Volume 4 Chapter 6 Gathering Allies
To search for Cosmos, we headed to the library this time.
Since it was almost closing time, Rose and I hurried to the library.
"This is my first time at a library. I didn't know it was here."
"Well, adventurers usually don't have much reason to come here."
If I didn't have a hobby for reading, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to use it either.
With Rose showing such fresh reactions, we quickly entered the library.
As we did, Rose looked even more surprised at the sight of the books lined up.
I felt a bit bad for her excitement, but we didn't have much time, so we moved deeper into the library.
When we rushed to the spot where I had seen Cosmos before, there she was, just as I expected, a small magician in a black robe.
"...I'm glad she's here."
Feeling secretly relieved, I approached and was about to call out to Cosmos, who was reading a book.
At that moment...
"...?"
Suddenly, Cosmos put the book she was holding back on the shelf and started looking for the next one to read.
Her eyes scanned the shelves, and she focused on a book on the top shelf.
Clearly, it was out of her reach, but she stretched her toes to try and grab it.
She managed to get her fingers on the book, but just then──.
"──!"
As she pulled the book out, the books on either side came out with it.
A heavy, thick book was about to fall right on Cosmos's face.
In an instant, a red shadow crossed the edge of my vision and reached Cosmos's back in a flash.
I saw that the book meant for her face was caught just in time by Rose.
"Are you okay, Ms. Cosmos?"
"R-Rose...? Why are you here...?"
Cosmos turned around with wide eyes and, upon seeing me behind Rose, her eyes widened even more.
I was also surprised by Rose's quick movement, my mouth hanging open, but I quickly composed myself and greeted her.
"Hey, Cosmos. We meet again here."
"...I see, so you two came together."
Cosmos exchanged meaningful glances between me and Rose before suddenly saying to me with a start,.
"By the way, you should have helped just now!"
"Helped? What do you mean?"
"The books were about to fall! You should have rushed in and caught them!"
"Come on, there's no way a normal person could react that quickly. Only someone like Rose could grab them that fast."
I felt like there were only 2 or 3 seconds to react.
In that time, I only knew Rose could move that quickly and quietly to catch a falling book.
Looking at Rose, who was blushing and smiling, I couldn't help but tilt my head in confusion.
"Anyway, why should I have been the one to help? Rose could have done it just as well."
"Why? Well, that's..."
Cosmos suddenly blushed slightly and looked away from me.
"...It's nothing, really."
After saying that, she thanked Rose for putting the books away and started reading the book she was holding.
What was she trying to say? Regardless, I was just glad to have found Cosmos safely.
I decided to ask her about something that had been on my mind.
"You seem to be spending a lot of time in the library lately. What exactly are you researching?"
Cosmos held up the book in her hand and answered succinctly.
"I'm looking for mansion designs."
"Mansion?"
"Remember, I said I want to build a mansion someday. So I'm looking for reference plans for what kind of mansion I want to have."
...That's quite ambitious.
For a Rank 4 adventurer like Cosmos, it seems like a long way off.
But looking at how much she's grown, maybe it's not that far-fetched.
If she keeps passing her promotion tests, she'll likely have the financial means to build a mansion in a year or 2.
"So, did you find any plans that might be useful?"
"No, none of the mansions were suitable at all. There wasn't a single elegant mansion that would be right for me."
Cosmos proudly said, "This one won't do either," and returned the book she was holding to the shelf (since she couldn't reach it, Rose helped her).
It's unclear what kind of mansion Cosmos is hoping for, but she probably won't start building until she has a perfectly satisfactory blueprint.
It seems like it will be a while before we get to see her mansion.
"By the way, why did you two come to the library? Are you still helping Suisen?"
"No, that's already been taken care of. Speaking of which, I wanted to tell you about it, so I'll share that later."
"Then why are you here...?"
When Cosmos asked me again why we came, I pointed at her and replied, "We came to find you, Cosmos".
"You came for me?"
"I have a favor to ask of you."
Well, it's not just a "little" favor.
It's a pretty big request.
A big, important, and very dangerous one.
"So, do you have time to talk after this?"
"Yeah, I don't have any plans for today."
"Then since it's almost closing time here, let's talk outside..."
"Oh, since we're at it, why don't we all go get dinner together? I've been cooped up in the library since this morning, and I'm starving."
So, we decided to have dinner while talking.
* * *
There was a diner near the library, so the 3 of us went in there.
While waiting for our food to arrive, we talked about what we had heard today.
About how the hero Dahlia was cursed and weakened.
About the crisis facing the people of this continent.
About the situation with the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army.
And I also took this opportunity to reveal to Cosmos that I was Trainer Aroze, who had been part of the hero party.
"Hmm, I see. So while I was holed up in the library, such a big deal was happening."
"..."
As Cosmos listened, she nodded while sipping her juice through a straw.
Then, pointing at me with her finger, she asked for confirmation.
"So, you came to me because you want more strength, right?"
"Y-yeah, that's true..."
Looking at Cosmos, who seemed completely unfazed, I felt a mix of emotions.
"Hmm, what is it? Do I have something on my face?"
"Um, don't you think it's strange? That I was a former member of the hero party? I thought you'd be more surprised, especially with all the weird rumors going around town..."
Trainer Aroze was kicked out of the hero party due to lack of skill.
I've heard that amidst that fact, other rumors were also spreading.
Some said there was a scandal among the members that forced me to leave, or that I was involved in a crime and got kicked out.
The rumors about Trainer Aroze only lasted a moment, but I think they left a bad impression on the people in town.
As time went on, I found it harder to reveal this fact.
Yet, Cosmos was sipping her juice leisurely, showing no signs of being shaken.
"I don't really care about the town's rumors. Honestly, I'm not interested in the fact that you're Trainer Aroze, who got kicked out of the hero party."
"Y-you're not interested...?"
"Because I already know you as the kind-hearted Nurturer Roezé who helps anyone in trouble and loves to nurture people. I don't care about your past or the rumors around you. So I won't change how I see you now. Don't underestimate me."
"...S-sorry."
Hearing that from Cosmos made me feel relieved.
That's right. Cosmos was like this.
She only believed what she saw with her own eyes.
When I first came to the Nurturer, she doubted my abilities and even made me have a mock battle.
Well, I had mustered quite a bit of courage to reveal this, so I was hoping for a bit more of a surprised reaction.
"S-so, what do you think? If it's okay, I'd like you to join me on this journey."
I once again nervously asked Cosmos.
No matter how close we are, this isn't an easy decision to make.
The purpose of this journey is to stop the plans of the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army.
That means we will inevitably have to fight them.
It's easy to imagine that it will be a tough journey, and the worst-case scenario could be getting ambushed and dying.
Given the dangers involved, I can't force her, and she wouldn't be able to agree right away either.
So, I had resolved that if I saw even a hint of hesitation from Cosmos, I would immediately withdraw my request.
Then, surprisingly, Cosmos responded while yawning at a bad timing, mumbling,
"Sure, why not".
"Wait, is it really that casual? Is it okay to decide like that?"
"You and Rose are just going to take me along to defeat monsters, right? It's a simple deal."
Just defeating monsters...
While that may be true in essence, the monsters we're dealing with are the leaders of the Forest King's Army and the Spirit King's Army.
Shouldn't she think this through a bit more carefully? Well, it's a strange thing for me to say since I'm the one asking for her help.
"Are you really okay with deciding so easily? This journey is going to be quite dangerous, and honestly, there's... not much in it for you, Cosmos."
"Not much in it for me, huh..."
Maybe she had read too many books in the library, as she looked a bit dazed while saying this.
"Sure, it might not benefit me. I don't have a big reason like you two to fight the Demon Lord army, and I don't have family I want to protect. The risks and rewards just don't balance out at all."
That's right.
In this journey, Cosmos stands to gain almost nothing.
Unlike me and Rose, she doesn't have any particular feelings about the Demon Lord army, nor does she have a special attachment to this country.
To put it bluntly, I'm asking her to act just to help some strangers.
So, feeling guilty, I ended up asking a disadvantageous question.
However, Cosmos didn't immediately refuse and instead gave a slightly mischievous smile.
"Then, you should prepare something."
"Huh, me?"
"You should come up with an attractive 'reward' that would make me want to join you on this journey. That way, it might ease your guilt a little, right?"
"..."
A reward, huh.
If I could prepare something like that, maybe I could shake off some of the guilt that's been weighing on me.
But even so, it's not something that comes to mind easily.
What could I offer that would make Cosmos willingly come along?
"Well, I could still cooperate without any reward, based on our past friendship. Just don't hesitate to rely on me..."
I suggested something that just popped into my head.
"How about this: if this journey goes well, I'll do 'anything' you say... what do you think?"
""A-anything!?""
Cosmos reacted way more than I expected.
Wait, why is Rose reacting too?
"Y-you said 'anything' just now, right...!"
"I-I did, but what's with that reaction? It's really scary."
Honestly, I thought this was a pretty unappealing offer.
The reward for accompanying me on this dangerous journey would just be the ability to command me freely, which seems like a skewed balance.
Yet, why is she so interested?
"R-Roezé will do anything I say...!"
"Just to be clear, it's only within my capabilities. And it's 'one thing' only. If it's something I can do, I'll listen to you for just one thing. If that's a good enough reward for you..."
"...Alright, fine. I'll cooperate under those conditions."
Cosmos seemed oddly flustered, trying to suck up the already empty juice cup.
Was this really a good enough reward? I just threw it out there since I couldn't think of anything else.
Well, since she said she would cooperate, I'll take her up on that without hesitation.
But what exactly will she ask of me? What if she tells me to dance around town n*ked? No, no, that was my suggestion, and if I can get Cosmos's help, it's a small price to pay.
As I secretly resolved myself, I caught a glimpse of Rose in my peripheral vision, her mouth opening and closing in surprise.
"Anything... you say..."
"W-What's wrong, Rose?"
"N-Nothing at all..."
Anyway, with that, we were able to add Stardust Magician Cosmos to our team.
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