Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Various Friendships (6)
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That day had finally come.
The day Roshanak would become free.
The Deep Sea Dungeon conquest was officially over. Our “contract” was coming to an end.
It was a shame to let Roshanak go just like that—he carried an impressive bloodline that couldn’t be ignored, and his talent as a mage was starting to show—but...
There was no helping it.
A promise was a promise.
I grabbed the contract and headed down to the inn’s first-floor dining hall. El and Roshanak, who had already taken their seats, greeted me. Hmm, looks like Lloyd was skipping breakfast.
“Master!”
“Master!”
The kids called out to me loudly. Geez, they didn’t have to shout—I was right there. I sat at the table and took the cup El handed me. Having lived together for a while, El had learned my tastes and must have ordered it ahead. I gulped down the goat’s milk, warmed nice and hot with plenty of honey.
“Phew, that hits the spot. Thanks, El.”
“Haha, no problem.”
El was subtly showing off in front of Roshanak at my praise. Man, they get competitive over the weirdest things.
“Did you order food?”
“Yeah. Three specials from the innkeeper.”
“What’s on the menu today? I’m curious.”
True to the Ekaitz Republic, where specialties from all nations flooded in, the innkeeper’s special breakfast changed depending on the ingredients available each day. Yesterday it had been Roshan-style, today...
“Three special breakfasts! Enjoy!”
The innkeeper deftly placed a large plate in front of each of us. El’s was especially huge—he always ate like a pig at breakfast and dinner, so that was unavoidable.
“Smells great.”
Today was imperial-style. Golden, plump sausages; thick slices of bacon still sizzling with grease; two eggs fried in the bacon fat; fresh tomatoes and mushy peas; fluffy bread and bright yellow butter...
Man, the joy of eating really shines here!
I spread butter on the warm bread and took a bite, the butter melting into the crumb for a heavenly taste. Topped the buttery bread with sliced tomato, bacon, and a half-boiled egg for an instant sandwich. Blew on it to cool it a bit, then took a bite...
“Mahhee~~~!!!”
Before I could even comment, El let out a cry of delight.
“Eat slowly, El. You’ll get indigestion.”
“Yeah! *Munch munch*!”
“Swallow first, then talk. Swallow.”
I gave him a gentle smile, then finished my meal. Ah, you really have to pick inns based on the owner’s cooking! This was another perfect choice!
“......”
That said, why was Roshanak just picking at his food?
Normally, he’d devour everything on his plate just to beat El, but today he was quiet. Was he feeling unwell? On the day he’d finally gain his freedom, no less...
“Roshanak, food not to your taste?”
Come to think of it, as a mermaid hybrid, he preferred fish dishes. Should I order some fried sardines right now? As I moved to call the innkeeper, Roshanak shook his head.
“......No, it’s good.”
“Hey, if you’re not eating that sausage, can I have it?”
“......”
He should’ve snapped that it was a hard no like usual, but Roshanak said nothing. Sensing the weird vibe, El glanced at him and quietly bit into his tomato.
“What’s wrong, Roshanak? You’re worrying me.”
“Worried?”
“Yeah, worried.”
“Hmm......”
He lowered his eyes and stabbed at the sausage with his fork. What was this, some teenage nephew routine?
“......Liar.”
“Huh?”
“Hmph.”
With that, Roshanak slammed down his fork and stormed upstairs.
“......”
“......”
El and I exchanged dumbfounded looks.
“Did something happen?”
“Nope?”
“No idea why Roshanak’s acting like that?”
“Nope, not a clue.”
“......”
“Master, can I eat what he left?”
“Uh, sure......”
Wasting food is bad. That’s the lesson Mom drilled into me until my ears bled. I nodded.
“......”
Anyway, Roshanak was the issue.
Was he mad that I hadn’t fulfilled the contract right after the dungeon?
No, he hadn’t said much about that...
‘......Kids are so tricky.’
But poking at a kid hitting puberty like this could backfire big time. Chasing after him or grilling him on what’s wrong would just make it worse.
‘Well, let’s finish breakfast for now.’
I took another bite of my half-eaten sandwich. Delicious, so delicious... But my mind was already following Roshanak, like a parent with a moody teen.
I couldn’t tell if the sausages went in my nose or my mouth. After finishing breakfast, I sent El to Lloyd and headed to Donar Temple with Roshanak. The plan was to burn the contract in the temple’s sacred flame to free him.
We walked very slowly along the beach.
“Roshanak.”
Now seemed like the right moment. With the waves as background noise, I called his name.
“You’re mad at me, right?”
“......”
Roshanak looked up at me in surprise. His blue eyes sparkled like the sea in the sunlight.
“I know.”
“......Really?”
“Yeah. I should’ve... given you your freedom sooner.”
“......”
His expression shifted subtly.
“Free... dom?”
Huh? Was that not it?
But with no other clues, I pressed on.
“Yeah, freedom. That was our contract. Freedom after the dungeon conquest.”
“......”
Roshanak’s face was starting to twist.
Wait, something was going wrong here...
“You idiot!”
Huh?
“What do you know, you fool! Idiot! Blockhead!”
“W-Wait, Roshanak!”
Water droplets began gathering around him, growing larger. This kid?! Before I could react properly, he hurled soccer-ball-sized water orbs at me.
-Pop!
“Roshanak!”
-Boom!
“Wait a sec!”
-Boom boom!
In the end, I used [Breath of the Forest]. Branches from the planted podocarpus tree shot out, taking the hits for me. Splash, splash. I wiped off the spraying droplets and quickly used [Plant Bind] to wrap Roshanak in vines.
“Eeeeek!”
Roshanak struggled, completely bound by the vines in an instant. He’d grown as a mage, but he still couldn’t handle me.
“Calm down. Why are you so mad?”
“......”
“Tell me, Roshanak. I’m ready to listen.”
“......You say that.”
“Huh?”
“But you called me Master!”
Roshanak bellowed. Whoa, nearly burst my eardrums...
“......Yeah, I’m your master. So what?”
“Then why are you trying to abandon me!”
“Abandon you?”
“I heard you talking to that cat! You’re planning to leave me behind!”
“......”
I didn’t get it. Didn’t this kid want his freedom? Why was he mad...? Looking into his teary blue eyes made my head spin. But I took a breath and spoke calmly.
“Roshanak, our contract from the start... was to give you freedom after the mission. We staked our lives on it. Donar God witnessed it.”
“......”
“Don’t you want freedom?”
He shook his head. If not freedom, then what?
“Then what...”
“......”
Stubbornly silent and huffing, he finally burst into near-tears.
“I could stay with you as a free person!”
......That was it?
Caught off guard, I scratched my head dumbly.
“But you’re abandoning me!”
“......No, Roshanak. Hear me out.”
I released the skill and started untangling the vines from his body.
“You’re an excellent companion. Of course I want to travel with you.”
“......”
“But your choice matters more than my wishes. You’re not a slave anymore.”
“......”
“I asked Katarina to look after you for your sake. So you could live safely as a free person.”
“......”
“My journey isn’t easy. Things far worse than the Deep Sea Dungeon might await.”
“......”
“It’d be too much to drag you along.”
“Sniff, *sniff*, sniff...”
Tears like chicken droppings streamed from his blue eyes. I pulled out an old handkerchief and wiped them away.
“And yet you still want to come with me, Roshanak?”
He just sniffled for a while, then shook his head.
‘......Of course. He’s still a kid.’
Who’d want to join a grueling journey over a bright adventure?
Even though I expected it, it left a bitter taste.
“Alright... Katarina will be your guardian for a while.”
“......Then, can I keep learning magic?”
“I’ll ask her to make sure you can continue your magic studies.”
“......”
Roshanak stopped crying and stared at me with his puffy red eyes.
“I’ll get strong.”
“......Huh?”
“I’ll become an incredibly powerful mage and join your journey, Master.”
“......”
“I’ll become so strong you’ll beg me to come along.”
Wait, that wasn’t what I expected.
His eyes burned with fierce determination.
Maybe...
“Yeah.”
I met Roshanak’s gaze and smiled broadly.
“Become a mage so powerful I beg you to join me, Roshanak.”
“I’ll become a mage so strong you’ll sob and plead for me. Get ready, Master.”
With a newly spirited voice, he snapped the vines himself and shook them off.
“Roshanak, you already seem a bit stronger.”
“Hmph.”
“Future Archmage. Take it slow, don’t trip.”
I followed behind Roshanak, who strode ahead toward Donar Temple. There, under the priest’s guidance, we burned the contract in the sacred flame.
Now Roshanak was free. My heart felt no binding even after the contract ended, but strangely, my chest felt empty.
“Master. You coming?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“To celebrate my freedom, dinner’s on me tonight.”
“Oh, really?”
I chuckled as I followed Roshanak, who walked with newfound confidence.
‘When we meet again, he might really be an archmage?’