Chapter 19

I was just as surprised by Ralma's sudden action of driving away her brother as I couldn't hide my shock. After all, I knew all too well how stubborn she could be, and I knew that she hadn't changed her mind out of consideration for me.

However, I decided to stop thinking about the true reason why Ralma had distanced herself from her brother.

After all, I had something more pressing on my mind.

"What do you mean, 'Brother is Ralma's disciple'?"

I recalled that Ralma had once told me about her only disciple. She had raised this disciple for a short period with her former party members. And this disciple was a person of strong principles, who had regularly sent money for several years.

Up to this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if Brother was Ralma's disciple. Brother had mentioned being trained by two adventurers, and it wouldn't be strange for him to send money regularly from his limited savings. However, a certain statement Ralma had clearly made negated the possibility that Brother was her disciple.

"Because, didn't Ralma say before that her disciple only had the talent to become a second-rate adventurer at best?"

Ralma had clearly stated that her disciple had no talent at all. And not just as a healer, but as an adventurer, she had firmly declared that her disciple had no talent.

However, it was impossible to believe that Brother had no talent after seeing his current abilities.

Indeed, while Brother could only use "Heal" as a healer, as an adventurer, he possessed first-class skills. It was impossible for someone like him to lack the ability to be an adventurer.

But, to think that a super-first-class adventurer like Ralma could be wrong was also hard to believe. Despite her usual behavior, Ralma's skills and judgment were reliable. There must have been a significant reason for her to clearly state that her disciple had no talent.

"I can't believe that Brother has no talent as an adventurer. You're just trying to trick me again, right?"

Therefore, I concluded that Brother's claim of being Ralma's only disciple was a lie. There were mysteries, such as why Brother was trying to trick me and how they communicated, but I judged that this was the most likely scenario.

"No, it's not a lie. At least a few years ago, that stupid disciple was nothing but a useless genius."

"……What?"

However, Ralma easily denied my prediction. She then wore a very delighted smile and spoke.

"That guy, Raust, didn't have the ability to dodge my attacks, especially when caught off guard. A few years ago, he wouldn't have even reacted if I attacked him head-on. How did he get to that level?"

The next moment, the words that came from Ralma's mouth were excited and passionate. I knew from her attitude that she was genuinely enjoying and finding something interesting.

And it was only then that I finally understood.

…Brother really was Ralma's disciple, and Ralma had believed that he had no talent. Moreover, Ralma also didn't understand why Brother now possessed such incredible skills.

"Narsera, you were in a party with him, right? Then tell me about his fighting style."

"……Alright. But if you figure something out, please tell me too."

After a bit of hesitation, I decided to talk about Brother's combat skills at Ralma's request. I couldn't suppress my curiosity about why Brother, who Ralma had deemed untalented, now possessed such great power…

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From then on, I told Ralma in as much detail as possible about our past battles. His defensive capabilities, which could easily deflect even a hydra's attacks, his ability to use basic magic despite being a healer, his broad knowledge of monsters, his exceptional healing magic, his detection skills, and his ability to disarm traps.

Ralma listened to all of this with great interest.

"…So that's how it is."

After hearing everything, Ralma seemed to have realized something and smiled. It was a satisfied smile, different from the delighted one she had earlier.

"That guy, who claims to have gained power thanks to me, didn't gain much from me… Stupid disciple."

As Ralma laughed, she looked somewhat lonely, yet also happy, and I was taken aback. For a moment, I couldn't speak to her. Ralma, who usually acted carelessly, now seemed more like a proper mentor, and I hesitated to speak.

However, I couldn't suppress my curiosity about what Ralma had realized from my story, so I spoke up.

"Um, what did you realize?"

"Huh? Oh, right, I said I'd tell you."

At my words, Ralma, who seemed to have returned to her senses, wore an expression as if she was proud of her own child.

"That stupid disciple, Raust, had no talent to be an adventurer under normal circumstances."

"……What?"

…But the words Ralma said with such an expression were something I hadn't expected. I couldn't hide my shock, thinking that she would say something positive. I almost asked her how she could say that Brother had no talent after hearing my story.

However, Ralma's words weren't over yet…

"…But now, he has the same level of skills as us, the super-first-class adventurers."

"……What?"

…The next moment, I was left speechless, unable to understand the meaning of Ralma's words.