Chapter 154: Reinhardt ⑤
“Yo! Long time no see!”
“It has been a while…”
As I was waiting at our usual coffee shop, an energetic Reinhardt and an, as usual, timid Bianca arrived. I had been waiting for them.
Reinhardt was wearing some good-looking equipment even at a glance, and Bianca was also dressed in a splendid nun’s habit.
“Is that…”
“Could it be, from ‘Hekireki’!?”
“To think the Church’s Saint-sama would be in a place like this…”
The people around us were also paying attention to Reinhardt and Bianca. Not long ago, they were just part of the faceless crowd, but now they’ve gathered enough fame to be rumored about even by the residents of the Royal Capital.
Especially Bianca, the Saint, who evolved her Gift after me and is being heavily promoted by the Church, is probably known even by the children around here.
“I’ve heard about ‘Hekireki’s’ exploits. Well, both of you, please sit down.”
“Yeah.”
“Excuse me…”
When Reinhardt and Bianca sat down, they drew even more gazes from the surroundings.
“Isn’t that Margrave Baumgarten? I wonder what business the Margrave has with ‘Hekireki’ specifically…?”
“Perhaps he intends to recruit them into his own faction?”
“The Evil God is reviving. Everyone wants skilled personnel.”
“‘Hekireki’ hasn’t agreed to any noble’s offers so far… I wonder what they’ll do this time?”
Having bathed in dragon’s blood, my hearing has improved, so I could hear all their hushed whispers. Good grief, I wonder what kind of embellishments will be added to this later…
“So? What’s up today? If it’s about money, could you wait a bit longer? We’re still pretty tight on funds and don’t have much to spare. If we skimp on equipment, someone might die…”
“So you really did borrow money from Margrave-sama, Haruto-kun…”
“Yeah! Thanks to that, we were saved!”
“But Haruto-kun, if you borrow money, you have to pay it back, you know?”
“O-Oh…”
“Haruto-kun…”
“It’s fine! Dee will wait for us. Right?”
“Well, I’ll wait, but… today’s matter involves money, but I called you two for something a bit different.”
“Something different?”
Reinhardt tilted his head as if he had no idea what it could be.
“That’s right. You can think of it as a request from me to ‘Hekireki’.”
“A request, huh. I see.”
“Um, may I ask about the details of this request…?”
“I want ‘Hekireki’ to conquer the ‘Ancient Cave’.”
“The ‘Ancient Cave’, huh…”
Reinhardt made a reluctant face.
“I know. You’re thinking that the ‘Ancient Cave’ isn’t profitable, right?”
The monsters in the ‘Ancient Cave’ are fossilized ancient monsters, but their nature is very similar to the golems in ‘Golem Valley’. The monsters in the ‘Ancient Cave’ have a red jewel somewhere on their bodies, and if you destroy that red jewel, you can defeat them in one hit. Just like with golems, if you ignore profit, you can earn experience points at a fairly high pace.
“If you know, then this’ll be quick. Is there any value in diving into a place like that?”
“There is. You know about the prophecy of the Evil God’s revival, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes…”
“The Evil God will revive. I want you to get as strong as possible before then. Disregard profit and just focus on defeating monsters. And I want you to conquer the ‘Ancient Cave’. I’ll compensate for the lack of profit. Anything you obtain from your adventure is yours, Reinhardt and Bianca. And on top of that, how about I cancel your debt and add one thousand gold coins?”
“One thou-!?”
“Eeh!?”
Reinhardt and Bianca’s eyes widened in surprise. That’s right. It’s presumptuous of me to say, but it’s an exceptional reward.
However, in the deepest part of the ‘Ancient Cave’, beyond where the last boss is defeated, the second Demon Sword lies dormant. So, I absolutely need Reinhardt and his party to conquer it.
“That’s an amazing reward! Of course, we’ll take it!”
“W-Wait a minute, Haruto-kun!?”
“Bianca, it’s a thousand gold coins, you know? And our debt will be cleared too. We have no choice but to accept this!”
Reinhardt declared, breathing heavily through his nose. The power of money is truly amazing.
“But, I think I understand Bianca’s concerns too. Dee, why are you being so good to us? A thousand gold coins is definitely not an amount you can just casually offer. I don’t see what’s in it for you. What do you gain by having us conquer the ‘Ancient Cave’?”
“Gain, huh…”
Perhaps he’s been tempered as an adventurer; Reinhardt seems to have grown. He’s become suspicious. No, rather, he’s not getting carried away by the large sum of money and seems to be able to judge calmly.
As for me, I just want Reinhardt to grow and safely obtain the Demon Sword… Well, I guess I’ll just say something plausible.
“My sisters’ Gifts have evolved. Did you know?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard rumors.”
“Great Sword Saint and Great Sage. My sisters obtained Gifts with power beyond common sense. But despite that, both of their Gifts were unidentifiable. Just like yours, Reinhardt.”
“I see…”
“Does that mean…!?”
Reinhardt and Bianca looked as if they had realized something.
“Reinhardt, your Gift is powerful, but if it evolves, you’ll become even stronger. I think… perhaps, Reinhardt, you might become our trump card against the Evil God. Surprisingly, the one to defeat the Evil God might be you, Reinhardt.”
“Me…?”
“Haruto-kun…?”
“Well, that’s why I have high hopes for you, Reinhardt. As a fighting force for humanity. I absolutely don’t want to lose to the Evil God. That’s why I’m investing in you. Do you understand?”
“…I understand that you have expectations for me, Dee. I don’t know how much I can do. But I’ll do it!”
“Mm-hmm. I’m counting on you.”
I somehow managed to dodge Reinhardt’s suspicions. It’s a relief that Reinhardt is motivated too.
I know that the Holy Sword is necessary to defeat the Evil God.
But what if Reinhardt’s power as a hero is also needed to defeat the Evil God?
I really want Reinhardt to do his best and defeat the Evil God.