I watched as the waiter cleared away empty plates while swirling my wine glass, looking at my reflection in the rippling surface of the wine. A dejected face. The face of a man who learned he had been rejected by both the “Saint Cotton” and the “Sword Saint Asha” in one night.
A sense of defeat filled my chest.
I had intended to always be a cool guy in this world. Is this it? Is this who I am?
Elena explained to me in a calm voice.
“We came to this city, gathered medicinal herbs in the forest, took on requests to defeat goblins and kobolds, and earned money. After finishing the repair costs for our weapons and restocking our supplies, we had our meal and turned the remaining balance into savings. And with that, the only places we can afford to stay are inns that are about two ranks lower than this one.”
“I’m tapping into my savings, though.”
“But now that Ed can enter the forest, he’s earning enough to give me expensive clothes, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
There’s no point in being modest, so I nodded. I currently have a powerful attack skill: the Melting Skill. So, even with my low level, I can operate in the mid-tier areas of the forest where other adventurers don’t enter, and there’s no competition for prey.
By the way, that forest is a death zone that even mid-tier adventurers here avoid. It’s a place where monsters that exceed my level casually show up.
In the game’s free scenario mode, if you’re unlucky, you might encounter dragons, and it’s likely the same here in reality.
That’s why mid-tier adventurers tend not to operate in the forest, preferring to take on requests to defeat bandits or goblin nests instead.
In a hunting ground with no competitors like that, I’m making a huge profit.
And since I have an “Item Box,” I can collect everything I harvest without sorting it and sell it all at once.
Of course, other adventurers could hire “Porters” or “Carriers” who aren’t combatants to help them as well.
But adventurers who do that are rare. It’s just too dangerous there for bringing along non-combat personnel.
Plus, since I’m solo, there’s no arguing over shares. All the profits are mine.
Being solo means I have to handle all the difficulties myself, but with the “Melting” skill, that’s not a problem.
There are other advantages to going solo, too.
Unlike adventurers from other villages, I don’t have to compete for the few cost-effective requests that are available now.
Requests meant for four people. If a request would normally result in a deficit for four, I can make it profitable by completing it alone.
Thus, I can enjoy being an adventurer in this city more comfortably than any new adventurer here.
Elena spoke about me with pride.
“We don’t understand how Ed earns money. We don’t know what steps he took to move from wall guard duties to exploring the forest. That’s something Asha can’t comprehend. But because we don’t understand, Ed is amazing and special…”
“Special, huh?”
And Elena declared in a disdainful tone.
“Blaze will surely be able to hunt down dragons. He’ll defeat goblins, then orcs, then ogres, getting stronger step by step. I’ve realized this from working together for a short time. A ‘Hero’ is amazing. They have much more powerful combat characteristics than other professions, and their status growth is higher than that of any other job.”
Dragons. Special monsters. They are so powerful that even a ‘Hero’ can only battle them effectively towards the end of the story.
Thus, killing one would be a sufficient achievement to become a hero of the nation. Yes, it would be an accomplishment worthy of receiving a princess from the king.
However, Elena continued, “But Blaze’s limit ends with dragons. Defeating a dragon is the extent of what Blaze and we can imagine. But Ed is different, right? There’s more beyond that.”
“Why do you think so?”
Unlike Cotton, I hadn’t put much effort into Elena. While I may have held her gently, I had never spoken to her about dreams or a future.
“It’s because Ed chose to be a ‘Bounty Hunter.’ When everyone else acts in ways that no one understands, Ed thinks of amazing things that others can’t even imagine.”
“How do you know that?”
Elena smiled brightly and offered me a necklace she was wearing around her neck. It was connected to a ring.
Seeing its design made me feel a bitter saliva pool in my mouth.
“A ‘Ring of Chastity,’ huh?”
It’s something you can get by paying money at a church. It’s an item given between a couple who pledge true love to each other, to prove that any misfortune on one side—be it charm skills or acts of infidelity—was an unavoidable betrayal.
I had one of Cotton’s too, but it got stained black on the night I left the party, so I took it to the blacksmith, paid money, and had it melted down.
Even so, as I waited for her to come to this hotel, thinking I didn’t need some countryside girl, I couldn’t help but feel like a sappy guy—but what I should focus on now isn’t that; it’s the reason Elena offered me the Ring of Chastity.
“I made it on the day I was embraced by you. I have nothing to do with Blaze.”
The ring of chastity Elena offered was completely pure white. It was proof that she hadn’t even been violated.
“I’ve been watching you, Ed. If it seems like I understand you, it’s because I’ve been watching you all along.”
As I listened to Elena’s words, I took the ring into my hand and checked the date and inscription. I had heard of a custom among nobles in this world where men and women with fiancées who have beloved lovers do such things to prove their innocence.
(I never thought someone would actually do such a thing…)
And in such cases, it was acceptable to do so without the other party’s consent.
Without the person knowing or being recognized, one could designate a partner for the Ring of Chastity.
The date engraved on the inside of the ring was indeed the day I embraced Elena. And it was inscribed, “I dedicate my heart and body to Edward of Agato Village.”
The faith of the residents in this world, who actually receive blessings from the gods, is different from that of the previous world. They receive actual power from their jobs granted by the gods. So, this was something trustworthy.
“Does Elena want me to be her lover?”
I had no intention of doing so. But I asked. I wanted to know what kind of feelings she had while holding such a thing.
But Elena shook her head in denial. Why? Why wouldn’t she seek me this much?
“I just want you to keep me by your side. Special… next to the special Ed.”
It didn’t seem like she was being selfless, but… I tilted my head inwardly as I continued to talk.
“I see. Since I wanted a ‘Maid’ too, if Elena wants to come, then that’s fine, but…”
Having obtained the Magic Stone Hack and acquired various skills, my adventures were progressing to the next stage. While solo efficiency was sufficient, I also needed to consider party activities for the future.
If Elena were to become a ‘Maid,’ it wouldn’t hurt to secure her.
(Different from the ‘Sage,’ who supports the whole party evenly, a ‘Maid’ is a powerful single-target supporter who supports the chosen individual.)
So, I wanted Cotton for that—but swallowing the bitter saliva in my mouth, I switched my awareness to that of a gamer… I couldn’t switch it.
Even if Cotton became Elena, the choice of people wouldn’t be a problem.
Cotton wasn’t capable, so whoever took her place wouldn’t be worse than Cotton.
However, Elena’s words stuck with me. Special? Special, huh? Am I special? Or am I a special Ed? What did she mean? Both?
Sighing, I realized thinking about it was futile. The very fact that Elena was here…
“So, I have to settle things with Blaze.”
Stealing him from his party would be troublesome, but as long as I could fight and win, it was doable. If I leveled up for a few days, I could acquire the strongest skills from the ‘Hacker’ skill tree for PvP. Neutralization would be easy.
No, if I poured the surplus points I had here, I could at least acquire that skill.
But for now, I had other skills I wanted to prioritize, so I was simply saving points without using them.
(Not using points is just a precaution. You never know what could happen in life.)
It was troublesome, but unavoidable. As I was about to lift myself from the chair to go see Blaze, Elena shook her head.
“It’s okay. I’ve properly been expelled from the previous party.”
