Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: 7. Killing Felix (1)
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I woke up around evening.
I'd pulled two all-nighters straight, but as a bit of a superhuman myself, a few hours of sleep was enough to get me back to full speed.
The moment I opened my eyes, there was Kati kneeling right beside me, staring down at me intently.
...I've gotten so used to her maid outfit now that it doesn't even faze me anymore.
"What are you doing there?"
"I was standing guard in case there might be any danger to you."
"You're the dangerous one staring at me like that while I'm sleeping.... What kind of threat could there even be here with nothing but kids around?"
I roused my still-sleepy brain and sat up.
The kitchen was bustling, probably dinnertime.
"Oh, you're awake. Perfect timing—dinner's just about ready."
Mercy had come back from helping with the cooking and was wearing an apron.
"So, everything go smoothly?"
"Yeah, just keep doing what we've been doing from here on out."
"Got it."
Mercy headed back to the kitchen, and Vivian came out in her place.
"Ah, Ian!"
She'd taken off her robe and changed into comfortable clothes, her hair tied back and an apron tied around her waist.
"Are you feeling okay? You passed out cold and scared me."
"Just exhaustion. I was up all night on the way back."
"You pulled an all-nighter...?"
"With so much to do, I had to hurry back."
She looked like she was wondering if it had really been necessary to skip sleep entirely, but she nodded anyway.
Delivering the magic stones, training, scouting the next member—there was plenty to handle.
Plus a few other things to look into.
*
During dinner, the kids kept shooting me curious glances, clearly wondering where I'd been.
I knew they were at that age where curiosity peaked, but since I couldn't exactly tell them, it was awkward.
Vivian, Emma, and Mercy stepped in to distract them, saving me from the interrogation.
After the meal, I sat down separately to organize our schedule going forward.
Kati sidled up quietly and sat beside me, while Mercy took the seat across.
"Where to next?"
"The training hall first, then to Macdullin Abbey. They've got some kind of open exam there—I want to check if there are any promising priests."
"Hmm, I see..."
Mercy let out a long yawn and flopped right onto the table.
She propped her head up at an odd angle and stared at me blankly.
"What? Something to say?"
"Just... feeling kinda bored, you know."
Her bored gaze drifted aimlessly through the air.
Ever since leaving the 1st Hero Party, Mercy really hadn't had much to do.
Back there, she handled checking documents first thing, wrote nearly all the letters, coordinated supply routes, and more.
Her ability to communicate with forests was perfect for scouting campsites, and being able to send messages anytime without limits was invaluable.
But now we were in the capital with all the facilities we needed, and with just Vivian in the party.
We weren't famous yet, so there was zero reason to be busy.
Mercy had nothing to occupy her time.
"Rest while you can. Who knows when you'll get another chance like this."
"True, but..."
Her wandering eyes settled on me, and Mercy smirked.
"Even in times like these, watching you stay as busy as ever just feels kinda weird."
"That's what I'm here for."
I shrugged and gave her a straightforward answer.
That's the manager gig for you.
"Besides, I'm not that busy."
I might look busy chasing down tasks, but honestly, I had way too much free time.
Compared to my days in the 1st Hero Party, it was so laid-back it was almost unsettling.
I'm practically a workaholic...
It suddenly hit me that Mercy might be feeling the same way.
"Want me to find something for you to do?"
"Huh? You got work for me?"
Her eyes lit up at the mention of work.
"Not yet. Let me think on it."
"Hmmm..."
Mercy slumped back down, looking disappointed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning.
We left Agnes Abbey and headed for the training hall.
Today was the day to deliver the magic stones and pick up Vivian's temporary hero certification.
"Mm..."
Vivian, walking beside me, let out an uncomfortable groan.
"What's up?"
"It's just... I feel like people are staring at me... or maybe not..."
She was dressed in the white mage robe she'd worn for the exam.
Around the hero training hall, mage attire wasn't anything special.
Still, a few passersby definitely glanced at her like they recognized her.
I knew why, but I pretended not to notice.
I'd meant to warn her ahead of time, but I figured seeing it firsthand would be better, so I'd held off.
"Maybe the white stands out too much?"
"Y-yeah, that must be it? I'm just imagining people paying attention to me, right?"
Vivian clutched the pouch in her arms and nodded to herself.
It held the massive magic stone from the King Slime.
"Isn't that mage Vivian?"
"Looks like her. My friend saw her heading to the next exam room over."
As we got closer to the training hall, it became clear the stares weren't her imagination.
"People really do recognize me...!"
Vivian whispered, pressing close to my side.
"What if it's because word got out that I insulted Lady Sylvia...?!"
"Wouldn't that make you even more famous than this?"
"Urgh... yeah, you're right..."
More people were recognizing her than I'd expected.
Embarrassed, Vivian clung to my arm and ducked her head.
She was practically hiding behind me.
Kati, walking on my other side, shot her a glare.
"Kati. Eyes front."
"...Yes."
[I can walk without looking ahead.]
What, sassing me telepathically now that she has the ring?
'Hand over the ring.'
[......]
I glanced over, and Kati averted her eyes slyly.
'Seriously... Give it back later.'
[......]
Vivian came to an abrupt halt.
"Vivian?"
She froze, glaring straight ahead.
Following her gaze, a man was approaching from the front.
He spotted us and stopped in his tracks too.
It was Felix.
"......"
An awkward silence hung in the air as Felix scowled.
At the same time, Vivian stepped forward, blocking my path.
"Vivian...?"
As if she couldn't hear me, she just kept glaring ahead.
I couldn't see her face from behind.
But from the cold expression she'd had when she turned back then, it was probably the same now.
It wasn't as murderous as when she'd been ready to kill him before.
But it was an expression I'd never seen on Vivian before.
Kati, oblivious to why Vivian was so serious, just watched the scene unfold.
...Though, speaking of not fitting the moment, from this angle, Vivian's cheeks look way too soft and plump.
She'd put on just the right amount of weight lately, all nice and...
No, stop it.
Felix's eyes scanned Vivian, Kati, and then me in order.
"...Tch!"
Unable to pass us, he eventually turned and walked away.
I could hear him grumbling.
"Damn it.... Taking this route means a huge detour.... Why the hell... I can't even walk straight..."
He's gonna cry.
"Vivian. You okay now?"
"Ah, yeah..."
Vivian gave an awkward smile.
"It just reminded me of that time... I kinda jumped in without thinking."
"You were reliable as hell. Totally dependable."
"For real! You looked like a hero of justice straight out of a story!"
"Eeee..."
Her face flushed red, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
Back to the usual Vivian.
"You didn't have to, but thanks anyway. Shall we go?"
"Y-yeah..."
[What was that all about?]
As we resumed walking, Kati asked casually.
Telling her might be... risky.
'Nothing much...'
[......]
Kati stared at me piercingly as we walked side by side.
'Promise you'll stay calm after hearing it.'
[......]
'No promise, no story.'
[I promise.]
'Last time at Vivian's exam...'
I explained what had happened to Kati, and I had to throw myself in her path to stop her from charging off.
*
Even at the magic stone delivery office, plenty of people recognized Vivian.
"That's Vivian? Is that watermelon-sized thing in her arms a magic stone?"
"No way a lowest-grade one is that big..."
Vivian smiled smugly, embarrassed but pleased.
We turned in the stones and got her hero certification too.
[Hero: Vivian (F)]
F to D ranks were temporary heroes.
Once you became an official hero, you started at C-rank.
Vivian turned the palm-sized certificate over and over.
"Whoaaa..."
She reacted like a kid getting her first toy.
While she was distracted by it, I got the payout details from the clerk.
"We've never seen a lowest-grade stone this size before, so appraising it will take some time."
"When can we pick up the payment?"
"By tomorrow for sure."
"Got it."
Magic stones from Big Slimes were already larger than average lowest-grade ones and fetched a premium.
This was from a King Slime, so it'd be worth even more—and since they'd never handled one, they couldn't pay out immediately.
"Vivian, let's go."
"Okay!"
I led her out, her face beaming.
Normally we'd head back to the training hall, but we still had one more stop.
"...Huh? Where are we going?"
Vivian finally snapped out of it and asked.
"Got another place to hit."
She followed along curiously.
Soon we reached a familiar fork in the road.
The bulletin board at its center was swarmed with people.
As if sensing something, Vivian's eyes widened.
"Go take a look."
Vivian slowly raised her gaze from the bottom of the board to the top.
The higher the name, the better the rank, of course.
Only the most promising hero names claimed the top spots.
And at the very top was hers.
[Exam Room 4 Passer: Mage Vivian.]
[Additional Note: Unprecedented massive slime confirmed in the exam room.]
[Guild Investigation Team assigns special moniker 'King Slime' to the entity.]
King Slime Slayer, Vivian.
The only one.
She was sure to be the next big name after Sylvia, who soloed the first Big Slime.
That explained why everyone had recognized her all day.
Few had seen it in person, but the rumors had spread like wildfire, embedding her name in everyone's memory.
"The red-haired mage, right?"
"Yeah, the one Marie was talking about."
"The one who built that ice tower? She really did it solo..."
"Still solo? I'd love to party up with her..."
"Heard she turned down every offer so far. No chance."
The onlookers started spotting her one by one.
Surrounded by friendly, expectant attention, Vivian glanced at me and smiled shyly.
Then, from the crowd that hesitated to approach, one man pushed forward to us.
"Hello! Amos, reporter for Superbia Manager Monthly!"
"...Yes?"
What the—?
What's this? Something I don't know about?
"Could you spare a moment for an interview?"