Chapter 56: Charity or Hypocrisy

ㅤ”Ahaha, Gatekeeper-san, long time no see.”

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ㅤI call out to the gatekeeper standing at the gate of the town of Loft.

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ㅤ”Oh, it’s you, young lady. Long time no see.”

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ㅤIt seems he remembers me.

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ㅤ”With that outfit, it looks like you’re doing well as an adventurer.”

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ㅤ”You can tell?”

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ㅤ”If you’ve managed to get this much equipment in less than a month since registering, you must be doing well.”

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ㅤ”It’s all thanks to you, Gatekeeper-san.”

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ㅤActually, thanks to him, I think I’ve managed to avoid being treated like a suspicious person in this world.

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ㅤ”Well, it’s no big deal. If you become an executive adventurer, buy me a drink then.”

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ㅤ”Executive adventurer?”

ㅤ

ㅤ”Hey, hey, you don’t know? You’re still the same young lady who makes me worry when I see you.”

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ㅤ”Ahaha, sorry.”

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ㅤ”The Adventurer’s Guild is a mutual aid organization for adventurers. Excellent adventurers qualify to become guild executives in the future. Otherwise, the seasoned adventurers wouldn’t listen obediently.”

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ㅤ”So it’s a meritocracy.”

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ㅤ”That’s right. Specifically, they say you need to be popular enough for people to naturally give you a nickname.”

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ㅤA nickname, here we go!

ㅤYes, thank you for the template. The batter was crispy and delicious.

ㅤThat’s tempura!

ㅤ⋯⋯I even thought that far in my head.

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ㅤ”That sounds like a vague standard.”

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ㅤ”Not really. You need to be popular or feared to do the job.”

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ㅤI see. That makes sense.

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ㅤ（It’s not a system where you earn points and rank up, huh?）

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ㅤWhile thinking it over, I ask something that’s been on my mind.

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ㅤ”Um… how is she doing?”

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ㅤThe gatekeeper’s face clouded over at my question.

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ㅤ”… I told you it’s better not to get involved, right?”

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ㅤ”Yes. But I’m still worried.”

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ㅤ”You don’t have a Cockatrice Beak. Getting involved halfway won’t do either of you any good.”

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ㅤ”A, ahaha. You’re right, misplaced sympathy will only hurt her. I’m just worried.”

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ㅤ”Really? Well, if you know that and still want to get involved, I won’t stop you.

ㅤI’ve been keeping an eye on her too, and I heal her injuries when I see her occasionally.”

ㅤ

ㅤ”Injuries, huh?”

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ㅤ”He doesn’t say anything, but I think it’s her father. He’s a drunkard who doesn’t work properly. He makes his daughter beg and buys alcohol with the money she earns. A typical good-for-nothing. Moreover, he’s a washed-up adventurer, so he’s got some strength.”

ㅤ

ㅤ”He was an adventurer?”

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ㅤ”That’s what the neighbors say.

ㅤBeing an adventurer is a dangerous job, but the tension and sense of accomplishment are addictive. So, when adventurers quit adventuring, they sometimes can’t adjust to a peaceful life.”

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ㅤIt’s like American war veterans.

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ㅤ”He doesn’t have the popularity or the skills to become a guild executive, but he can’t go back to a peaceful life either. Being an adventurer is a thankless job.”

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ㅤAs we were talking, my thief senses picked up on something.

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ㅤLooking back, I saw a small figure hurriedly hiding behind a building.

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ㅤ”Ah, excuse me, Gatekeeper-san. I’ll go after her.”

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ㅤ”Go after her? Eh? Are you sure you’re considering her feelings properly━━?”

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ㅤ”Yes, of course I will.”

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ㅤAfter excusing myself to the gatekeeper, I start walking towards where the figure disappeared.

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ㅤThe figure is running away, weaving through the crowds in the market.

ㅤShe’s quite agile. She seems suited to being a thief.

ㅤBut there’s no way she can escape from me, who has been trained in the dungeon.

ㅤBefore long, I caught up to the girl in a dead end alley.

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ㅤThe girl━━of course, it’s the girl afflicted with Stone Fever.

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ㅤPerhaps because she was running in a hurry, the hood she was wearing fell off, revealing her head.

ㅤShe’s an androgynous girl with short, boyishly cut black hair and slightly tanned skin.

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ㅤThe girl glares at me.

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ㅤ”W-what do you want? You’re that nosy older sister from before, right?”

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ㅤ”You remember me.”

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ㅤ”Y-you interfered unnecessarily. I can live on my own.”

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ㅤ”The Gatekeeper-san is a good person, right? He’s helping you out of goodwill, so you should just rely on him.”

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ㅤ”I don’t need charity from others…”

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ㅤ”It’s okay to accept it. No world is kind enough for a child to live on their own.”

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ㅤ”Tch! I’m going to die anyway. I want to die alone, at least in the end!”

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ㅤThe girl swings her arm.

ㅤHer sleeve rolls up, revealing her arm.

ㅤFrom the elbow down, it’s like stone.

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ㅤ（It’s worse than when I saw it before.）

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ㅤThe girl notices my gaze and hurriedly hides her arm.

ㅤAnd then she says,

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ㅤ”…According to him, if you don’t eat properly, Stone Fever progresses faster.

ㅤEven with the same Stone Fever, a prince could eat delicious food and sleep comfortably for years. I probably won’t last a year.

ㅤWhat the hell is that? What’s the difference between a prince and a beggar? A prince has probably never been beaten by his father or forced to beg.”

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ㅤ”There’s no difference. A prince and you are both human.”

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ㅤAs soon as I said that, the girl looked up and glared at me.

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ㅤ”There is a difference! If a prince got Stone Fever, the whole country would be in an uproar! Knights and adventurers would dive into the dungeon in droves to get the antidote!

ㅤNobody would do that for me!

ㅤMy father says that if I show this arm, noble ladies will take pity on me and give me money, and then he drinks alcohol with my earnings!”

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ㅤI take in the girl’s words, and after a slow, deliberate pause, I open my mouth.

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ㅤ”Um… ahaha.”

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ㅤ”W-why are you laughing!”

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ㅤ”Ah, sorry. Ahaha, I have a habit of laughing when I’m nervous. Ahaha…”

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ㅤ”Why are you nervous?”

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ㅤ”You said earlier, 『Nobody would do that for me.』 Right?”

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ㅤ”Ah, yeah…”

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ㅤTo the bewildered girl, I take out an item from the tote bag （Abyss Worm’s Stomach） hanging from my shoulder.

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ㅤ”━━Here you go.

ㅤAhaha. I went and got it.”

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ㅤI offered the Cockatrice Beak to the girl.