Chapter 8
Forming a Party
Translator : PolterGlast
The sun wasn't fully
up yet, and it was still pitch black outside—but I was wide awake.
I think my sleep time
has gotten extremely short since I turned forty.
When I was younger, I
could sleep for as long as I wanted, but now, sleeping for a long time actually
makes me more tired.
Feeling the age of my
body in such a familiar way, I moved my body and started stretching.
Once my body was
warmed up, I drew my katana and began practice swings in preparation for actual
combat.
It's been quite a
while since I lost my arm, but I still feel a sense of awkwardness in combat.
I can get through
daily life normally now, but in a fight, the need for split-second decisions
makes me feel a slight disconnect.
And every time I feel
that slight disconnect, the arm that isn't there aches intensely.
It's a phenomenon
commonly known as phantom limb pain; the pain occurs every time my brain feels
the strangeness of my missing arm.
I want to get used to
it as soon as possible, so I never miss my morning training, no matter how bad
the phantom pain gets.
"...Huh?
Graham-san, you're already awake?"
"Sorry, did I
wake you?"
"No, I woke up on
my own. It's amazing that you're training so early in the morning."
The person who woke up
was Ginia.
As it turns out, I
couldn't find a place to stay yesterday, so I ended up accepting Ginia's
kindness and was allowed to stay with her.
When I say I stayed
with her, I just borrowed a room, something like an employee's room, at the
tavern on Elma Street where Ginia works. Ginia apparently works and lives here,
and I just happened to borrow the sofa.
"It's just part
of my daily routine, so I've never thought of it as amazing. You're an
adventurer too, right, Ginia? Don't you train?"
"Even though I'm
an adventurer, it was more out of necessity to pay for the vase. I actually
came to Biodasdal because I wanted to make sweets."
"Make sweets? You
mean the sweet kind?"
"Yes! I can't
forget the sweets I ate when I was little, and I came to this town with the
ambition of making children like me smile—but on my very first day, I broke
that vase..."
"So you had no
choice but to become an adventurer."
"Yes, that's
right. They took all the money I had on the spot, and the reason I started
working here is because they said I could live here."
Losing an arm at
forty-two and ending up in Biodasdal because I couldn't stay in my village, I
thought my situation was pretty bad, but Ginia has had it pretty rough too.
To come to this town
chasing a dream, only to be scammed out of all your money on the first day and
then be billed for ten platinum coins...
"You've been
through a lot. I thought I had a pretty hard day, but compared to you, it was
nothing."
"Speaking of
which, Graham-san, why did you come to the town of Biodasdal?"
"Just recently, a
monster that attacked my village ate my arm. The village I was in was so remote
we had to be self-sufficient, so when I lost an arm and couldn't farm properly
anymore, I'd just be holding everyone back. That's why, even though I'm a geezer
over forty, I had no choice but to leave the village."
"............That's
even worse than my situation! So you also had no choice but to become an
adventurer, Graham-san."
"That's about it.
And so I came to you, looking for a party member."
We looked at each
other with pity in our eyes and nodded slowly as if to console one another.
But in Ginia's case,
she's no longer being chased by those guys, so she can pursue her dream of
making sweets.
I came here with the
intention of inviting her to my party, but after hearing such a tale of
misfortune and her talk of her dream, I have no choice but to sincerely support
her.
"I'm so sorry for
getting you involved in all of this! And thank you so much for helping
me."
"No, thank you
for offering me to stay here. Well then... I should probably be going. I'll be
in this town, so if we meet again, let's get along."
"............Huh?
Aren't you going to invite me to your party?"
I need to find party
members to earn money.
The conversation had
reached a good stopping point, so I had intended to say my goodbyes, but
Ginia's response was completely unexpected.
"Hmm? Didn't you
say you were going to make sweets? You don't have to worry about the money for
the vase anymore, so I thought you'd be chasing your dream, which is why I
didn't invite you..."
"Since I went to
the trouble of becoming an adventurer, I wanted to complete at least one quest!
Besides, you're the one who saved my life, Graham-san, so I can't just pretend
I don't see you in trouble! But, well... I can't guarantee I'll be of any
use."
"No, just having
you join my party makes me happy! But are you sure?"
"Of course! I
want to make sweets someday, but life is more rewarding if you try various
things! Besides, I think I can make children smile even as an adventurer!"
"Well then...
from today on, I'm counting on you."
"Yes! Likewise,
it's a pleasure to be working with you!"
To my surprise, Ginia
joined my party.
I had given up before
I even asked, so I'm so happy I could cry.
As expected, a
middle-aged man suddenly bursting into tears would scare her, so I desperately
held back my tears to keep them from spilling.
Even so, I'm still
just being helped by others, even after leaving the village.
While feeling grateful
for meeting such good people, I savored the deeply moving feeling of having a
"companion" for the very first time.
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