Chapter 59

59 – The Rickety Coach brings us to our Destination. Greeted by a Maid.

The coach continued along without too much trouble.

This being the first time Cashew has ever ridden a coach, she was in high spirits in the beginning but because she didn’t get much sleep last night, she quickly dozed off.

She’s now sleeping with her head on my lap like a pillow while making adorable snoring sounds.

I resist the urge to touch her fluffy dog ears.

Having run out of beans, Furcus sat there, expressionless with a gloomy air about her. Knowing this might happen, I came prepared with cookies and gave them to her. She replies with「My thanks, Chief of Staff. I expected nothing less, Chief of Staff.」as she began to stuff her face.

I’m glad she got her spirits back up, but her eyes were glued to the cookies the whole time she was praising me.

「Chief of Staff-」

「Ah, please, just call me by my regular name.」

I can’t get used to people calling me Chief of Staff outside of work hours. I know it’s just a matter of perception.

「I see. Lem. I’m fine with Furcus. I don’t like my real name.」

「Understood, Furcus. So, what did you want to say?」

It’s rare for her to start a conversation.

「Chief of Staff, do you like me?」

「Eh?」

By me, does she mean herself?

「You always give me food.」

I gave her food as thanks for the training, there was that time at the welcome party that I gave her the hamburger she kept staring at, and then there were the cookies I handed her just now.

It seems she’s wondering if that means I hold some affection towards her.

「Ah, oh, uh, no, it’s not like that.」

「Ah.」

「Not that Furcus doesn’t have her own charms. I’m not saying that at all.」

「Mm.」

Lacking in both expression and tone of voice, it’s impossible to read her.

「I’m sorry…I’ll be more careful.」

「No problem. Food makes me happy.」

「In that case, I’m glad…I think?」

「I was curious about the motive. That’s all.」

「I…see. Well, that time when I received training from you was a form of thanks. The other times…um…How do I put this? I can’t really put it into words.」

「I understand.」

Furcus nods.

「You like eating don’t you, Furcus?」

「I do. Lem eats a lot too.」

「Indeed. As long as I’m training my Magical Energy organ, I won’t be able to create Magical Energy if there’s nothing in my body. If you want to create a lot of Magical Energy, don’t just train, eat, my master said.」

In addition to the two breakfasts that I eat, I also buy a lot of fruits from Blitz.

People with excellent Magical Energy organs tend to like foods that give you lots of energy. Food like meat, or fried stuff, or sweets.

People like Fenix have to keep up their image to society as a smart and cool person, so there were many times where he wouldn’t eat voraciously in front of people and just endure with an empty stomach.

During the times where he can’t take it anymore and has to eat, I would cast Confusion on the surrounding people so that they can’t recognize him and he’d just eat anything he can.

Come to think of it, I wonder how he’s handling that now that I’m out of the party.

Bella’s a Hero too, so she probably understands and they work together to pull it off.

Well…if he really can’t stand it anymore, he can easily shake people off anyway. I don’t need to worry so much.

「Lem’s master was the previous, previous Demon King?」

I gave a vague laugh. Even though the cat’s already out of the bag, I still have trouble confirming it.

「It’s fine. You don’t have to say it. Did he…only teach you magic?」

「He instructed me, yes.」

「But your body training. To the limits…of a talentless person. Your sword skills are completely worthless though.」

「Ahaha. Certainly, I was trained. But rather than being taught, it’s more like I was thrown in the deep end and forced to learn. Like being told to survive in the mountains for a week with only a canteen in my hands.」

My mental fortitude was considerably trained as well. In the face of nature, I was just a tiny speck of dust. It was through that training that I understood just how wonderfully extraordinary things like water, food, clean clothes and a safe place to sleep were.

Looking back, it was the kind of training that the Demon King would impose on his child, even though it was adjusted so that I wouldn’t die.

In other words, building my body up to be able to endure inheriting the horn was part of the training.

That’s why, as Furcus said, I was trained to the limits of a talentless person.

As someone who couldn’t completely give up on becoming a Hero, I secretly continue my training regularly.

There are limits to self-training, but it’s not like there’s anyone willing to teach a Black Sorcerer battle techniques. But even so, I somehow managed to maintain my physique.

「Again, I give you my thanks. Your sword training helped me immensely.」

Furcus didn’t laugh at me once or call me a waste of time.

In her free time, she earnestly instructed me.

Well, she did just say my sword skills were completely worthless, but there was no ill will so I just quietly accepted it.

「It’s fine. But, you will soon hit the limit of this ability that is incompatible with your Job.」

What Furcus says is true.

A Job is a person’s most suitable occupation as told by God. God set’s the scene where one can let your true abilities shine after taking into consideration one’s ability and potential.

Within a Job, many Aptitudes are included.

Or rather, it’s the combination of Aptitudes that determine the Job.

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In the case of a Warrior, for example, it contains Mobility, Combat Perception, Swordsmanship, or perhaps Spearmanship, etc.

If you have those, you will manifest as a Warrior.

This is just something that Humanity assumed based on vast amounts of precedent, not because God said so or anything.

Well…let’s leave God out of this.

「I suppose you’re right. But I won’t give up.」

Even though the Job is the same, each one’s Aptitude can differ.

High Mobility or High Swordsmanship for example. In those circumstances, it’s easier to think of them as training a muscle.

If you have the Aptitude for it, it is easier to see your efforts bear fruit when training those areas.

The fundamental Aptitudes included in Black Sorcerer are Black Magic, Magic Resist, Magical Energy, and Magical Energy Perception.

Black Magic is easy to develop, resistance to Black Magic is strong from the start, it is somewhat easier to develop the Magical Energy organ, and it is easy to perceive Magical Energy.

If we assume that the Magical Energy of a Wizard and a Hero is strong and extreme respectively, a Black Sorcerer’s falls somewhere between weak and intermediate. It’s not that bad if you compare it to the non-magic using Jobs.

Black Sorcerer’s don’t possess any direct combat Aptitudes.

A Job can’t be changed after acquiring it, so even if I inherited the horn, it won’t change to Demon King. God has no plans to update it.

Even though it’s not reflected on my status, I do actually possess a fragment of a Demon King’s power.

Although it’s not like I gained any more Aptitudes besides the abilities of the horn.

「Yes. Training is good. But, you are no match for Main Jobs.」

Furcus’ words were robotic but not cold. That’s why it doesn’t sound like she’s forsaking me.

Also, I happen to know that she’s a good person.

「I know I’m no match when it comes to battle sense and technique. The same amount of effort won’t even yield a hundredth of what a Main Job will gain. Even so, I’m just happy I was able to improve. You’re training wasn’t wasted. If possible, please continue to teach me all sorts of things.」

「Mm」

After nodding, Furcus pointed at my head.

「Whatever you lack, compensate it with something else. Use your head or your Black Magic.」

「Yes.」

「Also, buy a Magic Tool or something.」

It’s true that equipment and special items also possess combat power.

It was thanks to the ring that I was able to increase the ways I can use my generated Magical Energy by summoning.

「You don’t often see Magic Tools put up for sale… And those that are are normally sold for unaffordable prices.」

It’s extremely rare for a Magic Tool to be put up for auction, and when it does, there’s bound to be a large price tag attached that’ll make your eyes pop.

I wonder if Fenix is able to afford at least one. Although with his Holy Sword, he probably doesn’t need one.

It’s an option, but it’s just not feasible. Much like money, you don’t know when you’ll come across it. It’s better to just keep it at the back of your mind and not expect it to happen.

「If I could buy a Magic Tool, I’d buy food instead.」

「Ahaha. Don’t you already have two Magic Tools, Furcus?」

「They’re useful.」

「Especially that spear of yours. Just how does it-」

And so we continued to exchange words for a while.

Furcus spoke only a few words, but at least she responded.

We arrived at our destination while the sun was still out.

I woke Cashew up and thanked the coach driver.

The town was smaller than the one where the Demon King Castle resides, but lively all the same.

「Woow…!」

Only moments ago, Cashew was blurry-eyed from just waking up but now her eyes were sparkling.

Come to think of it, this reminds me fondly of the times when Fenix and I were rookies, and we couldn’t help but feel that every town we went to felt fresh and new. I thought it was because we were country bumpkins but seeing how lively Cashew is, I guess everyone feels that way.

Smiling at Cashew, who is looking around wildly, I hold her hand so that she doesn’t stray.

「Hold mine too?」

Furcus asked me, expressionless.

Seeing that I am unable to tell if she was serious or joking, her mouth, which is stuffed with the last cookie, utters.

「Kidding.」

I wonder if I’ll get better at knowing what goes on in this girl’s head if I get to know her better.

While thinking that, the sound of hooves hitting the cobblestone path approached us.

「…Let’s see here, according to the note, I’m looking for a young man clad in black, an innocently sweet dog-eared girl and an expressionless but beautiful white-haired maiden…ah, found them.」

That note…why is only my description so brief?

No wait, I’m sure they took into consideration that I use my Black Magic to prevent people in my surroundings from recognizing me and told her the only way to discern me.

The woman who approached us was clad in a Maid uniform and had a calm and collected air about her.

Her hair was black, so were her eyes…and so was her fur.

She had the body of a beautiful woman and below that was…that of a horse.

She was a Centaur.

「Are you perhaps personnel from the Demon King Castle, by any chance?」

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Since she was a horse from the waist down, we looked up at her.

「Yes, from today onwards, we are in your care.」

「My master has ordered me to greet you. My name is Kei. My Dungeon Name is Orobas, but please feel free to call me whatever you wish.」

We all introduced ourselves.

「Well then, allow me to guide you to my master.」