Chapter 154
154. Let’s Go Back Home
After finishing my conversation with Noa, I woke up. Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, hitting my face. It had been about a week since I was discharged from the hospital after the Behemoth incident. I felt relieved, having finally started to regain a sense of normalcy.
…But I couldn’t just ignore Noa’s request. I got ready and headed to the guild.
The Adventurers’ Guild was bustling with people again today. At the tables, parties were holding strategy meetings, reminding me of my past self.
[Hey! Look over there! Isn’t that Arx!?]
[It is! I think it’s my first time seeing an S-rank adventurer!]
Even in my daily life, there had been a small change. That change was that I had become an S-rank adventurer.
The news that I reached the 50th floor as part of the assault team and that I defeated the Behemoth had been relayed to the kingdom through Laura. As a result, I got a direct promotion to S-rank.
It’s not every day that I get looked at with such admiration, so it feels a bit embarrassing. But there’s no doubt that I’ve made significant progress compared to before. Now, the reason I came to the guild today wasn’t just for fun. It was to meet someone. …Ah, there she is.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. You’re early, Raize.”
“Good morning. Well, I like to spend my mornings in a leisurely way.”
The person I was supposed to meet today was Raize. She was sitting at a guild table, sipping tea at her own pace. The red liquid in her teacup seemed to reflect the color of her eyes. After putting down the cup, Raize brushed her hair back and looked at me.
“So, which quest are we taking today? Dungeons are nice, but this quest has a good reward—”
Whenever I come to the guild in the morning, she always picks out a random quest for me from the board. Now that I’m S-rank, I have a wider variety of quests I can accept. The monsters illustrated on the request forms she holds also look much stronger than before.
By the way, Raize is still a C-rank adventurer. She’s had offers to be promoted to S-rank, but she wants to rise up based on her own strength.
“—So, which one will it be? My recommendations are these two.”
“Ah, about that… Actually, I was thinking of skipping quests for today.”
Raize tilted her head. I explained the situation to her.
“I see, so Noa asked you for a favor.”
Raize knew about Noa. Though they’d never met, I’d told her about Noa in detail, and she believed me.
“So, I’m planning to head back to my hometown for a while. I want to take a break from quests, is that okay?”
“Your hometown…!?”
At that moment, Raize froze, staring directly at me. Then, as if struck by lightning, she suddenly blurted out—
“I’m coming with you.”
For some reason, she insisted on coming along.
“No, I’m just going to pop in for a bit, so you don’t have to come.”
“No! I’m definitely going! I’m going, and that’s final!”
“Why!? There’s nothing for you to do if you come!”
“Because I’m your partner, right? In other words, I have the right to meet your family!”
I don’t get it. Why is she so eager to visit my hometown?
“Anyway, I’m coming! Summon the Warp Slime! I’ll buy some delicious sweets from the capital as a gift!”
“You don’t need to go that far! Besides, I’m leaving now!”
“Just wait! If you leave without me, I won’t forgive you!”
With that, Raize stormed out of the guild at full speed, drawing the attention of the other adventurers around us. …What on earth is going on? I thought I knew Raize well, but sometimes, she’s a complete mystery.
I feel like I’ve been forced into a promise here… and if I leave without her, I’m sure she’ll be furious later. I guess I’ll wait for her a bit longer.
Raize came back about an hour later. In her hand, she held a bag, likely containing the sweets she’d mentioned, and she seemed fully prepared.
“Thanks for waiting. Now, let’s take a carriage.”
“That sounds fine, but… since we’re at it, why not fly there?”
With that, I summoned two slimes.
Using my new ability,
“Create! Flying Slime!”
The two slimes I summoned glowed with a white light and then sprouted wings, transforming into flying slimes.
I’d also tried to create slimes with skills like
“Alright, Flying Slimes, take us at full speed!”
Raize and I hopped onto the flying slimes and headed north, in the direction of my hometown.