30 - Lariel's Growth
Inside the horse carriage, as I was jolted around, I was plagued by an intense exhaustion.
I think my face looked pale.
In fact, as I watched the scenery outside, the only thing I could think about was how soon we would reach the city of Darion.
The rough roads ended, and the shaking finally subsided a bit, but the jolting of the carriage bed was still severe.
The build was sturdy, and since it was owned by the guild, it was well-maintained.
"I don't want to ride in a carriage ever again..."
Perhaps because I was so tired, the return trip was much harder for me than the journey there.
Aria, seeing me like this, looked appalled.
Everyone was feeling the fatigue, but mine was particularly severe.
"Novem is riding in the other carriage for treatment, so I was put in charge of looking after you... but you really have a terrible look on your face. Pull yourself together a little more."
I shot back at Aria's words.
Because I was so exhausted, I couldn't come up with a witty retort.
"Aria was worse on the way there. You looked like you were going to throw up several times."
"T-that was because the shaking was worse then! I'm used to it now, so I'm fine!"
Seeing Aria look embarrassed, Larf-san, the only one among the members who was still energetic, gave a wry smile.
"You two get along well."
Aria and I answered Larf-san in unison.
"We do not."
"We do not!"
While envying Aria's energy, I turned my gaze toward Rondo-san, who was beside the reclining Rachel-san.
Even though he seemed to be struggling himself, he was worrying about Rachel-san.
Seeing that, the Fourth Generation began to nag—.
"Lariel, can't you have a bit more composure? You have to treat girls with care. In fact, if you took this attitude with Novem-chan, you'd definitely be crucified at the next meeting."
The Fourth Generation, who was noisy about the treatment of women, lectured me, but I was truly exhausted. It was a kind of fatigue I had never felt before, and I simply had no composure left.
The driver of this carriage was not Zelfie-san, but a support staff member.
Zelfie-san was driving the carriage carrying the wounded.
Novem was nursing five people, and despite her own fatigue, she was behaving bravely.
Rondo-san said with a tired smile,
"Perhaps... this might be coming."
What? Just as I wondered, the Second Generation added a supplement.
"Lariel, before a Growth occurs, there are times when this kind of fatigue, or a subtle feeling, is a precursor. Mainly when one has gained a massive amount of experience. In those cases, the physical changes are greater than when you grow through daily life, so it feels like you're terribly exhausted."
In other words, it seemed that I was finally seeing signs of "Growth."
I wanted to be happy, but I didn't have the energy for that right now.
Larf-san looked a bit disappointed.
"I wish I had participated too. Then I might have felt the Growth myself... Actually, it's rare for every single member to show signs at once."
It's only natural for individual differences to occur among humans, to a greater or lesser extent.
Yet, every member who participated was showing signs of Growth.
Rondo-san was tired, but he kept smiling. He was likely happy at the prospect of feeling his own Growth.
"Once we're back, we'll have no choice but to rest for a while. Besides, since Lariel-kun and the others let us have the reward, I'd like to give them something in return."
The innermost chamber of the labyrinth—.
We had given the rare metal found there, iron imbued with magical power, to Rondo-san and the others.
Zelfie-san took the valuables stripped from the adventurers as her reward, and we decided to receive a reward in exchange for giving up the rare metal.
We would receive a significant amount of money from the guild's emergency request and the report of the investigation results.
I considered making weapons from the rare metal, but we didn't need them right now.
This was because Aria and I possessed Orbs. Even if there were weapons that could be imbued with skills, there was a possibility they would interfere with each other and not work well.
Aria might be able to do it once she got used to it, but in my case, the Orb was too powerful, making it impossible at present.
I wondered if I should have a staff made for Novem, but she refused, so we settled on us taking the reward.
"Well... once this fatigue fades, please do."
When I gave my best possible response, Rondo-san gave a wry smile.
"I suppose so."
In contrast, Larf-san looked excited, thinking about what kind of weapon he would have made and what skills he would set.
(I hope we reach Darion soon.)
Irritated by the swaying carriage, I decided to lie down until we arrived.
Aria draped a blanket over me.
When I didn't say thank you, I heard the Fourth Generation click his tongue.
"Tch!!"
Upon arriving in Darion, our party was to report the details to the guild.
However, since not everyone needed to speak, those of us who received the reward were to return home.
Zelfie-san, the leader this time, seemed to be the one handling the report at the guild.
On the second floor where the reception was, I leaned on Larf-san's shoulder and responded to the adventurers who called out to us as we returned.
"You avenged them, eh? Well done, you lot!"
"The young ones worked hard too, huh?"
"But with this, we can finally feel at ease."
Some adventurers even applauded, and we tasted a bit of the feeling of a hero's triumphant return.
"This isn't so bad. It's a good thing about Darion."
When Larf-san said that, I asked if other guilds were different.
"Is it different from other guilds?"
"It depends on the land, after all. The temperament, or the local character... but this feeling isn't bad. If I could make a living here, it's a city I'd want to stay in."
From his tone, it seemed he would eventually leave the city of Darion.
I felt a bit lonely thinking that, but I too would leave Darion someday.
As I looked around, I noticed the usual faces at the counter had changed.
The beautiful staff member was gone.
A middle-aged female staff member was explaining various things to a young male staff member.
(The atmosphere is a bit strange. The young adventurers have subtle looks on their faces.)
Zelfie-san handed the guild card of the deceased adventurer to Hawkins-san and then came over to us.
"Quite noisy, isn't it. Well, if you call it rare for Darion, I suppose it is... we'll disband for today, but Lariel, if your fatigue doesn't fade, take two or three days off. At your current state, it'd be dangerous to work."
I certainly didn't want to work in this condition, so I nodded and answered Zelfie-san.
Novem was the same.
Only Aria was looking down, avoiding Zelfie-san's gaze.
Rondo-san and the others thanked Zelfie-san.
"It was quite a good experience. And we survived. Please call on us again if you'd like."
Zelfie-san nodded to the refreshing Rondo-san, despite his fatigue.
"I'd prefer it if something like that didn't happen again, though. Still, I'll remember you three."
With that, the three of them left the guild.
"Come on, you lot go too. You look terrible."
After Larf-san, I leaned on Novem's shoulder and left the guild.
――A private room in the guild.
Hawkins sat facing Zelfie across a desk.
Perhaps because of the large Hawkins, the room seemed narrower than usual and the table looked small.
"...Thank you for your hard work. I will report this matter to the higher-ups of the guild."
Having finished the interview, Hawkins picked up the documents and tapped them twice vertically on the table to align them neatly.
"I'm truly exhausted. There was nothing good about it, just showing the dirty parts and ending it. I really never want to do that again."
Hawkins gave a wry smile.
Since Zelfie had said she wanted the deceased adventurer's valuables as her reward, he understood most of the situation.
"...Do you know his home?"
Hawkins asked if Zelfie knew the home of him—the deceased adventurer.
"I know. He has a family, one wife and two children. It really makes me sick... I don't really want to do things like this."
Knowing she even knew the family structure, Hawkins' expression looked a bit sad.
"Are you going out of your way to take on such an unpleasant role? And while keeping it a secret from Lariel-kun and the others."
"I am doing my job as an instructor. This part is outside the fee."
Hawkins could imagine what Zelfie intended to do with the valuables she requested as a reward.
The belongings of a deceased adventurer are usually received by the adventurers who went to investigate or by their comrades.
However, in the case of an adventurer who was well-regarded by those around them, an adventurer who had been helped by them would sometimes deliver those items to the bereaved family.
"Why not tell them? Considering the future, it's important."
As if she weren't in the mood, Zelfie averted her gaze from Hawkins.
"My job is to make those kids full-fledged adventurers. I've taught them the work, and through this incident, I taught them movement, camping, and even the labyrinth. Nothing more is necessary."
She had taught them the basics.
Therefore, there was no problem.
Zelfie stated this decisively.
Though appalled, Hawkins had nothing to say to Zelfie regarding her work as an instructor.
She was certainly doing the work.
Since she was doing the work corresponding to the fee, the guild could not interfere in the fine details.
"That's just like you. This time, you're working for free without taking a reward, aren't you?"
She had passed the reward to Lariel and the others, and the rare metal found in the labyrinth had been given to Rondo and his group.
Zelfie had received the valuables held by the deceased adventurer, but she intended to return them to the bereaved family.
Working for free.
One could say she was a failure as an adventurer.
"...Even if a retiring human says that to me, well. This is as far as I go. I have a fiancé, and I'd hate to die at the end like that guy."
Zelfie's final job was to instruct Lariel and the others.
She had achieved a certain level of success as an adventurer and was recognized by the lord.
Zelfie had worked well between the guild and the lord.
But because of the incident with Aria, that had been greatly disrupted.
"It seems you pushed yourself too hard with Aria-san's matter. You pushed it onto Lariel-kun... but in truth, you intended to take her back if Lariel-kun was troubled, didn't you?"
Zelfie let out a deep sigh.
"Haa, honestly... I was planning to lecture Lady Aria if he couldn't handle her, telling her 'If you're going to save someone, save them with the intention of looking after them until the end!' and make her feel depressed. I thought she was just a sheltered rich girl, but she overcomes any hardship with ease. She'll go considerably higher than someone like me."
Zelfie complained that there was almost nothing left for her to teach.
Hawkins played along with her complaining.
"Indeed. I've seen many adventurers, but Lariel-kun and the others will likely rise to the top. They might even become adventurers known throughout the country."
When Hawkins joked, Zelfie laughed.
It seemed she didn't think it would go that far.
"That would be interesting. In that case, I'd be the woman who instructed one of the country's leading adventurers! That's quite a prestigious credential."
Then, the topic shifted to the beautiful staff member.
"By the way, husband. What happened to that beauty?"
Zelfie's gaze became stern.
"...You pulled some strings before departure, didn't you? An order came from the Lord to explain the circumstances. In Darion, the guild's position is inferior to the Lord's. If told, we have no choice but to explain."
Hawkins remembered the pale face of the beautiful staff member.
At the same time, her father was also to leave the Darion Adventurers' Guild.
On the surface, it was a promotion to be the branch manager of a new guild being established.
However, that location was a village where a pioneer settlement was planned to be built.
It was effectively an exile from the city of Darion.
"As expected of the Lord. Quite swift movement. As a citizen, it's reassuring."
Zelfie belonged to the Adventurers' Guild.
But at the same time, she was also a citizen of Darion.
For her, who was considering retirement, which side offered more benefits? Needless to say, it was the Lord.
The guild also had no intention of interfering in that.
"Thanks to that, it'll be tough for a while."
This time, Hawkins complained. However, Zelfie was laughing.
"That's the best part. I struggled too. The guild should struggle a bit as well."
"Honestly," Hawkins muttered, carefully picking up the documents, standing up, and leaving the room—.
The morning of the second day after returning.
I felt refreshed.
"What a refreshing morning... I feel as if I've been reborn. So this is Growth!"
I stood up on the bed, spread my arms, and looked up at the ceiling.
The ceiling was close, and I could see the stains clearly, but I didn't care.
I jumped off the bed, landed in a crouch, and slowly stood up.
It felt as if my senses had expanded, and I had become larger.
"I can feel it... my magical power is more than ever! I'm different from the me of before, who had to manage things by the skin of my teeth! I... have been reborn!!"
Shouting in the room, I felt truly wonderful.
I felt like running out right now.
It was as if the way I had been limp until last night was a lie.
"Right now, I could even fly in the sky... no, that's probably impossible? No, I can do it! I'm not afraid of anything anymore! I can even beat Celes! No, I hope I can beat her..."
When I remembered Celes, I suddenly became timid.
I shook my head to forget about Celes; for now, I just wanted to shout at the top of my lungs.
"I've grownnnnn!!"
Then, I heard a pitter-patter sound, and the room door was flung open.
There stood Aria, her face bright red, with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong, Aria? Why do you look like you're about to cry... did something sad happen? I'm always here to listen to your troubles!"
As I spread my arms, Aria covered her face with both hands.
Then, with her ears turning bright red, she screamed.
"Stop making so much noise! You're making me remember my old self!"
Being told about her old self, I tilted my head.
Then, I realized.
"What. Did you do something when you first grew? Don't worry about such small things. I wonder why I used to worry about such trivial matters. I want to punch my old self away!"
I thrust my fist forward on the spot, imagining punching my former self away, and then raised my right arm high.
"...No. I wasn't like this. I was more normal."
To Aria, who sat down on the spot and shook her head, I consoled her while laughing loudly.
"You've got no energy, Aria! I know, let's go see Rondo-san and the others today! I have to thank them for the other day. And we'll have a huge feast with the reward! I'll treat you today!"
Aria looked at the high-tension me with unfocused eyes.
Being stared at by eyes with the highlights gone, I felt bashful.
"Don't look at me like that... it's embarrassing."
When I took a pose of brushing back my hair, Aria stood up and left the room in silence.
"Don't look at me like that, it's embarrassing."
When the Third Generation brushed back his hair and struck a cool pose, the ancestors surrounding the round table burst out laughing.
I buried my face in the table and pounded it several times with both hands.
Next, the Third Generation thrust his fist forward as if punching with a bare hand and said,
"I want to punch my old self away!"
Once again, the ancestors roared with laughter.
The First Generation laughed while clutching his stomach, kicking his legs.
"This is the first time I've laughed this much since coming here! My stomach hurts~!!"
The Second Generation was trembling slightly, covering his mouth.
"Lariel can fly in the sky too, huh. Pfft!"
Don't spit out your laugh! While I was thinking that, the Fourth Generation took off his glasses and wiped away the tears that came from laughing too much.
"I'm always here to listen to your troubles, he says... you should say things like that more often normally."
The Fifth Generation looked at me with lukewarm eyes.
"Rest easy. It's something everyone experiences. One's ego swells with the first Growth. Look, Novem watched over you without saying anything. That's what family normally does."
I screamed.
"I want to punch that me from back then awayyyyy!!"
But the Sixth Generation followed up on me.
"No, but really. That was a commotion the likes of which is rarely seen. Lariel, you might have a talent for making people laugh."
There's no persuasiveness in being told that while they're laughing.
In the first place, being laughed at and making people laugh are completely different things.
The ancestors were teasing me, but my grandfather, the Seventh Generation, was also desperately trying to hold back his laughter.
"H-hm. It's something everyone experiences. There is no shame in it, Lariel... Pffft!!"
While looking coldly at the Seventh Generation who couldn't hold it in and spat out a laugh, I decided to quickly ask the reason I had been summoned.
"So, for what reason did you call me here today? If it's just to tease me, I'm going back."
When I spoke irritably, the others, still laughing, stopped me.
The Fourth Generation was the first to recover—.
"Wait. This is an important conversation. It's just that this Growth had too much of an impact, you know... No, I'm going to start laughing again just remembering it."
Seeing the Fourth Generation covering his mouth, I scratched my head with both hands.
Why did I do that?
Why did I say those words?
I cannot regret it enough.
The Third Generation, smiling, took over from the Fourth Generation.
"About Lariel's skill, unlike our skills, it's the type that is constantly active, right?"
"That's right."
When I looked at the Third Generation with dead eyes, he continued the explanation with a 'good grief' feeling.
"It's probably one of the reasons why the magical power consumption was high, but this is the type that constantly consumes magical power once it manifests. The effect is great, but there's a limit to the magical power you can use, just as before."
For the current me who had grown, I had enough magical power to withstand the consumption. However, the fact that I was shackled remained unchanged.
The Third Generation continued.
"At the same time, we thought about Lariel's condition in our own way. And, according to the Second Generation—"
At that point, the Second Generation spoke.
"You're the type that requires an outrageous amount of experience. The severe signs before Growth are one thing, but you grow greatly as a reaction to that. You're the type to accumulate a massive amount of experience and grow all at once... but frankly, it's too extreme. Consider that the required experience is several times that of others."
I doubted my own ears.
I grow greatly, but I require more experience than others.
And it's more than double.
"Can't something be done about that? I mean, my skill does exert an effect."
When I said that, the Second Generation shook his head.
"No matter how much you increase it with a skill, in your current state, it's only an increase of twenty to thirty percent, isn't it? Considering the next Growth, you'll need even more experience than now."
"...Which means?"
"Act with the prospect of leaving Darion in mind. Even if the next Growth occurs here, it'll be on the scale of several years. If you're unlucky, it wouldn't be strange for it to take ten years."
The Second Generation's gaze was serious. He didn't look like he was lying.
He was seriously telling me to move on to the next stage.
"I'm still in the middle of employing an instructor."
The Third Generation said,
"It's only for three months, right? Once you've been taught thoroughly until then, let's leave Darion. This place might be easy to live in, but does Lariel intend to spend his whole life here? I think that's impossible."
The Fifth Generation added a supplement.
"The Lord of Darion probably wants you to leave. Even if you live here, you'll be under the Lord's influence. That won't necessarily be for your own good. If it comes down to it, that Lord will easily discard you. ...For the sake of both parties, it's better that you leave this place."
To Bentlar-san, the Lord of Darion, I was like a bomb, as he didn't know how my family home, the Walt family, would move.
Just being here would be a hassle to handle.
"I'll leave Darion once the instruction period ends. I just have to decide on the next place by then, right?"
When I said that, everyone nodded with serious faces.
And finally, the First Generation spoke.
"Also, I have something to say. Come here tomorrow. I think it'll take some time, so keep that in mind."
I nodded and answered the First Generation's serious expression.
The atmosphere of the ancestors around me had also fallen silent, unlike before.
The Fourth Generation declared the end of the meeting as usual.
"Shall we end here? Even so, the First Generation and Lariel have become quite close."
Thinking back to the beginning, I think it's a situation that would have been absolutely impossible.
After all, I was even told "I hate you" by the First Generation.
I didn't think it would turn out like this myself.
The First Generation probably felt the same.
"Well, I have to acknowledge him. Lariel showed me his strength. He also saved Aria-chan, so I'm just responding to that."
The First Generation's words strangely caught my attention.