Chapter 173: What Am I Supposed to Do About This?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173: What Am I Supposed to Do About This?
“That’s the end of the briefing. Congratulations, Cobalt-grade explorer Aven.”
“...It’s finally starting to feel real.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Hearing it from you, Dahlia, makes me feel like I’ve truly promoted.”
“I-I see! Hehe….”
After receiving the final instructions from Dahlia in the reception room, I stepped outside. As the blue grade plate hanging around my neck clinked, I could feel the people around me whispering and staring.
I suppose it’s rare to see an explorer of Platinum Grade or higher in the Southwest. I can understand the attention. So, this is the air breathed by an explorer who has stepped onto the threshold of the elite.
‘There seem to be three times as many people as before.’
Tomorrow is the Calax Birth Festival. Even as early as dawn today, I saw caravans flocking into Calax, hawking various goods. Explorers were squeezed into the gaps between the long lines of wagons, and even those who didn't travel with the caravans were arriving in droves via private carriages.
“What kind of entertainment is there during the Birth Festival?”
“Hmm, for starters, a huge number of street stalls set up in the residential district in the West. They bring in high-quality materials and equipment to Calax... though you probably won't need any of that, Aven.”
“Haha….”
Dahlia hadn't seen my battle personally, but it seemed she had heard the stories from Katrina. Katrina apparently has a skill similar to clairvoyance, allowing her to watch the Grand Martial Arena in the Northeast directly from the Southwest.
‘That’s quite an impressive ability.’
“I’ll be looking forward to your future exploits, okay?”
“Yes, thank you.”
*
For some reason, Sera and Tresha had been acting listless since yesterday. I hadn't been able to talk to them because I left for the guild so early this morning, but I needed to find out what was wrong. As soon as I returned to the inn, I called out to Tresha, who was sweeping the yard.
“Tresha.”
“Hiek..! Oh, Brother...?”
“What kind of reaction is that...?”
Tresha jumped as if she’d seen a monster. She’d been cooped up in her room ever since she went out with Sera yesterday.
“Is something wrong? You look drained.”
“Ah, um... go see Sister Sera….”
“Hmm. Alright. And you’re doing okay?”
“Me? Not particularly... aside from the fact that Master has been giving me really difficult homework lately…?”
“What kind of homework?”
Tresha pondered my question for a moment, then stopped sweeping and let the broom drop to the ground. She stood before it with her eyes closed and reached out both hands toward the fallen broom.
“Hah! Move!”
“Whoa.”
Yellow mana shot from Tresha’s fingertips and hit the broom. It rattled and began to move on the ground.
Then, it suddenly stood upright and—
“W-Whoa!”
It proceeded to pull off eight backflips in a row. Apparently, if the magic had worked correctly, the broom was supposed to move on its own and sweep the yard.
“Doesn't look easy.”
“I’m telling you, it really isn't.... Anyway, Brother, please go to Sister Sera and be a little extra kind to her.”
“Hmm... I don't recall being harsh to her lately.”
Could it be because I didn't wake her up that morning? Man, she really is a serious workaholic. Maybe I should take her to the West district for a bit during the festival.
—Knock, knock.
“Sera? Are you inside?”
“Y-Yoo Eon?!”
“Is something the matter? You seemed a bit down.”
“J-Just a moment! I’ll be right out— Whoa?!”
—Thud! Crash!
‘That sounded like it hurt.’
After waiting for about three minutes, Sera opened the door and stepped out. The state of the room visible through the cracked door was chaotic. It looked like she had tripped forward; the chest area of her dress was hanging quite low.
“Sera, that.”
“Eek!? J-j-j-just a second!”
Sera turned around, straightened her clothes, and finally looked at me. Was something wrong? Sera wasn't very good at hiding her emotions, and the worry was written all over her face.
“Did something happen?”
“N-no... not really….”
“It looks like something did. Come on, tell me.”
Sera bit her lip, repeatedly swallowing the words she wanted to say. After hesitating for a long while, she finally asked a question as if she had made up her mind.
“Yoo Eon... you’re a human, right...?”
“Huh? Uh... yes?”
“I-I see….”
It was a completely random, out-of-the-blue question. If she was asking if I was human... of course I was. In the world I came from, there were no demi-humans like beastkin, dwarves, elves, or vampires.
“Y-you see.... Actually, I saw you fighting yesterday….”
“Ah.”
Right, if it was that, I could understand. Even I thought my appearance during recent battles was anything but human. Even if my limbs were blown off, they’d sprout back and keep moving. Most of the explorers Sera knew were the types who lived in the Southwest and used the Mounted Goat Inn.
Naturally, their grades ranged from Iron at the lowest to Gold at the highest. They were likely at the level where they’d be busy wrapping themselves in armor and carrying heaps of weapons just to stay safe.
Seeing me sprout arms from my back, grow wings, and have my limbs and head explode only to regenerate—it was only natural for her to be confused about whether I was a human or a monster.
“Don't worry. I’m human. It’s just that my skills make me look a bit... extreme during combat….”
“B-by any chance! Then... c-can you fight in your current form too...?”
“My current form?”
“Yes! Without wearing that... black armor-like thing...?”
“Of course.”
My defense would drop a bit, but it wasn't like I couldn't fight. My muscle fibers were internal anyway, so there was no need to turn my skin inside out. My eyes might change occasionally, but that was manageable.
“Could I see it once...?”
“Me fighting in this form?”
“Yes….”
I didn't know why, but since Sera was curious, I obliged. I couldn't exactly wake up her sleeping father and ask him to spar, though.
“Shall we step into the backyard for a moment?”
“O-okay...!”
Keeping it simple, I took the Knight Lord’s sword and shield in my hands and demonstrated some swings.
—Shink.
“This is the Knight’s Oath.”
“The Knight’s Oath?”
“Yes. I’m not sure about now... but it’s a gesture knights from a very long time ago would perform before starting a fight.”
“I-it’s cool….”
The memory of crossing blades with the Knight Lord was still vivid. He must have undergone training so grueling and difficult that I probably couldn't even imagine it.
Ssh—
After showing some basic stances and swinging the sword, I split a nearby log meant for firewood in half. I’d thought this before, but even without the Aura Blade active, the cutting power was incredible. I wondered what kind of rare metal it was made of.
“Will this suffice?”
“Yes...!! Yes, yes!! This is more than enough!”
“I’m glad you’re happy. Do you want to learn the sword?”
“I-it’s not that... I just wanted to see it at least once.”
“I see.”
Anyway, Sera was happy, so that was enough. She beamed with a bright smile every time I swung the sword; I wasn't sure if it was really something to be that happy about, though.
‘Thank goodness...! He can fight in that form too...!’
Unbeknownst to Yoo Eon, Sera was feeling a massive sense of relief that her delusions had been preserved. She felt that if thugs ever attacked her, the human-form Yoo Eon would be the one to fight for her.
“Oh, right. Did you say the inn is closed on the morning of the festival?”
“That’s right. Since we’ll be swamped with dinner guests.... We should probably rest—”
“Would you like to go to the Northwest with me—”
“Yes! Let’s go together!”
I’m pretty sure she just said they should rest in the morning.
“Ah, but you need to rest because of the evening work.”
“No! I can play in the morning!”
“Won't it be tiring in the evening?”
“It’s fine! I’ll have plenty of energy to do a good job!”
Sera raised her arm, which didn't show a single hint of muscle, and patted it. It was so thin I could probably wrap my hand around her entire bicep. I wasn't sure what exactly she wanted me to look at, but...
“I see. Understood. Then we should go to bed early today.”
“Right!”
Sera’s beaming face was truly beautiful. She was in high spirits, as if she’d never been down at all. I didn't quite understand why seeing me swing a sword improved her mood, but the reason didn't really matter.
*
“Yes! Hero! What is it?”
“Now, Sola. From now on, it’s special training. To be honest, I’m not sure if we can finish by tomorrow.”
“What kind of special training?”
“Can you try making an Ent? At least this big.”
After lunch, I called Sola, who was playing in the house, out to the backyard. The reason was to fend off the storm of customers expected tomorrow evening, and in the long run, I was thinking of using the Ents Sola made to slightly expand the inn.
As long as I had plenty of wood, she could practice as many times as needed. Fortunately, a caravan carrying a large load of firewood was waiting at the South Gate of Calax, so I took Sola and bought a lot.
Sola was invisible at the time due to her concealment magic, and people were quite shocked to see the wood I bought suddenly take on a vaguely human shape and move on its own. I just gave a vague excuse about being a mage, and they seemed to buy it.
Since those were quite large, I had them broken back down into firewood pieces and stacked in the backyard to begin the special training. Sera watched from the side while sipping a drink.
—Rattle..!
An Ent about the height of a person’s waist was created. There was enough wood to make about twenty more of that size. I asked her to make it as human-like as possible, and surprisingly, a decent result was produced in no time.
“This is a plate. You wouldn't have had these in the forest, but people use them to hold food.”
“A plate! I’ve seen them often at the inn! They’re made with earth mana and fire mana, right?”
“Roughly, yes. I’m going to place this on top, and your job is to have the Ent carry it to Sera without dropping it.”
“Mmm! Understood!”
Sola, in her light-green butterfly form, fluttered her wings over the small, waist-high Ent. It took the plate I handed over and began moving toward Sera. A round apple was placed on the plate, so it could easily fall off if handled poorly.
—Patter-patter-patter!
“Whoa. Speed is good, but that’s too fast.”
“But the fruit is staying perfectly still?”
“That’s because the Ent is holding it with its hands while running. You can't touch other foods with your hands.”
“Then it has to move it while only holding the plate!”
This time, the Ent tossed the plate into the air, ran in front of Sera, caught the falling plate first, and miraculously, the apple landed right on top of it.
“O-oh...?”
Sera gave a timid round of applause, and Sola looked triumphant. Naturally, it was a fail.
“You did move it while only holding the plate, but... I guess I should show you how it’s done first.”
*
“10 points... 10 points….”
“Yay! I did it!”
After about an hour of practice, the Ent carefully lifted the plate and delivered the apple to Sera. Now it was time to move on to the real thing.
In the kitchen, Sera grilled a simple steak, placed it on a plate, and handed it to the Ent. The Ent carefully exited the kitchen, entered the dining area, and successfully placed the plate on a table.
“Excellent. You may graduate, Sola.”
“Thank you! Hero-Master!”
When the festival starts, we plan to set up tents all the way to the street and add more tables to accommodate a crowd of customers. Sera said that until last year, she and Auntie Marta had to work themselves to death. Now, that won't be necessary. Wait, but Auntie is the one doing the cooking, right?
Well, whatever. It’s good to have extra hands for serving.
“It would be better to have more Ents that can perform this action automatically. How many can you handle at once?”
“Once they’ve learned the task, I can handle as many Ents as needed!”
“Wow, that’s actually incredible.”
Should I have them learn how to cook too? Ents are made of wood, so being near fire might be dangerous. Anyway, with the Ents' help, moving the tables from the warehouse was a breeze. Auntie Marta had been watching closely from a certain point.
She stood still for a moment before nodding, looking very satisfied.
“Looks like Tresha’s going to be out of a job.”
“B-Brother!?”
When Sera’s father jokingly brought it up from the side, Tresha, who had been listening, spoke up in a panic.
“Haha, Father is just teasing you.”
“R-right...?! I can still work, right?!”
“Of course. I need you to run errands for Walter.”
“You needed Walter, not me?!!”
Anyway, the Ent serving training ended on a cheerful note. Everyone went inside the dining room to take a break.
—Creeeeak.
“Aven? Is Aven here? Hmm... this should be the place.”
“Dora? What are you doing here?”
“Sigh. I’m exhausted. I had a mountain of paperwork to process.”
For some reason, Theodora had come to the Mounted Goat Inn. Looking outside, there was no carriage. It seemed she had run here herself; she naturally took a seat while smoothing out her disheveled hair.
“What brings you here? Coming all the way to the inn yourself.”
“Well, obviously to ask you to check out the festival with me tomorrow. I worked through a mountain of tasks just for this.... Hmm?”
“Ah….”
Sera, who had brought out cold water thinking it was a customer, froze upon hearing Theodora’s words.
“Yoo Eon, this person is...?”
“Ah, um.”