Chapter 48
The day after I talked with Roger-san and Namiria-san.
It was our seventh day since arriving in Melba.
And our third day as a party with Rinka.
After spending the whole day wiping out Goblin Colonies again, we returned in the evening.
We were back in our room at the inn, having dinner together, the three of us.
We'd made more money than expected over the past three days, so we'd splurged on takeout from a place two ranks fancier than usual.
We'd ordered enough food for ten people to match Rinka's appetite.
MP had a full course of flour-based dishes.
The wine was high-end, too, at 10,000 gol a bottle.
It couldn't compare to what nobles drank, but it was an outrageous price for an adventurer.
Thanks to the feast and fine wine, conversation flowed, and a gentle evening passed.
Tomorrow was finally the day we'd face off against Guy and the others.
It was a calm, quiet moment, like the sea in the lull before a storm.
"You worked really hard these past three days."
"Rinka-chan worked hard~"
Rinka really had worked hard.
She'd put her past of being used as a decoy behind her and started moving forward.
And then there was her first experience using 【First Blade】 for an extended period.
It must have been tough both physically and mentally, but she'd overcome it splendidly.
As a result――831,500 gol.
That was how much she'd earned over these three days.
It was close to three months' earnings for a single D-rank adventurer.
It was an amount on a whole different scale from what either Rinka or I had ever earned before.
What's more, Rinka's potential was still unfathomable.
I couldn't wait to see how she'd grow from here.
"Yes! It's all thanks to you, Rento-san."
"That's right! Master is amazing~!"
Seeing Rinka so full of energy made all my fatigue from the day vanish in an instant.
On the first day, she'd still been a little hung up on being kicked out, but now she seemed to have completely moved on.
In battle, her fighting spirit was almost demonic, making her hard to approach, but right now she was just a cheerful, ordinary girl.
Her boundless cheerfulness had helped me a lot, too.
And MP was always praising me to the skies.
All I'd done was lend her my magic; Rinka was the one who'd done all the impressive things.
"Rento-san!"
"Yes!"
Rinka suddenly switched to a formal tone, and I followed suit, straightening my posture.
"I have something to report!"
"A report?"
I wondered what it could be.
MP seemed to know, smiling happily beside her.
In front of MP, debtor information was practically laid bare.
"Actually, my adventurer rank went up today!"
On the adventurer tag she held out were the words, "Adventurer Rank: E."
She'd finally graduated from the lowest rank, F, which she'd been stuck at for three years.
Well, she'd hunted more than five thousand goblins in three days...
Her maximum magic capacity had also grown, from 10 when we'd met to 24.
"This is all thanks to you, Rento-san!"
Rinka bowed deeply.
"You took me into your party, even though no one had ever recognized my worth before."
Her eyes glistened.
"You saw the value in the Gift I'd resented for so long, taught me the true power of my Skill, and made me stronger. And..."
A tear slid from the corner of her narrowed eyes.
"You helped me gain the confidence to say that I can make a real contribution as an adventurer, too. Thank you so much."
As soon as she finished, her tears broke free.
They streamed endlessly down her face.
MP gently stroked her head, as if trying to comfort her.
I, on the other hand, couldn't move.
Because――.
I was bawling, too.
The heartfelt gratitude Rinka directed at me.
It was a feeling I'd forgotten for a long time.
I was happy.
I was simply, incredibly happy.
With my power, I'd been able to save Rinka.
And she was grateful to me for it.
That made me indescribably happy.
At first, Guy and the others had thanked me sincerely, too.
They'd said they could get stronger thanks to me.
But somewhere along the way, they came to take it for granted――.
And once they'd grown stronger, they cut me loose as "no longer useful"――.
I'm a support-class adventurer.
Helping my companions is my job.
I help my companions grow with 【Magic Transfer】.
That's――my reason for being.
But that alone isn't enough.
I have to get stronger, too.
Otherwise, I'll be overtaken again and become "no longer useful."
I won't fail this time.
This time, Rinka and I will grow stronger together.