CH 43

Secrets

By dawn, we had finally arrived at another village.

We didn’t have the leisure to find out the name of the village. Since we had just successfully escaped from the assassins that were pursuing us, there was no time to hide our worn-out appearances as we headed for the inn in order to sleep there.

It was early in the morning when we visited the inn, but the owner wasn’t suspicious when we asked, “Could you somehow let us rest?”. Rather, the owner was quite concerned.

After waking up, I pulled the still-sleepy Mize by the hand to leave the inn, when the owner told us, “Don’t push yourselves too much”.

“It’s already noon.”

Mize mutters while looking up at the sky.

The sun had just risen to its zenith.

It was already 4 hours after we had slept on the bed we rented from the inn. Although we didn’t have enough sleep, I still felt much lighter than when we were escaping from the assassins.

“Can you walk?”

“Yes.”

“Can you run?”

“… If it’s for a short time.”

While we were on this journey, I’ve noticed something.

Mize has a habit of putting up a front when asked, “Are you alright?”, so I don’t ask that; she would always answer, “I’m alright.”. However, if I confirm her physical condition in detail like this, she will answer honestly.

“… Losing the carriage hurts.”

Depending on the terrain, most of the assassins sent by the Bureau would probably be using carriages and other vehicles to pursue us. When push comes to shove, we would have escape by pushing our already-low stamina to the limit while the enemy will be pursuing us with plenty of stamina to spare. We are at an overwhelming disadvantage.

This village is larger than the last one we stopped by.

Because of that, it seems that the number of merchants who visit this village is not small. We went to the outskirts of the village and found a stable where merchants leave their horses.

In the midst of the strong stench of animals, I look left and right, searching for signs of people.

There was only one stable keeper. It was a man with a relaxed attitude, without a shred of vigilance. If that’s all, then I could take him down in an instant.

“… Should I steal it?”

“Eh?”

“It’s an emergency, so we have no choice.”

I’ll defeat the stable keeper, steal a horse, and steal a cart while I’m at it.

The carts are placed by the stable building, so I’ll take whichever one’s in front. Even if we’re caught on the way, having a horse to bear us on the journey would considerably change things.

“Let’s not do that.”

Mize says, as I was thinking of a strategy in my head.

“… Last night, didn’t you tell me, Tweight-san? That no matter where I run, you will run together with me… If our journey will never end, then this isn’t just an emergency, it’s our new everyday life. That’s why… as much as possible, I don’t think we should bother other people.”

She has a point.

Certainly, it’s as Mize says; it’s highly possible that this state of emergency will continue from now on. Even though we could say that it was an emergency from now on, if we repeatedly commit crimes and bother unrelated people– that would make us no different from common thieves.

Since the beginning of our elopement, 10 days have already passed.

It’s necessary to change my way of living. If we will be facing this situation in the future as well, then there is no such thing as an action that is only permissible for now.

“… But still, if we’re going to get a carriage the right way, we’ll need money.”

“… I’m sorry. I haven’t come up with an alternative, yet I spoke so conceitedly.”

“No… It’s better than not caring about the methods and stooping to the level of a common thief. It’s a good thing you stopped me.”

Because we don’t have any money to pay for necessities, we’re in a difficult situation.

While we were troubled on what to do, a group of 2 men passed by in front of us. They seem to have just finished their lunch break and were rubbing their slightly swollen bellies as they headed for the exit of the village.

In their hands was a familiar rectangular object.

“Tweight-san, just now…”

“Yeah… that was an Adventurer’s card.”

There are no other settlements or towns nearby. Since that’s the case, these guys weren’t just adventurers who had happened to stop by this village, rather, they were adventurers who were about to depart from this village.

With quick steps, we walk around the village.

Then we found the building we were looking for.

“… I didn’t think there would be one in a place like this.”

The Adventurer’s Guild. I didn’t think we would find a branch in a village like this.

It has a short, wooden structure, riddled with gaps, but the building itself is large. It is also bustling with activity, which suggests that it is operating normally.

“Mize, we’re going to earn money here.”

“I understand… Ah, but we can’t use our Adventurer’s cards, can we?”

Mize was about to take out her card, but she stops moving.

It’s natural; the card has our names on it. There is no reason for us to drop information while we are in the midst of eloping.

“We could register again as a different person… But only I should do it.”

“Just you, Tweight-san?”

“After all, we’ll still share the reward among the two of us. It would be enough for just one of us to register. Besides… there’s a possibility that our faces have been revealed to the Guild. It would be better if I’m the only one to deal with the receptionist, since I’m used to disguises.”

“… I understand.”

Once we had distanced ourselves from the Guild, I decided to finish my preparations.

On the way, we found a hut that was used to keep livestock. I place my hand on the old fence and cut off a piece of string used to reinforce it with a dagger.

There was a river flowing nearby. After removing the cloak covering my head, I plunge my hands into the river, and sweep my hair back with wet hands. I then use the dagger to cut off a piece of my cloak, and thread the string that I had just obtained through the cloth. After I cover my left eye with the cloth, I tie the string around the back of my head to secure it.

“Is that an eyepatch…?”

“Yeah. This alone should give a very different impression. It’s a cheap disguise, but it can last for a few days.”

I also changed my hairstyle. It may be cheap, but it shouldn’t be easy to see through.

While I may have suitably changed my appearance, the point that they should be most cautious about is that Mize and I are acting as two people. The assassins have probably narrowed down their search for us by looking for “two people”. Because I was the only one who would register at the Guild, not only will we save time, but we can also slip out of the “two people” criteria.

“If we’re looking for the quickest way to earn money, then our options are limited to defeating Demonic Beasts. I’ll take the exam for a Type-2 License, so Mize, you should wait nearby.”

“Yes.”

Ah. After nodding her head, Mize suddenly let out a voice as if she noticed something.

“Um, Tweight-san. I think I’ve noticed a problem…”

“What is it?”

“If we’re going to get a new carriage, then you’ll need to get the commission with the highest reward possible. But… adventurers who have just registered are given an F rank, so how would you be able to take a commission with high difficulty?”

Mize’s question is natural.

When we acquired our licenses in the Royal Capital, we all started out as an F rank. And there are only certain types of commissions that F-ranked adventurers can take, but–

“There’s no problem.”

Basically, all adventurers start from F rank, but there are exceptions.

For example, Oz showed her overwhelming true abilities in the exams and started out as a D rank.

Therefore– I’ll just do the same thing.

“I’ll just go at it seriously this time.”

◆

10 minutes later.

After I finished both the Magical Ability Test and the Basic Combat Ability Test, I reported my results to Mize.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Tweight

Magical Power: DMagical Speed: AMagical Stamina: CMagical Control: A

* * * * * * * * * * *

“… Eeh?”

Mize, who was having trouble responding, finally lets out a sound.

If I recall correctly, my previous results should have been, from top to bottom, “DBDC”.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t change the fact that Magical Power and Magical Stamina were my weak points. However, I am still a former agent of the Organization; I’ve had plenty of time to hone my skills.

“If I recall, an A rank means that you are comparable to a commander or vice-commander of a knight order…”

“That’s right.”

“To give a comparison from the Kingdom of Terraria, that would mean that you are comparable to the Commander of the knights of the Royal Guard, who was at the academy the other day, or the Commander of the Knights of the Orthodox Order.”

“That’s right.”

“… Eeh?”

There’s no point in trying to deceive her anymore.

When I confirmed it, Mize let out another strange sound.

“As a special exception, I am able to start out as a C-ranked adventurer. This allows me to take on commissions of a higher difficulty.”

“… I hate to say it, but since this journey began, but I’ve been made aware that until now, Tweight-san, you’ve been holding back in many areas.”

“From my perspective, I was just making adjustments depending on what was needed… I won’t deny that.”

“… Mmph.”

It seems that she didn’t like that I had kept secrets from her, as Mize puffed out both her cheeks in open dissatisfaction.

“For the time being, let me give my excuse; I didn’t like keeping those secrets from you either. Whether it was holding back or acting, everything I did had a reason.”

“In that case, it’s fine… Ah, then, for example, during our Magical Pharmacy class, when you made those strange gases, was that actually just an act? At that time, was there an absolutely necessary reason for you to do something like that…”

Mize poses a question with pure and innocent eyes.

After being troubled for a while, I replied.

“… That’s right.”

“I knew it! I thought it was suspicious, because normally, no one would do something like that!”

… Is that so?

Was I suspicious after all?