Banished from the Hero’s Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside - Volume 12 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zoltan Habotan

The following morning, I left Rit to manage the store and went to the workroom to make medicines. I was mixing cold medicine and a styptic to stop bleeding—two cheap, common-use drugs.

“Not to mention…”

I was also making the nutritional supplement that was an ingredient in our top-selling medicinal cookies. It provided nutrients, helped to improve blood flow, and had a minor pain-relieving effect, but it was by no means a cure-all; it couldn’t reduce a fever, so we recommended patients use it with another cold medicine if they were feverish. And, of course, it shouldn’t be used if they were too weak to eat. Still, there were no side effects and no problems with taking it daily, so it was a good defense against the common cold.

“It’s been a year since I first made these with Rit.”

That brought back memories.

Back then, I’d managed to open a store, but was struggling with how to get customers to stop by. Now, our number of regulars was increasing, and we had all sorts of people coming to the store, from nobles to craftsmen, merchants, farmers, and adventurers. The medicinal cookies had been an important step in getting to this point.

“We gave out a bunch of free samples, didn’t we?”

When the cookies had sold out, I’d been so happy I lifted Rit up in a hug.

Mm, looking back, I have to wonder what I was thinking then, but I really was so happy in the moment.

“I want to try making something else together again.”

It was one year since Red’s Apothecary had become Red & Rit’s Apothecary. I was still going to give her a present, but it might be nice to come up with a new product for the store, too.

I’ll talk it over with her later.

“It’s peaceful, but there’s still so much to do.”

The list included getting a present for Rit, making a new product for the store with her, Ruti’s growth, Yarandrala’s shipbuilding, checking in on Habotan…

“And right now, mixing medicines to give to customers!”

Every day was so full and rewarding.

That evening, Rit and I walked to the hospital in central Zoltan. We had closed up shop a little bit early to go visit Habotan and Torahime.

“A new product to celebrate our one-year anniversary?” Rit asked, crossing her arms in thought. I had brought up my idea from this morning while we were walking.

“Some sort of medicine that would be useful to anyone might be good,” I said.

“Yeah, definitely.”

A big part of why the medicinal cookies sold so well was because any and every customer could benefit from them.

“Is there any sort of medicine you can use when you’re healthy?”

“Hmmm.”

Medicine was usually for when your body wasn’t working properly. Still, maybe there was something people could use even when they were healthy.

“That might be good. When we get back, I can go through my notes on medicinal plants and try to think of something.”

“Okay!” Rit cheered, happy to have her idea heard. “I always want to stay healthy, after all, since I’m going to be living with you even when I’m an old granny.”

“Yeah. I have to stay healthy too, then.”

“Ehehe.”

Thinking about one year together was great and all, but I also needed to think about what to do for a wedding.

…If someone had told me back when I was a knight that this sort of happy future was waiting for me, would I have believed them?

“Haha, no way.”

“Huh?”

I’d accidentally said that part out loud.

Rit was looking at me in confusion, so I told her what I’d been thinking.

Her cheeks flushed happily, and she hid her smile behind the bandana around her neck.

The difference between a clinic and a hospital came down to whether or not they had larger facilities for admitting patients. Around Avalon, clinics were generally doctors’ homes as well, so they had space to admit two, maybe three people on a short-term basis.

It would have been possible for Habotan and Torahime to be admitted to a clinic near the harbor, but given the gravity of Torahime’s condition, it wasn’t likely she’d recover fully with just a few days of treatment. So instead, we’d taken them to the hospital where Danan was admitted before.

Considering how blunt and quick to speak his mind Danan was, if he had been willing to accept treatment there, then it must be a hospital with trustworthy doctors and nurses.

I’d love a chance to set up a contract with them someday.

As we walked along the stone paved central streets, a large building came into view.

Hospitals of this size were normally run by the church rather than an individual doctor, and Zoltan hospitals were no exception. Clerics dispatched by Zoltan’s church worked alongside the nurses; apparently, caring for the afflicted was considered one aspect of a cleric’s study.

“You’re here to visit Ms. Habotan? Hmm, it’ll probably be a little bit of a wait,” the receptionist at the hospital told us.

“Is she being seen by a doctor now?”

“No, she’s in a meeting with people from Zoltan’s assembly.”

“Ahh, I see.”

Two visitors from the Jade Kingdom had appeared from across the sea, so it was natural the Zoltan authorities would take an interest. If this was Avalonia, they would have been used to score political points, but thankfully…

“It’s probably just a matter of curiosity.”

“Yeah.”

Rit and I shared a smile. People from Zoltan were always so laid-back.

“What should we do? Come back tomorrow?”

“Mmm, we promised to come today, and it’s not like we have any special plans, so I don’t mind waiting.”

“Sure, let’s just relax and wait then.”

I think I remember there being a café near here…

Places in central Zoltan tended to be a bit more expensive than normal, aimed at the richer classes, but we had just gotten our hands on all sorts of treasure during the diving expedition yesterday.

I mean, we hadn’t exchanged anything yet, so it wasn’t like my purse was actually any heavier, though. It was a cliché among adventurers that loot was just a fancy decoration until you exchanged it, but given the size of Zoltan’s economy, there probably weren’t any places we could exchange everything we’d found all at once.

“There was a magic sword in there, too. Maybe I should keep that, at least.”

If you held the sword and poured magic power into it, you could create a barrier of wind to deflect arrows and other smaller projectiles. A weapon like that would be invaluable on a battlefield.

“I bet there will be some funny looks when the guy known for only using a bronze sword comes in trying to sell a magic sword.”

“…Maybe I should ask you to sell the treasure.”

She had a point; it might be a bit weird for me to take in the loot to sell.

As Rit and I chatted, we opened the door to the café, and a bell chimed to announce the arrival of customers.

“Ah! Ruti, Tisse, and Yarandrala are here!”

“Huh.”

Fancy tables lined the inside of the café, upon which sat cups of black tea and plates served with distinctly small portions of food.

“The food looks good.”

“It’s made by a cook who used to work for the royal family of the archipelago kingdom.”

“Oh wow!”

That sort of technique was way beyond what I’d learned cooking for a band of knights.

“Big Brother,” Ruti called out, waving to us.

We sat down at their table.

“Are you three here to visit the hospital, too?”

“Mhm, since we said we would.”

Ruti pointed at the pancakes she was eating. There was a dollop of white cream on top of the fluffy, golden cakes.

“This is good. You should get it.”

“Oh yeah? I think I will.”

“Me too!”

Our orders arrived, and I took a bite of my pancakes. The outside was a little crisp and the inside light and springy. The cream was rich, giving you the full flavor of the milk. They looked nice, and they tasted just as good; the visual highlighted the flavor, and the flavor made the visual more memorable.

They were just that exquisite.

“The tea is nice, too. I wonder what sort of leaves they use.”

“Yeah, it really is. I’d like to have this at home.”

It had a soothing flavor that paired well with the sweet pancakes.

“Red.” Yarandrala’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “I went out to sea to investigate Habotan’s ship again today.”

“That Jade Kingdom ship?”

“Yeah. I wanted a bit more information about them.” Unlike me, Yarandrala was still a real hero. “It’s just another hobby of mine.”

I couldn’t help laughing out loud at that.

“Being a hero for fun. You really do have a lot of hobbies. So what did you find out?”

“The ship had sunk.”

“It sank? You’re sure it didn’t just float away?”

“I’m sure. I tied a rope to it and weighted it down yesterday to keep it from drifting away.”

“You really don’t leave anything to chance, do you?”

“So is that what sank it…?”

Yarandrala let out a moan. “I mean the thing was already halfway there. It was practically inevitable.”

If anything, it was hard to believe it hadn’t already gone under by the time we arrived. From everything I knew of ships, it should have already sunk.

“True, I was amazed it was still floating.”

“The tenacity of that warrior must have possessed the ship,” Tisse said.

She was talking about the warrior who, even in death, had held on long enough to entrust Torahime to Tisse. Had that man’s persistence lived on in the vessel itself?

“That’s a romantic sort of thought, that his soul might have moved into the ship.”

“Strength of spirit is sometimes all a sailor has to keep going.”

“You always do think everything comes back to spiritualism, don’t you?”

That was Yarandrala—coming up with theory after theory, doing whatever she could to improve her odds, then making up for the rest with spirit. I agreed with her about the importance of theory, but that sort of resolve was beyond me.

“So let’s go diving again next week.”

“Yeah, I think I’m gonna pass. I am curious about Habotan, but right now I don’t really have the urge to delve deeper and get involved.”

And two straight weekends diving would be a bit rough.

“That’s a shame. Oh, you want to come with me, Mister Crawly Wawly?”

Mister Crawly Wawly had hopped onto Yarandrala’s hand and started gesturing to get her attention. She stroked his abdomen happily.

There was always a one-in-a-million chance something might happen if she went down to the bottom of the ocean alone, but it should be fine if Mister Crawly Wawly was there, too.

“It probably won’t come as a shock to either of them, but I wonder if we should tell Habotan and Torahime that their ship sank…”

“We don’t know what sort of kid Habotan is, so maybe we should wait and see for today.”

“Good idea.”

From the little we’d talked to her yesterday, she seemed serious, curious, and full of love and respect for the one she served.

“She’s a normal girl,” Ruti said.

Hmm, so that was how she looked to Ruti?

“But I didn’t expect her to be scared of Mister Crawly Wawly.”

“Yeah.”

Of course some people had trouble with bugs, but anyone who’d trained outdoors should have gotten used to them, even if they still didn’t like them. It was one thing if she had some sort of psychological trauma, but it hadn’t looked like that was the case for Habotan. It felt more like she just wasn’t used to creepy-crawlies.

“Why did they come west?”

“I don’t know,” Ruti said, shaking her head.

We didn’t know anything about the situation in the East, so the answer wouldn’t be found in any of our heads.

“Ah, it seems the meeting is over,” said Tisse.

“You can tell?”

“Yes. Mister Crawly Wawly set a thread at the entrance, and he told me that the people from Zoltan’s assembly just passed through it.”

“Amazing as always.”

Mister Crawly Wawly seemed to swell a bit.

He could differentiate people through the vibrations in his spider web. It wasn’t for nothing that Tisse, one of humanity’s greatest assassins, had him for a partner.

“So, shall we go?”

I finished the last bite of my pancakes and stood up.

We were back at the hospital. Thinking about it, I suddenly realized that it didn’t have a name. I figured something straightforward like the Zoltan Holy Church Hospital would be about right, but most people here just called it the hospital, the central hospital, or the church hospital. There wasn’t a name plate at the entrance, and even the people who worked here just called it the hospital.

It didn’t cause any issues, so I guessed it was fine.

“The west is very different,” commented Habotan.

I’d just finished explaining to her about the namelessness of the hospital, and she looked to be suffering a bit of culture shock.

We’d brought pancakes from the café we were at earlier and some fruit as presents. It seemed to be the young girl’s first time eating pancakes; after a very timid first bite, her eyes lit up as she devoured the rest.

“A name is terribly important to our people. It is bound to a person’s soul, only to be shared with one’s parents and master.”

“Huh, Jade Kingdom customs are pretty different.”

“This one had heard that people here are not as particular regarding names, yet it was a surprise to discover that to be true.”

“Some people even just pass down their own name, like a man called Thomas naming his son Thomas Jr.”

“Ooooh…”

Unlike western countries—whose cultures by and large resembled each other, even if they had their differences—a completely different sort of culture had developed on the other side of the Wall at the End of the World.

Interesting.

“So Habotan isn’t your real name?” Ruti asked.

“Uh.” The young girl hurriedly tried to explain herself, but it just turned into a mumbled noise.

“Well, Habotan’s enough for us anyway, so don’t worry about it.”

“Right… Apologies… That is our custom.”

It looked like she felt bad lying about her name. She really was earnest.

Red was an alias for me too anyway, so she wasn’t alone.

“Then, is Habotan a name you were given when you were older?”

“It was bestowed upon this one by Lady Torahime. My master spoke of it as the name of a blessed flower that blooms even in the depths of winter.”

“Oh, what a nice meaning.”

“I concur!” Habotan replied happily. It wasn’t her real name, but she seemed fond of it. So her relationship with Torahime was a good one.

“How is Lady Torahime’s condition?” Rit asked, looking at the sleeping woman. She looked a lot healthier than yesterday.

“She wakes from time to time, and she even managed to ingest a small quantity of porridge, but her consciousness is still hazy. She did not seem aware of her current location.”

“I see.”

“The doctor explained that Lady Torahime might awaken at any time, but there is no guarantee that time will be soon…”

Habotan glanced anxiously at Torahime’s face.

I would have liked to say something…but I wasn’t a doctor, so I couldn’t say anything irresponsible.

“It’s okay,” Ruti said in a soft yet powerful voice. “She’ll wake up soon.”

“Oh? Th-thank you for trying to cheer this one up, Sir Ruti.”

Habotan looked surprised, probably because of how conclusive Ruti’s statement sounded. To be honest, I was a little surprised too.

But we soon realized why she’d spoken with so much confidence.

“…Where am I?”

“Lady Torahime?!”

The sleeping princess had opened her eyes. Her face was emaciated, but her eyes shone with intelligence.

“I’ve worried you, Habotan.”

“No! Not at all!!!”

Habotan hugged Torahime and cried. I knew she must’ve been feeling lost and alone, but even so…

“I’ve always heard of Jade Kingdom ninjas as being this highly-trained special forces squad.”

Seeing Habotan crying there like that, she just looked like a normal girl for her age.

“Well, that means they must have trainees, right?”

“You’ve got a point…”

Rit was right; no matter the group, it wasn’t like hardened warriors just sprang out of the ground fully formed. Maybe there had been a ninja master on the ship who’d already died, and the trainee, Habotan, had been the only one to survive.

I always was curious about things like this.

We decided to wait a little bit until Habotan calmed down.

“Apologies for the embarrassing display.”

Habotan had cried for about ten minutes and was now staring at the floor, her face red with embarrassment.

“You were all alone in a foreign country. It’s understandable.”

“Sir.”

Habotan looked at least a little bit better after my words of encouragement.

“Allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for saving our lives.”

Torahime thanked us in a manner befitting nobility. Her face was haggard, but there was still an elegance and beauty to it. It was hard to tell her age, but she was definitely a grown woman, probably at least in her thirties.

She was certainly beautiful, but her beauty was so flawless that she felt almost doll-like.

…Ah, that’s it. She reminds me of Leonor.

“It is an honor to have been able to save you.”

We were dealing with a princess from another country, not to mention we didn’t know her personality, so I fell back on the manners I’d learned from my time with the knights and bowed.

I didn’t know if an eastern princess would understand western etiquette, but at least she seemed to recognize I was attempting to extend her every courtesy.

“Yes, you conducted yourselves valiantly. I should offer you a fitting reward; however, having just drifted ashore in a foreign land, I have only this to give.”

Torahime held out her hair ornament. It was wooden and seemed to have been made from some sort of aromatic tree.

I didn’t know its value, but it seemed the sort of thing an eastern noble would use.

“Thank you for your kind generosity.” I politely accepted the gift and slipped it into my shirt pocket.

“Am I correct to assume that we are in the Republic of Zoltan?” Torahime asked with a serious look.

“Yes, milady. You have made it to a country on the other side of the Wall at the End of the World.”

“I see…!”

Her calm facade crumbled, replaced by unbridled joy, and she clenched her fists.

The two of them really must have come west on some crucial mission. The warrior on the ship had mentioned some sort of hope to save the world.

I wondered what sort of secret Torahime was holding on to.

“Knowing that, I cannot remain in this state!”

“P-please wait!”

Torahime started to sit up in bed. I hurried to stop her, but before I could move, her own strength gave out.

“Lady Torahime!”

“C-curses, for something like this to keep me…”

Habotan, sitting beside Torahime, had caught her falling body and gently laid her back down in bed.

“Lady Torahime! Please do not push yourself so hard!” she insisted.

“We have no time. We are already so far behind, having drifted for so long.”

But Torahime couldn’t even move her body. Of course she couldn’t—she’d only just come out of a coma.

“Your strength should recover enough to move around in a few days; however it will likely be difficult for you to continue your journey,” I told her, and Torahime bit her lip in frustration.

“Please, Lady Torahime, do not trouble yourself!” Habotan puffed out her chest. “This one will find Ruti the Hero!”

What?

Now that I thought about it, hadn’t she reacted to Ruti’s name when we first met? So was their goal to meet the Hero ?

“…Is that something you should be saying out loud in front of us?”

“Ah?!”

She was earnest, but maybe a little too earnest…

Torahime looked a little troubled, too.

Five minutes later, Habotan was no longer dismayed, and Torahime had somehow recovered her former composure.

“…We can pretend we didn’t hear that, if you would like?”

“No, it is too late to be asking you to forget that now… Though I would have preferred not to draw attention to our search for the Hero.”

“I see…”

It looked like Torahime was trying to decide what to do.

This had turned into a bit of an awkward situation.

“Ruti the Hero’s whereabouts are currently unknown,” said Ruti.

“They are?!”

“However, there is a new hero, Van. He is currently fighting on the front lines against the demon lord’s forces, so if you have need of the Hero’s strength, then you should try speaking with him. If you ask the powerful people Habotan spoke to today, they should be willing to provide a ship for transportation and some soldiers for protection.”

Habotan was surprised when Ruti, who had mostly been quiet up to that point, gave them such well-thought-out and logical advice.

However, Torahime shook her head.

“No. The one we have need of is the true hero, Ruti.”

“The true hero?”

I cocked my head and feigned confusion to hide the shock of her question.

Did she know that Van’s Hero blessing was a replica of the one created by Demis? We didn’t have any information about the East. Just how much did the Jade Kingdom know about the Hero and Demon Lord blessings?

It’s okay. Just keep your cool.

“If the Jade Kingdom is facing difficulties in its war, then it might be best to speak with the commanders of the allied forces, as well as the Hero. We currently have the advantage with the war here. While it would be difficult to send out reinforcements across the Wall at the End of the World, I am sure they would lend you whatever support they could spare to resolve your problem.”

“No, that is not the issue.”

“…In that case, I am afraid we cannot be of much help. Your best chance might be to set out for the Kingdom of Avalonia, since that is where Ruti the Hero is said to have begun her journey.”

Torahime’s reaction to my suggestion was underwhelming.

…Did she have some information on Ruti the Hero’s location?

“Please forgive us for making such presumptuous suggestions.”

“No, I am grateful for your advice.”

What was I supposed to do…?

I hadn’t intended to pry too deeply, but if they were searching for Ruti, what else could I have done? What stance should I take to gather more information?

“Good sir,” Torahime said, looking at me.

I met her gaze with an expression befitting a frontier apothecary.

“Might I impose upon you to allow Habotan to remain at your home for a time?”

“You want me…to take care of Habotan?”

“Lady Torahime?!”

I was confused, and Habotan was shocked.

“It is our duty to search for Ruti the Hero; however, I cannot yet rise. It is vexing, but I must focus on regaining my strength until the next full moon.”

The next full moon… As in six days from now?

“All the more reason why this one cannot leave your side while you remain powerless!”

“Control yourself! Think of what is most important right now!”

“But if anything were to happen to you, milady…”

“The grasp of the demon lord’s forces has not yet extended to this land of Zoltan. You must do what must be done, Habotan.”

“…”

The conversation was unraveling before my eyes, leaving me behind in my confusion. They were talking about me looking after Habotan, right?

“What should we do, Red?” Rit whispered in my ear.

“Hmmm, good question… What do you think?”

“It should be fine for us to take her in.”

“Hrm.”

“There’s too much we don’t know right now. If we let her stay with us, it’s possible we might be able to learn from each other.”

“That’s true. There’s a risk, but right now the more serious threat is our lack of information.”

Plus, having me and Rit handle her would be less risky than Ruti dealing with her directly.

“Habotan.”

“Sir Red…”

“If Lady Torahime’s safety is a concern, then we can ask the Zoltan guards for help or pay to hire adventurers. But whatever your duty is, you’re the only one who can do it, right?”

“Be that as it may, this one could not entrust the safety of Lady Torahime to strangers.”

I quickly stepped in and touched Habotan’s forehead with my finger before she could react.

“I’m just an apothecary, but even I managed to touch you. It may sound harsh, but in terms of simple strength as a bodyguard, I don’t think you being here would be the best choice.”

“Uh, ungh…”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Ugh, the guilt…

She was still just a child.

“A lack of strength isn’t something you can make up for; it’s the same for me. And there’s no shortcut to getting stronger, either.”

“Then what should this one do?”

“You should think about what you can do with the strength you have right now, and make up for your weakness with knowledge and judgment. There’s always something you can do, no matter the situation.”

“Sir Red…!”

Argh, I couldn’t believe I was tricking a child like this.

I was starting to hate myself for it.

The advice I was giving her was real, but I was also saying it to get more information about why they were searching for Ruti.

I thought I was done with these sorts of tricks after the incident with Van, but who could have imagined trouble arriving from the East?

However…the situation was still peaceful.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t turn into something that ended with us drawing swords.

Around noon the following day, I headed back to the hospital.

Torahime had only just woken up, so last night we had decided to let Habotan spend the night in the hospital, then have her stay at our shop for five days, starting today.

I was going there now to pick her up.

Homes lined both sides of the road leading toward central Zoltan. They were occupied by all sorts of craftspeople who used the first floors as workshops.

There was the rhythmic clanging sound of a craftsman banging on a pot. A merchant from central Zoltan peered into the shop, presumably looking for something he could sell later. A cat dozed atop the fence separating that shop from the one next door. A young trainee craftsman watched the cat with fascination, while his master watched the apprentice, blowing smoke from his pipe and resting his chin on his palm.

It was a peaceful Zoltan afternoon.

“Maybe I should buy a new pot,” I mumbled idly as I made my way along the street.

Finally, the hospital came into view. After talking to the receptionist, I climbed the stairs to the room where Habotan and Torahime were staying. The hospital had been built quite a while ago, and the stairs had an aged feel to them, creaking as I went up. That sound was probably from the lumber warping a bit, creating a little gap between stairs, but I didn’t think they would break anytime soon; it felt like you’d still be able to use them for another hundred years.

Reaching the room, I opened the wooden door.

What I found was Habotan, kneeling on the floor, her forehead lowered all the way to the ground.

“Sir Red! This one is inexperienced, but grateful that you are allowing her to accompany you!”

Habotan’s loud voice echoed throughout the hospital.

What was I going to do about her?

“First things first…”

I had Habotan sit up normally.

“This agreement is just to give you a base in Zoltan and share information, so you don’t need to treat it like an oath between lord and retainer.”

“Deepest apologies, sir!”

“And about that. I’d rather you apologize without quite that much intensity.”

I glanced at Torahime anxiously, but she remained silent. Her expression was that of a superior watching her subordinate do her best—she wanted her subordinate to grow, so she wouldn’t step in even when Habotan was flailing.

“…All right, we’d best be off. I will make sure to look after Habotan these next five days.”

“Very well. Habotan?”

“Yes, milady!”

“I am counting on you.”

“Please leave it to this one!”

And with that, their intense goodbye was over.

I led Habotan out of the room, unable to do anything to improve her attitude.

Before going back to the apothecary, I took Habotan shopping with me.

“This is the Zoltan market. Here, you can find all sorts of items gathered together in one spot, but it’s also a gathering place for people. Villagers from Zoltan’s outlying lands also come here to sell vegetables and fish and the like, which makes it a good place to gather information.”

“…”

“Are you listening?”

“Y-yes, sir!”

I doubted that was true, so I explained it one more time.

Her mind was restless.

“Is this your first time outside of the Jade Kingdom?”

“Uh… No, sir, it is not. However, it is this one’s first time in the west, and it is surprising.”

“I guess it would be a bit of a shock. Are the markets there not like this?”

“They are not so different, but they are louder and more raucous.”

“Taking things easy is sort of a Zoltan thing; other countries here have livelier marketplaces.”

“Is that so? It would be interesting to see them.”

It was natural to act like that in response to seeing a market in a country you’d never been to before…but Habotan’s reaction really was just what you’d expect from a girl her age.

“I’d love to show you around Zoltan a bit more, but first I want to make sure you know the route between my shop and the hospital. I’ve got work left to do, so you’ll have to settle for just the market today.”

“Thank you very much, sir!”

“If you don’t mind, I can show you around some of the major places tomorrow morning.”

“I would appreciate that, sir!”

“You got it.”

Maybe I should invite Tisse along tomorrow too. She could observe Habotan from a different perspective to me.

“I’m going to do some shopping for dinner tonight, but—”

“Sir, this one will accompany you!”

“A-all right then.”

That was fast.

The Jade Kingdom pair had talked about not having any time, so I’d figured Habotan would use this chance to gather some information, but I guess not. It was a new town with a completely different sort of culture, so maybe she’d decided it would be better to observe how I dealt with people first?

“Please allow this one to carry things! Despite appearances, this one has confidence in her strength!”

If that earnestness of hers was all calculated, I’d have to admit ninjas were really incredible. But somehow…

“Mph!”

…I strongly suspected she was just a child who was happy to be useful.

…Oh yeah, what sort of blessing did she have, anyway? It wasn’t Warrior or Mage or something normal like that. I saw her fight for a moment on the ship, but I didn’t notice any skills beyond physical enhancement. There might be blessings that only appeared in the East too, so I was a bit lacking in information.

“Should I make omelets today?”

“Omelets, sir?”

“A dish made from eggs.”

“Eggs of what, sir?”

“Ah, chicken eggs. Is there a different kind of egg that’s more common in the Jade Kingdom?”

“Umm, the eggs of chickens were not eaten much where this one was.”

“Oh, is it not really done out of custom or something? If so, I can make something else—”

“Not at all! This one is very interested in western cooking!”

She responded before I even finished my sentence.

“All right, then I’ll make the best omelet I can.”

The two of us made our way around the market.

“Hey, Red! We got some real nice eggs in today!”

“Looking for onions and carrots? You better buy here to get the best!”

“Well, if it ain’t Red. What’re you making today? You’re gonna buy some of our meat, right?”

A bunch of people called out as we made our way around the market. There were merchants who were always there and farmers who’d come in from outer villages to sell their harvests. The old man I usually bought meat from ran a ranch on the north side of Zoltan.

Seeing his tanned face break into a big smile reminded me of old man Kent, the rancher in my old hometown who’d been so nice to me when I was little.

“Wow…”

Habotan’s eyes gleamed as she studied the contents of our bag. It was filled with normal sorts of ingredients, but they might have been rare or strange in the Jade Kingdom.

When I was a knight, I’d read a document written by someone who traveled through the East that said most of the foods available in Avalonia were also available in the East. Granted, it was a very old text, and there might have been other different types of ingredients there as well.

It always made me a little worried only having book knowledge to fall back on.

“Cooking requires quite a number of ingredients, doesn’t it, sir?”

“Yeah, though this will do for the main ingredients at least. Next are the spices.”

“Salt, sir?”

“Salt is more of a seasoning. I am going to use it, but we have some at home, so I’m not buying any today. Right now, I’m looking for garlic and black pepper.”

“Ohh?”

It sounded like she hadn’t heard of either of them.

If she didn’t usually cook, then it made sense she wouldn’t know much about seasonings and spices that weren’t really visible in food.

The shop was set away from the center of the market, just like always, and was run by an old woman in a black robe. It was essentially just a roofed wagon lined with all sorts of items, including black pepper, mustard, mint, and horseradish, with garlic hanging from the roof. It was a good shop that had pretty much every spice you could get in Zoltan all in one place.

“You’re a new face,” said the shopkeeper as we approached.

She was a hook-nosed old lady who looked for all the world like a witch. Her blessing was Swarm Keeper, and apparently she’d been an adventurer in another land when she was young, but now lived a secluded life in Zoltan and used her ability to control insects to make a living farming.

She’d never told me her name. I wasn’t going to try to pressure her to share it either, but I had the feeling she’d lived a dangerous sort of life before.

“Heeheehee, another little sister, Red?”

“S-sister?!” Habotan was both concerned and a little flustered.

“What’re you on about? Have you ever seen siblings that looked this little alike?”

“Heeheehee, true enough.”

Of course, she’d known that already.

Habotan, from the Jade Kingdom, had a completely different sort of appearance to me, who’d been born in Avalonia. There was no way the shopkeeper had actually believed we were related.

“But you’re an unusual girl. What country could you be from?”

She leaned in close to Habotan’s face, and the young girl tensed up.

“Careful, granny, you’re scaring her.”

“Heehee… Sorry, my eyes aren’t what they used to be.”

“You look scary, that’s why you’re always making kids cry.”

“Don’t say that. I like children… Ah, yes.” She pulled a cookie from a bag on the counter. “Here, have a treat.”

“Th-thank you.” Habotan took the cookie.

Ah, she ate it.

“?!”

She took one bite of the cookie, and her eyes went wide with shock.

“How is it?” the old lady asked, opening her mouth up wide.

Oh, that’s supposed to be a reassuring smile. It looks like it’s having the opposite effect, though…

Those cookies were packed full of the old lady’s special spices that exploded with flavor in your mouth. They weren’t particularly sweet.

“I-it’s tasty.”

“Really! I’m so glad! In that case, maybe I should give you a few more!”

“?!”

Habotan’s face froze in panic.

She was a good kid, the kind of person who wouldn’t think to throw them away quietly later.

I gave her a little smile and patted her on the shoulder.

“I like those cookies too, so share a couple with me later.”

“Yes, sir!”

Polarizing foods like these weren’t usually a big hit with kids, but they were often popular with adults. And in this case, I happened to like those cookies quite a bit.

I thanked the old lady, bought the black pepper and garlic, and left the market with Habotan in tow.

It was around three in the afternoon when we arrived at the shop.

“Welcome back!”

“Thanks.”

Rit and I had a little hug when I came back, like we always did.

Habotan was there too, but it really was just a small hug, so I was sure it’d be fine.

“Uh, ah…”

Turning around, I saw Habotan red-faced and embarrassed.

“How shameless.”

Now it was my turn to be flustered.

I thought something like this was normal.

“You’ve really ramped up your business in the past year.”

“Oh, I didn’t see you there, Gonz.”

The half-elf carpenter Gonz was sitting at the counter looking exasperated.

“I came to get some medicinal cookies and was chatting a bit with Rit.”

“You sure you can take the time off work?”

“Talking with a friend’s more important, don’t you think?”

He said it outright, as if it was obvious. He really was a great carpenter, but he had his failings as a person.

“Gonz was telling me how Tanta’s doing,” Rit said.

Ah. Tanta.

Tanta had connected with his Cardinal blessing, so he had started seriously working at learning carpentry with his uncle and raising his blessing level, which was why I hadn’t been seeing him out playing as much when I went walking. It was nice to see a child grow up, but also a little sad.

“How’s he doing? Working alongside adults every day and fighting monsters to raise his level are all new experiences for him. He isn’t having any trouble, is he?”

“Have a little faith in my eye for talent. In terms of passion for the job, he’s already top of the pack among my crew. He isn’t that interested in hunting monsters, but because of that, he doesn’t do anything unnecessary and fights seriously while following directions. He isn’t aiming to be an adventurer, so that’s good enough.”

“Yeah, it’s better to let people with more experience come up with battle plans.”

“And I’m the one in charge of giving him jobs, so I’m not gonna work him so hard he starts to hate it!”

“I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of.” I chuckled.

Either way, it sounded like Tanta was enjoying himself.

“So who’s this little lady?” Gonz asked, glancing at Habotan.

She took a deep breath for another long-winded introduction, but I gently stopped her.

“This is Habotan. She’s staying with us for five days.”

“You don’t say. And here I was thinking you had another little sister pop up.”

“Get some new material; the granny from the spice shop said the same thing.”

“Geh.”

Rit and I laughed as Gonz grimaced.

“This is Gonz, my friend and a master carpenter.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Gonz!”

“That’s me, Zoltan’s top carpenter! If you ever wanna build a house, then just leave it to me!”

“Y-yes, sir! When such a time comes, I shall do so!”

“Hang on, I was just kidding… Surely you’re too young for that.”

I guess jokes like that weren’t common for Habotan when she was growing up.

“Anyway, I should get back to work before Tanta gets mad. Can I get two dozen cookies and some hangover medicine, Rit?”

“Sure thing.”

Rit quickly wrapped up some cookies and the medicine. The way she moved her hands was enchanting; she had been plenty skillful a year ago, but her movements were even more practiced now. That was just another way we’d grown together this past year.

“Medicinal cookies…”

Habotan’s face tensed.

She was probably remembering the old lady’s spiced cookies.

“Would you like to try one?”

“Uh, umm, this one’s stomach is…”

“Haha, don’t worry. They’re sweet cookies made with apple jam.”

“In that case…”

I took one of the cookies out of the basket on the counter and gave it to Habotan. She stared at it, then sniffed it, making sure it wasn’t dangerous.

“Why’s she being so cautious?”

“She ate one of the old spice shop lady’s cookies.”

“Ahhhhhh,” Gonz said with a grin.

“Pardon me…!” Working up her nerve, Habotan took a bite of the cookie. “Wah!”

Her face lit up.

“I’m guessing you liked it.”

“Yes, sir! It’s delicious!”

She quickly ate a second bite and finished it with the third.

“There’s medicine baked into the cookie, so it’s good for colds and fatigue.”

“Ooooh.”

“It also helps prevent catching a cold and has nutritional supplements for growing children, so you can eat them every day—as long as you don’t have too many.”

“You’re an incredible baker, sir!”

“Apothecary.”

Rit giggled. “I thought she’d be nervous, but it looks like she’s settled in a bit thanks to you,” she said.

Habotan was a lot more relaxed now than when she’d first left the hospital.

It was good progress.

“So, let’s do proper introductions. I’m Rit. Nice to meet you.”

“And this one is called Habotan! Sir Rit, humblest thanks for allowing one such as myself to stay with you!” Habotan snapped to attention as she introduced herself.

Rit smiled gently and gave her another cookie.

“I’m sure you must have a lot on your mind, but at least while you’re here in our house, you can rest your heart and relax your body.”

“Thank you for your kindness!”

Habotan’s eyes gleamed as she took the cookie and started eating it. The way she held it so carefully with both hands reminded me of a squirrel.

After that, I showed her around the house. Judging from her lack of a reaction to the bath, I imagined she probably didn’t make a habit of bathing regularly.

Maybe the information in that book I’d read about the Jade Kingdom wasn’t all that reliable.

“If you have any bags, just put them in this room. It’s yours to use as you see fit, but it can get loud. So if you go out at night and have to sleep during the day, you’re welcome to use our bedroom instead.”

“Yes, sir!”

“If you’re going to eat with us, I’ll be sure to make enough for you, too. Just let me know if you’re going to be late, though.”

“You are even providing meals?!”

“I mean, if you’re staying here, we’ll at least take care of food, clothing, and shelter for you… Are you all right for clothes?”

“Yes, sir. This outfit will be enough!”

“…You don’t have an item box or something like that?”

In which case, the only possessions Habotan had were what I could see—nothing more than what could fit in her pockets. That didn’t bode well for her mission to stay and gather information in a foreign land where she didn’t know anyone.

But she didn’t seem to even notice my concern.

“No, sir. These are all of this one’s belongings.”

She unwrapped a cloth bundle and spread it out on the floor to reveal the barest essentials of travel gear and shuriken.

Hrmm…

“Why don’t we go buy you some clothes tomorrow?”

The next day, after the morning rush of customers had passed, Ruti, Tisse, Habotan, and I were walking around Zoltan. Mister Crawly Wawly had apparently gone to sea with Yarandrala, most likely to investigate the sunken Jade Kingdom ship.

We had our own job to do, too.

“This is Zoltan’s Adventurers Guild.”

“Adventurers Guild, sir?”

“…Hm? You don’t have Adventurers Guilds in the Jade Kingdom?”

The Adventurers Guild had been formed during the reconstruction effort, after the previous Hero defeated the former Demon Lord. It was a way to gather together warriors who’d lost their jobs with the end of the war, in order to maintain public order.

At that time, the Kingdom of Gaiapolis had been the only country in this part of the world, but as it broke up into the countries, branches of the Adventurers Guild began appearing across the land.

But that had all been on this side of the Wall at the End of the World; it had nothing to do with Tian Long or the Jade Kingdom in the East.

“The Adventurers Guild is a place where you can put in job requests to adventurers with combat skills or other specialized abilities. A lot of people go to them with jobs like clearing out monsters, investigating dangerous locations, or providing protection.”

“So it is similar to a job agency?”

“Is there some sort of business like that in the Jade Kingdom?”

“No, sir, a job agency merely recommends jobs, but those who take requests do not belong to the agency themselves.”

“I see. So it’s a little bit different.”

That meant the agencies served more as a go-between, connecting freelance warriors with job offers. It was similar, but different from the guild, which contracted out adventurers registered with them. The Adventurers Guild was also responsible for making sure that the adventurers could be trusted by the clients and that the requests themselves were reliable.

“If you need someone for a job, then you can come here, and they should be able to help. Adventurers take all sorts of requests, meaning they can also gather information. Still, most people won’t tell you anything if they don’t trust you, which might make things a bit hard for you since you just arrived in Zoltan.”

“I see…”

Well, it wasn’t that difficult if you were a skilled negotiator, but it didn’t look like Habotan had that particular skill set.

“Just so you know, we are also members of the Adventurers Guild,” Tisse said. “Ms. Ruti and I are B-rank adventurers with the Zoltan Adventurers Guild.”

“Is B-rank high?”

“The highest is S-rank, then A-rank, and then B-rank is the third from the top.”

“Ohhh.”

That told Habotan that Ruti and Tisse were skilled adventurers, but being the third-highest rank should also make her think they weren’t particularly heroic warriors either. It was the perfect impression to give considering Ruti wanted to hide her blessing.

“Want to go inside and introduce yourself?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“If you’re going to use the Adventurers Guild later, it would be easier if you introduced yourself as my acquaintance, right?”

“Ah, indeed!”

We opened the door to the guild.

“Oh, Ms. Ruti and Ms. Tisse. And Mr. Red!”

“Hello, Megria.”

Megria was sitting at the counter sharpening a sword.

…Why was she sharpening a sword?

“Even the receptionist is armed! So this is an Adventurers Guild…!”

“Exactly!”

“While Ms. Ruti is technically correct, please do not take her words as an accurate representation of the Adventurers Guild.”

“…I see.”

Ruti looked a little deflated by Tisse’s comment.

“What’s with the sword?”

“I was planning to hang it on the wall for decoration.”

“It looks like a real sword, though.”

“The guild chief said we should use proper, sharp swords as decorations on the wall, since this is an Adventurers Guild.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

Decorative swords were more about looking beautiful and being rust-proof than actually being decent swords. Especially with a place like this, where people were constantly coming in and out, it was important to use ones that were easier to maintain. The sword Megria was sharpening had been designed for practical use, so it would start to rust without proper care.

“Harold does get some funny ideas at times.”

“He has a habit of suggesting odd things when Mr. Galatine isn’t around.”

“Galatine isn’t around?”

“There’s a gathering of all the Adventurers Guilds in the area. It’s a big, week-long meeting held every five years where they talk about all sorts of things, so he couldn’t really get out of it.”

“Shouldn’t Harold be the one attending? He’s the guild chief, after all.”

“Ahaha.” Megria just laughed with a strained smile.

“So there’s a tradition of decorating with swords here, too?” Habotan remarked, sounding intrigued.

“Oh, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Ah, apologies. This one is Habotan, ninja of the Jade Kingdom! Due to unforeseen circumstances, this one is currently staying with Sir Red!”

“The Jade Kingdom?!” Megria’s eyes widened.

Ah, right. If Galatine were here, he would have known about Torahime being hospitalized yesterday and let the rest of the guild employees know, but with him gone, it was no surprise they were unaware.

I explained how Habotan had ended up staying with us as briefly as I could.

“Adrift at such a young age, and all your comrades… It must have been so difficult.”

Tears of sympathy welled up in Megria’s eyes, and she stifled a sniffle. Yet Habotan just stared curiously at the sword in Megria’s hands.

“Do you like swords?” Ruti asked.

“Yes. An excellent blade can cut a path through even the most difficult of fates.”

“You think?”

It sounded like Ruti didn’t agree with Habotan on the matter.

“This is mine,” Ruti said, unsheathing the sword on her back to show Habotan.

It was a goblin blade pockmarked with holes.

“It does not seem to be a very good one,” Habotan said, giving her frank assessment of the weapon.

It was a two-handed greatsword Ruti had received from a goblin settlement when she first came to Zoltan. Because of the holes, it was fragile despite its size, but she used it without leaving any nicks or cracks in the blade.

“It’s not. This sword isn’t special at all. But I forge my own path with it. What matters isn’t the blade you use, but the will you pour into it.”

“The will…?”

“Yes, will. The most important thing for a person.”

Ruti passed the sword to Habotan, who studied it carefully.

“This one does not understand,” she murmured.

Leaving the Adventurers Guild, we went around to most of the important places in Zoltan.

“There are a bunch of inns here in the northern district. They’re used by everyone, from adventurers to farmers, who come in from outside the city to sell their produce. Keep going north and you’ll reach the city’s gate.”

“What a delicious smell!”

“This is the Zoltan council building in central, and Zoltan’s church is over there. With you coming from the Jade Kingdom, I’m sure you’ll get special treatment, so if you ever need the help of someone in a position of authority, you can come here to discuss it with them.”

“That is quite a large building!”

“If you go west until you see the river, you’ll reach the harbor district. There are sailors there who have been outside of Zoltan, so if you’re looking for information about other lands, then that’s the place to go. But…well, don’t get your hopes up.”

“So these are western ships! They are completely different from what this one knows!”

“If you go a bit north from here, you’ll head into Southmarsh. There you can find a lot of people who came from outside Zoltan and the Thieves Guild that runs the underworld. It’s a good place to get information, but not the safest. I don’t have any connections with the Thieves Guild though, so if you use them, I won’t be able to help you.”

“That person seems to be glaring at us. How scary!”

“If you go back south, you’ll reach the southern district, also called downtown. A lot of craftspeople live here, and it’s where a lot of Zoltan’s craftwork is done. It doesn’t really have much to do with your mission, but it’s a nice place.”

“Another delicious smell… This one is quite hungry.”

“Mrgh, mrgh.”

It was noon, and we’d found a place downtown to eat.

Habotan was hungrily eating whitefish with sweet potato fries.

“This one has never had fried sweet potato before now.”

“They taste even better than they used to, thanks to the new oil Red developed last winter.”

“Mreahhy?!”

“Swallow your food before you talk.”

“Apwowogies.” Habotan quickly swallowed and cleared her mouth. “Haah… But…to develop oil… Were you not an apothecary, sir?”

“There was a war not too long ago. With sea lanes blockaded, the oil Zoltan usually imported couldn’t get in, so I developed an oil using the palm trees that grow here in Zoltan.”

“Incredible… You are not Ruti the Hero by any chance, are you, Sir Red?”

“Huh?”

I was at a loss for a moment at that, then cracked up.

“Ahaha…!”

“I-it was just a joke.”

“I know, but the thought of me being Ruti the Hero was just too funny.”

It was the first time anyone had ever said something like that.

My Guide blessing was practically the polar opposite of the Hero blessing.

“I’m not the Hero.”

“This one is aware. However, you are gifted with the sword, and so many people look up to you. When people are troubled, you make medicine or oil to help them. Is that not like the Hero?”

“No, not at all.”

“Yeah, not at all.”

Me and Ruti both shook our heads.

“The Hero is the strongest being in the world,” said Ruti. “Stronger than anyone, capable of facing any desperate situation, able to heal the wounded and fight at the head of an army. But swordsmanship and the knowledge to develop oil or medicine for your friends and people in need aren’t the sorts of things blessings can provide. That’s why Big Brother isn’t the Hero.”

“I-is that so…?”

Habotan slumped in her chair and looked toward the ground.

“Have you heard what sort of person the Hero is?” Ruti asked, and Habotan immediately raised her head.

“An ally of justice!” she answered without hesitation.

Her hope was palpable; she was clinging on to the Hero for support when all seemed lost, just as Ruti had seen in all the people she’d met on her journey.

“…”

Ruti looked like she wanted to say something, but then…

“Does anyone want some dessert? There is a fruit stand over that way,” Tisse interrupted.

She was trying to avoid any further careless discussion.

“There’s no knowing the sort of person Ruti the Hero is without meeting her,” I said, before changing the topic. “All right, what do you feel like for dessert? Something sweet or something tart?”

“…Ruti the Hero would be able to save us,” Habotan murmured.

Ruti only listened in silence.

With a quick tour of the city under our belt, it was time to take care of our other goal for today.

“This is it.”

We stopped at a clothes store in downtown Zoltan. A sign hung over the door that read MADAM OFFLER’S WONDERFUL CLOTHES.

“The names of western shops are very strange. It is quite a cultural difference,” Habotan said, looking at the sign.

The store’s name was written in cute, rounded letters, and there was a picture of a woman grinning broadly next to the sign.

It was one of Rit’s favorite shops. I’d also come here before with her.

“You might be even more surprised when you go inside.”

I opened the door and led Habotan inside. The moment the bell rang, a woman appeared from the interior of the store, walking on light footsteps.

“Welcome! Oh my, if it isn’t Red, Ruti, Tisse, and who is this little cutie?”

“Wah?!”

She was tall and covered in solid muscle.

“Hello, Madam Offler.”

“Hi, darling. It’s rare to see you without Rit.”

“I was hoping to get some clothes for her,” I said, motioning to Habotan. “She’s staying with us for a little bit, but only has the one set of clothes.”

“Oh dear, how horrid! I can hardly imagine being forced to wear the same thing every single day!”

Madam Offler bent her big body over to meet Habotan eye-to-eye.

She always did that whenever she was dealing with a customer looking to buy clothes. Apparently, she couldn’t see what sort of clothes would suit a person if she didn’t. She often said it was important never to forget that fashion was not just how a person was seen by others, but how they saw the world, too.

I didn’t know anything about the world of fashion, but I was sure it was just as deep as swordplay.

“Oh my, those clothes are from the Jade Kingdom.”

“Yes, they are! You can tell?”

“Of course, honey. I know every style of clothing on the continent,” Madam Offler answered with a smile.

There was no hesitation at all in her words; the sort of thing that put you at ease and made you think it was safe to trust her when it came to fashion.

The clothes here were on the more expensive end of the scale—though not rich enough for Zoltan’s aristocracy—but even so, it was clear this place was beloved by the people of the neighborhood.

“Now, come this way and take a look at this.”

“Eh, a kimono?!’

Madam Offler had pulled a Jade Kingdom-style dress out of one of the store’s closets.

She had once lived in the trading city of Lark, a key location on the southern Avalon shipping routes, and had a chance to learn about all sorts of clothes there.

Judging from Habotan’s reaction, this kimono was worthy of the Jade Kingdom itself.

“It’s a shame I don’t have any in your size. I would love to make one especially for you, but seeing as you need clothes right away, I’ll find you something ready-made.”

“Waaah,” Habotan said, sounding overwhelmed.

Madam Offler put a hand on the girl’s shoulder and led her over to a changing room.

“Make sure to tell her what sort of clothes you want!” I called out to Habotan.

Well, it would probably be fine just leaving it to Madam Offler.

Turning around, I saw Ruti and Tisse looking through the racks of clothes.

“Since we’re here, do either of you want to buy something?”

“Mhm, I think I’ll pick out a new outfit,” Ruti said.

As for Tisse…

“I’m just looking. I need to be able to hide things in my outfits, so they have to be made to order.”

“I see.”

With how assassins fought, it made sense that Tisse would need to be able to hide throwing knives, chains, and all sorts of other tools inside her clothes.

What about ninjas? Would buying something off-the-rack cause issues for Habotan?

“I hadn’t thought about that.”

“I suspect it will be fine,” Tisse told me. “As far as I can tell, instead of hiding tools inside her outfit, she seems to tie the cloth bundle she carries in a certain way to make it easier to retrieve whatever she needs.”

“Ohh, I guess styles really do change depending on where you are.”

Back when she’d attacked me on the ship, I’d been really impressed by the way Habotan had thrown a shuriken and attacked me with her sword at the same time. If she hadn’t been so weakened, I might have been a little bit more surprised.

“But, well, Habotan is still inexperienced,” Tisse said. “She’s barely qualified to be a standard assassin, much less a heroic one.”

“She’s still young, though.”

“You’re not wrong. However, she is filled with a sense of duty, and her mission right now is a heavy one.”

“Yeah.”

“Age is no excuse. I don’t know the exact role of a ninja in the Jade Kingdom, but to an assassin, only one thing matters: did you fulfill your mission, or did you fail.”

“I’d guess it’s probably the same for ninjas.”

“That is why the Assassins Guild will never give a person an impossible mission, and why it has a policy of rescuing those who fail a mission and retraining them.”

“The Assassins Guild’s really got it together when it comes to the welfare of its employees. I feel like the knights are way worse with that.”

“Heh… Yet Habotan doesn’t have any sort of backstop like that. It looks to me as though she has been given a burden far too heavy for her to carry.”

“…I think so, too.”

“My plan is to watch over her from a distance, so I’ll leave her mental care to you.”

“We don’t know much about their situation, either. Like how much we should be getting involved in all this.”

“We are also unaware of what Torahime is thinking. My assassin’s instinct is telling me that she may be quite cunning…”

“In which case, they may have a plan to win even despite Habotan’s lack of experience.”

I hadn’t been able to form a mental image of the sort of person Torahime was, particularly because she’d been in such a weakened state. I had no intention of underestimating our Jade Kingdom visitors, but after spending the day with Habotan, I was not as wary of her.

What could she manage to accomplish with just a single young, immature ninja like Habotan?

“Big Brother, what do you think of this?”

Ruti held up what looked like the garb of a warrior from the Jade Kingdom. The top half was a white kimono, and the bottom, a navy pair of long pants called a hakama.

“It’s nice to try wearing clothes from another country every once in a while. I reckon that outfit would suit you well, Ruti.”

“Yay. I’ll go try it on.” Ruti headed to the changing rooms, bubbling with excitement.

“Haha.” I couldn’t help but let out a happy little chuckle.

Ruti was excited about clothes now. Wanting to try on cute clothes was another aspect of her life that Ruti had reclaimed.

“How is it?”

Ruti emerged from the changing room and, to nobody’s surprise, the clothes suited her well and she looked totally adorable.

We finished our shopping and left Madam Offler’s store.

“Huh, interesting.”

I was looking at Ruti and Habotan walking out in front. Ruti had changed into the Jade Kingdom warrior-style outfit, and Habotan wore a simple black dress.

“Ruti’s wearing Jade Kingdom clothes, and Habotan’s wearing Zoltan clothes.”

“That is interesting.”

Me and Tisse walked side by side behind the two girls, nodding to ourselves.

I’d also bought Habotan a nightgown for sleeping in, as well as a tunic and pants that were easy to move around in and would make her less conspicuous in western towns.

“Hmhm.”

Ruti was in high spirits, apparently enjoying her new clothes.

“…”

And Habotan was…thinking about something from the looks of it.

She had been excited when she put on the outfit, so I was sure it wasn’t that she didn’t like the clothes…

“Red!” someone called out in a loud voice.

“Is that you, Mogrim?”

The short dwarf waving at me up ahead was Mogrim the blacksmith.

“Oh, hello, Moen.”

And standing beside him was Moen, the captain of the guard.

“Hi, Red. You’ve been so busy lately we haven’t seen you much, but it looks like things have calmed down now.”

“Yeah, I had a lot going on last year.”

And this year, I’d been really busy all the way up till spring, but summer had been relatively peaceful. Well, there had been that whole incident with Saint Eremite, but this world was filled with battles and adventure. I still considered my life normal.

“Still though, you two really do make an odd pair,” I commented.

“They hired me to inspect the guards’ gear and handle any repairs,” said Mogrim.

“Oh, that’s a big job!”

“Yeah, I’m itching to get to it! The plan is to divvy up the work with a bunch of other blacksmiths, though. I was on my way to take a first look, so I could come up with a plan.”

Now that explanations were out of the way, Mogrim turned to look at Habotan.

“You’re a new face.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. This one is called Habotan!”

“Oh, you’re a lively one!”

“Ah, the girl from Jade Kingdom!” remarked Moen.

He already knew about her. As expected of the captain of the guard.

“You came all the way from the Jade Kingdom? That must have been a grand adventure,” said Mogrim.

“It was very difficult.”

“I’m Mogrim, a blacksmith, and this here is Moen, the captain of the guard in Zoltan. If you ever need a weapon or have one that requires some looking after, just come talk to me anytime.”

“Ah, this one’s blade is imbued such that it does not need maintenance.”

“Even if your sword’s magic, your throwing weapons aren’t, right?”

“Mogrim here can’t forge magic weapons, but he’s the best in Zoltan when it comes to smithing. I’m sure he could even make copy of your Jade Kingdom weapons, like that shuriken if you need.”

“Oh, uh…”

Mogrim and Moen smiled kindly at Habotan, letting her know that she could come to them whenever she needed, and then went on their way.

“…”

“Mogrim’s a weapons specialist, which is how he could tell you had some hidden in your clothes,” I told her.

“And Moen’s the captain of the guard. Being able to spot when someone’s carrying a concealed weapon is a big part of his job,” Tisse added.

We’d both tried to reassure Habotan, because we could tell what she’d been thinking since meeting Miss Offler.

“…This one is weak, is she not?”

She looked me in the eyes as she asked the question, and I could hear the frailty in her voice.

It was the afternoon by the time we got back to Red & Rit’s Apothecary.

“You must be tired. Here, have some herbal tea.”

Habotan was seated at the table, and I set a cup down in front of her.

“It’s made from flowers picked in the mountains nearby.”

“…Thank you, sir.”

“And some for you two as well.”

“Thanks, Big Brother.”

“Thank you.”

I set cups down in front of Ruti and Tisse, then placed one on the table for myself and sat down. The tea had a nice fragrance, if I did say so myself.

“Sir Red,” Habotan began, eyes glued to her cup. “There is a question this one would like to ask, since you crossed blades with her.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is this one weak?”

“No, you’re not.”

I meant that.

“However, just today, this one met three people stronger than herself. Including the elderly lady from the spice shop yesterday…and all of you from the ship, that is nine people.”

“True.”

“Sir Moen is the captain of the guard, so that is understandable. However, Madam Offler is a tailor, Sir Mogrim a blacksmith, and you and Sir Rit are apothecaries… Yet this one is weaker than all of you.”

“If you could recognize Madam Offler’s true strength, then that’s something.”

“Even though this one has been entrusted with such an important mission, she has not the strength to complete it… It is shameful and distressing.”

Habotan had been doing everything she could to fulfill her duty, despite the fact that her master had collapsed and left her all alone in a foreign land. Her experiences up until now had strengthened that willpower, so she definitely couldn’t be called weak. She’d worked hard to become this strong at such a young age.

When faced with uncertainty, the only thing a person could rely on was their experience that came through hard work. But right now, Habotan was starting to doubt the effort she’d put in.

It was understandable; that’s what happens when you step out into the wider world.

“It’s not something you should tell other people, but before she came to Zoltan, Madam Offler was an enslaved gladiator.”

“A gladiator?!”

“Yeah, she fought in a colosseum in a big city, won her freedom, and kept on winning. She was a champion known as the strongest gladiator, ‘Offler the Red Wolf.’”

“She sounds like an incredible person.”

“I don’t know why she quit, but her life surely hasn’t been uneventful. It makes sense she’s so strong.”

“I…see.”

“As for Mogrim and the old lady at the spice shop, they’ve got their own stories about how they’ve got to where they are, too.”

“So they aren’t normal people either?”

“Same goes for everyone.”

Everybody had their own story, filled with struggles they’d overcome and strengths they’d developed.

My Guide had the unique feature that let me start out at level 30 from birth, but if I had just relied on that, I would surely have died somewhere along the way.

“What you’re lacking is experience, which only makes sense considering you’re still a child.”

“…I see.”

“Even so, you have something you need to accomplish… That is your struggle.”

“Yes…”

“Basically, what I’m trying to say is…”

I took a sip of tea, and Habotan took a sip, too.

“Delicious,” she said, her expression softening.

“Do what you can do now, and rely on others for what you can’t. You can’t win against an opponent who’s too strong for you, just like how you can’t do something that’s impossible for you. It’ll help if you think of it like that.”

“Yes, sir.”

Some things were out of reach no matter how hard a person tried. The way I saw it, the most important thing was to not give up hope and not stop moving forward when that happened.

“In any case, it doesn’t look like we’ll be fighting anytime soon. No need to worry about how strong you are for the time being, right?”

I smiled, and Habotan smiled just a little bit, too.

“So, what is your plan for tomorrow and beyond?” Tisse asked, having finished her tea.

“Tomorrow?” Habotan crossed her arms and pondered the question. “This one was taught that, at a time like this, it is best to go to taverns to gather information.”

“Well, that is pretty standard.”

Going to a bar and asking if Ruti the Hero was in Zoltan? That wasn’t likely to get much in the way of results.

“Have you ever tried going up to a stranger in a tavern and starting a conversation?” Ruti asked with a hint of concern.

Habotan’s eyes darted around anxiously. “This one shall do her best!”

Yeah, that was the sort of thing I used to hear a lot back when I was a captain in the Bahamut Knights. That was what subordinates said right before they messed something up.

“You should rehearse what you’re going to say,” Ruti suggested.

“Rehearse?”

“Yeah.”

It was unusual for Ruti to suggest something like that, but it seemed like she couldn’t just sit back and watch Habotan flounder.

“I’ll be a patron at a tavern, so try talking to me.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Oh, diving right in, I see.

Tisse and I quickly moved our seats and watched.

Ruti held her cup to her mouth and made an audible “glug, glug” sound with her mouth, pretending to drink beer.

Adorable.

“Umm,” Habotan spoke up.

“Glug, glug.” Ruti continued to pretend to drink, acting like she hadn’t noticed.

“Uhh… Do you know anything about Ruti the Hero?”

Straight to the point!

Tisse was grimacing a bit…though it was just barely noticeable.

“No idea. And who are you, anyway?” Ruti answered coldly. Well, it would have been cold if she hadn’t sounded like she was reading from a script.

“I am Habotan. Thank you for your help.” Habotan nodded, then looked at us almost proudly.

What’re we gonna do with her? That was even worse than I was expecting.

“Habotan,” Ruti said, setting her cup down on the table and turning to face her.

“Y-yes? H-how was that?”

“Terrible,” Ruti answered mercilessly.

“Wh-what?! Did this one not properly ask the question?”

Habotan looked stunned. Apparently, that had merited passing marks on her internal evaluation.

“If that’s your approach, no one will take any interest in you.”

“Ugh.”

“One of the fundamentals of trying to get information out of a person is to get them to take an interest in you. If the information you’re after is something that might come up in casual conversation, then that can be enough.”

“Ohh!”

“Just now, you didn’t talk about yourself at all. Most people will be wary of a stranger walking up and asking them a question, so they usually won’t give you a proper answer.”

“Ugh, then what should I do?”

“I’ll give you an example,” Ruti said, then switched places with Habotan.

“Hey, Tisse.”

“I am aware of what you’re thinking, Red… You wonder whether Ruti can truly provide an example of this sort of thing, correct?”

“Yeah, she can definitely make a case logically, or raise morale with her charisma, but I can’t imagine Ruti chatting up a stranger to get information.”

“Nor can I. Ms. Ruti is excellent at gathering information, yet I cannot recall her ever doing anything other than use her imposing force as the Hero to terrify people into talking…”

Tisse and I watched on with a hint of unease.

“Glug, glug.”

Ruti unhurriedly approached as Habotan mimicked her pretending to drink beer.

“Pardon me. Hey, how are ya. It’s hot today, isn’t it. I’m parched like you wouldn’t believe just from walking around outside. Give me a cold beer, and one for my friend here, too. Hooo, that’s good. I’m Ruti, by the way. What’s your name.”

That was almost hilariously flat!

Tisse and I both froze in shock.

“I’m Habotan. Thank you for the beer.”

“No problem. Cheers, pal. I like your style. Want another round?”

“Yes, I would.”

“All right, hey chief, another round on me. By the way, I’ve been trying to find someone. You heard anything about a hero called Ruti?”

“Ahhh! That way it feels natural to answer!”

“Mhm, like that.”

Well, the performance hadn’t exactly been convincing, but the basic idea was pretty good.

“Regardless, it would probably be better if you or I handled these sorts of inquiries,” said Tisse.

“In Ruti’s case, it’d probably just be better for her to listen in on other people’s conversations.”

Ruti’s ears and her ability to process information were top tier. She could eat in a tavern while listening to a dozen or more people talking at the same time, and not only distinguish their voices but remember what they all said. When we were traveling, I would usually do the talking, while Ruti watched to see if anyone reacted to my information gathering.

She had exactly the right skill set for the job.

“Do you think it would be better if we helped train her?” Tisse asked.

“…No, it should be fine to leave it to Ruti for now.”

There was nothing wrong with the core concept of Ruti’s plan.

“May I sit here?” Habotan was practicing.

“Be more familiar.”

“Mind if I sit here?”

“You’re still a kid; take advantage of that. You’ll be less suspicious if you sound more like a child.”

“Hey, mister, can I sit here?”

Ruti and Habotan worked hard to polish their information-gathering skills.

At the very least, Habotan would have enough practice that she wouldn’t have any trouble with the thugs from the Thieves Guild. And there wasn’t any information about Ruti the Hero in Zoltan, so teaching her high-level techniques wouldn’t matter.

It would be better in the long term for her to think things through with Ruti and figure it out, rather than have me and Tisse tell her the answer from the start.

“We should just sit back and watch,” I said to Tisse.

“Right.”

It was good practice for Habotan, but it was also good for Ruti to have this sort of an interaction with someone. She was going out of her way to help a child she’d only just met. Ruti’s world was getting bigger and bigger.

The lonely girl she used to be was nowhere to be found anymore.

And that, more than anything else, made me happy.

Night fell, and Habotan slept soundly.

After all their practice, she and Ruti had apparently gone to a tavern in the neighborhood to run a live drill. While she hadn’t found out anything about Ruti the Hero, people had complimented her, given her advice, and doted on her some, and Habotan looked a bit more self-confident talking about it afterward.

Sitting next to her, Ruti had looked just as proud.

“Good work today,” Rit said, handing me a glass of amber liquid.

“Thanks. This smells nice.”

It was mead—the drink we’d had when Rit and I were first reunited. It brought back fond memories.

“You handled the shop alone almost the whole day. You must be tired.”

“Yeah, today was pretty busy, since the weather was a bit cooler.”

“It feels like fall’s starting to get a bit closer, though I’m sure the heat will stay around for a while longer.”

“It probably won’t really start to feel like fall until next month.”

I took a sip of the mead. “That’s really nice.”

“I’ll have some, too.”

Rit and I faced each other, sipping our mead.

A soothing moment passed in silence.

“How was she?”

“Who, Habotan? …Hmmm.”

That was a difficult question to answer.

“Honestly, I would never guess she was a ninja who risked her life to cross the ocean.”

Having spent both yesterday and today with Habotan, what I’d sensed from her most of all was her apprehension and curiosity being in an unfamiliar place, and her joy at making new acquaintances in me and Ruti.

They were completely normal reactions, at least if I didn’t think about the circumstances she’d found herself in.

“But when I think about that warrior’s tenacity…”

The warrior who’d grabbed onto Tisse and left behind his message even as he died had had such a powerful determination. In all my adventures, I’d never seen anything like it.

“A hope to save the world, huh?”

Habotan’s determination to do her best for Torahime’s sake was clear, too. It was commendable even… But she didn’t act like someone in danger. If you were on a mission to save the world, then wouldn’t that mean the world might be destroyed if you failed? Watching Habotan, I couldn’t feel any sort of impending sense of doom like that.

“Well, it’s possible Habotan herself doesn’t fully know about the mission they’re on.”

“That would fill in a few of the gaps.”

Like Rit said, if Habotan only knew that their mission was to search for the Hero, then that would explain why she lacked that sense of urgency.

“But what do you think they meant by a ‘hope to save the world’?”

“It makes the most sense to think they’re talking about the threat of the demon lord’s armies…”

Until recently, on this side of the Wall, saving the world had meant driving back the demon lord’s armies. But right now, humanity’s forces had the upper hand. Here, the world had already been saved.

“Maybe in the East, ‘the world’ means all the countries on their side of the Wall at the End of the World, just like it means all the countries in the west to us.”

“But in that case, it would be her own country in danger, so Habotan should at least understand the situation, right?”

“Which doesn’t make sense with how carefree she seems.”

Hmmm.

“Maybe something big is happening that we don’t know about.”

“And they need Ruti for that.”

“If they know Hero Van won’t be able to handle it, then they must also know about the Hero blessing.”

“But the point of the Hero blessing is to recreate the soul of the first Hero. And the first Hero fought the demon lord, so if they’re talking about saving the world, then they must be talking about fighting the demon lord, right?”

“The Hero might be the strongest blessing in the world, but there shouldn’t be any threat that specifically requires the Hero to counter it.”

Demis’s goal in creating the Hero blessing was to recreate the first Hero’s soul, which was why the Hero was the strongest blessing.

It went without saying that there were lots of situations that could be resolved with that ultimate power, and there were plenty of problems I couldn’t fix that Ruti could handle easily. But even the ultimate power was still just power. Hero Van, Danan, Esta, mighty military forces like Prince Salius’s Veronian navy, and my old squad the Bahamut Knights—those were all other forms of power.

There shouldn’t be anything that specifically required Ruti’s help—it shouldn’t matter so much where the power to resolve it came from.

“Well, maybe that’s something only we understand because we actually got to meet Demis and speak to the first Hero.”

“It could be that they also have some sort of prophecy in the Jade Kingdom, just like how we have the prophecy of the birth of the Hero here in Avalonia.”

“Perhaps we shouldn’t think about it too logically.”

Ruti the Hero was the only one who could defeat the demon lord. It had to be Ruti, because the prophecy foretold it. Maybe that was all it was.

“In that case,” Rit said, “it might be best to make them realize that their best option is to give up on whatever prophecy they have and search for a more logical solution.”

“Maybe it would be best, after all, to send them to where Van is. Heroes from all across the continent are gathered on the front line there, so those two might change their mind after seeing such a show of force.”

“I don’t know. Lady Torahime’s determination might cause that to backfire on us.”

Perhaps Rit was right. Determination could also narrow a person’s vision.

“Do you think Habotan would be able to convince her?”

“It’d be best if they just told us what’s going on over there.”

“True, but they don’t seem to want to, and they don’t fully trust us yet either.”

“Yeah, they haven’t exactly been forthcoming.”

It might sound strange after all the investigating we’d been doing, but using tricks and techniques to get information out of people and getting them to trust and confide in you were two very different things.

I wouldn’t pull Ruti into a battle she didn’t want to fight ever again, but if there was something we could do for Habotan and Torahime here in Zoltan, then I wanted to do whatever I could to help.

“Hm?” I sensed someone outside, and I went to the door to open it.

“Evening.”

“Good evening, Yarandrala.”

Yarandrala was standing in the doorway…

“And good evening to you too, Mister Crawly Wawly.”

…with Mister Crawly Wawly atop her shoulder.

He looked a little tired. Instead of his usually cheerful wave, he just shook his body a bit.

“Were you out at sea this late?”

“There was something that kept bothering me.”

The two of them had gone out to sea to inspect the Jade Kingdom ship and were here now to report back.

“Come in. If you want, I can make you a light snack to eat.”

“Please. I’m famished.”

Mister Crawly Wawly waved his front legs weakly, too.

It looked like I’d be better off whipping them up a proper dinner, not just a light snack.

“Here you go, Capital-style spaghetti aglio e olio with lots of bacon.”

It was a dish of spaghetti tossed in olive oil and garlic, with plenty of cheese and thick-cut bacon on top, and a garnish of sauteed spinach.

“Tastes great!”

Yarandrala had a big smile on her face as she ate.

I’d just thrown it together with what I had in the pantry, so I was glad to see she was happy with it.

Mister Crawly Wawly was hungrily sucking on a cloth soaked in sugar water.

“Ahhh, that really hit the spot. Today was so exhausting. I spent the whole day just diving down to the ship, going over everything we found back on the boat, recasting the spells, then diving back down again.”

“Sounds like you had a long day.”

It had been tiring enough just going down once the other day.

“But the ocean floor is full of adventures. When I finish my ship, maybe I’ll travel all around the world exploring the bottom of the ocean.”

“Adding a new hobby already?”

She really was something.

“Anyway, since you came here this late, I guess it’s safe to assume you figured something out?”

“Yes, a few things.”

Yarandrala finished the last bite of her pasta and put her fork down on the table.

“First of all, the ship.”

She spread out a plan of the Jade Kingdom ship. It looked like she’d drawn it herself, and it was easy to read—which was good for someone interested in shipbuilding.

“And this is the part that was damaged,” she said, spreading out another sheet of paper.

This one’s a sketch of the ship?

Looking at the sketch, it almost hurt to see how badly the ship had been damaged. It was a miracle it had stayed afloat as long as it had.

“There’s no way it should’ve stayed on the water.”

“Huh?” Rit cocked her head beside me. “But we literally saw it floating, didn’t we?”

“Yes, we did, and there were no imminent signs of it sinking when we boarded…but no ship should be able to float with holes here.”

Yarandrala pointed at two specific points of damage on the ship, then used the blueprint to explain in more detail.

“…You’re right. Holes in those two spots would be fatal. Water would pour into the hold and sink the ship immediately.”

“Which means the ship must have stayed afloat because of a blessing, either in the form of a spell or a skill.”

Rit looked unconvinced.

“The most likely explanation is magic. A powerful spell can make heavy objects float, just like how Leonor raised the Vendidad…but if such a powerful spell were being used, there’s no way we all would have missed it, right?”

“Yeah.”

The more powerful a spell, the more difficult it became to hide any trace of the mana used to cast it.

Eremite had slipped past us on the island by intentionally using weak magic to evade detection, but even with her level of skill, Rit and Yarandrala would have noticed right away the moment she used a more powerful spell.

“I agree. I don’t think magic is the explanation either,” Yarandrala said with a nod.

“Which means our only other option is a skill…”

I crossed my arms and sank deep in thought. Was that possible with any of the blessings and skills I knew?

“A Sailor blessing’s inherent skill has something similar…”

There was a skill that allowed someone to control a ship like an extension of their own body, adjusting the tilt of the ship to make it harder for water to get in and avoid sinking that way.

“As far as I know, there isn’t any skill that can keep a ship like this afloat when it’s physically impossible like this.”

Unlike magic, there were limits to skills.

Even if a skill could make a ship move seemingly against the laws of nature, it couldn’t stop water pouring in through a hole beneath the surface and keep it afloat.

“But we saw the ship floating.”

“What about a magic item?” Rit asked.

“Ah, I also investigated along that line of thought, but couldn’t find any trace of something like that.”

“Hrm, in that case, there’s only one other possibility I can think of.”

“I bet we’re probably thinking the same thing.”

Rit and Yarandrala both furrowed their brows. I imagine I had the same look on my face, too.

“There may have been a species other than humans or elves aboard that ship. One with the power to keep a sinking ship adrift out at sea for a long time…”

“If it was a dragon, there would be traces of their magic power, and a fey would have left spirit power.”

“There are a handful of species of giant that can do something like that…but giants are, well, giant. They wouldn’t have been able to sail on that ship, and there’s no way we wouldn’t have noticed one if it had been close enough to the ship to affect it.”

“Which just leaves one race.”

“In other words, the only possibility seems to be that there was a demon on the ship,” I said, and the two of them nodded.

Demons.

That was the broad term for every race with only one inherent blessing. Demon blessings also never appeared in any other races.

For a monster that had a normal blessing and natural abilities, one could study others with the same blessing to learn which abilities came from the blessing and which did not.

But demon blessings were set in stone. The only way to investigate one was by working directly with that particular demon, which meant that there were still major gaps in our knowledge of demon blessings.

“Desmond of the Earth was an earth demon; he could control the ground freely without using magic. I don’t know if that was a natural ability of his or a skill, but it wouldn’t be all that strange for there to be a demon out there that could keep a ship afloat without using magic.”

“Which brings us to our next question: who was the demon?” Rit said gravely.

“Yarandrala, did the number of bodies check out?”

“Yes. There were as many corpses on the seabed as there were when we boarded, and they were all human.”

“…I see.”

“It’s possible the demon was hiding when we boarded the ship, then slipped away after we took Torahime and Habotan, leaving the ship to sink beneath the waves when it got far enough way.”

“Yeah, that’s not impossible, but…”

If that were the case, and it had protected Torahime and Habotan up until that point, it didn’t make sense for the demon to leave the two of them in the hands of a bunch of complete strangers like us.

“The most likely possibility is that Torahime is the demon.”

“…Yeah.”

“When we found her, she was emaciated. She looked like someone who’d survived on tenacity alone for ages without any food or water.”

“I know what you’re getting at, Red. Compared to Torahime, Habotan was relatively healthy.”

“Yeah, Habotan was malnourished from rationing, but she’d had enough food and water for it not to be life-threatening.”

“Even if there had been some reason to prioritize keeping Habotan alive, the difference between the two of them was far too extreme.”

“Torahime must have been so emaciated not because she was starving, but because she’d been constantly using her strength to keep the ship afloat.”

“That makes the most sense.”

We all fell silent for a few moments.

Back when I was a knight, I would have been convinced already. But as the man I was now, Red from Zoltan, it pained me to doubt Habotan’s earnestness.

Still, we had to seriously consider it.

“Let’s not make any rash decisions. At the very least, I don’t have any reason to believe that Habotan or Torahime mean to harm anyone at the moment.”

“Yes, we should be cautious, but I don’t think we need to act on this immediately.”

Our basic plan was unchanged: help them however we could from within Zoltan while keeping Ruti’s secret.

“It may not change our plan…but it sure does raise a lot of complicated questions about what that ship was doing here.”

“Right. It’s not just the Jade Kingdom’s plans we have to consider now, but those of the demon as well.”

Torahime and Habotan had come from the Jade Kingdom in search of Ruti the Hero to save the world. But now, it turned out that Torahime was actually a demon.

“Apparently, in the East, there are Tengu demons that do good as well as bad. Maybe Torahime is another ‘good demon,’” Rit mused.

“I think those are probably just a fairy tale.”

I smiled a little at the mention of Tengu demons.

A while back, I’d helped a rookie adventurer out in the mountains. She’d mistaken me for a Tengu demon, which had started a rumor, and to this day there were still a handful of adventurers out there who believed a Tengu demon roamed the mountains.

“They say that Demis assigned demons the role of being the ‘evil race,’ but…”

“But it’s Demis, right?”

“Yeah.”

If you asked me whether Demis was a good god, my answer would be a definite “no.” Meaning that just because he’d made demons to be a race for evil, that didn’t necessarily mean they all were.

“All right, so to sum things up, the Jade Kingdom ship reached Zoltan with the help of a demon’s power,” said Yarandrala.

“And it is highly likely that demon is Torahime,” I agreed.

“Torahime is searching for Ruti the Hero. And she was clear that Hero Van wouldn’t be able to help them, despite also being a Hero.”

“If Torahime’s a demon, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to know something about the Hero blessing that regular humans don’t.”

“And right now, she is entrusting the search of Ruti the Hero to Habotan while she recovers in the hospital.”

“I went to check on her in the hospital before coming here,” said Yarandrala.

“That’s good to know. How was she?”

“She seems to be resting properly and recovering. Today, she even managed to go for a short walk.”

Yarandrala shared her observations of Torahime and what she’d learned from the staff at the hospital. She had been thorough asking around, but nothing had really stuck out to her as unnatural.

“We saw with our own eyes just how weak she was, and whatever her goal is, it’ll take some time before she can move around… The biggest question then is whether she belongs to the demon lord’s armies or not.”

“Do you think they’ve figured out Ruti is in Zoltan?”

“Shisandan was a general in the demon lord’s armies, and he knew. We killed him, but it’s possible he’d already reported Ruti’s whereabouts.”

“Shisandan…” Rit’s face clouded over when she heard that name.

Shisandan was the Asura demon who had killed Rit’s master. Her old enemy.

“Do you think he really is dead?”

“…I checked his corpse to be sure. But we killed him in Loggervia too, and he was still alive somehow.”

If that hadn’t been enough to kill him the first time, then the second time might not be enough either. And if he was alive, then it was safe to assume they knew Ruti was here.

Yet the demon lord’s armies hadn’t made any sort of move against Ruti after that battle.

“It doesn’t make sense for the demon lord’s armies to try to do something about Ruti now, after all this time.”

“True… So in the end, even if our theory is right and Torahime is a demon, we can’t really work out anything more from that,” Rit said, raising her hands.

“Yeah, we’ll just have to wait and see for now.”

That was all we could do for the time being.

“I’ll fill in Tisse later, but can you keep an eye on Torahime, Yarandrala?”

“Sure. And you all watch Habotan.”

“Yeah… It’s not like a fight is inevitable, so hopefully we can just peacefully go our separate ways.”

Picturing Habotan’s face, I couldn’t help but hope things would turn out that way.