Chapter 29

Chapter 29 : Gnome Fence

After leaving the restaurant, I took Radi to the entertainment district.

In a place before the dungeon, where a chilling amount of capital flowed in, there were attractions fascinating enough to steal one’s soul away.

After we watched a perilous Monster Circus, a Magic Fireworks Show, and a blood-soaked Gladiator Tournament, Radi somehow ended up with a fruit skewer and ice cream in both hands.

He sighed and opened his mouth.

“…So, be honest with me now.”

“Hm? About what?”

“You are being this nice to me because you are plotting to drag me back into the party, right?”

“Hm? Are you coming back?”

“Who said I was coming back?! Listen to people when they talk…!”

Radi flared up and raised his voice, but I shamelessly smiled and avoided the subject.

He sighed once more and said,

“Haa… No matter what you do, I will not return. Being in the same party as a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment… Once the lodging period I paid for in advance ends, I am leaving the tent too.”

“Sure.”

“…You did hear what I just said, right? Then why are you grinning like that?”

“No reason.”

Radi stared up at me, then eventually shook his head, but the message in the Log Window reflected his true feelings transparently.

｢Radi happily swishes his tail! Luck increases by 1.｣

｢Radi is extremely excited by the first magic performance he has ever seen in his life!｣

｢If you make a proposal, Radi will gladly accept it for today, at least.｣

As I followed him with a grin, Radi looked back at me brusquely and muttered,

“I am going to run some errands now… Even if I tell you not to follow me, you are going to follow me as you please anyway, right?”

“You know me well.”

“Haa… I do not mind you following, but do not cause trouble. Like transforming into an undead in the middle of the square… or suddenly taking your clothes off….”

“Come on… Who would do something like that?”

“…….”

Radi glared at me in silence, so I quietly cleared my throat and followed after him.

“…By the way, can you tell me where we are going in advance?”

“I plan to replenish a few traps and tools at a shop opened by an acquaintance.”

“Oh, you are strengthening your combat power here?”

“Yes. I could not bring much luggage before because I had to come all the way to the dungeon.”

Radi and I walked side by side down the shopping street.

However, the farther we went toward the outskirts, the more shops we saw with temporary closure signs hanging outside, along with others that had gone out of business entirely.

Broken furnishings could be seen here and there, and in a place that should have been bustling with people, a gloomy air hung in place of liveliness.

“This is strange… Are we still far from our destination?”

“We still have to walk farther. It is in a place that does not stand out much to others.”

“Are you sure this is all right? The atmosphere here is a little… suspicious.”

A butcher shop displaying meat of unknown origin, a shaman’s shop decorated with skulls, signboards covered in suspicious drawings and symbols….

‘Surely he is not planning to lure me somewhere secluded, report me, and collect the bounty…?’

“I am not planning to lure you somewhere secluded, report you, and collect the bounty, so just keep walking.”

“R-Right… I trust you…?”

“…But I am a little curious how much the bounty would be… Ah, there it is.”

Radi, who had been joking with a sly curve to his lips, entered a tent.

When I followed him inside, a Gnome seated at the desk welcomed us with a benevolent smile.

“Welcome. We have a wide variety of goods prepared, so have a look aro… Oh, is that our little Radi?!”

“Hello, Grandpa Gnome. It has been a while since I saw you outside the village.”

“Yes! It is good to see you after so long! Have you finished preparing to enter the dungeon?”

“Actually, I already went in once and came back. I earned a decent amount too.”

“Is that so? It cannot have been easy to explore alone, but how admirable! This old man is….”

While the Gnome was greeting Radi warmly, he belatedly noticed me and froze.

He looked at me and Radi, standing together in a way that did not seem ordinary, widened his eyes, and then─.

｢The Gnome bursts into loud sobs!｣

｢Intelligence temporarily increases by 1.｣

‘No, why in the world?’

When the Gnome began shedding enormous tears, a startled Radi ran over in confusion.

“A-Are you all right?! Why are you suddenly sobbing…?!”

“The little one…!”

“Wh-What about me…?”

“Radi, the pride of our village, you are finally introducing your lover! To think I would live to see such a joyous occasion before dying of old age…! I was worried you might die without ever dating anyone because all you cared about was money!!”

‘What is this…?!’

While Radi was frozen in shock, I cut in with a friendly smile.

“Hello, elder. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, yes, yes! What is your name? You are tall and handsome. You suit our pretty little one very well!”

“Haha… I believe there is a slight misunderstanding. I am heterosexual, you see. Of course, I respect different tastes and values….”

“Huh…?”

After hearing my explanation, the Gnome frowned, then hurriedly grabbed Radi by the shoulder and whispered.

“What does that mean, little one? If I heard correctly, this young man….”

“Yes… As you can see, there has been a slight misunderstanding….”

“…No, he is completely out of his mind! Then why did you not say so earlier? One word would have been enough….”

“I have pride too! How could I say that with my own mouth?!”

｢Radi blurts out the anger he had been suppressing!｣

｢Agility temporarily increases by 2!｣

‘Is this about his race?’

In any case, there was a reason he did not get angry when this man called him “little one.”

As I silently listened to the old man and Radi talk, Radi stomped hard on the top of my foot and said,

“Anyway, that is enough of that… Do you have neurotoxin and spring-loaded ejection blades? Made of lightmetal, as light as possible.”

“Yes, I will bring them right away, so wait just a moment!”

The Gnome stood up with the help of a crutch and began rummaging through the shelves with a limp.

When I looked closely, three large gashes remained clearly visible on his leg.

‘A Monster got him… It looks as though he was injured only a day or two ago.’

It did not seem likely that he had personally entered the dungeon, so perhaps he had been attacked by a Monster prowling around the market.

｢You have obtained information about the ‘Unknown Assailant’!｣

Radi, who had also noticed the abnormality, twitched his brow and asked,

“…Did you hurt your leg?”

“Ah, this? It is nothing. I was scratched a little, so you need not worry, child.”

“…That is not just a little scratch. I was wondering where the smell of blood was coming from… Did a Monster do this to you? Here?”

“…….”

The Gnome smiled bitterly and spoke in a kindly voice.

“It truly is nothing, so you do not need to worry. Your problem has always been that you are too tenderhearted, ever since you were young.”

“…….”

“Now, these are the things you asked for. Take them.”

“…All right.”

Radi took Silver Coins from his clothes, but the Gnome shook his head and refused them.

“Just take them. They were things I prepared to give you in the first place.”

“What? I cannot do that! No matter what our relationship is, money matters have to be handled properly…!”

“It is all right. When I think of you returning injured from the dungeon, I become so worried that I cannot sleep at all. I hope these will help you, even if only a little. And….”

Grandpa Gnome limped over, took my hand, and whispered so Radi would not hear.

“…Please take good care of that child.”

“…….”

Faced with the old man’s courteous request, I had no choice but to nod.

***

After leaving the Gnome Workshop, Radi and I walked together down the main road.

Only now did I finally understand the empty tents I had seen on the way here.

‘I thought something seemed a little strange….’

Has a Monster recently been rampaging around this area?

Even in the past, there had often been cases of wild beasts attacking private homes.

Moreover, public order was unstable here, and this place was fairly far from the central district where adventurers and mercenaries usually stayed.

Judging by the unsettled atmosphere, it was clear that the Monster in question had not yet been caught.

I looked at Radi, who had fallen deep into thought, and casually tossed out,

“So, why do you look so miserable?”

“…When did I ever look miserable?”

“You are doing it right now. You look as though you could burst into tears at any moment.”

“Enough! Stop being annoying and go away! Today’s companionship ends here─.”

“You are worried about Grandpa Gnome, right?”

“Ugh…!”

“The fact that he was injured is bothering you. From the looks of it, you have not known each other for only a day or two.”

“…….”

Radi closed his mouth after I hit the mark.

As emotions difficult to describe—worry, anger, helplessness, and more—passed over his face, I added indifferently,

“Among Monsters, there are some that stubbornly target a victim again after attacking them once.”

“…….”

“If we leave it like this, Grandpa Gnome could be seriously hurt.”

Radi’s eyes wavered, and then he clenched his fists as though he had decided something.

Looking at him, I casually asked,

“Want help?”

“…With what?”

“Hunting the Monster. …We cannot just leave this alone, can we? There is also a limit to tracking it by yourself.”

If I left things as they were, Radi would obviously chase the Monster even if he had to do it alone.

If that happened, rather than recruiting him as a comrade again, I might end up having to retrieve his corpse.

Since I could not enter the dungeon for a while anyway until Malton returned, winning Radi’s favor while catching a Monster and expanding the range of my Disguise options would kill two birds with one stone.

After reincarnating, I had resolved to live selfishly, but this was entirely for my own sake.

As I wondered how to track the Monster, Radi, who had been staring blankly at me, lowered his head and muttered softly.

“Why, exactly…?”

“Hm?”

“Why… are you going this far? Even if we catch the Monster, there is nothing in it for you. I have a connection with Grandpa Gnome, but you and he are strangers… Besides, I treated you so coldly and said we would part ways once this was over…!”

From nursing him with expensive fever reducers to spending today playing around with him.

When he thought back on it, had he not been on the receiving end the whole time?

Radi looked straight up at me, and in his blue eyes swirled an emotion that seemed unable to understand.

It was a persistent gaze, as though trying to see through my true intentions, and yet somehow an uneasy one.

And also, just a little, a gaze that wanted to try leaning on me.

｢In Velheim, where everyone is busy looking after their own interests, pure goodwill is nothing but unfamiliar!｣

｢Radi is conflicted over whether he can trust you.｣

When I met that deep blue gaze head-on, I felt the noise of the market briefly grow distant.

I inhaled for a moment under the weight carried in those eyes, then curled my fingers in an exaggerated tone and said,

“Well, it is all about money. If it is a Monster capable of rampaging through the shopping street, its materials should be fairly profitable. There might even be a bounty on it.”

I deliberately acted like a vulgar moneygrubber, but Radi, who had been silently staring into my eyes, lowered his head for some reason and stayed still.

DING─!

｢Radi sees through your lie!｣

｢Radi feels grateful to you. Luck temporarily increases by 1.｣

Radi scraped the dirt with the toe of his shoe for quite a while. After a long silence, he lifted his head as though he had made up his mind.

“…All right.”

“Yes, even for you, chasing and hunting a Monster alone would be impo….”

“If you help me hunt it, I will become your comrade, Sir Doran.”

“Uh… Really?”

“Yes, from now on. It would not be bad for me to have a fixed party soon either. …It is troublesome, but I suppose being in the same boat as a lackey of an Evil God might not be so bad in its own way.”

Radi raised a smile full of fighting spirit, and the three red markings on his cheek rippled vividly.