Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Two: Around the Campfire
“I can’t trust you folks so easily, so could you head back for today?”
At Gunther’s words, Tristan withdrew without pressing further. Lyos, who had been listening in silence the whole time, looked like he had something to say, but he followed after Tristan without voicing anything. Karen gazed into the distance, thinking how Lyos had grown up—he used to be the type who couldn’t rest until he’d spoken his mind.
After Tristan and Lyos left the tent, Julius spoke:
“Karen, I have something I’d like to discuss with Sir Tristan…”
“Understood. I’ll be at the cooking area cleaning up.”
“Then please stay with either Sepl or Gunther until I come back for you.”
When Karen nodded, Julius went after Tristan.
“Little Karen, is the discussion over?”
“Yes, it’s over, Uncle Sepl. We didn’t resolve anything, though—it all depends on the negotiations from here on.”
“That panacea of yours, Karen—it was delicious! Plus, after eating it, I felt like my body got lighter somehow.”
“It’s a panacea, after all. It should cure any status ailments, so maybe you had one?”
“I had a status ailment!? When did that happen!?”
Panaceas didn’t heal injuries. However, among the things they supposedly cured were illnesses as well. It probably had the power to normalize bodily functions. Karen felt relieved thinking that if the panacea had cured some hidden illness of Sepl’s, that would be wonderful.
When Karen returned to the cooking area, the adventurers who had been drinking around the campfire after their meal welcomed her with cheers.
After responding with a smile, she looked puzzled.
“Huh? Where’s the pot?”
“We cleaned it up for you!”
“We couldn’t let an alchemist do dishwashing!”
“Well, thank you very much.”
When Karen bowed, a woman in red armor embraced her. It was the woman who had helped with the soup curry.
“Karen, the panacea you made for us was very delicious.”
“Th-thank you. Um, it’s called soup curry.”
“Yes, soup curry. I like eating it with deep-fried pumpkin. Now, tell us—what is it that you desire, the one who gifted us such a dish?”
“What do I desire?”
Karen tilted her head, flustered by the woman’s closeness.
“Yes. We want to know what you wish for, Karen.”
She said "we.”
The gazes of all the surrounding adventurers turned toward Karen.
“Nora, have you folks also felt that lightness in your bodies?”
At Sepl’s words, the woman called Nora smiled brightly but didn’t answer.
“You don’t intend to say, huh. Well, I’m not foolish enough to try prying info out of C-rank or higher adventurers anyway.”
Nora turned that smile toward Karen and narrowed her eyes.
“We’re high-ranking adventurers, Karen. When you reach our level, anything that can be solved with money gets solved. Only things that can’t be handled, no matter how much money you throw at them, trouble us. Your potion lightened one of my troubles.”
“I’m glad I could be of service?”
“You don’t understand how significant this is, do you? We’re saying we’re prepared to pay you with something more than money. Come now, Karen—tell us your wish. Quickly!”
Being pressed, Karen answered in a fluster.
“I want you to be kind to Lady Waltride?”
“Are you a pawn of the First Princess?”
“A pawn!? That’s not it, but, um, she’s not a bad person.”
“Hmm, fine. Be kind to the First Princess, then. What other wishes do you have?”
“Eh!? Another one!? Uh—like, maybe a way to stop men from cheating?”
So she’d never again have to see her lover in tears, overjoyed at reuniting with a woman he used to love.
—She didn’t know whether Julius had actually loved that woman named Therese, but for tears to well up at a reunion, there had to be considerable attachment.
It might have been his first love. Or maybe it wasn’t. She wanted to explore the possibility that it wasn’t, but no information was coming from Julius at all. All that got through was that it hadn’t been a bad reunion, and that only stirred up worse predictions.
“Alright then. If a magical tool for men’s chastity drops in a dungeon, I’ll make sure to give it to you first. There’s a magic item that curses a man so that the moment he even thinks of cheating, his thing rots off.”
“That’s a bit different from what I want, so I don’t need it.”
“Oh, really?”
Nora said disappointedly.
The male adventurers cut in, looking rather uncomfortable:
“Then, money’s fine, right!?”
“Of course not! She doesn’t need to get money from us—she’ll get plenty from now on.”
“Then what about rare minerals?”
“Karen’s an alchemist, so what she needs are magical materials.”
“There are magical tools useful for alchemy too, right? Like appraisal mirrors.”
“Um, if I may interject, I have an appraisal mirror with performance between Double Rare and Legendary.”
“Hey, that’s basically the highest rank!”
This and that—the adventurers talked among themselves about what they should give Karen.
Judging from the bright expressions of the adventurers illuminated by the campfire flames, Karen’s panacea seemed to have cleared up some worry of theirs.
Though she was the one being discussed yet somewhat left out, Karen couldn’t help but feel a quiet pride as she watched them bicker.
The Translator’s Corner
Secondhand embarrassment… T_T
No comments:
Post a Comment