“WHAT?! You met a pureblood demon?! Are you, um, alright? Does your head hurt anywhere, or is your arm moving on its own…!? Even if it’s just your stomach feeling queasy, anything like that?!”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. This lady here protected me.”
The receptionist looked at the goblin corpse in her hand and was surprised, then hearing about the encounter with a demon made her gasp again. The people of Golsamet usually have good constitutions, don’t they?
Looks like this person has a sensitive heart. He said it wasn’t such a big deal.
“If that’s so, I’m relieved… Wait a moment. You mean this person… just levitated and threw the ground…? Ah, no. Is this individual a Half-Dragon…? Anyway, well done! Here’s your reward: you dealt admirably with the demon and even brought back evidence. I’ll give you your fee, but could you please hand over your identification tag?”
Ah, right. I should’ve mentioned this to her earlier. When you complete a quest, the record is inscribed onto the identification tag. It’s some kind of magic, but for all its simplicity, it’s apparently very complex.
Akashi tried to figure it out as a pastime when he was in his true form but gave up, so the security must be reliable.
“…Yes! All set! Here’s 20 copper coins and your ID tag. Rest well today!”
It wasn’t really that difficult a task, so the reward was rather stingy, but since I came here to test the equipment, I didn’t mind too much.
“To claim rewards, it works like this: you hand over the ID tag briefly, and then receive the reward along with it. However, until you fully learn the language, I think we should go together. Not all requests are like these extermination jobs.”
Rescue missions, gathering tasks, captures… there are even strange orders like finding lost cats. Since she needs to understand all these words written on the request slips, I’ll need to keep an eye on her for now.
“Is that so? Well. Do you like the gear?”
Alterra seemed to understand everything, nodding and asking if she liked the equipment.
It was extremely satisfying. Sure, it was just a goblin, but even those can become quite threatening once they wield weapons.
Even low-tier enemies require tension if encountered in small groups, and facing large groups would make even silver-tier adventurers struggle to survive. To only feel a slight ache after their attacks speaks volumes.
Truly, the best things are always expensive, no matter the world. This was yet another moment to physically appreciate the greatness of capital.
“Yeah, I love it. I’ll pay you back later—5 gold. Now that the gear’s better and our party’s stronger, we can take on dangerous requests with higher rewards!”
Before, I could only stare blankly at gold-level requests. Now, they seem doable.
“That wasn’t given to you to repay. But if you want to return it, I’ll accept. Anyway, shall we head to the room now? I’m starting to feel like learning more language.”
“Yeah. We should. Let’s go.”
She was already climbing the stairs. Thank goodness for the cloak; otherwise, it might’ve been too shocking.
Speaking of shock… She seems completely oblivious to others’ gazes. She doesn’t feel any shame about her attire either.
She probably never had a reason to feel shame. Likely doesn’t even know what it means.
But whenever I see someone looking at her with ill intent, my stomach twists uncomfortably.
She says I shouldn’t worry about such things. Still, I can’t help it—the way I feel awkward dealing with her, the way others look at her—it bothers me.
…First of all, her posture. No matter what she’s thinking, it looks like she’s blatantly flirting.
Alright, fine. So we climbed the stairs. Checking what Akashi and Yuna were doing, they appeared to be fiddling with a map, trying to locate that dwarf’s treasure vault.
“Oh. Did you score well? Your expression suggests you weren’t entirely satisfied, huh? Did something you thought was cool fall flat with her, didn’t it?”
“She said it was cool. I was just worried about her outfit.”
Pfft. After muttering that, he returned to studying the map, absorbed in finding the optimal route.
“What about Alterra’s clothes… Should we try forcing her into something else? Talking gently probably won’t work, but your brush comes in handy for moments like this, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t like that idea. I’d prefer her to choose her clothing willingly.”
I didn’t want to force her. It’s not because I care for her personally. I just dislike using a brush on people. Messing around with someone’s mind is an incredibly unpleasant experience.
“Well then, good luck. One piece of advice—if you’re taming an animal, you need to make it fully realize that you’re neither dangerous nor unhelpful.”
She already seems safe and harmless enough. Keeping her advice in mind, I headed back to the room.
She had already discarded the detachable cloak, wearing fur around her neck, and was waiting with a book already taken out.
“Hurry up. Teach me. Oh, first, teach me the letters.”
Since the only desk available was against the wall, I had to sit next to her. Getting too close… no, I’m here to teach her.
Digging through the pile of junk, I retrieved an old map and used my holy sword to write letters on its back. This thing could write characters without needing ink or anything.
During my early adventuring days, I tried squeezing some sort of black liquid from the holy sword to sell as ink. It didn’t work at all.
“That’s right. I should’ve taught you the letters before picture books… Here. Does it bother you? Anyway, it’s old, and it’s the back side… so who cares.”
—
—
“Hello…she-yo?”
“Close, but not quite. Don’t emphasize this part so strongly. Try softer. That means ‘hello.’”
It was maddening. Twisting pronunciation with dots on certain letters, cramming two sounds into one letter—it felt like my tongue was rolling endlessly.
“…Is it hard? I struggled at first too. Without the blessing, I suddenly heard strange languages. Still, I managed to learn, so you will too. And let’s eat first.”
Oh, that’s a good idea. As much as Akashi annoys me, his cooking skills are legit. So I asked if Akashi was the one cooking, but apparently not.
“Nope. Sorry if you were expecting. Akashi’s cooking involves human sacrifices… and ends up being more exhausting afterward. Instead, I’ll make something hearty.”
Too bad. I wanted to taste his culinary masterpieces again. But if it’s inconvenient for him, I’ll let it slide. I won’t die from not eating.
This is a good chance to check this guy’s cooking skills. He called out Yuna and Akashi from the room and borrowed the kitchen downstairs.
Myung-ho said he’d also cover the cost of ingredients and went into the kitchen. Meanwhile, I reviewed the pronunciations I’d learned while waiting for the food.
Glaring daggers at anyone giving me weird looks, I repeated the sounds. Soon, the guy wobbled back from the kitchen carrying a massive frying pan precariously toward the table.
“Ta-da. Special… fried rice. The ingredients are completely different from what I knew, but I tried to make it somewhat similar.”
“Again with that? I’m not complaining, but… Myung-ho, is that the only dish you know how to cook?”
“Thought you were offering something new since you were serving it personally. Hmph. Foolish of me to expect more from you. Since it’s made, let’s eat.”
When the unexpectedly familiar scent hit me, I turned to see scrambled egg fried rice.
For a moment, I froze at the unexpected appearance of the dish, but quickly filled my plate and began eating absentmindedly.
With oil, eggs, and soybeans—that was all I recognized. The rice and meat inside were unfamiliar in shape.
Yet, it was undeniably the fried rice I knew. The same dish I made alone in the mornings or got as a treat during childhood evenings.
…So, the name… the appearance… That guy…
“Seems like you like it. How does it taste? Good?”
Without answering, I served myself another helping.
Seeing this distant memory resurface, whether real or not, brought fleeting joy.
Ultimately, I scraped every last grain from the frying pan.
“…It’s delicious.”
“Right? They say Yuna and Akashi are picky, though.”
Yeah. It’s been a long time since I had something this good. With my body worn out and my belly warm, sleepiness crept in. I could fight it, but…
With this guy, I felt I could trust him enough to sleep.
“…Huh? Just going to sleep? I thought you wanted to keep learning…”
“Learning some words is enough. Knowledge needs digestion, just like food.”
“In that case, then. Turning off the lights. Sleep well, Alterra.”
The nights in this world are dark. Without lamps to brighten the darkness, it’s natural. Yet, the sky shines brilliantly, regardless of narrow windows or poor-quality glass.
Red and blue moons, constellations emitting fantastical light—it feels like a world that isn’t cruel, yet I can’t help but think otherwise because of me.
Because of this, I dislike myself.
Like a solitary blemish on a beautiful painting.
