“Well? What did you talk about?”
“Your reward for yesterday? What did you get?”
“Well, I was offered eight hundred gold coins, but—”
“Eight hundred gold coins?! With that, we could pay off this entire house!”
“They’d be so surprised if we came in and paid it all off at once!”
“...But I didn’t take it,” I said. The news landed with a thud, and both of them stared vacantly at me.
“What? Wh-Why? Were you too modest or something?”
“It was your reward. Shouldn’t you have just taken it?”
“Yeah, well... I felt a little bad about turning down such a generous offer. I told the king I’d like him to use the money for reconstruction efforts.”
“Ah... I see. That’s just like you, Kaito,” Oltea said. “I guess Section Two was pretty devastated.”
“It really was,” Frieze said. “I hope they can restore it to its former self soon.”
“Exactly. After that, he told me I was going to be the Sword Saint,” I said. As soon as I did, their faces broke into huge smiles.
“Whoa! No way? That’s amazing. Congratulations!”
“I can’t believe you really got picked!”
“I can,” Frieze said. “He worked so hard killing all those monsters!”
“Our strong, kind Kaito became Sword Saint,” Oltea said, smiling. “The ancestors and the living alike will be happy it’s you.”
“Mm-hmm,” said Frieze. “The hearts of my father and mother both will be eased by your appointment.”
“Thank you, both of you. Your kind words mean a lot to me,” I said.
The Sword Saint was little more than a ceremonial post for the day of the festival, but that was no excuse for upholding the position’s duties only on that day. Even if only in small ways, Verrick had vowed to protect the people. He put his words into action too. He was so beloved because of the countless monsters he fought and the even more countless people whose lives he saved.
Though he’d only served for two terms, he had left massive shoes to fill. Stepping into his position was a lot of pressure, but with Oltea and Frieze cheering me on, I couldn’t bring myself to worry. I would do my best not to get worked up or self-conscious. I’d always reach out a hand, just as I had up until now, to help those I was able to.
“Oh! I should also mention that the king happily took up the rationing system proposal we talked about in the past.”
“Yes! Now everyone can breathe a little easier,” Oltea said.
“Kaito, you’re like the savior of the hybrids!” Frieze said.
Savior, hero—today was just full of exaggerated claims as to my importance. Being praised didn’t feel too bad, of course, but it really was a little much.
“Still, it’ll be a little while until the system takes effect. Until then, we’ll keep distributing provisions just like we always have!” I said. They cheerfully nodded, having already assumed that was the plan from the start.
“After we finish breakfast, let’s head out right away and start shopping!” I said.
“Let’s make sure we get a good haul and really make everyone happy!”
“Hey, after we finish at Hybrid Town, can we shop some on the way back too?” Frieze asked.
“Of course,” I said. “In times like these, we’ve got to support the businesses with our patronage.”
“Plus, on the way back the cart is empty. So...that way, you can buy whatever you want, Kaito!”
“Thanks! I can’t wait to!”
I was just as excited to go to Hybrid Town as I was to shop. If I continued to deepen my relationship with the locals...I might get to pet more ears!
As I looked forward to fulfilling my desires to shop and play with animal ears at the same time, I went outside and summoned Stick Beam and Jet Beam, satisfying my desire to use my beams to round it all out.
Cherished friends by my side, I mounted up and turned toward our destination. The long, wide road stretched out before us.