Chapter 325: Confirmation Matters
“Hey, am I the last one? This is from Shiva.”
The back door was knocked on, and when I responded, Dinoss peeked in.
“Thank you.”
What he offered was a soup pot for the Fireplace, covered with cloth and tied with twine. It had a pleasant aroma wafting from it.
“Looks like Retze got caught too.”
“I couldn’t meet him last night since it was late, but luckily I ran into him this morning.”
As Dinoss spoke while sitting down, the Butler gracefully served tea.
I removed the lid from the pot, still wrapped in a towel, and began to ladle the soup onto a plate. Since it was a special occasion, I decided to indulge.
“I’m completely out of my depth with magic. King Wolf, Shadow Wolf, Great Mage… It’s strange for me to be mixed in with them. With the Ice Lady Shiva and the Great Wheel Saint, it’s practically a legendary party.”
Retze said with a hint of distaste.
The Great Wheel Saint was the healer of Dinoss’s party. Apparently, “Great Wheel” referred to one of the flowers in the Temple.
I usually heard about this stuff while drinking, thanks to Dean. Because of that, I had gathered quite a bit of information about Balmoa and the Saint—who was said to be beautiful with a generous bust.
Now that I think about it, I had been told it was strange not to know about Balmoa. Unless I had been isolated in some remote mountain, I should have known about him.
The existence of Spirits certainly sped up the flow of rumors, but thanks to Haulon’s Teleportation, I had actually visited many regions.
Whether it was two, three, or five people working together, their activities seemed brief, but looking back, it was probably because the storyteller (Dean) had a biased interest, which made Dinoss and Haulon’s contributions seem less significant…
The Butler was someone I was close to, so I could understand that, but I had completely forgotten Haulon’s name. Dean had mentioned him as the Great Mage. Dean meant no harm; he was simply enamored with the Great Sword we both wielded and had little interest in anything else.
“Hey, why are you looking at me with such a strange expression?”
“Nothing.”
I averted my gaze when Haulon called me out.
Despite being so prominent and seemingly active, he was a man whose presence felt faint. I realized how much the preferences and circumstances of the storyteller influenced the selection of rumors.
As I was reminiscing, I recalled how Retze had pointed out that it was odd for someone from such a remote area not to have an accent. If I thought about it, I could agree, but at the same time, I wondered if anyone else noticed that besides Retze.
“Anyway, I won’t be of any help, you know?”
“Please, Jean—just help us steer our chaotic situation back on track.”
Dinoss pleaded with a gesture of his hand toward Retze, who claimed he was useless.
“…I’m here, but don’t expect much, okay?”
Retze sighed.
I added a piece of bread to the soup from Shiva. It contained reddish beans that resembled fava beans, what looked like a joint from a pig’s leg, and root vegetables. The herbs enhanced the flavors, and each ingredient was cooked to perfection.
“It’s delicious.”
As always, a masterful cook.
“It’s tasty and gentle on the morning stomach.”
Retze praised as well.
“Shiva’s cooking skills have miraculously improved. Speaking of which, the introduction from Note was ‘a reliable ally,’ but what kind of relationship do you have?”
Haulon tilted his head, looking at me.
Since Retze’s gaze had wandered a bit, he was probably checking for the presence of Spirits. Also, when he said “miraculously improved,” I couldn’t help but wonder what her cooking was like before…
“Thankfully, we’ve become quite close, but I’m just a lowly Adventurer who has just barely reached Silver Rank. In the party, I mainly serve as a guide or support, and solo, I can only hunt small fry.”
Retze shrugged.
“I’m his adventure teacher.”
I quickly added.
“You’ve only taught me a little about walking in the Forest; that’s quite misleading…”
Retze covered his face with one hand.
“Ho ho, among us, the only one qualified to call himself Jean’s teacher is Retze.”
The Butler chuckled.
“Now, I want to confirm something first—how open can we be?”
Retze asked, regaining his composure.
He looked at me, as if checking whether it was okay for Dinoss and the Butler to speak freely, and I nodded.
“An otherworlder, caught up with a Hero, accompanied by a powerful Light Spirit, magic that responds to requests, other people’s Spirits moving on their own, ingredients I’ve never seen before, and the ability to instantly move to different locations with Teleportation—what a finale!”
Dinoss turned to Retze and, after a brief pause, stated it all in a flat tone.
What does he mean by “finale”?
“Retze, you must also know that despite Jean returning to Kanum’s House, it doesn’t seem like he spent the night.”
“Well, yeah.”
Retze nodded at the Butler’s words.
“Teleportation isn’t exactly a common term, yet you’re not surprised?”
Haulon asked, a bit dissatisfied.
“I’ve been unceremoniously teleported to the Forest before.”
I recalled the time I helped with the construction of the Sanctuary House.
Thanks to that, the interior was finished, and I had planted the climbing rose Charles gave me in front of the house. It was still a bit bare since I hadn’t gathered all the furniture yet, but I planned to invite them over later.
“You’re an experienced one!”
Dinoss exclaimed, looking at Retze with wide eyes.