Volume 4 Chapter 3 Belated Celebration
When we returned to the dining hall, the food was all set out, but it seemed like no one had touched it.
"You waited for me?"
"Well, it's more fun to eat together all at once with everyone."
Toxy blushed a little as she said that, and I chuckled in response.
As I was thinking about where to sit, Toxy and Sandra patted the space between them.
"Wade sits here. The discussion is over."
"Oh, really? Then I'll join you."
I took my designated seat. Then unexpectedly, Clay was invited to sit next to someone.
"Clay-sama, please sit here~desuwa. I've heard you're a kind person from Moruru."
"Clay always gives me snacks. He's so kind!"
"Haha, since I've been invited by the two young ladies, I'll sit here."
So, there were eight of us. We gathered in the dining hall, saying 'Let's eat.' Perhaps because we were polite among the rough adventurers, people around us looked at us with curious eyes.
"Clay mentioned gathering information, what were you guys looking at?"
Toxy asked me, and I replied.
"I was looking at the information bulletin board. Lately, we've been doing our own activities, so I thought it was time to catch up on what's going on."
"Oh, by the way, Wade, you haven't been to the guild at all. The quests for the whole party were also told by Alex. The others are training around the home, doing chores, and thinking while taking a walk? You keep walking around too, right?"
"Huh, was I being watched?"
"Wade, when you let your guard down, you make quite strange moves. I laughed when you suddenly took three steps and then stopped abruptly."
"Please spare me, it's embarrassing. Doing those weird moves sometimes sparks good ideas, you know."
"I guess I'm in the strange behavior club with you."
Sandra leaned on my shoulder as I felt embarrassed by Toxy's words. Then, I brightened up.
"No, compared to Sandra's eccentric behavior, Wade is cute in his own way."
"Is that so, Toxy?"
Sandra looked stunned. Even though she had a blank expression, Sandra was quite expressive.
"You've been playing with Moruru lately, right? Chasing each other at the same speed using magic, that's not something Wade would do, right?"
"Toxy, that's rude. 'Attack! Dodge Moruru' is the basic game like Wade. 'Race between Thunder and Dragon' is only for special occasions when it gets boring."
"Don't just focus on advanced moves without mastering the basics."
Toxy and Sandra exchanged banter smoothly. I've been thinking for a while now, but these two really get along well.
"Come to think of it, the two of you have become close without me realizing it. Since when was that?"
"Since around the Wyvern subjugation. Toxy became kinder."
"Huh, me!? ...Oh well, maybe that's true. I'm not really aware of it, but I do feel like it's been around that time."
"Maybe Toxy hit me when she was 'high'!"
"Sandra~? Let's change the topic."
"Ywes.."
Although they seem to have become close, the hierarchy between them seems to be firmly established. But it's strange. Sandra is older and the only silver-ranked member in the party.
"Wade"
Just as I thought, Sandra brought up a different topic to me as Toxy had mentioned.
"What's next?"
"Next? Oh, you mean the party?"
"Yes. Both the Dragon and Moruru have been settled. It's good to have a strong new enemy."
"Isn't 'sharp expression of strong' a bit unclear, Sandra?"
Without showing any signs of being affected by Toxy's tsukkomi, Sandra asked in the same expressionless manner, "What will you choose?"
I shrugged and said, "Well..."
"Well, I can do anything, but I don't have a good goal in mind."
"What do you mean?"
In response to Toxy's probing, I answered.
"We can already hunt dragons. Beyond that, we would have to become strong enough to get involved in international affairs as mentioned on the information board. But, we're not quite there yet, and there's no reason to bite off more than we can chew."
"Well, if you suddenly said, 'Let's go defeat "Fist of the Dragon"!' I'd be in trouble."
Toxy is smiling bitterly, and Sandra, who for some reason seemed enthusiastic, said, "Defeat 'Fist of the Dragon'. Sounds good." Toxy just gave Sandra a silent slap.
"By the way, how strong is this 'Fist of the Dragon'?"
"Well..."
Toxy shrugged. On the other hand, Sandra replied,
"Strong enough that you couldn't win against him, Wade."
"...You're quite straightforward."
"It can't be helped. It's the truth. After all, Wade can't just punch dragons to death."
"I see."
I quickly understood. 'Fist of the Dragon' means punch dragons to death. Even I would struggle with just my gauntlets against a wyvern.
"That's why I don't have a suitable goal. What should we do?"
"I see..."
Toxy, who shows empathy, is easy to talk to. But Sandra encourages Toxy further, saying, "Let's go defeat 'Fist of the Dragon'. It'll be great." She even pulls Toxy's cheek.
Suddenly, I heard voices around me.
"Wade's party really seems to have killed the dragon for real..."
"The strongest copper party is no joke. It might even rival the fastest silver party."
"This year's graduates are too promising for their own good. They're all teenagers, right? Back when I was a teen, I was desperately gathering herbs while trembling in fear of the monsters around me."
"Just being able to use one magic spell properly was a big deal. I watched my talented classmates die."
"People used to laugh at the cowards, but all the brave ones died. Now, I even think it's better to be a coward."
"All those aspiring heroes ended up dead."
The old men sitting next to me burst into laughter. Feeling a strange mix of emotions, I took a sip of my drink to cover up my eavesdropping.
Then, Toxy speaks.
"Hey, we're the strongest copper party!"
Then, with a beaming smile of joy, Toxy adds,
"It's amazing, isn't it? The fact that we're being talked about like this! Even though our party has only been together for a few months, we're already getting this much attention."
"In reality, the Wade party has achieved tremendous results. It's only natural to be recognized."
Sandra says modestly, but her proud expression is hard to hide.
Ice and Clay join in the conversation.
"Yeah, that's right... Defeating a dragon in the copper party is a great achievement!"
"I actually felt like I was going to die. I felt inadequate in strength, but maybe I can be a little proud."
Upon hearing this, I also start to feel happy.
"You're right. Maybe there's no need to rush needlessly. And hey, we haven't even celebrated our dragon slaying victory yet. So, let's raise a toast once again..."
Everyone grabs a cup. Moruru, Ridge, and Windy prepare their cups with puzzled expressions.
"For the defeat of the dragon and for the future of the Wade party, let's cheers!"
'Cheers!'
We clinked our cups together and took a sip. Once that happened, there was no stopping us. We became even louder, laughing boisterously.
Yeah, maybe it's okay not to worry too much. The future is so uncertain. It's fine to just enjoy the present. Despite that, we were in a situation where we could live comfortably and even save money.
Thinking that way, I felt relieved. Maybe we had been moving too fast until now. It might be good to slow down a bit from now on.
Suddenly, I sensed someone approaching.
Someone was coming closer with a clattering sound. When I looked in that direction, that guy was already looking down on me.
With a noticeable scar that covered his one eye.
Frain was standing there.
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