Chapter 55: I’m Angry, but… (3)

Chapter 55: I’m Angry, but... (3)

Windhand frowned at a certain someone’s absence all morning. There was no way he just ran off to avoid fulfilling his end of the deal, even though he got help catching that dragon, right...?

“Is he still out hunting?”

In any case, that guy had a lot of stamina. As if spending days on the stormy sea hadn’t been enough, he spent his night in the forest.

“Could he be lost?”

“There’s no way.”

Rather, it was much more likely that he was just wandering around searching for prey because he couldn’t find any straight away. It was a more reasonable guess, considering his pride.

“Oh well. You guys got a good rest, right?”

“Sure did.”

“The adventurers?”

“They’re also in great condition.”

Although they couldn’t provide them with a lot of food, they were able to get a good night’s sleep. Some people—the wizards—expressed great dissatisfaction, claiming he had prioritized his subordinates, but that was none of his business.

If they thought they could do a better job, they should just become captains instead. Those with the fewest casualties complained the most, those weak wizards.

“Captain, are you alright?”

“Why shouldn’t I be? I might be a bit tired still, but don’t worry. I can just sleep a little on the ship.”

Today, the people stationed in Gamak Bay would return to Grü Teltz as soon as possible. Afterward, they would immediately set sail for Jacrati with the promised ship and reinforcement.

These subordinates were highly competent. Outside of special areas like the Dragon’s Gate, there wasn’t much for him to do.

The reward for hunting the Sea Dragon, or the compensation for his men’s deaths? That didn’t matter. Their contract was a bit complicated, but he only wanted to hire the Demon Knight; those other bastards were people contracted by the city, the Magic Tower, or elsewhere.

They would just return to the city on their own and receive their reward separately.

“I sure hope Grü Teltz and the Magic Tower keep their promise.”

“They had better keep it. Or else...”

Damn, the Archmage supposed to guarantee their reward had fainted.

Windhand frowned slightly at that realization. Grü Teltz and the Magic Tower might play dumb because of it.

“It’ll be fine. If they don’t give us a ship, we can just steal one, and I didn’t expect the Tower to support us, anyway.”

However, he didn’t lose hope. Not only had he already managed to recruit some adventurers, but there was also someone he could put his complete trust in.

“Moreover, we gained a swordsman who can split the sea with just a single swing of his blade and also cut down a dragon. What more do we need?”

His gamble had paid off far more than he’d expected.

He mourned his dead subordinates, but he didn’t have any regrets.

“Wow, that’s true. What’s the use of weak troops with him around?”

“Right, that guy is far beyond a normal living being, isn’t he?”

“What? Aren’t all our plans meaningless so long as we have that guy? I think just getting a small boat and someone to row it would be enough. He could cut down a whole ship with a single slash.”

“Wahaha! You’re right! He can sink a ship in just one swing!”

Windhand burst into laughter as he listened to his subordinates.

Was it because he’d witnessed that man’s prowess himself? Those words felt fairly realistic to him.

A dragon’s head was sitting in the middle of the village—the wizards had found it left behind on the beach by the Demon Knight and dragged it all the way here. It was more than obvious the guy only saw this as some rotten fish head. Looking at it made him think like that even more.

“Hah, should we really try doing that? It seems plausible.”

“Are you sure? I think it’ll be somewhat difficult to pull Vipurit from a sinking ship.”

“How about we just ask him to sink every ship except the one Vipurit’s on and make him drag the guy to us?”

“Kahaha. That sounds great. I’ll have to ask him when he comes back.”

Of course, he wouldn’t refuse, right? Actually, wouldn’t he just ask if that was all?

Just imagining it made him feel comfortable. So much so that all the anxiety and worries he’d had on the way to Grü Teltz seemed very distant.

“That should be enough. Kippur, Tuna... and Wayan would also like that, right?"

“Of course. You know what they were like, right? If they could bring down Vipurit and all his men in exchange for their own lives, they would just laugh and agree without hesitation!”

“Right...”

Yes, truly. All the hardships he’d endured before coming to this port melted away like snow.

He could now stand proudly before his deceased men, his brothers, and Pion.

“But... Captain. Erm, you aren’t planning on taking that Inquisitor with us, right?”

“Are you crazy? Do you want me to get beaten to death?”

“Right? Phew.”

Even if they failed to hire a dragon slayer and suffered from a severe lack of manpower, they couldn’t take people from the Temple. Never. The same was true for the Inquisitor, even though she had left a strong impression on them.

Jacrati and all the cities of the Yabad region hadn’t forgotten the atrocities committed by the Temple forty years ago.

“It felt really shitty being on the same boat as those guys, to be honest. I never want to do that again.”

“Me, too.”

“We should be relieved we don’t have to take them along...”

Windhand stopped talking as he felt the ground rumbling.

“Reinforcements!”

It seemed those guys at Gamak Bay finally sent some people over.

“Okay, then let’s make some last preparations... Deck Captain, talk to the adventurers. Tell them we’re leaving soon. Ikam, go to their leader and request a meeting. If they refuse, show them the dragon’s severed head.”

He looked at the laughing wizards who finally managed to examine the dragon head, but work was work. Windhand ordered it to be brought to him, even if that meant taking it by force.

“Yes.”

The vice-captain stroked his sword’s scabbard and gave a satisfactory answer.

“Why isn’t the Demon Knight back yet?”

After giving the crew his orders, he looked for someone who might know the Demon Knight’s whereabouts.

Soon, he came across a young man wearing a salt-encrusted hood.

“Hey, when’s the Demon Knight coming back?”

“I don’t know, either. Mister likes to go around alone.”

“I heard he was just going around with you temporarily, but it seems you guys really aren’t that close.”

“Even if it’s temporary, it’s temporary without any time limit.”

“You didn’t just get together to kill the dragon? I thought that was why he called your party temporary.”

“Our goal is to slay Satan, not just some dragon.”

“...Then it’s not temporary, right?”

“Mister’s just a bit particular is all.”

“Then, acquaintance.”

I held my sword sheath tightly as Windhand shrewdly turned toward the horse. He should count himself lucky that my Longsword broke.

“We can last more than three days with this much.”

“Oh my, how can we thank you?”

However, while waiting for Deb, I paused my conversation with him. I could hear the villagers talking.

“...So, what are we going to do? It’ll be a long time until the sea returns to normal.”

“You!”

“Damn it, how can we last a whole month like this...”

There was always that one person who couldn’t be happy even when something good happened.

Not that they said anything bad. There was nothing wrong with having just one such person in a group, especially when the group was a whole village. Someone who could look at reality.

It was necessary to view the situation realistically, even when the morale was already somewhat low.

“...You’ve done enough. The rest is now the city’s responsibility.”

At that moment, Windhand spoke to me again. He seemed to think I cared greatly for these people. Well, my character wasn’t very sympathetic, though.

“I don’t really care.”

I turned around. As Windhand said, I did enough. As a fellow person, I couldn’t help but feel concern for them, but there was no need to do any more than this.

“Erm.”

There was no need.

“Uncle.”

I faced the child I had seen once at night. He wasn’t part of the group of kids from yesterday. Even before I went to Grü Teltz, let alone fought the dragon, this was the child I encountered that night when we happened to stop by this village.

The child had worn black clothes then and was still wearing them now.

“...I’m sorry for saying all those bad things back then.”

The child bowed his head toward me. His small head looked unusually round.

“What did you do to this child that he insulted you?”

Seriously, this guy had been acting close and friendly with me for a while now, hadn’t he? Was he Deb? Or did everyone whose jobs involved stealing (thief, pirate) act like this?

When Windhand tried to jab me in the side with his elbow, I struck him in the solar plexus with the back of my hand. Windhand’s waist bent forward as if he’d been hit by a hammer.

“Puhup.”

His subordinates were right there, but none of them said anything. On the contrary, they were casually laughing and talking about how well we got along.

“Little one.”

Setting them aside, I snapped my fingers. The child trembled as he approached.

I could now see he was a bit taller than I’d thought. The problem was he was so thin that he looked really small.

“...?”

I put my hand into my inventory. There were some things I could take out for this situation.

They were just things I didn’t particularly need and were taking up space in my inventory, but they made perfect gifts for this child.

“This...”

Dear adventurers of Tatara. I will now dispose of all the useless items you gave me here.

I took out a small pouch necklace and slipped a few additional things into it before giving it to the child.

“Can I really take this?”

“Take it.”

“I didn’t even do anything for you.”

“I told you to take it.”

I wondered whether I was speaking too harshly to the child, but I couldn’t help it. That was what my character was supposed to be like. Still, it seemed fine.

「Lucky Pouch Necklace │ A common accessory found in the Derma region. It is said that if one wears it well, good luck will come to you.」

The child blinked as he held the Lucky Pouch Necklace in his hands. The pouch made from five-colored thread may look like trash compared to its contents, but it was very pretty from the outside.

“I’m done talking!”

“Oh, so we can leave, then.”

That was the moment Deb decided to return. It was now time to depart.

“Are we going right away?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go.”

The leader of the Gamak Bay forces, who had been waiting, joined us. We were now truly ready to depart.

I didn’t know when they were recruited, but two adventurers rode horses alongside us as well. The wagon where they’d placed the dragon head—when did they put that there?—seemed especially sturdy.

“What did you give that child again?”

“Again?”

“You also gave those kids something to eat yesterday.”

“Looks like you like kids, huh?”

Was there an adult who didn’t like children? No, even if one didn’t like them, it was only a matter of course to treat them kindly, at least.

Anyway, I took out my Zweihänder and swung it lightly.

Slash!

The [Slash] cut through the ground, avoiding the crowd, and served to calm down the racket.

“...Shall we go?”

I could hear the slight and careful movements of the others, too.

“Ah!”

I got on the horse and signaled it to move.

A commotion was starting among the children and adults in the background.

“A-A pearl!”

“Huh?”

Although scared by my actions, Deb, who clung to my side, looked back.

I didn’t bother looking at him.

“Wait a second, you left that pearl behind?!”

“Eh? Pearl? Wait a second, Mister Knight...”

Alright. Looking at the formation, it seemed I could go to the very front.

My horse ran ahead.