Chapter 192
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: Words Have Weight
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Words carry weight.
The spirit's patterns were gradually being read by Alice, who possessed exceptional dynamic vision and superior physical prowess.
As her finger grazed the sprout on its head once and the real moment of capture loomed,
-Sssik!
it ditched the route between my head and back, slipping right into the space at my chest.
"Tero?!"
Seeing the spirit peeking out from my chest, Alice froze on the spot.
Having grasped the spirit's intentions while it darted around evading her, I scratched my head in embarrassment.
'It was just a joke, but did I say too much...?'
A spirit's standards differ completely from a human's.
This was a rare case where the spirit had voluntarily detached from its master and stepped forward with a request first.
In such situations—or scenes equivalent to a promise fulfilled—words held the utmost importance.
It seemed the casual joke I'd tossed out upon our first meeting had been etched into the spirit like an imprint.
I'd mentioned "compensation," and in turn, it had acted to save its master from peril.
Now, the spirit was bound to me, unable to free itself without offering some form of reciprocation.
There was this vague sense that failing to repay properly would bring ill fortune upon the spirit.
"Alice. Want to hear the story?"
"Pardon?"
I calmed Alice down as she huffed and puffed, locked in a tussle with the spirit.
"Before you came charging in, I'd said something."
After hearing the full circumstances of how we'd ended up here, the girl bowed her head deeply in a look of regret, then lifted it with crisp precision.
Her movements were impressively disciplined.
"I'm terribly sorry for the late greeting. I should have thanked you first... As for compensation, we can split the request fee however I manage—"
Not the resolution to the current mishap, but diving into the touchy, exhausting topic of money—a material thing I no longer needed.
I hastily cut off the girl as she began to broach the subject.
"Money's fine. I got to see something good, so it's fair trade."
"...Something good?"
She blinked, her face a picture of confusion.
"Dragonkin transformation is rare in the Empire, and it's cool, right? Each form is unique and special. Among the mixed-blood dragonkin I've seen, this was the best eye candy by far."
I'd crossed paths with a few renowned pureblood dragonkin and spilled their blood in the process.
Purebloods were undoubtedly strong.
They were predators born with fangs from the start.
Most had aggressive temperaments, their appearances so draconic they seemed excessive even for "dragonkin."
They took pride in it.
But in my eyes, mixed-bloods were the true dragonkin.
"Didn't it disgust you...? With the horns sprouting and my arms turning so grotesque..."
"Not at all? No reason it should. Forget that—do you know any way to handle this guy?"
What mattered now was this fellow nesting atop my head like it owned the place.
-Sssik.
I could sense the spirit's intent: properly deal with Alice.
"..."
Reading the spirit's mood like a true spirit user, Alice shot it a sharp glare.
At her fierce look, I felt its hind legs tapping urgently on my head, as if pleading for help.
Pushed by the lizard's backscratching, I stepped in to mediate.
"If it has to repay to be done with it... how about helping me with some tasks for a bit?"
Forcing it into trivial jobs might just resolve things.
"H-how could I handle a Platinum-rank request...!"
Her sharp dragonkin eyes widened into rounds as she startled.
"I'm not here on Adventurer's Guild business. It's personal, and honestly, I could handle it alone."
"Then I'd just be in the way..."
"Hmm~"
Sensing the fidgety girl and the spirit lounging comfortably on my head, I pondered.
If I had to nitpick something truly necessary...
...Someone to chat with and keep things from getting boring?
····
In truth, Alice's worries lay elsewhere.
Memories of nearly being abducted by a vagrant as a child, and the leering gazes of men who saw her as easy prey.
Even imagining it was a nuisance, but as the silence dragged on, nightmarish recollections bubbled up relentlessly.
Sexual demands or utterly absurd requests in this isolated situation with a Platinum adventurer? It'd be utter despair.
Even if she resisted, if assault loomed, she'd wonder if biting her tongue was her only out.
But what was this?
'C-chat buddy?!'
She recalled the saying: No one who can see spirits is bad.
'It's a chance from the heavens!'
He'd saved her life—what was a little conversation?
She lacked confidence in her eloquence, but as compensation to a Platinum, it felt downright trivial.
If there were lessons to learn about adventuring, she'd beg to tag along as chat buddy.
'This is a once-in-a-lifetime precious experience...'
She'd push through somehow and keep the talk going!
With that resolve, Alice trailed behind Roman, pulling topics from her mind and opening her mouth.
She started with why she'd been in these woods.
He listened intently to her mundane tale, his face showing genuine interest.
"So that orc was the goal in the end? Looks like I stole your thunder."
"N-no! Even if we'd won, we'd have taken injuries, and after that delay, Sister probably... I really am grateful."
With each exchange, things exceeded expectations.
When Alice reflected on her situation once more,
the most surprising part was the demeanor of this all-powerful Platinum adventurer.
He hadn't ignored her plight, something he could dispatch with a flick of his wrist.
He made no strange demands as leverage.
His conversation flowed with an elegance and word choice unimaginable for a rough adventurer.
The softness of his speech felt like it came from another world entirely.
It stood in stark contrast to the inaction he wielded.
The disconnect evoked their disastrous first meeting, muddling her thoughts further.
'No!'
Forgetting her fear, she remembered—it hadn't been the worst.
It had ended with potions and words of wisdom.
'Thinking back, even that first encounter got a proper wrap-up...'
Even a Platinum wasn't some transcendent being beyond race.
He felt emotions like anyone else.
Just like when they'd met at the Church.
"Like I said before, no such thing as senior-junior among adventurers, right?"
She watched intently as he told her to drop the stiff speech.
He differed so vastly from the Platinum adventurers she'd imagined—fascinating to an extreme.
It was as if they'd known each other since her hometown of Edelmann.
No grand topics were needed for chit-chat.
Personal, everyday subjects made talk easy, and her rigid tone began to loosen.
Her forced, awkward chatter picked up speed once the words started flowing freely.
She seemed to have quite the buildup against her own party member.
"Grinning like an idiot whenever he sees a young, pretty girl... It's like this time—he's never serious about requests. Frustrating. His swordsmanship isn't bad, though."
"Haha! Men are all like that. I figured you two had that kind of vibe."
Alice shuddered with a groan, shaking off imaginary chills at the mere thought.
"We've been friends since childhood back home, so it's comfortable, but lately every request ends in arguments..."
"Everyone has their style, so finding compromise is key. I've always soloed, so I wouldn't know, but that's how it looks around me."
"Ah...! You traveled alone."
"Ended up that way. My personality's a bit prickly; can't mesh with others."
With no prior info on anyone, I'd wandered aimlessly hunting hidden pieces in the past.
Unwilling to share valuables,
I'd faced death countless times, buried in my own greed before reaching my current level.
Mulling "solo," she snapped from her thoughts, remembering her role, and continued.
"Plus, they say dating someone in the same party is poison for adventurers. Never even considered it..."
"You know it well. That can't not cause drama."
Her words brought to mind the guy who'd supported the nun on their way out.
'His feelings seemed a bit different...'
Sheer disgust at a hairy-legged man's impure emotions—not something she cared to know.
But when she'd said she'd stay behind,
that jealous glare? After all the ones I'd gotten hanging with my women, I could spot it a mile away.
'Lust and greed are big motivators in life.'
I had my share of greed for women, but so did he—and not mildly.
No way he thought his childhood friend was a sure catch—like some fool...
'...Could there be?'
Robert's face flashed in my mind.
Real life was full of improbable nonsense, defying one person's beliefs and values.
"..."
Anyway, Alice was right on this.
She wasn't just scraping by; she walked the adventurer's path with serious intent.
Adding someone like a Church figure to the party today? Romance would be a definite taboo.
It planted seeds of suspicion that others might be subtly favored.
Rak's party with Liliane took it very seriously too.
Grueling requests frayed nerves,
and role divisions could breed resentment without basic rules.
Thus,
adventurers in mixed parties who dated within got no good press.
Any action could be twisted unreasonably,
and twisted judgments bred complaints blaming emotions.
As we reached our destination amid such trivial talk,
I had to ask once more.
"Not heading back? We're here now; should be plenty."
-Sssii.
Despite deeming our chats en route plenty fun and informative,
this guy refused to budge from my head.
"Sorry on Tero's behalf..."
I'd told her it was fine, but she'd apologized countless times along the way.
Even Alice, Tero's master, had given up prying the spirit off me.
In cases of verbal but intangible contracts,
her face filled with dread at what might happen if I forced it.
"This guy's doing it out of care for its master, so tying us together for good reasons... Guess it's unavoidable."
Alice let out a sigh of relief mixed with resignation and scanned our surroundings where I'd stopped.
"Whew— but there's nothing around here...?"
I'd pondered how to send her off,
but having someone chatter beside me had been a real treat in this low-focus situation.
'Once we're done here, no more visits, so no big deal.'
Not a secret spot for ongoing gains—just one shot for the prime artifact.
Without Chloe, it'd have stayed buried forever, so anyone seeing... honestly didn't matter.
"Now we find it."