CH 50

“No, that …… Souya-san graduated from the blank-class, so my role is over …… Oh, now I’ve said it.”

When Souya and Merylou heard Mia’s weak muttering, their faces turned serious. 

“…… Mia, did you really think that Souya would leave you?”

“That’s not it, Merylou-san. I was originally an escort for Souya-san, who was a blank-class …… so it wasn’t a matter of being thrown away or not.”

Mia made her excuses to Merylou, then turned away, unsure of herself. Perhaps she sobered up a little, but the expression on Merylou’s face as she looked at Souya changed to a serious look. 

“Merylou-kun, please don’t look at me like that …… Well, it’s true that that’s how I asked Mia-kun to accompany me on my adventure.”

When Souya turned his attention to Mia, she seemed to have lost all confidence. I thought she was a little under the weather, but I didn’t expect her to be this distressed.

The fact that the Windbreakers had disbanded after two people died in the last request, might have had a strong influence on her mental state.

“You’re right. As a blank-class, I relied on you as an escort.”

“But in reality, our positions were completely opposite. The other day, I almost let Souya-san die because I wasn’t strong enough ……”

“Mia-kun, look up.”

At the strong tone of voice, Mia reflexively looked up and saw Souya in front of her.

“We’re at a party, so let’s not make any comments about it here.  So, let me tell you one thing. Mia-kun, you shouldn’t only look for what’s wrong with you.”

Souya admonished Mia in this way. It’s really easy to find fault with yourself, and I almost messed up once when I saved Mia in the meadow, and I was unintentionally attacked by the Silver Demon when we encountered it in the old fort. In hindsight, there are plenty of things I could have done differently.

It is necessary to reflect on the situation, of course, but if you are going to reflect only to lower your self-esteem and lose self-confidence by using a point reduction system, it would be better to do nothing at all.

“I believe that you have at least fulfilled your duties as a bronze-class adventurer. I can’t blame you if you can’t fulfill your higher duties at this point.”

We’ve completed two requests together so far, and I don’t think there was anything she could be called at fault for. The reason why she couldn’t detoxify my body was because of the lethal poison from the dark arts released by the Silver Demon, and with her current abilities, it was probably inevitable that she couldn’t cure it.

The fact that her closest comparison as an adventurer was the more experienced Souya and Merylou may have been too much for her.

“Oh, by the way, there was one time when Mia-kun was more powerful than a bronze-class …… You remember Connie, don’t you? You are the only one who could have saved him. I didn’t have a way to save him, and to be honest, I didn’t think you could have saved him right there.”

Souya thought back to the ghost boy they had met by the lake in the Thrail Forest. At the end of a long prayer, Mia miraculously invoked a higher level of sacred art called Salvation, Holy Play, and saved the boy’s soul. That fantastic movie-like image was still vividly etched in Souya’s memory.

“It was not my power, but …… the power given to me by the earth mother goddess Mikaela.”

“Sacred Art is the ability of the Prayer Master. You may not think so as a cleric, but that’s how I see it. Because the gods won’t lend their power to an unqualified prayer.”

It was a shame that such a miracle hadn’t given her any confidence at all. Perhaps I should have praised her for the feats she had accomplished and given her confidence.

“It’s thanks to you too, that the three of us are able to have a party like this …… Isn’t that right, Merylou-kun?”

Souya asked Merylou, who had been listening in silence, with a serious expression.

“…… Yeah. Connie and I were both saved by Mia. I will always be grateful to her. I’ll never forget that moment …… That’s right. If Souya throws you, you can work with me then.”

Merylou laughed and put her hand on Mia’s shoulder.

“Don’t say something like throwing away. Well, I’m certainly sorry that I didn’t say enough …… I’d like to get some words from you on that. Mia-kun.”

Souya smiled a little and gave Mia a nasty look, prompting her to say a few words.

“…… Souya, why are you teasing her?”

“Merylou-kun, there’s this thing called position in the world. An uncle like me can’t take Mia-kun around any longer just because I want to. I’m sure there are many other adventurers who would like to rely on her power as a cleric.”

There was a moment of silence between the three of them, but then Mia, who had been looking anxious, opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

“Souya-san. Then, I’ll get straight to the point …… If you don’t mind, I’d like to continue my adventures with you as before.”

“Then so be it. Mia-kun, I look forward to working with you in the future.”

In response to the words that Mia squeezed out, Souya nodded with a slight smile and asked her to shake his hand. Mia, perhaps embarrassed, turned her gaze slightly away from Souya and complied. 　

“Hmph …… So you’ll be together like always. I feel like I’ve been subjected to an endless lovers’ quarrel. Thanks for the meal.” 

After a joking tone of voice, Merylou slurped down a glass of red wine in a wooden mug.

“If it’s alright with you, how about you join us then, Merylou-kun? The wind spirit you use, Sylph, is really dependable. And if we have a silver class, we’ll have more options for requests. “

“…… What the heck. You made Mia tell you herself, but you’re not afraid to recruit me.”

“Well, you’re older than me, after all.”

Souya replied with a straight face to the slightly grinning Merylou. 

“…… Souya, you’re treating me like an old woman. I’m not that old physically, you know.”

“You are the one who lectured me about seniority earlier, saying something like that’s not good because you’re younger than me. Your logic is out of order.”

Mia, who was watching the argument between Soya and Merylou, seemed to smile just a little.

“Now, let’s put off recruiting Merylou-kun and resume the party for now.. The food will get cold.”

Souya regained his composure and was about to extend his fork to the herb-roasted chicken. A tall man in a black coat approached the table where Souya and others were sitting. He had pure white hair and was carrying a one-and-a-half-handed bastard sword in a black scabbard. And he stopped right in front of Souya.

“…… Dark gray clothing, black hair, dark glasses, as described …… Are you Souya? I heard that you defeated the Silver Demon.”

Perhaps because of this man’s appearance, the surrounding customers seemed to be getting restless. When Souya looked up from his seat at the man in the black coat, his blue eyes swayed vacantly.

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