Ch.103Cursed Journey (4)

If I were to roughly evaluate the guys who came to me insisting on becoming my companions…

“They’re useful.”

“Don’t you think treating them like tools is a bit much?”

“If you have complaints, get lost.”

“But you said yourself that if we proved useful, you’d accept us as companions!”

“…Annoying bastard.”

They are useful, I’ll admit that. But personality-wise, they’re unbearably burdensome. At least the Holy Maiden is relatively quiet, so that’s fortunate.

Anyway, thanks to these guys showing up, I’ve been able to achieve better results than usual and I’m in much better physical condition.

Still, this is just a passing connection. Once the job is done, we’ll definitely have nothing to do with each other.

With such thoughts, I prepared to make dinner. Having two more mouths to feed means I need a lot more ingredients.

This is irritating in so many ways. Why am I taking care of these guys? If it weren’t for my master, I would have shaken them off long ago.

So I continued muttering complaints to myself as I created a small spark using magic I had learned before. It’s definitely helpful.

But then I felt someone watching me. When I turned around, I saw the Holy Maiden looking unusually energetic.

“Did you just use magic?”

“Yeah.”

“Could you show me one more time, please?”

“Why?”

“Isn’t magic amazing? You’re creating something new from nothing using mana!”

As the Holy Maiden smiled with childlike innocence, the Holy Knight approached with a sly smile and said:

“Sorry, she’s had a fascination with magic since she was young. Besides, mages are a rare profession these days.”

“If magic is this amazing, why doesn’t everyone do it… If only I had talent for magic, I would have become a mage…”

“…You’re the first person I’ve met who wants to learn such a stupid skill.”

“But it’s so cool, learning all those complex formulas and difficult magic circles…”

“Pathetic.”

There’s probably nothing more useless in this world than magic. Combat aspects can be perfectly replaced by black magic or sorcery.

And for non-combat fields, there are far more things that can be solved with science or supernatural powers.

The only advantage magic has is that it comes with no risk, but when there’s no return on investment, it’s already carrying a filthy big risk.

So unless you’re overflowing with talent, magic is absolutely not something you should touch. Even if you have talent, it’s much better to study something else to make a living.

Fortunately, this Holy Maiden has no talent for magic. If she had, she would have truly crossed a river of no return.

There’s a joke going around that the moment you go to a magic tower, you’re not a human but a slave. Well, maybe being a slave who writes magic-related papers every day is accurate.

With such thoughts, I simply roasted the game I had just caught and shared it with those guys.

“Is this for us?”

“So what.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d just leave our portions and tell us to fend for ourselves.”

“If you don’t want it, give it back.”

“Alright, I’ll eat quickly. And thanks.”

“Th-thank you!”

The Holy Maiden, who had been lively when talking about magic, once again shrank like a frightened puppy.

I tried to fill my stomach in that quiet moment, but those guys don’t seem to have any intention of leaving me alone.

“This is delicious. Did you learn cooking somewhere?”

“It’s really, really delicious!”

“Just eat quietly.”

“But it’s truly so delicious! Much better than what we ate in the Holy Nation…”

“If you keep being noisy, I won’t cook again.”

The surroundings instantly became quiet. At least my cooking skills weren’t completely useless.

I improved because my master always made me do it. Those were truly peaceful days.

Until recently, I was living such a peaceful life. But now I feel completely detached from that daily routine.

It’s only natural. My daily life ended back then.

Anyway, the journey ahead seems quite troublesome. But this kind of connection won’t last long.

***

Another day passed, no different from usual. A day of fighting from morning till night.

“Hero, good work today!”

“Yeah, you too.”

I’m grateful to have reliable companions by my side. Thanks to them, I’ve been able to endure even difficult situations.

So I started making dinner again today. What should I make tonight?

While I was thinking about that, Adrian suddenly approached and said:

“Your personality has really brightened up. When we first met three years ago, you treated me like you wanted to kill me.”

“…Why are you bringing up my embarrassing past?”

“Just feeling nostalgic suddenly. So what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Chicken soup.”

“That’s Zoe’s favorite again, isn’t it?”

“…Just a coincidence.”

“Sure it is.”

Adrian teased me with his usual sly attitude. Someday I’ll definitely make him flustered.

Now, back to making dinner…

“Hero! Look at that! It’s a puppy with horns!”

Suddenly Zoe shouted excitedly. I pulled out a dagger hidden in my sleeve and threw it at the thing next to Zoe.

“Eek!”

The demon that got hit by the dagger died instantly. Zoe looked at me with a sad face.

“Hero… why did you do that to this cute creature?”

“That’s a demon.”

“…What?”

“It’s a demon that appears occasionally, but not particularly threatening.”

“Then why did you…”

“It’s not threatening unless you let your guard down and approach it directly without defense.”

Zoe asked me with a shocked expression:

“Does that demon attack when people let their guard down?”

“Yes.”

“…What kind of evil person would create something so terrible?”

“Not evil, just stupid. Otherwise, what kind of person would create a demon that loses to a middle schooler?”

“But they’re the ones who made such cute creatures that kill people! So they are evil!”

“Whatever you say.”

While chatting with Zoe, I suddenly felt something moving in the bushes.

“Woof!”

A brightly glowing demon puppy jumped out, wagging its tail.

“…Hero? What is that?”

“…I don’t know either.”

The horns on its head confirm it’s a demon. I should deal with it before it causes harm.

With that thought, I pulled out another dagger hidden in my sleeve and prepared to throw it, but Zoe suddenly stopped me.

“Why don’t we spare this one?”

“The principle is to kill demons without intelligence.”

“Are you really going to kill such a cute creature? Hero, you have no heart…”

I threw the dagger past Zoe and hit the creature. It died instantly again.

Zoe looked at it with pitiful eyes, then puffed her cheeks and complained to me:

“That’s too much!”

“Better than letting it go to the village and harm people.”

“There’s no guarantee it would harm anyone!”

“If there’s even a possibility of danger that can be prevented, it should be prevented.”

“Fine! I’m not talking to you anymore!”

Zoe made it clear she was upset by turning her head away from me. If only I could fix that tender heart of hers.

Fortunately, we haven’t faced any truly threatening enemies yet, but if a real threat appears…

Well, I’ll just have to defeat it somehow. I haven’t used my lifespan yet, so I can use that if needed. For now, let’s try to cheer Zoe up.

“I’m sorry, I’ll think before acting next time.”

Zoe was still ignoring me, making it clear she was angry. But I still have another method.

“I’ll make roast chicken for dinner tonight.”

Zoe’s ears perked up for a moment, but she still tried to ignore me.

“So, what flavor would you like?”

“…”

“If you keep ignoring me, we’ll just have to make do with boiled potatoes…”

“Spicy.”

Finally giving in to food, Zoe sighed softly and glared at me while speaking:

“I’m letting you off just this once. Don’t ever do that again!”

“Alright, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

I hurried to prepare the bribe to improve Zoe’s mood.

After dinner was ready, I gathered everyone to start the meal.

As soon as Zoe took a bite of the chicken, she spoke to me with a happy expression as if she had never been angry:

“This is really delicious today too!”

“I’m glad the seasoning is right.”

As another ordinary day was passing, Zoe asked me:

“By the way, what will you do after the war ends, Hero?”

“Well, I haven’t really thought about it.”

I’ve been driven by revenge all this time. But whether it’s because too much time has passed or because of these guys’ influence, my desire for revenge is gradually fading.

Of course, I still grit my teeth just thinking about the Demon King. So I have no intention of giving up my revenge no matter what.

Anyway, I’ve become quite calm compared to before, so now I can imagine what comes after this is all over. Still, I can’t think of what I’ll do.

“Do you have any good plans?”

“I’ll probably return to the Holy Nation when it’s over.”

“I’m also affiliated with the Holy Nation, so I’ll return there too.”

Both say they’ll return to the Holy Nation. So will I be alone again after this is all over?

I’d like to go to the Holy Nation too, but I’m an atheist, so I don’t believe in goddesses at all.

Of course, I know the Goddess exists. But then why does she just watch this situation?

So we don’t need such a bystander. We just live by our own strength.

So I started thinking about what I could do alone.

“Then maybe I’ll become a mage.”

“Magic?”

Zoe’s eyes sparkled. It’s amazing how she always reacts the same way whenever magic is mentioned.

“I don’t have anything else to do by myself anyway. And I mentioned before that I have talent for magic.”

“So you’ll really use magic later, Hero? Really?!”

“Yes. I probably will.”

“Then please show me when you use magic! It’s my greatest wish!”

“I’ll show you as much as you want, no need to make it a wish.”

But the fact that I’ll part ways with these guys still feels too regrettable. While feeling somewhat bitter about it, Adrian said:

“Or we could just convince the Pope to let the three of us continue traveling together.”

“Is that possible?”

“Considering our contributions in the war against the Demon King, I don’t think it would be impossible.”

“Then I could see Hero using magic up close!”

Zoe said excitedly, smiling like a child. Seeing that, I smiled and said:

“If we stay together, I’ll show you every day.”

While imagining the future after defeating the Demon King, Adrian smiled slyly and said:

“Come to think of it, you used to be negative about magic, so what changed your mind?”

“…Shut up.”

My face reddened for no reason. And along with it, Zoe’s face turned bright red too.

And so, another ordinary day was passing as always.