#040. The Girl’s First Love is Too Kind (2)

#040. The Girl’s First Love is Too Kind (2)

Since Shoa’s rescue, Maria refused to leave Ian’s side, even for a moment.

“Do you like your vegetables?”

“An Inquisitor does not discriminate against his daily bread. Anything is acceptable, so long as it’s not that heretical mushroom steak, brazenly planting its face where a meat dish should be.”

“She’s not picky, and well-mannered too. The priests of the Order must be pleased.”

So natural were her actions that she now routinely sat at the Theresa Clan’s dining table, engaging in casual chatter; her infiltration into their daily lives was astonishing.

Ian, seeing Maria, trembled, convinced the Inquisitor had noticed something suspicious and was monitoring his every move.

But in Maria’s eyes, Ian appeared as a valiant figure, bravely undertaking tasks he knew he had to, despite trembling with fear in the harsh world of adults, further increasing her fondness.

“You’re from Sodom Village?”

“Yes, Mother. Until three years ago, I lived in the alleys of the village.”

Even more, she was a woman who had risen from the same alleys.

Theresa’s feelings toward Maria seemed complex, but she didn’t appear to view her unfavorably.

“Gorgon doesn’t object?”

When they were alone, Ian would casually ask this during training. Even Gorgon, his dedicated caretaker, showed no real resistance.

“Once you fall to the alleys, success is not easily achieved. I think she will certainly be a good companion for Ian.”

With the mother’s tacit approval and the caretaker’s favor, Maria was practically being treated as the rightful wife!

The respectable title of Inquisitor was perfect for a mother seeking a daughter-in-law.

The fact that the job involved blood might frighten ordinary people, but the Theresa Clan was a clan of adventurers.

No one was afraid of that.

Rather, it was valued as a bonus.

At this point, Ian wondered if Maria was the one with the mind control abilities, not him.

‘If I don’t break this relationship, I won’t be able to use mind control when it’s needed, and the village and guild could be destroyed in an instant.’

Ian decided on a drastic measure.

Operation: Maria Eviction.

He would create any excuse to drive Maria out of the village and regain his freedom.

“Maria, would you be willing to take on a request?”

“You can call me Maria, dear. Haven’t we shared meals with your mother?”

Using her advantageous position, Maria was strengthening their bond, intending to continue her high-intensity surveillance, which sent shivers down Ian’s spine.

“Maria…”

“Hehe. Yes, Ian? Offering a request so suddenly; has something urgent come up in the village?”

Classified in terms of urgency, it was not an urgent request.

However, based on a player’s knowledge, there were timed requests that were classified as urgent.

If left unattended for too long, they could be taken by someone else, or the rewards could be lost.

“We received information about an unusual phenomenon, presumed to be a rare monster called a ＜Raincaller＞ that brings rain to its habitat. Information about the area where it was found, along with eyewitness accounts and the residences of the witnesses, are recorded, but the area is a noble’s private land, so ordinary adventurers can’t approach.”

As the example of Gomora demonstrated, nobles in this world were often the enemy of adventurers.

Private lands had everything from guard dogs to security patrols on regular rounds.

Strict security, preventing outside intrusion, served as a safe habitat for rare monsters, essentially allowing them to freeload on security.

“Indeed. If a noble’s private land borders the mission, an adventurer without the audacity to stand against their authority couldn’t easily complete it.”

Cultivating novice adventurers with the stealth to slip into a noble’s domain, or fostering adventurers specialized in infiltration missions.

Or, enhancing mind-control abilities to directly beguile the guards.

Many solutions exist, but acquiring the necessary skills for a successful commission takes considerable time.

Even with those skills, matters involving nobles demand utmost caution, lengthening the duration further.

Time consumption.

That was Ian’s desired strategy.

‘If things go awry on-site and I’m detained for a month or so, I’ll be free for a while.’

Thus, in the game, he meticulously selected adventurers burdened with the ＜Slowpoke＞, ＜Lethargic＞, and ＜Laid-back＞ traits, known for drawing out quests.

“These are the adventurers who will assist Maria, sister.”

Ian tensed.

So far, so good, but if the companions aren’t to her liking, or if she, like mother, thinks she can do it all herself and charges ahead, the time-buying plan fails.

Fortunately, Maria accepted the party members without objection.

“Take your time, even if you fail, please prioritize your safety.”

Maria departed with her new comrades.

Operation: Maria Expulsion was proceeding as planned.

Yet, why?

Ian felt a sense of foreboding.

An ominous feeling, as if he had dug his own grave, persisted.

“A son who trusts a woman more than his own mother…”

“Haha. Isn’t Ian at that age?”

“…”

Teresa and Nina’s whimsical assumptions were fine.

It was the reactions of other adventurers that alerted him to something amiss.

“Wasn’t Old Man Sorrow usually slower getting ready?”

“That’s just his way of protesting, telling us to break up the party because he doesn’t trust us. How many adventurers would meet the standards of a man over forty, still active, and with all his limbs intact?”

“So, you’re saying that Inquisitor is skilled enough to satisfy the old man?”

The story that Sorrow, a 4th-level adventurer and combat alchemist burdened with the negative trait ＜Lethargic＞, had recognized Maria as an ally.

“Hey, did you see Lager, that slowpoke, practicing his spear techniques since dawn after Ian called him? The sound alone was different.”

“That guy lacked real combat experience. But after following Teresa into the civil war and getting a taste of spearing, he overcame his combat phobia. No wonder the sound of his thrusts is so striking.”

“Ian saw that too? Amazing. No fool for a child under a tiger mother, it seems.”

The story that Lager, a 3rd-level adventurer and spearman burdened with the negative trait ＜Slowpoke＞, had transformed into someone new after surviving Teresa’s whirlwind civil war.

“What’s the point, though? The guide is Briki, that kid who takes forever to read a map.”

“True. It’ll be suffocatingly frustrating to travel with someone so agonizingly slow.”

Ian felt a sliver of relief.

Briki, a 3rd-level adventurer and pathfinder burdened with the negative trait ＜Laid-back＞.

Even if the alchemist Sorrow and the spearman Lager had unexpectedly failed to awaken their negative traits, he still had Briki.

Moreover, to prepare for this very situation, he had secretly ‘brainwashed’ Briki.

No matter how desperately Maria wanted to quickly finish the quest, the leisurely Briki would not easily allow it.

* * *

Maria felt genuinely touched, seeing the adventurers Ian had gathered for her.

“An alchemist isn’t some golem-summoning, venom-potion-brewing machine, you know? Just a bunch of clueless leeches demanding I dump all my ingredients on them, whining about the costs! It’s so reassuring to be wandering with a properly trained Inquisitor for once.”

“It is not so. I am but a first-year Inquisitor, still much to learn. As the elder of this party, I humbly request your guidance for this inexperienced youth.”

Old Man Sorrow, a wise alchemist, shared his practical knowledge of the many variables and solutions one might encounter in the field. Unlike the lazy old-timers who expected to be waited on hand and foot, he was a revered elder brimming with practical knowledge.

“I’ve gathered firewood.”

“Lager-ssi, you are truly diligent.”

“I barely managed to break through the barrier in my spearmanship. I wouldn’t want to miss training.”

Every time Maria watched Lager diligently prepare for camp and thrust his spear with such speed, she thought, *I really need to emulate that diligence and agility.*

Then there was the final member of their party, and their guide, Brie. She was a woman of few words who always led the way, a figure Maria found hard to grasp.

“Is Brie usually so quiet?”

“She’s usually quieter, yes. Though, the poor girl’s silence is the fault of the blockheads she’s had to party with before.”

“Blockheads…?”

“They’d always rag on her for being slow and frustrating, even though she carefully chose the best path. She got discouraged. If she had a good party, her performance would skyrocket, but her bad luck with teammates kept docking her evaluation scores, delaying her promotion.”

“That’s terrible to hear…”

“Ian, that child may not have inherited his mother’s strength, but he possesses wisdom comparable to it. Unlike what others may believe, he saw her true worth right away, and brought her on to our party.”

*So, that’s it.*

Ian hadn’t just thrown together a party of superficially impressive individuals for her. He had meticulously selected hidden talents, creating a dream team. Maria’s gratitude deepened.

However, one thing didn’t quite click.

“For someone supposedly cautious, isn’t our party’s pace quite rapid?”

“Because we’re strong enough to ignore the smaller threats, perhaps.”

Old Man Sorrow’s guess was right. Before they departed on this adventure, Ian had given Brie special encouragement.

“*I believe your way is the right one, Brie. Please, stay true to the path you believe in.* Even if it takes a long time, even if your party members are about to pass out, aim for complete survival with a slow, deliberate pace. Take at least a month to finish.”

Ian even entrusted her with a month’s worth of living expenses as a supplementary commission fee, but she interpreted his words differently.

‘*This money is what the guild would have to spend if I, if our party, were delayed. Ian, in a difficult financial situation, is giving me so much’*

The reason Brie was slow and hesitant, was due to the risk she thought was due to weak party members. Due to the lack of good party members, she thought that her goal of never losing a party member would be compromised. During the first quest, a childhood friend died.

Many adventurers cursed her for taking up too much time.

That completing the quest would barely cover their costs.

But Ian believed in Brie.

He believed that investing all this money and time would one day turn Brie into a worthwhile adventurer, and that her desire to never lose another party member was valid, so he asked her to continue down this path.

‘*I want to live up to that trust. I want to go back to him and proudly report that I successfully completed the quest.*’

Unbeknownst to herself, Brie’s pace quickened.

She chose the fastest path possible, without letting anyone die.

Her near-obsessive caution narrowed her focus as the heart raced forward.

With her overly broad perspective now constricted, Brie’s true potential was unlocked in situations that would otherwise be detrimental.

A scrupulousness bordering on the pathological.

Even with vision narrowed, eyes sharp enough to consider every variable had birthed a new knack: forging paths where none existed, linking ‘every possibility.’

The steadfast Sorrow.

The nimble Lager.

The audacious Briki.

The final puzzle piece slotted into place, birthing the Sodom Guild’s new number one in request completion speed, the fastest dream team.