The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 8 - Chapter 408

Chapter 408:

Like Father, Like Son

MELISA AND ECHE left the room to make dinner in a state of great excitement. They were extremely happy that the captain was awake. I didn’t think he’d have much of an appetite right after waking up, though…

“Thanks,” Nalgath said with a smile as he watched the captain and Arly talk.

“Oh, no problem, sir,” I answered. “Mr. Arly and the captain sure look happy.”

“They had a big fight before the captain collapsed. Then they tried to out-stubborn each other, and neither made an effort to patch things up. Even when the captain got sick, Arly wanted to run to his side, but his ego got in the way. And even though the captain surely wanted to see him, too, he acted like he didn’t care. Then, in what seemed like no time at all, the captain fell unconscious. And Arly…that poor bastard felt incredibly guilty about it.”

What a relief that the captain was all right now. I stole a glance at Nalgath, who noticed my attention and gave me a questioning look.

“Nalgath…have you and Mr. Zinal patched things up yet?”

“Agh…I don’t think so?”

“I can talk to him whenever.”

“Huh?”

“If that’s what you’re thinking, you’ve got it all wrong. There’s no telling what will happen to any of us tomorrow.”

Nalgath’s eyes widened a little, and then his face creased with frustration. “I know that. It’s just…hard.”

“Why don’t you just hit him with your feelings? You two are finally close enough to talk again, though you’d both have to be up for it.”

Nalgath smiled faintly. “Ivy, have you ever been scared?”

“Of what, sir?”

“Hmm…of a relationship falling apart?”

“But Mr. Nalgath…your relationship with your father was already falling apart. That scares me.”

“You don’t mince words, do you, Ivy? Well, I don’t blame you—you were just telling the truth.”

Nalgath hung his head. Maybe I should have phrased it more gently. The thought of my relationship with my father collapsing…it terrified me. But that was why every day was a blessing. I wanted to talk with him about everything and make all sorts of memories with him. Then, if anything ever went wrong, those memories would be my strength. Not to help me take comfort in memories of the past but to have the power to face my father for a better future.

“When Mr. Zinal told us about you getting promoted to elite adventurer, he looked terribly proud. When Sol finished freeing you from the spell, you were completely unresponsive until Sora cured your wounded magic energy. And you know how your father reacted? He was stunned.”

“Stunned…?”

“That’s right. The brave, strong Zinal was stunned. While Sora was healing you, there was a vacant stare in his eyes. He didn’t want to accept the reality that was right in front of him. And when you went back to your normal self, he cried for joy and relief. You are very precious to him, Mr. Nalgath.”

Nalgath’s gaze wandered over to Zinal, who was explaining things to the captain. As he watched his father, his lips curved upward. Father and son were alike in every way. I wished he could have let his joy show more.

“Dinner’s ready, everyone! Let’s eat.” Eche came into the room just as Zinal and his party finished talking to the captain. The captain had a special meal prepared for him, and the rest of us were dazzled by Melisa’s specialty dishes. It felt like a little party, and even my creatures were excited. Rather, they were receiving a lot of love from everyone around them.

“They’re sure popular,” my father said.

I followed his gaze to find Sol sitting on the captain’s shoulder. Is that okay? He’s still in recovery…

“You know, the captain looks quite well,” I remarked with a confused tilt of my head. He looked nothing like a man who’d just woken up from a coma.

“I’m sure we have Sora to thank for that. I thought the same thing when it healed me after I lost my arm; the recovery time was incredible.”

“The recovery time?”

“That’s right. Losing an arm and fainting definitely lost me a lot of blood, and yet I was able to walk all the way back to town on my own two feet that very day. That would never happen normally.”

Oh, really? I guess Sora’s powers don’t stop at healing wounds.

“Oh!” Shifting my attention from the captain to the rest of the room, I saw Zinal and Nalgath seated on a sofa together, having a quiet conversation.

“That father-son pair are a lot alike,” my father remarked. “Have you noticed how they’re very competent with any problem outside the family, but hopeless when it comes to family drama?”

“Pfft! Hee hee hee…”

I had no idea what they were talking about, but even though they were both staring at the floor, their sullen faces slowly got softer and happier. Okay, I guess things are at least a little steadier now. What a relief.

Once dinner was mostly finished, we discussed our strategy moving forward.

“Mr. Druid, Miss Ivy, thank you so much for everything you’ve done to help us through this crisis.” The captain bowed from his bed, and I pursed my lips a little at the sight. Why is Sol on top of his head now? And leaning backward, at that?

“Er, it’s all right, sir—hee hee hee—we’re just glad to see you’re awake—pfft!” My father somehow managed to squeeze out a response, but it was peppered with pained laughter. Puzzled, the captain looked up, then got flustered when he realized Sol was falling off his head.

“Sorry, I can’t—ah ha ha ha! Dad…Sol…on your head…” Arly joined in on the laughter.

“Huh?! Ohh, yes, the little fellow seemed to think my head was a bed.”

The tense room was softened by Sol’s antics. Sol…did you do that on purpose? I apologized and took the slime back from the captain. “Sol, behave yourself, okay?”

“Pefu?”

Zinal lightly clapped his hands together. “Let’s get back on topic. The captain and I have decided what we’ll need to do next, and we’ll require your help again, Ivy.”

“All right, sir.”

The captain handed two sheets of paper to my father—­contracts, of course. We already had a huge stack from Hataka alone. My father and I wrote our names and took one copy of each paper for our records.

“Thanks. I hate to ask, but could you free the guild master and his assistant from the spell first?” the captain requested.

I looked at my creatures. Their eyes were sparkling as they stared at the captain.

“I think we can manage that. We’ll help with your plan.”

The captain looked relieved to hear that. “Also, I want to get some help from someone I know in the capital. I already talked it over with Zephyr, but I’ll need your permission as well, Mr. Druid and Miss Ivy.”

That confused me. Why would he need our permission? If the captain needed this person’s help, he should just contact them.

“Since we’re dealing with a summoning circle, we can’t take care of this alone. We need outside help to protect the adventurers in this village, too.”

“It’s okay. Go ahead and get in touch with them,” my father said.

The captain bowed humbly in reply. I was relieved to have a solution to a problem that had been worrying me for a little while. Sora and Sol could only rescue so many people. They couldn’t save every single adventurer in Hataka, and I’d been worried about what we were going to do. Now it sounded like somebody was going to come and solve the problem, though.

“How are you going to send the message? I wouldn’t advise going through the guild.”

True. We didn’t know who was an enemy and who wasn’t.

“The Captain of the Watch and the guild master both have their own faaxes just in case of a crisis like this, so I could send the faax from my home.”

Oh, good. That’s a relief. Somebody in the capital, huh…? Maybe I should send a message to Lord Foronda. Oh, that’s right, we asked my father’s mentor if he knew anything about the monster we’re dealing with. I want to go to the merchant guild to pick up our faxes, but would that be safe? I don’t think the enemy has noticed what we’re doing yet, but what if they catch on?

“Excuse me, but could I also use the fax here, sir?” I asked.

“Hm? Who do you want to contact?”

“We asked my father’s mentor if he could tell us anything about the monster, but I’m not sure it would be safe to go to the merchant guild to get his answer. Also, I want to get in touch with Lord Foronda.”

“The honorable Lord Foronda? Do you know him?”

“Yes, sir. Do you know him, too, Captain?”

That would sure speed things up.

“Er, well, he’s famous. He’s high on the royal family’s list of noteworthy nobles.”

Oh, he’s famous. I didn’t know that. Wait… Did he say something about the royal family? Oh well, it’s probably not important.

“The honorable Lord Foronda… If we could get his help, too… I’m terribly sorry to ask this, but could you introduce me to him?”

“Of course, sir.”

I’m sure that would be okay. Right, he gave me his contact information for emergencies, so should I use it now? Yeah, I think this definitely counts as an emergency.