Chapter 84
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I glance out the window.
There, I see a dull gray sky heavy with moisture.
「Let’s hope those girls don’t do anything reckless.」
Anon says with a somewhat exasperated tone.
However, more than worrying about whether they’ll be a concern for exploring my Sealed Dungeon, I’m simply breaking out in a cold sweat at the possibility of meeting them again.
I can’t help but remember the eyes they turned on me when we were naturally in the same party.
Those eyes… they were as indifferent as if looking at a roadside pebble.
But even that would be better compared to when I left the party. When I acted out of anger at that time, they were terrified of my very existence, trembling, with tears in their eyes.
I never want to experience those feelings again.
However, contrary to my inner thoughts, Saga seems oddly interested in the talk about the Hero’s party.
Anon sighs and begins to explain. He gives a summary of what kind of people the Hero’s party consists of, including rumors from the common folk and information whispered among high-level adventurers.
But Saga, who was supposed to be interested, doesn’t seem very engaged… As I’m tilting my head in confusion, Saga’s eyes suddenly light up with a fierce gleam when the conversation turns to the Hero’s party’s capabilities.
In other words, for this battle junkie (Saga), the only important thing is whether the Hero’s party consists of true strong individuals or if they’re just paper tigers. Geez, what a muscle-head.
But compared to that…
Look at Chloe on the other side of the screen.
He’s been consistently calm and collected since the start of the meeting, not making any unnecessary comments, only speaking up at the right moments to raise questions or suggest improvements. He’s been completely composed throughout.
Given that we have more information with Anon, Sensei, and Ash here, his attitude of mainly listening is perfectly logical.
I’m thoroughly impressed by his conduct as the leader of a major clan.
There’s one more thing that catches my attention.
It’s about Anon. I sense a somewhat mocking atmosphere from him when it comes to the Hero’s party. As for Ash, she lowers her head when they’re mentioned, hiding her expression.
○○○
There was an unpleasant topic at the end of the meeting, but overall, it was a satisfactory discussion.
I ask Chloe to quickly lend out the currently completed Crane’s Guidance to Virtuous and Arrogance.
If we can move back and forth between each other, information transfer will become smoother, and we’ll even be able to quickly send reinforcements to areas that need combat strength.
「Low, I was about to ask you if you hadn’t offered. Thank you.」
Chloe says, revealing a glimpse of his sincerity.
Crane’s Guidance belongs to them, and just considering patents and usage fees, they could have lived luxuriously for generations.
In the first place, I didn’t help them expecting anything in return other than their participation in this battle. So they could have just offered an appropriate amount of money. I would have accepted it as payment. Despite this, he made the decision to easily let go of Crane’s Guidance, which is a valuable asset—
「You’re a sincere and kind-hearted person, aren’t you?」
The words I’m thinking slip out before I can stop them.
「W-what, all of a sudden! What are you saying?」
I didn’t mean to say it out loud, it just accidentally slipped out.
「Low, please stop. That kind of thing is… well, embarrassing.」
What is this?
Even though he’s a beautiful guy, he’s still definitely a man. And yet, somehow… I’m getting flustered!
「O-oh,」 I manage to mumble in response.
Ignoring us, Saga lets out a long sigh and snorts, 「Tch! Playing house, are we? What a bunch of greenhorns.」
○○○
With Anon’s words, 「Well, that wraps things up,」 the meeting comes to an end.
We all stand up and file out of the room.
Sensei, who was next to me, calls out to Ash, the strawberry blonde, 「Ash, a moment.」
「What is it, Ms. Omi?」
「Well, I’d like to borrow the Contact Pearl for a bit tonight.」
「Oh, sure. Here you go.」
Ash agrees without hesitation, not even asking what it’s for, and hands over the Contact Pearl to Sensei. She must really trust Sensei.
No, that might not be the only reason.
The Orb that she had treated as so preciously 「bestowed」 is now everywhere, like there’s a sale on Contact Pearls. Not only that, they’ve even developed a magical video device to better utilize the Contact Pearl.
It’s like showing a high-end smartphone to a girl who was just getting excited about her pager.
So Ash herself might be a bit numb to it all. It’s frustrating, but can’t be helped.
○○○
「Sensei, who are you planning to call?」
I ask out of simple curiosity.
「Oh my, son-in-law. Are you interested in my affairs?」
Sensei narrows her eyes, seeming pleased that I asked.
Then she cradles my head and starts patting it, saying, 「What a good boy, what a good boy.」
I manage to break free with a 「Puha!」 and then she continues,
「Don’t worry. I have an old friend I mentioned in yesterday’s meeting, and I thought I’d reminisce a bit with her.」
「A friend?」
「Yes. If I remember correctly, she said she’s currently working as a Guildmaster in the town of Greeneyes. Hmm, you might know her too, son-in-law.」
Could it be the person I once owed so much to—
「That face. So you do know.
Yes. Purume En Dynast. My friend.」
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