Chapter 49

・The story progresses in first person from Ichinoshou and Mili's perspective, and in third person for other scenes (mainly idle talk). Please be aware of this.

We reached the outside of the labyrinth and rushed straight to the pharmacist's shop.

From what we heard along the way, blood transfusions in this country can only be performed in the capital.

They have slaves specifically for blood donation, and sometimes these slaves die during the process.

It's a heart-wrenching story, but apparently, only slaves who have committed serious crimes are used for this purpose.

There are no blood packs or anything like that.

Therefore, the best way to increase blood is to take a blood booster made by a pharmacist.

It's a fragile medicine, so most adventurers don't carry it.

We carried Sebastian to the facilities of the Pharmacist Guild.

After checking his condition and Oregairu's appearance, an important person rushed over and immediately promised to prescribe medicine and start treatment.

We watched as Sebastian was carried into a back room,

"It was a great deed. This is my thanks."

He said, handing me a small bag filled with coins.

"…I'll take it."

Half of it is for Jofur and Elise, you know.

"Yeah, it would be a problem if you didn't. Halwato, live well… and I will become stronger one day. When that time comes, I will ask you for a match."

"Getting stronger is good, but don't cause too much trouble for others."

"Indeed, I will keep that in mind."

I'm not sure if he really understands, but he wasn't that bad a guy.

And I was asked to return Carol to the slave market.

When we left the Pharmacist Guild, Hal and Carol, Jofur and Elise were waiting for us.

"Sebastian will be fine. We need to go to the slave market, but what about you two?"

"We should go sightseeing… or rather, eat. I want to try some good food."

"Preserved food wasn't very tasty, was it?"

After eating so much, they bluntly said it wasn't tasty.

"Besides, if we exchange this, we can live comfortably for a while."

"We can live comfortably, can't we?"

The two of them held up the rare medals in front of them.

Rare medals are items that strengthen monsters. They are usually very rare and can only be obtained by defeating rare monsters. Each one is worth 30,000 cents, so two of them are worth 60,000 cents, a very expensive item. They are worth three times as much as gold coins. I also have four, so we could exchange them together.

Just as I thought that,

"Ah"

The centaur bit Jofur and Elise's hands.

The two of them instinctively pulled their hands away, and their hands were covered in saliva—while the rare medals—

—were swallowed.

With a gulp, the rare medals entered the centaur's stomach.

"Spit them out, spit them out, centaur! That's our food money!"

"We don't have any money. Please."

The centaur, being shaken by the two of them, ignored them and continued to eat the carrots I had prepared for it. I thought the two of them would be angry—

"Well, it's fine. After all, we got the rare medals thanks to the centaur."

"That's true. We wouldn't have made it to this town without the centaur."

The two of them seemed to have come to an understanding. I think the word "idiot" can be used as a compliment in situations like this.

Well, since the rare medals strengthen monsters, it's not a wrong use.

"Both of you, I got money from Oregairu. Take half of it."

I said, checking the contents of the leather bag.

It contained a bundle of silver coins and gold coins, but no copper coins.

It's a decent amount—no, considering my recent financial sense has been deteriorating, it's a considerable sum compared to when I was in Japan.

There was a total of 86,000 cents, so I decided to split it 43,000 cents each.

Incidentally, Jofur and Elise also had item bags, which they claimed to have found. They probably did find them.

"Wow, with this, we can eat some delicious food."

"Let's also buy a two-person saddle for the centaur. And we need to buy Jofur's armor too."

"Right, riding directly was quite tiring. And we need to buy a whip for Elise too."

"No, if you're buying a whip for me, buy Jofur's sword first. Because Jofur is my knight."

"No, if I'm buying a sword for Jofur, I need to buy a buckler for Elise first. A knight's duty is to protect the princess, right?"

"…Jofur"

"…Elise"

"Slash!"

My slash embedded itself in the ground between them. The power has increased.

Well, the two of them are used to it, so they no longer react to my slash.

"Want to come with us? Let's have a victory celebration!"

"A celebration to celebrate our victory! Hey, Jofur, who did we defeat?"

"Of course, it's ourselves! We defeat yesterday's self every day to live today."

"So we need to have a victory celebration every day."

Yeah, not a victory celebration every day, but a happy day every day, you two.

Regardless of luck, your happiness meter is probably off the charts.

"No, as I said, we need to go to the slave market, so we'll part ways here."

"Got it! Then be happy! Joe! Hal! Carol!"

"Be happy! Joe! Hal! Carol!"

The happy ones rode the centaur, praying for our happiness as they left.

Their casual words, which were a hundred times more random than the prayers I received in Japan, filled my heart more than I could compare.

They will probably live like that wherever they go.

Happy people make those around them happy.

There are a few things that irritate me, and more often than not, people can't keep up with them.

Happy… huh.

"I need to live happily."

I looked at Carol—she needs to live happily too, I thought.

So, I easily changed my resolve to part ways with Carol in this town. The wall of determination crumbled, and I built a new one.

I decided to buy Carol's freedom.

Then, I noticed her finger and had a realization.

"I forgot to return the friendship ring."

"…Should we chase them?"

With Hal's nose, it would be possible to chase them, but I shook my head.

"We'll meet them again, so it's fine for now."

It was just a hunch, but I would soon know that this hunch was correct.

Then, I asked Carol.

"Carol, would you like to travel with us?"

"Eh?"

"We're taking a leisurely journey. The reason is kind of nonexistent, but we have item bags, and to level up as merchants, wouldn't it be better to travel as a group of three?"

"But Carol is a slave."

"I can manage the money to buy your freedom. I got money from Oregairu, and we have items to sell. With item bags, we can earn more money than other merchants, so we'll make a profit quickly."

"…But"

"I'm not asking for an immediate answer. We plan to stay in this town for a bit to prepare our equipment and leave tomorrow… Is that okay, Hal, is there anywhere you want to go?"

I suddenly felt anxious and asked Hal, but she shook her head with a smile and said, "Follow wherever Master's heart leads."

So, we will leave tomorrow.

"Carol, think about it during this time."

"Yes… thank you."

Carol's small head must be filled with various thoughts right now.

I hope her answer leads to her happiness.

At that moment, I thought this and we headed for the slave market with the three of us.

～Idle Talk～

There is a hill where it is said that the six goddesses descended.

Cupras Hill.

The Cupras Grand Cathedral, built 1200 years ago on this hill.

There, the hero Alessio Magnar was under house arrest.

House arrest, if you put it that way, means he was arrested for treason against the church—possibly facing execution.

However, Alessio himself thought of his situation as house arrest.

He defeated the demon king and truly became a hero.

Raised in the church as a hero from birth, he set out on his journey at the young age of 14.

The journey to defeat the demon king, which might sound grand, but the church provided him only with a silver sword and 3000 cents at the age of 14.

"There are other heroes. You are just one of them."

He was told. In fact, all of his friends—no, classmates—were heroes. They were born with the destiny to be heroes.

So, he never questioned his circumstances.

What he found strange, or rather, what made him realize something was wrong, was meeting his companions.

The mage Hagg. The magic technician Daisuke.

Without meeting them, Alessio would have remained just one of the pieces in the game of heroes.

He would have been like a chess piece that can move freely but cannot leave the board, trapped in the role of a hero.

But during his journey with his companions, he truly became a hero in his own right. Now he can see that.

That's why he can't bear being a hero with a "role" imposed on him by the church.

He is given only menial tasks, not allowed to walk freely, and not even allowed to drink cheap beer, which he wanted to try when he grew up.

He wanted to run away at any moment.

One day, a turning point came. The mage Hagg visited him.

His face, which he hadn't seen in 10 years, hadn't changed much.

But his head, once proud of its long hair, was now completely bald. Although he shouldn't laugh, his eyes couldn't help but look up.

"Don't just look at people's heads, Aleo. Anyway, I came here today to tell you something."

Hagg sighed at the sight of Alessio's gaze but told him the news.

"...One of the seals on the demon king has been broken. It's in the Arandelle Kingdom."

"...!?"

Alessio was shocked as he considered the meaning of those words. The seal that was supposed to end in just a few decades had already been broken.

"Was it the work of the demon race?"

"No, it's close to the main road... It's possible that someone accidentally discovered the hidden labyrinth and successfully unlocked the hidden door, taking the demon core."

"Coincidence and accident keep happening..."

Still, the traps set there were supposed to be effective, even if classical. They were designed so that if the door was opened incorrectly, it would not open again for a year, and Hagg would receive the information. They planned to take action during that year.

"But, I see. The seal on the demon king, that's a problem."

"...You seem quite happy about it."

Hagg didn't miss the relaxation of Alessio's cheeks.

"...I think heroes are supposed to defeat the demon king. What about Daisuke?"

"No, not yet... Mareigurri, where he is, is far away... and on the opposite side of Arandelle. So, we should go and check it out ourselves."

"Right... Okay, I'll tell the Pope... Let's set out on our journey immediately."

Alessio said, abandoning all the tasks he had been given and leaving the office.

Thus, Alessio Magnar's second journey began, at the age of 28.