episode_0034

Go up behind Thistle’s back and press down on the bandage that is still wrapped so it doesn’t pop.

“Keuung. Oh, please give me the waist too.”

Potato Thistle groans as the bandage is slightly tight.

‘Aren’t you winding it too tightly? I heard that it will heal quickly if there is a little air, so should I loosen it up a little?’

“Creating a little space will help you recover faster.”

“Is that so? Then please do me a favor.”

“Yes… hi!”

When I put my finger between the skin and the tight bandage, Thistle suddenly felt the temperature difference and jumped up.

“Sorry, sorry. My hands were cold because I stopped by a bit far away.”

“No. No, I was just surprised. Please continue.”

Thistle sat back down and I loosened the bandage a bit, just enough to keep it from falling off.

‘You have a lot of scars?’

Coming down from the top, I kept covering the small scratches, but the wounds were not deep, but there were quite a few of them.

As I approached him while wrapping the bandage around his entire upper body, I could smell a slightly fragrant smell mixed with the smell of the medicine applied to the wound.

“…”

I asked a question because I felt the atmosphere was a bit strange as I remained silent and kept close to the scent and continued to smell it.

“What happened?”

Thistle hesitated a little before answering.

“… That’s right, I ended up getting hurt while looking for a place for Deshade’s spirit. I was stopping by the guild briefly after asking Lee Rim to give me some news.”

Spread out the small amount of thistle medicine and spread it over the skin.

“When I arrived, a guild employee told me that they had found a location for the ritual I had requested. After hearing that there was a clean spring inside the goblin’s den, I made a mistake by not bothering to come because I wanted to welcome Deshade as soon as possible.”

“Did you go alone?”

“Yes. That also means carrying a lot of luggage.”

A goblin den can be completed in a day by a party of beginner adventurers, assuming they are careful to attack it.

As a mid-level adventurer, Thistle would naturally be able to handle this on his own.

However, the adventurer’s recommendation is that there should be at least one more person to watch the front and back together.

No matter how weak the goblins are, there are cases where they suddenly jump out of the wall in a surprise attack, and there are cases among them that can be called irregulars, so if you do something wrong, you can become food or become a slave if it is a lair of crazy people.

If you get caught up in something and lose focus, it could lead to a big mistake.

“At first, I thought about hiring other adventurers to go, but since I am also an intermediate adventurer, I thought it might be okay to go on my own. However, it was a bad thing to not look at yourself before over-indulging.”

Next to Thistle, there was a large storage box, a claymore, and a slightly frayed priest’s uniform.

‘With this much burden, it’s natural for things to turn out differently.’

The storage box was the size of an adult man and larger than Thistle. Of course, if you carry this much burden, you will have a big disadvantage.

Your vision will be obscured, the amount of auditory information you can get will be reduced due to the rattling noise of the pack, and most of all, carrying a pack will be the worst possible condition for wielding a weapon.

Since I had to tie that ship to a narrow cave and carry a claymore with me, there is no way I could fight properly.

‘It was a really dangerous situation. ‘I’m glad you came back alive.’

Goblins also use swords, but their priestly uniforms seem to be pretty good, blocking most attacks. When I touched it, it was quite elastic compared to its thickness.

Looking at the wound, it may have actually been a deep stab, but it appears to have been just a scratch due to its good defense.

Thistle apologizes repeatedly.

“Sorry. You even made an appointment to meet, but as soon as you confirmed the necessary location, you ran away alone.”

“No, I’m glad you came back alive.”

‘It looks like someone is going to go first after all.’

Thistle seems to think this is truly shameless, so he lowers his head and begins to talk without looking into my eyes.

“It’s a really shameful story, but I spent all my money on acquiring the materials and information needed for the lecture. As someone who has also been an adventurer, asking other adventurers for favors without compensation is something I would dare to apologize for. So I thought it would be okay to pay later, so I tried to ask a knowledgeable person, but the only person that came to mind was Lee Rim.”

“If I am the only person willing to do it, wouldn’t I be able to refuse of course? Of course we have to help.”

“Still…”

“It’s okay. Wasn’t I the one who first said that I would help someday? So don’t feel burdened.”

‘They say I’ll get paid later, so I have to do it.’

I also wanted to take a look at Kangshin, so I gladly accepted.

“Thank you so much. Really, it would have been better if my strength had been stronger, but I’m still lacking in feats, so I end up messing things up like this.”

‘Rather than a lack of strength, it was probably more that I went in without thinking too much.’

I think the problem was that I was a little distracted and my judgment was clouded. If I had changed my weapon, I might have been able to do it alone. Thistle’s skills are comparable to those of a mid-level adventurer.

“Can’t I just change weapons? Since it is a narrow cave, a short mace or short sword would have been fine.”

I thought it would have been good to at least change to a different weapon, even a claymore, but there was a reason.

“This claymore is a weapon given directly by Deshade, so it is difficult to separate it from the body. Changing weapons depending on the situation is a natural thing for an experienced adventurer, but at the same time, as a priest, I think of this as a part of the body, so I can’t do that.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, I guess there was nothing I could do.”

‘So you went into the cave with something you couldn’t wield in the narrow interior?’

If it were a weapon given directly by God, it would be difficult to separate it from the body.

Since we decided to help Thistle, we discussed the departure date.

“When will you leave? Well, I think the day after tomorrow will probably be difficult, but tomorrow will be possible.”

I have to do supply work the day after tomorrow, so it’s better to finish it before then if possible.

“Then I guess I’ll have to ask for tomorrow. They said that if the military decides to proceed with the ceremony, they will send an official request and dispatch Lee Rim. Today I will speak through the guild.”

“I guess Hygenic said that.”

“Yes. He was a very grateful person. Since most people serve Gaia, it is natural to worry about what people around you think, but to think that she helps another god like this.”

“If there are people who love humans, no matter how many there are, of course we should be thankful.”

‘Actually, it’s all about networking.’

If you think about it for a long time, it is natural that there is nothing to be gained even if you treat Thistle harshly now, and there is a high chance that it will come back better later if you treat it well.

The officer in the security force also looked young, and I think that was the secret to getting to that position so early.

“So how do you plan on doing today? If anything else happens, I can come visit you, so I think I should know where to stay.”

“I rented this place yesterday, so it would be right to leave. First of all, the atmosphere is not welcoming to me, but I am thinking of going to Gaia’s church and asking for a night. They would be generous enough to allow me to rent an eaves for one night.”

“Wouldn’t an inn be better?”

‘It must be difficult to be treated properly by the Gaia Church.’

I start to worry because I think that my injured body might suffer if I don’t rest properly.

Thistle responded as if she was really okay with me, but-

“… Well, I spent all the money I had left on medicine. Since I couldn’t find an inn, I went to the Gaia Church. Still, you don’t have to worry…”

Growling-

As if denying the excuse, thunder rumbled from Thistle’s ship.

“… I’m sorry.”

Thistle’s face was completely red, as if he was embarrassed, and he was clutching his priest’s robes tightly.

Just looking at it, it looks like he plans to starve like this.

‘It’s not a bad idea to pretend not to see something even after hearing all the noise.’

I take out 1 gold coin from my pocket as an emergency fund, just in case. Thanks to Enin, I started going out quite often, so I saved the money.

Get “”

“Yes, yes?”

Thistle was surprised when he forcibly opened the hand holding the priest’s uniform and gave him a gold coin. I’m afraid I’ll say something rejecting it, so I immediately add this and that.

“Please consider this as my donation to the church. It would be better to find a place to stay, eat, get a good rest, and meet tomorrow. Don’t you want to go to another denomination and bow your head for no reason?”

Following Hygenic’s example, I also helped Thistle for both humanitarian and networking purposes.

As she serves Deshade, she does not have a church yet and Thistle is the only believer, so it would be difficult to expect much help right now.

But there is such a thing as a future. I believe that if we show favor now, we will be able to receive great help later if the size of this church grows.

Since we don’t know what the future will be like, it’s a waste of money to call it a donation, but since I’m not particularly concerned about money, it doesn’t matter to me.

‘And there’s nothing wrong with being seen well by the god Deshade.’

More important than anything else, the new god that will appear in this place, which is at the level of a single state religion, is more important. I want to establish a connection with this god by helping Thistle.

‘If you do well, you might be able to receive something.’

If you treat the first priest, Thistle, well and make a good impression, he may give you something good like Thistle’s claymore.

At the thought of spending the day looking at the opinions of other denominations, I felt somewhat pitiful.

Thistle takes the gold coin from me and continues to look at it, then looks at me.

“Such a favor… I can’t refuse it even with empty words because the situation is not good. Thank you very much. May Deshade’s blessing be with you.”

And then they hug while shedding tears.

I was startled when he suddenly turned this way while I was still wearing a bandage and not even wearing a shirt.

“Uh, sir, priest?”

“Thank you so much…”

A sincere hug hugs my body tightly.

A soft mass hit my upper body, and although I was embarrassed, I couldn’t push it away.

The priest, who relied on God but could not find a place to lean on in reality, holds on to his clothes tightly, expressing his gratitude as if he had finally found a place to lean on and as if he would never let go.

‘… Considering that I’ve been alone for 10 years, this is probably worth it.’

“Black, huh…”

As I cry, tears start to wet my clothes.

The situation must have been so difficult that he was greatly impressed by me with only 1 gold.

If you think about it the other way around, you can say that he lived without receiving even the slightest help from anyone.

‘What should I do in times like this?’

I felt sorry for those around me who could not say anything else. Still, it seemed like a quiet pat on the back was enough, and after some time, her crying subsided.

Thistle looks straight at me with red eyes and says.

“… I will never forget this. In the future, if there is something I can personally dedicate myself to, I promise to accept any request.”

“No, until you swear…”

‘I think I’ve already received my reward thanks to the hug.’

After that, I carried Thistle’s luggage and moved it to a nearby inn, then we parted ways and agreed to meet tomorrow.

“Then let’s see tomorrow.”

“Yes. I hope you too have a pleasant day. May Deshade light the path ahead.”

After parting ways with Thistle and returning to the supply world, I think about various things.

‘Are we going to go together as expected?’

Speaking of goblin dens, it’s not that difficult. There is no need to throw a loud party.

‘Peria… is busy.’

I thought about taking Peria with me for this job as well, but since she also has work to do, it’s not a good idea to bring her around too often.

‘Master also said that he would stay next to Enin as an assistant to help me get around. What happened? Let’s go together. There will be nothing but goblins.’

Goblins, like beginner adventurers who don’t know their habits, get wiped out once in a while to increase their numbers, but they can’t lose with their soul bottle bodies. All you have to do is take good care of your equipment.

I arrived at the supply area thinking that it would be more comfortable if there were fewer people.

“I went.”

“Welcome. You came at just the right time.”

When I lifted up the tent and went in, I saw a familiar face.

One is Enin’s senior whom I saw in the morning.

Another person is a spirit soldier who came into my dorm.

‘What combination?’

As I was looking at the two people who came in while I was away, they greeted me first.

“Nice to meet you. This is Florian, Enin’s senior and the boss in charge of communications.”

“This is Deputy Noan.”

A woman who speaks leisurely and a soul bottle who answers in a sharp succession.

The nervous look of the soul bottle was like a man dealing with the parents of the person he was going to marry. That’s what I’m saying, I’ve never seen it except in dramas.

Enin introduces me to them.

“Say hello. Lee Lim-ni… Lee Lim. They said they had something to ask.”

“Nice to meet you. This is Irim, Ennin’s lieutenant. What brought you here?”

I greeted the request with caution, but Enin’s senior smiled brightly and told me about the business.

“Did you meet the priest of that new god today? The priest who performs the ritual of manifestation.”

“I just met you and am on my way back.”

Perhaps because Thistle was considered a person of interest, rumors were spreading unknowingly.

“Ah! I see. So, if it doesn’t bother you, could you please include this child in that?”

Florian says while holding the arm of the spirit soldier named Noan who is standing stiffly next to him.

“I really need to ask you something-.”

“I also ask… Lee Rim. I am indebted to this person for a lot of things, and I am not the type of person who usually asks for requests like this, so I really want to oblige.”

I judge by looking at Enin’s eyes. Seeing that his eyes didn’t look very anxious, it seemed like he genuinely wanted to help, not that he was threatened or anything like that, so I decided to gladly accept.

“Okay.”

‘If Enin says so, I have to do it. He even came there in person and asked me this.’

One of the reasons I accepted was because this boss was a polite person.

Just from a disciplinary perspective, since he is a higher-ranking person than Enin, it is right that he must follow orders and apply for recruitment at will.

However, I don’t feel bad because this person deliberately came to see us to ask for a doctor even though he could do that.

I look at the very large spirit soldier who is two heads higher than me.

Since we were going to have to go into the goblin den anyway, I decided that it wouldn’t matter if there were one more person.

‘It wouldn’t be bad as a vanguard.’