Viscount Cherrycoke smiled gently at his 2nd daughter Patricia who had entered his office.
His pretty and vibrant daughter now looked exhausted and haggard.
She had been that way since her friend…..no her lover, Ippei Miyata had been imprisoned.
She had come of age and was an adventurer now. There was nothing he needed to say to her as long as she did not bring trouble to the house.
If at all possible he wanted to acknowledge their relationship.
“I have good news, Patricia.”
“Yes……” She answered in a depressed voice.
He could tell his words had not reached her heart, however, he wondered how his next words would affect her.
“There is news from Marquis Coke. He has ordered an investigation to see what happened with Ippei Miyata.”
Life appeared in Patty’s eyes.
“What does that mean!?”
“Miyatdono was supplying medicine to the king. Medicine the king liked very much…….”
“Yes, I’d heard about that, though I don’t know what kind of medicine it was.”
Neither Ippei nor the viscount had told Patty about the medicine. Usually, conversations between fathers and daughters did not involve talking about erection drugs.
“Umu. It’s something his majesty has to take but apart from that its a secret to the royal family.”
“I see…….”
“Anyway, because Miyatdono was arrested the delivery of the drug has stopped.”
Patty is intelligent and it doesn’t take her long to see where this story is going.
The edge of her mouth raises slightly. It was the first smile she had shown in several weeks.
“Patty. Was Miyatdono’s crime concealing and bringing out an F rank Demon stone?”
“Yeah. Like I said before, Ippei is a 9th rank adventurer. It’s impossible that he got an F rank stone by himself. There’s also no record of a trial anywhere.”
“Un. It seems likely that the son of count Ramunes set him up.”
“That’s right.”
“I was not able to make a move last time, but this time I have the seal of marquis Coke. I can investigate now.”
“Father!”
While Patty threw herself at him and hugged him, joy that his daughter was relying on him welled up.
On the other hand, he was a bit lonely that his daughter’s joy was caused by her lover.
It was a bittersweet wine. It was also a wine that all fathers with daughters had to drink someday.
“Let’s go to the guild at once Patty.”
Patty escorted her very happy looking father to the guild.
Gordon and Ippei had leaned their pickaxes against the tunnel wall and were currently taking a brief rest.
“I don’t know if it’s thanks to Ippei and being able to eat meat again but my strength seems to have returned to how it was in the old days.”
Gordon is flexing his biceps while laughing.
“If you wish to express your gratitude thank the monkey god and not me.”
“Right! Gahahahaaa! It would be great if he brought alcohol with him next time. I’m a dwarf. We need our alcohol.”
“You’ve only got another 3 months until you are released. Don’t cause any trouble.”
“That’s right! Haaa……It’s been 5 long years………”
Gordon is nearing the end of his 5-year prison term.
Although 5 years seems a bit short for murder, Gordon’s claim that he did not mean to kill him was accepted. The man Gordon killed was sleeping with his wife and Gordon was unarmed. The court accepted the man died after only being punched once and reduced his sentence to 5 years.
How strong are your fists?
His ability to survive in such poor conditions is all thanks to the great strength and fortitude that dwarves possess.
Even for a dwarf, Gordon seems particularly strong.
“You’ve done well to survive these 5 years.”
“Us dwarves are a long-lived race. Even though I’m 63 I’m still in my teens”
“Still in your teens at 63…..”
“Gaahaahaahaa…………Hey, Ippei.”
“What?”
“Are you married?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Really……..”
“Wheres, this come from?”
“……….I’m happy about my release but I’m scared.”
“Un.”
“When I came here my daughter was 14. She’s 19 now.”
“Aah. It’s an age where girls change completely.”
“I haven’t been able to see her for 5 years. Her mother escaped and left town when her partner was killed. She’s lived in the city for 5 years with her grandmother. I don’t know how I should act when I meet her…….”
He’s become uneasy.
“I can understand your unease Gordon and I wish I could do something. I’m not smart and I’m not very good with words but when you’ve done something wrong you should apologise.”
“Her names Moira. I wonder if she’ll forgive me………”
“Keep on apologising until she does.”
“Right……..”
“If you can’t stay in your original town or can’t get work, go to Nepia. My colleagues have an adventuring party there called [Phoenix Company]. Tell them I sent you and I’m sure they’d let you join.”
“Ippei….This might be the first time I’ve thanked someone since I came to this mine. Thank you.”
Urgh. This idiot. He’s slapped me on the back with all his might. HP is now 6/8.
Patty did it as well but she’s pretty so I can forgive her.
This ossan might really kill me!
He’d get another 5 years!
“Why are you crying? Are you crying with sympathy?”
“I’m crying because it hurt!”
I carefully use recovery magic.
The pain actually made tears come out.
Go to your daughter quickly and find happiness this time.
The sound of a sword echoes through the second floor of the labyrinth.
Jeans wings his sword through the air releasing fighting spirit from his blade.
“Slashwave!”
The skill destroyed 47 skeletons and damaged the wall of the labyrinth.
“Alright!”
“Jean! Behind!”
A skeleton was swinging a rusty sword at Jean’s neck.
Thanks to Meg’s cry Jean managed to twist his body and avoid the blade, however, his balance was destroyed and he couldn’t attack back.
In a nick of time type of scene, Bonnie emerged from the shadows and destroyed the skeleton.
When the battle is over Kuro comes over and starts collecting materials and demon stones.
“Attention…….Distracted……”
“I know.”
Jean kicked the skull of a skeleton as he was admonished by Bonnie.
He was aware. He was angry because she was right.
“It’s not only Jean….. Meg and Kuro too. I’m also thinking about Ippei.”
“I’m not worrying about ossan!”
He let it slip out. A keyword. [Worry].
“Sorry……”
Jean apologised to Meg and Kuro.
“I couldn’t help it. Looking at the skeletons reminded me of ossan. These guys are his natural enemy.”
Ippei only had penetrating weapons. Something the skeletons were very strong against.
Skeletons are undead and keep on going unless they are destroyed completely.
Bonnie laughed slightly at Jean’s words.
“Fuu……that’s right…..”
“Yeah! He made a grenade that cost 3000 rims each just to defeat them. His money sense is strange.”
Meg remembers it and gets angry.
“Those grenades cost that much?”
Kuro has the grenades now.
“That’s right. Don’t waste them Kuro. If you use them unnecessarily you’ll pay us back!”
“Yes……”
Kuro also inherited Ippei’s equipment including his guns.
His guns consume 3MP per shot and 48MP is needed if you wish to empty the magazine.
Kuro only has 42MP so he can’t shoot continuously though they hunted on the 1st floor to help raise his level a bit.
Kuro’s goal right now is to raise his level so he can use the guns fully.
He wants to show Ippei a strong figure.
It’s not only Kuro. It was the desire of the entire [Phoenix Company].