Volume 1 Chapter 6 Make Me Strong!
"Do you know about the Spirit King's Army?"
"Spirit King's Army? That's one of the Demon Lord's armies led by the Spirit King Vamph, right?"
"Yeah. A year ago, one of the high-ranking members of the Spirit King's Army attacked my mom and put a 'weakness' curse on her. It seems really tough for her, like she can barely get up. Right now, some villagers from the village and the village head are taking care of her."
A curse.
A type of magic effect that brings various bad impacts to the target.
Petrification, coma, charm, brainwashing, weakness...
There's something similar called "poison," but unlike poison, curses can't be treated with medicine or magic.
To break a curse, you need to meet specific conditions.
That means defeating the spellcaster who cast the curse.
Or, as a special case, getting a 'curse breaker' who can use the world's only 'curse-breaking magic' to lift it...
"To lift your mother's curse, you either have to defeat a high-ranking member of the Spirit King's Army or ask the curse breaker for help. But..."
"...both options are tough. A high-ranking member of the Spirit King's Army is a pretty strong monster, and finding and defeating them before my mom gets too weak is almost impossible."
And then...
"I've heard of the curse breaker Lotus. They have a special job class that can use the world's only 'curse-breaking magic' and take on curse-breaking requests. But the fees for those requests are so outrageous that an average citizen could never afford it..."
The girl nodded weakly in response.
Defeating a high-ranking member of the Spirit King's Army or getting the curse breaker Lotus to take on the request.
Both seem nearly impossible.
If there's any hope, it might be with the curse breaker, but looking at the girl, it seems she has no money.
Basically, Lotus only does business with wealthy families or well-known adventurers, so gathering the necessary funds through proper means would be tough.
"...Are you trying to get stronger for that reason?"
"Yeah. I thought if I got stronger and became a successful adventurer, it wouldn't be hard to earn the fee for breaking the curse. Plus, if I could join a strong party, I might have a chance to take down the Spirit King's Army..."
That's definitely the only choice she has.
Whether she aims to take down the Spirit King's Army's executives or ask a curse breaker for help, if she succeeds as an adventurer, both paths could open up for her.
So, the girl wants to get stronger as an adventurer, fast.
But still...
"Why am I growing so slowly...? To help my mom, I have to get stronger...!"
For some reason, it seems this girl has a slower growth rate than others.
Because of that, she got kicked out of the party she was in, making her path to success even longer.
It's no wonder she's feeling anxious.
That's why she came to me...
"What should I do? With no talent, how can I break my mom's curse...?"
A single tear rolled down the girl's cheek.
She thinks she has no talent as an adventurer, and that frustration is spilling out.
Seeing her like that, I knew it would lead to trouble, but almost unconsciously, I spoke up.
"I'll take your request."
"Huh?"
"Yesterday was so sudden that I got a bit flustered, but you weren't wrong at all. I'm Trainer Roezé. Sorry for lying."
"..."
The girl looked visibly shocked and frozen.
She must have a pretty straightforward personality.
I didn't think I was hiding it well, but she was astonished to find out I really am Trainer Roezé.
I worried that she seemed easy to fool, but I decided to share my honest feelings this time.
"To be honest, I thought helping someone as a Trainer was a bit of a hassle. I had a lot going on because of this job class a while back. Plus, I like my quiet life now, and I'm scared of anything that might disturb it..."
"S-So why...?"
Is she really asking if I've decided to take on the request again?
I'm not even sure why I feel like helping her now.
I just can't seem to ignore it.
And well...
"My parents were also victims of the Demon Lord's army."
"Eh...?"
"My dad and mom were killed by the Dragon King's Army leader, Dragon King Dorane. Since both of them were adventurers, I guess it was bound to happen, but I really don't want the same thing to happen to your mom at the hands of the Demon Lord's army."
It's been 12 years since my parents were killed.
I was 6 back then, waiting quietly at home while they went on an important expedition.
It wasn't unusual for them to be away for a long time, and during that time, I was taken care of by my parents' adventurer friends.
I believed without a doubt that they would come back home smiling, but all that returned were their belongings.
At first, I couldn't understand what had happened.
I knew my parents were fighting terrifying monsters as adventurers, but I never thought they would die.
They were that strong and had earned a lot of trust from their comrades.
But it seemed they couldn't defeat Dragon King Dorane, and the comrades who survived reported back to me in tears.
Those comrades also challenged the Dragon King's Army for revenge, but they were defeated as well.
After that, I decided to become an adventurer myself, working hard to avenge my parents.
For some reason, I don't want this girl to live that way.
So I'll help her.
To make sure her mother isn't killed by the Demon Lord's army.
To prevent her from developing a twisted desire for revenge.
"Uh, but is it really okay? I'm not just slow at growing, I'm also not very good at things. Plus, I don't have anything to give back..."
"It's fine. I'm not struggling for money, and honestly, you need it more than I do. Just give me something back whenever you feel like it. I won't push you until your mom's curse is lifted, but at least until you can get into some party, I'll help you out."
Once she get into a party, she'll probably get help from her teammates to grow.
If she meets adventurers who share the same goal of taking down the Spirit King's Army, it'll be realistic to find and take down the higher-ups.
So, for now, I'll give her a little push.
I don't think this kid would trick me like Dahlia and the other adventurers.
"Ah, thank you! I'm sorry for the trouble, but I really appreciate it!"
"Yeah, no problem."
I thought I was getting myself into a hassle, but the guilt I felt inside faded away, replaced by a warm "something" bubbling up.
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