Chapter 217

217th Episode

d*ath Knight

217 ? d*ath Knight #1

Since it’s still daytime, I returned to the Alchemist Guild.

In front of a room that was either a laboratory or a study, where Luna and Paranoi were disclosing the details of a recipe, I could sense quite a few people inside.

Is it going in there?

T, this is sacrilege! I can’t accept this! This isn’t my proper potion! I’m about to go insane!

Why is Nymph-washed water going in there—!

I’m not sure what they’re doing inside, but it evidently looked like a rather dreadful scene was unfolding.

What’s this Nymph-washed water? Hoping I’d misheard, I waited there for a while. Soon Luna and Paranoi reappeared outside the door.

“How’s it going? Is everything alright?”

“It seems so. They’re giving me an Alchemist Guild pass! And I’ve become a member of the Alchemist Guild! From today onward, my business is approximately legal!”

Luna showed me a bracelet with a peculiar pentagram drawn on it.

Though it resembles an emblem that defiles divinity or looks like something from feudal lords, it’s actually the symbol of Mercury and the insignia of alchemists.

“Luna, did you say you’ve become one of the alchemists?”

“For now, yes. Yesterday, one of the guild’s research rooms became vacant here. It turns out Bynas left the city in a hurry. I think it’s going to be in that position.”

Alchemist Bynas.

I recalled the discussion we’d had during the night. Had she left the city as I’d suggested, and was Luna now temporarily taking her spot? That was certainly excellent news.

“Anyway, you’ve waited long enough—! What were you doing, Hassan?”

“Just… well… I drank some tea and did a few Adventurer Guild quests.”

“Tea? Now that you mention it, I do sense a bit of a rose scent.”

“Anyway, everything turned out well.”

“Miss Luna, I’m so exhausted… It would be better if we go back to the cottage and rest…”

At that moment, Paranoi, who looked incredibly worn out beside us, muttered. Her unsteady condition made her appear much like an invertebrate. It was clear she’d endured quite a bit, though it was uncertain what she’d done inside.

Thus, we all headed back to the cottage. On the way, we bought a few adequate strips of bacon and decided we would cook meat and celebrate the day’s peaceful end.

“Finally, it feels refreshing. Uuuh—”

Luna stretched lazily in the yard, looking quite relieved.

I was slightly worried, though. If she disclosed her recipe, it could lead to competing products, likely reducing her profit margin. It was a natural principle that if business went well, people in any world would inevitably start to follow.

But Luna seemed unfazed.

“It’s okay. They don’t have a Nymph, after all!”

“Is that so?”

“The potion I revealed is one that can only be made with a Nymph. We decided to name the product ‘Nymph’s Tears.'”

“Very literally… it’s the result of my effort and tears… and I’ll receive ten percent of the sales profit as a token of appreciation…”

“That’s good.”

“I hope the business goes well! Starting tomorrow, I think massive orders will come in, and I’ll become rich!”

Paranoi’s gaze wandered as if imagining herself sitting on a throne of money.

Her ominous laughter reminded me of a cultist plotting something sinister, making me want to smack her on the head, but I refrained. Everyone deserves the right to fantasize about happiness and forget their reality, at least for a while.

While chatting, I noticed something in Luna’s mailbox. I initially thought it was a newspaper, but it turned out to be a slim, small parchment rolled up and sealed with candle wax, looking like a letter. I imagined it might be Luna’s tax documentation, but surprisingly, it was addressed to me.

To Mr. Hassan—

It wasn’t an enlistment order, right? I tensed for a moment, but it seemed it wasn’t.

Mr. Hassan, I, Bynas, have left the city as you suggested, heading to a place where no one will find me. Truthfully, I’d grown disillusioned with city life. In fact, what I truly desired to be was not an alchemist…

Wha—, Expletive.

The letter continued, expressing how meeting me opened her eyes to a new life, how moved she was that I forgave her sins.

Mr. Hassan, I’m training so that someday I can be of help to you. P.S., do you like women with big chests?

Expletive what?

This gave me the chills.

“Hassan, what are you doing? What came?”

“Just… nothing.”

As Luna was curious about the letter, I quickly hid it in my jacket, thinking it would be quite a headache if she found out. I decided to tear and dispose of it later.

*

The next day.

I prepared to go on an early morning journey.

“Hassan, you said you’re heading to the North Gate?”

“Yeah. Want to come along?”

“I’ll go too! A d*ath Knight Manticore… That sounds very promising!”

Today, I planned to leave home to hunt Named Monsters. Both Luna and Paranoi seemed to have no current tasks and decided to come along.

Having companions on an adventure is always a great help in unforeseen emergencies, so I was pleased.

“Alright then, come on.”

It was a party hunt.

Although neither Luna nor Paranoi seemed suitable for party hunts. Luna at least contributed these days by casting sorceries to debuff monsters or create variables.

But what exactly was Paranoi’s role?

She wasn’t a Necromancer, nor a Warrior or a Thief.

“Hmm, we’re heading to the North Gate…”

I frowned as I watched Paranoi, who seemed unusually excited. Should I use her as bait? Was her role bait in a party?

Still, that didn’t feel quite right.

“Paranoi, what exactly is your role?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“In a party hunt, each member has a designated role— like tanking up front, healers in the back, and ranged attackers like Mages. What can you do?”

“I… well… I’m good at eating candy…”

Candy consumption?

It seemed Paranoi, upon serious thought, had no noteworthy skills to offer.

Thus, Paranoi became the trap dismantler, scout, porter, and general assistant.

“Ugh, it’s heavy…”

Paranoi carried a bag bloated with my and Luna’s gear, panting and sounding pitiable.

I knew she was exaggerating. Paranoi was around level 23 or 22, similar to me. Unless she’d invested in sheer physical strength, her stats should be balanced enough that carrying such weight should not tire her.

“Miss Luna, it’s so heavy… The weight is dragging me into the ground! Aaah!”

“Don’t exaggerate, you idiot. You’ve only been carrying it for ten minutes.”

We hadn’t even exited the North Gate of Sodomora yet, but delays like this meant we’d never reach the Manticore’s valley.

Luna, however, seemed genuinely concerned about Paranoi’s apparent exhaustion.

“Paranoi, if it’s too heavy, do you want a Stamina potion?”

“Suddenly, I feel recharged!”

“See? She’s just faking it.”

While I was berating Paranoi, someone called out to us from the central part of the city heading toward the North Gate.

“Ha, I thought that figure looked familiar. Isn’t that Brother Samaritan? Hehe.”

There are only so many people who call me ‘Brother’ around here.

The voice, clear and full of vigor, belonged to only one person.

“Hey, expletive, Malco. Long time no see. What’ve you been up to?”

“I’ve just been living as usual, Brother.”

The person approached, sweeping his gaze over me from head to toe—a blatantly bold stare, but Malco didn’t seem to think much of it, nor did I.

“You seem to have improved your posture. I saw the news. Spreading your fame further makes me, your exclusive bard, quite happy!”

Malco seemed to have deluded himself into thinking he was my personal bard.

We hadn’t formally contracted him as such, nor had we discussed such a role, but for some reason, it felt like he assumed that role.

According to Hippolyte, it’s natural for famous adventurers to have bards attached to them, and it was something to celebrate as it could boost one’s reputation.

Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure if Malco was an effective bard or not.

“Aaah, Mr. Hassan! There’s a Goblin! A huge Goblin! It seems Gogriad is still alive…”

“Hey, Nymph Sisters, this body is not a Goblin but Malco. I don’t understand why someone would mistake my classy form for that of a Goblin.”

“Classy form”?

This was a term that didn’t quite suit Malco, but honestly, this time I had to agree.

“Malco, what the heck have you been up to…?”

I scanned him just as he had done to me.

He wore a noble-like red velvet cape, an odd-looking crown, and a shiny golden guitar on his back. The rings on his fingers were gaudy, and the silver necklaces hanging around his neck resembled dog collars, though they were probably real silver.

What the—

Why was this guy dressed more extravagantly than me, who’d worked hard until I was exhausted? Was Malco secretly some noble brat?

I had always harbored a bias: entertainers were a rich-kid’s profession. Similarly, in this world, bard was one of the professions chosen by many noble heirs.

Essentially, it was a career for the family’s black sheep who wanted to sing, drink, and indulge in romanticism.

“Hey, are you some kind of noble? Why the change?”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Oh, do you mean these? Material wealth comes and goes. Don’t overthink it. It’s just a small change, isn’t it?”

“Expletive, it’s quite a big change. What have you been doing? How did you make all this money? You haven’t been doing anything illegal, have you?”

Is this guy even the same Malco I once knew as a clown-like figure?

What on earth could he have done to transform so drastically in just a few days?

I was immensely curious.

Just then, beside me, Luna blinked and shouted, “Ah!”

“Ah! I thought you were someone else! You’ve changed so much I didn’t recognize you!”

Luna hadn’t even realized this was Malco. While it’s true that a person’s image can change dramatically with different attire, Malco’s transformation was extreme.

“Stranger from far-off lands, it’s a bit shocking that even Sisters don’t recognize me. Truly, I’ve changed somewhat. I’ve cast off the weak version of myself from the past.”

Then, in the distance, someone shouted, “Malco! Where are you?” Looking over, we saw someone waving at us from a high-end carriage drawn by two horses. The interior was hidden, but I was oddly glad I couldn’t see it.

“Ah, I must leave. Anyway, it was good seeing you. And Samaritan, let’s have a drink next time. Brother Kalidur says he misses you.”

“Kalidur?”

If Kalidur was mentioned, he was the bald elf. He was also the human Hunter who crossed over from Albrheim to the Gaia continent to pursue Elpride.

The utterly hairless cold-blooded baldie.

The kid was younger than me by a year or two.

Recalling his face, I couldn’t understand why he’d ever want to see me. Would it be about something concerning Elpride? That seemed plausible. As I was about to voice these thoughts,

“Now, I really must go. It was good seeing you all!”

With that, Malco waved and disappeared into the carriage.

Watching Malco’s back, Luna commented,

“That clown. He won’t live to the end of his days. He’s using up all his luck in his youth. He’s definitely involved in something irreverent.”

I wasn’t sure what Luna meant exactly, but I agreed that Malco had a high probability of not living long if he’d accumulated that much wealth this way.

A life short but intense.

Anyway, after several incidents, we exited through the North Gate of Sodomora.

[Author’s Afterword]

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