Episode 012
The borderlands we were leaving for now lay to the northeast of the royal capital of the Kingdom of Ersha,
and due to frequent clashes with the United Kingdom of Pronya, they were commonly called a disputed region.
On top of that, because they were on the frontier, there were quite a few criminals who had committed crimes and fled there, making it a place with no shortage of problems.
Perhaps that was why.
It was a place the kingdom had more or less given up on, so the nobles who governed the region were…
Smack!
“Guh!”
“Urgh…”
“You bastards. Are you not going to do it properly?”
“Could you please forgive us already?”
“For every one of you who collapses, I’m adding ten more laps.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“It went up because of you!”
Where was I?
Right.
Because even the kingdom had given up on the place, the nobles who ruled the nearby regions were no different from kings.
“D-do people who know each other do things like this?”
When I turned my head, a blond beauty in a blue dress was staring at me with a horrified expression.
“Why?”
“Those men may not look like much, but they’re still the sons of nobles around here. Even if they did attack first, resolving it through conversation would be…”
What a stupid thing to say.
Why would I talk when I could beat them up like this?
“I-I’ll never come near you again.”
“Cough… Please, just forgive us.”
See?
The effects of education were already showing.
Conversation, by its nature, only worked with fellow humans.
There was no reason to exchange words with beasts like these, who drew steel from the start.
“So you were skilled in martial combat as well.”
Before I knew it, the head of House Barden, who had followed us out, clapped his hands and let out a sound of admiration.
“Patriarch, I apologize for the trouble. If any problems arise…”
“It’s quite all right. You subdued that many men with your bare hands without even drawing a sword. It was self-defense. I will guarantee it in the name of House Barden.”
They had numbers, but one by one, their skills were worse than an ordinary kingdom soldier’s.
Not that I’d expected much from guys whose lives revolved around chasing women’s skirts.
“……”
What was her name again?
Remi? Rein?
“Rein, you handle the finishing touches.”
“D-do you even know who I am, ordering me to do something like that? …And I’m not Rein, I’m Lena!”
So it was Lena.
Well, whatever.
That wasn’t important.
“I got rid of your stalkers, so you should at least do this much.”
“I never asked you to! …Though I am grateful you stepped in.”
Even as she answered, she hesitated, avoiding my gaze and lowering her head.
‘Looks like she’s scared.’
The sages of old spoke of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.
In other words, if you make an example of one bastard, the rest will listen on their own.
The old sayings were never wrong.
The effect was certain.
“So you’re not doing it?”
“I’ll do it… okay.”
For some reason, she glanced at me nervously while fidgeting with her fingers.
Good.
The moment I heard her answer, I gave the head of House Barden a slight nod and strode away without hesitation.
‘I need to get to the borderlands quickly.’
I didn’t have much time to spare, since there was something I needed to take care of in a hurry.
After he left,
Lena, who had been hesitating for a long while, slowly opened her mouth.
“Ahem! Um, Tanas… sir, if you have time, would you like to come to our mansion and have some tea…?”
But there was no answer.
She could not even sense his presence.
“…Lady Lena, Sir Tanas left quite some time ago.”
He left without me?
Perhaps because it was the first time in her life she had been stood up,
“Huh…?”
her eyes widened like a squirrel tasting an almond for the first time.
Along with a faint blush.
**************
Perhaps it was thanks to moving in a hurry.
Neiiigh!
Rattle—
‘We got here faster than I thought.’
As expected, I was able to reach the borderlands before midnight.
“Stop! Curfew has passed, and yet you dare come here? Who are you?”
“State your identity!”
Clink—
I tossed a silver coin each to the two guards blocking the way.
“Go on in, Sir Swordsman.”
“Welcome to Artem.”
Then I headed into the village without hesitation.
‘This part’s exactly like the game.’
As expected of the largest village in the borderlands, even though it was late at night, the streets were crowded with people.
“Hey, where are you going? We need another drink!”
“Hic… Are you insane? How much are you planning to drink…?”
Perhaps because of that,
merchants were still calling out to customers here and there.
“You never know when the Demon King’s army will attack! Stock up on medicinal herbs in advance!”
“High-quality leather armor here! Hurry, there aren’t many left!”
“A protective accessory that will save your life! Buy it now!”
Of course, the atmosphere was hardly pleasant.
At a glance, it seemed lively, yet it was clearly devoid of vitality.
“……”
Things might break out even sooner than I thought.
The place I walked to was a shabby appraisal office on the outskirts.
“Heh heh! Well, this is rare… A customer at this hour.”
There was a larger and much more splendid appraisal office in the center of the village,
but I had a separate reason for coming here.
“I’d like to identify an unknown item. Can you do it right now?”
I took out a white, smooth bead and held it up.
Extra dungeons and quests were important, but figuring this out came first.
“The fee is one gold… Hand over the item first.”
Without a word, I took out ten gold coins and placed them on the worn table.
“Kekeke… Seems I’ve got a generous customer.”
The old man smiled with his hideous face and began moving about enthusiastically.
Of course—
Bang!
“Failed the appraisal again? I heard you were skilled, so I came all the way from afar on purpose… How disappointing.”
There were no real results.
“H-how can this be… I-I’ve been appraising items here for over fifty years! Why would something like this…”
‘An ordinary appraiser won’t be enough.’
It was the result I’d expected, so I wasn’t surprised.
But outwardly, I put on a troubled expression and shook my head.
“If that’s how it is, then there’s no helping it. I’ll take the money back…”
“No! P-please give me just one more chance!”
“It’s not as if there’s anyone else here. If you can’t do it, I should take it back.”
When I subtly gave him the answer, the old man’s eyes lit up and he raised his head.
“S-someone else? …Ah!! Wait, please wait just a moment, my lord! I’ll go call my master!”
With those words, the old man made a great racket as he ran down into the basement.
I didn’t expect him to be that fast.
“……”
Enough time passed for me to drink a cup of tea.
“I apologize for calling you out again.”
“My foolish disciple. You don’t have many years left until death now, do you? And yet you still need this master’s help…”
“But this time, I require your guidance…”
You require money, more like.
Following behind the old man, a stern-looking young man approached me while wiping a monocle.
‘So this was the right place after all.’
“…Hm? You are?”
The man looked me over, then crossed his arms with a strange expression.
Well, unless he was a fake, he would have noticed.
“Martie.”
The moment I spoke the name, the look in the man’s eyes changed.
“Who are you?”
He frowned and stared at me with sharp eyes.
“Does that matter? This is a transaction.”
“……”
His eyes were filled with doubt. It was only natural for him to be suspicious.
But what exactly are you going to do?
Martie, the Great Spirit of Knowledge.
A hidden NPC who provided appropriate rewards if given a fitting price.
As expected, since it was still early in the story, he was here.
“Don’t be too wary. I’m here simply to make a deal.”
After a brief pause, the man waved his hand and drove the old man outside.
“What is the price?”
I took out the black ribbon I had brought from the treasure vault from my inventory.
“Mm… A fragment of an evil god’s holy relic?”
It felt a bit of a waste, but finding another divine-class item would also be work.
“If you recognize it, this will be quick. You like research, don’t you?”
Martie stared intently at the black ribbon, then nodded with a satisfied smile.
“If it is an object of this caliber… Very well. I’ll make the deal.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Hero, what do you want?”
I leaned back against the sofa leisurely and raised three fingers.
“You only need to do three things.”
“Only three requests in exchange for a holy relic… They must be quite difficult.”
“The first is the appraisal of this item.”
I placed the white, smooth bead on the table as I spoke.
“Well, that much is obvious… What are the remaining two?”
“The second and third are…”
I paused for a moment and steadied my breath.
“The dissolution of the Hero’s party contract.”
“…Hm? Could you say that again?”
As if he had heard something strange,
Martie tilted his head and asked again.
“I’m not asking you to dissolve the Hero’s contract. That’s impossible. I’m asking you to dissolve the Hero party’s contract.”
“I don’t understand. If I do that, it will consume much of my power, and you will also…”
“Ah, of course, you’ll bear the penalty that would be imposed on me as well.”
“……”
The reason I had come all the way to the kingdom’s borderlands to find Martie.
The existing party looked utterly useless no matter how I saw it, and hadn’t they even stabbed me in the back?
How was I supposed to defeat the Demon King while dragging people like that around?
‘Don’t you want to go home?’
A Hero party was a kind of contract performed under the name of the gods.
Therefore, even if one was the Hero, one could not expel party members at will.
That was why, when forming a party for the first time, while skill mattered, the first priority was to find party members who fit well with the Hero himself…
‘What the hell did he do to pick up only people like that?’
I couldn’t understand it.
“What are you hesitating so much for? Aren’t you all neutral anyway? I doubt you’re on bad terms with the gods.”
“…That is true, but for some reason, I feel as though I’m taking a loss here.”
So?
In front of Martie, who muttered with slight displeasure, I slowly waved the black ribbon.
“A holy relic is the price, so it’s only right for you to shoulder that much. I’ve given my consent, so you only need to act as the intermediary.”
“……”
You’re not going to take this?
Suit yourself.
His hesitation did not last long.
After all, it was an offer difficult to refuse.
“I suppose there’s no helping it. I’ll have to draw power from my main body.”
The moment he said that, a bright green light flashed through the room, and a warm energy wrapped around my body.
Piiiing—
‘As expected of a divine being. The waves of power are no joke.’
And after some time passed—
“……”
The green light slowly faded.
‘Is it done?’
Martie opened his mouth.
“It’s finished. I received the goddess’s permission. She says to gather the other four and perform the ritual again.”
++
[The party of the Hero of Recovery, “Tanas,” has been dissolved.]
Ding!
[All blessings of the Twelve Gods granted to that party will disappear.]
++
“……?”
This was a body that had blessings on it?
++
[The blessing of Aseria, God of Light, “Grace of Light,” has disappeared.]
[The blessing of Diana, God of Bonds, “All-Ability Enhancement,” has disappeared.]
[The blessing of Tyr, God of Justice, “Indomitable Will,” has disappeared.]
*
*
*
[All blessings have disappeared.]
++
“Why are you silent?”
“……”
I had no choice.
Even I was a little flustered by this.
“Mmm… Even considering it’s a holy relic, now that I look at it, this doesn’t seem worth it.”
I let Martie’s complaints, grumbling like a child, go in one ear and out the other.
“……”
Silently, I stared at the blue window.
++
[The “Authority of Recovery” that had been transferred to party member Seria has been returned.]
[The “Agile Movements” that had been transferred to party member Rein has been returned.]
[The “Firm Oath” that had been transferred to party member Arshe has been returned.]
[The “Flow Control” that had been transferred to party member Lurein has been returned.]
++
The mystery was solved.
The reason why, despite being the support-type Hero of “Recovery,” he had been an incompetent Hero without a single ability.
‘I never thought there’d be a hidden setting like this…’
##