Chapter 96, Forgotten Things

Translator: Barnnn

 

“We’ll now begin the fifth official goal-setting meeting. This time, we have two newcomers with us — our party leader, the B-rank adventurer Fieda, and the rare Sugar Mandragora, Sato. I know this may be unfamiliar territory for you both, but I encourage your full participation,” Hal announced, his voice carrying a formal air befitting the occasion. “Our purpose today is to determine our route and objectives for the coming year — beginning with our departure from Jasted, and concluding with our arrival in Sooryab, located in the northeastern reaches of the Tajellian Kingdom. Please, don’t hold back. Share your thoughts freely.”

 

As Hal finished his opening remarks with crisp ceremony, Ize clapped enthusiastically, her expression practically glowing. Beside her, Sato mimicked the gesture by slapping its limbs together with a soft rustle. Fieda, though clearly a bit taken aback, gave a reluctant chuckle and joined in with a few tentative claps.

 

“Yes!” Ize raised her hand high, eyes gleaming with energy.

Hal nodded. “Yes, Ize?”

“I believe we should begin by reviewing the goals from our last meeting.”

“Very well. Those were set during our time in Abrol, in the Lazulseed Kingdom.”

 

Hal tapped his tablet, bringing up an app with a list of their previous objectives.

Five items appeared on the screen:

 

Goals: Six Months

– Reunite with Fieda in Jasted.

– Train Hal’s skills (dungeon exploration).

– Select Ize’s skill specializations.

– Assess and coordinate with Fieda’s skills.

– Plan routes based on the Merchants’ Guild’s list.

 

“Looks like we nailed them all but the last one,” Hal said.

“What’s this Merchants’ Guild’s list about?” Fieda asked, squinting at the screen.

“Oh, we got it from the Merchants’ Guild in Abrol,” Hal explained.

“The Guild Master of the Adventurers’ Guild helped arrange it for us,” Ize added.

“But why?” Fieda frowned.

“Well, I suppose…” Hal hesitated, his gaze drifting to the side. “It’s because they believed our story.”

“Your story,” Fieda echoed with a dry chuckle. “Right. The one about you searching for your merchant father… I’d almost forgotten.”

“Even you forgot?” Ize snorted.

“Can you blame me?” Fieda shrugged. “The real story’s been so full of surprises, that made-up backstory kind of fell by the wayside.”

“Well, what do you think of the list?” Ize asked, handing it to him. “Would it actually be useful for our travels?”

 

Fieda flipped through the pages, scanning the names of various merchant companies and the goods they specialized in. He scratched his beard thoughtfully as he read, then looked up, a crooked smile tugging at his lips.

 

“This… is incredibly useful.”

 

Hal and Ize lit up instantly and leaned in to see what had caught his eye.

 

“See here?” Fieda tapped the page. “You can tell a lot about a region by its exports. Fish means there’s a river or lake nearby. Fruits suggest hills or mountains. Tea leaves too. Fine fabrics and intricate crafts — that’s from places that get snowed in during the winter. Now, if we combine this with road data, we can plan a route that hits the most interesting locations without wasting time.”

“Ooh! That makes sense,” Hal said, eyes wide.

“That’s amazing! You’re amazing, Fieda!” Ize echoed.

 

Fieda turned faintly pink at the praise and looked away, clearing his throat. Before Ize could heap on more compliments, Hal stepped in with a grin.

 

“Well then, let’s put that to good use and decide on our new goals.”

 

Ignoring Ize’s glare, Hal slipped smoothly back into his role as facilitator.

The three of them spread out the list and began sorting through places they wanted to visit — regions that promised scenic sights, local delicacies, and interesting cultural experiences. Just making the plan filled them with anticipation for the road ahead.

 

“There’s something I’d like to add,” Fieda said after a moment.

 

His suggestion: combat training in an undead-infested Dungeon, and daily stamina training for Hal.

 

“Guh… figured you’d say that,” Hal groaned.

“Combat training, huh…” Ize mused.

“It’s mostly relevant to adventurers, but undead Dungeons tend to split opinions — especially among women,” Fieda added with a glance at Ize.

“I can kind of imagine why,” she admitted with a wince.

“I want to see if Hal can cast offensive spells in a pinch. It’s better to find out before we get to Sooryab. And who knows? Maybe he’ll finally be able to use his water magic effectively.”

“You mean like holy water attacks?” Hal said, nodding thoughtfully. “Yeah, I’d like to give that a shot.”

“Do we know of a suitable Dungeon?” Ize asked.

“There’s one just past the capital. Rank 4. Shouldn’t be too tough.”

“Then let’s make it a mandatory stop,” Hal decided.

 

They worked their ideas into the new list:

 

Goals: One Year

– Improve Hal’s stamina (daily training during travel).

– Combat training in an undead-themed Dungeon.

– Sightseeing in the royal capital (one month).

– Regional travel based on Merchants’ Guild’s list (destinations may change).

 

They proceeded to discuss numerous towns, but the plan was kept intentionally broad.

 

“Looks good?” Hal asked.

“Let’s decide the next destination based on local word-of-mouth as we travel,” said Fieda.

“Except the capital. That one’s set,” Ize said.

“If we took a direct route, it’d only be four months — but we’ve got a full year to explore,” Fieda reminded them.

“First stop’s a tea-leaf town, and the pottery shop behind it, right? I heard it takes about a week to get there.”

“That’s right. And we’ll each be riding horses from then on. Hope your practice pays off.”

“”Aye, aye!”” Ize and Hal chorused.

 

◆

 

=The day before their departure, the three reviewed their plans one last time as they sat down to breakfast.

 

“First stop: the church, to greet the Goddess,” Hal said.

“Then we check on Hiro and Take at the stables. And pick up their feed, right?” Ize added.

“Exactly. Thanks to your Magic Bags, we’ll have plenty of space for fresh vegetables and supplies.”

“That’s perfect. They’ve earned it for what’s coming,” Ize said.

“After that, we grab some street food for ourselves. Gotta have one last Milk Toad meal.”

“Nooo, don’t remind me…” Ize whimpered.

“The afternoon’s open. Anywhere you’d like to go?” Hal asked.

“…There is one place I’d like to visit, if we can.”

 

When Ize finally made her choice, Hal and Fieda found themselves following her up six flights of stairs.

 

“Six whole flights…” Hal muttered.

“You must’ve built up stamina since six months ago!” Ize said, pumping her fists. “C’mon, Fieda too! We’re going!”

 

The tower they climbed was the tallest in Jasted — the command spire that overlooked the entire city. Before setting out, Ize wanted to take in the view one last time.

 

“There! That’s where the bakery was!” she pointed excitedly.

“And that row of shops is the armor district,” said Fieda.

“Huh, the library looks different from up here,” Hal observed.

 

Looking down from the wide windows, they spotted all sorts of places they’d come to know well — places they hadn’t even noticed their first time through, back in December.

 

“This is fun,” Fieda said. “Spotting streets you’ve walked is weirdly satisfying.”

“We’ve covered a lot of ground these past six months,” Hal said. “The first time I came here, I was overwhelmed by the walls.”

“But once you live here, it starts to feel normal,” said Ize. “Still… I think I’ll always prefer wide-open skies.”

“Same here,” said Fieda.

“Me too. Kinda miss those old horsebus rides,” Hal added.

 

They lingered a while, letting their memories settle like dust in warm sunlight.

 

“Well, time to head down,” Hal said at last.

 

At the top of the stairs, he turned and held out a hand. Ize placed a few fingers lightly in his palm.

She could descend almost entirely on her own now. Sometimes, passing strangers would startle her into freezing up, but the trauma was behind her. She was stronger now.

Stairs might not be part of their journey ahead — but she’d be fine.

The only thing she might miss, just a little, was the warmth of that hand.

On the final step, she gave a light hop, landing with both feet like a little kid. When she looked up, Hal had turned to her with an expression of gentle surprise — followed by a grin that shone brighter than the morning sun.

 

◆

 

They stood outside the inn, bowing together — not in thanks, but in apology — to Etta, who had come out to see them off.

 

“Sorry, Miss Etta,” Ize said sheepishly. “And thank you for making the twenty breakfast sets we requested on such short notice.”

 

From behind her, Fieda gave her a gentle push, prompting her to bow more deeply.

 

“There’s a limit to how much you can push your luck,” Fieda chided with a sigh.

But Etta only laughed. “It’s fine, Fieda. I was thinking of giving you all something as a parting gift anyway.”

“Even after giving us a generous discount on our stay? This is too much,” Fieda said, frowning.

“Don’t worry about it!” Etta said brightly. “Hal gave me a ton of spices the other day as a thank-you present. I consider us even.”

Fieda turned, narrowing his eyes. “Hal, you too?”

“W-Well, you know…” Hal scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “They’re hard to come by now, even if she goes through the Merchants’ Guild…”

 

Fieda let out an exasperated sigh, but despite himself, he couldn’t help smiling. It was just like those two. Always causing trouble — but in such a them sort of way, he couldn’t even stay mad.

 

“Well then,” he said, straightening up, “thank you for everything. It may be years before we pass through again, but if we do, I hope you’ll let us stay here once more.”

“Absolutely! No matter which Guild you’re working with, just send word ahead and I’ll make sure there’s a room ready for you!”

“Thanks,” Fieda said with a nod.

“”Thank you!”” Ize and Hal echoed, bowing again.

 

They’d already said their goodbyes to Elene and Odelya, who were still staying at the inn. Elene had pressed several elegant accessories into Ize’s hands with an apologetic smile, saying, “They’re just hand-me-downs, though…” Judging by the glint in her eye, Ize suspected they were gifts from fans — though she was far too afraid to ask.

As for Odelya, for some reason, she’d given Hal a hair catalog. The two had flipped through it together, pointing out styles like “cornrows” and “French twist,” though Ize could only assume those were food.

 

[French twist…] she mused. [Sounds tasty. Maybe with roast beef or salmon rolled inside?] She made a mental note to ask Hal about it later.

 

◆

 

They made their way slowly to the east gate, pausing here and there to exchange a few more words of farewell.

The road beyond the gate stretched straight and clear beneath a wide blue sky, flanked by green, rolling hills.

 

“Are there any checks at the gate?” Ize asked.

“Just need to show our Adventurer Cards,” Fieda replied.

“I didn’t pay much attention when we came in, so I’ll make sure to watch properly this time!” Ize said, her eyes sparkling.

“Y-Yeah, sure,” Hal replied, his gaze shifting uneasily.

 

He remembered how the guards had reacted when they arrived, and his eyes flicked nervously side to side. Ize, oblivious, was in high spirits. Fieda, unaware of the context, gave Hal a confused look in response to his furtive glances.

Giving up on trying to signal his way out of this, Hal resigned himself to the inevitable. He shifted his thoughts instead to how he might soften the blow when the truth came out.

 

◆

 

Fifteen minutes later…

Inside the slow-moving two-horse bus, Ize’s outraged voice rang out.

 

“What do they mean, ‘We’ll need to check with the Guild’!? Of course it’s real!”

“Yeah,” Hal said, nodding quickly. “The scanner even confirmed it.”

“Why did it even need to be scanned in the first place!?”

“Right, right. It clearly looks like a real Adventurer Card…”

“Exactly! So why did they suspect it!?”

Hal squirmed. “Well… you do look like…”

“I look like what?” Ize leaned in.

“A…”

“Well?”

“A ten…”

“C’mon, out with it!”

“You, uh… you definitely look like a ten-out-of-ten adventurer!”

“Say it all the way through next time!!”

 

Ize exploded, and Hal recoiled in panic. The two of them went right back to arguing, repeating the same exchange with ever-so-slight variations and no sign of tiring. Not once did they look back at the city of Jasted as it slowly faded into the distance behind them.

 

From the front of the horsebus, Fieda chuckled quietly to himself. “You two really are something else.”

“Kekyo,” chirped a small voice beside him.

“Hey, don’t lean so far forward. If you got your leaf eaten, you’ll go bald,” he said, glancing down.

“Kekke kekyo!”

“Exactly. Unless you want a shiny head.”

“KEEE!”

 

Sato, the Mandragora riding on Hiro’s back, deftly scurried over the horse tack and reins until it was perched comfortably beside Fieda again.

 

“All right then,” Fieda called out. “Time to get fired up! Let’s go!”

“Right!”

“Whoa! Look at that — Jasted’s already so far away!”

“Farewell, Orc Bacon!”

“Goodbye, Milk Toad!”

“Can’t you say a normal goodbye just once!?” Fieda groaned.

“”Goodbye, Jasted!!”” they chorused in unison, waving with all their might.

 

Then, almost in the same breath, they turned back to face the road ahead.

From here on out, it was the start of a carefree journey for the three of them–

 

“Kekyo!”

 

–Or rather, three people, one mandragora, and two horses.

They’d arrived in Jasted as a pair. Now, they were setting off as a crowd.

Watching Fieda’s back and the rhythmic swaying of Sato’s leaf from the horsebus bed, Ize found herself smiling without even meaning to.

 

“Traveling together like this… it’s kind of exciting,” she said.

“Yeah,” Fieda replied. “Feels like we’re real fellowship now.”

“Like the start of an epic trilogy, right?”

“Let’s not. THOSE GUYS fall apart halfway through the first film.”

“Ah… fair. Okay, then — how about something like…”

“Fieda and the Two Retainers?”

“Plus Their Stealthy Sugar Mandragora?”

“Hah!” Fieda laughed. “Now that’s a party worth following.”

 

Hal threw his head back and laughed, and Ize gave a satisfied nod. If they could stay together like this, with bonds strong enough to rival even the longest-running shows, she’d be happy.

As the wheels clattered on beneath them, she listened to the rhythm and silently hoped for just that.