Vol 1 Chapter 11 (2/2)

They seem to be strong physically……However, if they can’t hit, it’s of no use.

The swung club hit the ground.

After I dodged the attack by jumping to the side, I swung my sword before the enemy could regain its posture, sending its right arm flying.

I touched it in the meantime. However, it resulted in failure.

……It’s not like I’m ruing.

Mopping it up was now the priority.

The orc, which was groaning upon losing its right arm, lost its head next. Thereafter, I s.h.i.+fted my attention to Lim.

Right at that moment, the Orc, which was wielding a club, received Lim’s fist.

The blow was heavier than what I saw in the contest earlier.

Well……She has the Magic Power Conversion skill, after all.

Mana is converted at the point of impact and added to the attack power, most likely.

The Orc, whose head had completed one full revolution, collapsed.

The monster, which had collapsed with a thud, was breathing faintly.

I quietly touched it with my hand and stabbed my sword into it.

——Alright, successfully stolen.

By the way, a skill can’t be stolen from a dead opponent.

There’s no doubt about it for I have already tried it.

Thereafter, I turned to Arnold-san. Apparently, my worries were unfounded.

When I turned to him, he was holding an oddly curved blade. The Orc was lying, bisected. There was no need to lend him a hand.

I wanted to steal from all four of them but we were acting as a group.

I was able to steal from one, though. It’s satisfactory in itself.

「Indeed——……You all really are strong.」

Batteau-san admired us, gasping.

Bays-san didn’t come down the carriage.

He probably knew that it would be alright.

「Orc subjugation should be a rank D quest……」

I muttered to myself.

「However, Orcs don’t come out of the forest much, they only appear on the highway……Should I……keep something for verification at Pascam……Should I?」

The bodies of the Orcs didn’t have anything that could be used as raw materials and we didn’t receive any subjugation quest either, so we left their bodies as is and proceeded.

The forest, which could be seen on the left, disappeared. After a while, we caught a glimpse in front of us on the horizon.

After walking for one more hour……we finally arrived at Pascam port town.

It wasn’t on the scale of Merville town. However, the spectacle of a port was exciting, nevertheless.

Because it was about sunset, the sun setting in the sh.o.r.eline painted the port in a romantic color.

Since the s.h.i.+ps normally arrive during the day, it’s usually lively at that time. At this time, it seemed deserted.

Oh well, it’s not like I came here to play.

After Batteau-san arranged for an inn, he went to deliver the goods on the carriage to the trading firm at the scheduled time. After we escorted him to the trading firm, we were relieved for the day.

Tomorrow morning, we would likewise go to the trading firm to stock up the procured goods. After that, we would depart for Merville town. It would be quite a busy.

Bays-san had to check up on Pascam Adventurer’s Guild, so he separated from us.

Unlike Bays-san, who had it easy on the coachman’s rack, we were tired of walking (or it might be just me), so I made a beeline for the inn.

I entered the inn, which had already been arranged for, and was led to the room.

Judging from the construction, this inn looked to be of higher grade than Feeder Pops’.

However, it all comes down to the food.

Since it was an inn located in a port town, it only had fish.

『Who made this crude thing!?』

I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

……I won’t be able to say it.

——More importantly, it was a room for three.

Oh well. The client was paying for the inn, I couldn’t tell them to arrange a separate room each for us escorts.

Also……Lim didn’t show any signs of rejection upon sharing a room with me.

Was that the effect of regular dose of fruit pie?

Or was she at ease because Arnold-san was there?

It was probably both.

Hey, there’s a girl here, right? I mean……It’s about time for bath……I can’t do it inside the room……

The attendant probably read my mind, so he said.

「It must be tiring coming here all the way from Merville town. There’s a bath facility at this inn. Do use it, please. It will be charged additionally.」

……There is?

After all five of us gathered, we had the dinner. It was quite delicious.

The fish was fresh. Lim, who was a cat herself, especially liked it.

When the fish grilled with fragrant gra.s.s was served, she couldn’t suppress the twinkling in her eyes.

After I was done with the regular maintenance of the sword, I took bath and changed into comfortable clothes.

I ma.s.saged my feet a bit, which went stiff after traveling all the way on foot, and threw myself on the bed as I would have to be up early morning tomorrow.

After I lied down, I decided to confirm today’s spoils before going to sleep.

Name: Seiji・Agatsuma

Race: Human

Age: 18

Job: Adventurer (Rank E+)

Unique: Scholar’s Knowledge

Skill(s)

・Thief’s G.o.dly Skill (Riot Grasper) Lv2 (6/50)

・Physical Abilities Enhancement Lv3 (5/150)

・Sword Arts Lv2 (25/50)

・Abnormal Status Resistance Lv2 (1/50)

・Stick Arts Lv1 (7/10)

I still have six attempts left but there’s no helping it.

The moment I closed my eyes, the feeling of fatigue subsided and a floating sensation overcame as I fell asleep.

「——……U?……What……」

I heard a voice……What was that?

I, who was hazy after having just woken up, shook my head and looked around the room.

It was dark outside, so it should still be midnight.

「——My bad. I seem to have woken you up.」

「Err……Arnold-san? Just now, that voice……」

Under the moonlight s.h.i.+ning dimly through the window, Arnold-san was sitting on a chair by Lim’s bed, scratching his head *puripuri* apologetically.

「Lim had a nightmare just now. She was dreaming of the time when our village was attacked.」

Again, some words full of anguish leaked out of Lim’s mouth while she was asleep.

「N……o……Mama……where……Stop, please stop……Hot, it hurts……Papa, where……」

Arnold-san grasped Lim’s hand.

Her breathing gradually calmed as the pained expression on her face gradually receded.

「Umm, now that I think about it, I haven’t heard about……Lim’s mother——」

「——She died. To save……her only daughter.」

「I- see……」

「Seiji, I’m sorry to disturb you. With me here, she’ll be fine. You should go back to sleep.」

Has Arnold-san been doing this all night!?

「Umm……I don’t think I can do much but……If there’s anything I can do, please tell me.」

Such words came out my mouth subconsciously.

Being an outsider, there wasn’t much I could do.

「……Is that so? If you don’t mind, can you please caress this child’s head……My wife- used to do that.」

Puzzled, I put my hand on Lim’s head and caressed.

While I was caressing her silky hair, I gently touched her fluffy ears.

As her cat ears twitched, Lim muttered something.

「……Ma-ma……Thank goodness……」

Tears ran down her cheek.

「Thanks, Seiji.」

「Not at all……Good night.」

I went back to the bed and kept staring at my palm, recalling the sensation.

——Really……My pocket is getting too heavy……

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