Ch.66Potion City, Shahelm (5)

In conclusion, Raisha and I became lovers.

The reason was simple.

Raisha confessed to me, and I accepted her confession.

Of course, we were only dating, not married, so we hadn’t yet joined our bodies—we had only mingled our tongues a little.

Medina bestows sacred blessings upon those who marry, and even greater blessings upon those who maintain premarital chastity.

Our age might be somewhat ambiguous, but with barely three years left until adulthood, surely we can exercise restraint until then.

It’s not particularly unusual for adventurers to become lovers or spouses.

There have been cases where the husband is an adventurer and the wife a guild receptionist, and numerous instances of family parties where elderly couples in their eighties fight on the front lines with maces and spears while their grandchildren cast healing spells from behind.

Of course, if someone has an affair or makes a mistake resulting in a party member’s death, that’s when everything falls apart, but hey, as long as you don’t die, it’s fine, right?

“You filthy deceiver, you have money, sword skills, and a gorgeous girlfriend too. Die and receive divine punishment!”

Occasionally, I’d face such provocations while walking through town.

“I am not a deceiver.”

“Hmph! How are you not deceiving when you’re living such a victorious life!”

“A man forming a union with a woman is the exquisite principle and harmony of nature and society. I have secured my woman’s heart by proving my wealth and martial prowess. Isn’t that a fair exchange? Besides, why direct your anger at me for your lack of wealth and strength? Instead of wasting time being angry at me, if you went on adventures and proved your valor, village maidens and city women would line up for you.”

“Eeek…!”

“If you cannot do that, I need not bother responding to every outcry from a worthless person who fails to obtain what is obtainable.”

That’s how I responded.

Strangely enough, while adventurers might look at us with envious eyes or jealous glares thinking ‘those breasts and that butt should have been mine,’ they never pick fights with us on the street in broad daylight. Yet oddly, it’s the ordinary civilians, even when sober, who take issue and provoke confrontations.

I wonder why.

I pondered this deeply while sharing a passionate kiss with Raisha, who had become mine.

In my opinion, it seemed to be a matter of perception.

There’s an ancient saying that seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times.

Considering how I struggled with just a few giant rats in my early adventures, it must be extremely difficult for non-adventurers to truly comprehend an adventurer’s strength.

For example, even though I’ve killed over 1,000 people, people in taverns wouldn’t fear me just because I boast about it.

They’ve never seen it directly; they’ve never witnessed me fight.

No matter how many people I kill, the vast majority of people live as farmers or office workers, not adventurers, and adventurers are just sword-carrying ruffians who come and go.

That’s why they provoke without hesitation.

‘I can beat him because he’s drunk,’ ‘I can beat him because he looks weak,’ ‘I can take her because she’s a woman’… and so on. Ordinary people tend to underestimate adventurers.

“Phew… mmm…”

At that moment, Raisha, after finishing our kiss, licked her lips and nestled against me.

I embraced her with my arms, pulling her close until her nose touched my chest, and she nuzzled against me, making high-pitched nasal sounds.

“I love you…”

“Yes. Me too.”

I answered while caressing the nape of her neck, and she silently interlaced her fingers with mine.

Anyway… so… um… what was I thinking about again?

The fact that I can’t remember suggests it wasn’t that important.

*

“That’s right. Hold the reins like that.”

“Ugh…”

On a hot summer day in Shahelm.

After receiving liposuction treatment at the hospital, Raisha became able to mount a horse by herself, and I bought her a spotted pack horse similar to Jeombaki, fitted with a canopy.

It was expensive, but she’s my woman now, so this level of expenditure is nothing.

I had earned plenty of money enjoying 240 hours of adventure per week while she was groaning in the hospital, so unless we get scammed, we shouldn’t run out of travel funds.

Clop, clop, clop, clop…

“Wow! It’s moving!”

“Be careful. Increase the speed slowly. Understand?”

Even with the fat gone, she was still a heavyweight exceeding 100kg whether she liked it or not. If she rode a swift steed, the horse’s back would soon break.

That’s why we needed a large, sturdy pack horse, and as I expected, though slow, it maintained its life while admirably handling our mobility needs.

We practiced horsemanship throughout the long summer, and I learned to wield a sword while riding, while she learned to use a halberd like a lance.

“Hehe… now we can go to Fernheim.”

“Indeed.”

Fernheim is Karil’s birthplace.

Naturally, it’s also where the Karil faith is strongest on the Faerun continent, and regular tournaments are held in dedication to Karil, where numerous warriors kill each other, offering blood to the Blood God.

Of course, it’s the “birthplace,” not the “ascension place,” and since Karil, being a Blood God, traveled to various places building achievements before ascending, there weren’t any particular sanctuaries except for his childhood home.

However, Karil, caring for his hometown, blessed the entire city so that warriors who die in the Colosseum would always be resurrected, making it a popular destination for ambivalent tough men and women who want to fight risking their lives but don’t actually want to die.

Upon arriving in Fernheim, we decided to first visit Karil’s childhood home to pray, then each enter the Colosseum and fight until death.

“Now that my chest and butt have shrunk, I’ll be much faster.”

“Yes, I can see you’ve become slimmer.”

I swallowed the words “still over 100kg” internally.

The reason was simple.

I wasn’t holding a sword in my hand, but she was holding a halberd in hers.

*

Fernheim, the third famous site of the Faerun continent, is far from Shahelm.

Well, the continent’s famous sites aren’t exactly clustered together, but Fernheim and the Crusis Mountains are so distant that it takes over two months just to travel between them.

“With such a distance, summer will be over by then. We should prepare for winter.”

“By the time we finish our business in Fernheim and reach the Crusis Mountains, we’ll probably see the first snow.”

The scenic view of mountains with freshly fallen snow—could anything be more romantic?

We were heading to a place where there was an enchanter who could cast magic on weapons.

Since greatswords and halberds aren’t exactly convenient weapons to carry, we were seeking an enchanter to cast spells allowing us to store our weapons.

We could put them in a spatial storage, but unless we only stored weapons there, the contents would inevitably mix while traveling, and if we didn’t want to pull out potatoes and onions before retrieving a greatsword, it would be wiser to have separate magic cast on them.

With that in mind, I finally found a mage and entrusted him with my greatsword and daggers.

“Make them appear out of thin air with just my gesture.”

“Come on… do you think weapon binding is easy? You can’t just throw weapons at me and expect it to work.”

Before me stood an enchanter dressed in jewel-adorned clothing.

I asked him to cast weapon binding (magic that returns a weapon to your hand if dropped) and weapon storage (magic that allows you to summon and store your sword at will), and his response was as above.

“Is it impossible?”

“It’s possible, but not with empty words.”

I rubbed my fingers together and gave the slippery man one gold coin.

Such people aren’t swayed by threats or flattery.

For those who chase only the glitter of gold, silver, and copper, there’s a specific way to handle them.

“Honorable swordsman. If you would lie down, I shall bind your weapons to your soul.”

“I like your attitude.”

“I am but a humble conjurer.”

“After I’m done, cast magic on Raisha as well.”

“I am deeply grateful that you allow me to use my humble skills on your beautiful and gracious lady.”

Thus, he cast magic on my weapons, and Raisha also had magic cast on her halberd, allowing us to retrieve them at will.

Money truly is the best.

Always thrilling!