episode_0019

“Sir.”

“Why?”

Fortunately, as time passed, the awkward atmosphere disappeared between Allen and Lily, who were heading into the forest to defeat a monster they had been commissioned to kill.

“Are you strong, sir?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I want to become strong too.”

“… ”

Although Allen always thought that growth came first, Lily’s words were not wrong.

At least having some strength would make it a bit easier to live in this harsh world.

However…

“Let’s focus on growing first.”

“Why?”

“Well… because you’re still weak for now.”

Even if he was a half-blood mixed with demon blood, a child who hadn’t properly grown wouldn’t be able to wield a sword properly.

“But… I want to be helpful too.”

“… Admirable. But not right now.”

…”

In response to Allen’s firm words, Lily seemed to show something, standing in front of a large rock by the roadside.

“Lily? What are you…”

“Huut!”

With a quaint battle cry, the large rock was lifted up.

“… Huh?”

Allen’s eyes widened at the surreal sight.

Thud-

“Huff… Is this good enough?”

“Uh… that…”

While aware that demons were naturally gifted with physical abilities, Allen hadn’t expected this level of strength.

Even though only half of his blood was mixed with demon blood and he was slow to grow.

“Basic training seems possible.”

“Wow-!”

In the end, what Allen chose was acknowledgment.

Although being small in stature was a bit of a flaw, with that level of strength, he could use a sword or a bow.

“What should I teach?”

Since Allen used a sword as his weapon, he could teach Lily a lot if he taught her how to use a sword, but he wanted to avoid swords if possible.

“Swords are tough.”

The weapon itself wasn’t bad.

However, during his time in the Hero Party, Allen always stood at the forefront, directly engaging monsters in combat, so he hoped Lily wouldn’t have experiences as challenging as his own.

Above all, the biggest drawback of a sword was feeling the sensation of cutting flesh when swinging it by hand.

While it might be better against monsters, fighting people could potentially lead to trauma depending on the circumstances.

In the end, Allen chose a bow as Lily’s weapon.

“I’ll buy a small bow for you in town after we finish the commission.”

“A bow?”

“Yes. I think a bow would be better.”

“… Okay.”

Although she had wanted to have a sword like Allen’s, Lily nodded obediently since it was a weapon chosen by Allen himself.

“I still prefer a sword.”

Although she wanted to tell Allen that she wanted a sword even now, she simply accepted it, thinking there must be a reason.

“… But a sword is still better.”

Lily vowed to get a sword someday if the opportunity arose.

After completing the simple commission, Allen took Lily back to town and headed to a shop to buy a bow.

Knowing that bows are usually made of wood and not handled in blacksmith shops, Allen continued to search the town until he finally found a shop selling bows.

“Welcome.”

“Hello. Do you have a bow that this child can use?”

“This child?”

The shopkeeper, seeing Lily’s small stature, looked puzzled.

It seemed obvious that she lacked the strength to draw a bow.

“… I’m buying it in advance.”

“Ah, I see.”

Reluctantly, the clerk nodded in apparent understanding at Allen’s excuse for not telling the truth and then led Allen and Lily into the store.

“This bow is made from oak wood. Crafted with the delicate touch of a master…”

Although the clerk was describing each bow individually, perhaps believing they had come to buy in advance, he recommended a rather large bow.

“…Hmm. Do you have a smaller bow?”

“A smaller bow?”

“Yes.”

Casting a suspicious glance at Allen, the clerk suggested something else.

“…How about considering a crossbow instead?”

“Oh.”

Allen realized his mistake.

Was it because he was thinking of Jenny that he chose a weapon?

He hadn’t even considered a crossbow as an option.

While each has its pros and cons, a crossbow would be easier to learn.

“Then could you show me a slightly smaller crossbow?”

…

Without saying a word, Allen avoided the clerk’s still suspicious gaze and began to look at the smaller crossbows.

When using a bow, Lily, who had shown ambiguous reactions, seemed to look cool, as she was watching with an interesting gaze.

“Sir. I like this.”

“This?”

What Lily chose was a small crossbow that could be carried around more as a secondary weapon than a main one.

Ironically, because it was small enough to be easy to carry as a secondary weapon, it was just the right size for Lily’s hand.

“This should be good.”

Since Alan also thought that this size was suitable for the still young Lily, he could quickly make a decision.

“I’ll take this.”

“Yes, would you like to purchase crossbow bolts as well?”

“Just give me 100 for now.”

After finishing the calculation, Alan handed the crossbow to Lily, and Lily looked around the crossbow with a pounding expression.

“… Do you really like it that much?”

“Yes!”

“Okay. If you like it, then it’s good.”

Alan patted Lily on the head.

“Let’s see… food, medical supplies, clothes. Everything is ready.”

“It’s a lot of stuff.”

Having completed the request, he must have made some money.

Yesterday, unexpected events unfolded, but Allen was determined to distribute relief supplies today.

“Alright, let’s go, Lily.”

“Yes!”

Since Lily was always fine going wherever Allen went, she followed him happily without worrying too much, even if they were going to a poor neighborhood.

To be honest, Allen could handle any situation that arose in the poor neighborhood easily.

Continuing towards the known poor neighborhood, Allen and Lily finally reached the entrance of the area.

With their experience, Allen and Lily casually entered the square in the poor neighborhood and set up their place.

Then, Allen put down the large relief items on his back and called out to the people.

“We will distribute relief supplies for all of you. Please come one by one to receive them.”

“Come and get them!”

In her own way, Lily also shouted by Allen’s side to help him.

“…”

“…”

However, people just looked at Allen and Lily.

Although they stared piercingly with their eyes fixed on the protest signs, they didn’t approach.

“Why aren’t they coming?”

Allen was puzzled by this fact, but decided to wait patiently for now.

It could be because of the wariness towards strangers that they were not coming.

“…Sir. People are not coming.”

“That’s right.”

“…Is it because of me?”

“…You’re wearing a hat right now. No, it’s not.”

“Oh.”

Lily hesitated, thinking it might be her fault, but quickly stopped crying at Allen’s words.

And at the same time, he became puzzled.

If it’s not because of himself, why do people not come?

Did he wait for a long time for someone?

Finally, someone appeared to receive relief supplies.

“… Are you really giving without taking anything?”

“Yes. Just take it.”

To the person who came to receive relief supplies for the first time, Allen smiled and handed over the package he had personally wrapped.

“…”

The woman who hesitated whether to accept the package eventually took the relief supplies with trembling hands.

“Thank you.”

Then, she bowed slightly and disappeared into the distance.

“It seems like they’re just giving them away, right?”

“Isn’t this going to be asked for again later?”

“…”

Listening to some people muttering suspiciously, Allen realized what they were worried about.

“Everyone, I don’t ask for anything from you in exchange for these relief supplies. Just come and take them.”

“That’s right! Just take them!”

Perhaps Lily helping next to him was a factor.

Only then did people slowly start lining up to receive relief supplies.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As more and more people received relief supplies one by one, Lily also had to move quickly to accommodate the increasing crowd.

“It seems like everyone who was supposed to receive today has received them all.”

“I think so!”

Although there were only a few relief supplies left in the end, fortunately, no one else seemed to be coming to receive them.

“Should we start heading back too?”

“Yes!”

With work finished, all that was left was to return to the lodging and rest, carrying the tired Lily on his back. In Allen’s mind, there was a lingering question.

“What on earth happened in this impoverished village?”