CH 32

“Goblin …… This seems to be an emergency. We shouldn’t disturb them.”

A man who looked like a villager ran into the Adventurer’s Guild, out of breath and dismayed. Even a goblin, insignificant to the adventurers, would be enough of a threat to the villagers.

“I’m sorry, Souya-san. Can you take a moment and come back to reapply later?”

“No, it’s my fault for losing it. No, it’s my fault that I lost it. Please make it your top priority to handle the request. I will come back later.”

Louise handed a ceramic cup of water to the man who looked like a villager, and prepared to confirm the request. Randy and the other four members of the group were also seated at a nearby table, ready to listen to the man with Louise. If the conditions were right, the request would be taken care of by them.

“Mia-kun, let’s take a break.”

“Yes, Souya-san.”

Mia followed Souya’s lead. I was about to leave the adventurer’s guild when I crossed Randy’s path.

“You said you were Souya-san. I’ll see you around …… I will not be defeated.”

Randy’s clear voice rang out, his fists clenched.

“…… Thank you, Souya-san. I really appreciate your help …… Haah.”

As they left the adventurer’s guild, Mia sighed heavily and took a few deep breaths without being seen.

“–Thanks for the hard work. Let’s talk while we walk a bit. We can have lunch somewhere.”

Souya thanked Mia for her efforts. The reason she looked so tired was probably not just because she had just returned from a long trip.

The Adventurer’s Guild was connected to the Adventurer’s Tavern, so they could have had lunch there, but they didn’t want to be overheard, so Mia took us to a pasta restaurant she recommended.

Souya ordered pasta with minced garlic and a salad with red wine, while Mia ordered pasta with mushrooms and wildflowers and a salad. While waiting, Souya decided to ask Mia about the four adventurers he had met at the Adventurer’s Guild.

“His name is Randy-kun, right? He called himself a hero just now. Is he of the lineage of the Evil Dragon Slayer?”

“Yes. It seems so …… So you know Anselm the Hero, Souya-san.”

“It’s famous. A long time ago, I knew someone who was a descendant of Anselm …… Well, Anselm was a man like that, so it’s not that unusual.”

Hero Anselm was a hero about three hundred years ago. He is one of the legends who, together with his companions, defeated the evil dragon Gazel, one of the Ancient Dragons, and has a biography called Anselm’s Defeat of the Evil Dragon, which is quite popular.

However, Anselm has a continuing story after his defeat that is not included in the biography. Anselm’s love for heroes was so strong that he could be described as a man of many colors. It is said that he formed a harem party and scattered his offspring to more than 20 mistresses, including his female members, acquaintances, and even the duchess of a certain country.

So, people with Anselm’s bloodline are not that rare in the world of three hundred years from now. If you look for them in Ilstadt, you may find others besides Randy.

“…… I think Randy-san has mistaken me for an ornament or something.”

“What ornament?”

“Once, there should be a saint by the side of the hero. He said …… I don’t consider myself to be one. I don’t think I am. He just has that image in his mind.”

“Ohh, I see. It’s not hard to understand. It is true that the cliché of the story is that there is a saint by the side of the hero.”

Souya laughed. The ornament called Saint Mia. Whether she is or not, she’s a ladylike priestess in white vestments. In addition, she’s a beautiful girl. I thought she would make a good companion for a hero. 

(……A holy woman by the side of the hero. I certainly agree with Randy on that point.)

A hero and a saint. Souya thought about the two companions that he had a strong connection with twenty years ago.

“So It’s not that I don’t like Randy-san. I’m sure he likes the atmosphere of a priestess who accompanies the hero next to him.”

“I don’t know. It’s possible that it’s pure love …… Wait, don’t stare at me like that, Mia-kun.”

It’s not a very good joke, and Souya apologized with his hands outstretched.

“…… Also, there’s a priest in Randy-san’s party. He’s called is Bud-san, and he’s a little more complicated. It seems that he is not happy with the Earth Mother Goddess Mikaela.”

Souya remembered the shaved head monk who had taken a negative attitude toward Mia’s joining.

“Oh, him. The one who made fun of the priests of Earth Mother Goddess Mikaela. He seems to be a priest-warrior who worships the God of War Ragacia. Well, even though they teach differently, I also think he’s gone too far. “

“It’s hard to be seen as an enemy like that when the God of War Ragacia and the Earth Mother Goddess Mikaela are brother and sister who are both worshipped as holy gods.”

Even on the surface, Randy’s forcefulness in forcing Mia to join the party when such a confrontation was brewing was almost astonishing. Either he doesn’t have enough coordination skills, or he doesn’t care about anything but his own ideals. Or maybe it was both.

“And then there’s Rebecca-san …… I think she probably likes Randy-san. She said they were childhood friends from the same hometown.”

“The red-haired magician girl, right? I thought so too. I saw the way she was staring at you.”

“…… I don’t hate Rebecca-san. Before the …… Before Randy-san’s incident, we were able to talk normally, and we said we’d work hard on our adventures.”

“Ahhh. I know what you mean.”

Mia plopped down on the desk, feeling depressed as she talked about Rebecca.

“I’m sorry, Souya-san. I feel like I’m complaining about something. I’m sure I’ve been inadequate in some areas.”

“It’s important to have a listener for this kind of thing. I can be your partner if you want. I’ll be there if you want me to be …… I don’t think I can say it’s your fault, though.”

It’s true that if Mia had taken a clearer stance on the matter earlier, things might have been less complicated, but from what I’ve heard, it would be unreasonable to expect her to do so.

As we were talking, the waitress brought in the pasta and salad for the two of us.

“…… Now, Mia-kun, let’s eat. Before it gets cold.”