Chapter 17: Quest 8: Prepare Your Equipment [Part 2]
When Makoto returned to the inn, Yuuka was slumped over the counter.
Sherry looked up at him from behind it.
“Sherry, Iâm back.”
“So it was you after all.”
She placed a hand on her chest in relief.
“You bought quite a lot.”
“The gauntlets and greaves make it look like more.”
He shrugged lightly and sat beside Yuuka.
“…My stomach feels awful.”
“Thatâs called a hangover. Remember it.”
“Iâm never drinking again.”
She groaned.
“So what are you going to do now?”
“Those three⌠no, counting the ones who left me behind in the dungeon, that makes six. Iâm going to get revenge on all six of them.”
“And what kind of revenge?”
“Iâll kill them, obviously.”
“I see. Good luck.”
“You wonât help me?”
Yuuka sat up and said it with a straight face.
“Nope. What kind of delusional nonsense are you saying with that serious look?”
“Iâm not delusional!”
“That makes it worse!”
Makoto snapped back.
“Please! Iâll do anything except s*xual stuff!”
“You want me to help with murder but no s*x? Thatâs messed up!”
“I said anything else!”
“If youâre asking me to help kill someone, at least put out!”
“Who cares! Youâve already killed twenty, thirty people! Whatâs five or six more?!”
“It matters!”
Makoto shouted.
He would help scare them, maybe.
But assisting in murder was absolutely off the table.
More than that, he did not want to be dragged into it.
“Here you go, young sir.”
“Thanks, Sherry.”
Makoto drank the lemon water she placed down.
“So itâs a no?”
“Of course itâs a no. Is your brain rotting?”
“You donât have to say it like that!”
“Yeah, I do.”
Yuuka looked hurt, but he did not care.
“Then what should I do?”
“…What should you do?”
He swallowed the words figure it out yourself.
If he left it to her, nothing would move forward.
He needed a proposal that benefited both sides.
“What if you save them when theyâre in trouble?”
“Save them?”
Her face twisted in disgust.
“Yeah. Show up when theyâre in a pinch and save them with a smug look. Watching someone get rescued by the person they looked down on? Thatâs priceless.”
“How about cutting off Kouki and Takeshiâs limbs and doing Raâ in front of Hoshinoâ”
“Thatâs terrifying!”
Makoto cut her off.
“And whatâs with limb removal?! Werenât you in love with that Kouki guy?!”
“What?! He betrayed my feelings! He deserves it!”
“He does not deserve dismemberment! What are you, some cartel boss?!”
“Fine, just break their bones.”
“Both are rejected! And donât act like youâre compromising!”
She even looked ready to watch from above.
“Then what?”
“I told you. Make them regret it without committing crimes.”
“Will saving them really make them regret it?”
“They looked prideful. Itâll sting. Or clear a dungeon before them. Win a martial tournament. Show them youâre better.”
“Will that really work?”
“Yeah. It will.”
Makoto said it firmly.
Yuuka looked doubtful, but conviction mattered more than proof here.
“Specifically?”
“First, we stabilize our lives.”
“…Thatâs boring.”
“Theyâre salaried employees. Weâre part-timers.”
“…Part-timers.”
She groaned.
“Actually unemployed. At least reach self-employed before competing.”
“Oh. Right. We need to live.”
“Obviously.”
She looked uneasy.
“Iâve never had a part-time job.”
“Think through what youâll do. It helps.”
“Experience?”
He nodded.
Uncertainty caused anxiety.
Planning eased it.
“And if thatâs not enough, remember no one starts perfect.”
“Isnât that self-deception?”
“It works.”
“Does it?”
“It does.”
“Okay.”
She stood.
“Going back to your room?”
“I still feel sick.”
She climbed the stairs sluggishly.
“Good work, young sir.”
“Iâm exhausted.”
He finished his lemon water.
“Youâre not actually joining her revenge, are you?”
“Iâm not that stupid.”
She silently refilled his glass.
“I wonât meddle in your relationship. Just donât make her cry.”
“Weâre not dating.”
“Oh? Not?”
“Weâre not.”
“Even so, you shouldnât make a girl cry.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
He did not agree.
He disliked the idea that men should bear everything.
But arguing was pointless.
He sighed softly.
At the Silver Dragonâs Scale Inn, the most luxurious inn on Rockwellâs main street, Kouki stood facing his classmates in the grand entrance.
For a month, they had shared hardship.
Now they were covered in mud and blood, utterly exhausted.
They had cleared a small dungeon through sheer desperation.
Even training under the strongest knights of the Kingdom of Veris did not equal real combat.
Kouki had led from the front and felt it keenly.
If they had trained more realistically, perhaps no one would have died.
He suppressed the rising guilt.
A leader must not show emotion.
Emotion spread.
So he spoke calmly.
“Everyone, we return to the capital tomorrow. Please pack so we can leave immediately.”
“Seriously?”
“Iâm exhausted.”
“Canât it wait?”
He did not waver.
Fatigue made people sharp.
He waited.
“…Please.”
“If you say so, Kouki.”
“Yeah. Weâre all tired.”
“One more push.”
“Thank you.”
The others left for their rooms.
Only Hoshino and Takeshi remained.
Hoshino looked like she wanted to speak.
“What is it?”
“I have something to discuss.”
“Can it wait?”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Ah⌠sorry.”
She ran off.
“Kouki, I get youâre tired, but that was harsh.”
“Sorry. I have to contact Princess Charlotte. Sheâs our sponsor.”
They both knew Charlotte, second in line to the throne, was pursuing Kouki aggressively.
“Iâll smooth it over.”
“Thanks, Takeshi.”
After he left, Kouki headed upstairs.
Near the top, he encountered Luke Aberdeen, the kingdomâs strongest knight.
Level 49.
A fortress of a man.
“I hear you cleared the dungeon.”
“Yes. Thanks to everyoneâs efforts.”
“Everyone? Including my men?”
“Of course.”
Luke smirked crudely.
He was technically superior.
Kouki bowed.
Lowering his head cost nothing.
“If only you were always this obedient.”
Luke descended.
Once the sound faded, Kouki straightened and entered his lavish room.
He took lemon water from a magic refrigerator and sank into the sofa.
“…Useless woman.”
He meant Hoshino Kirara.
Daughter of a prestigious flower-arranging family.
In school, she led the girls.
Here, that meant nothing.
Without her closeness to Kouki and Takeshi, she would fall to the bottom.
“Losing Satou Yuuka was a shame.”
The more she challenged him, the more sympathy he gained.
Takeshi and Hoshino disliked her, but Kouki found her amusing.
She liked him and tried to hide it desperately.
He had planned to use her thoroughly before discarding her.
He had not expected her removal so soon.
Probably because of her background.
Their academy selected for wealth and pedigree.
A girl of unknown father and mere intelligence had no place.
She had never truly been one of them.
“At least she strengthened group unity at the end.”
He shifted his thoughts.
He had to speak with Charlotte.
It required patience.
But acquiring this kingdom required it.