Not a Very Happy Arrival
It was evening when we reached the gates of RockQueen, just in time before the gates closed.
The rescued adventurers were helped by the guards and headed to the Adventurer's Guild with the bodies to report.
To enter the town, we needed identification, but I was able to enter with a Blacksmith Guild card, and Maria and Rain were able to enter with regular citizen cards.
As is standard in otherworldly stories, there was no need for an ID to enter the city! There was no such process as paying to enter the city.
We ended up staying at McQueen-san's usual inn. It's late today and everyone is tired, so I decided to stop by the Adventurer's Guild tomorrow.
Everyone finishes their meal and returns to their rooms.
I, Maria, and Rain will be staying in a twin-bedded room.
Maria and Rain are going to sleep in the same bed.
Rain and I dive into the bed as soon as we enter the room.
I guess we are tired after all......
I feel strangely dull......
Maria sat down beside Rain and slowly stroked her head. Rain got up and buried her face in Maria's chest.
As I watched, my eyes met Maria's and she smiled kindly at me and quietly beckoned me over.
I was a little embarrassed by this, but I was willing to be spoiled.
I buried my face in Maria's chest like Rain did.
She gently stroked us.
The warmth of her hands and her gentle scent put my mind at ease.
After a while of being pampered by Maria, I heard a knock at the door and heard Jereid-san's voice.
"Sorry. It's Jereid. Light... I need to talk to you. Can you come downstairs to the dining room?"
I opened the door of the room.
Jereid-san was still outside and was a little surprised before urging me to follow him.
The dining room is already empty. It's already past dinner time and it's time for bed.
"Auntie! I'm sorry, can you get me a drink and this guy a juice!"
After calling out to the lady at the back of the dining room, Jereid-san went silent.
"I'm sorry, but this will be the last order. You can leave it as is when you finish drinking."
After saying that, the lady put out the fire in the dining room and disappeared into the back.
When the lady disappeared, Jereid-san still didn't speak.
Then, he finally asked me quietly.
"What did you think of today?"
It's a short question, but there's too much in mind.
"I honestly thought it was harsh and cruel to be an adventurer... but I thought it would be painful to part with a companion like that..."
Jereid-san quietly put the liquor in his mouth, swallowed it slowly, and quietly opened his mouth.
"Are you disappointed? The job you admired to do, being an adventurer......."
I shook my head.
"I'm not disappointed. I guess I was just a little surprised by reality. I knew it all in my head. I've seen wounded adventurers and people die of illness and injury in the past...... but that was the first time I actually saw someone being attacked by monsters......."
"Shocking, huh? But... unfortunately, that's the daily life of an adventurer... The risk of death is always present, and it is a fact of life for adventurers that the companions who are next to them now will be gone tomorrow, or that their companions will be cruelly disfigured. Still...... do you want to be an adventurer?"
I nodded quietly.
"Yes. Even if it's just an everyday thing, I want to save the lives I can, and if I can protect them, I want to. That's why I wanted to become an adventurer, to hone my skills."
Jereid-san slowly sipped his drink, thought for a moment, and muttered.
"You will become stronger in order to save and protect... Is it for that purpose that you want to become an adventurer...?"
"That's right."
"As expected... you're a big deal. It's a shame you can't join my party."
Jereid-san finally smiled a little.
And then, with a serious face, he gave me some advice.
"Light. For today... please stop using [Recovery Magic] on corpses. It may be a gesture of good intentions on your part, but it may lead to unnecessary expectations and misunderstandings. Refrain from doing so if you don't want to invite trouble."
When I nodded back, Jereid-san stroked my head and stood up from his seat.
"I'm sorry to keep you up late at night. Well... what I just said is just a piece of advice from an old man, so keep it in a corner of your mind."
Saying that, he turned around and waved his hand, and went back to his room on the second floor.
I also drank the warm juice and returned to the room where Maria and Rain were.
Tftc.
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