Chapter 148

Staying up during the night was something I was used to after many nights of traveling. However, things were a little different this time. This was a small hunting lodge near a dangerous town. Who knew what could happen? I had to accept it as being preferable to sleeping out in the open, but it still made me uneasy.

It was just past two o’clock now. Daniela and I would be trading places soon. It would affect me badly the next day if I didn’t get my sleep… Even though I had built up a little bit of resistance from all those night shifts.

I could also just stay up and let Daniela sleep…

“Mmmm…hahhh…”

I was considering this option when Daniela yawned and sat up. She never picked the best times to start getting up by herself…

“Asagi…I will take the watch now.”

“You could have slept a little longer.”

“I do not know why, but I woke up. This is not the kind of place to sleep easy…”

So Daniela felt nervous as well. We were so concerned about each other…

“Well, guess I’ll get some sleep then… At least, there are no signs of people or monsters now.”

“Mmm. Yes. Rest well.”

Daniela caressed my head gently as I lay down. I didn’t know what it was, but this situation was quite comforting. She didn’t stop even after I closed my eyes. With every stroke my consciousness faded, until I finally fell asleep.

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I can hear Asagi breathing in his sleep now. It is because we are in this situation that I want to offer what comfort I can.

“Hehe…”

The way he looks when he sleeps always brings a smile to my face. He usually acts quite reliable, but there are some things you can’t hide when you are asleep. There is a sort of innocence there that awakens a maternal instinct in me. Well, I am not really the age to be his mother. Much too old, to be honest.

“Hhh…”

It is sad that I sometimes lead myself to feelings of depression with my own thoughts. I brushed those notions aside and concentrated on my surroundings.

The rain has stopped before nightfall. The wind continued to blow strongly, but it was mostly dry. The ground was still wet, but the wind felt good as it brushed against my cheeks.

It continued to blow even now, coming in through the cracks in the walls.

The wind was always strong during rainy days. And it did not rain like this often, so I could tell that the wind spirits were excited. They tell me that that air is especially delightful on days when the clouds are that big.

‘The air, very good…’

The spirits say as they flow in the air in front of me. As someone who is not a fairy, I worried that such strong winds would just blow them far away. And this hunting lodge did not look very durable. The door was shaking noisily even now. But Presence Detection had not caught anything, so there was no chance of it being a human behind the door.

The breeze that came from the cracks were often just spirits coming and going. That being said, they were often sleeping in their pajamas as this happened, and it was not by their own will that they invaded. I watched and wondered how these things happened, but there was no use asking. You had to just believe what the fairies said. There was no point in thinking about it.

“…I feel bored.”

There was nothing to do. Not a single monster could be felt with Presence Detection. Such peace was welcome, but having nothing to do also made me sleepy.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, my mind wandered to the stack of wooden boxes. We had figured out that this was a hunting lodge, but what were those boxes used for?

I stood up and opened the lid of the box on the top. Underneath, there was a cloth. Perhaps to protect the content from dust? It seemed a little rude of my to pry further, but I was bored and curious. And those two things can be very motivating.

I held the edge of the cloth and slowly raised it.

“…Ah. So that is what this is…”

The box contained magic stones of many colors.

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“Hello and good morning.”

We said good morning even though it was night during my night shift. After all, the night would always end and the morning would come. The night shift only ended once the morning rush did.

“Asagi, you look very tired.”

“Sorry… I’m just so, so, so sleepy.”

“Hey, I told you to get up!”

“Sorry.”

I always wondered if my boss suffered from having a split personality. The way she could change was nothing short of outrageous.

Still, what she told me was your ordinary warnings. I couldn’t show myself like this in front of customers. Stand straight, Asagi! I slapped my cheeks and tried to wake myself up. Alright, almost there! …Huh!?

“Boss…could you not touch my hair like that?”

“Hehe. You have very nice hair. I’m jealous.”

This was her being sarcastic. In other words, she was telling me to get a haircut. I didn’t have any work today, so maybe I could go to the barber… Oh, here are the customers now. Unsurprisingly, they were mostly salary men and students. After all, we were right by the train station. Sometimes I wondered why they didn’t just use the convenience store inside of the station, but these guys kept us afloat, so I wasn’t complaining. Thank you, and all that.

“Asagi. You can leave for the day.”

“Oh? But I still have some time left…”

“You’ll be called soon anyway. Leave this to me.”

But it was still seven-thirty. I wouldn’t get paid for this hour if I left…

“Hey, I’m telling you to leave. Idiot.”

“Sorry.”

If the boss says it’s okay, then maybe it is. Besides, she’d kick me in the ass if I stayed. So I pushed the button that meant I was leaving. Goodbye, money I could have made…

“Well, see you la…mm…gg…uhh…”

Suddenly, I felt very dizzy. I felt sick. I couldn’t stand…

“See, they came for you. Go and have fun.”

“Bo..what…?”

“Later.”

She slapped me on the back. I was already feeling horrible, but that hit pushed me over the edge and my vision went black. It was almost like the time I got stabbed…? The thief? That memory…yes. It had happened.

“Ah…what. Oh, it was a dream…that’s why it had seemed so nostalgic…”

□ □ □ □

“…up, Asagi. Hey…”

“Mmm…”

“There you are. We must leave at once.”

“Is it bandits…?”

When I got up I felt a drop of something fall into the palm of my hand. What the… Ah… Damn it. It was not as if I would ever be able to return. I’m so weak.

“It might as well be. This place was only disguised to resemble a hunting lodge. So… Hmm? What is it? Are you alright?”

“It-it’s nothing. So, how did you know that it was disguised?”

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. Daniela was looking at me with worry. I smiled and said that I was fine. Daniela nodded and then got to her feet before opening one of the boxes.

“Hey, should we really be doing that?”

“No one can win against the power of curiosity. However, there are times when it shows you the answer to your problem.”

She pointed at its contents, so I came next to her and looked. The box was packed with magic ore of many colors. Huh…this was awkward. Why would such a thing be placed in a hunting lodge?

“Woah…”

“It is horrible. I am not sure all of this would fit in the hollow bag…”

“Are you the devil?”

What kind of person has the immediate impulse to rob some bandits of the fruit of their efforts? Wait, no. That actually sounded like a great idea. Now that I think of it, the hollow bag had also been taken from bandits as well.

“It doesn’t seem right…”

“To be very honest, this is probably the funds that they use to operate. We can force them into disbanding if we take it all.”

“Won’t they just steal back what they lost?”

“Regardless, taking is what bandits do. But take away their funds, and they will not be able to buy food or equipment. They will be vulnerable to attacks then.”

I wasn’t sure the people of Nicora would help in taking down the weakened bandits… Sometimes Adventurers or caravans did. And I suppose it was true that having money would make a difference in how they could fight. It was something we experienced first hand.

“So it is settled then. We will take it.”

“You’re really set on this, huh…”

Years of traveling alone had shaped this Daniela. I would definitely have to hear more of those years, later on.

And so Daniela and I put the boxes into the hollow bag. I had felt for a while that the capacity of the bag seemed to have expanded, and because of it, all ten of the boxes fit comfortably inside. It really was a cheat item. But then I remembered where it had come from, and felt weary again.

“Now, let us make our escape before they come…!”

“You know, you’re really starting to sound like a thief yourself!”

Damn it…Daniela. I sighed. This was thievery no matter how I looked at it. But, thank you.

“Asagi. Are you against taking something that is not properly owned by anyone?”

“That’s an interesting way of putting it.”

“Then think differently, Asagi. Treasures are always acquired by taking them for your own.”

“Maybe…”

“Either from humans or monsters. That is the only difference.”

Daniela looked as if what we were doing was the most natural thing. I felt that my incredibly nostalgic dream had pulled my sensibilities and morals back to that old world.

Now, I was an Adventurer. If this would lead to the weakening of bandits, then it was quite normal. It was like taking food from your enemies.

“Yes…Daniela, you’re right.”

“Of course, we are still stealing.”

Daniela laughed, a little self-deprecating. I felt bad that I had pushed her into feeling even a little guilt. While it wasn’t direct, we were fighting bandits in a way by doing this. As long as we had discovered it, we could not ignore it.

We erased all traces of having stayed there and left the lodge. The moon was still sitting in the sky, but it was only a matter of time. It would sink into the west soon and the sun would rise in the east. Just where would we stay until then? That was the current problem.