Debt (3)
Arnen had never once truly felt that life was hard.
Even living alone with Elia in a remote mountain cabin, she had never considered their existence particularly harsh. Part of that was thanks to the lessons her father had taught her from childhood—how to live wisely in the mountains—but more than that, she had never intended to stay there forever.
Arnen had always carried a clear purpose.
One day, she would find the father who had vanished without a single word.
The mother she remembered from early childhood was nothing more than a faint fragment of a smile. The one who had truly raised her was her father. Strong yet warm, quiet yet steadfast, he had disappeared without warning before Elia even experienced her first menstruation.
Suddenly thrust into the role of head of the household, Arnen had been bewildered, but she quickly steadied herself. With her naturally composed nature, she soon understood exactly what she needed to do in the situation she had been given.
From that day on, Arnen used the skills her father had taught her to hunt beasts, selling their meat and hides in the nearby village to raise Elia day by day. In effect, she had naturally taken on her father's role. She grew accustomed to it, and within that familiarity, thoughts of her father would surface once more.
She decided she would find him.
When she resolved to commission the information guild, she realized it would require more money than she had expected. She tried to increase the number of beasts she hunted to raise the funds, but it proved far from easy. Expanding her hunting range meant facing creatures far stronger than she could handle. On top of that, as winter approached, the number of beasts she could hunt nearby dwindled day by day.
But if things continued like this, the same days would simply repeat themselves. The only reason Arnen could accept her current life with quiet composure was because of her goal of finding her father.
She believed she could manage the interest, and she judged that once the weather warmed, the number of beasts would increase again. In the end, she borrowed money from the dark guild and commissioned them to search for her father's whereabouts.
A full year passed. Contrary to her hopes, all they could learn was his final trail. After that, every trace had vanished as if it had never existed, and pursuing it further would require even more money.
Arnen realized then that chasing his trail any longer was meaningless. More precisely, she could no longer bear the weight of the debt.
Another harsh winter was approaching. Simply paying the interest was becoming a struggle, and hunting was out of the question—even finding a single beast in the snow was exhausting. In seasons like that, mere survival was the only strategy.
That day, too, was just another of those huddled, withdrawn days.
Failing to find any game, Arnen had pushed deeper into the mountains when she discovered a man collapsed in the middle of the forest, covered head to toe in blood. The need for treatment was urgent, so she did not hesitate. Together with Elia, she heaved and strained to bring him home and tend to his wounds.
A day passed, and still he did not wake. Just as she began to worry that he might die like this, on the second day he opened his eyes. The moment he woke he shattered the bed and muttered in a language she could not understand, yet there was no malice in his gaze.
She had been anxious, of course—he was a stranger with an obviously powerful build. But contrary to her fears, he remained quiet and well-behaved. Though they shared no common tongue, his cautious manner and expression carried clear apology and gratitude.
So Arnen opened her heart and helped him. Despite their meager circumstances, she supported him until he recovered and even taught him the language bit by bit.
As the time they spent together lengthened and they grew accustomed to each other's presence, Bell volunteered to help with the hunting.
What he showed them was an overwhelming display of power as he brought down a wolf.
Arnen was stunned. It was even more overwhelming than the times her father had faced strong beasts. Whenever her father encountered a powerful creature, he would form a vivid mana blade along his sword and cut it down with precise, refined movements. His swordsmanship was elegant and unshaken. Every swing traced a graceful arc, as if he were dancing, and he allowed not a single mistake—perfection itself.
Watching him, Arnen had believed no one in this world could be stronger.
That was before she saw Bell. Without sword or mana, he crushed a wolf's body with a single fist. It looked crude and rough, yet it contained a force that transcended the realm of humans.
Or could she even call it crude? Perhaps she had not even glimpsed a fraction of the power he possessed. She could not begin to measure how far the limits of his strength truly reached.
Arnen thought back to the moment she had first found him. A man this strong—just what kind of being had he fought to end up collapsed in such a wretched state?
Come to think of it, the place where Bell had been found was near the Red Barrier. The Red Barrier. The place her father had never once lowered his guard against, the place he had strictly warned her never to approach. He had said that powerful beasts beyond human capacity swarmed there.
Of course, Arnen knew that her father occasionally scouted the areas around the Red Barrier. Was Bell one of those who took interest in that place? Had he been struck down by one of its beasts?
Curiosity stirred on its own, but asking Bell was not easy. The memory of collapsing with near-fatal wounds might be one he did not wish to recall. Just as she herself had not spoken to him of her family's circumstances.
Even after that day, whenever he had free time he brought back game. Beast carcasses piled up in the storeroom until it became almost unmanageable. Bell told her she could use all of it as she pleased—it was repayment for her kindness.
Was this what a sudden windfall felt like? Bewildered, burdened, apologetic, and grateful all at once. A tangled mix of emotions.
In an instant, enough money to clear the debt had been gathered. Even while she held that money and headed for the dark guild, it felt unreal, as though she were dreaming.
But the moment she arrived at the dark guild, cold stares snapped her awake. The guild members found it strange that she had raised the money to clear her debt so quickly. And they grew suspicious.
"How did you get this money?"
Suspicion turned into threats, and threats into manacles. When her hands were bound and she was thrown into a dark, damp underground cell, Arnen strangely felt no fear. The money had been completely seized, and she was left alone on the cold stone floor.
It was clearly an unexpected situation. A moment when despair would have been only natural, yet her heart remained oddly calm. Instead, the image of one person flickered through her mind.
Aside from her father, there was only one man who rose so vividly before her eyes.
Bell.
...I shouldn't hope for this. Relying on him this much can't be right. I haven't even helped him enough to deserve it—I've already received far more than I gave.
Yet strangely, her heart never fully descended into anxiety.
And truly before long, Bell came for her. Together with Elia.
He asked whether she still intended to search for her father again. Arnen decided there was nothing left she needed to hide from him. It was not the result of some great resolution or resolve. It was simply... a natural feeling. Like the irresistible current of a flowing river.
So Arnen spoke freely about her father as well.
"Of course I will. His last known trail was said to be one of the Seven Evil Caves—the Cave of Specters... though I won't be able to head there right away."
"The Seven Evil Caves?"
"As far as I know, that's the name given to ancient dungeons that still haven't been cleared. My father was an adventurer when he was young. He stopped after we were born."
"An adventurer?"
A man who knew so little. The familiar sight of him widening his eyes to ask again, then seriously pondering the answer. Explaining the things he did not know, then watching from the side as he slowly came to understand them—it was rather enjoyable.
It might have been an emotion that did not fit the situation, but Arnen honestly felt that way.
"I don't know the details myself, but I understand it as a profession of exploring dungeons and searching for treasure."
Arnen seemed to organize her thoughts for a moment before continuing.
"Of course, they don't only go into dungeons. They can also take various commissions and earn money by resolving them. That's why a lot of people who want a free life choose the profession. My father said he was a top-class adventurer."
"So you're planning to become an adventurer too?"
"Yes."
I crossed my arms and thought it over.
When Arnen had first said she would clear her debt and go looking for her father, I had naturally assumed we would part ways. But after hearing the explanation of the adventurer profession, I found myself hesitating.
...The life of an adventurer. It sounded pretty decent.
I wanted to look around the world beyond the forbidden zone. Of course, someday I fully intended to return to the kingdom. My comrades were there, and so was my place. I was curious about what had become of the others, and how the reclamation of the forbidden zone was progressing.
But not yet. Stepping back into the forbidden zone right now would be reckless. The opponent whose presence had set off my sixth sense the strongest—the existence inside the mature form within the forbidden zone that I had not yet examined in detail. Until I possessed the strength to face that being, I could not carelessly set foot inside the zone again.
In that situation, becoming an adventurer for the time being did not seem like a bad choice. Following the path of an adventurer, refining my skills while exploring a new world. Had I not always grown by facing new environments and new people? Ger, Jagan, the corrupted beasts of the Forest of Monsters, 1st Class Warriors, Special Class Warriors, and the monsters of the forbidden zone.
"How do you become an adventurer?"
"I don't really know either. We'll probably have to go and find out... Are you planning to become an adventurer as well, Bell?"
At the question that emerged after my deliberation, Arnen spoke with a face that had brightened for some reason. Her expression was usually so composed that even a small spark of joy stood out clearly.
"Yeah. That's the plan for now."