另类小说亚洲古典校园

“It could be worse”

I reply in a raspy voice, I think I have a sore throat but I can’t feel any pain.

“No, actually, a bit worse and you would be dead now, I think the leather patch you strapped on covering your heart saved your life. Seriously, why did you even attempt to face that rat? Don’t you know how dangerous they are?”

When Lorenzo mentioned the leather strap he pointed to my bandaged chest.

“I mean, I’ve heard that keeping crops was a bit dangerous because of wild beasts but... It was just a rat, how was I supposed to know it was so strong”

“I know you lack a bit of common sense because you come from the south, but come on! it was huge even for a big rat You should have at least noticed you were no match for it. Don’t be so hasty to throw your life, if you need the money so urgently you could get a part time job”

.....

It seems he’s admonishing me, but because of his bitter smile it looks more as if he was scolding himself.

“I’ll try to keep that in mind, but if we all tried to escape perhaps none of us would have been able to”

“What you say is true, E rank beasts are too strong for new adventurers. Anyways, don’t judge monsters by size, a single big rat could take on two or three bears at the same time. Their skin is thick so it’s hard to kill them in a single blow without a proper weapon and their sharp fangs can chew through leather, rendering any sort of leather armor useless in the first minute.”

“So, did we at least get a passing grade?”

I ask almost whispering.

“You gathered about four times as many tails as you were supposed to, I’m really impressed by your wits. When Shortie told me how you trapped them I couldn’t believe how easy it was. Since you managed to get so many tails I can’t really fail you. Although you can now take quests by yourself or form your own party, you’ll remain in the trial period for a while. But honestly, I think you should give up on being an adventurer”

The instructor looked at me straight in the eye.

“I... I can’t give up so easily”

“It’s not my place to tell you what you can or can’t do, but you’re not ready to create a monster slaying party, not even as support, what good is a support that dies in a single blow? If anything, you could be a gatherer...”

“I don’t know if that’s going to work for me”

“Can you at least tell me why do you even want to be an adventurer? A smart young man like you should be able to earn a living in some other way. Besides, you should know your own limits, you even had trouble dealing with a single goblin, when kids can give them a good beating without breaking a sweat. The only reason goblins are F rank is because of the danger they pose when gathered in big numbers”

“I know I’m weak and I don’t really need the money. I just need to learn as much as I can before going back to Ironwoods... also...”

I hesitate for a while, this may be the best chance I get to learn more about my curse.

“I’ve been afflicted by a curse”

“I see, so that’s the reason you’re so weak. May I ask how are you dealing with that?”

“Currently, I’m pouring holy water on my sword everyday in the morning. That helps to keep the bad luck at bay”

“That’s good and bad at the same time. You see, curses will feed on your energy to grow stronger and they will drain the host up to the last drop, that obviously means death. That’s if the curse doesn’t kill you first. What you’re doing currently is keeping the curse from affecting you, but it will keep consuming your energy until you die”

“That’s why I needed to become an adventurer, It’s the best way to find a priest that can undo my curse”

“You’re not wrong about that, if you attempted to go to the sacred empire to be cured you would have died on the first beast encounter and even if you made it safely, I doubt you had the money to pay for that. The only thing priests think about is the money after all”

“Isn’t there something I can do? anything”

“You’re already on the very limit. You’re not emitting any energy, but you’re not losing it either. You could aim to become stronger, but then the curse will grow too. I guess you’ve been doing all the right things, but life is nothing but a gamble and you’ve been dealt a shitty hand.”

“So, is there a way to know how much time I have left?”

“By the looks of it, if you stay just like that, maybe a month. If you become stronger, you could last about three months”

So I need to choose either to go back to Ironwoods and spend my last month with Rina or stay in here and do my best to find a solution before I run out of time.

“Mister Lorenzo, please... please help me become stronger”

Because I lowered my head I couldn’t see his expression, but he replied instantly.

“I refuse”

“Please, I can pay”

“I think you don’t know what you’re asking of me, but that’s not something one can take lightly. I need to make a living out of this and I already have good candidates for a monster slaying party. I can’t afford to lose my time helping you, especially since your chances of outliving the curse are slim to none...”

He made a quick pause to look at me and his expression softened a little.

“Don’t take me wrong, I would like to help you, but that would mean putting the others aside. It would be a situation where I would be helping one while risking the life of others. I know your situation is desperate, but still...”

This is nothing short of receiving a death sentence and the only crime I committed was picking up a sword from a corpse.

“There must be something I can do, I don’t want to die in this way”

“Well, there is something... If somehow you manage to convince miss Risa to trade pupils with me I would accept. But let me tell you, it’s hard to deal with that woman and she’s the one in charge of training the strongest adventurers right now. I don’t think she’ll agree to your request”

That may be so, but I got nothing to lose. Maybe I could try to bribe her, that’s it!

If I give her money she might get offended, but if I give her something she needs or likes, maybe some armor... no, thinking on the way she hardly even covers herself I don’t think an armor is going to be useful to her.

After Lorenzo left me alone, Sera came in along with Shortie. He apologized profusely, speaking so fast I could barely understand what he was saying.

“Calm down a bit please, you don’t need to apologize, if anything I should be thankful because you called for Lorenzo”

Shortie made a look of surprise leaving no doubt that he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“I didn’t do anything, I just ran away and came back when they were carrying you back to the guild”

“Then, who...”

Just as I was about to finish my question, Thea appeared from behind Sera.

“It was me... I called the instructor. When I noticed you didn’t come out of the wheat field I waited for you until I heard a scream and I ran to call for help”

“I’m really grateful for what you did Thea, shortie you go eat shit”

I said in a serious tone with my still raspy voice, making them laugh nonetheless.

Sera and I went back to the shop as soon as they left the guild’s hospital, I’m still a bit tired but there’s nothing a good night’s rest can’t fix. I could drink a potion, but my health points aren’t low enough and I would end up falling asleep anyway because of exhaustion.

That night Luke didn’t come back, but judging by his quick ascend in the guild rank none of us was worried. Instead, Taffy looked relieved to be able to spend a night by herself. It seems he still holds a grudge against her for rejecting him, but I can’t be troubled with other people’s business. Especially not now I’m running out of time.