The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 8 - Chapter 392

Chapter 392:

Secret Weapon

“WAIT A MINUTE, a potion that brings people back from the brink…like the potion of legend? No, it can’t be…”

“This is the one,” my father said. “As long as a person isn’t maimed like I was, it can cure even the most fatal wounds. It’s already been tested in the town of Oll on the adventurers who fought the berserk monsters.”

Zinal just stared at Sora, awestruck.

That’s right, Zinal just said his son’s magic energy was “wounded.” If a summoning circle’s magic can forcibly alter a person’s magic energy, does that mean the energy itself is wounded? If we’re dealing with wounds, that’s definitely a job for Sora. After all, Sora brought Ciel and my father back from the brink when they were heavily wounded. I don’t know if wounded magic energy can be healed, but if Sora says it can, then it must be possible.

“That’s my Sora. So amazing!”

“Pu! Pu, puuu.”

As Sora and I talked quietly together, I heard a sigh from Zinal, who had been talking with my father. I looked over and saw he was clutching his head in his hands. Did something happen to him?

“My brain is still a jumbled mess from that summoning circle… Is that really the best thing to tell me right now?”

What kind of explanation did my father just give him?

“But isn’t it easiest to understand if I tell you about something that actually happened?”

“Well, sure, but if you’re gonna tell me a story like that, at least find a secure spot and draw up a contract first! What if I were a bad person?”

Aw, Zinal is definitely a guy we can trust. I’m glad we’re becoming friends.

“Sora knew you were trustworthy, and that meant we all did.”

“You’re missing the point! Agh…fine. So Sora’s going to save my son, eh? Okay, I’ll trust you. By the way, Druid, you’re the Secret Weapon of Oll, aren’t you?”

Secret weapon? Agh, yikes! My father looks really upset.

“By the look on your face, I guess I’m right. From the way you carry yourself and think, I could tell you were no ordinary man, but wow. To think I’ve been talking with the adventurer they call the Secret Weapon.”

“Mr. Zinal, what do you mean by ‘secret weapon’?”

“There’re rumors of an adventurer from Oll who’s not elite, but who’s more than powerful enough to qualify. We call him the Secret Weapon of the Adventurer Guild. To think, it’s been Druid all along. We went to Oll plenty of times to see if the rumor was true or not, but we never got a chance to meet you. The guild master figured out what we were trying to do as well. We had a hell of a time.”

The guild master of Oll is my father’s best friend, Gotos. He was probably hiding Druid to protect him, but I’m sure he had fun with it, too. A lot of fun. But seriously…secret weapon?

“Ivy, your face is twitching. If you want to laugh, go right ahead. Even I didn’t know they called me that. Stupid Gotos, he never tells me anything!”

“Pfft! Ha ha ha ha!” Unable to stand it anymore, I burst out laughing. I mean, my father had two whole names!

“I didn’t think you’d have left Oll.”

“Well…a lot happened.”

“And you’ve got a daughter who’s tamed four rare slimes? It’s just too bizarre.” Zinal looked at my creatures one after another.

I guess it’s safe to tell him?

“I’ve only tamed three of them, sir. The black slime, Sol, is not tamed. Also, the creature with the strange markings on its skin is actually an adandara, not a slime.”

The more I talked, the stiffer Zinal’s smile got. Then he looked at Sora…then Flame…then Ciel…then Sol…and lastly, he cast a glance at my father, who met his gaze and shrugged.

“Ha ha ha! Aha, I see. Anyway, after all this is over, I’ll sign a contract swearing myself to secrecy. So please, don’t make me any more confused than I already am.”

“Got it. Yes, we need to solve the problem at our doorstep first,” my father agreed with an awkward smile. And he was right: Unless we solved Hataka’s looming crisis, there would be no tomorrow.

“The first thing we can do is bring Garitt, Fische, and my son back to our side.”

“Yeah, the sooner we can free them from the spell, the better,” my father said.

I nodded earnestly. Gaining allies was one thing, but it also sounded like being under the spell for too long was dangerous, so we needed to free them from it that very day.

“How about tonight? If they’re coming home from a night of drinking, they’ll be easy to pin down.”

“I’m fine with that. What about you, Ivy?”

“Yeah, I’m okay with it. Sol, Sora, does that work for you?”

Both slimes jiggled in reply. Seeing that, my father nodded at Zinal. “Are you feeling okay, Zinal? Especially with your son being involved…”

“A little while ago, I felt like my sadness would crush me. I thought I might have to kill my own son. But now, I’m not sure why, but…” Zinal looked at me and smiled softly. I gave him a curious look, and he said, “You speak so confidently that it makes me want to believe in you. You really are a mysterious girl.”

Zinal patted my head and my father smiled. So he believes in me and Sora. I need to work hard to live up to his… Wait, I’m not actually going to do anything. But I’m surprised… He said he felt like his sadness would crush him, but he didn’t act that way. Zinal, you are far too good at masking your feelings. Is that a downside of being an investigator?

“My son is in your hands.”

“Yes, sir. Sora will do everything to save him.”

“Pu! Pu, puuu.” Sora bounced between me and Zinal. It seemed happy to have gained his trust.

“Okay, we’re handling Garitt and Fische tonight…and your son, too?”

“No, let’s take care of him another day.”

“Got it. Make sure they won’t wake up on us, okay?”

“Sure, I’ll give them some sleeping medicine or something.”

“Huh?!”

But I thought he said they’d get drunk and go to sleep.

“We’ve gone through all sorts of training, you see. If someone outside our party enters the room, they might sense their aura and wake up, no matter what state they’re in.”

Wheeew, that’s incredible. They must be really sensitive to auras. They’d probably have a terrible time sleeping in the plaza.

“Oh, okay.”

“Well, I’d better head back. I’ll see you later tonight.”

“All right.”

“Search for auras on your way back to the inn. We don’t know how we were put under the spell in the first place.”

How we were put under the spell… That’s right, the kids next door were scared just like they should be, but their parents didn’t seem at all afraid, just like the other adults around. I wonder why that is?

“Will do. You and Ivy be careful, too, Druid.”

“We will.”

As I watched Zinal leave the plaza, I heaved a little sigh and felt a hand on my head. “Tired?”

“I’m okay.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, young lady. And let’s get some rest. We have a few hours before midnight.”

“All right.”

We went back to the tent and prepared for bed. We washed our faces, brushed our teeth, and got in our beds.

“Good night,” we both said.

We’d learned so many new things all at once and encountered just as many mysteries in the process. My heart and my head were having a hard time keeping up with it all. I knew we had to focus on doing what was in our power first, but when I thought about the monsters in the forest, I got the sense we were running out of time. What would happen to this village if the monsters attacked right now? Come to think of it, the gatekeepers had added more people on patrol. Did that mean they still had a sense of danger?

“Ivy, I know there’s a lot on your mind, but you need to sleep right now.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay. So many complicated things happened all at once, and I know it’s hard to make sense of it all. But lack of sleep is bad for your health, and we don’t know where whoever drew that summoning circle is, so it’s important to keep up your strength.”

“Okay. Good night.”

“Good night.”