Chapter 57 (1/2)

Chapter 57 – A Commission After a Long Absence (highlight)

Around ten days have pa.s.sed since I’ve returned from the castle.

I rehabilitated during that time, or rather, I led a very ordinary everyday life.

Well, I haven’t received any commissions though ne. Since the guild has nothing but men after all…

By the way, although the Prince didn’t come over on the day I returned, he came over to eat just like usual after the next days.

Rather than just like usual, he would randomly approach me, then it reached a point where he’d touch me but…

In the beginning, I would tremble from just being approached and completely stiffen up when I was touched, but thanks to the Prince’s persistent skins.h.i.+p (?), things like stiffening up stopped happening.

According to the Prince, it was 「rehabilitation」 but…. I wonder in what way was it rehabilitation by touching a woman who’s crying while trembling…?

Well, my androphobia became considerably better as a result you know? Even if I’m touched, I only tremble for an moment… I have feeling I’m not fully satisfied1.

Well, can androphobia improve in such a short period?

Was what I thought but, 「It’s because it hasn’t been long since it started so it’s possible to improve in a short period. When time pa.s.ses and it becomes a habit, it’ll be harder to cure you see.」 was Len-san’s words. So I’ve actually improved ne.

By the way, it seems the treatment of that chubby old duke-sama and the ojou-sama have been handed down.

The chubby old man will be fined, his inheritance handed over, and be retired. It seems the ojou-sama has been prohibited from approaching the Royal Capital. Could I be the only one who thought ‘those were unexpectedly light punishments na‘?

Ah, I also received Len-san’s homemade magic tool. It was a necklace since a bracelet would get in the way of my protectors.

I tried it, but it seems I’m unable to use both sorcery and qigong.

I practiced sorcery in my free time after that. Since I only had the knowledge ne.

Thanks to that, I reached a point where I could roughly use the sorcery I could use in my previous life. I can also use Aria Destruction if it’s just intermediate sorcery.2 Ahem.

Well, for that reason, I think it’s about time to restart my adventurer occupation.

I also need to earn my living expenses ne.

So because of that, I’ve come to the Adventurers’ Guild.

It’s somewhat been a long time. The last time I came was…… to report the escort commission, was it more than half a month ago? It’s been quite a considerable period.

And so, the commission I received for the first time in a while, was a D rank Goblin subjugation…… was what it should’ve been but…

Why is there’s a dragon in front of me?

There wasn’t anything particularly unusual about contents of the commission, because Goblins have settled down in a location around half a day on foot from the Royal Capital, the contents were to defeat them.

I took that commission first thing in the morning, got on a carriage that was heading in the same direction for two hours, and arrived at a village where the commission was at just before noon.

I talked to the village mayor at once(omitting the usual exchange), then imm

ediately had them guide me to the location where the Goblins were discovered.

From the story I’ve heard, the number of Goblins were around 10, so I should be able to return to the Royal Capital by the end of today if things go smoothly. Yes, it went smoothly. Until arrived there…3

I was led to the location where the Goblins were discovered, it was an open location inside a forest so to say…… in other words, it was a nest.

No, that wasn’t the problem though…

The problem was there wasn’t a single Goblin there. Accurately speaking, there wasn’t any ‘living Goblins’.

Goblin-like corpses and bloodstains were scattered everywhere

And above all…… a dragon remained at the centre of the nest.

I’m sure the Goblins here were killed by this dragon.