Chapter 46

Waking up to a sense of movement.

She looks at me with a calm face. Her skin seems more lustrous somehow. There’s not a trace of the worn-out look she had from the days of tending to me.

She opens her mouth with a smile like that of the Virgin Mary.

"Good morning, Hiro. Thank you for yesterday. It was embarrassing... but still, you’re so unfair."

"That’s just how it is. Did it feel good?"

"It felt good... you idiot..."

We get dressed and head to the dining room.

Breakfast was prepared, and it seemed a bit more lavish than usual. The innkeeper gave me a sly smile and a nod. As expected, the innkeeper.

"Quite a luxurious breakfast."

"The inn seems to be blessing us."

"Hmm. If this luxury continues, it might be a problem."

"Will you get fat?"

"Idiot."

I was hit.

Since the bill was already paid, we left the inn.

As we were leaving, the innkeeper came to see us off, so I approached and whispered.

"It was perfect. Thank you."

"Not at all. I’m glad you were satisfied. We look forward to your return."

What a great inn. Professionals really are something else.

We chatted on our way back to the Ast home. I was hit a few times.

When we entered the house, both of them were already up and moving.

Hmm. The atmosphere feels different. Ah, they said it was their first time alone together. How young, Miss Teisha.

I had already inquired about the cost of the pharmacist guild’s house calls while walking around the village yesterday. It’s 10,000 wahl per day. It’s quite expensive, but I thought it was reasonable since a specialist is making house calls and providing treatment.

I quietly handed Teisha, who was in the kitchen, a piece of cloth containing 50,000 wahl.

"Oh? ... That’s too much."

"It’s because of the house call. I’m really grateful."

There was a bit of resistance, but she accepted it without any issues.

As I was about to return to my room, Liz followed me.

We entered the room, and I sat in a chair, gesturing for her to sit on the bed.

"I have something to say."

Her expression was serious.

"I want to become an adventurer. I don’t want to be like last time. I want to be by your side."

She clenched her fists and pulled them to her chest, pouting. She’s so cute.

"Is that so?"

I smiled while scratching my head in thought.

Honestly, I can trust her. With the right training, I can rely on her.

But, but there’s a problem.

This girl is too straightforward.

Her aptitude is for 'Brute Strength,' which is suitable for a front-liner. But 'Brute Strength' is about muscle, right?

What about her bones? Will they break if she hits something hard?

<Answer: The magic of 'Brute Strength' absorbs the impact from muscle to bone.>

If what Mr. 'Sage' says is true, then she should be fine. But why doesn’t she have 'Casting Control' even though she’s using magic?

<Answer: Active 'Casting Control' and passive 'Brute Strength' have different refinement paths and qualities. They don’t conflict.>

I see. But being a front-liner is one thing, and this girl has never fought before. She only uses the one-handed axe in emergencies.

And should I send my wife to the front lines? Can I accept her getting hurt?

If I consider her as a back-liner, there are also issues.

She can use a shortbow, but it lacks penetration power. It’s fine for small animals like birds or foxes, or for goblins and humans.

But it won’t work against something with thick fur and fat, like a boar or a bear. It’s also ineffective against hard targets.

Switching to a stronger bow or a longbow with longer range isn’t a simple matter.

While they’re both bows, the usage is completely different, and it takes a lot of time to master.

She’s a pure hunter by profession.

Her aptitude is for heavy armor, and using a shield and a blunt weapon or a long spear or halberd.

Considering the leverage and point of application, the weight will increase, which will enhance the performance of 'Brute Strength.'

With 'Brute Strength,' heavy armor and shields or blunt weapons are not a problem. Since she has to learn everything from scratch, there’s no issue.

Additionally, the increased weight from heavy armor will help her master 'Brute Strength.' It’s a win-win situation.

By the way, why a blunt weapon? Because using an axe as a weapon is difficult.

Not a small axe for chopping wood, but a large axe for logging. It’s hard to get the edge to cut properly.

Even if you manage to hit, it’s almost impossible for a beginner to get a perfect hit with the edge aligned.

So, what’s the problem? Money.

In a 7th-level party, the only front-liner is Deed’s Cuirass. Even Arie wore leather armor.

In short, heavy armor is expensive.

Wow, this is tough. Honestly, I thought she would be a commuting wife while we’re in this village, and she would guard the house when we go to town.

Because this girl isn’t suited to be an adventurer.

However, considering the fiasco last time, I can understand her point of view.

I understand that she wants to be with me. Sigh.

A sigh escapes me.

"Do you prefer being a front-liner or a back-liner?"

"Either is fine."

"Do you want to use the axe?"

"No, I’m not particular. It was given to me for self-defense."

"Is it okay to be a front-liner with a shield and a blunt weapon?"

I asked, half resigned.

"If that’s better, I’ll do my best."

She’s pouting again. She’s so cute.

We’ll consider heavy armor in the future, but a shield is important.

When we talked about the party, I asked Mr. 'Sage' about it, and the residents of this world are also affected by the skill tree structure.

In short, people who use small shields get a bonus when switching to medium or large shields.

Now, what about the bow? Bows are incredibly expensive. Arrows aren’t free either. If you’re a soldier, the country pays, but for personal finances, it’s quite tough.

During hunting, the value of the prey is higher than the cost of the arrows, so it’s manageable.

You could say that if you recover the arrows, but they’re rarely in a reusable state. The tips bend, and the fletching wears out.

I don’t know the exact ratio, but the reuse rate is low. They usually need repair.

Historically, there’s the story of Zhuge Liang at the Battle of Red Cliffs, but even then, they deliberately used soft straw dummies and combined usable parts.

Especially with me, who can use magic, the front-liner is the only option.

There’s no choice. We’ll start with goblins and see if she can even kill them.

Ah, life is so unpredictable.