Chapter 9

＜Perception＞ had already told him that the other person was not injured. Still, for the sake of reassurance, Tō asked.

"Y-You're okay, right? Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine. Ah, no..."

The tension in Tō's body eased, and he scowled.

"What is it?"

"The blood splatter doesn't seem to be okay."

It wasn't just the enemy's blood. Body fluids and internal organs were stuck to Tō's body, emitting a terrible odor.

This smell might not go away even if he washed his clothes thoroughly.

The swordsman chuckled at Tō's scowl.

"I'll compensate for your clothes. I really appreciate your help."

The swordsman bowed gracefully, a refined gesture rarely seen in Japan.

When she raised her head, Tō was slightly surprised.

He hadn't noticed because her breastplate covered her chest, but the swordsman was a woman.

Tō observed her without being rude.

Her long golden hair was tied into a single braid at the back of her head.

She had a face so beautiful that nine out of ten people would turn to look.

This was the first time Tō had seen a woman dressed as a swordsman outside of cosplay. However, it didn't feel cheap like cosplay.

The sword and armor were well-used and fit her body well.

"My name is Estelle."

"My name is Tō. Tō Minasaki. Should I introduce myself as Minasaki Tō here?"

"Tō Minasaki, huh. I'm an adventurer in Finris, but I've never seen your face before. Which city did you come from as an adventurer?"

"An adventurer... So they really exist here."

"Hmm?"

"No, that's a topic from my world."

Tō shook his head. Adventurers were a staple in fantasy. In stories, the Adventurer's Guild handled various tasks, from odd jobs to monster slaying.

Is it the same in this world?

"I'm not an adventurer."

"Then, you have this level of skill without being an adventurer!"

Estelle was surprised by Tō's words. She had assumed he was a famous adventurer.

Then, was Tō a knight?

He had the kind of skill that wouldn't be surprising if he were a knight serving in some domain.

Before Estelle could ask again, Tō spoke.

"Yes. I'm just a regular person, so this is my level."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

If Tō's skill, which easily defeated the goblins, was at the level of a regular person, then monsters would have been eradicated from the world.

Could there be some reason he can't reveal his true identity?

Estelle cautiously asked.

"Are you really just a regular person...?"

"Yes, I am. By the way, would a regular person be punished for defeating this enemy!?"

"Huh?"

"..."

(I thought I might be charged with murder...)

From Estelle's reaction, it seemed that wasn't the case.

The conversation didn't seem to be going well, but Tō couldn't figure out why.

As long as he wouldn't be punished for defeating a humanoid enemy, that was fine.

Tō changed the subject.

"Are you from the city of Finris, Estelle?"

"Just call me Estelle."

"No, I can't call you by your first name..."

Lid was 16 years old. Compared to Tō's mental age of 32, she was younger, but compared to Lid's actual age, Estelle seemed older.

He thought it would be rude not to use honorifics.

But Estelle shook her head.

"It makes me uncomfortable when you speak so formally. I'm not in a noble position. I'm just an adventurer. I'd like you to talk to me more casually."

Is this the basic way of thinking in this world? For now, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Tō decided to follow her words.

"Okay... I got it. Then, please call me Tō."

"Alright, understood. I'm from elsewhere, but I currently operate in Finris."

"I see. Then, can you take me to Finris? I'm from the countryside and don't know the way."

"Of course! You defeated so many goblins."

"Hmm. So these are goblins."

He knew the name but had never seen one in person.

Tō looked at the scattered remains of the goblins on the ground and scowled.

"Did you defeat them without knowing what they were?"

"Yeah. I thought they were enemies at first sight."

"Good judgment."

Estelle smiled and nodded.

"Getting back to the topic, you can receive a reward from the guild for defeating goblins. Also, I need to repay you, Tō. I want you to come to Finris."

"That's not necessary."

"No! I was surrounded by goblins and could have lost my life. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't do something."

"O-Okay."

(Even just taking me to Finris is enough...)

He thought, but Tō decided to accept her offer. After all, he had only been in this world for less than a day. Having someone to ask questions to was valuable.

Estelle cut off the goblins' ears for the guild's report and threw them into a bag she had.

After cutting off the ears, she threw the goblin corpses into the forest. If left on the road, they might attract monsters that like goblins.

"Even these things are eaten by some monsters?"

"Yes. Most monsters don't eat them, but some do. I think it's fine since the monsters that eat them don't live in the shallow parts of the forest, but it could be a problem if something happens."

While talking to Estelle, Tō carried the goblins into the forest.

With his current strength, he could easily carry a few goblins. However, due to the blood and body fluids, the smell was terrible, and he didn't want to carry too many at once.

Trying not to touch them too much, he threw the goblins into the forest one by one. Estelle stood next to him, looking stunned.

(Maybe it's not good to handle corpses so roughly, even if they're monsters?)

Estelle was stunned but didn't scold him. If she didn't mind, it should be fine. Ignoring her reaction, Tō continued to throw the corpses into the forest.

If he had the time, he wouldn't mind leaving them in the forest. However, the smell was too bad.

He was also concerned about infections.

He had allocated points to ＜Resistance＞, but he wasn't sure how effective it was.

Tō quickly finished the task, trying not to touch the blood and organs.

The sun had already turned crimson by the time he finished.

Tō was captivated by the large sunset, something rarely seen in the city in Japan.

"Hey, Estelle. How long does it take to get to Finris?"

"About an hour, but the main gate of Finris closes when the sun sets."

"Oh, really? If the gate closes, you can't get in?"

"Yes. If we run, we might make it just in time. Tō, I'm sorry, but can we hurry a bit?"

"Sure. Please lead the way."

"Leave it to me."

With that, Estelle started running.

She was an adventurer and might have more stamina than him, so Tō braced himself. However, Estelle's speed was only a light jog.

(Good. I can keep up with this.)

Watching her ponytail bounce, Tō ran closely behind Estelle.

"Hey, Estelle. Can anyone become an adventurer?"

"Yes. As long as you haven't committed a major crime, anyone can become an adventurer."

The word "crime" made Tō shudder internally. Would he be found out for pushing Clem and the others off the cliff?

(I think it's probably okay...)

No one had found out yet, but if it didn't work out, he could look for another path.

There should be many job opportunities if he chose one... Tō thought positively.

In the future, he would need to learn a skill to make a living.

If he couldn't become an adventurer, he could rely on the ＜Smithing＞ skill and become a blacksmith.

Even if that didn't work out— he had a skill board. If he raised his skills, he should be able to work better than average in any job.

While Tō was thinking about his future, Estelle was in a hurry.

(Tō has quite a lot of stamina.)

At first, Estelle ran at a pace that wouldn't leave Tō behind. But since Tō had plenty of stamina, Estelle increased her speed.

Now, she was running at almost full speed.

Still, Tō ran with a carefree expression, as if he could start whistling at any moment.

Estelle couldn't believe he was just a regular person.

At first, she thought he might be a knight hiding his identity under a secret mission.

But from their conversation, it seemed that wasn't the case.

Even a knight who was unfamiliar with the world would know about goblins and wouldn't have the misconception that regular people shouldn't defeat goblins.

(Who is Tō really?)

While imagining Tō's true identity, Estelle hurried to Finris, almost out of breath.