Chapter 38 "Departure"

We returned to the Oratorium mansion in two days as planned.

　When Fatima heard the report from us after our return with a nonchalant look on her face, she was deliberately surprised and made various arrangements.

　What a farce.

　"Now, I guess we are done cleaning up after Zubel. Now that everything is settled, what are you two going to do?"

　The place was the reception room.

　Fatima, who had heard the report, began to talk about her future plans.

　I don't need to be asked. I'm going to take it easy.

　"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I've decided to set myself up as an adventurer."

　Fatima's eyes are downcast with sadness.

　That's a real performance. You should be an actress or something.

　"You haven't changed your mind?"

　"Yes."

　"Do you plan to return?"

　"Whenever I feel like it."

　Fatima simply says, "I see," and now turns her attention to Heidi.

　"Heidi-sama will now..."

　"I'm going with him!"

Heidi replies with eagerness.

Let her finish.

　I mean, I haven't heard anything. What are you deciding for yourself?

　"I want to be with him... well... him... yes!　I want to be with him!"

　............ Yes?

　Fatima narrowed her eyes.

　"Can I take that to mean that you have feelings for Mr. Rothfeldt?"

　Oh, come on, come on, come on.

　What are you talking about?

Heidi was silent for a moment and then started to panic, her ...... cheeks flushed.

　"No, no. It's not like that. No, no."

For a while, she kept saying, "No, no, no."

　...Ha-ha-ha. What is this?　Can you please do this somewhere else?

　Heidi took a few deep breaths and regained her composure.

　"I respect him... not as the opposite sex, but as a person. ...... I want to travel with him and find what I'm missing!"

　I'm glad you're so determined, but don't drag me into it.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your excitement, but I didn't agree to go with you, did I?"

　"...... what?"

　Heidi was staring at me with a "why?" look on her face.

　No, "Why? is my line.

　What are you trying to take for granted?

　"......Why... no, that's what you're saying..."

She started to mumble something.

　Huh? What was she convinced of?

　Heidi looked down as if thinking about something, then brightened her expression and looked up.

With cheeks flushed....

"Oh, he and I have pledged our future to each other."

　Fatima moves her eyebrows and looks at me as if to say, "I didn't hear that."

　What is she talking about?

　I don't remember pledging my future to you.

　"He...well, he told me. He said he would give his heart and soul to me..."

　Ha-ha-ha. Don't make me laugh.

I'll kill you if you talk too much.

　I slowly put my hand on the sword at my waist.

　"Fatima-san must have heard that."

　Fatima looked a little thoughtful...

　".............You certainly mentioned it."

　Hey, hey.

　What are you even saying?

Did I say such a stinky, toothless line ......... Oh, I did.

　I think I said that to agitate Fatima when we fought in front of the mansion...I did say that.

　"Yes, that's why I'm going with him!"

She came at me with a lot of force.

　You've been saying a lot of things that aren't quite right.

　Why do you want to come with me again? I wonder what you're up to...

　And stop making that smug face.

　What are you trying to accomplish?

　"I'm going with him!"

I - Heidi - look intensely at the two of them.

　He seems to be rolling his eyes, but I'm sure it's just my imagination.

　I was surprised at his reluctance when I offered to go with him, but I immediately understood his intentions.

... he wants me to convince him!

　This is the test he set for me. In other words, win!

　Think about it. He wouldn't tell me what I couldn't do.

　The key is in what he says. The answer is in there.

　I desperately needed to remember the conversation I had with him.

　.........This is it!

　I remember what he said to Fatima.

　I will use that as a starting point to persuade the two of them.

　...How about it? This is good, right?

　I smile at him.

　I know, I know. I also have to convince the fiancée Fatima, don't I?

　Fufu. He's surprised too. I wonder if my comment exceeded his expectations.

　Fatima covered her face with her hands and let out a sigh.

''How about...taking her with you?　I can manage on my own."

　...I wonder. I feel somewhat uncomfortable ...... with the way she just said it .......

　He also looked up lightly.

　"........................Now that's enough...I'm getting tired of thinking about it. It's getting tedious."

　He mumbled something, but it seems to be all right.

　"The departure is in two days. Get ready."

　......How did this happen?

Heidi left the room quickly, saying she was going to go get ready.

I was in the middle of the room, and I was thinking to myself.

　What's going on?　What is the purpose of this?

"Congratulations. Now you won't have to travel alone, right?"

　"Stop it. My head starts to hurt."

Don't be stupid, keep her around.

"That's impossible. It's useless. It's going to take all your strength."

Fatima laughed thinly and added, "Do you want me to break her limbs?" 

　If I wanted to do that, I would have crushed her early on and used her as food.

If the plan was to kill her in the first place, what was all that hard work about?

That's why I pushed her away, but I guess it didn't work. Well, it's not good to rely too much on abilities in battle, and I can use this to improve that...right?

I can't do this without thinking so.

　"It makes me a little jealous."

　Fatima says this with a thin smile as usual.

　Shut up. Shut up.

　I let out a big sigh, said, "I'm going to go get ready," and left the room.

　Let's move forward.

Preparation. Let's get ready. Let's get new equipment.

That's right. Let's do it.

　I walked down the hallway, lightly escaping reality.

　Now, let's start with the creation of the weapon.

　This sword is useful, but it is difficult to use.

　From my past experience, I am more comfortable with a club or other blunt weapon.

　I decided to make a weapon with my newly acquired ability.

　First, the surface of the arm is transformed into the outer shell of a death worm.

　Adjusted the length. Eliminate the joints and fingers and completely solidify from the shoulders down.

Then, cut myself.

　Regenerate the arm, grab the former arm that was cut off, and shake it.

　Hmm. A little light?　Tap the surface a few times to check the feeling.

　Well, that's about right.

　After that, I wrapped a piece of cloth around the part to hold it and finished it.

I don't need ............ the protective gear.

　The rest is up to me...I'm going to train hard until we leave.

　Let's practice using Death Worm's venom and tentacles.

　Two days later.

　We had finished our preparations and it was time to leave.

　Fatima had come to see us off.

"So you are leaving already?"

　"Thank you for everything you've done for me."

　"Thank you, Fatima."

I gave Fatima a token greeting.

　With Heidi in the room, the conversation with her is a real farce.

　Heidi next to me is giving Fatima a complicated look.

"Where are you headed from here?"

"After reissuing my adventurer's plate in Acothern, I'm heading south to the Medream Territory. After that, I plan to tour the continent as I see fit."

　Fatima leaned over me and began patting me all over my body.

　What is this all of a sudden?

　"You can come back any time you want, you know?　I will always be waiting for you."

　Oh, yes, yes. Call me if there are any changes.

　I'll contact you regularly.

"Whenever I feel like it."

　I said that much and left the place as it was.

　Heidi hurriedly followed me.

　We were silent for a while, but Heidi, perhaps finding the silence distressing, immediately asked.

　"You're going back to Enkau now, aren't you?"

　"Yes, as I told you before, I need to reissue my adventurer's plate."

　I lost my adventurer's plate when I was attacked in the tavern.

　It seems a long time ago, even though it hasn't been that long.

"Do you have to go to Enkau to do that?"

　"Yes. Yes, you can only get your plate reissued at the branch where you are registered."

　To explain in detail, when you create an Adventurer's Plate, your information is registered at that branch.

Incidentally, I cannot accept work quests from other branches in this state.

If I want to accept a quest at another branch, I have to show my plate at that branch and register it there.

Once that is done, the plate can be reissued (with a fee) even if it is lost.

　As a side note, the higher the adventurer's rank, the more expensive the plate is, so higher-ranked adventurers take better care of their plates.

　In my case, I only work in Encau, so I can only reissue plates there.

　"I see. Then I'll register as an adventurer there too."

　Oh, that's good. You have to earn your own food.

　I'll at least pay your registration fee.

　The travel route is the same as when we came.

We crossed the mountains between Oratorium and Acothern to Enkau.

　Unlike the previous trip, there was no need to hurry, so we took it easy.

　We arrived at Enkau after spending half a day more than last time.

We went to Hoffer's place, who might be able to get us a place to stay, but we were a bit reluctant to do so, so we took a place to stay in town.

　I went to the Adventurers' Guild immediately after my arrival to reissue the plate and complete the registration procedures for Heidi.

　Since the plate would be issued the next day, we were both free to do whatever we wanted until then.

　Heidi said hello to Hoffer and left early.

　I went to a lot of trouble to get a place to stay....

　I spent my free time checking on the situation in the city and my request.

　There was a bit of a commotion because of the attack on the tavern and Hoffer's mansion, but things seem to have calmed down now.

　Currently, I was checking corkboard requests.

　What I'm looking for is an escort type request, best if there is an escort quest to Medream.

　Hopefully we can get a ride on the wagon.

... the horses are normal, aren't they?

　They are slightly different from the horses that were in my world, but they are perfectly horses in name and appearance.

　The difference is the horns, and they have a variety of horns, depending on the species.

　I thought it might be a unicorn, but it didn't look like one because of the appearance of its horns.

　There were goats, sheep, and even one with a horn that I had never seen before.

　There are unicorn-like ones for sure, but they seem to be lumped into one category of horses.

Other features seem to be able to use magic or special abilities depending on their horns, but the horses used for carriages and other purposes have their horns cut off so that they can't use their abilities.

　Incidentally, horses are so expensive that in some cases, merchants even prioritize horses over goods.

...Well, I don't have any money at the moment, so I don't need it.

Now, what are the requests?

　Herb collection. Nope.

　Find the lost grandpa. Find him yourself.

Investigate the wife's infidelity. Is this something you want to bring up here?

　Searching for and slaying a local dragon. Oh, I didn't know they were still looking. I hope you find it.

　Escorting a trading company. Acothern~Medream~....... Oh, there it is.

It goes beyond Medream. The last stop is... the Royal Capital.

　I should try to negotiate if I can get off on the way.

　I told the receptionist about the situation and asked to meet the client to negotiate.

　I thought he might refuse, but he said he didn't mind.

It seems that this trading company is moving while replenishing the guards that left in each town.

　That's a good thing for adventurers, isn't it?

　We could move around and get some roadside silver.

...At any rate, I had the roadside money and the transportation arrangements in hand.

　Our departure is in three days.

After receiving the plate tomorrow, I will do a simple request to kill some time until we can leave.