Chapter 39

The morning in the capital city.

I walked for about five minutes through the refreshing streets.

Carriages and people were bustling about.

Then I entered the large two-story adventurer's guild.

For some reason, there were few people.

I tilted my head and headed towards the request board.

"There are no adventurers?"

"What's going on?"

Lilicia, holding my hand, tilted her head.

When we reached the request board, I gasped.

"There are few requests..."

"Most of the rewards are low too..."

"Maybe all the weak monsters have been killed because I've been wandering around the capital."

"It seems so... They might have moved to other towns since the dungeons have been cleared."

Lilicia squeezed my hand tightly.

She must be trying to comfort me.

Her thoughtfulness made me happy, and I gently squeezed her slender hand in return.

-- Indeed, the decrease in adventurers is a blow, but there should still be a demand for the pu-elixir.

"Lilicia, don't worry. If there are no good missions, we can just run the shop."

"Yes, that's right! Not to be discouraged, as expected of Master!"

Lilicia smiled and leaned closer, still holding my hand.

I could tell she trusted me completely, and it made her look very cute.

-- And then.

A jingling sound approached from behind.

I turned around to see the guild master, Rubel.

Her twin-tailed red hair swayed like a reverse wave.

"Alex, you're working hard every day."

"I want to earn money... but there are few requests, especially for monster hunting."

"This will probably continue for a while."

"I see. Well, I can take collection missions. This is fine for now."

"Hmm? Aren't you going to other towns? Most people go to Westaria in the west, where there are dungeons, or to Northport, the port town downstream."

"I'm running a shop. -- Ah, here. Try this."

I handed a small bottle to Rubel.

She pinched it with her fingers and brought it in front of her face, looking suspicious.

"What is this?"

"It's a pu-elixir. I'll be selling it at the shop, so if it works well, please spread the word."

"Hmph. Fine."

Rubel put the bottle in a bag attached to her belt and placed her hand on her hip.

Her slender, barely covered body was emphasized.

I remembered I hadn't thanked her.

"And, thank you for protecting me yesterday."

"Hmph, I'm the guild master. Taking care of my protégé adventurers is a given, whether I like it or not."

"Whether you like it or not... Have I done something?"

"I hate you."

She smiled with her fair face but glared at me with her red eyes.

I was confused and didn't understand.

"Huh?"

"Until recently, I thought... rather, I was jealous of you, Alex."

"... Ah, could it be because you suffered due to the difference between holy and fire magic?"

She apparently has as much magic power as I do, but she was born with fire magic.

Because of that, she had a hard time.

Rubel nodded, shaking her red hair.

"That's right. Alex was pampered as a hero since childhood. I was treated like a monster and saw hell. I couldn't help but envy you. ... But then I realized that being a hero isn't as enviable as I thought, so my jealousy disappeared."

"I see... It was that difficult for you."

"It wasn't that bad when I was an infant or a toddler. But at nine, I awakened and burned down a village. After that, I hated my power and ran to places where no one was around, where there were no trees or grass."

"You've really come a long way to survive."

"There was a desert dungeon where I ended up. It was a fire dungeon, and I lived there alone."

Rubel shrugged. Her mantle swayed.

Lilicia tilted her head curiously.

"What did you eat?"

"Have you ever eaten a fire spirit Salamander or a hellhound Flame Dog? They have a pretty good taste. The Flame Dragon, the embodiment of fire, was the best."

"Even dragons... That's amazing..."

"Indeed, you've lived through a hell beyond imagination... Compared to that, I've had it easy."

"But it's strange... Can you defeat fire monsters with fire attacks?"

"Do you know? When the temperature rises to the point where all metals evaporate, lightning is generated."

"How would I know that! ... But it's impressive that you became the guild master. Or rather, that you even wanted to become one."

I was impressed by her words and said so.

Lilicia, standing next to me, nodded in agreement, equally impressed.

Rubel answered casually.

"Well, after that, I obtained fire resistance and fire sealing items in the dungeon and was able to live a normal life... But to wash away the stigma of 'the monster who burned down a village,' I needed an incomparable reputation to be treated as a human."

"That's why you became the only human SSS rank. -- I didn't know about you, Rubel, but I'll respect you from now on."

"Thank you. Well, it was a problem that I didn't help you as a hero, even though I already knew what I said yesterday. So, I'll tell you something good."

"Something good?"

"Right now, you can control a 500-meter radius, right? If you're using it to defeat C-rank and below, compressing your magic power to a 250-meter radius will make it B-rank and below, 125 meters for A-rank and below, and 62 meters for S-rank and below. It's difficult to control, though."

"Compression, huh? I've never thought about it. I'll practice from now on."

"By the way, to defeat the Ancient Gear Golem, I compressed it to a 31-meter radius. -- Well, keep working hard, Alex."

Rubel jingled her accessories and casually waved goodbye.

Then, she shook her red twin-tails and walked away.

In the quiet guild, Lilicia and I were a bit dazed.

I thought she was a fierce woman, like a raging flame.

Lilicia, standing next to me, exhaled deeply.

"She's quite something, isn't she..."

"She was feared and admired by everyone -- well, Lilicia, have you chosen a mission?"

"Ah, yes! I chose a collection mission that seems doable."

She held the mission paper in her small hand and brought it in front of her chest.

"Alright, let's go."

"Yes!"

We then went to the reception and accepted a simple mission like herb collection.

After that, as we were about to leave the guild, we met a young boy with glasses and a bow at the entrance.

He was one of Edgar's team.

He bowed calmly.

"Good morning, Alex, Lilicia."

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Moku. ... How is Edgar?"

The boy Moku lowered his head slightly. A shadow of melancholy crossed his youthful face.

"He's healed, and he's regained consciousness. But he has severe aftereffects and can't move for a while... Today, we're looking for missions we can do."

"Oh! ... Since we've healed multiple organs, his body might still be adjusting. If his condition worsens again, please let us know. We can heal him."

"Thank you. Can we contact you through the adventurer's guild?"

"The shop at the end of the back alley, which used to be a bento shop, is Master's shop."

Lilicia raised her slender arm and pointed in the direction of the shop.

The boy nodded, his black hair swaying.

"I know the place. -- Understood, I'll leave a note if he's not there."

Listening from the side, I thought it sounded serious.

If they lost Edgar, who was like a foster father to them, the children must be very anxious.

I rummaged through my bag and took out a small bottle of pu-elixir.

"Um, Moku, right? I want you to give this to Edgar."

"What is this?"

"It's a new product we'll be selling at our shop. It's called the pu-elixir. It should heal magic power, physical strength, and status abnormalities."

"Wow! Can I really accept such a valuable item?"

"I have plenty. In return, if it works well, please spread the word."

Lilicia also smiled and advised.

"It's a special medicine made by Master, so the effect is excellent. In exchange for not paying, please share your feedback."

"Yes, thank you! I'll give it to the captain right away!"

Moku, without much of a thank you, took the bottle and suddenly ran off.

He was supposed to come to accept a mission.

He must have been so worried about Edgar that he forgot his purpose.

His usually stern and handsome face was now smiling, his glasses gleaming in the morning sun.

-- Indeed, helping others feels good.

Especially when a child smiles.

All I can do now is pray that it works.

Then Lilicia gently hugged my arm, her large chest pressing against me.

She smiled and whispered.

"Thank you, Master. When you show kindness, I can't help but feel happy too."

"That's good. You're a great assistant. I'll keep making Lilicia happy from now on."

"Yes... I'm happy."

Lilicia, hugging my arm, rubbed her face against my shoulder.

It was a puppy-like expression of happiness.

Every gesture was too cute.

"Then, next is the slave trader. Let's go."

"Yes, Master!"

I led Lilicia and walked leisurely.

I'm sure Rubel's dungeon exploration is like Bomberman without the fire barrier.

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Next chapter → 40. Grandma Conquest!