Chapter 50: Crossing thoughts within a small head

This chapter is thanks to Mr Jiggles and Robert F ???? Thank you for the continued support! You guys are the greatest!

Author’s note:

When we reached the outside of the labyrinth, we aimed for the Herbalist shop at full speed.

I heard along the way that blood transfusion is only done in the capital city of this country.

They prepare dedicated slaves for the sake of drawing blood and directly draw blood for transfusions … there were even times when the blood was drawn until the slaves died.

It’s a heart-wrenching story but apparently, only criminal slaves who had committed serious crimes are chosen.

Looks like there aren’t blood packs in this world.

For that reason, to increase blood, the best method would be to drink blood-forming medication made by Herbalists.

Apparently, it is a perishable medication so most adventurers don’t carry it on them.

We carried Sebastan until within the Herbalist Guild facility.

Confirming his condition … along with Oregeru’s dressing, a big-shot rushed over, immediately prescribed herbs and began treatment.

As we saw Sebastan getting carried off to the back of the room,

“I’m terribly indebted. This is a gift from me.”

He said as he passed a small bag full of coins to me.

” … I’ll gracefully accept.”

Since half of it belongs to Jofre and Elise.

“Yup, I’ll be troubled if you don’t. Haurvatat, I pray for your good health … also, I will someday become even stronger. When that time comes, I hope to have a match once.”

“It’s good to become stronger but try not to inconvenience the people around you okay.”

“Yup, I’ll bear that in mind.”

I’m uneasy as to whether he really got it or not but he’s not that bad a person after all.

Then, I was asked to return Carol to the Slave Trading Post.

When I exited the Herbalist Guild, Haru, Carol, Jofre, and Elise were waiting.

“Sebastan should be alright. We’re headed to the Slave Trading Post for now but what do the 2 of you plan to do?”

“We’d like to tour … or more importantly, eat, I want to eat delicious food.” (Jofre)

“The preserved food weren’t really tasty ne.” (Elise) (TL: ‘ne’ is just a cute/informal female way of ending a sentence, like ‘right?’ or ‘ don’t you think?’)

Even though she made such a mess while frantically eating it, she completely shot it down.

“Moreover, if we cash these in, we should be able to live leisurely for some time.”

“We’ll be able to live leisurely ne.”

The 2 of them held the medals in front of them.

Rare Medals are items that can strengthen monsters. Usually, one would not be able to obtain them without defeating rare monsters. In addition, one medal can go for 30 thousand sense. With 60 thousand for 2 medals, it’s quite an expensive item. It has the same value as 3 gold coins. I have 4 medals as well so maybe I should go with them to cash them in as well.

As I was having that thought.

“”Ah.””

Centaur bit Jofre and Elise’s hands with a chomp.

When they instinctively retracted their hands, the drool-covered Rare Medals …

… Gokun.

Entered Centaur’s stomach with that onomatopoeia. (TL: Lol is this a prelude to Centaur becoming an OP donkey? Hahah since Rare Medals level up monsters)

“Spit it out, spit it out Centaur! That’s for our food expenses!”

“We’re penniless. Please.”

The 2 of them shook Centaur but it ignored them and continued eating the carrots I prepared as bait. They would most likely get angry … or so I thought,

“Oh well. Thinking about it, it’s thanks to Centaur that we were able to obtain the Rare Medals in the first place.”

“That’s right. Without Centaur, we wouldn’t have been able to reach this town as well.”

The 2 of them looked like they came to accept what happened. For times like this, I thought that the word foolish(baka) could be used as a complimentary term as well.

Well, it’s a medal to strengthen monsters so it is the correct way to use it.

“You 2, I’ve gotten gold from Oregeru. Half of the portion I received was for you 2.”

As I said so, I checked the contents of the leather bag.

It was a mix of silver and gold coins in bundles without a single copper coin.

A decent amount … no, my money sense has been crumbling lately, if it’s when I was in Japan, it’s a considerable amount of money.

It was a total of 86000 sense so I split out 43000 sense.

Incidentally, without realizing, Jofre and Elise now possessed item bags. They said that they picked it up so I guess they really picked it up.

“Ooo, we can eat delicious food with this.” (Jofre)

“Also, we can buy saddles for 2 to put on Centaur. After that, we have to get armor for Jofre as well ne.” (Elise)

“That’s right, since it gets pretty tiring to ride on him directly. Later, we’ll have to buy a whip for Elise too na.” (Jofre)

“No, if we’re going to buy my whip then Jofre’s sword comes first. I mean, Jofre’s my knight-sama after all.” (Elise)

“No, if we’re buying my sword then we must get a buckler for Elise first. It’s the role of the knight to think about the safety of the princess first, right?” (Jofre)

” … Jofre.” (Elise)

” … Elise.” (Jofre)

“「Slash」!”

My 「Slash」sunk into the surface between the 2 of them. The power sure has increased.

Well, the 2 of them were already used to it so they were not shocked by my 「Slash」.

“Do you 3 want to join? Let’s do a victory celebration!”

“To celebrate our victory! Ne, Jofre, who did we win against?”

“That is, of course, ourselves! Every day, we win against our yesterday’s self to live today.”

“Then we must have victory celebrations everyday ne.”

Yup, instead of daily victory celebrations, it should be every day happy day for you 2.

Regardless of their luck stat, the needle on their happiness status meter is most likely blown out of range.

“I’ll decline, as mentioned earlier, we have to go to the slave trading post so we’ll be parting with the 2 of you here.”

“I see! Then I wish you happiness! Jo~! Haru! Caro!”

“Be happy! Jo~! Haru! Caro!”

Those 2 happy individuals wished for our happiness as they rode off on Centaur.

Even though their words were a hundred times less suitable compared to the words from the mountain-like pile of non-employment reply letters I received in Japan, it caused an incomparable calmness in my heart. They will definitely always continue living just like that.

Happy people will bring happiness to those around them.

However, they also caused people to feel slightly irritated and more times than not the people around them could not keep up with their energy.

Be happy … huh.

“One has to live happily huh.”

I looked at Carol … and felt that I have to let her live happily.

Which was why, I easily turned back on my resolve to part with Carol in this town. My brittle wall of resolve collapsed and I constructed a new wall of resolve.

Let’s purchase Carol.

Then, I was taken aback when I looked at her finger.

“I forgot to return the Friendship ring.”

” … Should we chase after them?”

With Haru’s nose, it’s possible for us to chase after them but I shook my head.

“We’ll most likely meet them again, we can return it at that time.”

It was just a hunch. However, I found out that the hunch was not mistaken in the near future.

Then, I asked Carol.

“Carol, do you wish to travel with me?”

“Eh?”

“We’re on a laid back journey. The reason is not anything meaningful. I have an item bag and you can level up your Peddler level so, would you like to travel with us?”

“But, Carol is a slave.”

“If it’s the money to purchase Carol, I’ll do something about it. I’ve gotten gold from Oregeru and I have items that I can sell as well. Moreover, with an item bag, I am able to earn more money compared to other peddlers so I would be able to get earnings straight away.”

” … But.”

“I didn’t say you have to give your reply right away. We’ll still remain in this town for slightly longer to put our equipment in order and I plan to leave tomorrow … rather, is it alright if I decide it on my own, Haru? Is there anywhere you want to go?”

I suddenly felt uneasy and asked Haru but she shook her head with a smile and said: “I leave everything to what master’s heart dictates.”.

So, we’ll be leaving for our journey tomorrow.

“Carol, during that time, please slowly think about it.”

“Yes … thank you very much.”

Various thoughts must be crossing within Carol’s small head currently.

I wish that her reply would be chosen for the sake of her own happiness.

I thought as we 3 headed toward the slave trading post.

~Side Story~

A land where the 6 pillar Goddesses can descend upon … there is a hill that can be called that.

Kyupilas Hill.

With the great sacred shrine Kyupilas erected on it 1200 years ago.

There, the hero Alessio Magnal is under house arrest.

House arrest, the use of that term is meant for a person who was arrested due to treason toward the church … it may even lead to execution if the punishment was severe.

But, the hero Alessio considered the position he was in as being under house arrest.

Subduing the Demon Lord, he became a hero in the truest sense of the word.

Raised as a hero by the church since birth, he set off on a journey when he had grown up, at the young age of 14.

Demon Lord extermination journey, it may sound exceptionally admirable when referred to like that but he, a 14-year-old boy, was only granted a silver sword and 3000 sense by the church.

“There are other heroes. You are not the only hero.”

That was what he was told. In reality, the friends, or rather, the alumni that he spent time together with were all heroes. Those who must become heroes due to the destiny they were born with.

Hence, they did not question their own circumstances at all.

He thought of, no, he was made aware of how strange it was when he met his companions.

Magician Hack. Magic Engineer Daijiro.

If he did not encounter them, hero Alessio would amount to nothing more than ‘a single hero chess piece’.

Without seeing his ability to move freely, he would have continued to be held captive as a hero chest piece that can’t move out of the chess board.

However, during his journey with his companions, he found the true meaning of his own existence as a hero. That is how it seems to him now.

Which is why he can’t tolerate the ‘role’ of the hero the church ingrained into him.

To only have practice ingrained into him, to not have the permission to go out on his own or to drink the cheap ale he wanted to try when he reached adulthood.

He thought of escaping.

Then one day, he came upon a turning point. When the Magician Hack visited.

Even after 10 years, his face did not change much.

However, the long hair that he was proud of had all fallen off and he had become bald. He felt that it would not be appropriate to laugh but he could not help his line of sight from straying upward.

“Stop staring at other people’s head Aleo. Putting that aside, I came today because I have something I want to tell you.”

Hack sighed at the gaze directed at his own head as he told Alessio.

” … A seal of the Demon Lord has been released. It’s that guy from the Arundel Kingdom.”

” …… !?”

Taking into consideration the meaning of those words, Alessio was shocked.

Just a couple of decades, just waiting for a few more decades and everything should be over but the reality was that the seal was already released.

“Is it the work of the demon race?”

“No, there’s a highway located nearby there so … there’s a possibility someone discovered the hidden labyrinth by chance and coincidentally succeeded in releasing the hidden door and took away the demon beads.” (TL: It’s the beads/marbles beside the magic bag behind the hidden door Jofre and Elise found in the hidden labyrinth.)

“That sure is a chain of chances and coincidences.”

Even so, the trap laid there is a classical one so it should have been effective.

Moreover, he conveyed to Hack that it was crafted such that the door would not open within a year if the invader was wrong once. They should have a year to somehow plan their strike.

“Even so, I see. Demon Lord’s seal huh, that sure is troublesome.”

” … You look quite pleased though.”

Hack did not miss the loosening of Alessio’s cheeks.

” … Defeating the Demon Lord is what you think of when you refer to a hero after all. Have you told Daijiro?”

“No, not yet … since Mallegory, where he is at, is far away … or rather, it is in the opposite direction from Arundel. If so, we should directly set off to see the situation.”

“That’s true … very well, I’ll go speak to the Holy Father (sensei) … let’s set forth immediately.”

Alessio said so as he abandoned all the chores that he was assigned to and left the office.

Thus, Alessio Magnal … for the 28-year-old, his second journey had begun.