Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Knight's Honor
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On a knight's honor, I really won't do it.
I'd reconciled with the No.1 units. Whether you could call it true reconciliation was another matter.
Charlotte had taken the lead, apologizing on their behalf.
"I won't force my emotions on you unilaterally..."
After wrapping up my talk with Charlotte, I returned to the inn. The moment I stepped inside, I sought out Olivia No.1.
"What? What're you staring at?"
They must have talked it over beforehand as a trio, because Olivia No.1 wasn't acting out too badly. Nine seemed more mature than Olivia anyway, so there was no need for dramatics.
"Hmph."
Olivia No.1 whipped her head away. She made it clear she wasn't thrilled about the situation.
But she didn't lash out.
It seemed Charlotte had been telling the truth. The No.1 units had apparently formed some kind of pact not to harass me.
"She's not just grown-up on the outside—she really is mature inside too."
You shouldn't do things people hate. That's just basic decency.
Thank goodness all three of them grasped that fundamental concept.
I started cleaning the inn floor. That was my morning routine.
"Good morning, Dyke."
They came down one by one from upstairs. Survivors from the goblin village.
Their conditions had improved noticeably.
"Thank you for saving us."
One woman was already composed enough to say she was ready to leave.
"You could rest a bit longer."
"No, I'm fine. Thanks to the priestess over there, I don't have any lingering pains. If I can move, I should."
Nine No.1 was a priestess. Daughter of Saintess Alicia. Her holy spells were top-class.
After receiving her healing, there was no way any wounds remained.
All of them were perfectly fine physically.
"They've grown tough to survive in this harsh world."
The women of this world weren't ones who lounged in peace. They'd lived with death always at their side.
Being kidnapped to a goblin village was something they brushed off and rose above.
They had to stand up. Hesitating because it hurt wouldn't fend off the death closing in.
They turned the misfortunes they'd endured into the foundation of their lives.
"Takes real grit to be an adventurer or mercenary."
I respected them. If they wanted to leave, they should.
This wasn't a lifelong home—it was just an inn to pass through briefly.
We just needed to play our assigned roles.
"Take this with you. Use it too."
At the very least, I gave them a proper meal and some weapons.
I couldn't hand over unique treasures like the Black Light Sword or Dragon Slayer Sword—there was only one of each in the world—but I had plenty of high-quality iron swords. Enough to fill a whole subspace.
"...Thank you."
"I'll never forget this kindness."
I'll never forget this kindness. I didn't like hearing that.
I hated it.
"No, forget it. Just forget about it."
Forget it. Forget every bit of goodwill and care we showed you, and live on.
Don't go stirring up bad memories trying to repay some debt.
It's better if you forget everything. Humans are creatures of forgetfulness, after all.
Forget your benefactors and your enemies alike. Let it all plus and minus out to zero.
That's better for me too.
"We're off, then."
The women bowed deeply in thanks. I waved them off indifferently.
While we were enjoying the festival, they'd apparently talked among themselves. They left the village in a group.
All but one.
"Aren't you leaving too, Victorica?"
Victorica. The woman who'd led the children out of the goblin village.
Her Achilles tendon had been severed, leaving her crawling desperately across the ground—that image was still vivid.
"We celebrated the festival together yesterday too."
We hadn't talked much, but I'd gotten a rough sense of who she was.
"...I still have unfinished business."
"Revenge, right?"
"Yes."
I had no intention of stopping her.
What right did I have to say anything about her rage toward the party members who'd abandoned her? Even if I presumptuously tried, would it reach Victorica's ears?
I was the Hero. I had been.
The Hero who'd saved the continent.
That didn't mean I wanted to save everyone. I'd learned five years ago that was impossible.
"I don't even want to."
The world was full of people who deserved to die. I'd set my own standards, divided good from evil, and only saved those I wanted to.
During my Hero days, I'd realized that was best for my mental health.
By that metric, Victorica was good, and her abandoning party was evil. I planned to root for her.
As someone who'd been abandoned too, I hoped she'd come out on top.
"...Though the nuances are different between us."
The reasons we were discarded weren't the same. It'd be ridiculous to claim we were alike in that.
If I told her why the heroines ditched me, Victorica might recoil in disgust and tell me not to lump us together.
"So you'll be staying in the village for a while, then?"
Denis asked Victorica. There was something off about Denis's gaze.
"Your body's all healed up?"
"Yes, all my wounds are gone. The priestess's holy spells were incredibly effective..."
Victorica looked at Nine in admiration. Denis nodded firmly.
"Then I guess we'll have to start charging room and board."
"...Pardon?"
"Room and board. This is an inn, after all."
Denis declared she'd charge the victim who'd just escaped the goblin village yesterday.
Victorica glanced at me helplessly, her eyes pleading for help.
Unfortunately, by the Cradle of Abundance Inn hierarchy, I ranked below Denis. I couldn't help Victorica.
"No money for it, huh?"
"...No, none."
Everything had probably been stripped away in the goblin village. Of course she had nothing.
Denis smiled brightly at me.
"Hand that over to Victorica."
I naturally passed the mop to Victorica. She took it with a dazed expression.
"Does that mean I don't have to clean the floors anymore?"
"Starting today, it's Victorica's job."
"Oh yeah!"
Victorica stared blankly at the mop. Denis patted her back enthusiastically.
"No money? Pay with labor! Take good care of the place, Victorica?"
"...Yes..."
Denis was speaking plain truth. No matter what gang-rape horrors she'd endured in the goblin village, we had no obligation to feed and house her for free.
Especially now that she was fully healed thanks to Nine No.1. How far were we supposed to go?
"We're stretched thin ourselves."
We got plenty of support, but money was still tight.
"......"
There was no other reason Victorica fell silent without arguing. Denis was right, so she accepted it.
If she planned to stay at the Cradle of Abundance without leaving, she'd pay the price. No money? Then labor.
Denis proposed, Victorica agreed.
No formal employment contract. This world didn't do that.
"Woo-hoo, so I can slack off now?"
I tried to clock out to Victorica and enjoy some rest time right away.
Denis wasn't about to let an employee goof off.
"No meat. Go buy meat."
"......"
"To the city."
Meat was a precious commodity in this remote village. Unless it was a ranching settlement, you had to source it from outside.
Trade with other villages or buy from the city.
The Cradle of Abundance made periodic runs to the city for meat.
We got a bit extra thanks to my Hero face—sort of like tribute—but...
This time, we'd burned through more than that could cover. At least we'd successfully tended to the survivors' mental states.
I could rationalize it as necessary.
"Normally I'd go alone."
I had a subspace. I could buy meat in bulk and bring it back. No need for a group.
"Father, I told you. I'll approach slowly."
Charlotte followed me. I said I was fine alone, but she wouldn't listen.
The silver lining was that Olivia and Nine were staying at the inn.
"Think of it as a short trip with your daughter."
"......"
"I understand your wariness. I did something like that to a father you dislike. But don't worry. I absolutely won't 'force' anything."
"......"
"If you can't trust me, I can swear on it. On my honor. That I won't do anything you'd find distasteful."
"No need for a sworn oath."
I didn't know how seriously Charlotte took her knightly code. But I wasn't going to push her that far.
"Oaths get broken anyway, whenever it's convenient."
Drunk on booze or dick, they'd spew excuses and betray it without a second thought.
What meaning did such flimsy oaths hold?
I didn't believe in knights' oaths. I'd learned the hard way that believing in them made you the fool.
I headed to the city with Charlotte. On foot in silence, it'd take two days.
Perfect pace to leisurely clear monsters around the village on the way.
"Denis probably sent me out to heal with a walk too."
I quickened my steps lightly.
Twitch-.
Then, my butt started itching. Not the surface—the spot near the hole inside...
A bit embarrassing.
"......"
I glanced at Charlotte walking beside me and secretly scratched the itchy spot.
Charlotte didn't notice my nimble movement.
"Feels good."
Satisfying.