Chapter 3 – Foolish Goodwill

000

Rest area inside the guild.

Adventurers who don’t go out for quests spend most of their time here when they don’t have a schedule.

For adventurers, it is a place like a meeting place, where they naturally exchange information, share each other’s circumstances, and exchange information.

Sometimes, a story of gratitude from seniors.

A story of a failed motive.

The success story of that nasty guy.

A conspiracy theory that claims that a new type of monster has appeared.

It wasn’t uncommon for adventurers to visit this place to relieve their share of concerns.

‘Sasha’, who had just become an adventurer, was also one of those adventurers.

A few days ago, she joined the party of Hero Alvein, a promising adventurer in this city.

She knew that the party had some trouble just before, but she couldn’t miss the chance, thinking that thanks to her, she had a chance for herself.

However, he never imagined that the adventure would bring pain and worries.

The change started a week ago. During the quest in ‘The Living Forest’.

Albein’s party failed the request again, even though it was not that difficult to match Sasha’s level.

Was it because Albain was overdoing it like the dungeon cleaning earlier? That said, it wasn’t even that.

The level of the enemy did not deviate from what was expected, and there was no problem with the strategy or course of action.

If there was a problem, it was with the cleric ‘Quon’, the healer who supports the party.

“Quon… What the hell happened?”

After laying the fainting Albein on the bed of the inn.

Layla, who suffered shallow wounds all over her body, spoke to Quon as if shooting.

The power of her recovery magic was less than half of what the entire party expected.

Alvein is a warrior capable of attack, defense, and recovery.

However, he is basically in charge of the vanguard, blocking attacks and concentrating on cutting with his sword.

It is because there is trust that Quon’s recovery will assist him.

However, after the regeneration of the Plant Golem, Quon failed to properly protect Alvein in the series of attacks.

As a result, the party whose avant-garde collapsed collapsed.

With no one to protect the rear from the enemy, the party managed to escape from the forest with Alvein supported.

It was a nightmare.

The forest literally recognized the party as the weak, and even the small puppies who had been hiding until now looked down on them and jumped out and started to attack.

I won’t do an attack that could endanger my life.

Even if there were dozens of small fish, the courage in my heart was shattered by the fear.

“Why didn’t you protect Alvein properly!”

As Lyla raised her voice, Quon could only weep as she hung her head down.

“J-Calm down, Mr. Layla. Recovery magic has a high level of difficulty, so something can cause its power to decrease.”

Although Sasha did her best to calm the enraged Leila.

Lila was not easily offended.

Eventually, I ran out of the dorm and returned the next morning.

Quon blamed herself for not knowing why this happened and her sorrow for not being able to protect her beloved’s teeth. She only shed tears all night long.

Sasha prayed that this situation would pass quickly.

Next day.

Although Albein heals her wounds and opens her eyes.

Quon’s resilience never returned.

No, it was even more distant than yesterday.

She who healed her simply by raising her hand and concentrating her mana without a simple scratch or chant.

Now, by memorizing more than 10 lines of prayer, it was barely enough to stop the blood.

“Magic is greatly affected by the state of the mind or soul. Why don’t you tell me if you have any worries?”

Yesterday, Lila blamed Quon so much, but as the day went on and her Quon’s condition worsened, she felt a pity for her, no matter how rival she was.

Little of her treated her kindly.

However, Quon wasn’t the only one with problems.

The same goes for Alvein, who felt impatient when he heard that Cleon had solved the settlement of the failed request by himself.

In the meantime, when he was told that he had told the guild to share half of the commission’s reward to them, Alvein’s expression was red with shame and anger.

“—Until Quon’s resilience returns. I won’t accept her request. I can’t go through the same humiliation again.”

“I’m sorry… Alvein…”

Finally.

The group disbanded on the spot.

Lyla went in and out of the city’s study to investigate the anomaly of Quon.

Quon spends his time praying at the town’s shrine, refusing to eat or drink to restore his resilience.

Alvein tried to make a request that he could carry out alone.

Each time, after being informed that Cleon had received all the requests in advance, he went to the village bar in anger.

Even though it’s been a week like that.

Quon’s condition showed no signs of improving.

“Haa~. What should I do…”

Sasha, who sighed as she fell face down on the table in her rest area, was worried that her party would be disbanded.

“Oh, do you have any worries?”

A warm voice, as if worried about Sasha, came from in front of her.

Sasha hurriedly raised her head.

There stood a beautiful woman with a brown robe covering her neck.

Light brown skin and turquoise hair.

And alluring purple eyes.

Femininity that can be seen even from the top of the robe.

I am the first person to see it.

Her sense of her was stronger than anyone else’s presence that Sasha had ever felt.

“Ah, that… You?”

“Ah. Sorry for talking so suddenly. I’m ‘Gala’. As you can see, I’m an adventurer like you.”

As you can see… Even if you say

Her atmosphere is too different to be called the same adventurer, but Sasha has many different types of adventurers.

I thought, and buried my trivial questions and doubts.

“Gala-san… I see. I’m Sasha.”

“Sasha… Ah, are you the kid who recently joined the hero’s party?”

‘You’re younger than I thought,’ Gala added, looking at Sasha in surprise.

“Am I famous?”

“It’s not that you’re famous, but the hero is famous… But I heard that a magic swordsman recently left a party and a new member came in.”

…Magic Swordsman Cleon. At the moment when the warriors party is in a recession, the guild is slowly recovering the honor of its name by silently accepting requests alone.

Remembering the conversation she had with him here a week ago, Sasha felt a bit depressed. It was because the day when the five of us could gather and venture out again seemed to be getting farther and farther away.

“According to rumors… Since the formation of the Hero Party, I heard that it is the greatest crisis?”

“Ah, yes… Actually…”

Sasha was the type of person who didn’t store such depression and anxiety inside and let it out.

Above all, she had a strong desire to confess her feelings to the adult in front of her and feel a little more comfortable.

After hearing all of Sasha’s slow, disorganized story, Gala was silent for a moment before opening her mouth.

“Looks like you’ve been parasitized by a magical insect. A lady named Quon.”

“Yes…? Magic bugs?”

It was the first name Sasha had ever heard.

Hearing the name, I just felt that it was a bug related to magic.

“Magic bugs are one of the rare creatures on the continent… They parasitize on humans and suck in their magical power. In the process, they spread the ‘black magic area’ on the body of the parasitic target to prevent humans from resisting .”

──The realm of dark magic.

It occurs randomly in dungeons where the concentration of magical power is high, and it strengthens the power of attack spells but weakens the power of recovery spells.

According to the essential basic knowledge of an adventurer in Sasha’s head.

Certainly, the weakening of Quon’s recovery magic and the effect of the dark magic area had something in common.

“But it’s difficult. Mana bugs are life forms, so they can’t do anything with the priest’s spell. But if you pour an attack spell on their body, the lady could get seriously hurt.”

“Bar, is there no way?”

They finally figured out the cause, but the information that flowed out of Gala’s mouth made Sasha even more urgent.

So I couldn’t stand it and looked for a solution, but –

“There is a way to get it out surgically, but unless it’s a city bigger than this place… The extraction procedure there will leave huge scars on the body.”

“That, like that…”

As expected, I did not hear the hopeful answer and sat down on the chair as if collapsing.

What will happen to this party if Quon’s condition is not restored…

At worst.

Quon retires from being an adventurer, so she and her childhood friend Alvein can follow him back to their hometown.

Then himself.

“Ah. But there is a more certain way.”

As if interrupting Sasha’s accident, Gala added a story.

Sasha’s nerves were focused on that suddenly thrown word of hope.

“Is that magic swordsman still in this city? He said he left the hero’s party…”

“Mr. Cleon… You mean? Yes! You’re still carrying out the guild’s requests!”

“Really? That’s fortunate. Their powers are most useful for dealing with parasites like mana bugs.”

Gala smiled brightly and spoke to Sasha.

As she tried to prepare for the worst imaginable situation, a ray of hope left for Sasha flickered before her eyes.

“Uh! I’ll go see Mr. Cleon.”

“Oh, right? But I heard he was expelled from the warrior party. Shall we help?”

When Gala said that, Sasha hesitated for a moment.

But then he nodded and replied.

“…Of course! I’ll try to convince you.”

After saying that, Sasha left the guild and headed for Cleon’s inn.

Gala looked behind Sasha for a moment and smiled at the corner of her mouth.

That smile was absolutely reassuring, not that of an adult looking at a fresh human being.

It was a mockery of laughing at the ridiculous appearance while watching the toy move as desired.

001

Bang bang!

An urgent knock sounded in Cleon’s room, lying on the bed and meditating with his eyes closed.

When Cleon quietly opened his eyes and checked the person outside the door, Sasha was standing there with a nervous face.

When Cleon slowly opened the door, a shadow naturally formed over Sasha, and Cleon looked down at Sasha.

Cleon’s eyes looking at Sasha were as cold as before, and Sasha was a little overwhelmed by Cleon’s expression.

“What’s going on…? Was it Sasha?”

“Ah, yes. It’s been a week. Mr. Cleon.”

‘Were you originally this tall? ? For some reason, it seems to be a little bigger than Alvein-san…’

Cleon from a week ago was sitting, so Sasha didn’t notice.

Cleon’s physique was slightly larger than before.

The limiter was released as he completely controlled the sword, which had been deprived of experience points and other things necessary for growth by the sword.

Of course, Sasha had no way of knowing this fact, so she would think it was her own misunderstanding.

If Alvein or Quon had seen him, they would have noticed this change.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Yes, yes… I have something I want you to help me with… Regarding Quon-san’s matter.”

Come up with Quon’s name.

Cleon twitched his eyebrows for a moment.

Seeing that, Sasha is still not angry… I closed my eyes tight at the thought.

“Come in. We’ll talk inside.”

Hearing Cleon’s voice continuing like that, I let out a sigh of relief and entered Cleon’s room.

The door to the room closed slowly and a click sounded from the doorknob.

“So? The reason why you guys haven’t been moving lately is because of Quon?”

At Cleon’s reaction as if it was a success, Sasha leaned forward with a little heat.

Cleon sits on the bed in the room as if he doesn’t care about that.

“It’s not that Mr. Quon is bad! The bad thing is that the ‘magic bug’ parasitic on Mr. Quon’s body!”

“—Is it a magic bug? You’ve been targeted by a nuisance. That guy, Quon.”

“Does Cleon know about magic bugs…?”

At Sasha’s question, Cleon shuts his mouth for a moment and then nods.

And then he continued talking.

“I’ve only had a chance to see it before. I’ve been asked to heal a human being parasitized by magic insects…”

“I’m sorry…!”

That said, to Sasha, she was more than just the answer she was looking for.

The world’s rare magic insect.

And a magic swordsman who can save people from it.

And even among magic swordsmen, Cleon has such an experience!

God hasn’t abandoned the warriors yet!

──You must be thinking stupid things in the same world.

“Please. Mr. Cleon! Mr. Quon… Save Mr. Quon!”

Sasha bent her waist at 90 degrees and lowered her head.

Of course, there was also a desire to return to normal as soon as possible and start the adventure again…

Seeing Quon suffer, Sasha’s goodwill was even greater as she sympathized with it.

Cleon made such a conclusion by looking at the desperate girl in front of him.

A girl who hasn’t been tainted yet.

It is different from Lyla and Quon, who were blinded by her affection for Albein and cut themselves off.

From the moment I decided to write her until now.

There was one conflict inside Cleon.

A girl sending herself pure good will without malice

Is it right for her to become embroidered in her own revenge.

“I’ll do anything. All I can give you right now is money, and the amount is small… But I’ll pay you back even if it’s an adventure in the future…!”

This child can be genuinely sad at other people’s tragedies and genuinely happy at other people’s comedies.

Like when we talked to Galatea earlier.

It may be one of the causes of such a personality that I still don’t know the water of the world.

“That’s right! If you can help Quon-san—”

But therefore.

“Surely, Alvein and Layla-san too—”

Because of the foolish goodwill that comes from that innocence.

“——You will welcome Cleon back to the party!”

There was no choice but to touch Cleon’s evil.

“——Ah, I see it. Ha ha… That’s right. I was able to think of that.”

Cleon looked at the woman with her head bowed in front of him and answered quietly.

The moment he felt the conflict within him disappear, he felt another desire welling up within him.

“Okay. Sasha. Let’s help Quon.”

Sasha, hearing Cleon’s words, raised her head in delight.

Cleon’s eyes were smiling softer than before.

Sasha, relieved by the look on his face, also replied with a sigh of relief.

“Jeong, are you saying? Thank you! I will try to convince Mr. Alvein as much as possible!”

“There’s no need for that. I’ll get paid for something else.”

“—Well, then. Is it money after all?”

How much money do you have right now… Sasha, who was doing the same carefree calculation, doubted her own eyes.

Cleon stood up and saw the thin clothes he was wearing.

He started taking off his top and bottom.

“Kyaaaaa! Uh, what!? Cleon-san?!”

Embarrassed Sasha covered her eyes and backed away, but Cleon didn’t mind and even took off his underwear.

Therefore.

It is to speak in a calm tone.

“The way to bring out the parasitic magic insect from the body is to use the bodily fluids of the magic swordsman. This is because the magic swordsman’s body has a slightly special magical organ, and various bodily fluids have the effect of poisoning monsters and living things that are sensitive to magic.”

“That, what does taking off your underwear have to do with that!”

“The types of bodily fluids are saliva, sweat, blood, and tears. If you’re in a hurry, even urine doesn’t matter… But the most effective is the semen of a magic swordsman. It contains the essence of human vitality. It’s only natural.”

“Jeong–“

Something gripped Sasha’s hand, who was covering her eyes.

Cold sensation. When Sasha slightly opened her eyes, relieved that it was not a human part.

It was an empty large-capacity potion bottle.

The amount of liquid that can fit inside is about 500mL.

When Cleon sits down on the bed once more with a loud thud.

I could see Cleon’s through the bottle in front of me.

The length as well as the thickness is bigger than the one you hold in your hand.

The moment she recognized it, her face turned red.

“Did you say you wanted to save Quon?”

To Cleon’s words, Sasha nodded her head in response in a crawling voice.

My body temperature seems to rise from the sudden excitement.

Sweat began to flow from his forehead and back.

“The medicine is here. Take it into your hands.”

Cleon watched Sasha like that and pointed at his own that hadn’t grown yet.