Ch.61The Road to Shahelm (3)

“Raisha.”

I asked Raisha, who was ‘draped’ over me and above Spotty.

“Yes.”

“Am I handsome?”

“Eh.”

She turned her eyes away from me as if it was a question she hadn’t expected at all, and began to think hard.

“Hmm…”

Clop, clop.

I’ve never particularly suffered disadvantages because of my looks, but I haven’t gained any advantages from them either.

The people I knew in Parcival were all bottom-feeders living hand to mouth, so if they had money to improve their appearance, they’d rather buy another loaf of bread instead. So I didn’t really have a basis for comparison.

Well, nowadays I wash as much as I can and take care of myself to some extent, but it might look different from a woman’s perspective.

“Um… well… I think you’re… somewhat handsome…?”

Raisha answered while rolling her eyes.

“Why is that a question?”

“No… it’s just… everyone has different standards for appearance…”

“Evaluate me objectively.”

“You’re handsome.”

This time her answer was immediate.

“Don’t beat around the bush.”

“…”

Raisha said nothing more.

Or perhaps she couldn’t say anything.

Hmm…

“Raisha.”

“Yes…”

“Did you come from Faerus Vale?”

I thought I should change the atmosphere, so I shifted to asking about her background.

“Yes. What about you, Sir Victor?”

“I was born and raised in Parcival.”

“Oh… that port city…?”

“That’s right. That Parcival.”

“I heard it’s a tough place to live…”

…I wonder what kind of image Parcival projects to the outside world.

Although barnacle-infested people occasionally eat dock workers when they get bored, and there are more drugs than medicine on the streets, it’s still a place where people live.

“I’m not exactly known for my good personality.”

“That’s true.”

Raisha answered immediately.

Why doesn’t she beat around the bush on this one?

Is Parcival’s reputation that bad, or was she unimpressed by the impression I gave her?

“Well, if you’re from Faerus Vale, you must have seen it.”

“Seen what?”

“The Imperial Charter of Nariaki.”

“Ah… yes. I’ve seen it.”

Having heard of the 52 Wonders of the World, living in Faerus Vale, and even being an adventurer, it would be stranger if she hadn’t seen the Charter.

Being an adventurer isn’t a stationary job; it’s one where you constantly move around. Unless you’re determined to “never see the Charter,” you’d inevitably see it once or twice “in passing.”

“So what are you going to do, Raisha?”

“Pardon?”

“About adventuring with me. Are you really going to follow me on a pilgrimage to the 52 Wonders of the World?”

“Ah… yes.”

“Oh?”

I was somewhat surprised by her prompt answer.

Until yesterday, I hadn’t received a definitive answer, so I hadn’t imagined hearing this from her this morning.

“I’m an adventurer too… I want to see the wider world with my own eyes…”

“Right. That’s correct. That’s the mindset an adventurer should have.”

I was greatly pleased.

Although her body was heavy, her spirit was strong, which would undoubtedly be a great help to me.

“Good. Then we’re in the same boat.”

“Hehe…”

With this, at least I was relieved that there wouldn’t be a situation like Seriya’s departure.

Hmm… I wonder how Seriya is doing now.

She did throw a large sum of money at me, but the money she took wasn’t a small amount either, so she should have enough to settle down somewhere.

Perhaps she’s living well in a city other than Rascal, or maybe she couldn’t break her old habits and has become indebted again.

“What are you thinking about?”

“About a woman other than you.”

“…”

Raisha looked at me with an expression of disbelief.

Why? It’s the truth.

*

“But having such large breasts and hips must be difficult.”

“Well, yes.”

“How exactly is it difficult?”

“You know when you go to a restaurant and there are chairs and tables?”

“Mmm.”

“I can’t sit in chairs with backrests, and I have to put dishes on top of my chest instead of on the table.”

“My goodness.”

I clicked my tongue and added split firewood to the burning campfire.

In just two more days, we would finally reach Shahelm, and we would be able to take in that historic city with our own eyes.

“Have you ever killed anyone?”

“About forty people…”

“Why?”

“Some were for jobs… and there are many men who harass me…”

“Hmm.”

Crack! Crack!

I moved my sleeping bag slightly to prevent sparks from landing on it.

“Are there many men like that?”

“Surprisingly, not among adventurers. It’s usually ordinary people.”

“Hoo…”

There’s a saying that ignorance leads to foolishness.

Adventurers, regardless of their circumstances, know exactly how to kill people and how people die, but the perspective of ordinary people who at best might only see corpses frozen to death in winter or at traffic accident scenes is bound to be different.

To adventurers, Raisha would appear as a spear-wielder, but to ordinary people, she might look like a prostitute (in the sexual sense) whom they could crush underfoot (or so they think).

“W-what about you, Sir Victor?”

“Me? I think I’ve killed over a thousand people.”

“A thousand…”

To be honest, I don’t know for sure either.

It could be more, it could be less—an ambiguous number.

Killing people isn’t something to boast about, but the skill to kill people effectively is.

Especially on the rough streets of Parcival.

In Parcival’s winters, where even middle-class people with jobs might skip meals, hundreds died every day, and I was among those who did the killing.

“They say gem-ranked adventurers have kill counts exceeding one million as a baseline.”

“Hieek…”

Those special individuals destined for ascension truly operate on a different scale.

Each of those stars embedded in the sky was once a mortal who achieved great deeds and became a star, and among them, those who achieved the greatest deeds were Nariaki Saburo and Maria Taylor.

“Among the 52 Wonders of the World, is there one you want to see?”

“Ah… I want to see the Baby Factory in the Miriam Continent.”

“Ah… that place.”

Baby factories themselves aren’t special, but the one located in the Scofield Plains of the Miriam Continent is exceptional.

All the baby factories in the world combined don’t amount to half the size of the one in Scofield.

During the Ancient Empire era, it belonged to the imperial direct territories, and after the empire’s collapse, it was operated as a corporate state-like entity by the imperial national corporation that drove away various swindlers who tried to take over the factory to increase their numbers.

“They say huge mechanical arms make babies, and I really want to see it once.”

“You’ll see it soon. The Miriam Continent is right next to the Faerun Continent.”

“Hehe.”

The Miriam Continent is attached to the right side of the Faerun Continent… that is, it was the second continent to be discovered and settled by people.

Naturally, it was separated from the Faerun Continent by an ocean, and aircraft and ships regularly transported goods and people back and forth.

Even in Parcival, there was an airport outside the city, and I often saw planes heading there.

“Do you want to go by plane, or by ship?”

“I want to go by ship. I want to enjoy the sea breeze.”

“Hehehe. The sea breeze isn’t particularly different from the land breeze. It just has a fishy smell mixed in.”

“I won’t give in on this! I’ve always dreamed of riding a ship!”

“Really?”

Actually, I haven’t been on a ship much either. I’ve transported cargo on small boats at the harbor, but that was hardly a ship, and it would be embarrassing to call it a voyage.

And planes are… a bit scary. What if we encounter a dragon during the flight? At sea, you could at least jump into the current and trust it, but falling from the sky would turn you into mincemeat whether you hit water or land.

“Well, then let’s take a ship and go at a leisurely pace. It’s not like we have a time limit.”

“Yes.”

Bubble, bubble!

As we finished our conversation, the teapot began to boil, and we enjoyed a pleasant meal of grilled meat and pickled vegetables, followed by tea brewed with premium tea leaves to cleanse our palates.

“Mmm… this is high-quality tea.”

“It costs ten times more than regular tea. It should be that good.”

“How on earth can you afford so much of this tea?”

“Work 24 hours a day.”

“Hieek… doesn’t that mean you can barely sleep?”

“Barely sleep, indeed.”

Truly, back then it was closer to madness than determination.

Despite being able to afford better meals, I deliberately ate the cheapest food, and despite being able to find better lodging, I deliberately slept in ruins with collapsed ceilings.

All to save a few coins.

But in the end, I was rewarded with this romance, so as long as the outcome is good, that’s all that matters.

We soon emptied the teapot completely, covered ourselves with sleeping bags, and set off toward tomorrow.

And two days later.

Just as the morning fullness in our stomachs was beginning to fade, we crossed ridges and highlands and finally arrived at the main gate of Shahelm.

“Raisha, we’ve arrived. The City of Potions, Shahelm!”

“Finally!”

With those exclamations, we joined the back of the long line, and after an hour of waiting, we finally succeeded in entering Shahelm.