episode_0018

Immediately after successfully subduing the bandits.

I was held by nobles and knights and had no choice but to return.

It’s true that I achieved merit, but they said that acting contrary to the plan as an adventurer must be punished.

However, that didn’t mean they were going to abandon me.

They promised to give the punishment they would give, and also provide separate compensation for the merit.

At the words suggesting calculating the punishment and merit separately rather than together, I couldn’t help but sigh and nod.

Whether they would actually keep that promise or not, I couldn’t know.

Returning to the city again took more time than coming here.

It’s partly because the rain slowed things down, but more so because we had to transport those bandit guys compared to coming with a light heart.

An accident also occurred.

Some of the adventurers killed two of the bandit guys during the night.

They were full of resentment, saying those guys killed their friends.

Their shouts of why they had to take such guys alive, even as they were blocked by soldiers, were vivid in my ears.

“I understand you’re angry, but if personal revenge is justified, there would be no need for laws.”

“…You’re saying something quite plausible?”

I, too, wasn’t walking back on my own but was being held by a knight, so the soliloquy I uttered was no longer a soliloquy.

The knight reacted as if surprised by the words I had uttered without meaning.

“If you were to face a situation like that, how would you act?”

Thinking for a moment at the behavior of suddenly throwing a question, perhaps because the way back was quite boring, I decided to say things as they were rather than trying to sugarcoat them.

“I wouldn’t be able to bear it either, you know?”

“In that case, weren’t you speaking too lightly of another’s pain?”

“It’s not my pain, is it?”

If I were to face such a situation, it was obvious I would also lose reason and rage wildly, so I might have uttered words that were too light, as the knight said.

In the end, it’s not my pain.

That’s why I can speak lightly of it.

Depending on the person, no.

Most people would be greatly disappointed by my answer right now.

I wish they would.

I will become a cruel and detestable being.

That’s how I set my goal.

If the world is cruel and detestable, I will also adapt myself to that mold.

I had resolved that.

“……Aren’t you too awkward at lying?”

“Lying… No.”

“Even if you’re avoiding eye contact because of the curse, your voice is trembling, and ever since you gave that answer, your hands and feet haven’t been still for a moment.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“Extremely.”

I sighed at the knight’s firm words.

It seemed that becoming a cruel person was harder than I thought.

“I don’t know why you’re pretending to be a bad person, but there’s no good in becoming one, is there?”

“The world is detestable, so to adapt to this world, I too must become detestable.”

“You seem to be about 11 or 12 years old now, but the way you talk makes it sound like you’ve seen all the worst things in the world by yourself.”

“Maybe I’m just exaggerating.”

Perhaps if someone else saw my current behavior, they might curse it as unsightly.

At the words I uttered thinking that, the knight fell into thought for a moment, then let out a snort.

“There’s no such thing as exaggeration. If you call what someone goes through ‘exaggeration,’ depending on how they accept it, those people are foolish individuals who consider the pain they experienced to be the greatest and belittle the pain others bear, so even if such people exist, there’s no value in dealing with them.”

“You’re saying something good.”

“Although your eyes are detestable, you yourself are not detestable, so I’m just giving advice.”

The knight glanced down at me and continued speaking.

“Thank you, we were able to win because of you.”

“It was something I had to do, you know.”

“The detestable person you want to become wouldn’t say that.”

Haha- The knight, laughing heartily and patting my shoulder firmly, had a sharp touch, but it felt like he simply couldn’t control his strength rather than having ill will, so although tears welled up from the pain, I didn’t complain.

“When you return, you’ll receive a light punishment and vast compensation, so rather than having gloomy thoughts, try to harbor happy ones.”

“…Thank you.”

This, surely, feels like I’ll have a bruise on my shoulder.

He was saying only such good things that it felt awkward to complain about this.

“But, the situation isn’t really good enough to have happy thoughts, is it?”

“…That’s true.”

This subjugation resulted in too much damage.

I heard that a hostile city was sponsoring the bandits, and it was because we happened to intervene in that process that the damage became immense.

Especially that person named Tyson was said to be an envoy of the hostile city.

“…It’s difficult.”

“You guys were just caught up in a political struggle. My apologies once again.”

“What can you do?”

Six soldiers died, and three were severely injured.

It’s not that the knights were safe either.

One of the knights was severely injured and was in a situation where he would have to retire.

If only the adventurers had died and there had been no particular damage on the nobles’ side, I might have suspected that they used us as meat shields, but

Given this situation, they must also see it as an unexpected accident, so if I were to find someone to resent, it wouldn’t be them but the crazy guys who sponsored the bandits that I should blame.

The supply unit was horrified when they saw our state upon return.

Surely, no one knew that nearly half would die.

“For now, I’ve stopped wanting to do things like subjugation teams much in the future.”

Suddenly dice rolled, suddenly the difficulty appeared, and the bandits were strong to an unexpected level.

It’s partly because their equipment was good and made them strong, but thinking about it carefully, although hard to understand, it also seemed like their ‘power’ itself had become stronger.

If I hadn’t thought of using my traits.

If the bandits hadn’t gotten excited and had noticed me mixed in among them.

If that person named Tyson hadn’t raised his voice and revealed his position.

I would have been swept away as is.

“That’s up to you, but if this matter is settled, they will grant you enough compensation that you won’t have to work for at least half a year.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Being a knight, he wouldn’t make things up, and he wouldn’t not know the character of his lord, so it seemed alright to trust him.

With the words “I’ll look forward to it,” no further conversation continued.

Thus, in the city we arrived at after a journey of several days, everything was done swiftly.

Naturally, the bandits were publicly executed in the central square.

For those who had surrendered hoping they might survive even if it meant becoming slaves, the last feelings they held were only rage and despair.

How is it that not a single one showed any sign of repentance until the moment of their death?

It was rather astonishing.

The severed heads of the bandits were skewered and hung beyond the gate as a warning, and their bodies were left in the deep forest outside the city for wild animals to feed on.

The disposal of the bandits thus ended, and the matter with the hostile city was something unrelated to us, so it was skipped over.

The next turn that arrived was mine.

The sin of leaving the ranks with unpromised actions.

The price for that was a punishment where my adventurer status could not be used for three days.

The reward I would receive after a punishment so light it could hardly be called a punishment was a whopping 80 silver coins along with a request ticket that allowed me to place a special order with the blacksmith used by nobles.

In the case of a request within common sense, the noble would provide all the materials, and the artisan who only accepts requests from nobles would painstakingly create anything for me.

At the words that I only needed to use it before leaving this city, whenever that may be, I nodded with satisfaction.

The noble was viewing me quite favorably.

Artisan blacksmith request ticket.

I had already thought about what I would get.

A sword.

The sword I’m using now was also a good enough sword, but I clearly realized something from this incident.

Using such a longsword with the abilities I possess wasn’t suitable.

My strength was insufficient, and my body was small, so my reach was short.

Therefore, rather than this sturdy sword, I needed a smaller, thinner, and sharper sword.

I needed a weapon to approach without a sound and end the opponent’s life in a single strike, without necessarily having to fight head-on.

“When fighting head-on, with my grandfather’s sword, and when I need to utilize my abilities, with the sword I’ll order this time.”

I intend to use two swords.

By the way.

When I received the compensation and returned to the guild, the glares were sharp.

I sighed.

I knew why they were showing such reactions.

An adventurer saved by me had made up false rumors during the three days my adventurer status was suspended.

The fact that they were saved by me was shameful, and the reward I received was envied.

And yet, they couldn’t come directly to me to say anything, but while I was away, they spread rumors that I had only caused trouble for the subjugation team and hogged the merit.

People were easily instigated.

It might have been partly because I was usually in a bad mood, and a bigger reason was that they were jealous because I received vast compensation.

“That noble lord also has a unique taste, being aroused by the body of such a brat.”

“They say nobles’ tastes are twisted to a degree commoners like us can’t understand, but their stomachs must be strong, to be completely infatuated with such an unpleasant girl.”

“Even if she can’t fight, she must be good at gripping, apparently.”

The voices weren’t small.

I had no intention of engaging with the dirty words being uttered deliberately and loudly, as if for me to hear.

They were thinking that I clung to a noble and created non-existent merit to receive the reward.

No matter what I said in rebuttal to such things, it would only sound like an excuse.

After scanning the request board, I found a suitable request and headed towards the reception desk.

The woman at the reception desk also didn’t look at me favorably.

It seemed the entire guild had already fallen for the instigation.

Instigation is easy, and explanation is difficult.

Tsk- Clicking my tongue, I tried to ignore it, when one of the adventurers approached aggressively and firmly grabbed my butt.

“Your body is unremarkable so I wasn’t particularly interested, but hearing that a noble is completely smitten makes me curious, maybe it’s possible once? I’ll give you money.”

Plop- On the face of the guy who dropped a copper coin in front of me was a twisted smile.

“Ha.”

I drew my sword and struck down at his arm.

“Aaaaaaaagh-!!”

As if he hadn’t expected me to attack, his figure was unsightly, screaming in a pathetic manner, grabbing his half-severed arm and splattering blood.

“As you say, the noble young master cherishes me quite a bit, so I can smooth over something like this. Why? Want to fight?”

I realized one thing from this incident.

The skills of adventurers of the same rank varied too much, so if it was an average adventurer of the same rank, I could fight and win sufficiently.

Shaking the blood off my sword, I kicked the fallen guy.

His nose was flattened, and his teeth were broken and spat onto the floor.

The unpleasant screaming stopped.

It’s quiet.

No one dares to argue.

In this era, I, connected to a noble, was not someone to be trifled with, at least in this vicinity.

I knew that.

After scanning them with a look as if seeing insects, I left the guild.

After placing the request with the blacksmith and receiving the sword.

It seemed I would have to leave this place immediately.

The quality was too bad.

It had been stagnant for too long, with a strong tendency to unconditionally believe what their own people said, even if it was a lie, and ostracize others.

Half were weird, but this seemed to be the average for adventurers, so I shook my head and walked into the mountains where I had gone once before, following a request.

Although time hadn’t stopped.

A familiar voice was heard.

[Suddenly, I wondered if some miscellaneous items had entered my inventory, but what the hell is this?!]

An exaggerated tone.

It was Rie.

It seemed that some of my reward from the bandit subjugation had flowed into her inventory, and she had come to figure out the situation.