Chapter 91
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Sponsorship
First and foremost, the most important information.
I got an answer about Rie's whereabouts more easily than expected.
Her voice only came through once every two weeks now, maybe twice at most.
She was probably busy raising that monster in the capital.
Rie had always been the type to lose interest in things quickly anyway.
My personal take was that the capital's monster wouldn't be the end of it.
Once she got bored of that one, she'd make something new, and the cycle would repeat.
Until she lost interest in the game itself.
If there was two-way communication, I could've at least let her know about the situation here. Whether talking to me or the Saint.
To Rie, this place was just a game, and she felt no guilt whatsoever.
Which made sense, of course.
She was really just playing a game, after all.
First, I confirmed that the Saint could now move around fairly freely.
And that she still showed no interest in me.
The second question was about the situation in the capital.
The Saint explained it calmly.
During the six months I was gone, the number of missing persons in the capital had spiked dramatically. But the incident wrapped up with an unknown adventurer captured and executed as the culprit.
Of course, both I and the Saint knew that unknown adventurer wasn't the real perpetrator.
And then the third question.
The whereabouts of Shan and Marcel.
Shan was a top-tier silver-rank adventurer, famous for taking down a ton of devil worshippers, and Marcel, while not quite as skilled, had a great personality and wide connections.
If someone with good ears wanted to track them down, it wouldn't be hard.
"Lady Shan left for the north on a commission about a month ago, and Sir Marcel is recovering from an injury he sustained on a job two months back, as far as I know!"
"...An injury? Is it serious?"
"It was serious, but fortunately, his life isn't in danger!"
A silver-rank adventurer like Marcel suffering a serious injury.
Did he run into a devil or something?
If not, what the hell happened?
Even if adventurers live on the edge, silver-rankers don't get hurt that often.
Since I had potions, I figured I should drop some off, so I asked where he was. Luckily, it wasn't far.
"Now for the last one, but I don't know much about that either! From what the voice said, it seems like something with the complete opposite disposition to me, so I've been keeping my distance on purpose since it seems reluctant to let me 'approach' just yet!"
"I see...?"
Someone the complete opposite of the Saint? Yeah, that sounded shady for sure.
It didn't seem interested in killing me, and we could sort of communicate, but that was it.
That existence was still a villain, no doubt about it.
And I figured out what kind of concept play Rie was going for.
She was raising one absolute good and one absolute evil, planning to pit them against each other later.
Rie, whose thinking was always straightforward, was easy to read once you had a clue.
After all, it was the stream I'd watched the most.
"Have you asked all your questions?"
"Yeah, I got all the urgent stuff."
"Then, may I ask a few of my own?"
"......Not too many. A couple's fine."
I'd gotten all my answers, and now I knew Marcel was hurt, so I wanted to rush over and hand him a potion. I hadn't expected her to turn the tables with questions.
Someone with more money, info, and power than me— what could she possibly want to ask?
But my thoughts didn't linger.
I'd come here on a whim, trusting her character, so a debt had formed.
Now was my chance to pay it back.
That wasn't so bad.
"Why did you come to me?"
"...Huh?"
It was a bewildering first question.
What do you even say to "why did you come"?
Be honest? Or sugarcoat it with some lies?
I hesitated briefly, then decided on honesty.
Her piercing gaze was intimidating, and I figured she'd see through any lies anyway.
"......I just trusted your character, Lady Saint. And there's the 'voice' that only we two share."
"So you came to me blindly?"
"...Yeah. I knew it was imposing, but it was urgent."
I couldn't fumble excuses.
That would just make it worse.
I looked up at the Saint, meeting her eyes without flinching.
"Next, then—what was so urgent?"
"......What was urgent?"
"Yes!"
What was urgent, huh...
I wondered what she was getting at, but since I'd answered the first one honestly, I should do the same for the rest.
"Me. It was urgent because of me."
"...What do you mean?"
"I'm lucky... but unlucky too."
I've survived somehow, every time.
And I've grown, bit by bit, in some form or another.
But what about around me?
Every time I survived, something big or small got wrecked nearby.
Every time I grew, bad things happened to those around me.
So yeah, lucky and unlucky.
That's why it was urgent.
I didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of me.
I could just die and end it, but I lacked the courage.
I could hole up in the mountains alone, but I hated the thought of loneliness, even with disgusted stares.
So here I was, mingling with people, guilt creeping up my spine...
That's why it was urgent.
I needed to get strong enough not to harm those around me, protect what I want to protect myself.
And go further—punish the one who created this mess.
The sooner, the better.
I laid it all out honestly.
Well, not everything. Just a glimpse, a tiny piece.
"Haa..."
For some reason...
The Saint's gaze turned pitying.
It made my cheeks itch, so I scratched one. After a brief silence, she slowly spoke.
"What if I became your sponsor?"
"......Sponsor?"
"Merchant houses often scout promising adventurers and offer patronage."
"I know, but..."
The classic "nurturing" deal.
The adventurer gets material support but loses freedom, bound by contract to the sponsor.
But I had plenty of material leeway.
Lots of money, and my account-bound inventory was stuffed with junk items piling up.
I hadn't spent much, so I wasn't filthy rich, but I was set—no shortages holding me back.
"I have no intention of making you do anything via contract! It's just nominal sponsorship!"
"......Why go that far?"
"Because it's pitiful, isn't it?"
"Pitiful?"
"A kid who looks barely twelve, blaming everything on themselves? Of course it's pitiful."
"Just for that?"
"Of course not just that! I also think you know a lot I don't."
"...You think I'm hiding something?"
"Yes!"
She answered my cautious question firmly, matter-of-factly, without a hint of hostility.
"You're not going to force it out of me?"
"I believe you'll tell me in time, so it's fine!"
Sponsorship was just to win my favor.
No forcing secrets out.
That's what the Saint was saying.
"......Still, I'm good. I don't lack for money."
"Even if not cash, don't you need other support?"
"...Like what?"
"Top blacksmiths, appraisers, potent potions, high-end adventure kits—things money can't always buy, or take forever even if it can?"
"......That."
I needed them.
A skilled blacksmith, at least, was essential.
"Your sword doesn't look to be in great shape. Shouldn't you maintain it?"
......
I had nothing to say, just fiddled with the hilt.
"Everything else is fine. Just hang our house's seal—showing our sponsorship—next to your adventurer tag."
"...That's really all?"
"Yes!"
The Saint nodded with a kind face.
No reason to refuse such great terms.
Of course, no favors without strings— this was bait, probably.
But some bait, you bite anyway, knowing full well.
I pulled out items from the demon realm and some junk from my account-bound inventory, handing them to the Saint.
Demon deer antlers, scraps of demon armor hide, even the magic iron the witch didn't need.
All sword-making materials. My way of accepting the sponsorship.
"...Make me one sword."
It was a solid deal for me, no downsides, yet it sent a weird chill down my spine—like strolling naked into a goblin village.