Now that I found out the condition for activating the 【Saint】technique, I could freely use it.
I was at my wit’s end because of it.
I could never have imagined that the activation condition was for me to think about Captain-san!
Having to think of him every time I activate the technique, what kind of shame play is this?
I couldn’t say it, but I couldn’t help but scream in my mind…
However, I was grateful that I could proceed with my medicinal herb experiment now that I can activate it.
Since I couldn’t proceed at all before.
My experiment was to grow herbs which needed a unique condition to be cultivated.
That condition was called blessing so I couldn’t view it as a plant cultivation condition.
That blessing was actually the 【Saint】technique.
My experiment hadn’t proceeded at all because I hadn’t been able to activate the technique, but now I can finally make some progress. I feel happy.
I immediately headed to the distillation room to tell Corinna-san that I wanted to do the blessing experiment and in return, she prepared everything for me. Then, we headed towards the herb fields at the back of the castle.
I could start the experiment once everything was ready.
I was enthusiastic, but the experiment was straightforward.
I bless the flowerpots that have been prepared for me and sow the seeds.
That’s all.
And then I just have to observe whether the herbs were growing properly.
We were about to head back to the distillation room after I sowed a variety of seeds when Leo-san approached us.
I’d thought that we just happened to pass each other, but nope.
He had come to invite me to join the mercenaries.
Thank you for needing me.
But, I’m not going to be in Klaussner forever, so I can’t join the mercenaries.
I was going to politely decline, but then Captain-san showed up.
I couldn’t help but gasp, because Captain-san was different from his usual self. He was engulfed in an aura that was appropriate for the title of ‘Ice Knight-sama’.
Although, Captain-san’s icy gaze was directed at Leo-san.
Leo-san had gotten so hyped up while inviting me that he’d grabbed my shoulders, so Captain-san probably thought we were arguing.
The aura around Captain-san softened a little after the situation had been explained to him.
Then, Leo-san noticed something when I told him the reason for why I couldn’t join the mercenaries.
“No, wait. Are you perhaps the 【Saint】?” Leo-san said while looking stunned as we stood in the herbs field behind the castle.
I realised that I hadn’t told him I was the 【Saint】when I saw his stunned expression.
“Did I not tell you?”
“You didn’t! It hurts!”
So I didn’t tell him…
I smiled awkwardly and got the answer I expected to hear.
Thinking back, I have a feeling that I only told him my name.
I tried brushing it off with a smile, and Leo-san was like a professional actor with the way he retorted so vigorously.
Soon after, he was struck by Corinna-san.
“I will introduce myself again, I am the 【Saint】, Sei Takanashi.”
Yup, I have mixed feelings about introducing myself as the 【Saint】.
But, does this mean that I have to introduce myself like that every time now?
If possible, I want to refrain from doing so.
I frowned inside, and Leo-san looked uncomfortable before saying something that I couldn’t understand, “Thank you for being thoughtful.”
Corinna-san seemed shocked at Leo-san.
“That’s why she can’t join the mercenaries. Do you have any other questions?”
“Oh, no……”
“Then, that’s enough, right? I also have business with her,” Captain-san judged that the conversation had ended and called out to Leo-san.
Even though he looked more relaxed than when he’d first arrived, he looked sterner than usual because he had a poker-face on.
I probably wasn’t imagining things when I heard his voice sound a little snappy.
Leo-san must have felt the same because he decided not to say anything even though his face showed that he had something to say.
He bowed and then left.
“Well, then, I guess I’ll go back too.”
Corinna-san walked away briskly, leaving me by myself.
“Huh?” I was surprised and called out to her.
“You two have something to talk about, don’t you?” She turned back and answered.
Ah, yes.
Captain-san said he had some kind of business with me, didn’t he?
Corinna-san sighed in relief and headed towards the distillation room after noticing I understood her.
Only Captain-san and I remained in this enormous herbs field.
“Are you in the middle of work?” I stared blankly at Corinna-san’s back when a voice called out to me from beside me.
I looked up and saw Captain-san looking at the flowerpots on the shelves.
His expression changed completely from the poker-face he had on into an apologetic one.
I quickly told him, “Ah, no. I just finished.” He looked relieved.
“I don’t even need to ask you, ‘What are you growing.’.”
“Medicinal herbs.”
“I figured.”
“What do you mean by that? You figured?” I pouted and protested, only for Captain-san to laugh.
But he’d know straight away that we were growing medicinal herbs since I was working with the head of the distillation room, Corinna-san.
I don’t want him to think that I love medicinal herbs.
“By the way, you said you had business with me?”
“Ah, yes. There’s something I want to talk to you about. Standing here and talking is a little… Let’s move somewhere else.”
I wonder what it’s about.
It seems like the conversation will take a while since he suggested we move.
Then, I wonder if it’s better for us to talk calmly in a room somewhere.
I thought and began to walk as prompted by Captain-san.
We talked about Leo-san for some reason while walking.
However, I didn’t have much to say about him.
We only greeted each other when we met, and then I helped him out a bit, but that was all.
So, I couldn’t really answer even if I’m asked what I talk to him about.
I mainly talked about potions when I was talking about how I helped him out, and Captain-san smiled.
“I also met the other mercenaries recently, and they all praised how highly effective the potions were.”
“Pfft, really?”
Then, I started talking about how the other mercenaries complimented the potions as well, Captain-san started laughing.
When I asked him what was wrong, he smiled and told me.
He remembered the time when the potions were first sold to the Knight Order.
Now that he mentioned it, the knights also reacted the same way the mercenaries had at the beginning.
I remembered that time and my mouth also drew into an arc.
Captain-san’s aura also returned to normal while we were talking.
I’m glad that we didn’t end up walking silently while he was feeling edgy.
It’s mentally painful to walk alone with someone while they’re like that.
“He seemed really enthusiastic when he was recruiting you. Has this happened before?”
“No. This is the first time he’s tried to recruit me.”
“This is the first time…”
It seemed like he was thinking about something because Captain-san put his hand on his chin and looked down.
But, he probably couldn’t come up with an answer because the wrinkle on his brow deepened.
“Do you have any idea why he tried to recruit you?”
“The reason why?”
It appears that he was thinking of the reason why Leo-san was recruiting me.
I already have a hunch.
“I healed the mercenaries with magic after they returned from subjugation the other day. I think it’s because of that.”
“With magic?”
“At first, I thought about giving them potions from the distillation room, but they said it would be a waste, so…”
I talked about what happened the other day, and the wrinkle on Captain-san’s brow remained as he stared at me.
This look, it’s the so-called, scornful look.
Erm, is it bad? It’s bad, isn’t it?
I quietly turned away from his gaze and heard a big sigh.
I’m sorry for everything.
I apologised in my mind, and we reached our destination.
Captain-san led me to the place where the knights were staying.
We entered Captain-san’s office, and I was urged to sit down in the lounge suite.
Since he brought me here, does that mean he wants to talk about the demon subjugation?
We sat down on the sofa, both let out a breath, and I spoke, “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“About the plans from here on out.”
“If it’s about the plans, then we’ll be talking about the demon subjugation?”
“Yes, we’ve already completed the first stage of the investigation, so we’ll start the subjugation soon.”
It’s finally starting.
When the word “subjugation” left Captain-san’s mouth, I switched to work mode.
I straightened my back.
I heard the knights’ report before, but they were still investigating the surrounding areas.
And, the investigation into those areas was completed yesterday.
After that, Captain-san told me about what he knew about the demons in this area.
The number of demons hadn’t changed from the report I heard before.
There seemed to be as many as there were around the Royal Capital before.
According to the locals, there were more demons now compared to the past.
However, according to the mercenaries, they felt like the demons had decreased recently.
To be more specific, they said that the demons have been decreasing ever since the Knight Order arrived.
I have a hunch for why this was.
Captain-san smiled wryly and said, “It’s like what happened at the Royal Capital,” so all I could do was return his wry smile.
“It is.”
As for the number of demons, there seemed to have been a good change since we’ve arrived in Klaussner.
The problem lied within the quality of the demons appearing around Klaussner.
Higher-ranked demons, than what appeared at the Royal Capital, appeared in Klaussner.
Demons having a high-rank meant that they were strong.
I thought it was like a role-playing game that I played before in Japan.
In the game, stronger monsters appeared when you move away from the first town.
I wonder if stronger demons will also appear in this world the further from the Royal Capital you were.
Can’t be, right……?
Leaving jokes aside.
Even if the same amount of demons appear, the subjugation would, of course, be harder if those demons were of higher-rank.
The knights who were chosen to work at the Royal Palace were the best of the best, and there were a lot of strong people amongst them, but they’ve only been subjugating around the Royal Capital lately.
The demons that appeared in Klaussner were different from the ones that appeared in the Royal Capital so they would need to change the way they fight.
Of course, it seems like Captain-san will take caution, but I think more people would get injured in this subjugation compared to the Royal Capital subjugation.
There was also a limit to how much you could heal with potions if the number of injured people increase.
That’s where recovery magic comes into play.
“Then, that means I’ll be joining the subjugation next time, right?”
“Sorry. There are people in the Court Mage Division participating in this mission, but a lot of them can’t use recovery magic.”
“I don’t mind. I participated with the intent of doing just that.”
Yes, my main job here is subjugation, making potions is a hobby.
I didn’t say this out loud but kept it in my mind.
“We searched around places that are possible to go to within a day but didn’t find the swamp in question. The demons are strong, but I don’t think we’ll have to deal with a lot at once like we did at the West Forest.”
“The swamp in question?”
“The black swamp from the West Forest. I thought that there might be one here as well because of how fast the demons are increasing…”
I see, so they didn’t find that swamp?
When I came to Klaussner, I couldn’t activate the 【Saint】technique whenever I wanted, so I was honestly worried about what to do if they’d found the black swamp.
But, it’s different now.
It’s still a bit unrefined, but I can produce that golden magic now, so I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t find a black swamp.
The number of demons around the Royal Capital decreased in an instant when I purified that black swamp.
If we found a swamp, then I thought that it was possible to solve Klaussner’s problem in the same way.
The condition to activate the technique was very troublesome.
………………。
…………。
……。
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“Your face is getting a bit red, are you feeling-…”
“I-it’s nothing!”
I quickly shook my head.
Captain-san got even more worried, so I desperately tried to convince him that I was okay. And somehow managed to do it.
There’s no way I can explain why my face is getting red!
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
A little while after the sun rose, only the clatter of equipment was heard throughout the distillation room.
I could occasionally hear the voices of the pharmacists, but they were all quiet in their work.
I was also silently making potions without exception.
A few days have passed since I had the discussion with Captain-san and the demon subjugations are finally starting tomorrow.
It wasn’t like they didn’t need potions at all, just because I was going with them.
It didn’t hurt to be prepared, so I was making potions for tomorrow.
“I’ve heard the rumours, but you’re really extraordinary,” I couldn’t help but shiver because I was surprised by the voice behind me.
I turned back while raising a shocked voice, and Leo-san was standing there with an expression that matched his tone.
When did he get here?
I’d imagined that it would get lively whenever Leo-san came to the distillation room, but I didn’t notice it today.
I was so immersed in my work that I could barely hear the noises around me.
That aside, there was a word that worried me.
“A rumour, you say?”
“Yeah. I heard that the new pharmacist can make a considerable amount of potions.”
His gaze was fixated on the potions on top of the table, and it was a gaze I always see.
To be more specific, it was the same gaze that Jude, Director and Corinna-san had.
“Where did you hear that, rumour?”
“Of course, it came from here. Also, from my guys.”
“The mercenaries?”
“They always come here to pick up potions, don’t they? Some of them saw you while you were making potions.”
It seemed that the mercenaries also saw me making potions.
Even though I wasn’t careful not to be seen, I still subconsciously tried to be careful anyway.
I looked downwards, and it seemed like Leo-san misunderstood my action, since he said in a panic, “Ah… I’m sorry. I’ll be careful of how I talk.”
“Huh?”
“Eh? Is that not it?”
“What do you mean?”
“No, because you might think something like I shouldn’t talk like that to the 【Saint-sama】…”
“I don’t. I don’t mind if you talk to me normally. Rather, I’m bothered if you change the way you talk.”
I was wondering why he suddenly changed the way he spoke, and it seemed that he’d just remembered that I was the 【Saint】.
And because I was looking downwards, he misunderstood and thought that I had been offended by his attitude.
He totally got it wrong.
If he’d talked like that from the beginning, then it would have been fine, but to change the way he spoke half-way through a conversation is a little…
I don’t mind if he speaks in a friendly way, but it feels like he’s putting distance between us when he talks all formal and it hurts a little.
“I see. Then I’ll act like normal.”
“Please do.”
“Nah, it’s easier for me too. I’m horrible with formal stuff,” Leo said and smiled widely.
I was lured in by his smile and smiled as well.
I was relieved that he would act normal around me and once again, brought the conversation back to the rumour.
According to Leo-san, after the first eyewitness came back to the mercenary group, he made a big fuss about the extraordinary amount of potions the new pharmacist was making.
The mercenary told everyone about what he saw, but no one believed him at first.
Well, of course, they wouldn’t.
Because he told them that Intermediate Potions, which normal pharmacists could only make 10 of in a day, were rapidly being arranged as they were finished, and covered up a whole desk.
But, the first eyewitness insisted that it was true and the others got curious, so under the pretext of picking up potions, they started to come to the distillation room in turns, to see it for themselves.
No wonder a different person came to pick up the potions each time.
Needless to say, the result was that the testimony of the first witness was proven correct.
“So, you came to confirm it as well, Leo-san?”
“Oh, well yeah.”
From the flow of the conversation, I thought that Leo-san had also come to confirm the rumour, but he was vague.
Did he have another objective?
I tilted my head in confusion and looked up at him, and he scratched his head while speaking heavily, “Are these potions for the Knight Order?”
“Yes. I’ve already finished the ones for the mercenary group.”
“I see, I mean that’s not it…”
I wondered if he was worried that I was putting off the potions for the mercenaries, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
It didn’t seem like he was going to keep talking, so I started working again and waited for him to continue.
“Oh, are you going on the next subjugation as well?”
“I am. I came here from the Royal Capital for this.”
“With the Knight Order, right?”
“Yes.”
The thing that was so hard for him to talk about was related to the demon subjugations.
I wonder why he’s asking that. I looked up at Leo-san, and he looked worried.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, well, I was wondering if you’d be alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“At the subjugation.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know that you’ve been to the forest to subjugate demons before, but I’m still worried.”
“Are you worried about my ability on the battlefield?”
“Rather than that…”
I tilted my head wondering what he was worried about and Leo-san explained it to me while pausing a lot.
Leo-san knew that I went to Ghosh Forest on a subjugation mission because of a rumour.
In addition to this, he heard a little about the subjugation from Captain-san.
He knew that I was supporting the knights like a typical court mage would.
But, there was a difference in strength between the demons at Ghosh Forest and the demons at Klaussner Forest.
He was worried about me coming along on the subjugation, regardless of how many I’ve been on before.
Even if the demons in Klaussner have decreased for a while now, there was still a lot of them.
Nevertheless, they had only decreased near the city, and only for demons which appear in the grasslands, therefore they hadn’t decreased much inside the forest, which was far from the city.
In this world, the demons that appeared in the forests were stronger than ones that appeared in the grassland.
Also, the demons that appeared in Klaussner were stronger than the ones that appeared in the Royal Capital.
From those things, the subjugation this time would probably be harsher than the one at Ghosh Forest.
Leo-san was quite right to worry.
“I can’t say anything since I’ve never been in the forest here, but I don’t think I would suddenly go into the deepest part of the forest; so it will be fine.”
“Well, the demons deep inside the forest are stronger. And if you were suddenly to say that you wanted to go to the inner parts, then the knights would be the first ones to stop you.”
“You’re right. I would stop myself too.”
“I guess so. As you said, slowly go into the inner parts of the forest after you’ve checked out your surroundings, okay?”
“Okay. I’m quite strong, even if I look like this,” I laughed and joked, and Leo-san joked back, “Oh? You’re full of confidence.”
Well, it’s not a joke, my basic level might be the highest in this world.
I didn’t say this out loud though.
“Even if I’m participating, I’ll be in the support group so I won’t go out on the frontlines. The knights are escorting me.”
“I see. So, there was no point in me worry, now, is there?”
“No, thank you very much for worrying about me.”
I’m happy that he’s worried about me.
Since Leo-san manages the mercenary groups, he’s very helpful.
He’s worried about me even though I’m not in the mercenary group, and he even came to see how I am.
After that, Leo-san talked about what it was like inside of the forest and left the distillation room.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
Early in the morning, I headed to Feudal Lord-sama’s office with Captain-san.
I will be going on subjugations with them from now on, so I gave my greetings to Feudal Lord-sama before we left.
Feudal Lord-sama said a very noble-like speech, but in short, he was telling me to be careful and return safely.
Captain-san had explained things to me beforehand, and I wouldn’t go flying off on the first day, so I should probably be fine.
“Are we leaving after everyone’s gathered?”
“Yeah. After I give them a simple speech.”
“Do I need to do anything?”
“Mm? Are you also going to say words of encouragement to them?”
“No, thanks.”
I talked with Captain-san about the arrangements as we walked towards where everyone was gathered.
I almost stepped on a landmine, but it looks like I was able to avoid it.
It was impossible for me to do something so conspicuous.
Though, he was probably joking.
Captain-san’s shoulders shook a little when I refused him.
He placed his hands over his mouth. It looked as if he was trying not to laugh.
Lately, isn’t he treating me the same way Director does?
Are they kindred spirits because they’re childhood friends?
I glared at him, and this time, he didn’t hold back and laughed loudly.
The mercenaries were also joining in this subjugation, so it was probably because of that.
Although, this was the only time that there would be a lot of people.
I heard that a lot of mercenary groups would be participating this time because this was the first time that the 【Saint】was participating.
I headed towards the carriage, but the mercenaries didn’t notice me even though I was close to them, because I was wearing similar robes as the court mages and had my hood on.
Just then, a court mage had walked by, so they probably didn’t notice because they were distracted.
“Here.”
I stared at Captain-san’s hand as he offered it to me when I tried to get onto the carriage.
I glanced up and saw him smiling at me.
Uh… Oh yeah, he’s escorting me?
“Thank you very much,” I was nervous, but somehow managed to thank him with a smile. I put my fingertips on the hand he had offered.
Uooah… I’m still not used to this.
We rode a horse together a lot in the Royal Capital, so we became close enough to joke with each other.
I thought that I had gotten used to touching Captain-san, but I still got nervous when our hands touched, even if he was escorting me.
Can he tell what I’m thinking? When I boarded the carriage, it looked like he was going to let go, but instead, he squeezed my fingertips.
It was only for a moment, but this attack was enough to make my cheeks heat up.
I sat down and looked back at Captain-san with scornful eyes, and he laughed with a face that said, ‘Got you’.
So he’d planned this?
The carriage door closed and Captain-san walked towards the Knights’ location.
Soon after, Captain-san’s speech ended, and we departed.
Act like normal. Be normal.
I have to concentrate on the subjugation.
I thought such things as I looked at the scenery.
“Sei, we’ll be there in a bit.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
Captain-san, who rode a horse, came to the carriage just before we arrived at our destination to tell me that we were nearly there.
Our destination was pretty close, and it only took an hour to get here.
I stretched while sitting and opened the bag at my side.
We arrived just as I’d finished confirming that the knife and potions I had put in the bag were there in case something happened.
Just like when I got on the carriage, Captain-san lent me his hand so that I could get off the carriage.
“Uhnnn ~~~~~.”
“Haha, are you tired?”
“No, my body’s a little stiff because I’ve been sitting this whole time.”
I stretched as much as I could when I went outside.
Even though I’d stretched once inside the carriage, it wasn’t enough.
I was a little embarrassed because Captain-san laughed at me.
“W-we’re finally here! It’s my first time entering a Klaussner forest, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Because you’re curious about what kind of medicinal herbs are grown here?”
“Yes! I mean, no…”
“You’re the same as always. It might be difficult while we’re subjugating, but you can look around a little during break time. I’ll come with you.”
“No, I don’t want to bother you, Hawk-sama.”
I tried to forcibly change the subject, but that didn’t work, and my true intentions leaked out.
I was exposed magnificently, and it was useless for me to try and quickly smooth it over.
Who on earth was the one who decided to focus on subjugation inside of the carriage?
Even though this is Captain-san, I’m not careful enough.
We’re going into the forest now, will I be okay like this?
I’m a little worried about myself.
Captain-san’s attitude changed when he noticed that someone had gotten close to us while I was at my wit’s end with my thoughts.
I looked at where Captain-san was looking and saw Leo-san.
“Leo-san?”
“Hey!”
I heard that some of the mercenaries were coming with us today, but it seemed that the leader, Leo-san, also came.
Captain’s eyes looked dead as he looked at Leo-san who was raising his hand and waving in a friendly way.
Ermm, is it because of that?
He doesn’t think that Leo-san’s attitude is appropriate towards the 【Saint】?
Manners are important, but I didn’t want him to be too strict since being friendly was better than the stiff formalities.
It might be better for me to tell Captain-san this.
My eyes roamed between them, and Leo-san turned towards Captain-san and slightly bowed his head.
“I look forward to working together today.”
“Yes, you too. We did investigate the forest, but you probably know more about it than us.”
“Sorry to bother you. I look forward to working with you, too, 【Saint-sama】.”
“Huh?”
My eyes widened at suddenly being called 【Saint】and Leo-san glanced at Captain-san.
Ah, don’t tell me…
“Me too, I look forward to working with you. I’m not very good with formalities, so I’d appreciate it if you treated me the same as before.”
“… She said it herself, so I don’t mind.”
“Thank you very much. I’ll do as you wish.”
Leo-san gave off a sketchy feeling, but surprisingly, he could act like a proper person.
Good job!
I gave him a thumbs up in my mind, and he dashed off where he’d come from after saying, “Then, I’ll see you later.”
He switches over pretty fast.
I couldn’t help but laugh and looked up at Captain-san, who was also looking at me, and his eyes had softened.
“Let’s leave after we rest a bit.”
“Okay. I’ll boil some water over there. Shall I prepare some tea?”
“No, the servants prepared ours for us. Let’s drink it together.”
“Okay.”
Even though the forest was close, we’d travelled a considerable amount of distance, so we were talking a break before entering the forest.
Like Captain-san said, the servants had prepared our tea.
They even prepared stools.
We sat on the stools, and I talked with Captain-san while we were resting a little and the others seemed to have finished their preparations.
I passed the cup to the servants, and we began tidying up the surrounding area.
Then, we continued on and moved into the forest one by one.
At a glance, the vegetation that grew in Klaussner forest didn’t seem much different from the ones at the Royal Capital.
However, I could also see herbs that didn’t grow in the Royal Capital here as well.
“What are you looking at?”
“I was just wondering if there are any herbs I’ve never seen before.
“Herbs? You’re not a pharmacist, are you?”
“I’m a researcher at the Medicinal Herbs Research Institute.”
“Aren’t you the 【Saint】?”
“Well, I am. But I want to keep that as a side job if possible.”
Leo-san, who was walking next to me, cracked up laughing when I mentioned my own wishes.
The knights were split into groups like the time at the West Forest.
The mercenaries were split into two groups, and there were mercenaries in my group too.
All the mercenaries except for Leo-san were in the vanguard, and Leo-san was with me.
Incidentally, Captain-san was on my left.
“Hey, oi. Can you say something like that?” Leo-san referred to Captain-san with his eyes and said in a quiet voice.
I swallowed down the words that I nearly carelessly uttered.
“It’s fine. It’s not a problem,” Captain-san said the words that I’d swallowed down.
I wanted someone to compliment me for not spouting those words out.
“How strange,” Leo-san muttered when we’d walked for a while.
“What is?”
“There’s a lot fewer demons than I thought there would be.”
“Oh.”
I tilted my head in confusion and asked him what it was, and he said the same thing that the knights had said about the forests around the Royal Capital.
I didn’t see it myself, but I heard that the demons around the Royal Capital had decreased ever since they used the 【Saint Summoning Ceremony】, and it seemed that the same thing was happening in Klaussner.
In fact, Captain-san, who had heard Leo-san’s mutter, had a face that said he’d expected this.
“So, they have decreased after all?”
“Yes. I heard from the knights that they’ve decreased, but still, there’s not a lot of demons here.”
“It’s like the Royal Capital.”
“Heh.”
Leo-san has been treating Captain-san like a noble.
At least he was treating me friendlier because 【I】had asked him to.
If not, he might say take a gab at me to other people.
Come to think of it, Saul Forest, the first forest I went to located to the south of the Royal Capital, was also like this.
The demons didn’t come out even though we’d entered the forest.
This forest had stronger demons, and it wasn’t like they didn’t appear at all; we did encounter a few.
But apparently, there were less than what Leo-san and Captain-san had expected.
Of course, I know the reason.
Therefore, I want you two to stop staring at me.
Translator: Blushy
Editor: Sam
Now that I found out the condition for activating the 【Saint】technique, I could freely use it.
I was at my wit’s end because of it.
I could never have imagined that the activation condition was for me to think about Captain-san!
Having to think of him every time I activate the technique, what kind of shame play is this?
I couldn’t say it, but I couldn’t help but scream in my mind…
However, I was grateful that I could proceed with my medicinal herb experiment now that I can activate it.
Since I couldn’t proceed at all before.
My experiment was to grow herbs which needed a unique condition to be cultivated.
That condition was called blessing so I couldn’t view it as a plant cultivation condition.
That blessing was actually the 【Saint】technique.
My experiment hadn’t proceeded at all because I hadn’t been able to activate the technique, but now I can finally make some progress. I feel happy.
I immediately headed to the distillation room to tell Corinna-san that I wanted to do the blessing experiment and in return, she prepared everything for me. Then, we headed towards the herb fields at the back of the castle.
I could start the experiment once everything was ready.
I was enthusiastic, but the experiment was straightforward.
I bless the flowerpots that have been prepared for me and sow the seeds.
That’s all.
And then I just have to observe whether the herbs were growing properly.
We were about to head back to the distillation room after I sowed a variety of seeds when Leo-san approached us.
I’d thought that we just happened to pass each other, but nope.
He had come to invite me to join the mercenaries.
Thank you for needing me.
But, I’m not going to be in Klaussner forever, so I can’t join the mercenaries.
I was going to politely decline, but then Captain-san showed up.
I couldn’t help but gasp, because Captain-san was different from his usual self. He was engulfed in an aura that was appropriate for the title of ‘Ice Knight-sama’.
Although, Captain-san’s icy gaze was directed at Leo-san.
Leo-san had gotten so hyped up while inviting me that he’d grabbed my shoulders, so Captain-san probably thought we were arguing.
The aura around Captain-san softened a little after the situation had been explained to him.
Then, Leo-san noticed something when I told him the reason for why I couldn’t join the mercenaries.
“No, wait. Are you perhaps the 【Saint】?” Leo-san said while looking stunned as we stood in the herbs field behind the castle.
I realised that I hadn’t told him I was the 【Saint】when I saw his stunned expression.
“Did I not tell you?”
“You didn’t! It hurts!”
So I didn’t tell him…
I smiled awkwardly and got the answer I expected to hear.
Thinking back, I have a feeling that I only told him my name.
I tried brushing it off with a smile, and Leo-san was like a professional actor with the way he retorted so vigorously.
Soon after, he was struck by Corinna-san.
“I will introduce myself again, I am the 【Saint】, Sei Takanashi.”
Yup, I have mixed feelings about introducing myself as the 【Saint】.
But, does this mean that I have to introduce myself like that every time now?
If possible, I want to refrain from doing so.
I frowned inside, and Leo-san looked uncomfortable before saying something that I couldn’t understand, “Thank you for being thoughtful.”
Corinna-san seemed shocked at Leo-san.
“That’s why she can’t join the mercenaries. Do you have any other questions?”
“Oh, no……”
“Then, that’s enough, right? I also have business with her,” Captain-san judged that the conversation had ended and called out to Leo-san.
Even though he looked more relaxed than when he’d first arrived, he looked sterner than usual because he had a poker-face on.
I probably wasn’t imagining things when I heard his voice sound a little snappy.
Leo-san must have felt the same because he decided not to say anything even though his face showed that he had something to say.
He bowed and then left.
“Well, then, I guess I’ll go back too.”
Corinna-san walked away briskly, leaving me by myself.
“Huh?” I was surprised and called out to her.
“You two have something to talk about, don’t you?” She turned back and answered.
Ah, yes.
Captain-san said he had some kind of business with me, didn’t he?
Corinna-san sighed in relief and headed towards the distillation room after noticing I understood her.
Only Captain-san and I remained in this enormous herbs field.
“Are you in the middle of work?” I stared blankly at Corinna-san’s back when a voice called out to me from beside me.
I looked up and saw Captain-san looking at the flowerpots on the shelves.
His expression changed completely from the poker-face he had on into an apologetic one.
I quickly told him, “Ah, no. I just finished.” He looked relieved.
“I don’t even need to ask you, ‘What are you growing.’.”
“Medicinal herbs.”
“I figured.”
“What do you mean by that? You figured?” I pouted and protested, only for Captain-san to laugh.
But he’d know straight away that we were growing medicinal herbs since I was working with the head of the distillation room, Corinna-san.
I don’t want him to think that I love medicinal herbs.
“By the way, you said you had business with me?”
“Ah, yes. There’s something I want to talk to you about. Standing here and talking is a little… Let’s move somewhere else.”
I wonder what it’s about.
It seems like the conversation will take a while since he suggested we move.
Then, I wonder if it’s better for us to talk calmly in a room somewhere.
I thought and began to walk as prompted by Captain-san.
We talked about Leo-san for some reason while walking.
However, I didn’t have much to say about him.
We only greeted each other when we met, and then I helped him out a bit, but that was all.
So, I couldn’t really answer even if I’m asked what I talk to him about.
I mainly talked about potions when I was talking about how I helped him out, and Captain-san smiled.
“I also met the other mercenaries recently, and they all praised how highly effective the potions were.”
“Pfft, really?”
Then, I started talking about how the other mercenaries complimented the potions as well, Captain-san started laughing.
When I asked him what was wrong, he smiled and told me.
He remembered the time when the potions were first sold to the Knight Order.
Now that he mentioned it, the knights also reacted the same way the mercenaries had at the beginning.
I remembered that time and my mouth also drew into an arc.
Captain-san’s aura also returned to normal while we were talking.
I’m glad that we didn’t end up walking silently while he was feeling edgy.
It’s mentally painful to walk alone with someone while they’re like that.
“He seemed really enthusiastic when he was recruiting you. Has this happened before?”
“No. This is the first time he’s tried to recruit me.”
“This is the first time…”
It seemed like he was thinking about something because Captain-san put his hand on his chin and looked down.
But, he probably couldn’t come up with an answer because the wrinkle on his brow deepened.
“Do you have any idea why he tried to recruit you?”
“The reason why?”
It appears that he was thinking of the reason why Leo-san was recruiting me.
I already have a hunch.
“I healed the mercenaries with magic after they returned from subjugation the other day. I think it’s because of that.”
“With magic?”
“At first, I thought about giving them potions from the distillation room, but they said it would be a waste, so…”
I talked about what happened the other day, and the wrinkle on Captain-san’s brow remained as he stared at me.
This look, it’s the so-called, scornful look.
Erm, is it bad? It’s bad, isn’t it?
I quietly turned away from his gaze and heard a big sigh.
I’m sorry for everything.
I apologised in my mind, and we reached our destination.
Captain-san led me to the place where the knights were staying.
We entered Captain-san’s office, and I was urged to sit down in the lounge suite.
Since he brought me here, does that mean he wants to talk about the demon subjugation?
We sat down on the sofa, both let out a breath, and I spoke, “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“About the plans from here on out.”
“If it’s about the plans, then we’ll be talking about the demon subjugation?”
“Yes, we’ve already completed the first stage of the investigation, so we’ll start the subjugation soon.”
It’s finally starting.
When the word “subjugation” left Captain-san’s mouth, I switched to work mode.
I straightened my back.
I heard the knights’ report before, but they were still investigating the surrounding areas.
And, the investigation into those areas was completed yesterday.
After that, Captain-san told me about what he knew about the demons in this area.
The number of demons hadn’t changed from the report I heard before.
There seemed to be as many as there were around the Royal Capital before.
According to the locals, there were more demons now compared to the past.
However, according to the mercenaries, they felt like the demons had decreased recently.
To be more specific, they said that the demons have been decreasing ever since the Knight Order arrived.
I have a hunch for why this was.
Captain-san smiled wryly and said, “It’s like what happened at the Royal Capital,” so all I could do was return his wry smile.
“It is.”
As for the number of demons, there seemed to have been a good change since we’ve arrived in Klaussner.
The problem lied within the quality of the demons appearing around Klaussner.
Higher-ranked demons, than what appeared at the Royal Capital, appeared in Klaussner.
Demons having a high-rank meant that they were strong.
I thought it was like a role-playing game that I played before in Japan.
In the game, stronger monsters appeared when you move away from the first town.
I wonder if stronger demons will also appear in this world the further from the Royal Capital you were.
Can’t be, right……?
Leaving jokes aside.
Even if the same amount of demons appear, the subjugation would, of course, be harder if those demons were of higher-rank.
The knights who were chosen to work at the Royal Palace were the best of the best, and there were a lot of strong people amongst them, but they’ve only been subjugating around the Royal Capital lately.
The demons that appeared in Klaussner were different from the ones that appeared in the Royal Capital so they would need to change the way they fight.
Of course, it seems like Captain-san will take caution, but I think more people would get injured in this subjugation compared to the Royal Capital subjugation.
There was also a limit to how much you could heal with potions if the number of injured people increase.
That’s where recovery magic comes into play.
“Then, that means I’ll be joining the subjugation next time, right?”
“Sorry. There are people in the Court Mage Division participating in this mission, but a lot of them can’t use recovery magic.”
“I don’t mind. I participated with the intent of doing just that.”
Yes, my main job here is subjugation, making potions is a hobby.
I didn’t say this out loud but kept it in my mind.
“We searched around places that are possible to go to within a day but didn’t find the swamp in question. The demons are strong, but I don’t think we’ll have to deal with a lot at once like we did at the West Forest.”
“The swamp in question?”
“The black swamp from the West Forest. I thought that there might be one here as well because of how fast the demons are increasing…”
I see, so they didn’t find that swamp?
When I came to Klaussner, I couldn’t activate the 【Saint】technique whenever I wanted, so I was honestly worried about what to do if they’d found the black swamp.
But, it’s different now.
It’s still a bit unrefined, but I can produce that golden magic now, so I’m a little disappointed that they didn’t find a black swamp.
The number of demons around the Royal Capital decreased in an instant when I purified that black swamp.
If we found a swamp, then I thought that it was possible to solve Klaussner’s problem in the same way.
The condition to activate the technique was very troublesome.
………………。
…………。
……。
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
“Your face is getting a bit red, are you feeling-…”
“I-it’s nothing!”
I quickly shook my head.
Captain-san got even more worried, so I desperately tried to convince him that I was okay. And somehow managed to do it.
There’s no way I can explain why my face is getting red!
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
A little while after the sun rose, only the clatter of equipment was heard throughout the distillation room.
I could occasionally hear the voices of the pharmacists, but they were all quiet in their work.
I was also silently making potions without exception.
A few days have passed since I had the discussion with Captain-san and the demon subjugations are finally starting tomorrow.
It wasn’t like they didn’t need potions at all, just because I was going with them.
It didn’t hurt to be prepared, so I was making potions for tomorrow.
“I’ve heard the rumours, but you’re really extraordinary,” I couldn’t help but shiver because I was surprised by the voice behind me.
I turned back while raising a shocked voice, and Leo-san was standing there with an expression that matched his tone.
When did he get here?
I’d imagined that it would get lively whenever Leo-san came to the distillation room, but I didn’t notice it today.
I was so immersed in my work that I could barely hear the noises around me.
That aside, there was a word that worried me.
“A rumour, you say?”
“Yeah. I heard that the new pharmacist can make a considerable amount of potions.”
His gaze was fixated on the potions on top of the table, and it was a gaze I always see.
To be more specific, it was the same gaze that Jude, Director and Corinna-san had.
“Where did you hear that, rumour?”
“Of course, it came from here. Also, from my guys.”
“The mercenaries?”
“They always come here to pick up potions, don’t they? Some of them saw you while you were making potions.”
It seemed that the mercenaries also saw me making potions.
Even though I wasn’t careful not to be seen, I still subconsciously tried to be careful anyway.
I looked downwards, and it seemed like Leo-san misunderstood my action, since he said in a panic, “Ah… I’m sorry. I’ll be careful of how I talk.”
“Huh?”
“Eh? Is that not it?”
“What do you mean?”
“No, because you might think something like I shouldn’t talk like that to the 【Saint-sama】…”
“I don’t. I don’t mind if you talk to me normally. Rather, I’m bothered if you change the way you talk.”
I was wondering why he suddenly changed the way he spoke, and it seemed that he’d just remembered that I was the 【Saint】.
And because I was looking downwards, he misunderstood and thought that I had been offended by his attitude.
He totally got it wrong.
If he’d talked like that from the beginning, then it would have been fine, but to change the way he spoke half-way through a conversation is a little…
I don’t mind if he speaks in a friendly way, but it feels like he’s putting distance between us when he talks all formal and it hurts a little.
“I see. Then I’ll act like normal.”
“Please do.”
“Nah, it’s easier for me too. I’m horrible with formal stuff,” Leo said and smiled widely.
I was lured in by his smile and smiled as well.
I was relieved that he would act normal around me and once again, brought the conversation back to the rumour.
According to Leo-san, after the first eyewitness came back to the mercenary group, he made a big fuss about the extraordinary amount of potions the new pharmacist was making.
The mercenary told everyone about what he saw, but no one believed him at first.
Well, of course, they wouldn’t.
Because he told them that Intermediate Potions, which normal pharmacists could only make 10 of in a day, were rapidly being arranged as they were finished, and covered up a whole desk.
But, the first eyewitness insisted that it was true and the others got curious, so under the pretext of picking up potions, they started to come to the distillation room in turns, to see it for themselves.
No wonder a different person came to pick up the potions each time.
Needless to say, the result was that the testimony of the first witness was proven correct.
“So, you came to confirm it as well, Leo-san?”
“Oh, well yeah.”
From the flow of the conversation, I thought that Leo-san had also come to confirm the rumour, but he was vague.
Did he have another objective?
I tilted my head in confusion and looked up at him, and he scratched his head while speaking heavily, “Are these potions for the Knight Order?”
“Yes. I’ve already finished the ones for the mercenary group.”
“I see, I mean that’s not it…”
I wondered if he was worried that I was putting off the potions for the mercenaries, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
It didn’t seem like he was going to keep talking, so I started working again and waited for him to continue.
“Oh, are you going on the next subjugation as well?”
“I am. I came here from the Royal Capital for this.”
“With the Knight Order, right?”
“Yes.”
The thing that was so hard for him to talk about was related to the demon subjugations.
I wonder why he’s asking that. I looked up at Leo-san, and he looked worried.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, well, I was wondering if you’d be alright.”
“What do you mean?”
“At the subjugation.”
“Excuse me?”
“I know that you’ve been to the forest to subjugate demons before, but I’m still worried.”
“Are you worried about my ability on the battlefield?”
“Rather than that…”
I tilted my head wondering what he was worried about and Leo-san explained it to me while pausing a lot.
Leo-san knew that I went to Ghosh Forest on a subjugation mission because of a rumour.
In addition to this, he heard a little about the subjugation from Captain-san.
He knew that I was supporting the knights like a typical court mage would.
But, there was a difference in strength between the demons at Ghosh Forest and the demons at Klaussner Forest.
He was worried about me coming along on the subjugation, regardless of how many I’ve been on before.
Even if the demons in Klaussner have decreased for a while now, there was still a lot of them.
Nevertheless, they had only decreased near the city, and only for demons which appear in the grasslands, therefore they hadn’t decreased much inside the forest, which was far from the city.
In this world, the demons that appeared in the forests were stronger than ones that appeared in the grassland.
Also, the demons that appeared in Klaussner were stronger than the ones that appeared in the Royal Capital.
From those things, the subjugation this time would probably be harsher than the one at Ghosh Forest.
Leo-san was quite right to worry.
“I can’t say anything since I’ve never been in the forest here, but I don’t think I would suddenly go into the deepest part of the forest; so it will be fine.”
“Well, the demons deep inside the forest are stronger. And if you were suddenly to say that you wanted to go to the inner parts, then the knights would be the first ones to stop you.”
“You’re right. I would stop myself too.”
“I guess so. As you said, slowly go into the inner parts of the forest after you’ve checked out your surroundings, okay?”
“Okay. I’m quite strong, even if I look like this,” I laughed and joked, and Leo-san joked back, “Oh? You’re full of confidence.”
Well, it’s not a joke, my basic level might be the highest in this world.
I didn’t say this out loud though.
“Even if I’m participating, I’ll be in the support group so I won’t go out on the frontlines. The knights are escorting me.”
“I see. So, there was no point in me worry, now, is there?”
“No, thank you very much for worrying about me.”
I’m happy that he’s worried about me.
Since Leo-san manages the mercenary groups, he’s very helpful.
He’s worried about me even though I’m not in the mercenary group, and he even came to see how I am.
After that, Leo-san talked about what it was like inside of the forest and left the distillation room.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
Early in the morning, I headed to Feudal Lord-sama’s office with Captain-san.
I will be going on subjugations with them from now on, so I gave my greetings to Feudal Lord-sama before we left.
Feudal Lord-sama said a very noble-like speech, but in short, he was telling me to be careful and return safely.
Captain-san had explained things to me beforehand, and I wouldn’t go flying off on the first day, so I should probably be fine.
“Are we leaving after everyone’s gathered?”
“Yeah. After I give them a simple speech.”
“Do I need to do anything?”
“Mm? Are you also going to say words of encouragement to them?”
“No, thanks.”
I talked with Captain-san about the arrangements as we walked towards where everyone was gathered.
I almost stepped on a landmine, but it looks like I was able to avoid it.
It was impossible for me to do something so conspicuous.
Though, he was probably joking.
Captain-san’s shoulders shook a little when I refused him.
He placed his hands over his mouth. It looked as if he was trying not to laugh.
Lately, isn’t he treating me the same way Director does?
Are they kindred spirits because they’re childhood friends?
I glared at him, and this time, he didn’t hold back and laughed loudly.
The mercenaries were also joining in this subjugation, so it was probably because of that.
Although, this was the only time that there would be a lot of people.
I heard that a lot of mercenary groups would be participating this time because this was the first time that the 【Saint】was participating.
I headed towards the carriage, but the mercenaries didn’t notice me even though I was close to them, because I was wearing similar robes as the court mages and had my hood on.
Just then, a court mage had walked by, so they probably didn’t notice because they were distracted.
“Here.”
I stared at Captain-san’s hand as he offered it to me when I tried to get onto the carriage.
I glanced up and saw him smiling at me.
Uh… Oh yeah, he’s escorting me?
“Thank you very much,” I was nervous, but somehow managed to thank him with a smile. I put my fingertips on the hand he had offered.
Uooah… I’m still not used to this.
We rode a horse together a lot in the Royal Capital, so we became close enough to joke with each other.
I thought that I had gotten used to touching Captain-san, but I still got nervous when our hands touched, even if he was escorting me.
Can he tell what I’m thinking? When I boarded the carriage, it looked like he was going to let go, but instead, he squeezed my fingertips.
It was only for a moment, but this attack was enough to make my cheeks heat up.
I sat down and looked back at Captain-san with scornful eyes, and he laughed with a face that said, ‘Got you’.
So he’d planned this?
The carriage door closed and Captain-san walked towards the Knights’ location.
Soon after, Captain-san’s speech ended, and we departed.
Act like normal. Be normal.
I have to concentrate on the subjugation.
I thought such things as I looked at the scenery.
“Sei, we’ll be there in a bit.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
Captain-san, who rode a horse, came to the carriage just before we arrived at our destination to tell me that we were nearly there.
Our destination was pretty close, and it only took an hour to get here.
I stretched while sitting and opened the bag at my side.
We arrived just as I’d finished confirming that the knife and potions I had put in the bag were there in case something happened.
Just like when I got on the carriage, Captain-san lent me his hand so that I could get off the carriage.
“Uhnnn ~~~~~.”
“Haha, are you tired?”
“No, my body’s a little stiff because I’ve been sitting this whole time.”
I stretched as much as I could when I went outside.
Even though I’d stretched once inside the carriage, it wasn’t enough.
I was a little embarrassed because Captain-san laughed at me.
“W-we’re finally here! It’s my first time entering a Klaussner forest, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“Because you’re curious about what kind of medicinal herbs are grown here?”
“Yes! I mean, no…”
“You’re the same as always. It might be difficult while we’re subjugating, but you can look around a little during break time. I’ll come with you.”
“No, I don’t want to bother you, Hawk-sama.”
I tried to forcibly change the subject, but that didn’t work, and my true intentions leaked out.
I was exposed magnificently, and it was useless for me to try and quickly smooth it over.
Who on earth was the one who decided to focus on subjugation inside of the carriage?
Even though this is Captain-san, I’m not careful enough.
We’re going into the forest now, will I be okay like this?
I’m a little worried about myself.
Captain-san’s attitude changed when he noticed that someone had gotten close to us while I was at my wit’s end with my thoughts.
I looked at where Captain-san was looking and saw Leo-san.
“Leo-san?”
“Hey!”
I heard that some of the mercenaries were coming with us today, but it seemed that the leader, Leo-san, also came.
Captain’s eyes looked dead as he looked at Leo-san who was raising his hand and waving in a friendly way.
Ermm, is it because of that?
He doesn’t think that Leo-san’s attitude is appropriate towards the 【Saint】?
Manners are important, but I didn’t want him to be too strict since being friendly was better than the stiff formalities.
It might be better for me to tell Captain-san this.
My eyes roamed between them, and Leo-san turned towards Captain-san and slightly bowed his head.
“I look forward to working together today.”
“Yes, you too. We did investigate the forest, but you probably know more about it than us.”
“Sorry to bother you. I look forward to working with you, too, 【Saint-sama】.”
“Huh?”
My eyes widened at suddenly being called 【Saint】and Leo-san glanced at Captain-san.
Ah, don’t tell me…
“Me too, I look forward to working with you. I’m not very good with formalities, so I’d appreciate it if you treated me the same as before.”
“… She said it herself, so I don’t mind.”
“Thank you very much. I’ll do as you wish.”
Leo-san gave off a sketchy feeling, but surprisingly, he could act like a proper person.
Good job!
I gave him a thumbs up in my mind, and he dashed off where he’d come from after saying, “Then, I’ll see you later.”
He switches over pretty fast.
I couldn’t help but laugh and looked up at Captain-san, who was also looking at me, and his eyes had softened.
“Let’s leave after we rest a bit.”
“Okay. I’ll boil some water over there. Shall I prepare some tea?”
“No, the servants prepared ours for us. Let’s drink it together.”
“Okay.”
Even though the forest was close, we’d travelled a considerable amount of distance, so we were talking a break before entering the forest.
Like Captain-san said, the servants had prepared our tea.
They even prepared stools.
We sat on the stools, and I talked with Captain-san while we were resting a little and the others seemed to have finished their preparations.
I passed the cup to the servants, and we began tidying up the surrounding area.
Then, we continued on and moved into the forest one by one.
At a glance, the vegetation that grew in Klaussner forest didn’t seem much different from the ones at the Royal Capital.
However, I could also see herbs that didn’t grow in the Royal Capital here as well.
“What are you looking at?”
“I was just wondering if there are any herbs I’ve never seen before.
“Herbs? You’re not a pharmacist, are you?”
“I’m a researcher at the Medicinal Herbs Research Institute.”
“Aren’t you the 【Saint】?”
“Well, I am. But I want to keep that as a side job if possible.”
Leo-san, who was walking next to me, cracked up laughing when I mentioned my own wishes.
The knights were split into groups like the time at the West Forest.
The mercenaries were split into two groups, and there were mercenaries in my group too.
All the mercenaries except for Leo-san were in the vanguard, and Leo-san was with me.
Incidentally, Captain-san was on my left.
“Hey, oi. Can you say something like that?” Leo-san referred to Captain-san with his eyes and said in a quiet voice.
I swallowed down the words that I nearly carelessly uttered.
“It’s fine. It’s not a problem,” Captain-san said the words that I’d swallowed down.
I wanted someone to compliment me for not spouting those words out.
“How strange,” Leo-san muttered when we’d walked for a while.
“What is?”
“There’s a lot fewer demons than I thought there would be.”
“Oh.”
I tilted my head in confusion and asked him what it was, and he said the same thing that the knights had said about the forests around the Royal Capital.
I didn’t see it myself, but I heard that the demons around the Royal Capital had decreased ever since they used the 【Saint Summoning Ceremony】, and it seemed that the same thing was happening in Klaussner.
In fact, Captain-san, who had heard Leo-san’s mutter, had a face that said he’d expected this.
“So, they have decreased after all?”
“Yes. I heard from the knights that they’ve decreased, but still, there’s not a lot of demons here.”
“It’s like the Royal Capital.”
“Heh.”
Leo-san has been treating Captain-san like a noble.
At least he was treating me friendlier because 【I】had asked him to.
If not, he might say take a gab at me to other people.
Come to think of it, Saul Forest, the first forest I went to located to the south of the Royal Capital, was also like this.
The demons didn’t come out even though we’d entered the forest.
This forest had stronger demons, and it wasn’t like they didn’t appear at all; we did encounter a few.
But apparently, there were less than what Leo-san and Captain-san had expected.
Of course, I know the reason.
Therefore, I want you two to stop staring at me.
Translator: Blushy
Editor: Sam
