Chapter 29

I walk alone along the village path. Although it is currently afternoon, there wasn't a single figure in sight along the path. After all, everyone had already been attracted and had gone to the examination location.

The whole “becoming an adventurer” stuff heavily draws in youngsters. Furthermore, it invoked the old people memories of their times when they were young as well. For them, adventurers are a great and sacred existence.

Contrary to them, my thoughts vastly differ from theirs.

Why become an adventurer when I can live a stable live just by farming potatoes? I am a civilian, thus I only need to shamelessly accept the salvation that the heroes provide.

I don't need nor do I want to give up my life for the sake of this world.

I just want to live out my life with potatoes, and that's enough for me.

That's right… That's exactly what I have in mind…

But why…

The current me cannot comprehend the meaning behind my actions right now.

I glanced around my surrounding, and tried to recall the bizarre magic fluctuation that appeared previously while searching for the direction of its origin.

40 minutes ago, both Rei and I had sensed a bizarre magic fluctuation, and thus that was the reason why she left to investigate the situation.

But she didn't come back. She did not come back from the investigation.

I'm not searching for her… I'm just out for a walk.

I've no interest to whatever might have happen to Rei.

It was supposed to be like this…

It just that…

It's just that… she, who is the same race as me; who is a companion to me; who is a member of the white magic clan – even if she is a mixed blood, hasn't return after more than 40 minutes already.

And this… made me remember my past self.

I felt an indescribable sense of depression and an inexplicable tightness in my chest with regards to this matter. It was as if my heart was being squeezed by something as well.

Nine years ago, that was how I was taken away. During those three years, no one noticed me, no one found me.

But that was unavoidable. My parents had been murdered by those two. After that, I had no idea where I was being taken to, and my life inside a cage below a dungeon began.

Evidently, no one knows that I existed, and no one knows that I've gone missing so n.o.body was searching for me.

But the situation is different now as I'm aware that Rei has gone missing.

If I don't search for her, then there will be no one else that can find her. Even if she is found, it will be too late by then.

Just like I was in the past.

Rescue that arrives late has no meaning at all. Heroes that arrive late will only get blame by the people.

Even if there isn't any rationale behind the blaming, no one will try to understand the heroes' difficulties.

That was probably what triggered me, and made my brain issue orders for my actions.

I must find Rei.

Just like how she found me yesterday…

This isn't love nor is it sympathy.

It is self-pity.

And it is my grat.i.tude to her as well.

As an apostle to the G.o.ddess of potatoes, I must not forget the kindness given by the others to me. Although what she gave me wasn't exactly kindness, I wasn't exactly doing this to repay her for her kindness as well.

I am merely… consoling myself for my self-satisfaction only.

Is it this way?

After I finally recall the direction where that magic fluctuation originated from, I quickened my pace and started to run with bigger strides.

I don't care if I only have the strength to run 30 meters as I want to find Rei earlier. But the more I pursued after the origin of the magic, the more I found that the objects around me became familiar.

After I turned at the last bend, I arrived at the edge of the village.

Rei was right in front of me.

However, what entered my sight first before Rei, was my own house.

And… the potato field which I have yet to water.

I was stunned.

I stood blankly in place.

No. It is rather inaccurate to say that the field has not been watered. After all, watering the field just means that the soil needs to be wet in order to give my favorite potatoes a suitable environment to grow.

Hence, if the soil is wet, then it means that the field has been watered.

Also, the sentence where I said that “The house came into my sight first” or something was just a method of numbing myself.

The truth is I saw Rei right from the start, but I looked away immediately after I saw her.

So, to sum everything up, the actual situation currently is like this:

Beside my potato field, there is a slender woman lying down and facing up towards the sky as she soaked the habitat of the G.o.ds with her body liquids. Additionally, the liquids that were pouring out were coming out from the protruding object sticking out from the maiden's boundless flat chest.

And that object… carries a shape of a dagger – a snow-white dagger.

Whether be it her black leather coat, her brown-tanned skin, be it her silver sleeve sword, her pale white hair, or the yellow dirt behind her back, they were all… soaked with that liquid.

The liquid is red in color.

It's the red that I hated the most.

It is the red that give out a b.l.o.o.d.y smell.

“Ah… Ah…Ah…” My mouth trembled, and my throat became painful as if it was being pierced as I started to make an unsightly trembling voice.

Memories of my past… started to overlap with reality at this moment.

The fear.

Had crushed me once again.

In the end, it appears that I may have… arrive too late.