episode_0074

The slime subjugation was quite easy.

“Contrary to rumors, it’s nothing special~”

Unbeknownst to the Hero, Ariel used her ability to control slimes, making a few appear as if to test him.

However, unlike the plump herbalist, his reputation as a Hero didn’t seem to be false; he swung his sword very leisurely and smoothly, precisely bisecting the slime’s core.

Even when 4, 6, and then 10 slimes simultaneously attacked the Hero, he didn’t feel the slightest sense of danger, instead merely yawning lightly and easily sweeping the slimes away.

“Quite impressive, isn’t he?”

“Indeed…”

Perhaps to prove his skill, the Hero told us to simply follow behind him.

The Hero, leading us fearlessly, easily cut down numerous slimes, clearly proving his arrogance and self-confidence with his skill.

“This is… it’s harder walking the mountain path than slaying slimes.”

Easily slicing through two slimes charging at him, the Hero casually turned his gaze towards us and even cracked a joke.

“Amazing~”

Ariel lightly clapped her hands and laughed, responding to his joke.

But as the Hero turned his head back towards the forest, her eyes narrowed sharply, as if in indignation.

As the Hero said, this was hardly a subjugation; it felt like a simple walk, with not the slightest sense of danger.

Feeling inexplicably annoyed by the Hero’s relaxed demeanor, Ariel secretly attempted a surprise attack, having a slime hidden in a tree drop down from above.

But the Hero, as if anticipating everything, easily dodged the falling slime and was now slicing through nearly 200 slimes.

“Whew… I wonder if the subjugation objective is roughly completed by now? Quest open.”

Stopping for a moment, the Hero seemed to check the goddess’s oracle, uttering another strange phrase and beginning to tap the air with his hand.

“Okay. Only 2 attribute points, but… every little bit helps, like dust gathering to form a mountain [a proverb about small efforts accumulating to great results].”

A strange light lingered on his hand as he tapped the air, then was gently absorbed into his body.

After tapping the air a few more times, the Hero nodded contentedly and smiled.

“With this, the subjugation is complete.”

“That’s it?”

Ariel’s brow furrowed at the Hero’s baseless declaration that the subjugation was complete.

Ariel, whose secret overhead ambush had failed, had prepared a special trap with a large number of slimes hidden in the ground at the end of our path.

But at the Hero’s sudden declaration that the subjugation was complete, she could only stare at him with a deflated expression.

“The Goddess says this much is enough. Shall we… rest now?”

Ariel, unable to refute his vague statement that it was all the Goddess’s will, nodded with a conflicted expression.

“Shall we return to the village then?”

With the subjugation over and the suggestion to rest, I looked back at the forest path we had walked.

The sun was slowly disappearing over the mountain ridge.

If we returned now, we’d probably arrive in the village a little late for dinner.

“Ahahahat. Let me show you one of the Hero’s abilities here.”

At my suggestion to return to the village, the Hero let out a meaningful laugh and drew our attention to himself.

Then, he extended a finger, drew a small square in the air, and at the flick of his finger.

Bang!

With a powerful rip of space, an antique wooden door engraved with patterns appeared before our eyes.

“Wh-what is this?”

Not even the slightest trace of magic power could be felt.

Even Ariel couldn’t discern any magical movement, and she was greatly flustered by the sudden appearance of the wooden door before our eyes.

“It’s one of the Goddess’s minor blessings.”

Amused by our surprised expressions, the Hero let out a satisfied laugh and slowly began to push open the wooden door that had appeared before us, as if showing off.

“Wo… wow!”

“Oh my goodness…”

Beyond the door he opened, a grand room revealed itself, furnished with a warm fireplace, cozy sofas and chairs, and a large dining table set for a feast.

As if to show that what we were seeing was no illusion, the Hero stepped forward, walking through the door he had opened.

“Welcome to the Hero’s special villa.”

And he gestured for us to follow, as if inviting us in.

The villa, which we entered at his invitation, was, in a word, an entirely different world.

Inside, it was filled with warm air and the scent of cozy sunshine, and beyond the windows, vibrant flower fields stretched endlessly.

“Feel free to relax as if it were your own home!”

The Hero let out a small laugh at our reactions, as we looked around wide-eyed like people encountering a new world, then lightly sighed and sat on the sofa.

“Wait… surely not in that attire…”

I was startled by his attempt to sit on the plush, high-end sofa in his simple leather armor, which was meant for long journeys.

Although it was someone else’s house and furniture, my experience as a merchant allowed me to instantly recognize the value of the sofa he was about to sit on, and I tried to stop him with a flustered expression.

“The Goddess’s power is convenient, isn’t it? Custom set 1.”

Again, he uttered a strange phrase and snapped his fingers, and in the blink of an eye, his leather armor changed into comfortable everyday clothes.

Startled by the magical change that unfolded before my eyes and which I couldn’t believe, I rubbed my eyes hard, then looked at him.

The Hero then chuckled softly and spread his arms, as if inviting me to take another good look at his clothes.

“Am I on some strange drug…?”

“Ahahahat! That’s an amusing way to put it. It’s not an illusion or hallucination caused by a drug. It’s an ability.”

Considering he could create a special villa and a connected door out of thin air, changing his clothes in the blink of an eye didn’t seem so strange anymore.

Having given up on understanding it with my mind, I merely resigned myself, as if accepting everything that appeared before my eyes.

“Well then… you must be hungry for dinner, right? This is northern region sirloin steak, procured with great difficulty!”

Immediately after, the Hero lightly snapped his fingers a few times, and the empty table was instantly set with dishes steaming white, as if they had just been cooked.

Ariel and I were speechless at his ability, which we couldn’t believe even after seeing it multiple times, and could only stare at the meal laid out on the table.

“This… this is real. It looks like food that’s just been cooked, doesn’t it?”

Ariel carefully poked the food with a fork that had been provided alongside the dishes.

The meat, impaled by the fork, was softly tender, as if it were real food and not merely an illusion or trick.

The Hero chuckled softly, seemingly amused by our surprised and astonished reactions, and said,

“It’s one of the Goddess’s abilities, called Inventory. You can store any item as it is.”

“Hero… stop with the meta-comments…”

Ermel, who had been accompanying the Hero like a shadow, briefly made her faint presence known and glared at him for revealing the true nature of the Goddess’s power.

But the Hero, despite Ermel’s scolding, chuckled softly as if telling her not to overreact, and took a seat at the table.

“Oh come on… we’re going to be comrades now, we should know each other’s abilities.”

Perhaps already certain that Ariel would become his comrade, the Hero gazed steadily at her as she sat in the seat opposite him, as if asking her to agree with his words.

Under the Hero’s gaze, Ariel glanced at me, swallowed slightly, and slowly opened her mouth.

“May I ask for one condition to become your comrade?”

“A condition?”

Ariel’s request, asking for a condition to become his comrade, seemed both surprising and interesting to the Hero, and he leaned in to listen to her.

Then, Ariel glanced at me once more and carefully stated her condition for becoming a comrade.

“Will you also accept Jazel as a comrade?”

“Ahahahat~ Of course!”

The moment she revealed her condition.

The Hero burst into hearty laughter, as if he had expected it, and readily accepted the condition she put forth.

“Even so, the Merchant Lv.3 talent is a great talent, isn’t it? With Jazel’s discerning eye, our party won’t have to worry about supplies!”

“Is that so?”

At the Hero’s words, which highly praised my talent as a merchant, something I had always felt was insignificant compared to a Hero or a Mage, a relieved smile began to spread across my lips.

“And you two are, of course… *that* kind of relationship, right?”

Following that, the Hero looked back and forth between Ariel, who had brought me as a comrade, and me, who was delighted by his praise, giving a meaningful smirk.

“Yes. That’s right~”

Then Ariel, as if I were her pride, conspicuously hugged my arm right in front of the Hero.

“We’re bonded to be together for eternity.”

In response to Ariel’s action, I looked directly into the Hero’s eyes, visibly demonstrating the strong bond between her and me.

The Hero nodded at our reply, as if he had expected it, and offered a gentle smile.

“Even without that, I could see a strong thread of fate between the two of you. Your talent levels are even the same, you truly are soulmates~”

“Thread of fate? Could that also be the Goddess’s power?”

Ariel’s eyes sparkled with wonder at the fact that a thread of fate connected the two of us.

“It’s just a small part of the Goddess’s power. I can see your mutual affection… no, the depth of your bond, as a number.”

The Hero began to tap the air with his fingertips again before us.

His action of tapping the air with his fingertips, seemingly interacting with something only he could see, looked incredibly strange and bizarre at first glance, but I gradually got used to it.

“As a number? How high is it?”

Ariel, unable to overcome her curiosity, asked about the number of our bond.

“That’s…”

“Hero!”

But Ermel, as if she couldn’t bear to watch the Hero continue to blurt out more information than necessary, forcefully pinched his side.

“Ugh… Unfortunately, that’s a secret… because fate is a domain governed by the gods.”

With his face contorted in pain from the twisting flesh on his side, the Hero declared the number of the bond between me and Ariel a secret without revealing it.

Ariel wore a disappointed expression, perhaps regretting that he wouldn’t tell her the number of their bond.

However, Ariel seemed to feel that it was perhaps not good for ordinary people not chosen by the Goddess to be involved with even a fragment of the Goddess’s power, so she buried her curiosity deep in her heart.

“Alright… then both of you, please fill out these documents!”

Looking at Ariel’s disappointed expression, the Hero chuckled softly and conspicuously handed us two sheets of paper and a pen each, as if he were giving us something more interesting.

“What is this?”

“It’s a contract to join the Hero’s party!”