CH 190

Ch. 190: A Chat about the Heroes of Legend

It was the evening after we completed Mr. Gordon’s escort quest.

We made our report to everyone during dinner as we sat around a table at the Cries of the Stars Inn.

Henry: “........so with that, we successfully escorted Mr. Gordon to Ligaleo.”

Cyril: “Wowー isn’t the Land Cruising Comet that really fast car, right? I can’t believe you ran along beside it the whole way here…..”

Cyril continued to plop mouthfuls of hamburg steak as she spoke in disbelief.

Henry: “Well, it was a little tough. But the road from Southgaia to here has much less creatures than before, so it was do-able.”

Jend: “Mr. Gordon, huh? …….should we take the time to go see him? He really helped us with our gear after all…..”

It’s true. He gave us credit to pay him back in increments, and he even incorporated our requests in fine detail. …….even with the debt he owed us about the Hanuman, he went above and beyond our expectations.

Ferris: “But Jend, isn’t Mr. Gordon planning on serving as many customers as he can in a short amount of time? Wasn’t it something like doing maintenance for 100 customers in one month?”

Jend: “Ohー yeah, that’s right. I guess we shouldn’t just bother him when he’s so busy….”

And Jend groaned as he tried to think through the situation.

Henry: “Well, about that. He told me to tell you all, ‘Hey come over tomorrow. I need to make sure that you haven’t used my gear in weird ways. Oh, and there’s not going to be any credit for the maintenance fees so pay up.’ ーis what he said.”

Jend: “Really? Man, we’re just getting more and more indebted to this man…..”

Henry: “He also said the women in our Party have to come no matter what.”

Jend: “?? Why?” And yeah, I understand why Jend is confused, but there’s a good reason for this.

Henry: “.....I told you that Ricotta came along this time, right? …….if Ricotta has friends to talk to, Mr. Gordon won’t be interrupted as much, is what he said.”

Jend: “...........oh….”

Jend groaned as fresh memories of Ricotta came to his mind.

Cyril: “?? I don’t really understand, but I do want to see Ricotta again, so let’s definitely go tomorrow!”

Teo: “Yes, my weapon definitely requires fine tuning, so any assistance in that aspect would be greatly appreciated.”

Ferris: “Should we wrap our gifts? In fact, some friends at the Clinic showed me a place that sells really good cookies….”

……and the girls who hadn't quite comprehended Mr. Gordon’s pain began excitedly planning out their visit with Ricotta.

Jend and I glanced at one another and let out a deep sigh.

Cyril: “But now that I think about it, don’t we have a lot of acquaintances that are Heroes of Legendー?”

And Cyril changed the subject.

Jend: “Yeah, that’s true.”

Cyril: “First, we met Mr. Grand’ezeal at the Capital. Then we met Miss Ageha and Ms. Lotte who came to see Henry. Then we went to go see Miss Yuu in the Salaiz Republic andー”

And Cyril began counting the encounters with her fingers.

Cyril: “Then Mr. Riol came to see Lana. Mr. Gordon helped make our gear. And now Mr. Cecil in Ligaleo.

That was a total of seven.

Today, there are 8 Heroes of Legend, so with one more, we would have met everyone.

Cyril: “Umm, the last Hero of Legend is…..a Beastman, correct?”

Henry: “Hm? Yeah. The Tiger Beastman, Ms. Liza. She’s the leader of the Clan, [Fields of Fangs].”

Cyril: “A Clan? …….you mean, that bigger version of a Party, right? There were no Clans in Flowtier though.”

If you have a group of over 20 Adventurers, you can create a Clan. It’s basically a big club to help each other out.

With so many people in your group, you can take on large-scale quests, and you will have more say with the Church.

But in exchange, you’re managing a larger group, so it’s not uncommon for group members to cause trouble, so most will question if it’s really worth all that trouble. So most regular Adventurers don’t bother. Plus, the Church has to review and approve your Clan before it can be made official.

About half of the Beastmen in Ligaleo were members of the Fields of Fangs, I think? They are the biggest Clan, and they have a number of strong Adventurers in the group.

Beastmen will carry on different animal traits depending on which tribe they belong to.

Because of that, they tend to have a different type of lifestyle compared with humans, and the Beastmen who live in the same city as people will help each other out.

…….but the Fields of Fangs are unique since they are a mixed group of different kinds of Beastmen.

Jend: “I see…….and so, is that Liza strong?” Jend seemed really curious about this as he edged forward.

Henry: “Let’s see. ……I’ve seen her fight a few times, and…….if it’s a 1 on 1, she’s a little stronger than me after I drink all my potions, maybe?” Of course, it would depend on the situation too, but I would say my odds are 6 to 4 in her favor?

Jend: “You make it sound so easy, but Henry, you really are up there with the Heroes of Legend, huh…..”

Henry: “I said, 1 on 1, alright? Ms. Liza’s charisma and leadership is terrifyingly powerful. If it’s a fight with her and her clan, there’s nothing I could do.”

Once, she took 30 of her Clan’s Beastmen and managed to repel a huge invasion force by the Demonic Army. That was really impressive. If she hadn’t gained us some time, we wouldn’t have been able to prepare a retaliation force, and Ligaleo could have fallen.

Henry: “If you think about it, most of the recent Heroes of Legend earned that by doing something big. Think about Yuu or Mr. Gordon who earned their spots using Healing and Craftsmanship. You get what I’m saying?” Because they accomplished a huge feat, the Church couldn’t just keep them as Heroic Warriors.

Without a doubt, setting aside the true monsters in our organization, I do have top class strength within the Adventurers, but what I lack is that unique talent to really pull off something big.

……and it’s not like I don’t want to be a Hero of Legend, but my goal right now is to help Cyril with her dream, so I’m not dead set on becoming one.

And yeah, both Yuu and Ageha have climbed up that step……..but I’m not jealous. I’m not jealous at all. Really, I’m not. Yeah…….

Cyril: “Ohー you know what? That’s a great tip. Since coming to Ligaleo, I’ve been thinking….. I still have a ways to go, but isn’t the Spell Power of Miss Cyril potent enough to become a Hero of Legend?”

Henry: “I hope we don’t get into a situation where we have to find out!”

It will take some time, but her power nearly matches Mr. Riol.

……..and yes, she has the potential to really do something big, but that also means we would be in the middle of something incredibly dangerous.

Cyril: “Oh! I guess that’s true too!”

Teo: “........Miss Cyril, I highly advise that you think before you speak….”

And even Teo, who is younger than her, lets out a disappointed sight.

Ferris: “But it’s not like there are no more Demonic Generals. There are times when we see a large invasion force with many waves of Demonic Creatures. ……and yes, it would be foolish to hope that that would happen, but the possibility will always remain. It’s not unrealistic to expect it either.”

Henry: “What Ferris says is true too, but I’m pretty sure Cyril wasn’t thinking about that.”

Cyril: “Ugh!”

The words seemed to poke Cyril with guilt as she became quiet……..but now she’s glaring at me and I felt a kick from underneath the table. She met the bracers on my shin and is rearing back in pain.

Henry: “........seriously, what are you doing?” I look at her as I take a mouthful of my dinner……..oh.

I saw a familiar face enter the dining hall.

It was Yuu. She must have just come out off a bath and wore some comfortable clothes. ……she was carrying a bottle in each hand and was looking around searching for an empty seat. …..not finding one, she came this way.

Yuu: “Hello, good evening, everything in La Flowtier. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a vacant seat, so would you mind if I sit with your group?”

Cyril: “Oh! Miss Yuu. Please sit with us! I’ll bring another chair, so you can sit right here.”

Cyril stood up, and headed to another table with unused seats.

Cyril’s quick response took Yuu by surprise, but after a moment, she smiled as she watched Cyril and sat down in Cyril’s seat.

Henry: “Another busy day? Thanks for working so hard, Yuu.” Yuu: “Yes, thank you, Henry.” As usual, Yuu had been working at the clinic since early this morning.

Ferris: “Good evening, Miss Eustacia.”

Yuu: “Yes, good evening, Miss Ferris. And you two as well, Mr. Jend and Miss Teo.”

Teo gave a brief nod of her chin, and Jend’s voice gave a nervous squeak an octave higher seeing the post-bath Yuu. ……and I get it. She is exuding some feminine aura right now.

And there are other men in the dining hall glancing at Yuu. But Yuu has gotten used to these stares and ignored them. But if they were to try something, they would find their heads cracked open.

…….oh, Jend just took an elbow from Ferris.

Cyril: “Sorry to keep you all waitingー …….? What’s wrong, Jend? Why are you holding your stomach?” Jend: “IーIt’s nothing…”

Cyril brought over a chair for herself, and Jend avoided answering her question.

Cyril tilted her head and wondered, and though she couldn’t figure it out, she put the issue aside and sat in her chair.

Yuu chuckled, but then turned her attention to the wine bottles and began uncorking them with a huge smile.

Cyril: “Miss Yuu, you’re drinking tonight?”

Yuu: “Yes, I actually have the day off tomorrow, so it would be a shame to not have a bottle or two, right?”

No, two bottles is too much. And they’re not even the cheap kind either. She has two René Stölln which taste great, but their price tags are also incredibly high.

…….well, Yuu knows the Spell {Clear Drunk} so she can do as she pleases.

Henry: “Oh, Mr. Chris, what good timing.”

As Yuu pulled out the cork from the wine bottle, a wine glass and tonight’s dinner menu - a hamburg steak plate - came flying over. Mr. Chris used the Rhys Style Magecraft to serve the food.

Cyril: “Miss Yuu, Miss Yuu, I’ll pour the drink for you.” Yuu: “Is that okay? Well, if you insist, please!”

Yuu nodded excitedly at Cyril’s offer.

Cyril poured out the crimson liquid into Yuu’s glass, and Yuu quickly tilted the glass to her lips.

Yuu: “.........ohhhhhー it’s so good. I live just for this one drink…”

…….if I said the same thing, people would think I’m just a sad drunkard, but with Yuu, being so pretty, she makes it look like a scene from a play.

And without taking a bite of her food, she finished the remaining contents in her glass. She quickly asked for a refill, and taking a bite of the pickled carrots next to the hamburg steak, she downed a 3rd glass andー wait, wait, wait, you’re drinking too fast!

Cyril: “MーMiss Yuu, wait, wait. It’s bad for your health to drink so fast.”

Yuu: “Oh, my apologies. It’s been a while since my last drink. ……Miss Cyril?” Cyril: “Yes?” Cyril tilted her head towards Yuu.

Yuu: “Would you like to drink some too? You did say that you enjoyed this wine the last time we drank together.”

Cyril: “Umm…….hmmmm, then…just one drink, please!”

Yuu: “Yes……and since everyone is here, would you all care to join? It’s my treat. I may look this way, but I am paid well!”

Ah, the drinks must be inflating her ego. But it’s true. Yuu’s savings must be several times bigger than mine.

Teo: “Ummm, is that okay?” Yuu: “Yes. I don’t mind drinking alone, but I prefer to drink with friends more. ……Henry? Please bring enough glasses for everyone, and also ask Ms. Patricia if she would be kind enough to make us more dishes to snack on. Now goー!”

When Yuu is like this, there is no point arguing.

I got up begrudgingly as I answered her back and walked towards the kitchen.

So that dayー

Ageha also came in later that night, and with everyone, we all drank merrily through the night.