Spec Up (3)
“Unnie. Kaya unnie. Where do we start?”
“As the captain said, we'll stop by the Hero Training Center first to update our levels, then head to the monastery.”
“And after that?”
“After that?” Kaya fidgeted awkwardly with her left hand, which Shae was holding, and shook her head. “I was planning to head straight back to the inn.”
“Aw, come on. The captain even gave us plenty of pocket money so we could have some personal time, and you're just gonna do your errands and go back? After barely surviving that ordeal?”
“Even if you say that, Shae, I don't really have anything I want to do or buy. I wanted to maintain my gear, but the captain said he'd handle that from the communal funds too...”
“Sigh...”
Shae let go of her hand, crossed her arms, and shook her head slowly. Her expression and gestures were subtly teasing. And yet, with all the sidelong glances she kept throwing my way, it felt like she was doing it on purpose. She was a bit taller than Kaya, but it almost felt like Kaya was being teased by a child.
“And what were you planning to do, Shae, saying it like that?”
“Delicious things! Pretty things! And cool things!”
“Pardon?”
“Pardon what? Think about it. What did we eat in the dungeon?”
“Warm water mixed with solid soup stock and dried rations...”
“What did we wear?”
“Obviously armor and...”
“What did the captain wear?”
“Shae.”
“Unnie. We barely survived the dungeon as a crusader and battle vestal. We have a duty to eat something delicious instead of dried rations and wear pretty clothes instead of armor. That's what this money is for. Got it?”
“There's no such duty, Shae.”
“And the captain needs to wear something cool too!”
Flinch— Kaya, who had been planning to head to the Hero Training Center while filtering Shae's words appropriately, stopped in her tracks. Seeing that, Shae's smile deepened.
“We're a crusader and battle vestal, and the captain's a bounty hunter. Our jobs are already far from ordinary, and our personal circumstances don't seem ordinary either.”
“...Even if that's true for you and me, the captain too?”
For a moment, Kaya wondered if Shae knew some secret about Hendrick that even she didn't. A mix of anxiety and jealousy welled up, but she quickly suppressed it. Shae was someone who'd crossed the line between life and death with them. And a comrade from the same hero party.
'Besides... strictly speaking, the captain and I don't have any private relationship...'
Hendrick had called her his first woman, but she didn't think that meant they were in some special relationship. Who knew when death might come? Compared to his fate, such personal matters seemed utterly trivial. She didn't want to burden him with any shackles.
Even with Shae right in front of her—back in the dungeon, there had been that sort of thing...
“You can tell just by looking that he's got some story, right? If unnie saw how he fights, you'd have noticed too. His grip on the axe or rope looks convincing enough, but swinging them? No matter how generous you are, it's not bounty hunter level. And yet, he's the one who crushes those filthy heretic worshipper scum's heads better than any of us.”
Kaya couldn't deny it. Especially since she'd seen him in action once in the dungeon without Shae, and another time outside in heretic territory on a shady commission. Back then, his axe work had been even clumsier than now. The gap Shae mentioned had been even wider.
“I hesitate to speculate wildly, but here's what I think.”
“What?”
“The captain has a deep grudge against scum worse than trash. That's why he became a hero in Seilroom using the bounty hunter qualification, which even ordinary people can relatively easily obtain. Smashing people's—or rather, those monster-like bastards'—heads with an axe... isn't mindset more important than skill?”
If Hendrick had heard, he'd have said something like that's not it, Shae, but he wasn't here. To Kaya, Shae's guess sounded plausible. In her mind, it oddly overlapped with the image of him declaring that clearing the dungeon to the end was the fate he'd acknowledged for the first time.
“Captain...”
“Exactly! Which means the captain needs time to breathe too! Delicious things! Cool things! And if you just hammer weapons without proper maintenance, they break soon after.”
“Then his clothes—”
“And we, who are always with the captain, need to wear pretty things too! We rest together when resting. Right? Imagine if the captain wants to relax but unnie and I are weighed down in heavy armor. Could he really rest easy? You think not too, right? Right?”
“That's—”
“So this is for us, and for the captain. You get what I'm saying, unnie?”
“For the captain...”
Kaya nodded unwittingly. Shae beamed and grabbed her hand again, pulling her toward one side.
“Still, the Hero Training Center first...!”
“Of course. Unnie doesn't know Seilroom well, but this way leads to the training center too.”
“I-is that so.”
“Yep. So just trust me and follow, unnie!”
Kaya gave a very faint smile at Shae's grin. It was incredibly awkward, but the flowers of laughter bloomed even brighter on Shae's face.
'Kaya unnie really only thinks about the captain.'
Me too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Shae subtly persuaded Kaya, who insisted on the Hero Training Center first, and led her into an alley lined with clothing shops.
“Shae. Isn't this different from what you said?”
“Huh? Unnie, I've never lied. It's true that the training center is straight ahead this way.”
“Shae...!”
“Come on, we're not going to fight, so wouldn't it be better to wear something pretty on the way?”
“That's not the same as—”
“This route saves steps too. We're already here—gonna go back and forth? You're stopping by the monastery too, right?”
Kaya admitted she'd fallen for Shae's scheme. She expressed tacit approval with a short sigh.
“Welcome! Oh? Shae?”
“Long time no see, ma'am!”
“Sure has been. It's been forever, kid.”
Shae chatted amiably with the middle-aged woman who seemed to be the shop owner. Shae had always been sociable, but from the conversation, it sounded like she'd bought clothes here multiple times.
“Anyway, your visits tapered off lately. Got busy, huh?”
“Yeah! Found a great hero party.”
“Ahh~ So the one next to you is a comrade hero?”
“Yep. Great unnie! An excellent hero too!”
“My goodness—”
They hadn't even introduced themselves, but before she knew it, the shop owner was measuring Kaya's body.
“Uh, um...”
“Pretty is only pretty if it fits your body right. That's what makes it really pretty.”
“Exactly~ What perfect proportions for a hero~”
“Right? Even I think it's a clean, enviable figure... hehe.”
Kaya was dazed. She knew what buying clothes meant in theory, but she'd never actually done it. When her parents were alive, they handled it; after they passed, meals were the priority over clothes. And after joining the church, she'd only worn the provided nun robes and combat heavy armor.
“D-do we need to go this far?”
“It's all necessary, so leave it to the expert. Heretic extermination for combat clerics like us, clothes for tailors.”
Buying clothes was more complicated than she'd thought. She'd assumed picking something decent would do, but Shae wouldn't compromise: if they were going pretty, then very pretty. Shae looked deadly serious saying it, so Kaya held her tongue.
“Come back in an hour—no, an hour and a half~”
“Got it, ma'am! Looking forward to it?”
“You bet! First time in ages, so I'll give it my all?”
Shae dragged the dazed Kaya out.
“Didn't you say earlier it'd be good to wear something pretty, Shae?”
“Eh, that's whatever. Looking pretty to strangers isn't the point. Looking pretty to the most important person is. Right?”
“...”
“Alright. Let's quickly hit the training center and monastery?”
At this point, Kaya decided to go along with Shae's lead. Backing out now that they were this far in would be pointless, and they'd already paid a hefty sum for the clothes. More than anything, this time didn't feel all that bad.
The nun who'd brought her to the church wasn't her late mother, but she'd been the first adult she could rely on. Hendrick was the first man she'd given her body and heart to. And Shae... She'd never had one before, so she hesitated to define it, but this felt like the friendship she'd only heard about.
'Friend...'
Kaya shook her head. Just as she didn't want to burden Hendrick, she didn't want to burden Shae. Comrades getting close wasn't bad, but deepening private ties made her hesitate. This first taste of positive attention felt like it might loosen her body and heart. And she was... still lacking. Too insignificant and flawed to be someone's lover or friend.
Meanwhile, the comrade right beside her—far more beautiful and superior. Comparing directly would just depress her more.
And yet. Even knowing that.
She wanted to stay with Hendrick to the end, show him her good side, her capable side, and once in a very great while, lean into him and hear his praise.
“Unnie. What're you thinking so hard about? Come on!”
“...Yes. Shae.”
Kaya gathered her complicated feelings and followed Shae, who was striding ahead.
All things would flow according to God's will.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Welcome, hero. What can I do for you?”
“Ah, I wanted to know the cost for enhancing gear power.”
“It varies slightly by class and current level. Could you share the details?”
'What? Varies by class?'
I'd chosen the Gear Support Center over the Hero Training Center first. If someone asked whether to upgrade gear or skills first, I'd pick gear ninety-eight times out of a hundred. That's why I'd come here first, but this new info threw me off.
At least in Deep Long Terror, gear upgrade costs were class-independent.
'Of course, there've been plenty of differences from Deep Long Terror so far.'
“Then, first off, how about crusader and battle vestal armor? Both at level 1.”
“Hmm. One moment, please.”
For some reason, I had a feeling crusader and battle vestal heavy armor upgrades would cost more than in-game prices. Hopefully just baseless paranoia. Please be paranoia. Please.
'Anything else, but Shae's armor is top priority for upgrade...!'
The clerk rummaged in a drawer and pulled out a catalog. After flipping through, he ran his index finger down a page and turned it to show me.
“Look here. First, the crusader armor. At current level 1, upgrading to 2 costs 15 gold. To 3 from 2 is 30 gold.”
“...Ah.”
“And let's see... Ah. Battle vestal: 13 gold from 1 to 2, 26 gold from 2 to 3.”
“H-how about... bounty hunter?”
“Bounty hunter.”
Flip flip— The clerk's fingers, turning much further ahead, stopped.
“8 gold from 1 to 2, 16 gold from 2 to 3.”
“...”
“Need any other info? If you're commissioning, note it takes time based on level...”
“I-I'll come back later. Thanks.”
Fuck, tiered pricing by class and all that shit.
'Difficulty adjustment, fuck!!! Is this a game!!!'
The base prices were insanely high to begin with.
'Still, gotta check the Hero Training Center too...?'
Or maybe sell artifacts...?
My steps toward the Hero Training Center felt heavy.