Volume 4 Chapter 5 Travel Preparations
After Dahlia and the others left, the Nurturer regained its quietness, and Rose and I decided to settle down again.
We made some tea to organize our thoughts and discuss what to do next.
"I'm really sorry for dragging you into this."
As I apologized again for involving her in this situation, Rose, sitting across from me, smiled gently while holding her teacup as if it were precious.
"No, please don't worry about it. I think it was a good opportunity for me to get back at the Spirit King's Army, so it worked out perfectly."
"...Hearing you say that is a relief."
I'm truly glad Rose came.
If I had talked to Dahlia and the others alone, I probably wouldn't have made any progress.
It was only after witnessing Rose's overwhelming strength that they finally backed off.
In the end, we ended up defeating both the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army, but if this country was in crisis, we would have had to fight anyway.
"By the way, did you have some business with me?"
Finally asking why Rose had come to visit, she took out a pouch from her pocket and offered it to me.
"I came to return the money. I still haven't finished paying back the curse-breaking fee you covered for me."
"Oh, thank you as always. ...But isn't this a bit much this time?"
"Now that I've become a Rank 3 adventurer, I've been able to take on various requests, so I've been quite comfortable lately."
Come to think of it, Rose had leveled up to Rank 3.
Since Rank 3 is considered the threshold to being a top-tier adventurer, the range of requests she could take on must have expanded significantly.
I'm fine with her taking her time to pay me back, but it's good to see her doing well.
"So, what are we going to do from here?"
Rose asked me again, and I crossed my arms, deep in thought.
I had declared that 'we would take down the Demon Lord's army,' and it was true that a crisis was looming over this country.
So we need to quickly come up with a way to defeat the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army...
a way to stop their plans.
If we don't, humanity across the continent will be cursed.
But...
"Hmm, where should we start?"
Everything felt too vague, and I was unsure how to begin.
What should we start with?
"Should we head out to take down the Forest King's Army right now?"
"No, we can't just go for a casual stroll like that."
I wish she wouldn't ask so casually, like if we were going shopping.
For someone as powerful as Rose, it might seem that easy.
"If we're going to invade the Forest King's Army's zone, I think we need to prepare a lot. We should also report this situation to the royal family."
"That's true. It seems that only a few people on the eastern side know about the current situation with the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army."
In reality, even the people from the east don't have a perfect grasp of the facts, so they can't spread information carelessly.
We don't even know if what Dahlia said was true, and spreading it carelessly could cause unnecessary confusion.
However, it is a fact that the eastern hero, Dahlia, was cursed by a high-ranking member of the Spirit King's Army and weakened.
It's certain that the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army are plotting something sinister in the eastern invasion zone, so I think we should inform the royal family about that at least.
Fortunately, we have connections with the royal family.
"Then, our first destination is the royal capital, Chernozem!"
"...No."
I feel bad for dashing Rose's enthusiasm, but I have a few things I want to do first.
"Let's head to the guild for now."
"The guild, huh...?"
"Yeah. I want to do a little 'people search' there."
Rose tilted her head as if to ask why I wanted to search for someone at this timing, so I explained my reasons.
"Even though I think Rose alone is a considerable force, having a 'reliable ally' is definitely better, right?"
"A reliable ally..."
It seemed like Rose realized something, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Are you perhaps inviting 'Ms. Cosmos'?"
"Exactly. Cosmos would be an incredible asset, and I think she has plenty of experience with monster subjugation. I want to ask if she can help us."
Honestly, I feel like Rose's strength alone would be enough, but I want to add one more force.
And as far as I know, Stardust Magician Cosmos seems to be very effective in the fight against the Demon Lord army.
Like Rose, she possesses extraordinary power.
She's rumored to be the strongest magician of our time, surpassing even the wise Grisine, with a magic value exceeding 1200.
"Cosmos is still a Rank 4 adventurer and is active in the town of Hyamars, so we should be able to find her at the guild."
"Then, we're heading to the guild to gather our allies."
Nodding in agreement, Rose eagerly finished her tea.
I took a sip from my cup as well, and we both quickly prepared to head out.
Still, I never expected things to turn out like this.
Why are we suddenly going to take down the Demon Lord army? Dahlia's unexpected visit has led to this crazy situation.
* * *
To add Cosmos to our forces, Rose and I decided to head to the guild.
Shortly after leaving home, we arrived at the guild in the West District.
It was just before dusk, and the place was bustling with adventurers returning from their quests.
Finding the small-bodied Cosmos among this crowd would be quite a challenge.
Nevertheless, Rose and I used our eyes and legs diligently, confirming that Cosmos was not at the guild.
"Maybe she finished her requests for today and went back to the inn?"
"Don't you know which inn Ms. Cosmos usually stays at, Mr. Roezé?"
"I haven't heard anything like that."
I remember hearing that Cosmos hops around different inns in the West District.
I also heard she sometimes stays at an inn in the East District, so relying on just my instincts to find her would be reckless.
I want to head to the royal capital of Chernozem as soon as possible, so I need to find Cosmos quickly.
Maybe I should use the guild's bulletin board to call her out.
Just as I was thinking that...
"Oh, it's Roezé!"
"Huh?"
I heard a familiar female voice from somewhere.
Turning towards the sound, I spotted someone I recognized in a corner of the guild.
Leaning against the wall with a small water bottle in one hand was a brown-haired woman dressed in the guild's uniform.
"Oh, Ms. Terra."
"It's been a while, Roezé. It's been about 3 days since I last saw Rosie too."
"Hello, Ms. Terra."
It was Terra Blune, the guild receptionist.
It really feels like I haven't seen her in a while.
I had been popping into the guild now and then, but every time, a different person was handling the requests.
I wonder how long it's been since we last talked like this?
"What brings you here today? Did you come to take on a request? If so, I can help you out since I'm on break right now."
"Oh, no. I didn't come to take on a request today; I'm actually looking for someone..."
As I was about to say that, I suddenly thought of something.
"Actually, Ms. Terra, I have a question for you."
"Huh? What's with the formal tone? What do you want to ask, Roezé?"
"Do you know where Cosmos is?"
"Cosmos?"
Ms. Terra, who had been acting playful, looked surprised and widened her eyes.
I thought she might know where Cosmos was since she often runs into her at the guild.
As expected, Ms. Terra immediately shared a possible lead.
"Cosmos might be in the library."
"The library...?"
"Yeah, seems like she has been researching something really diligently lately, so I think she is probably there today too."
Now that she mentioned it, I did see "Cosmos" in the library a few weeks ago.
I didn't ask her what she was reading at the time, but she must have been there for research.
If she's been practically holed up in the library ever since, she must be researching something seriously.
"What is she researching, I wonder?"
"Who knows? I'm not sure either, so why not just ask Cosmos directly?"
Good point.
Now that I knew where Cosmos might be, I gave Ms. Terra a quick nod before turning to leave.
"Well then, thank you, Ms. Terra."
"Wait, is that it!?"
"Y-Yes. I only came here to look for Cosmos..."
"..."
When I said that, Ms. Terra froze in shock, staring at me blankly.
Then, her lips twitched slightly, and she gave me a stiff, awkward smile.
"Don't you have anything like, 'I'm so happy to see you after so long, Ms. Terra!' or 'I'd love to chat with you some more!'? Nothing at all?"
"I-I'm in a hurry..."
"..."
Suddenly, Ms. Terra slumped her shoulders dramatically and leaned against the wall with an exaggerated sigh.
"Haah... When you were little, you used to run straight to me shouting 'Ms. Terra, Ms. Terra!' without even looking around, and now you're so cold."
"W-When was that!?"
That was nearly ten years ago.
I was still single digits in age back then, I think.
I didn't have many peers to interact with, and Ms. Terra, who was two years older than me, felt like an older sister.
"Mr. Roezé and Ms. Terra, you've known each other for a long time, haven't you?"
"That's right. I started working at the guild reception desk when I was ten, so we've known each other for about ten years now."
I registered as an adventurer when I was six, and two years later, Ms. Terra joined as a rookie receptionist.
So I guess we could be called childhood friends.
"When Roezé was younger, he was reckless and often came back to the guild injured. Since every party turned him away at the door, I would frequently pick out quests for him."
"R-Really...!?"
For some reason, Rose leaned forward, listening to the story intently.
You don't have to listen so eagerly...
I wanted to suggest we leave since it was getting embarrassing, but Ms. Terra's storytelling had no brakes.
"So, Roezé used to adore me, but now he's in his rebellious phase and doesn't pay much attention to me anymore. Haah, your poor big sister is lonely."
"Who's your big sister...?"
Please don't say such things yourself.
I gave an exasperated look at Ms. Terra as she sighed in a theatrical manner.
Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly widened her eyes and averted her gaze from me for some reason.
"...?"
A moment later, her cheeks seemed to take on a faint flush.
What on earth did she just remember?
Before I could ask, Ms. Terra quickly regained her mischievous grin and teased me again.
"You used to say things like, 'I'm going to marry Ms. Terra!' back in the day."
"I-I did NOT!"
Probably.
I have no memory of making such a bold statement, so it must be Ms. Terra's misunderstanding!
Feeling a sudden chill down my spine, I decided to end the conversation immediately.
"W-Well, I'm really going now! Also, for a while, we'll be away from this town, so I won't be stopping by the guild."
"Oh, I see. Wherever you're going, take care!"
As Ms. Terra waved at me, I turned on my heel and finally left the guild with Rose.
But just before we could exit...
"By the way, Roezé?"
"Hm? What is it?"
"Did something good happen to you?"
"...?"
Out of the blue, Ms. Terra asked me that.
Why would she ask that now?
"No reason in particular. You just looked like you were in an unusually cheerful mood, that's all."
"Did I really look like that...?"
"You might not have noticed, but when you came back to this town after a long time, you had a face like a cloud was hanging over your heart. It seemed like that gloominess stuck around until recently, but now it looks like it's gone, and you have a really refreshing face."
"..."
Right after I was kicked out of the hero party.
I returned to this town feeling down, and the first person I ran into was Ms. Terra.
So she knew how I looked when I was feeling low and noticed that I hadn't shaken off that gloominess until recently.
But now, since I seem to have brightened up, she wondered if something good had happened.
"Oh, I'm sorry if I misunderstood. It just seemed like that, so I thought maybe something good happened."
"Yeah, I guess so. I can't really put it into words, but..."
Something good did just happen a little while ago.
I couldn't help but smile broadly as I remembered Dahlia, who had run away with a bright red face.
"Right now, I feel just a little bit 'cleared up'."
"...I see."
With Ms. Terra smiling at me, Rose and I left the guild.
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