Chapter 33

"Is something different?"

Rizu asks.

"It's nothing like that. I was just thinking about something."

"Yeah, don't worry me too much. I'm always worried anyway."

She pouts and whispers in my ear.

"No, I've made a decision."

"What about?"

"I've resolved myself."

He looks directly into her eyes, which are so close they could touch.

"I will live. Live with Rizu. I will keep living. I won't hesitate to use any means necessary."

"You really have changed... And, I feel refreshed. I'm glad. Thank you."

They embrace each other without a word.

The warmth is comforting now. The coldness in the depths of his heart gradually melts away.

"Yeah. I love you, Rizu."

"Me too. I love you."

They kiss each other, pecking like birds, and then fall asleep.

He thinks, at the edge of his consciousness, that he hasn't even wiped his body, but decides it can wait until tomorrow.

Right now, he wants to feel this warmth.

Feeling a sense of fulfillment for the first time in a long while, he drifts off to sleep.

"Good morning. Yeah, you look energetic today."

Rizu's face is glowing in the morning sun.

He thinks, somewhat frivolously, that this must be the source of the goddess's faith.

"I want to borrow some hot water to wipe my body. Is that okay?"

"Sure, I just need to warm up yesterday's stew. I'll go boil some water."

She gently gets out of bed and heads to the kitchen.

Sitting on the bed, he lets a feeling rise from the depths of his heart.

"I haven't been living seriously until now. Everyone must have been living with such resolve."

He thinks of his colleagues, friends, and family.

"I might not be able to come back. But at this age, I should be able to decide my own way of life. I'm sorry for being a disobedient child."

He closes his eyes and exhales softly.

"Still, I've gained something important. Please bless me."

He thinks of his father, mother, and sister's smiles. It's okay. I'll do my best.

After a while, Rizu brings a basin.

"Here's the hot water. I think breakfast will be ready by the time you're done, so come to the kitchen."

She smiles and returns to the kitchen.

Using the hot water, he cleans his body. Feeling refreshed, he heads to the kitchen.

"Good morning."

"Hey, good morning. It's going to be tough today."

The table is set. She must have been waiting for him.

As they eat, they talk about today's work.

The deep forest is apparently quite dangerous. However, the main problem in the shallower areas seems to be wolves.

"They form packs of fewer than 10 and hold large territories. As long as you remain calm, there shouldn't be any issues if you encounter them."

He learns that being able to hunt groups of monsters is a requirement for 8th rank. Therefore, with three 7th rank adventurers and a guild member, the risk from a pack isn't too high.

"Unless you mistakenly go deep, there shouldn't be much danger. But don't let your guard down."

"Understood."

After breakfast, they each head to their respective jobs.

"Please, please be careful."

Rizu hugs him worriedly.

"Ast said it would be fine, didn't he? I'll be okay."

He strokes her head and answers.

She looks reluctant but lets him go to the hunt.

He receives lunch from Tisha and hands her a 5,000 wahl coin wrapped in a scrap of cloth.

"It's fine if it makes you feel better. I'm really sorry."

He cuts off the argument, saying he's short on time, and makes her take it.

He prepares his equipment and leaves the house.

When he arrives at the adventurer guild, everyone is already waiting. These people are always up early.

"Good morning. Did I keep you waiting?"

"No, it's fine. We were just discussing today's preparations."

Deed answers.

"Good morning. I'm Akihiro. I'm the one you'll be accompanying today."

He introduces himself to Hartis, the guild scout. He had imagined someone like a ninja, but Hartis is a man with light leather armor, crossed short swords at his waist, and throwing knives at his chest. His face is unremarkable.

"Let's head out now that we're all here."

Hartis leads the way to the northern forest.

They know the location where the target appears and are heading there. Slimes generally don't move much once they grow large, so they should be in the area around the discovery site.

They enter the northern forest and move forward. To be safe, he raises his watch, which has a compass built in, and checks the map to confirm their position.

"Is that a magic item?"

Arie asks curiously.

"Something like that. It's a memento from my grandfather."

He gives a casual answer.

Hartis and the others can apparently determine direction based on the time and the position of the sun.

Honestly, without the watch's hands, it's hard to determine the exact direction. The old folks' senses and wisdom are not to be underestimated.

When they encounter monsters like goblins, Deed and Arie dispatch them with ease.

They cut off their noses, wrap them in cloth, and toss them into the large pockets of their backpacks.

When they encounter a pack of wolves, Deed and Arie keep them at bay, and Watiss chants something. The wolves then convulse and die in agony.

"I... I'm not good at controlling large spells..."

He explains that he compresses fire and injects it into the mouths of the immobilized wolves, burning their lungs.

Even a small spell can have a significant effect and doesn't damage the materials. It's well thought out.

I wonder if I can imagine something more specific like carbon monoxide instead of just air. It might take a bit of time to cause poisoning. Maybe it's too much to ask.

"Velda is good at flashy spells. She's a flashy old lady. She does well."

Deed answers. Two front-line fighters and two back-line fighters. Single-target kills and area control. The balance is good.

He learns that this formation is quite luxurious. They are all from the same village. Otherwise, such a luxurious party wouldn't be possible.

"Wolf pelts can be sold, but it's impossible to carry them all. We'll collect as many as we can on the way back."

Deed calls out to everyone and hides the pelts in the bushes.

They encounter a few more monsters but move forward without any issues.

After about four hours from town, they stop. He was starting to wonder if he would be able to find his way back.

"The location is as reported. It's bigger than I thought. That's our target."

Hartis points to a blue, amorphous, ball-like creature about 3 meters in size. The filling part seems to be the core.

He is honestly overwhelmed by its size.

Now, what should I do?