Chapter 64: Like for like
ㅤ――The day after the series of incidents.
ㅤI visited the Loft Thieves’ Guild for the first time in a while.
ㅤ
ㅤApparently, Shizu-san had submitted a report, and I was immediately ushered into the room of the Guild Master, Domo-san.
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san greeted me with his usual benevolent smile.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ho ho ho. It seems you’ve been quite active, Minato. You’re a fearsome newcomer.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha, thank you. It’s not like I did it because I wanted to, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤI responded to Domo-san’s teasing remark.
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san shifted his gaze to the figure hiding behind me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”And who is this child?”
ㅤ
ㅤThe girl flinched at Domo-san’s gaze.
ㅤ
ㅤOf course, it was the girl who had been suffering from Stone Fever.
ㅤ
ㅤLast night, we stayed at an inn in Loft, and I forced her to take a bath and cleaned her up.
ㅤI also changed her clothes from the tattered ones she had been wearing into drop items I had picked up in the dungeon.
ㅤThey should be considered good equipment even for an adventurer. It stands out a bit, but I couldn’t help it since I didn’t have any other clothes on hand.
ㅤ
ㅤShe was wearing a short-sleeved tunic and leather greaves.
ㅤThe area around her elbows, which had been petrified until yesterday, had already returned to normal.
ㅤ
ㅤ”She’s a child I’ve been protecting due to various circumstances. I thought she might be able to become a thief.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Oh? What’s her aptitude?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I just had the priest at the Adventurer’s Church check it. It’s 2.3. Isn’t that excellent?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”She’s quite talented. Well, you might not be able to comprehend it, though.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”A-ahaha.”
ㅤ
ㅤI laughed it off for the girl’s sake.
ㅤ
ㅤ”She had Stone Fever, but I cured it with a spare Cockatrice Beak I had.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s not something you should have to spare…”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san said in exasperation, but the truth was even worse.
ㅤ
ㅤ（It takes a long time to cure Stone Fever with a Cockatrice Beak, and it would be troublesome if her father found her again during that time, so I gave her a Stone Immunity Ring.）
ㅤ
ㅤI had realized halfway through that there were drop items even rarer than rare drops.
ㅤ
ㅤOf course, it wouldn’t be possible without the Difficulty Change.
ㅤIt might be possible to obtain them with a probability below the decimal point, but I haven’t tried that. If it’s something like 0.1%, I’d have to defeat over a thousand of them.
ㅤ
ㅤ（I have bad luck.）
ㅤ
ㅤIn my case, the drop rate increases as the difficulty increases, so it’s pointless to verify the drop rate at lower difficulties.
ㅤ
ㅤAnyway, I also obtained a “drop item rarer than a rare drop” from the Cockatrice. （It’s a long name, so can I just call it a super rare drop?）
ㅤ
ㅤThat’s the “Stone Immunity Ring” I gave to this girl.
ㅤ
ㅤAt first glance, it looks like nothing more than a crude ring made of stone, but it’s an excellent item that repels all petrification, including the Cockatrice’s gaze.
ㅤFirst, I secured one for myself and one as a spare.
ㅤI still had some left over, so I decided to give one to the girl.
ㅤ
ㅤ（It takes time to cure Stone Fever with a Cockatrice Beak, but with this ring, it only takes a few minutes.）
ㅤ
ㅤIt would also be useful for the girl as she progresses as an adventurer.
ㅤ
ㅤ”However, this child has a troublesome father.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’ve heard. There was a fallen adventurer who tried to take the Cockatrice Beak Minato gave her and sell it to the lord, but failed.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san nodded at my words.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Can’t the guild protect her?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’d love to, but that’s beyond the guild’s jurisdiction.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I’m not asking for free.
ㅤHow about this?”
ㅤ
ㅤI took out several Cockatrice Beaks from my bag and placed them in front of Domo-san.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… This should be enough for child support, right?”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s more than enough! You suddenly brought out something like this… I thought my heart was going to stop.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san said, clutching his chest.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well then. Although the guild can’t officially handle this, let’s say she’s my adopted daughter.
ㅤIf we give her father a small amount of money, he’ll be satisfied. He seems to value money more than his daughter.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha. Honestly, I don’t want to pay that father a single penny.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”I understand how you feel, but there’s nothing we can do. If we take her away without his consent, we’ll be the ones accused of kidnapping.
ㅤOf course, he’ll probably try to extort money from us, but we’ll firmly refuse him.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san’s gentle smile disappeared for a moment, and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes.
ㅤ
ㅤ（Only those who have proven their strength are allowed to become guild executives, right?）
ㅤ
ㅤA fallen adventurer like him wouldn’t stand a chance against Domo-san.
ㅤ
ㅤThen, the girl spoke.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Um, big sis. Can’t I just follow you? I can’t just accept all this help without giving anything back.”
ㅤ
ㅤThere was determination in the girl’s eyes.
ㅤ
ㅤ（She’s lived through hardships with pride. I understand how she feels about not wanting pity.）
ㅤ
ㅤHowever, I said firmly.
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s not possible.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”W-why? I know I might be useless now, but I’ll quickly become stronger and—”
ㅤ
ㅤ”No, it’s not about being a burden.
ㅤAhaha… This is a bit difficult to explain, but is that okay?”
ㅤ
ㅤAfter that preface, I continued.
ㅤ
ㅤ”You and I are very similar. That’s why I couldn’t just leave you alone.
ㅤThis is my own personal reason, so you don’t have to worry about owing me anything.
ㅤThat’s the first point.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”But that’s—”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Wait, wait.
ㅤBecause you and I are so similar, I think we’d feel comfortable around each other.
ㅤBut that’s exactly why I’m afraid. We might become dependent on each other, and then we won’t be able to break free.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Unable to break free…”
ㅤ
ㅤ”We might become dependent on each other, feeling comfortable within that relationship, or even hating each other but unable to separate. There are various possibilities.
ㅤIf that happens, we’ll lose sight of the outside world.
ㅤWe have to live our lives.
ㅤAnd if we can’t see the outside world and only focus on the inside… well, it’s very dangerous.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Hmm. You have a point.
ㅤThe three Grandmasters, the founders of adventurers, were also a party that constantly quarreled. It’s only natural since they each had different roles and personalities.
ㅤIf the three of them had been similar, they might not have left their mark on history and been enshrined as gods.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san explained with profound words.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Well, that’s why.
ㅤAhaha… I’m happy you feel that way, but it’s better for us to live our lives separately.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”That’s… lonely.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Yes, it is. The world is full of lonely things.
ㅤBut it’s better not to try to force yourself to forget that loneliness. Such feelings can be exploited by bad people.
ㅤJust like how you couldn’t easily abandon your terrible father.
ㅤThere are many people in the world who will try to use your feelings to bind you.”
ㅤ
ㅤMy mother was obsessed with a new religious group.
ㅤMy father escaped into his busy work.
ㅤ
ㅤI can’t say that I didn’t use easy games as my own refuge.
ㅤ
ㅤ”So… let’s become strong.
ㅤI’ll become strong, and you become strong too.
ㅤIt’s okay. I know you can do it.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Uu… Big sis.”
ㅤ
ㅤThe girl’s eyes filled with tears, and she lowered her head.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…So, Domo-san, I’m entrusting her to you.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Understood.
ㅤ…I’d like to say that, but I have a condition I can’t compromise on.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”A condition?”
ㅤ
ㅤWhen I asked back, Domo-san pushed the Cockatrice Beaks I had placed on the desk back towards me.
ㅤ
ㅤ”I can’t accept money for taking in a child. Such a person can’t be called a parent.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san said firmly.
ㅤ
ㅤIt took me a little while to process his words.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Ahaha… You’re right. I was being rude.
ㅤI’m sorry, Domo-san.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”It’s alright. It just proves how much you care for this child.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san said with a softened expression.
ㅤ
ㅤ”But please take at least one. I can’t forgive myself for leaving her here without any form of gratitude.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Hmm. I suppose it can’t be helped. I won’t exchange it for money, but I’ll use it when necessary. I’ll accept it on that condition.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san conceded and took one Cockatrice Beak.
ㅤ
ㅤ”Understood. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
ㅤ
ㅤ”Indeed. However, as an adventurer, I’ll request your services through a proper commission. I can’t let such a skilled and righteous adventurer work for free.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san was quite stubborn as well.
ㅤ
ㅤ”…Come to think of it, I haven’t asked for the child’s name yet.”
ㅤ
ㅤDomo-san’s words made me involuntarily look at the girl.
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ㅤThe girl looked up at me too.
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ㅤBut… uh, name?
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤ”A-ahaha… Now that you mention it, I haven’t asked her name yet…”
ㅤ
ㅤ
ㅤMy words caused Domo-san’s face to go blank for a moment.
ㅤ
ㅤAnd then,
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ㅤ”Ku… Hahaha, honestly, what are you… Ha ha ha!”
ㅤ
ㅤIn front of Domo-san, who was laughing so hard he even had tears in his eyes, I felt awkward and out of place.