Debt Paid in Full
At last the village main gate came into view.
Owen, standing guard over Bresen Pioneer Village, raised a hand first.
"You're back. Later than I expected..."
His words trailed off as his gaze dropped toward my shoulder.
Bron finally looked me over as well and spoke in a low voice.
"Took a pretty big scrape this time."
"Haha. There were a whole lot of arrows flying around inside the goblin den."
"You didn't get hurt too badly, did you..."
Owen muttered, and Kaya added shortly,
"We're heading straight to the Healing Sanctuary after we settle up."
Bron asked nothing more and simply nodded.
"Go on in."
"Yes, sir. Thanks for your hard work."
"Yeah."
Owen offered a brief greeting of his own.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
Inside the guild, the usual pre-evening bustle filled every corner.
Luce was moving busily behind the settlement counter.
Adventurers back from completed requests, people crowding in for payouts, the mixed scent of liquor and sweat hanging in the air.
The moment we stepped up to the counter and began setting out the mana stones one by one, the noise around us quieted just a little.
Because the stones kept coming, with no end in sight.
Thud, thud, thud...
Luce's hands paused for a second.
"You really brought in a lot today..."
"Right? We cleaned out an entire goblin den."
At my words Luce looked up with a smile, then her expression hardened the instant she saw my shoulder.
"Siyun, that wound..."
"Ah, this is just a little graze—"
"That does not look like a little graze."
Luce answered more shortly than usual.
She glanced once more at the red stains seeping through the bandages, then wordlessly began sorting the mana stones at high speed.
Common type, warrior type, scout type, archer type, shaman type, even the Iron Tusk stones—her fingertips never stopped.
In a low voice she read them off.
"Goblin den clearance base reward: two silver. Common mana stones twenty-one, warrior type five, scout type six, archer type five, shaman type one, Iron Tusk stones three..."
Luce set her pen down.
"Total of eleven silver and seven copper."
For a moment I was speechless.
Beside me Mari grinned, and Kaya's face said it wasn't a bad haul either.
"Would you like the silver and copper together?"
"Yeah."
"Then that comes to three silver and ten copper each. One copper left over."
"...Siyun, you take it. You're always the one who moves the most and works the hardest."
"Aw, come on, still..."
When I let the sentence trail off, Mari shoved her share of copper toward me.
"This too."
"What's this for?"
"Hazard pay."
"No, I'm fine. We should split it evenly."
Kaya quietly held out three copper as well.
"Take it."
"No, but still..."
"Just take it already."
Mari said it with an irritated look.
"Take it when people are giving it to you. It's not like we don't know how hard you work."
Kaya gave a short nod.
"She's right. You worked hard."
I looked back and forth between their faces. Holding out any longer was pointless.
Pretending to give in, I accepted the copper.
"Thank you."
Once Mari's and Kaya's three copper each and the leftover one copper were added to my side, my share of the settlement came to four silver and five copper total.
Add what I already had on me and...
Sixteen silver and seven copper, huh... It's time.
Just then Luce took a small glass vial out from under the counter. A liquid with a faint red glow swirled inside.
"Siyun, take this with you."
"Huh? What is it?"
"A lower-grade healing elixir."
I looked from the vial to Luce's face and back.
"Uh... isn't this kind of expensive?"
"It's only lower-grade, not intermediate. I'm just giving it to you, so don't refuse."
Luce added very quietly,
"You got hurt worse than I thought..."
At her words my heart gave a hard thump, then I put on a shameless smile and accepted the bottle.
"Thank you."
"Make sure you get proper treatment. Understood?"
"Yes. But how do I use this?"
Mari spoke up from the side.
"Just apply it to the wound. Or pour it on."
"Oh-ho..."
I uncorked the vial and slowly let the liquid run over my shoulder. A faint herbal scent brushed past, followed by a lukewarm heat spreading inward.
It wasn't instant. Even so, the hot throbbing gradually eased.
"It really does feel better."
Luce gave a short smile, and Kaya, watching my face, asked,
"Better?"
"Yeah. This stuff's great."
Mari, arms folded, glanced at my shoulder and said,
"Still go to the Healing Sanctuary and get treated properly."
"Of course. But before that..."
Clutching the coins tightly, I turned my head toward Luce.
"Luce."
"Yes?"
"I'm paying off the entire iron sword debt."
Luce's eyes widened just a little.
"Right now?"
"Yes...!"
At that single word both Kaya and Mari turned their heads. So did the two adventurers who'd been lingering near the next counter.
Luce stared at me blankly for a moment, then pulled a ledger out from under the counter and found the page with my name.
"You're much faster than I expected."
"Haha, am I?"
Kaya's and Mari's gazes wavered for a second before settling again. Of course they did. In the last ten days I hadn't taken a single day off.
I placed five silver coins into Luce's hand.
She counted them, made a brief note in the ledger, and finally drew a line through the entry.
"Iron sword debt paid in full."
Luce closed the ledger with a short smile.
"Yes. Thank you for the healing elixir, Luce."
"Not at all. And... congratulations on clearing your debt, Siyun. Rest well tonight."
"Yes..."
That word of congratulations rang oddly loud in my ears.
One side of my chest loosened as if I'd just completed a quest.
No more debt now.
I stood there dazed for a moment, then turned on my heel and walked straight out of the guild entrance.
Ahh, I can't hold it in.
And with a tight fist, shoulders bouncing several times, I struck a victory pose.
"Yahoo~! I paid off every last bit of the debt~!"
A brief silence, then someone laughed.
"Oh, you already paid it all off?"
"Congrats!"
"You owe us a round!"
People inside and outside the guild began reacting one after another.
Adventurers I'd crossed paths with a few times, guild staff, even passersby looked our way and snorted with laughter.
"He really paid it off fast."
"More hardworking than I thought."
Those gazes didn't feel unpleasant at all. I even considered shouting again.
That was when Mari asked with a thoroughly fed-up face,
"What are you doing."
"Can't you tell? I'm celebrating."
Kaya let out a small laugh.
"You really are something else."
I grinned and looked at the two of them.
"Dinner's on me tonight!"
Mari immediately narrowed her eyes.
"For real?"
"For real."
"You're not pushing yourself, are you?"
"Come on, we made a lot. I paid off the debt and all... buying dinner once is nothing."
Mari hesitated for the briefest moment at my words, then snorted a laugh.
"Fine then."
Kaya said with a smile from the side,
"Still, let's stop by the Healing Sanctuary first."
"Eeh..."
In the end the first place we headed was not Sunset Hearth but the Healing Sanctuary.
The moment Father Edrick saw my shoulder, his face hardened.
"Took a bit of a scraping today."
"Come on, this barely even counts as a scrape."
"Shut it."
At that single word I simply closed my mouth.
Kaya briefly explained the situation from beside me.
Edrick unwrapped the bandages of Kaya's first aid and examined the wound on my right shoulder.
Thanks to the lower-grade healing elixir the bleeding had clearly lessened, and the edges of the wound had begun to knit somewhat.
Gathering Holy Power at his fingertips, he said,
"Leave it like this and it'll scar."
The Holy Power that spread from Edrick's fingers was far denser than Kaya's. More solid than warm, the light felt like it was pressing the torn flesh back together piece by piece.
The heat and pain remaining deep in the wound gradually settled.
Only after a fresh bandage had been wound around it did my shoulder finally feel like it had returned to its proper place.
"Don't use that arm too hard tonight."
"Yes, sir."
"And dodge the arrows next time. At least try to see them coming."
"Huh? How am I supposed to do that?"
Beside me Mari snorted a laugh. I scowled for no good reason.
Stepping out of the Healing Sanctuary, my body felt noticeably lighter. I wasn't completely fine yet, but the pain that had been scraping at my insides until moments ago was almost gone.
"Father Edrick really is something."
At my words Kaya gave a small smile.
"That much is true."
The three of us walked side by side toward Sunset Hearth.
When we pushed open the door of Sunset Hearth, the familiar heat and smell of roasting meat hit us full force.
Having only grabbed a rough lunch, the restaurant smells alone made my mouth water.
Nia, working in the kitchen, spotted us and her eyes went wide.
"Oh? You're here! But why do you all look like that?"
"In a good way or a bad way?"
When I asked, Nia's gaze went to my shoulder first. Noticing the bandage, her expression tightened briefly before she looked at my face again and asked,
"You got hurt. But your face looks really happy?"
I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from rising.
"Because today's a good day~"
Mari tossed out from the side,
"He's like that because he paid off all his debt."
Nia's eyes grew a little larger.
"Oh, for real?"
"Yes. Paid in full today."
"Then I guess I've got to cook you something really good tonight."
With that Nia guided us to an empty table.
"Sit here. I'll have it out soon."
"Perfect."
Nia laughed heartily and disappeared into the back.
A short while later steaming soup, freshly baked bread, golden-brown meat, and roasted potatoes topped with herbs and butter arrived one after another. Three mugs of golden beer came with them.
Nia grinned as she spoke.
"All right, dig in."
"Thank you!"
All three of us ate in silence for a while. Once our stomachs were a bit fuller, life felt livable again.
After we'd been at it for some time I suddenly asked,
"This is random, but how old are you two?"
Kaya answered first.
"Twenty-one."
Mari opened her mouth later.
"...Twenty."
I laughed right away.
"Oh, so I'm the oldest."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-five."
"So what."
"Well... I was thinking maybe we could drop the formal speech now?"
Mari cut it off flat.
"I hate that."
"Aw, if you hate it, what can you even do about it?"
Mari's eyebrows twitched, and a tiny flame blossomed above her fingertips.
"Say that again."
"Whoa?! This is a restaurant, a restaurant!"
From the side Kaya said calmly,
"I don't mind. Do whatever's comfortable."
I immediately turned my head.
"Great."
Mari stared at Kaya as if she couldn't believe it. After glaring at me for a second she let out a long sigh.
"Ah... seriously... fine. Just don't cross the line."
"Of course not."
"Cross it and I really will burn you."
"Got it, Mari."
The moment the words left my mouth all three of us paused for a second.
Kaya was the first to laugh, and Mari, looking annoyed, still didn't complain any further.
That was enough.
After that short exchanges continued across the table.
As the hot soup slid down our throats, the tension still lingering in our bodies gradually melted away.
Around the time the plates were nearly empty, I set down my spoon for a moment and exhaled.
"Ahh... I'm full."
Mari snorted a laugh.
"Yeah."
When we stood and headed for the counter, Nia came over first.
Taking the payment, she asked,
"Did you eat well?"
"Yes, it was really delicious."
Nia blinked, then smiled right away.
"That so? The beer's on the house."
"Really?! Thank you. And the stuff you packed for us this morning was great too. The jerky was tasty."
"Heh, for real?"
"Yep. Coming out of the cave and eating what you packed for us felt amazing."
"Glad to hear it. Next time you're heading out for a long stretch, just say so. I'll pack you more."
"Eeh, aren't you being a little too good to us?"
"Come on, it's nothing. Go get some rest already."
At those words I smiled a little.
"Yes!"
After settling the bill Nia looked at me for a moment and gave a light wave.
"Get home safe."
We each said goodbye to Nia and pushed the door open. The restaurant noise faded beyond the closing door.
Stepping out of Sunset Hearth, the night air was fresher than expected.
The three of us walked side by side toward the Healing Sanctuary. Gravel crunched underfoot, and somewhere far off a night bird called briefly.
After walking in silence for a while, Kaya spoke first.
"Tomorrow let's take a rest day."
I turned my head.
"All of a sudden?"
"Not all of a sudden. We've been working way too hard."
Kaya spoke calmly, but clear fatigue clung to the words.
Mari said lowly from the side,
"I'm fine with that."
I looked up at the sky for a moment. Thinking about it, she was right.
We hadn't rested once in ten days, pushing through each day on sheer endorphins.
"I'm fine with it too."
When I agreed so readily, Mari glanced at me.
"You agreed surprisingly easily."
"When it's time to rest, you rest. Honestly we have been working like maniacs."
Kaya gave a small smile.
"Yeah. Tomorrow everyone rests on their own."
"Sounds good~"
When we reached the front of the Healing Sanctuary, Kaya spoke first.
"Go straight in and rest. Don't push yourself."
I smiled.
"Got it. You get some good rest too."
The words came out naturally. Kaya paused for just a second, then smiled softly.
"Yeah. Sleep well."
Beside her Mari unfolded her arms and said,
"You too. Don't go messing around alone tonight. Just sleep."
"Got it, Mari."
Mari narrowed her eyes, then wordlessly flicked her hand once in a small wave.
Smiling a little, I stepped into the Healing Sanctuary.
I grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the public bathhouse. After washing and returning to my room, the fatigue hit all at once.
Today had been pretty full.
Clearing the den, paying off the debt, getting treated, and even dropping formal speech.
Suddenly the thought of whether I should head back to reality for a bit crossed my mind.
Hmm...
I didn't feel like going back right away.
Because right now felt too good.
Life in Bresen was just starting to settle in, and Roy was recovering. The distance with Mari and Kaya seemed to have closed a little more today as well.
Most of all, if I held on for just one more month I could learn Aura.
It was still too early to cut things off here and return to reality.
I stared up at the ceiling and slowly let out a breath.
Yeah. One month.
Learn Aura, get a little more stable, and then think about it again.