Chapter 42: The Village Incident

One hour had passed since they had left Noemi’s home. The sun began to tilt towards the west, and the sky was dyed a deep crimson.

Rudy parked his airbike and concealed it in the bushes around 1 kilometer away from the village where Nina, who was in critical condition, resided. He checked the time on his analog wristwatch.

The ring pointed to 5:12 PM.

“If the airbike is found, it’ll be trouble. We should walk from here,” Rudy said.

“Yeah, you’re right. I do want to see Nina as soon as possible, but causing a commotion would be a hassle,” Carl agreed.

With Carl’s consent to Rudy’s suggestion, the two of them started walking towards the village.

“By the way, Rudy-sama,” Carl began to speak as they started walking, but Rudy shook his head and interrupted him.

“Carl, you’re older than me, so there’s no need for you to address me so formally. If anything, it’s disrespectful for me to address you casually. Carl…-sama? Senpai?” Rudy crossed his arms, contemplating, even though in reality, Rudy was almost twice Carl’s age. However, Carl appeared older, so Rudy had forgotten about the average lifespan of this planet and mistakenly assumed that Carl was older. Well, it was too late now.

“No, honorifics are not necessary. Rudy, you’re willingly revealing important secrets in order to save my wife’s life. Respect and age difference don’t matter when it comes to someone I admire,” Carl replied with a wry smile.

Rudy stared at Carl with a puzzled expression. “You don’t mind being addressed casually?”

“If some random kid called me by my first name, I might be angry, but Rudy, you’re special.”

“…I always thought adventurers were more rough and careless.”

“Hahaha, your thoughts aren’t entirely wrong.”

Amused by Rudy’s words, Carl burst into laughter.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“Come to think of it, I forgot. We haven’t decided on the reward yet,” Carl said.

“Reward? What do you mean?” Rudy tilted his head in confusion.

“It’s the reward for saving Nina’s life.”

“In that case, it’s not Carl’s life… No, it’s not compensation.”

“No, that was the contract for not revealing your secret. Nina’s reward is separate.”

“You’re quite honorable, Carl.”

Rudy made that comment, and Carl smiled.

“That’s how much I love my wife.”

(I don’t quite understand.)

Even after hearing Carl’s words, Rudy, who still didn’t understand what it meant to love someone, couldn’t grasp the concept.

“There’s nothing I want… particularly.”

“So you have no desires? I’m a fairly well-known adventurer, so I have a decent amount of money.”

“I don’t need money.”

Carl was being modest, but as an adventurer, he was well-known, and in his home country, he would be respected as a hero. So, despite appearances, he had earned more money than a poor nobleman. However, the currency on this planet had a simple structure, so if he wanted to, he could easily create money and cause an economic collapse. Therefore, Rudy didn’t particularly desire it.

“Hmm… I lack desire.”

“Just say it if you have any, don’t hold back.”

“…Is there something wrong, by any chance?”

“There is, quite a lot.”

Understanding Carl’s doubt, Rudy nodded in response.

“I see. So, keeping your existence a secret is the biggest reward for you.”

“I appreciate your understanding.”

“Understood. But I’ll still give you a reward—with my life.”

“….?”

“If you ever need any help, contact me through the Adventurer’s Guild. No matter the reason, I’ll rush to your aid as soon as possible.”

“I’ll accept your feelings.”

As Rudy responded, Carl seemed satisfied and nodded.

As the two approached the village, they noticed that the village was in a state of commotion.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Could it be something happening to Nina?”

“Hold on a second!”

Rudy restrained Carl, who was about to run in a hurry.

“The whole village seems to be in an uproar. It’s probably unrelated to Nina.”

Carl regained his composure upon Rudy’s observation.

“Hmm… you’re right. It does seem that way.”

“Calm down.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s pay attention. But from here, we can’t really understand the situation. Let’s get closer.”

“In that case, I’ll try to be inconspicuous.”

Rudy said as he pulled the hood of his long coat down, covering his face.

“That’s a good idea. If necessary, I’ll handle it, so try not to speak too much.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

Quietly, the two of them advanced, managing to enter the village without being noticed.

As Rudy and Carl infiltrated the village and approached the commotion, they saw an elderly man and a well-dressed man with brown hair arguing. Four soldiers surrounded them, with villagers forming another circle around them.

The village chief was being held by the soldiers, while the well-dressed man grabbed his collar and occasionally punched him.

Rudy and Carl wanted to enter the inn quickly and meet Nina, but unfortunately, the commotion was happening right in front of the inn, making it impossible for them to get closer. They wore expressions of bewilderment.

“We can’t get close to the inn like this.”

“It’s disturbing their business. Let’s find somewhere else.”

Carl murmured behind the villagers surrounding the commotion, and Rudy, who couldn’t see what was happening inside due to his short stature, agreed with bounces.

“Hey, what’s going on over there?”

Impatient, Carl spoke to the man in front of him, who turned around and looked surprised upon realizing it was Carl. However, he explained the situation quietly.

“I don’t know the details, but the Lord’s son, Alfred-sama, came demanding medicine from the village chief. Apparently, the village chief has been buying medicine from somewhere. It’s a remarkable medicine that cures any illness instantly, but lately, tax collection has been strict. So, the village chief has been selling the extra medicine to pay the taxes. But the Lord found out, and now Alfred-sama has come to take it by force.”

“Medicine?”

“Yeah. The village chief doesn’t have any medicine right now. There hasn’t been a medicine peddler coming around recently. The village chief claims there’s no stock, but Alfred-sama doesn’t believe him, so he’s threatening him like that.”

“I see. Thanks.”

“No problem. It’s a small favor.”

As Carl expressed his gratitude, the man turned back and resumed watching the commotion.

“Rudy, hold on a moment.”

“What is it?”

Carl tugged at Rudy’s sleeve and moved to a less crowded area.

“I overheard the conversation just now. My guess is, the medicine they’re talking about… is it the one made by the Abyss Witch?”

“I didn’t hear it. But she does make medicine, right?”

Rudy could have confirmed the whereabouts of the medicine by calling Noemi, but since Carl was right in front of him, he didn’t check.

“Well… hmm. Well, it’s probably not our concern.”

“Ignore it.”

Both of them nodded at the same time, and they started moving towards the inn, blending into the crowd.