“Well... Think that was good enough?” I asked.
The two girls had just left, and I set my drink down quietly on the table. The mug was still half full—I liked alcohol, but I was no heavyweight. Two drinks were usually fine, but these had hit me fast. I’d downed them on an empty stomach while trying to keep up with the conversation, so I hadn’t really paced myself.
Glad my tab is cheap, at least. But I’ll be nursing a hangover tomorrow if I keep drinking... I blame the bottomless pit next to me. The way she drinks just isn’t natural.
“‘Good’ is a bit of a stretch,” Sheya replied, calmly finishing her fourth drink and setting her mug down.
I glanced at her. We’ve been drinking the same thing, but her face isn’t even turning pink.
“But they’ll figure it out,” she added.
“That’s fine, then,” I said. “As long as it buys us a few days.” The kid had only asked us to look out for those girls. It didn’t really matter if they saw through the little performance Sheya and I had just put on.
People made mistakes in judgment, and getting into dangerous situations was part of the deal. To survive, you teamed up with others. But those two had made a mistake that could’ve gotten them killed. They weren’t even part of an official party, just a temporary one, and they’d still ignored their leader’s decisions and gone off on their own. That wasn’t something you could just laugh off.
If the two of them had been more careful, things wouldn’t have gotten so bad. But they’d made the situation into a matter of life and death. People like that were a liability no matter how many lives you had to spare. What they had done would get them kicked out of any party. If word got around, they were gonna have a hard time finding new teammates.
I had only laughed it off because the kid wanted us to help those girls out. It was still too soon to take something like that lightly. You had to reflect on your mistakes, then earn back the trust you lost and clear your name. Only then does it become a funny story.
“Well, that’s just how it goes with newbies,” I muttered. Everyone starts out as a beginner, and beginners screw up. Guess it’s okay to let a big mistake slide just once. If they screw up again, though? Then they’ll get a real lecture.
“We should have told them to quit,” Sheya said. Having finished her drink, she folded her hands and placed them on the table. Her voice had taken on a quiet seriousness that cut through the noise. There was weight behind her words. “Those two aren’t cut out for this.”
“Yeah. I mean, you’re not wrong,” I admitted. I’d been thinking the same thing. That was why I’d gone out of my way to meddle with that mage girl’s business in the first place.
You could tell from a glance or from the aura someone gives off. Those two weren’t damaged goods like the rest of us. They didn’t have that look in their eye, the kind that says I’ll climb to the top with a sword, or I’m here for quick riches, or even I just don’t feel like working a normal job. They were normal, serious, and earnest people who still had a sense of right and wrong. Those kinds of people were the ones most likely to do something reckless.
“Well, whatever.” I shrugged. “I don’t know what they plan to do from here, but adventurers are free to choose whether they keep going or quit.”
“They got lucky this time. Next time, they’ll die,” Sheya responded.
Sure, we could let it slide once. But the second time? That’s when you sat them down and gave them a proper lecture. If they screwed up a third time, maybe it would be better for everyone to just kick them out. If they came back alive.
“Adventuring’s all about taking responsibility. But yeah, you end up worrying about the people you’ve crossed paths with, don’t you?” I observed.
Sheya was the kind of person who thought being in a party was a hassle and worked solo to avoid that. Just having a conversation was a chore for her, and she didn’t seem to be close to anyone in particular. She didn’t even really start hanging around me and Chikka until after we explored the sewers. Because of that, she’d never experienced losing a party member—never had someone close to her go out and not come back.
I grabbed my mug and stared at the drink inside. When Old Badger died, and that kid was raring to get back out there, Sheya was the first one who offered to help. Guess this woman just isn’t used to people dying. No wonder she’s being so sensitive about those two girls. The guilt from thinking you might’ve gotten someone killed weighs heavy, even on a seasoned adventurer. If someone really dies because of you, that would haunt your dreams.
“They told me I wasn’t cut out for this too, you know.” I took a long drink and grimaced at how the alcohol stung the inside of my nose. I knew it would hit me hard later, but I forced myself to swallow.
“People said stuff like, if you’re gonna be a warrior, it’s better to start off as a coward. Or, bravery’s something you can pick up over time, but a brave fool trying to learn caution doesn’t get the chance until after they’re dead.” I swallowed again and felt my throat burn. A guy needs to be at least a little drunk to tell this kind of story.
“I was a reckless little brat. Didn’t know fear. People were always telling me I wasn’t cut out for this.” A soft chuckle slipped out.
Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but the kid might actually make a decent warrior. After all, when we’d first met, I hadn’t felt the urge to tell him to stop trying.
No, who am I kidding? That’s nonsense. I can’t imagine him becoming some kind of great hero. Anyway, we’re talking about those other rookies. The two who screwed up, got themselves into a tight spot, and still made it back in one piece by some stroke of luck. Watching them feels like looking back at myself once upon a time.
“But hey, they faced death and came out alive. So maybe they learned something, yeah?”