Rotmiller was different from Missha and Hikurod. As an explorer, he was attentive and cunning, and in many ways he was a veteran for starting from the bottom. However, I didn't expect him to ask me so directly.
Since it's my karma, I guess I'll have to put up with it.
I only came up with one option. There was no point in admitting that I was an evil spirit and appealing to our friendship, so all I could do was smash his head in a fit of rage because he had insulted me.
No matter how you think about it, it's strange.
My judgment was not clouded by affection alone. He knew a lot about Rotmiller. If he really thought I was an evil spirit, there would never have been a conversation like this. If I had to compare it to anything, he was like a herbivore. Simply put, Rotmiller didn't trust his words either. Furthermore, I did not feel any malice. I quickly decided on a position.
Just as I thought, it would be best to wait and see the situation for now.
Of course, I had no intention of begging him to trust me by using the excuse that he wasn't. That was not the way a barbarian man acted. After a silence of about three seconds, I opened my mouth coldly. «Rotmiller, I hope you have a reason to insult me». I wanted him to think that since he was my precious colleague, this time I would let him pass and ask him why. Judging the facts, this was not a lie. If it hadn't been Rotmiller, my fist would have flown towards his head a long time ago.
However, this man just laughed. «I would have thought you were really angry. That is if I hadn't known you well».
"¿What?"
«Oath, honor. You are not the type of person who gets carried away by vanity. It's not that you lack patience to let yourself be carried away by your emotions».
Rotmiller knew me too well to get ahead of me with an act. The warrior's oath, which was used as a trick key, would not work either. So I changed my posture a little. «...I don't even like hearing that from a teammate».
«Hm, that's true». Rotmiller shrugged and gobbled up the liquor he had left. The atmosphere was much more relaxed than before. «But you are too special».
rotmiller continued. A barbarian who read, a barbarian who did not allow himself to be controlled by emotions, a pragmatic barbarian who valued other things above honor: Most of them were things that could be considered exceptional. Except the last one: a barbarian who knew information that a warrior under a year old could never know.
«On that occasion, in the labyrinth, you said that you had heard a revelation».
After returning to the Tower in Heaven, I told my distrustful companions that I had heard the revelation of Behellah, the ancestor god. This was a world where gods existed, right? Missha and Hikurod took that as the answer. Even Rotmiller, who worried me, didn't say anything, so I thought he had gotten through the incident well.
«Who would believe it? I couldn't believe it either. That's why I thought you might be an evil spirit».
So that's what you've been secretly thinking about me.
Well, if you assumed I was an evil spirit, everything could be explained. That was the truth in the first place. However, the situation was very positive. «Do you mean you don't think that now?».
At my question, Rotmiller nodded without hesitation before continuing. «In a book I read, evil spirits are described as beings that treat everyone in the world like puppets. However, you don't».
Although the value of honor was meager, I cared about my own enough to advise and guide young warriors. I felt a sense of loss and anger at the death of a companion, something an ordinary evil spirit would never feel. The path I was traveling had become a shield that protected me without the need to give a clumsy explanation.
Well, it seemed like that was something else that completely removed Rotmiller's suspicions. «Besides, didn't the star goddess give you an oracle? I saw it with my own eyes, so how can I doubt it?».
An oracle given by Reatlas, the goddess of the stars; Although I complained about the vine breaking in one day, this actually turned out to be a gift from heaven.
«Thanks to that, I realized how narrow-minded she was. I thought you were an evil spirit because I saw you with normal eyes».
No, you saw it correctly...
I listened to Rotmiller's words, suppressing the twisting of my conscience.
«In this world, there are certainly people who are especially loved by the gods. And history has called them heroes».
«...That's too much».
«Haha, I knew you'd say that. You have a tendency to underestimate yourself. But at least I think about it honestly».
I couldn't say anything to Rotmiller's bombardment of compliments. Isn't it funny to admit it? I left my shame behind and asked the last thing I was curious about. «So why did you say that?». Rotmiller didn't think I was an evil spirit. I may have done it in the past, but not now. So why did he throw a fastball and ask if I was an evil spirit?
The response was completely unexpected. «I wanted to give you a warning and advice».
«A warning and advice?»
«Yeah. You are wise, but inexperienced in this field. No matter how much you trust your colleagues, you have to hide».
«I don't know what you mean.»
«Aren't you going to form a new team? Your special character will inevitably show up like an awl in a pocket. There may even be those who judge you like me». Rotmiller said that as long as I couldn't reveal the oracle, I should try to hide as much as possible from myself. This would prevent future misfortunes. «As someone who has lived an ordinary life, I really wanted to tell you this».
«...I see. Thank you. I will always engrave your advice in my heart».
«Hmm, the conversation went on longer than I intended. Let's finish this meeting. I'll take Murad.»
This is how Team Medio Ingenio's last party ended. Unlike usual, we split up without promising our next date.
«I hope the path you are traveling is full of light.»
Half-wit Team. I really learned a lot from them.
***
The conversation with Rotmiller was instructive, not because of the advice he gave me, but because the situation itself alerted me. Although it went well this time, it could happen again at any time. There were no guarantees that it would be the same next time, so I thought about it. If a teammate, and to whom I was attached, was convinced that I was an evil spirit and even had proof of it, what should I do?
I didn't bother to say the answer out loud. That wouldn't change anything. I would try to survive, even if I became a terrible human being.
...I'll have to be more careful.
To avoid that tragedy, I decided to pay attention to each and every one of my actions, just like when I first fell into this strange world. I had to calculate and move deeper with the idea that I could only trust myself. If I really cared, this was the right thing to do.
«Bjorn, what are you thinking?»
«En nada.»
«I didn't say anything weird while I was drunk yesterday, did I?»
The morning after the Half-Wit team's last dinner, I left with Missha and headed to the Great Temple. We didn't have to go together, but we still had to visit Kommelby later.
As soon as I arrived at the temple, I called Krovitz.
«Nice to see you again. Do you have any other concerns?» The young paladin of about thirty had a questioning expression, as I had returned after only two days.
I raised the matter bluntly. «It's not a concern, but I have to ask you a favor».
«A favor... Let's hear it first».
«I want you to organize a meeting with the dragon tribe. After all, I thought it would be better to return this like you said and ask for a different reward.» The Dragon Hunter's sword was a valuable treasure, but I judged that holding on to it would only cause it to rust.
«May the blessing of the twilight star be with you. It will be very good news for them».
Did you think it was for the public good? Krovitz agreed and said he would arrange a meeting with them. For me it was like taking a weight off my shoulders. It was a difficult job for a rank 6 barbarian to meet with the dragon tribe leaders first.
Since we will gather through the temple, they will not think of assaulting us or stealing the reward.
«When the date is set, I will send a call to the address you left».
«Thanks for your help.»
Well, that matter was resolved. I left the temple with Missha and got into the carriage towards Kommelby. As soon as we got off, we headed to the Central Stock Exchange for a simple reason.
First I have to improve the Impression of the Soul.
If I was known to have received an oracle, there was a possibility that I would be expelled from the tribe. So, before that, you had to pass stage 6. In stage 6, in addition to money, you needed materials.
«Are you registered for consignment sales?»
«I have come because I have something I am looking for», I said and presented to the staff the documents I had prepared in advance. He needed an immortal heart, a material that could be obtained with extremely low probability from troll byproducts obtained through distortion magic. It was expensive, but if you had enough money, it was much better to buy it. Even those who specialized in catching trolls could only find one once every few months.
«In total there is an object that meets the criteria. Do you want to check the information?»
The search fee was 3,000 stones, and the confirmed price was 18 million stones. He had climbed a million stones since the last time. «...I'll buy it.» It was a little disappointing, but I bought it carefree. This item was so out of stock that the entire bag only had one. If it was sold, it was not known when it would be back in stock.
If the sixth stage costs that much, starting with the seventh, I will probably have to find the materials myself.
Arriving at the warehouse with that thought in mind, I checked that the item was free of defects and received it. With this, my goal today was over. Now it was Missha's turn. «Let's change your sword again.»
«...Is that why you brought me here?» Missha looked at me as if wondering why I was the one deciding that, but she didn't really resist. This was not strange. She too had to feel the limitations of steel.
«With this new equipment, the goal is to reach the sixth floor, so don't think about saving money».
«... If there is something I like.»
Since it was a weapon that Missha was going to use, I looked for a suitable item while listening to her opinion. It took me longer than expected. We agreed to buy a grade 3 alloy Iril long sword made of mithril and steel, but choosing a design was the problem.
«Ugh, it's not about choosing the prettiest one!».
«Yes, let's say yes. Anyway, go ahead and choose. By the way, I think this one looks good».
«Oh, guess who's not a barbarian. You think everything that has to be is heavy».
Despite the growls, Missha carefully chose her sword. Apparently you had to keep an eye on things like weight distribution and reach. As he explained that, he even listed the names of famous blacksmiths he had memorized, which surprised me. After all, she was also an explorer.
«Wow, to think that the day has come when I can use a sword worth twelve million stones...».
«If you had removed the magic enchantment, you would have saved at least 4 million».
«Still, if you're going to buy it, you should buy a good one! I'll use it for the rest of my life!» After finishing collecting the items from the warehouse, Missha hugged the sword like a baby and muttered in a resolute voice: «Ughh, I really need to save the remaining money...»
I tilted my head. «Why do you save money? Leave only the money you need, and use all the rest to buy and eat Beast Blood».
«…¿Eh?»
Where a barbarian has a Soul Impression, a beast person has a Spiritual Beast. Spiritual Beasts are cultivated over time, but Beast Blood was able to shorten the duration.
«I told you before. Don't even think about being frugal».
«... Is it really okay to use it recklessly like this?»
«It is not reckless, it is an investment for the future.»
Missha asked if it wouldn't be better to buy an essence instead, but that didn't seem reasonable to me. Essences rank 5 and above cost tens of millions of stones. There was no need to buy anything below that.
«You have not yet unlocked the power of your Spiritual Beast. I think it's best to focus on that for now».
In the end, with my strong persuasion, Missha used all of her money (excluding her emergency fund) to purchase Beastblood. He said he would take her home later. Tomorrow we would know if any single power had manifested.
«Then let's get going».
After spending our fortune for several hours, we returned to the residential sector. It was around eight in the afternoon, when the day was slowly darkening and beginning to get dark.
The Imprint of the Soul can be made on holy ground tomorrow and be finished...
I organized the things I had to do until the next maze opened. Three things remained: 1) Meet the dragon tribe and return to the sword Dragon Slayer; 2) Get information about Hercules and Noark, and 3) Form a new team.
Come to think of it, I didn't ask him about this. When I remembered, I asked him directly: «Missha, is there anything you want or do in particular when looking for a teammate?».
We had more or less decided on the configuration that would occupy the remaining three positions. However, it was necessary to listen to Missha's thoughts. Not only was she an original member, but her career was longer than mine. I judged that I could receive advice on an item I hadn't even thought about.
«Umm...» After thinking seriously, Missha opened her mouth carefully. «I... don't want a fairy».
It was an unexpected requirement.