Chapter 30: Rachel’s Consultation
It was still a little too early to start drinking, so everyone agreed to return for now and meet up again later. Jin was planning to wash away his sweat with a good soak in the bath, but just as he was about to head out, someone called to him.
"Excuse me, Jin-san. Um… if you don’t mind, could I have a little of your time?"
The one who stopped him was Rachel.
"Right now?"
"No, it doesn’t have to be immediately. Before the celebration starts would be fine. I’d just like to talk for a bit."
Since he hadn’t had much chance to talk with Rachel during the training, Jin was a little curious about what she wanted, but he agreed.
"Sure. Then after I take a bath, I’ll be waiting in the square in front of the guild, maybe with some juice. Once you’ve finished your errands, come find me there. I’ll probably arrive first, so don’t rush—take your time."
"Thank you. Then, I’ll see you later. Please excuse me."
With that, Rachel hurried off. Jin figured she was worried about making him wait and decided to head out as well.
He discreetly stashed his bulky luggage into his Item Bag, then made his way lightly to the public bath. After washing off the dust of travel, he dropped off his laundry at the inn, then went to the square to wait. Sitting with a chilled 100% fruit juice in hand, he watched the scenery absentmindedly until Rachel arrived at a brisk trot. She, too, had changed into fresh clothes and looked refreshed.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"You’re fast. Should we talk here? Or go somewhere, like a shop?"
"Ah, no need. We don’t have much time, so here is fine. How about over there?"
Jin returned his empty bottle to the stall, then followed Rachel to the table she had pointed at. They sat across from each other, and Jin gestured for her to begin.
"Um… let me properly introduce myself again. I’m Rachel. I also serve as a cleric at the temple in this city. I’m eighteen years old, and, um…"
She seemed strangely flustered, which was unexpected given the serious image he had of her.
"Haha, no need to rush. I’ll go too. My name’s Jin, I’m eighteen, and… as for hobbies, I don’t really have one right now. I used to read a lot of books."
He smiled as he introduced himself, giving Rachel time to compose herself.
"Sorry. This kind of situation is new to me, and I just got nervous all of a sudden."
After a deep breath, she seemed calmer. By the way, though all the new recruits had agreed to drop honorifics with each other, Meg and Rachel still stuck to polite speech, since that was easier for them.
"The reason I asked for your time today is that I wanted to ask you something. As I mentioned, I’m also a cleric… and I actually saw you once at the temple."
The temple was a familiar place to Jin, so he wondered when this could have been. Rachel steeled herself, then spoke with determination.
"It was about a week ago. You were praying to the gods, and at that moment… I saw your body enveloped in light. That’s when I thought… Jin-san, could it be that you’ve been blessed by the gods?"
"Blessed?"
Jin’s heart skipped for a moment. The word wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to him.
"You could also call it divine protection. I believe you’ve been granted a god’s blessing, haven’t you?"
Her eyes were dead serious.
But Jin had no memory of receiving such a thing. True, when he first came to this world, he had received something akin to a blessing, but hearing that he had shone with light in the temple was news to him. Still, the idea that Rachel had perceived his form glowing as if touched by divinity… made him think that maybe his belief—that this world’s god had accepted him—wasn’t wrong after all.
"No, I haven’t been blessed. But if it looked like that to you, Rachel… that makes me really happy."
So saying, Jin broke into a radiant smile. Rachel seemed a little overwhelmed by that smile, but pressed forward.
"Th-then, please look at this."
She handed over her guild card. Jin, puzzled, looked down at it—then quickly jerked his gaze back up in alarm.
"You didn’t hide anything! No! Put it away right now!"
The card Rachel showed had all its details visible, not just her status. Jin had averted his eyes almost instantly, so he hadn’t seen much—only that her level was 8.
"But—"
"No buts! Hide it! Now!"
"…Okay."
After a brief back-and-forth, Rachel finally swiped her card to conceal the details and put it away.
"So… what was that about? Why would you show me that?"
Jin asked, weary but careful not to sound harsh.
"I thought it would be easier to trust me if you saw it yourself. I… I also have a blessing."
At that, Jin collapsed face-first onto the table. When he sat back up, his voice carried a sharper edge.
"That’s exactly the kind of thing you don’t say! I appreciate the trust, but information like that should remain confidential. Understand?!"
Sure, Jin himself had revealed his Presence Detection skill, but he justified it since anyone observant enough could probably guess it anyway. After hearing Gain’s warnings about how cruel this world could be, Jin was all the more alarmed by Rachel’s defenselessness. Divine blessings were the kind of secret that had to be protected at all costs.
Though he wasn’t exactly one to talk, Jin couldn’t help but worry about Rachel’s naivety. He kept his ears open to their surroundings during this exchange, but fortunately, no one else seemed to have overheard.
"Listen, Rachel. Let’s just suppose I did have a divine blessing—though I don’t, of course. But even if I did, I would never tell anyone about it. And you must never tell anyone either."
Jin spoke gently to Rachel, who had shrunk down as if she’d just been scolded.
"I just… wanted you to trust me, since we’re companions. I’m sorry."
Her words carried a lonely weight. Seeing that, Jin thought for a moment before replying.
"Hey, Rachel. I may not have a blessing, but I already think of you as my comrade. Isn’t that enough?"
Perhaps she’d been feeling isolated because of her blessing? Jin hardly knew anything about her, so he couldn’t be sure. But precisely because of that, he simply spoke his honest feelings.
"No… thank you so much, Jin-san."
Rachel raised her face, giving a faint, fragile smile. She then went on to tell him she’d never met anyone else with a blessing, and that she often felt a kind of alienation because of it. Jin listened quietly to the end. When she fell silent, he suddenly held out his hand.
"Alright, shake. Give it all you’ve got. Don’t worry, I can handle it."
He said it cheerfully on purpose. Rachel hesitated at first, then gradually squeezed with all her strength. Of course, no ordinary girl could possibly have that kind of power—but Jin could still easily endure it.
"Okay, done. See? No problem. My stats are only a little higher than yours because my level’s slightly above yours. Maybe what you’ve been feeling isn’t really isolation—it might just be because your world was too small until now. We’re still rookie adventurers, right? There are tons of amazing people out there. If you keep adventuring, I bet that lonely feeling will disappear."
He spoke with all his heart, wanting to lighten her burden just a little.
Then Jin smiled brightly.
"And besides, I don’t think strength has anything to do with whether someone’s a comrade or not. What do you think of Shelly and Albert?"
"Shelly’s cheerful and cute. Albert’s an idiot, but you can’t really hate him."
He kept going, asking her opinion on each of their traveling companions. Rachel’s answers were all warm and positive.
"They’re not that strong yet, right? But that doesn’t mean they’re not comrades."
"Of course not. They’re my comrades."
"Exactly. So you’re not alone, are you?"
Rachel thought about it, then nodded firmly.
"You and I, Rachel, we’re just a little stronger than average. But that’s nothing special—anyone a few levels higher could match or surpass us. Honestly, do you think you could beat Instructor Greg? No way. Even if I reached his level someday, I still don’t think I’d win."
He waved his hands exaggeratedly, making it half a joke.
"Ufufufu. You’re right about that."
Rachel giggled, probably imagining it. Her bright smile made Jin glad all over again—girls really were at their best when smiling.
"If you ever have any troubles, talk to me anytime. Don’t keep it bottled up."
Unable to just leave her be, Jin spoke from the heart.
"Thank you, Jin-san. Actually… I already have something to ask!"
Rachel no longer looked downcast; instead, she gave off a natural, almost childlike impression, far different from the stiff, overly serious image Jin had had of her. That unguarded openness made him feel she really trusted him—and that made him happy.
"What is it?"
Jin asked warmly, determined to help however he could.
"Please… form a party with me!"
"…Huh?"
That line was the last thing Jin had expected.
Previous Chapter - TOC - Next Chapter
Comments
Post a Comment