Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Adventurer Martial Arts Tournament
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It didn't take long to recover my energy.
While it was true that I'd taken a mental blow, I had no intention of moping around because of it.
For starters, I wouldn't be involved in the operation to hunt down the demon worshippers still lurking in the capital.
Shan and the temple priests, along with the capital's soldiers, would handle that.
They were combing through the entire capital like it was theirs to tear apart, and by order of the king, even the nobles couldn't refuse to cooperate.
The powerful nobles grumbled plenty, but defying the effort to root out demon worshippers could easily backfire and paint them as suspects too.
All they could do was swallow their humiliation in silence.
Even today, five people had been burned alive in the outer city's plaza.
The strange thing was, three of them had faces melted beyond recognition, instantly marking them as demon worshippers.
But the other two? Their faces were utterly ordinary.
They weren't demon worshippers.
Yet they still screamed in agony as they burned.
The moment people realized demon worshippers were hiding in the capital, they'd started accusing anyone they had a grudge against. In the nearly five days since, there might have been more innocent victims than actual cultists.
In this atmosphere, wandering around while openly radiating my gloomy aura would just invite trouble—someone might report me, leading to all sorts of headaches.
That said, I couldn't hide forever.
A good amount of time had passed since the first executions, but the capital's madness showed no signs of letting up; if anything, it was intensifying. Hiding had its limits, so I'd probably need to leave the city for a while.
No need to go too far, though. There were still a few hunters' cabins left standing outside the city walls—temporary shelters they used. I could hole up there until the frenzy died down.
If I left the capital, the priests who still needed me would help out.
For instance, I could count on regular food deliveries.
It wasn't far from the capital, so the risk of monsters popping up was low. And even if the dice rolled badly, since it wouldn't be inside the city, the worst-case scenario would just mean dying alone.
Once I'd sorted out my thoughts and reached a decision, I headed to the temple late that night and shared my plan.
Everyone agreed it was a good idea, so with Shan assigned as my guard and minder, we slipped out of the city in the pre-dawn hours.
We settled into a cabin about a day's travel away.
"It's been unused for so long, dust everywhere."
"The game around the capital has been hunted out, so hunters don't need these temporary spots anymore."
"Fair point."
You need game for there to be hunters.
No game, no hunters, and these cabins get abandoned.
"...Hmm."
By that logic, what about me?
Once I'm no longer useful, will they discard me too?
The temple positioned itself as a bastion of justice, so they'd probably never stoop that low. But given everything I'd been through, expecting anything from others felt downright absurd now.
"First things first, let's clean up. Then grab a quick bite, and spar with me after?"
"Sure."
Shan accepted calmly, and I inspected our new digs.
It was old and dusty, but otherwise solid.
Sturdier than expected—built on evenly cut stones with wood laid over, elevating the floor a couple of hands' breadth off the ground to keep out the chill and crawling bugs.
"They put a lot of effort into a temporary shelter, huh?"
If it was just for hunters crashing briefly, this level of build wasn't necessary.
Not out of disrespect—temporary meant just that: short rests, no point making it a full house.
"The Heron Kingdom used to be wealthy enough to splurge on frivolities like this."
"Come to think of it, the roads in and around the capital are all paved with stone."
Cutting stone evenly for road paving takes massive labor and cash.
Doing it not just partially, but across the whole capital? That was a glimpse of how mighty the old Heron Kingdom had been.
These days, it's seen as a minor power, but that doesn't erase its past glory. The current Herons live off that legacy.
Anyway, we were benefiting from it too, staying in this nice cabin, so no complaints—we just let it slide and chatted on.
"How long until the capital's madness cools off?"
"At least a month. Once they're sure every demon worshipper's been purged, the royals will throw money at soothing the public, and the temple will send healers, recite scriptures, and calm everyone down."
"So, two months here, generously speaking."
"Won't be that long. Once things settle, temple folk will fetch you for that special commission we discussed."
"...Sigh. Yeah, figures."
I hadn't asked for it, but backing out now wasn't an option, so I nodded.
"Got a question."
"What?"
As I swept the dusty floor with the broom I'd brought, Shan paused thoughtfully before continuing.
"Back then, you didn't want to take the commission."
"...Yeah."
"What made you change your mind?"
I knew he'd noticed something off about me, but I hadn't expected him to ask so directly—my broom hand froze mid-sweep.
What should I say?
Would he even believe the truth as it happened?
And even if he did, that'd be a problem.
Telling him someone else hijacked my body and acted on their own? That sounded demonic. It might turn Shan's lingering suspicions into certainty, making him attack me.
In the end, all I could say was something bland to dodge him—utterly hollow.
"Just a whim, that's all."
"You don't trust me."
"Can you blame me?"
I could see he still suspected me—how could I trust someone like that?
I might be a bit slow on the uptake, but I could tell friend from foe.
"You're reliable, Shan, but that doesn't mean I trust you."
The words came out a bit oddly.
His skills and power were trustworthy, no doubt. Decent character too—and despite his wariness, when he couldn't confirm his doubts, he'd apologized and helped me.
But that wasn't trust; it was an uneasy alliance born of suspicion without proof.
So just as he didn't fully trust me, I couldn't fully trust him.
"I miss Marcel."
"You trust that guy?"
"Not having him around is why I'm saying it, but Marcel's simple-minded. You either trust him or you don't—no middle ground. No complicated second-guessing."
"...Yeah, fair."
Shan furrowed his brow as if picturing Marcel, then nodded awkwardly.
"That guy's problem is he's too simple."
"Better than overly complicated, no?"
"He once vouched for a friend and lost his entire fortune."
"That's not short-sighted; that's just dumb."
"...Huh, true."
Shan scratched his chin, conceding my point.
Marcel had silver-rank mid-tier skills, but he was impulsive and not the sharpest.
Way too trusting too— he'd believed my one-man monster cleanup on the spot and helped me right after we reached the capital.
"Hey, Shan."
"Yeah?"
"What commission did Marcel take?"
"Escort for a merchant caravan. Bandits are rampant lately, so rich traders are sparing no expense on guards."
Fair enough.
Sounded low-risk on the face of it.
Without me around, no dice rolls to twist things weirdly either.
That's silver rank for you.
Copper adventurers were expendable; silvers were knight-level, their mere presence a deterrent.
"Hope he comes back safe."
Ban, Tory, the kids too.
Everyone I connected with seemed to end up in mortal danger—it was unavoidable anxiety.
Speaking of, I'd heard about Arata Village recently.
After I took out the goblin leader, the frenzied goblins rampaged down to the village, causing heavy casualties.
Not that I was close to them, but at this point, couldn't help thinking I was the root of every disaster.
"Sigh... Better hit training."
In the end, if I got stronger, I could clean up my own messes.
Shan, who'd been staring at my endless sighing, awkwardly changed the subject.
"Thinking of entering the Adventurer Martial Arts Tournament coming up?"
"...Adventurer Martial Arts Tournament?"
That existed?
"Not sure when your special commission ends, but if the timing lines up, it'd be worth a shot."
I figured my traits and training from two silvers put me top-tier among peers, but still same-rank level—could I even compete? Just as doubt crept in, Shan clarified.
It was rank-specific matchups only.
In that case...
I glanced down, pulling my wooden apprentice tag from my pouch.
"I'm just an apprentice, though..."
"Then you'll face other apprentices."
Apprentice adventurers fell into two camps.
Folks like me, needing a new identity.
Or true wannabe adventurers.
The former just wanted ID, so plenty had skills way above "apprentice" level.
The latter? Total ragtag bunch of odd-jobbers.
"With luck, I could even win."
Unless some hidden powerhouse showed up out of nowhere, no one same-rank could beat me—I was already upper echelon.
Not arrogance; just facts.
"Even third place gets solid rewards. No downside to entering."
"But why bring it up now?"
"Your skills are solid, but your confidence is shot. Beating lesser opponents in a tournament like that? It'll build your self-esteem naturally."
Basically...
Enter the tourney, rack up wins against scrubs, boost ego and confidence.
Why was he looking out for me like this?
Still suspicious of me and all.
But it rang true.
I knew objectively I was good, but every time I picked up a sword, disaster followed. Now, anxiety lingered whenever I gripped the hilt.
Was I really skilled? Self-doubt crept in; despite hard training, lately my blade tip trembled faintly.
"That mindset will only lead to regression, no matter how much you train. Just a suggestion. Up to you, Ellie."
"...Well, if it's like that."
No harm in entering.
Tourney after the commission, huh.
Plans falling into place without my input...
Felt like it wasn't my will driving this—unsettling.
"...Shan."
"What?"
"Those words—you thought them up and said them yourself, right?"
"Strange question. They're my thoughts, my will, my words."
"Good enough."
The unease didn't vanish, but his answer sufficed for now.