Chapter 16
I wandered around town, letting MP heal me, before checking into a cheap inn.
Thanks to the 【Infinite Magic Repository】, I had mana to spare, but my purse was looking pretty thin.
The carriage fare had cost me a lot, and I had no idea what lay ahead, so I needed to be frugal.
I was used to staying in cheap inns, and MP didn’t seem to mind either.
We shared a simple dinner in the inn’s dining hall.
It was an ordinary meat dish, but since it was MP’s first time trying one, she was thoroughly impressed.
After all, she’d been saying “Delicious! Delicious!” even about the standard fare for travelers—jerky, watery soup, and hard bread.
Everything she saw and ate was new to her.
Incidentally, Gift fairies like MP didn’t actually need to eat.
All it took was a tiny amount of mana from their master—me.
Food and drink were just entertainment. Apparently, they were the best kind of entertainment, too.
It wasn’t a major expense, and MP had done far more for me than that, so I’d told her, “Don’t hold back.”
If it meant seeing MP smile, it was a bargain.
After dinner, we moved to my room.
It was a cramped single room, with a bed taking up eighty percent of the space.
Since I only needed somewhere to sleep tonight, it was more than enough.
I sat on the bed and let out a breath. Then MP spoke to me.
“Master, there’s something I’d like to confirm about your wishes—”
MP had put away her usual smile, her expression serious.
She made that face whenever she had something important to say.
I steeled myself, too.
“What is it?”
“With the 【Infinite Magic Repository】, you can obtain anything just by putting your mana to work.”
“……”
“Strength, money, fame. The Repository can provide it all for you. Literally, Master, all you’d have to do is sleep.”
“……”
“Adventuring is dangerous. No matter how strong you might become, Master, there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to protect yourself. I don’t think you need to deliberately throw yourself into danger…”
I could feel just how worried she was about me.
MP truly—truly cared about me.
She was almost too good a partner for me.
But I’d already made up my mind—
“You’re probably right, MP. I’m sure this Gift can give me everything you mentioned. There’s no reason to put myself in danger.”
“In that case—”
“Even so, it can’t give me the one thing I truly want.”
“What is this ‘one thing you truly want,’ Master?”
“Adventure—”
“Adventure…?”
“An adventure of my own, where I brave danger and obtain things through my own strength. That’s what I want most of all.”
MP genuinely thought about what was best for me.
So, to be worthy of her, I honestly told her how I felt.
Adventurers—
People became adventurers for all sorts of reasons.
To dream of striking it rich.
Because they had no other way to make a living than through violence.
To save someone.
Because there was a particular item they wanted to obtain.
To uncover the secrets of ancient ruins.
To become a hero whose name would go down in history.
As for me, I just wanted thrilling experiences that made my heart race.
Unfamiliar landscapes.
Heart-pounding battles against monsters.
The excitement of opening a treasure chest.
Growing stronger myself.
Companions I could trust.
That was what I sought when I became an adventurer.
Even if all I could do was support others with 【Mana Lending】…
Even if I couldn’t fight directly…
Even as I gradually became less and less useful…
Even so, I never gave up. I kept clinging to the adventurer’s way of life.
And now that I’d obtained the 【Infinite Magic Repository】, I’d been given the chance to start over as an adventurer.
Always living alongside danger.
I might die today.
Even so—
“I want to feel my heart race right up until the moment I die. That’s why I’m going to keep adventuring.”
I looked MP straight in the eye and told her plainly.
MP gazed right back at me.
Then her eyes widened, and her expression softened into a smile.
“I understand your resolve, Master. This humble MP will do everything in my power to support you on the path you choose.”
When she finished speaking, MP bowed her head.
“Yeah, likewise. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes!”
“And… I want you right beside me, to see how I live my life.”
“I’d be delighted!”
I was starting over all by myself.
But with MP beside me, I felt I could take that first step forward with confidence—