CH 43

“—Cough!”

One cough.

The day after I was lectured by everyone, something that had been straining me snapped, and I developed a fever. The chills and coughing wouldn’t stop, so I laid in bed and looked out the window.

It had been a few days since I fell asleep.

I felt frustrated that I couldn’t do anything, but I was forbidden to move. Thanks to my “Maintain Status” skill, I would be able to move even if I was sick, but it wouldn’t prevent me from feeling pain.

“Are you okay?　Please let me know if it gets too hot.”

Sheila smiled beside my bed.

In this territory, there were no satisfactory medical treatment facilities, so even a single cold could kill us. If they went to the city, they could find a church clinic, but here they had to rely on healing potions.

Sheila had a bottle of healing potion in her hand, and if my condition became serious, she would shove that bottle in my mouth.

“Thank you. But it’s bad if it’s contagious, so try to keep your distance.”

“Sirius-san said that if I leave onii-san alone, onii-san will die. ……I think so too. So, I’ll stay with you a little longer.”

“I’m not a baby, so I’m okay”

“……”

The joyous shouts of the people outside were heard. Maybe one of the teams had conquered the dungeon.

Since then, Sirius and the others had formed a team and started to dive into the dungeon. All the warriors of the Silver Crow clan agreed to dive the dungeon, probably because the experience of losing their village in the past made them want to be strong.

I already shared my blood with everyone to give them the “Maintain Status” skill. I thought I was going to die when they drained my blood for 30 people.

“I want to go. I’m the one who knows the most about dungeons…….”

“I’ve been researching new kinds of potions lately. I wonder if I should make a paralysis potion.”

“I’m kidding.”

The Blacksmith Workshop also began to operate. Golemus and his friends dug up iron ore with their bare hands from the dungeon where Ace was. Then Oken made axes and pickaxes, and Golems cut down trees and mined iron ore. Day and night, the resources were extracted and piled high in a corner of the village.

Oken had built a huge kiln to dry the wood with steam. According to him, raw wood cannot be used for construction.

“Sheila. Thanks to Golemus and the others, you’ll be able to move safely through the grasslands. They are the perfect escort.”

“They are very strong and very reliable.”

There was something I was wondering if I should say or not. The day I welcomed Thor and Sheila into my territory, something they had said to me had been stuck in my mind.

“So we can go north to the kingdom of Orwe. So, we will go to Thor and Sheila’s birthplace, and find your families—“

“It’s alright. Father and mother are probably…already dead. That day when the mercenaries burned down the village, I’m sure…”

Sheila looked downcast. I made her sad, after all, but it was a problem that needed to be faced, and there was no way she didn’t care.

“I’m not giving up. I also will rescue Sareha’s mother from the palace, and I will find their family. It’s not right that a parent and a child who love each other can’t see each other.”

“But, it’s not safe.”

“So I’m going to get the strength so that I won’t die no matter what. When I get over my cold, I’ll go to the city of Human to earn some money, and I’ll dive into the dungeons to raise my status.”

“I…I’m…happy, but…I’m afraid onii-san will…”

While we were talking, the door to my room slowly opened and Thor walked in. She walked to the side of the bed and talked to me.

“What’s with the mood? A fight?”

“…It’s nothing, nee-chan. Onii-san is not feeling well. so just tell me what you need. Quickly.”

“What’s with the bitterness!? And, why are you treating me like that!?”

She felt uncomfortable because I said something that was hard for Sheila. I felt bad for Thor, but she had to give up at the wrong time.

“Muguu… Sirius’s and Sareha’s squads have broken through the Trials of the Beginning. Fayne’s squad seems to have been wiped out when Fayne stepped on a trap. They dove right back in, though.”

“Fayne’s squad is it. It’s easy to imagine. I don’t want to be in that squad.”

“The Fayne squad looks bloody and cheerful…and everyone’s status is improving. I have put together a map of the dungeon and everything, so feel free to ask me anything.”

“Ah, I will take care of it once I get over my cold.”

Thor volunteered to be our dungeon investigator.

She was responsible for gathering all the information on demons, traps, items, status, and dungeon mechanics and sharing it with each team. It was a role that required intelligence – or rather, a good point of view – and Thor was the right person for the job.

It was difficult to figure out who needed what information and to convey it as much as necessary. I didn’t feel like I could do it, but that was okay.

Since I wasn’t a jack-of-all-trades, I’d give everything I could to them. I may not be good enough to be a superior, but there was no point in complaining about my inadequacies.

“When I get over my cold, I think I’ll go to the city to the east, Hafen.”

“Hafen is a city of Human right? Is it okay for Henry to go there?”

“I won’t tell them my name. I’d be in big trouble if I said, “I’m Henry von Boesheit Lartgen, of the royal family.””

“I’ve never heard that name before, but it’s such a long one. I think I’ll bite my tongue.”

I might even have to wear a disguise and use a pseudonym when walking around the kingdom. The assassins could attack me and I would be a nuisance to everyone around me.

Henry von Boesheit Lartgen. Although it was an honorable name, I was proud of nothing more than the name Henry, given to me by my mother.

Originally, I was a person who should not have used a fake name. It wasn’t acceptable to abandon the responsibility of my name, the responsibility of royalty.

But in order to survive, I often use a false name. If someone came along who had a grudge against the royal family, I would have to tell them my real name.