Chapter 75
"Those two really are walking, aren’t they? They could’ve ridden Kenta-Uros or horses."
"Maybe it’s because they’re trying to make money? They plan to defeat monsters along the way, so I suppose they decided that riding horses or Kenta-Uros would be inefficient. They’d have to keep stopping, after all."
Tina and Takako murmured as they watched the two walk into the forest with oversized packs on their backs.
They had two reasons for not taking mounts. One was that they planned to defeat every monster they came across along the way. The other was simple: at their levels, they could travel faster on foot than on a mount.
They had already discussed taking a route through a dangerous area teeming with monsters. Their mounts might be attacked without warning, which could end up causing more trouble than it was worth.
"You seem rather... displeased."
The same would have been true if Alice had gone with them. Alice would simply have become another person to protect—and a burden instead. That was why Alice had accepted the decision. Alice didn’t want to get in the way when she couldn’t help.
But if that was the case, Alice wanted to be useful in some other way, at least. Alice had wanted to accomplish something she could do while Kagami was away and help him. But when he told Alice, "Just stay healthy," as if Alice had nothing to contribute and should simply stay put, Alice didn’t know what to do.
Of course, Alice knew Kagami hadn’t meant it that way. Even so, Alice felt pathetic, because unlike everyone else, Alice wasn’t being counted on as a combatant.
"Can’t I... be of any use to Kagami-san, like everyone else?"
"That’s not true at all. As Kagami-sama said just now, your very presence is a source of strength to everyone, Alice-sama. You shine like the sun."
David chuckled, "Ho ho ho," as if trying to cheer Alice up. But Alice still looked dissatisfied. "Hmm," he murmured, then turned to Alice with a serious expression.
"I, of course, and everyone else are only supporting what Kagami-sama is trying to do. And supporting him isn’t the only way to be useful."
"...What do you mean?"
"Sometimes, you can suggest something Kagami-sama hadn’t thought of, or achieve something without him even knowing. Guiding him down a path he couldn’t have found on his own—that’s one way to help, too."
David smiled faintly, as if to say there were many ways to do so. Alice’s dissatisfied expression shifted to one of thought.
"For example... if someone like you asked me to buy something, I suspect I’d find myself buying it before I knew it."
"You mean I should be a salesperson?"
"Exactly. You were born with a wonderful weapon, after all. You should think about how to make the most of it."
"Even if you call it a weapon... I don’t know what you mean."
"Ha ha ha! Takako-dono might just blow a fuse if she heard you say that! If you don’t know, then you should try it. Once you achieve something, you’ll naturally begin to see. If you’ll allow me, may I offer you my support?"
Takako glanced their way for a moment, as if she’d heard her name, but David didn’t meet her eyes as he spoke and bowed to Alice.
Alice didn’t quite understand what he meant, but clung to the hope that there might be something she could do. "Please help me, David-san," Alice said, bowing back sincerely. David gave Alice a gentle, beaming smile.
"And even if you didn’t have that weapon, there would still be ways to be useful. Like Menou-sama this time, you could work hard so that one day you can stand beside Kagami-sama. That’s what Rex-sama and Kururu-sama are doing now. What matters isn’t only what you can do right now."
"...I can become someone who can be useful?"
Alice murmured the words as if to confirm them for herself, then looked up with a start.
Until now, Kagami had always protected Alice. Whenever something happened, he kept Alice away from the battlefield, saying it was too dangerous. That was because Alice had no strength of her own.
Because Alice lacked strength, Alice had always looked for things she could do within the limits of her abilities, and acted accordingly.
If Alice was useless because she lacked strength, then she could gain strength. Alice could do what she was capable of now while gradually expanding what she could do.
With someone as dependable as Kagami always by her side, Alice had lost sight of something fundamental and important. Now Alice remembered it.
At the same time, Alice realized this might be a good opportunity. Alice had always depended on Kagami, but now could show him that Alice could manage just fine and grow even when he wasn’t there—and give him a reason to see Alice in a new light.
"Thank you, David-san."
As the realization sank in, Alice’s dissatisfied look gave way to her usual bright, sun-like smile. David watched and smiled with satisfaction.
Then, as if she couldn’t bear to stand still any longer, Alice suddenly dashed straight over to Kururu, who was still gazing at the gate with a lonely expression.
"Kururu-san! Kururu-san!"
"Huh? Y-yes? What is it?"
Kururu looked bewildered as Alice suddenly tugged at Kururu’s clothes in a flurry. Alice hesitated too, unable to quite bring herself to say it with Kururu standing right in front of her. But after a moment, Alice looked as though she’d made up her mind and—
"I want you to... teach me magic!"
Alice spoke with a serious expression, meeting Kururu’s gaze directly.
"...! ...A dream?"
In a room at an inn in one corner of the royal capital, the sheets suddenly flew into the air. The otherwise bare room held only a staff and hat propped against a chair beside the bed, and a bottle of water on the table.
"Haa... haa..." Breathing unevenly, Parna put a hand on the bed, now soaked with sweat. With a deep sigh, Parna sat up and hurriedly raised the bottle from the table to her lips.
"...You really had to show me something unpleasant, didn’t you?"