Chapter 10

"Nor, are you okay with that?"

"I'm fine now..."

I managed to get the crying Nor to stand up, and we moved from that place. The Bistros Forest wasn't that long, so we were able to get through it in a few hours.

She didn't cry for long and stopped almost immediately. However, she wasn't her usual energetic self and only gave dark responses when I spoke to her.

Since it was already dark, we were camping, but now I had some time alone with Nor.

"Don't be so down, okay?"

"I'm not being down at all..."

She turned away, sitting cross-legged and refusing to look at me. She was clearly sulking.

"Still, I've been wondering, why do you hate showing your real face so much?"

"Ugh, I knew you were trying to ignore it, Lord Ohtsuka. The truth is... when I show my real face, I can't function properly."

I see, but I don't understand at all. I knew you didn't want to show your real face, but what do you mean by 'can't function properly'?

"Can you explain a bit more?"

"When I'm aware that someone is seeing my real face, my body doesn't move the way I want it to. I feel embarrassed. My voice also reverts to my natural tone."

...So, you have stage fright? Indeed, just being seen in your real face can make you so flustered. Changing your tone of speech, that's like self-hypnosis. It's like how some people's personalities change when they ride a motorcycle.

"Isn't your natural tone of speech fine?"

"No way! I'll lose my identity as a knight!"

Finally, she turned to me and responded in her usual tone.

But I think it's strange to consider your tone of speech as your identity. Your natural way of speaking was fresh and good.

Still, I wonder what's so embarrassing about it. It wasn't written in the GC settings... was it an internal setting? It's a shame you can't show your real face.

"...You looked cute, though."

"C-cute?"

"Ah, no, never mind."

Damn, I said that out loud. Still, you really did look cute.

If that were implemented, I'd be willing to spend all my savings. You were just too adorable.

"But, it's a good thing it was you who saw me, Lord Ohtsuka."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I wonder. Your words sound so meaningful, I can't help but get my hopes up.

"W-well, I must have looked strange, right? But, if it was you, Lord Ohtsuka, you wouldn't make a big deal out of it... or you'd laugh it off."

Strange... I can't say I didn't think that. For a moment, I didn't even recognize you. But, it was good that way.

Seeing you speak without your usual tone, I used to laugh so hard. But, your natural way of speaking with your real face showed a bashful side, which was great. You could pass as a maiden.

"Hmm, I see. Actually, I want to see more."

"T-that's a bit..."

Nor let out a troubled voice and fidgeted, twisting her body.

"Ah, don't worry. I won't force you to show it if you don't want to."

"O-Oh, Lord Ohtsuka!"

"Whoa!? Ouch! Hey, idiot! You're getting snot and tears all over me!"

She jumped and hugged me, burying her face in my stomach. Something was flowing from under her helmet.

This girl is crying and snotting all over me! And the helmet is digging into me, it hurts!

"I'll stay with you forever, Lord Ohtsuka!"

●

"Are you calm now?"

"Ah, yes, somehow. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"I'm sorry, Lord Ohtsuka."

I calmed down the loudly crying Nor and returned to where Grin and the others were. My clothes were soaked because of Nor... I'll dry them by the campfire.

"Ah, it's fine, it's fine. I might even want to thank you. You guys are really amazing. To take down a Cyclops with just the two of you..."

After defeating the Cyclops, we brought back the client and the carriage safely. Both the client and Grin thanked us profusely, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Not just Fanya, you're quite skilled yourself. I must have been blind."

"To be honest, I didn't really realize it myself..."

Comparing myself to Nor, I had no idea how good I actually was.

Thanks to seeing my stats, I finally realized I was also exceptional.

"Are you guys going to the Shuting Adventurers' Guild eventually?"

The capital's Adventurers' Guild. Honestly, I'm not that interested. I'm only interested in the gacha, and I haven't even looked into anything beyond Brunne.

Just the fact that defeating monsters turns into drop items shows that this isn't a normal world. I should investigate whether this is the GC world or another one.

If it's the GC world, there might be event characters too.

"Hmm, I'm not sure. We might visit Shuting once, but I'm not sure if we'll make it our base."

"Yeah, I get that. I was hoping you'd stay in Brunne, though."

Brunne has no high-ranking adventurers. I heard the highest is B-rank.

There might be a need for combat strength among the town's residents.

"With your skills, you'd definitely become A-rank adventurers. From what I heard, Fanya has some hidden tricks, right? If so, you might be on par with the A-rank I saw in the past."

"No, that's an exaggeration."

"Whatever. If you guys become famous, I'll brag about it. Even if it's a story about how you saved me."

Grin laughed and took a drink.

A-rank, huh. I don't particularly want to stand out, but I don't want to hide either.

I'm too focused on pulling gacha for units and equipment. But, becoming a high rank might give us more information, so it's worth considering...

●

We returned to Brunne after delivering the carriage to Rubeurg village and walking for two days. On the way back, we were attacked by orcs, but we returned without any problems.

"Was it okay for me to share in the reward?"

"It's fine. Without Grin, we might not have taken the quest at all."

The 100,000G reward for completing the quest, plus the 20,000G from selling the Cyclops horns, was divided equally among the three of us, 40,000G each. I was relieved, as I wasn't sure how to divide the loot, having only hunted with Nor before.

"Thanks for coming with us this time. Without you guys, we would have failed the quest."

"No, it was good to be of help."

"Also, I think you should level up your ranks quickly."

"Why is that?"

"So you don't get into trouble when things get serious. You guys stand out. If other adventurers hassle you, your rank can be a good deterrent. But, you can ignore my advice if you want."

Getting hassled by other adventurers... could that really happen? With Nor around, we already stand out a lot.

Since Grin, an older adventurer, said this, it's best to take it to heart.

"No, thank you for the advice."

When I thanked him, Grin said goodbye and walked away. Yeah, that was a cool way to leave.

"Well, Nor, let's head back."

"Yes, sir~"

It's good to be back, but the sun has already set. We've been walking for four days, so I'm tired. I want to sleep in a comfy bed.

We headed to our usual inn. It feels like home now.

"Huh? A vibration? ...I-Is this!?"

"What's wrong, Lord Ohtsuka?"

As we started to walk back, my phone in my pocket vibrated. I wasn't doing anything special, so what notification is this?

I took it out and looked at the screen. There, on the top of the GC screen, it clearly said [UR Unit Drop Rate Doubled Campaign].