Gathering Companions II
“Hmm…”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“No? If this is your decision, I have no intention of denying it. Besides, I have no doubts about the abilities of a former knight captain and a former knight commander.”
“…Is that so? That’s unexpected.”
“Is it about the rumors? Well, I admit that in the past, I might have shunned such things, but upon reflection, I realize that I won’t be swayed by rumors that are clearly untrue.”
After bringing the former knight Stella into our ranks, she mentioned she had various preparations to attend to and would be bringing someone from the Knight Order’s financial department. With that, she left the scene. In her place, Fana returned after finishing her report on the discovery of a group of demons. I shared the news of Stella joining us while listening to the results of her report.
As for the report to the Knight Order, they stated they would quickly organize personnel and mobilize, and that they had another matter they wanted to discuss with us, so they asked us to leave the demon group incident to them. We would receive a formal request from either the Knight Commander or the King regarding that other matter at a later date.
“Moreover, I personally wanted capable companions as well.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s not that I’m struggling in battle, but I wanted someone who could keep watch during the night and handle any demons that might attack.”
“I see… If you had told me, I could have taken your shift.”
“No, I wanted you to take a break.”
“Huh?”
Why?
“I mean you should be able to sleep properly. Just because you fainted doesn’t mean you can rest, and relying on potions to relieve fatigue isn’t trustworthy; it only shortens your life. Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be the one saying that since I was the one who pushed you into it in the first place.”
“…Hmm… Then I suppose I’ll rely on you a bit more?”
“Yes, please do. As long as the opponent isn’t a high-ranking executive of the Demon King’s Army, I can handle things on my own.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
I see… I had been putting pressure on her. I didn’t think it was particularly hard or troublesome, and in reality, a couple of high-quality potions would relieve most of my fatigue. I don’t want to burden her unnecessarily. In the future, we’ll have to gather more companions, whether for discussions with nobles or to capture sacrifices. Learning to rely on others isn’t a bad thing; if they prove useless, we can simply cut them loose when the time comes.
“By the way…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“How many do you plan to gather? You don’t intend to only recruit one person, do you?”
“Well… maybe one or two more, at most three. It wouldn’t be good to have too many, and there aren’t that many who seem like immediate assets.”
“I see… What kind of criteria are you looking for?”
“Hmm…”
Since I mainly want to deal with nobles, I would like someone who can at least take down a high-level demon on their own. However, if they are that capable, they are likely already affiliated with someone. So, I would want someone who can gain an advantage against mid-level demons and can buy us some time against high-level demons, or someone who specializes in combat against humans. Both Fana and I lack experience in human combat, so if they can cover that aspect, I would be willing to overlook some shortcomings in their abilities.
“Thinking it over lightly, I want at least someone who can kill a mid-level demon on their own. If they see me or Fana and decide to attack, they need to be capable enough to avoid being disposable.”
“Yes, that much is essential… What about mages?”
“Is it necessary? If they can use continent-wide magic of all attributes, then they would be useful, but otherwise, they wouldn’t be much help and could even be a hindrance. Besides, if we have time to cast a spell, it would be quicker for either of us to just close in and strike.”
“…Now that you mention it, that’s true. So, what we need is someone focused on close combat, and perhaps someone who can scout?”
“Yes, that’s a possibility. I hadn’t considered that since we hadn’t taken that approach, but thinking about it, it would be wise to have those abilities, especially since we might face opponents other than demons in the future.”
“Indeed. What else… perhaps someone to carry supplies, an apothecary, or an alchemist?”
“I had considered bringing in those types as well, but we can’t exactly drag them into battle, can we? Even if we could, we’d have to allocate resources to protect them, which would create a weakness.”
“Ah, that’s true. I thought if we could gather those kinds of people, we could provide immediate healing right after a large-scale battle.”
“That might be good, but personally, I would prefer not to.”
“Huh?”
While immediate healing is beneficial, it also means that we might hesitate to avoid injuries in battle. I mean, I already think I can take hits and retaliate, but having healing available might lead to a sense of complacency, thinking we can survive even fatal wounds.
Considering that, it might have been a blessing that the Saint wasn’t cooperative; because my allies weren’t reliable, I developed a style of avoiding attacks that could lead to fatal injuries. However, if we were to bring in someone capable of healing, it could disrupt that style. Worst case, we might start taking hits to the head, heart, side, or thigh, thinking we could just get healed afterward.
“The guarantee of immediate healing would likely only hinder us as we navigate through life-and-death situations.”
“Hmm, I see… I don’t quite understand, but if you say so, then it must be true.”
“…I think you should be a bit more skeptical.”
“Why? I’m not the kind of person who can think that far ahead. To be honest, I’m a bit of a fool when it comes to anything outside of the skills I’ve acquired. You understand far better than I do what we should do in the long run, and besides, what we’ve done so far has been correct.”
“…Well, fine. By the way, do you have any leads on capable individuals who are currently free? I have none at all.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know anyone either.”
“I see…”
“Indeed…”
…Well, it can’t be helped. Fana has only been active in this area for the past five years, and I haven’t been around here at all; I was out fighting the Demon King’s Army. It makes sense that we wouldn’t know anyone, and even if we did, after five years, they might already be affiliated with someone or have retired due to injuries, or worse, perished. The only capable individuals I know are those in the Knight Order or nobles who have someone to protect.
…Why do I only know people like that? I never participated in any parties during my time as a Hero, and even when nobles invited me, I would have a brief chat and then leave for my journey.
“Ah, speaking of which, there is that place.”
“That place?”
“The Slave Market. A place where you can buy people with money.”
“The Slave Market? The place that sometimes sells debtors?”
“Yes, but what I’m talking about isn’t the front where they mainly sell those without jobs, homes, or in debt. I’m referring to the back, where they handle slaves who can’t be sold publicly for various reasons. I don’t particularly like that place, but it might be worth checking out for hidden gems.”
“Hmm, slaves… But in such places, it’s often difficult to find someone who isn’t injured or missing limbs, right? Considering that our top priority is combat strength, I think that’s a significant concern.”
“I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“…?”
“By the way, have you never used the Church’s Healing Magic?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Compared to regular treatment at a Healing Clinic, it costs more but doesn’t address mental aspects. However, if it can handle that, it can usually deal with everything from severed limbs to the regeneration of lost organs, as long as the person isn’t dead.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes, I relied on it quite a bit in the past.”
“I see…”
…Now that I think about it, I’ve seen people who had lost arms or legs on the battlefield the day before, only to return the next day with their limbs restored, not as prosthetics but as flesh and blood.
I see, so that was the result of the Church’s Healing Magic… They seemed to move and fight without any issues, so if that’s the case, then missing limbs wouldn’t be a problem.
As for the cost of healing, I currently have almost none, but I suppose I could cover that by completing some requests or hunting some monsters to sell their materials.
“Well, if that’s the case, then we should be fine. Let’s check with Stella to see if she has any leads and whether buying a slave would be acceptable before we proceed.”
“Indeed, if we are going to bring someone in, we can’t decide that solely among ourselves… Since we have some time until she returns, shall we spar a bit?”
“…I think I’ll pass. It feels like that would just increase the number of things I owe you.”
“Huh? I think it would be fine as long as we don’t go all out…”
“Even if we say to take it easy, we might end up getting carried away and start fighting seriously. At least, that’s happened several times before. So, I think it’s better to just practice some swings or think about what you want us to do.”
“I see… Then I’ll just practice some swings.”
“Make sure to do it a bit away from me.”
“Yes, of course. I have no intention of involving you.”