Estimated reading time: 6–7 minutes
Chapter 21
One day, when Domingo returned from a quest, he told me a strange story.
It was about some drunkard named Murdoch.
According to what I heard, that drunkard was a former S-rank adventurer, and was said to be exceptionally skilled.
Domingo wanted me to heal that Murdoch’s leg.
Upon hearing the story, I thought to myself – why should I have to treat some random stranger…!
Not to mention, why should I have to listen to a slave…!
It’s not like I’d make any money, and I’m not a doctor either.
At first, I intended to refuse.
（But wait a minute…）
At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.
Since that Murdoch guy was an S-rank adventurer, he must be quite capable, plus he likely has extensive knowledge and expertise. It would be a waste to let such a man rot away in a bar.
Surely if I healed him, he would be extremely grateful. Then perhaps I could make some demands of my own…?
（Alright, I’ll make that guy into Domingo and the other’s mentor!）
That way, Domingo and the others could surely reach even greater heights. An actual S-rank adventurer is no joke.
Lately Domingo and the others have been trying their best, which is good, but they’ve been taking too many risks. I tell them it’s dangerous and to stop, but they really want to fight even stronger enemies for some reason. They seem to think it’ll benefit me.
If this keeps up, it’s only a matter of time before someone loses their life. The A-ranks are alright for now, but if they aim to one day become S-rank, flirting with death will be unavoidable.
In any case, Domingo and the others desperately needed more safety.
（With that Murdoch guy as their guide, they could learn safer hunting methods. With Murdoch mentoring them, Domingo and the others could hunt even more safely and have even more growth potential…!）
In an instant, I made up my mind.
「I see… Yes, that is quite the shame. Bring that man to me.」
「Master Eld…! Thank you so much!」
I decided I would meet Murdoch. It’s not that I sympathized with that old man, or that I agreed with Domingo’s proposal. I simply came to this conclusion after considering the long-term benefits.
◆
「So you’re Murdoch?」
「And you must be Lord Eld. Truly, I’m very grateful for this opportunity, please take care of me.」
「Ah, leave it to me.」
I used healing magic to regenerate Murdoch’s leg. I’ve regenerated legs countless times before, so it was a cinch. Nowadays I could do it in just a few minutes.
「Oh…! My leg, it’s really…! I can’t believe it! Thank you so much, Lord Eld. You saved my life…」
Murdoch stood up and firmly stomped the ground with his leg, savoring the joy of having his leg back.
「So, are you going to return to being an adventurer?」
「No, I’m too old for that now. Those days are over.」
「But the spirit of adventure must be burning within you? That’s why you were telling stories of your exploits to the adventurers at the bar… So hey, since you brought it up, as thanks for this… Not that I’m telling you what to do but… Would you be willing to become Domingo’s party’s mentor?」
I proposed this to Murdoch.
「Oh, me… Their mentor…? Hah, that’s an amusing offer. Certainly, after all you’ve done for me, I owe you a debt. But even if I became their mentor, there’s nothing I could teach them. I’d just be pretending.」
「No, with your guidance, you could lead them in the right direction and make them into even better, first class adventurers.」
「….What makes you think that?」
「You took a poisoned arrow to the knee. Not only that, but you were alone. Under normal circumstances, anyone would have died then and there. The reason there aren’t many former adventurers is because adventurers either keep at it until they die, or die midway through. But you made it back alive. In other words, you have the strength to survive. That’s why I think you’d make an excellent mentor.」
「Hah… I guess you’ve got a point there. Can’t argue with that logic. Alright, fine. You’ve done so much for me already. Mentoring some juniors should be easy!」
「I see, that works out nicely…」
And so I decided to hire Murdoch as Domingo’s party mentor.
「Okay Murdoch. Is this much compensation alright with you?」
I told Murdoch an arbitrary amount.
Murdoch was so shocked he looked like a pigeon that had been shot with a pea shooter.
「Wha-?! Hey now, wait a minute! I was gonna mentor them as thanks for healing my leg right? But now you’re saying I’ll get paid too…!?」
「Obviously. Taking on the role of mentor is your expression of gratitude. But the actual mentoring is a job, so of course you’ll receive appropriate compensation. It’s not a one time thing.」
「Whoa whoa, hold on. I didn’t intend for it to be like this… I was gonna do it for free…」
「No, that won’t work. I’m officially requesting you perform this job. I’d be troubled if you didn’t properly accept payment. Doing it for free means you won’t take responsibility.」
「Sheesh, you drive a hard bargain. If you’re gonna push for it that much, I guess I’ll take the extra cash for booze money…」
Murdoch reluctantly agreed to accept payment.
In my judgement, having Murdoch mentor them would dramatically improve the party’s efficiency. I’d earn back this amount in no time. It was an advance investment.
Not to mention, safety can’t be bought with money. Even if I lose some money, Domingo and the other’s lives take priority. If this improves their survivability, then there’s no issue. I’d happily pay any amount.
「Alright, then I’ll leave it to you starting next week.」
Incidentally, after Murdoch started mentoring them, Domingo and the others rapidly grew stronger. Up until now, being a slave party put them at a disadvantage with other adventurers when it came to sharing information and the like. But by learning all kinds of things from Murdoch, they came to understand better hunting methods and insider tips.
And as a result, my profits rose sharply as well.
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