Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Negative Reality is Hard to Accept (9)
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Walking to the place where we'd agreed to have lunch, Jenny and I chatted about this and that.
"So, when I took down that dragon leader..."
Jenny recounting how she'd defeated the leader of the black dragons.
"I've looked into some things about Karr martial arts. Oh, and if you're interested in ancient magic..."
Stuff like her promising to teach me about Karr martial arts later, or the theories on ancient magic she'd picked up from the imperial library.
The conversation stayed oddly free of any romantic vibes.
No, of course we weren't lovers.
Good grief... What was I even thinking about a girl who felt like a little sister?
She was like a little sister, the daughter of my benefactor—someone I needed to repay with gratitude.
She could never be a romantic interest.
Honestly, there was the gap between her, the world-famous hero, and me—a commoner whose skills had improved lately but still didn't measure up.
Anyway.
Before long, our chit-chat had led us to the fancy restaurant we'd reserved.
What, a high-end place on an adventurer instructor's meager salary?
No, actually, I'd come into some money recently.
...His Majesty the Emperor had suddenly shoved 20,000 brett into my hands as travel expenses.
20,000 brett, of all things.
The emperor really operated on a whole different scale.
The travel money he'd given me was more than my monthly salary.
Thanks to that, I could book a spot at this place where one person cost 2,000 brett—a restaurant so upscale it was among the best in Hassler.
Of course, I'd already explained this to Jenny beforehand.
So there was no fuss like "Big Brother, where'd you get the money? Let me pay."
Someone like Jenny probably wouldn't bat an eye at that amount.
With her hero earnings plus the reward from Bastia this time... whew.
"Big Brother?"
"Ah. Yes."
That's when Jenny called out to me at the restaurant entrance.
I snapped out of my daze, realizing I'd been standing there blankly, and hurried inside with her.
"Oh..."
The interior was incredibly lavish.
Ornate chandeliers, a marble floor that made them shine even brighter.
The staff bustling about were all dressed in elegant uniforms.
Every dish being served used premium ingredients.
The patrons were all clad in fine clothes—mostly nobles or wealthy merchants, it seemed.
Well, that's the clientele they catered to.
Good thing I'd dressed properly.
If I'd shown up in my usual shabby leather or cotton clothes, they'd have probably turned me away.
This suit I had on was an old one from before, but it didn't make me feel out of place.
For one thing, I'd strutted confidently through even stuffier spots.
The Hero Academy was full of people like provincial nobles or merchants who couldn't even hand out their cards—princes and princesses from various countries, children of central imperial nobles.
Naturally, Jenny didn't give it a second thought.
No, places like this were probably more familiar to her.
"Look over there. That person..."
"Hero Jenny...?"
"And next to her, isn't that Instructor Kane?"
Instead, the restaurant patrons were the ones stirring at the sight of us.
Well, Jenny was a celebrity to begin with.
...And I had some notoriety in Hassler thanks to rumors about Teri the branch chief and the lord.
"So they really are an item, huh?"
"Guess they're going public now."
"Oh my goodness."
"......"
Maybe I should've picked somewhere quieter.
Thinking about it, we'd walked into a flashy spot as a flashy pair.
No, when I figured a fancy restaurant was appropriate for lunch with Jenny, I never imagined it'd feel like this.
Come on, who worries about people mistaking them for a couple just because they're eating with their little sister?
"Hee hee hee."
For some reason, Jenny looked delighted.
She'd been muttering cryptic things like "I win" or "First point to me" ever since.
We took our reserved seats as guided by the staff.
"This is the first time Big Brother and I have eaten alone together like this."
Jenny said with a bright smile.
"Now that you mention it, you're right."
Back at the marquis's estate, we always ate as a full family.
...For some reason, unlike the other servants, I'd been made to eat at the family table.
Marquis Harkur insisted it was right since Kane was practically family.
I'd nearly died of awkwardness between him and the highly uncomfortable Young Master Sain.
At the academy, teachers and students ate separately anyway.
I'd been shunned by both students and teachers, so I ate alone most of the time.
Jenny, the academy's top star, never had an empty seat beside her.
Heh, funny when I think about it.
Two totally different people, now adventurers and instructor tied to the same guild, sitting side by side for a meal alone.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
Just as I was lost in sentiment, Jenny asked.
Oh, right.
I'd called her out saying there was something important today.
About the hero's short life.
And to dig into that, I'd planned to ask about the death of the late Marquis Harkur.
I hadn't been able to ask properly before, worried it'd make her sad—what state he'd been in, how it happened.
But things were different now.
It was necessary for her sake too.
"Miss, do you know anything about... the 'hero's short life'?"
"...?"
As soon as I brought it up, I could see her face stiffen slightly.
Of course she would.
Her father had died young from illness, and she was a hero herself.
She had to know something, even if just hearsay.
"...The talk about heroes dying around their forties?"
Her expression turned faintly bitter.
Probably thinking of her father.
Or maybe not just that.
Perhaps the realization that she might not even live another 30 years.
And yet, her choice to become an adventurer, carrying on her late father's will and fulfilling her duty as a hero—that was truly admirable.
She could've avoided dangers to live longer.
"Yes. People say it's because of the grueling work, the constant exposure to danger. But..."
I took a breath and continued.
"...I think differently."
She tilted her head, looking at me.
"Differently how? What do you mean?"
Not the usual explanations—there was a clear reason.
History proved it.
Heroes were born with bodies tougher than anyone's and immense abilities.
For them to have shortened lifespans just because of hard work? That didn't make sense.
Magic exposure shortening life? There were cases where lifespans shortened without any exposure. That didn't hold up either.
"A curse."
"...?"
She frowned even more, as if it made no sense.
Yeah, I knew it sounded absurd on the surface.
But from all the history I'd seen, the traits of heroes, every bit of knowledge I'd gathered...
There was no other answer.
"It might be the Demon King's curse."
"What does that even..."
Jenny looked stunned at first.
Naturally.
It sounded ridiculous to most people.
"I can't be 100% sure. That's why I'll investigate more records and uncover the cause. And if possible..."
...I'll find a way to fix it.
So Jenny, so Rin could stop resigning themselves to less than 30 more years.
"......"
Did my feelings get through?
Her expression looked a bit troubled.
Yeah, I figured convincing her would take time.
The evidence was thin, the records sparse.
But if I kept at it...
"Okay, if Big Brother says so, it's probably right."
"...?"
Huh? She believed me just like that?
"Big Brother's never wrong about stuff like this. It's gotta be for me and Rin's sake."
...Well, I did mess up plenty of times.
Still, glad she trusted me.
"Thank you for believing me. Then, about that..."
I hesitated to ask her to recall her father's death in detail.
It was a tough request.
"You want to know what state Dad was in when he died, what the situation was? For the records, right?"
"......"
Hmm, having lived as family once, she knew me well.
"Yeah, got it. For our heroes' sake. I'll forgive you for ruining the date vibe this time. But you owe me another meal next time."
She flashed a grin as she said it.
Why did a chill run down my spine...? Must be my imagination.
#
After lunch and our talk with Jenny, we left the restaurant and strolled along the plaza road.
It wasn't exactly documented in detail.
No videos or photos, so it wasn't precise data.
Still, I'd gleaned something.
Now to compare with other cases, find commonalities and differences.
Figure out why the common points were common.
Why the differences existed.
And I'd need more on demons too.
Records from the demon world invasion 300 years ago, and that era's Demon King...
"Wow, so pretty."
That's when Jenny's voice caught my ear.
"...?"
She'd slipped to my side unnoticed and was now at a small accessory stall.
Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at necklaces and rings.
"Heh heh, they are, aren't they? All handmade by me."
A middle-aged man, apparently the stall owner, chuckled proudly.
Confident, huh?
Let's see.
Glancing over, oho... Pretty skilled work.
Well-cut gems nestled perfectly in ornate metal settings, showing off their beauty.
Not too much, not too little.
Perfectly balanced elegance.
"Wow..."
Jenny kept admiring them from the side.
Well, hero or not, she was still a young lady.
Of course she'd be drawn to accessories like these.
"Sir, I'll take that necklace."
She pointed to the one with a red ruby at the center—the one she'd been eyeing most intently.
"Uh...?"
She turned to me in surprise.
She'd given me her time today, even talked about tough stuff.
This much of a gift was the least I could do.
"Here you go. Normally 3,000 brett, but it's 2,300 for a pretty young lady like you!"
Classic salesman line, but I paid the 2,300 brett cheerfully and took the ruby necklace he handed over.
Then I brought it straight to Jenny's neck and clasped it on.
"A gift."
"......"
But Jenny just stood there blankly, no reaction.
What? Did she not like it?
"Hee hee..."
Then she broke into a grin and bounced forward happily.
Good, she seemed pleased.
She spun around and said,
"Thanks, Big Brother."
With a beaming smile.
The ruby necklace around her neck glimmered faintly.
"......"
What was this? Like when I'd first seen her in that dress earlier.
A strange palpitation stirred in my chest.