Chapter 74
“Kagami-san... Did you pack your toothbrush? Did you restock your healing items yesterday? What about dried meat? Did you make sure to stock up on food that keeps well?”
“I did, I did. Actually, David prepared everything.”
“Are you sure you haven’t forgotten anything? It’s going to be a long trip... If you need to check, now’s the time.”
The east gate of Valman was usually quiet, with only the guards stationed there except when traveling merchants came and went. But that day, it was unusually lively.
A girl who looked like a young lady from a good family clutched toiletries in both hands as she talked to a young man who could only be a villager, clinging close to him. Beside them stood a middle-aged man who looked like her butler.
There was a blonde adventurer who looked like a noble, an oddly alluring girl who looked like a cleric, a hulking martial artist with muscles bulging everywhere, and a charming girl alongside a silver-haired young man so handsome he looked like a royal noble, kneeling on one knee before her.
Two Kenta-Uros were mixed into the group as well. They were such an unusual bunch that even the gate guards looked bewildered, wondering what on earth was going on.
“You’re all making such a big deal out of this. I’m only going to be gone for a couple of weeks. We have to think about food, too, so I’ll be back when the time comes.”
“What are you talking about? Our leader is setting off on a journey. Of course we’d come to see you off.”
As she spoke, Takako handed Kagami two lunch boxes wrapped in a dainty hand towel.
Kagami accepted them and muttered, scratching his head, “I’m not really cut out to be a leader, though.”
“Kagami-dono, before we set off, we should decide which route to take. We didn’t have time to figure it out yesterday, what with everything else going on.”
“Yeah... But there are only a few routes from here to the area around the royal capital.”
As they spoke, they shouldered backpacks a size larger than the one Tina had carried on her journey and leaned over the map Kagami had taken from his pocket.
Ideally, they should have discussed their plans the day before and then set off. But since they would be leaving the casino unattended for a while, they had been preparing right up until the last minute to make sure things would be fine without them, and hadn’t found the time.
Menou had spent her time drilling the staff so they could handle the casino properly while she was away. Kagami, who hadn’t been doing much to begin with, left Takako and David to make decisions if anything happened at the casino, then went around completing every quest he could find to hunt monsters near Valman.
“It’s hilarious how the casino isn’t affected at all when I’m gone. So much for being the leader.”
“That’s what being in charge is like. Setting the business’s direction, coming up with ideas, and making decisions when something happens are what matter. That’s true this time, too, isn’t it?”
When it came down to it, Kagami was the one taking the task of gathering 10,000 gold more seriously than anyone else. Takako understood, without him having to say a word, that he had probably decided this was the best course of action.
That was why she hadn’t objected at all. She wanted to support him however she could, and had gladly agreed to run the casino while he was away.
Kururu and Rex had ultimately come to the same conclusion. Usually, Kagami let them come along when he went on quests, but this time he hadn’t. They could more or less guess why.
Alice was the same. When Kagami told her, “We have to gather 10,000 gold, right?” she realized it was wrong of her to be selfish when he was trying to make that happen, and eventually accepted it. Even so, she wanted to be by Kagami’s side and be of some use to him.
In the first place, it wasn’t Kagami’s fault that they had to gather 10,000 gold by the end of the year; it was because she had wished for a world like this. Yet she had been relying on Kagami all this time, barely helping him at all, while he kept making her wish come true. Alice couldn’t stand it.
“Kagami-san... Is there really nothing you want me to do while you’re gone?”
“Hmm... I can’t think of anything. Oh, I guess just stay healthy? Menou will probably give me an earful when I get back otherwise.”
Kagami said it with a carefree expression, and Alice looked dissatisfied.
“Come on, don’t sulk.”
“...But...”
“I’m not joking, you know? The person I am now is thanks to you, Alice. You’re the reason I can keep going. If anything happened to you, my motivation would drop to zero.”
As he spoke, Kagami ruffled Alice’s hair, trying to comfort her.
Alice still wasn’t wearing her usual cheerful smile. With a wry grin, Kagami turned to David, who was smirking as he watched Kururu forcibly stuff the toiletries she held in both hands into the backpack Menou was carrying.
“Is something the matter?”
Noticing Kagami’s gaze, David’s expression shifted to its usual warm, gentlemanly smile, and he turned to face him.
“I asked Takako-chan about this yesterday, but I figured I’d tell you too, just in case.”
“Oh? What might that be?”
“While I’m gone... please look after Alice.”
David couldn’t tell what Kagami meant by those words. But from the wry smile on Kagami’s face, he sensed that this wasn’t one of his usual casual remarks. It felt as though Kagami was simply asking him for a favor.
Yes, it wasn’t just a request, but a wish. Kagami was holding back for some reason, and yet he was making this wish of David. There was something behind it beyond the kind of favor one would ask of someone close.
Still, David had the feeling Kagami was saying it because he trusted him... and couldn’t help letting out a soft, amused chuckle.
“Understood. I accept your wish, and stake my honor on it.”
Hearing that, Kagami’s expression softened with relief, and he smiled.
“That’s a relief. If I can count on you as well as Takako-chan, then I have nothing to worry about. I’m really... counting on you, okay?”
With that, he slipped the map back into his pocket, turned on his heel, and walked over to the east gate guard to ask him to open the gate.
Menou, whose backpack was being stuffed with toiletries and all sorts of healing items by Kururu and Tina until it was bulging to the point of bursting, hurried after him.
“Well then... I’m off!”
Kagami and Menou turned back and waved lightly, then passed through the open gate and headed into the forest that spread across the outskirts of Valman.