Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha Chapter 21

TL : Cnine

ED : LittleEndu [Tho I didn't put any effort into it…]

Two Bone Men《Skeleton》 who were clattering in the narrow pa.s.sage of《Water and Moon Labyrinth》  were standing as if they were trying to block me.

They gradually closed the distance between us, and then, one after another, they raised their arms while rus.h.i.+ng at me to attack me.

But, before the Bone Men《Skeleton》 could have had the chance to swing their arms, I had already swung my sword――

And sliced their bodies into two parts.

I rummaged through the bodies of those two Bone Men《Skeleton》 for their magic stones.

They are small, about the size of a pinky finger. Then, after putting them into the leather bag hanging on my hip, I started walking forward again.

If you’re asking “why the h.e.l.l I’m going into this place“, the reason should be obvious, right?

It was for the《Dragon》 in the unexplored section.

Though there are no signs of 《Dragon》 no matter how much I look for them, an investigation is more or less still needed, but due to my delicate situation, I don’t know whether the Adventurer Guild(Guild) will trust me if I report it, thus I came to personally investigate it.

That was what I have decided to do.

As for the weapon, Clove lent me a subst.i.tute when I asked him.

He added “Though qi and magical power can pa.s.s through it, since reiki is impossible, be careful when using it“.

The abilities of the sword are only so-so, but, it’s somewhat better than the one I was using up till now.

But, since it’s made to withstand qi and magical power, it has become more comfortable now that I don’t need to continuously worry about exhaustion like I did before.

Thus, after I make various preparations and saying that I was going for an outing to Lorraine's, I arrived at the《Water and Moon Labyrinth》

And yet.

「Iyaaa, You saved me there.  I never knew that a slime could move like that！  I don’t know what would’ve become of me if you hadn’t saved me……… I’m trembling just by thinking of what would've happened！  」

He walked to my side while saying that and then clapped my withered shoulder inside the robe, a swordfighter-like man that appears to be around 40 years old.

I say “-like”,  because there was a problem with his arm which I saw a while ago, the reason was nothing big but I knew it was because he didn't have enough training.

I, who just happened to be pa.s.sing by the place in the labyrinth where he was in a pinch due to slime attack, just happened to save him.

Naturally, I've said that all the actions of an adventurer in the labyrinth are their own responsibility, when they see another adventurer fighting against a demon, they have no obligations to save the other adventurer even if they’re in a disadvantageous situation.

I decided to save him after thinking that it might be bad to leave him to die somewhere in the labyrinth for venturing recklessly since this guy is weak and might die in the labyrinth.

Of course, even if I say that, an adventurer is also human.

If there’s a bad person, then there’s also a good person, since a lot of adventurers have a good sense, there are not many who will bend their principles to save other adventurers in this kind of place.

But, it will eventually turn into a quarrel which results in a more gruesome event than being killed by demon……….. Such a thing isn’t that rare.

For this reason, you can say that, “not attempting to save other adventurers despite seeing them in trouble is a wise choice, even if it’s for self-defense“.

Actually, that’s the best choice if you want to avoid trouble.

Say, there’s a person who pretended to be beaten by a demon on purpose to make you come save them, the adventurer who came to help them is then backstabbed from behind when they’re focusing on the fight against the demon, then plundering everything owned by that adventurer and burying them along with the demon, there are inhuman adventurers like that.

Moreover, no evidence remains in that type of situation.

Though I don’t know why, the labyrinth always maintains its cleanliness at certain fixed times.

Because things like blood or pieces of meat, which are scattered everywhere are absorbed[vanished] by the labyrinth itself around the time it needs to do the Re-Gus.h.i.+ng Out《Re-Pop》.

And thus, even if it turns out that the helper is being backstabbed, every adventurer will treat this as their own responsibility.

This is quite a dangerous job if you do not have enough precaution.

But, even if I know about that, if I’m pushed to say it, I’ll go save them.

I’ll keep watching like a good child in the case where my ability isn’t sub-par but, when I can save them one way or another even when it’s obvious that they’re an illegal adventurer, I won’t discriminate against them as much as possible and come save them.

Though I can't say that it’s because of the good sense of  《A Good Adventurer》which I had when I was still alive, for the current me, it’s because I feel that’s the only proof for me that I'm still human.

I mean, if the current me is abandoning a human who’s in trouble, aren’t I the very “demon”  itself？ .

Because living only for oneself and abandoning the people in need is something inhuman…………

Someone like that might even be called a “demon“, alright.

That’s why I couldn’t just simply abandon the adventurers who are in trouble.

But, naturally it doesn’t mean that I must go and save every adventurer.

I’ll make a move to save them if the situation is not so dangerous and if they’re within my reach.

That's what I thought about my action.

Going by that logic, I might just have to abandon the guy who is next to me right now.

At any rate, it should be okay if you go back quickly rather than continuously following me.

Could it be that he has some kind of expectation from my leftovers when looking at my skill, or maybe there’s another reason besides that………

Though I don’t know what the reason is, things will become troublesome.

Since I was going to heads toward the area where I met that 《Dragon》.

Things will turn dangerous if there’s too much hindrance…………

But, I have been hesitating in how should I tell him as I can’t even say the reason honestly to him.

This was my current situation.

Well, it’s not like, with my current condition, I want to be liked by the other adventurer.

Though I can say “Go somewhere else since you’re a hindrance“, this man gave off a sign that he wouldn't understand this kind of situation………….

I’ve just said those words gently sometime ago, yet he completely didn't understand at all even when I tried raising my tone bit by bit.

It might be the proper answer since I only said “It’S POinTLeSs“.

「………… WHy ARe YoU FoLloWing Me？  」

Since it’s become troublesome, I’ve decided to ask him frankly.

Thereupon, the man who was talkative up till now suddenly fell silent, and then,

「………. It’s because you’re strong」

He said that as if he was squeezing his voice.

As I thought, he’s aiming for my leftovers huh?

Uhn, though it’s not quite a praiseworthy act, it can’t be helped since it’s the only choice for a weak adventurer.

But, this 《Water and Moon Labyrinth》isn’t the kind of labyrinth in which you have to go as far as that, no matter how weak you were.

When I was pondering about these things, the man started to tell his story.

「…………. I need money no matter what. I need three gold coins by next week. Otherwise, my shop will be taken………….」

So that’s the reason huh, when I tried listening to his reason, according to the man, it seems that he was originally an owner of a small restaurant.

The management has been rather disappointing these last few years, his debt kept piling up with another debt and now he’s in quite a predicament.

He must prepare 3 gold coins by next week, and if he’s unable to pay the entire loan which amounts to 15 gold coins in total, being that he’s borrowing the money with condition of transfering the restaurant, he needed money no matter what, and the solution for that was the so called “becoming an adventurer to earn money quickly“.

That’s too hasty and the way he’s doing it is impossible but, that's not to say that it’ll be entirely impossible.

As for the 15 gold coins, if it’s an adventurer with reasonable skill, that amount might be fulfilled within five days.

But, this man doesn’t have that kind of skill.

He’s aware of that fact himself.

That’s why, he’s trying to come along with me instead.

But,

「…………..If tHaT’s ThE CaSe, SHOuLdN’T YOu gO To NeW MOoN LAbYRintH？」

There’s another labyrinth in the vicinity of Malt city.

In that huge labyrinth which is called《New Moon Labyrinth》, the demons appearing in it can’t be compared to this 《Water and Moon Labyrinth》.

There are even silver ranked adventurers in that place, if he follows that kind of an adventurer, 15 gold coins isn’t a dream anymore.

Well, on top of that, whether you'll be allowed to follow them, or whether you're capable to follow them is questionable*. [TL* : Courtesy to checking from NU]

If he’s facing a powerful demon without enough skill, there’s a possibility of him dying from a moment of carelessness.

When thinking about such things, that type of gamble is too risky.

「I’ve tried to do that but……………………. I've been completely rejected by everyone*」 [TLC* : Courtesy to ptbptb and checking from NU]

He feebly said those words.

Well, that might be true.

And, I’m also in the same position as him.

「………. I’Am SoRry BuT, I AlSo In HuRRy. I HaVe No TimE To MAtCH WitH YOuR PAce……………..」

Though I want to do something for him, if possible, but there’s already a lot of responsibility bearing upon my shoulders right now, right?

Though I feel that I have become more powerful, I think that my power is still at least below silver rank.

Added to that, a condition of 15 good coins in five days.

Yup, it’s impossible huh…………..

Though the remuneration of  an adventurer is quite high compared to a normal profession, but it’s nothing if their rank isn’t high.

Many of them don’t even have a casual income, for a low ranking adventurer to earn that kind of money is………..

――Already earth shaking income, huh.

When I started thinking, I've noticed it after a while.

That's earth shaking income alright.

Of course I’m not referring to me who has become an undead.

It’s not that I’m referring to the place where I became undead.

I discovered an unexplored area in the labyrinth.

With that splendid information, I expect that the Adventurer Guild(Guild) will pay a nice sum of money to the one who discovered the information.

Though I don’t know whether that information will be worth 15 gold coins or not…………. Well, I can only bet my expectations on that.

The truth is, I want to be the one who reports this information but, the current me is unsuitable while in this kind of condition.

There’s no way this current me with an abnormal condition can enter the Adventurer Guild(Guild)
I have no choice but to make someone else report this, I was going to ask Lorraine to do that later.

Changing the informat from her to this man is no problem, alright.

Well, I mustn’t show that atmosphere of “I know this place before“, maybe I’ll go with “this man is the one who found it“.

This will come to “I can’t tell him that I was in this place before” since I know that things will become really complicated if it’s told to the Adventurer Guild(Guild) .

Moreover, if this information is reported by a proper human rather than someone like me, they’ll also do their investigation properly.

As for the result, the profit will be for the adventurer who’s enters this place…………

Though the loss of remuneration is regrettable, if it’s just around 15 gold coins, I can earn back the same amount again right away.

Though that was impossible when I was alive, the current me will be able to do that……….

I think so.

That’s why I’ll be giving up on that reward.

Yosh, let's do this then.

When I made that kind of decision, I faced towards the man who dropped his shoulders with a disappointed face after his request was rejected by me, and said to him.

「…………… FinE ThEN, YOu MAy ComE.  YoU MiGht Be SiMILAr To A BAGGage RighT…………」

「Eh…………？」

Even while being surprised, the man still followed behind me as I started walking.

「Oy, please Wait！  I-Is that really okay with you！ ？ 」

「………. Y-Yeah」

Though he said so, his expression indicated that he couldn’t believe  he was permitted to follow me.

He’s rebuking at his wit’s end, though he was trying to earn income by parasitism, he originally might've been a good person.

Well, though there are possibilities that everything was a lie since the very beginning, that will be dealt with when the time comes.

Moreover, it doesn’t mean that I'll do this purely for this man's sake.

This is also something that I must do for the sake of confirming that I’m a human being.

Why you ask? It’s because ever since I become a Corpse Eating Demon《Ghoul》, I feel an unbearable anxiety sometimes.

It’s something that if I must say it’s that “there’s a time when I feel a strange impulse“…………

That’s why I don’t mind  saving someone.

Otherwise, I get the feeling that someday, I’ll even forget who I am.

If I became like that, my feelings will disappear too.

That’s something that I can not let happen.

Absolutely not.

While pondering about such things, I headed towards the place where I found the 《Dragon》.

Noisy steps made by the man who’s used to following from behind.

Maybe I was like that a long time ago.

Somehow that memory seems far and I can’t even remember it.

And I already become used to it though, not much time has elapsed.

It’s not a good habit, and we could be discovered.

——-