Chapter 149
I felt guilty . Well then, what did I have to do to get rid of it?
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We managed to find a relatively dry patch of dirt where we were able to lay down a blanket . It was there that we huddled together and waited for the morning . Daniela was on the alert the whole time while I wallowed in my emotions .
This hollow bag that I had used all this time . It was also taken from bandits . But it was confiscated by guards as part of their job, which made the means completely standard .
But what of these boxes we had now? Was it right for any random Adventurer to take them?
The answer was no . There had been no quest issued for us to retrieve it . And so there was a part of me that insisted that what we were doing was nothing short of robbery . It had been on my mind for a while now .
I was an outsider who came from a very peaceful world . But Daniela had lived here ever since she was born .
We usually saw eye to eye on most things, so I was a little surprised to see how different our mindsets were on this matter .
It was something that we needed to talk about seriously . Thankfully, we had some time now .
And so I opened my mouth after deciding to speak .
“Hey…Daniela . ”
“What, Asagi?”
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The back of my nose hurt . Maybe I was just nervous .
“First, allow me to make my excuses . ”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“I’m not from here . I lived in a different world, and so there are fundamental differences in the way we think . I didn’t say much because I didn’t want you hate me . ”
“Ah . Well, I do know how you feel . ”
“Thank you . And so, it’s about those boxes…I don’t think we should keep them . ”
“Hmm… You will have to explain this to me so I can understand . ”
Daniela said as she stared at me . Ah, my hands were starting to sweat . I hated these kinds of things . We Japanese are not great when it comes to saying no . Conflict like this was usually to be avoided .
However, I told her what I had been thinking . I wanted her to know how I felt without looking away .
“…And so, because we did not acquire them by rightful means, we should pass it on to the town guards . If we want to continue to live with pride . That’s what I think . ”
“…I see, yes . Asagi, your view is correct . I see nothing wrong with it . It is good . However, Nicora is known for being a dangerous place . What will you do if it turns out that the town guards are in league with the bandits?”
Of course, I had considered this myself . But…
“That is up to the empire to deal with . Even if it results in there being victims in the future, that would not be on us . Of course, if that happens right in front of us, I am prepared to kill those bandits . ”
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“So you are willing to risk the possibility that giving it to the guards may help the bandits in the long run?”
“Yes . I have to . If I want to continue to live as an upright person . ”
Yes, ultimately it was all just for a sense of self-satisfaction . I didn’t want to think of myself as a criminal . I didn’t want others to think of me that way . I wanted to live with pride . I didn’t intend on shouldering all the responsibility even if it led to sadness for someone else . My way of thinking was nothing short of selfish .
I didn’t want to commit a crime . That’s all it was . And that mere wish had brought on a storm of emotion .
But as a human who had been brought up in a peaceful world, it was something I wanted to cling on to .
“…Asagi, I understand how you feel . It reminded me of something . ”
“Reminded?”
“Aye… There was a time when I thought just like you . ”
Daniela sighed and then chuckled .
“Living so long really does things to you…before you know it, things start to shift where your eyes cannot see . ”
“But that’s how you’ve lived all this time, isn’t it? And there is nothing wrong with that at all . ”
“Indeed… But just now, there is something righteous and blinding about you, Asagi . It makes me hate you a little . ”
She said as she pinched my cheek .
“I too had a sense of justice . Evil is evil . We should do good, etcetera . But…when pushed to my limits, I learned to take from others in order to survive . And it turned out to be a much easier way to live . Before long I forgot what it had felt like at first . ”
“You’ve gone through so much…”
“Aye, in a way . ”
She seemed to be staring off into the distance . I could see a whirl of emotions in her profile . Sadness, regret, joy and nostalgia . The look in her eyes changed at a rapid pace, as if she were chasing memories of her travels . But there was something in her expression that I couldn’t read .
Still, I thought she had never looked more beautiful .
The spot we had chosen to wait was not far from the town . It was only about a twenty minute walk from the gate . And so we could see the town clearly from here .
It was surrounded by a ash-colored wall to protect it from monsters and bandits . There was something very dark about it considering it was near a river .
While it wasn’t as big as Spiris or Replant, it was quite big to be called a town . Its walls were high and thick, with sentries holding torches standing guard on top . It seemed that those men were at least doing their job . Perhaps they were forced to do it against their will? I couldn’t help but wonder .
We could see the west gate from where we were . We had come straight from the east, but there were also roads leading from the north and south as well . I saw several carriages flinging mud as they dashed down the road . It really was a necessary stop for any who wished to enter the capital . The last caravan I saw was accompanied by many guards as they headed for the gate .
We were watching this all very leisurely because we were eating breakfast . I wasn’t used to having arguments and it had made me hungry . It was definitely a rare thing for me to be the first to suggest it, but regardless, I started a fire and began to cook some meat .
Some people who passed us by gave us jealous looks . And they were quite right to, as our breakfast was very delicious .
“Let me get this straight, Asagi . ”
“Yeah?”
“So, we give the guards the boxes . The empire is now responsible for what happens to them . And we immediately leave the town . ”
“There’s no need for us to do everything for them . ”
“I suppose so . ”
Uhhhh… So, we stayed the night in this lodge, you see…and then there were these boxes…uh…yeah…they were suspicious looking…and so we opened them up and they were full of these rocks .
And with that, our conscious would be saved . We could leave knowing that we were 100% in the right . After that, Nicora’s problems would be dealt with by the country . I wasn’t from this world and I wasn’t from the empire .
“Alright . We’ve satisfied our hunger . Time to go!”
“Riverside Town of Nicora… I have not been to a shanty town in a while . I must stay on my guard . ”
“I wonder how it will compare to Alessa?”
“Alessa should be nothing in comparison . This is a place where their military has no power . If one is not careful…hehe . ”
“Which side are you even on…”
I put the dirty blanket back into my bag and got up . Now, off we go .