted like anymore.

I've wondered before how long it's been since Meku was made into a plush toy?

Come to think of it, I don't know that much about the two of them yet, do I?

Well, Lenya has amnesia, so it's impossible for me to know, but I'll ask her something about Meku.

We're going to be working together for a while now.

'How long has Meku been under that curse?

So I asked the question.

'I don't remember what exactly,' I said. But not in this outfit for 60 years.'

'What? That much?!

It's longer than I thought it would be, and I yell out loud in surprise.

Sixty years is more than half of a human's life, if it's a human, does that mean it's a stuffed animal? Elves' lifespans seem to be long, so it's probably not half that long, but sixty years is just too long.

"This body isn't always an inconvenience. I don't eat, I don't sleep, I don't feel pain. I don't feel pain and I don't die so easily.

'What? Doesn't your body feel any pain? And it won't kill you?

"You won't feel any pain. Whether you die or not, at least you won't die from a stab in the chest or a separation of body and head.

How do you know that? Have you ever done this before?

Yes. If you live long enough, you will experience things.

But you look pretty good for what you're going through, though.

If you take damage, it will naturally heal itself over time, eventually returning to normal. As long as he doesn't have his skills blocked or his status lowered, I'm more than willing to let him stay that way.

You're not that uncomfortable with the plush figure itself, are you?

When I think about it.

Well, after all, a proud elf shouldn't keep looking like this idiot.

Meku muttered.

'Well, I think your outfit is very cute!

Well, do you want to be the one to do it?

No, I don't want to.

Lenya denies it in a moment.

'That's a perfectly appropriate thing to say. We must find a way to return to our original form as soon as possible.

Sixty years of this figure is still painful, isn't it?

If it weren't for the knowledge that Mek has, there's a good chance he would have been lying dead at the bottom of that valley by now.

I decided to do what I could to help.

Well, now we have to decide what to do. Maybe this town won't know how I'm going to get back to my old self, or what the Mark of Tetsuya is, so I'd like to go to a different town. But since I need money to get there, I think it would be better to become an adventurer for a while to earn some money.

It's all part of the original plan.

Nya, I don't know, but I'm going with that.

"To be an adventurer, you must first join the Adventurers' Guild.

Well, let's get on with it.

We headed to the Adventurer's Guild.