“These are magical items that speed up mana recovery.”
“Magical items, huh?”
“Sure, ah. I’m not giving it to you, okay? I’m just lending it. I borrowed it from a friend when I came to Doodle Valley this time. I thought you might need it.”
“Huh?”
“Just a hunch, hehe. So yeah, I’ll have to return it eventually.”
“O-okay.”
As we were talking, Miree timidly asked to see it. Regress casually tossed it to her, and Miree, flustered, caught it and hesitantly asked,
“Is this… an artifact?”
“Oh, you can tell? Especially this ring—it’s crazy. It doubles the speed of mana recovery.”
“Wh-what? Double? I’m not even sure if something like that exists in the Holy Kingdom.”
“Is it really that amazing?”
“Without a doubt, it’s national treasure-level.”
“Geez… Reg, I can’t borrow something like this.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Go ahead and wear it.”
“Seriously…?”
If I lost something like this, it wouldn’t just be bad—it’d be disastrous. I tucked the necklace securely into my shirt.
Indeed, wearing the accessory made me feel the speed of my mana recovery increase. Wearing both would supposedly boost the effect even more, but the sheer convenience of it made me want one for myself.
Faster recovery meant I could hunt more monsters. If things got dicey, Regress would step in to cover for me. Having seen how tough it was for the students to level up, I was shocked when I easily reached the sixth tier.
“Sensei, the boost you get when you level up is pretty small, right? Those kids get insane boosts with each level.”
“Yeah, I’m aware my level-up boosts are pretty underwhelming.”
“Right, right. Well, your spirit is special, after all.”
“Special?”
“Yeah. That’s why you’re leveling up so quickly. I’m aiming for the tenth tier in one go.”
“The tenth tier? No way. That’s impossible so soon.”
“Hahaha. Don’t worry, Sensei. You’ll make it.”
“Is that what makes it special? It’s not just the calming effect?”
“Hmm… Well, it’s like I know but I don’t.”
“Come on, tell me!”
“Ah, monsters!”
“Ugh, seriously!”
If my memory serves me right, I never told Regress the name of my spirit. I didn’t know what he knew, but I was certain of one thing: “You can trust him.”
It was a bright night, with a full moon in the sky and stars losing their usual twinkle.
Stroman, carrying a gift for the gatekeeper, headed toward the south gate.
The gatekeeper had already locked the gate and was sitting in the waiting room. When Stroman entered, the gatekeeper stood up to greet him.
“Good work. Here, I brought some leftover food from the kitchen. Have it for a midnight snack.”
“Seriously? Thanks. But what’s the occasion?”
“Nothing, really. The moon was just so beautiful. I thought I’d take a walk.”
As Stroman sipped the tea the gatekeeper offered, he looked out the small window. Back when Doodle Valley had just been reclaimed, even on nights like this, you could sense the presence of monsters. Now, he gazed contentedly at the quiet night.
Just then, he spotted the shadow of a rider and a beast-drawn carriage approaching from down the road.
“Huh? At this hour… Adventurers?”
“What?”
The gatekeeper also peeked out the window from behind Stroman.
Soon, the carriage reached the gate, and a woman stepped out, suddenly pounding on the door.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Hey! Is anyone there?!”
The woman’s angry voice echoed from the gate. Stroman hurried over and opened the small response window.
“Oh, there you are. I’m tired, so open the gate already, you dimwit!”
On the other side of the gate, a middle-aged woman was hurling insults. Her tone, as if she were talking to a servant, irritated Stroman.
“Sorry, but the gate’s closed for the night. You’ll have to camp outside.”
“What?! The gatekeeper won’t open the gate for a guest? What kind of attitude is that?!”
“We’re not in the hospitality business. We can’t let suspicious people in.”
Hearing the restrained anger in Stroman’s voice, the woman realized she might end up camping outside and suddenly softened her tone, speaking in a sweet voice.
“Ah, my bad. I’ve been on a long journey and I’m tired, so I got a bit heated. I apologize for going too far.”
“…But the gate’s closed for the night. Give it up.”
“Don’t say that. Please, let me in.”
“Sigh… Why did you even come to such a remote place?”
“My husband’s parents are from Dix Village, up ahead. We heard Doodle Valley had been liberated, and we thought we might be able to check on Dix Village from here.”
“Dix? You’re from there?”
At the mention of Dix, Stroman leaned closer to the window and looked behind the woman. Indeed, there was a man holding the reins of the beast-drawn carriage.
“Yeah, we don’t know Dix Village ourselves, but my husband’s parents were from there. They left for work elsewhere when the monster parade happened. They never returned, and we lost contact with their relatives.”
“I see… I also have roots in Dix. Alright, what’s your name?”
“I’m Amul, and that’s my husband, Bengar.”
“Bengar, huh? We share roots from the same place. Alright, come on in.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you must be tired.”
With that, Stroman opened the village gate.
“Sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it… But try not to be so rude next time.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“There aren’t any inns open right now. Tie your beast up in the corner of the square. There are other adventurers camping there, so don’t cause any trouble.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
The man holding the reins seemed like the husband, but he was completely silent, perhaps because his wife did all the talking. With a slightly troubled expression, he nodded in acknowledgment, and Stroman waved in response.
When the couple reached the square, they tied their beast to the fence in the corner and began unloading their tent and supplies.
As they set up camp, a man watched them intently. It was Bryan. Bryan and his group had been hunting in the forest, returning to sell monster materials to the state military.
“Tch. Troublesome people are here again…”
It seemed Bryan knew the couple. He muttered in annoyance and pulled his blanket over his face.
The next morning, Stroman approached the couple, who were cooking breakfast in the square. Stroman was naturally a helpful man, and remembering Bengar’s plan to visit Dix Village, he worried if the two would be alright on their own.
“Bengar, right? Did you sleep well last night?”
“Huh?”
“Was it too dark to see? It’s Stroman, the guy from the gate last night.”
“Oh.”
“You’re heading to Dix Village, right? There are high-level monsters around there.”
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t it dangerous with just the two of you?”
“Huh?”
Even last night, it had been Amul who did all the talking, and Bengar remained silent, only nodding occasionally. Unbothered, Stroman turned to the three adventurers eating breakfast on the other side of the square and called out loudly.
“You guys, heading north again, right?”
The three adventurers, startled by the sudden address, pretended not to care but listened to the conversation between Stroman and Bengar. Sensing trouble, Bryan responded.
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Trident, right? I’ve heard you’re one of the top parties in the Federation.”
“Well, we’re confident we’re in the top three.”
“Right, so, how about taking these two with you? Their parents are from Dix Village. They’d like to see it at least once.”
The sudden request left Bryan, and even Amul, who had been listening, speechless.
“Huh? No way. We’re not here for work. We’re not doing any escort missions.”
“What are you talking about? We help each other out in times of need, right? It’s better to have more people when camping.”
“But still, traveling with strangers—”
“It’s Bengar and Amul. And you’re Trident. See? You’re not strangers anymore.”
“Huh?”
It wasn’t just Bryan and his group who were bewildered.
“Hey, husband. What are you talking about? We’re fine on our own.”
“Come on, don’t be like that after coming all this way. I’d like to go with you, but I’ve got work, so it’s tough.”
“But still—”
“It’s fate that our paths crossed, right?”
As the adventurers were taken aback by Stroman’s forceful suggestion, Spells and Mainui happened to pass by.
“Oh, you’re heading to Dix Village?”
“What’s it to you, old man?”
Amul snapped at Spells, who had suddenly spoken up.
“Hahaha. My apologies. I’m Spells.”
“Hmph! Never heard of you—”
“Hey, hey!”
Stroman quickly intervened at Amul’s blunt response.
“Spells is a sage of the Federation! Don’t be so rude.”
“…A sage? What’s someone like that doing here?”
“He’s here to guide the kids who just transferred.”
“Just transferred?”
“Yeah, got it? So be a bit more polite.”
“O-okay…”
Sometimes, acting out of goodwill can end up causing trouble for others. That doing something with good intentions isn’t always good for everyone is a universal truth, no matter the era or world.
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