65. Old Man's Tears
――
You have reached level 41.
You have reached level 42.
You have reached level 43.
Added abilities to <Slimes>.
The abilities of <Slime> have been enhanced.
――
Impressive how quickly I level up after defeating formidable foes. Shot up by three levels in one go.
Come to think of it, I gained about the same amount of experience as defeating 49 Minotaurs.
――
Arx Seirant, 17 years old, Male
Level 43
Skills
<Slimes>
[Slime Summoner]... Can summon level 7 Slimes. Maximum (48→52) creatures.
[Slime Crafter]... Can perform class changes on Slimes.
Appraisal Slime (1), - Storage Slime (1), - Warp Slime (1), - Ironclad Slime (4),
Healing Slime (3), - Copy Slime (1),
Transmutation Slime... A Slime with the skill <Transmutation>. Can perform class change one at a time.
Slime General, - Slime Assassin,
Slime Archer... Slime proficient in archery. Can perform class change one at a time.
<Human>
――
There are some Slimes I've never seen before! Curious about their abilities.
But, I'm quite exhausted now. I'll check later.
"Arx-sama. The progress of item retrieval is about 60%. We expected it to be complete in about 10 minutes."
"Thank you. Everyone's working so hard even though they're tired."
"I appreciate your concern. But this is our job. Well then."
Shino swiftly reported and quickly returned to the scene like the wind. Chia raised her voice near the Minotaur's corpse, directing the Slimes.
"You look tired. Good job."
Raize came over. She also seems a bit tired after the fierce battle.
"Yeah, but there's one more thing to do."
"One more thing? What happened?"
There is. Since we've successfully achieved our goal. Let's go there.
"Why are you here?!"
We arrived at Raize's house. When I knocked on the front door, her father, with bloodshot eyes, burst out from inside.
"You're here to take back what you said earlier, aren't you?! Too bad. I have no intention of listening to you!! Just leave like the adventurers you are..."
"Well, I defeated the floor boss on the 25th floor."
"Huh...!?"
Raize's father's expression stiffened. His eyes and mouth widened as much as possible. Good reaction.
"Don't lie! Show me some proof if you dare!!"
"Here you go. This is the Minotaur's fur and the guild certificate."
I handed him a palm-sized, bright red fur and a piece of paper.
This is undoubtedly an item dropped from the Minotaur. I had it cut into a smaller piece.
Moreover, this is certified by the guild. Unless I forged the certificate, he couldn't shake the fact that this fur was genuine.
"Could it be... You really cleared the 25th floor!? Just you and Raize!?"
"Yeah. So that's that. Raize will continue being an adventurer."
Raize's father alternated between looking at the certificate and the fur in a panic. His knees were trembling, and he was sweating profusely.
"It's a shame, Papa. I won't have to listen to you anymore."
"I-is that so! Raize! You're still..."
"Hmm? Aren't nobles allowed to break promises and use commoners as shields? Quite the noble behavior, huh?"
"Grr..."
Raize's father gritted his teeth and averted his gaze.
"I intend to bury myself in my work as an adventurer. I won't inherit Papa's job, and it's fine if we fall into ruin by ourselves."
"You're not going to inherit it!?"
"Nope. Because I don't want to be ordered around by Papa. Maybe I'll get married on my own. I can't help it. I don't want to be a person like Papa."
Raize's father's teeth chattered, and he trembled. Seeing the old man, who seemed to have accumulated a lifetime of stress, I couldn't help but feel sorry.
"...sor..."
"Huh? I couldn't hear you well. Could you say that again?"
Raize's calm words. In an instant, her father curled up at our feet.
"I'm sorry! I was wrong! So please don't leave!!"
It was a beautiful bow. He seemed to have thrown away his pride and everything else, and I had never seen such a desperate apology before.
"What specifically was wrong?"
This girl really doesn't hold back.
"I looked down on commoners! I thought they were just pawns for us to use! But that was completely wrong! The strong should protect the weak!"
"And then?"
"I was wrong in how I treated you, Raize! I was trying to use you as a political tool! I didn't listen to your opinions at all!"
"So, what will you do now?"
"I'll start by changing my way of thinking! I'll cherish you! That's why I want you to come back! You're my only daughter, and I was wrong..."
Her father choked up. Seeing the old man, who wasn't as fierce as before, I felt perplexed.
So, I whispered to Raize.
"Don't make your real father cry... It's pitiful..."
"I know. But it got fun halfway through."
Raize sighed and stepped forward, standing in front of her father.
"Ah, well, I guess it can't be helped. I'll retract the leaving-home thing. But in return, you must keep your word, okay?"
"...Is it okay!?"
"Well, the earlier part was half a joke anyway. I've decided to become stronger as a noble to stand above others. My dad seems to be reflecting on his thoughts, so..."
As Raize rationalized as usual, her father clung to her.
"Thank you... I'm really sorry. Please always be my daughter!!"
"Your grip is gross. So don't cling to me. Well, it's okay for now."
While Raize was embraced by her father, she made a peace sign and looked at me.
Please don't say it's gross. I thought about retorting, but since they seemed to be satisfied. I kept quiet.
With the sound of a father's tears, the issue in Raize's family is over.
No comments:
Post a Comment