Chapter 72: You're Not Alone
The day after the feast, early in the morning, during a time when few people were about, Jin and the others attended Gerd’s funeral.
Because Gerd had fallen into banditry, the funeral was carried out inconspicuously, and no name was engraved on the grave. However, laid to rest there along with Gerd’s body were items believed to be the personal effects of the members of Raging Giant that had been among Gerd’s belongings. His name could not be left behind, but even so, that place was undoubtedly Gerd’s grave.
“Well then, we’ll be heading out soon.”
After the funeral and returning to the city proper, Jin said this to the members of The Giant’s Twin Arms. Having finished what they needed to do, Jin and his party were preparing to leave the city.
“Yeah. You helped us out in a lot of ways. Thanks.”
Higgins replied, and the others followed with their own farewells. Although the time they had spent together was short, a bond had been forged by sharing life and death.
“Thank you very much. I wish you all continued success in the future.”
“No, thank you for everything as well. Take care, Besso-san.”
Besso, the male guild staff member who had attended the funeral, also exchanged farewells with Jin. It had started with relaying communications, but Besso had helped with many things, including making arrangements for Gerd’s funeral. If they hadn’t received information about Gerd back then, Jin likely wouldn’t even be standing here now. Including his gratitude for everything up to this point, Jin bowed deeply.
The other men naturally gathered around Jin as well, each expressing their reluctance to part in their own way. Among them, Zack—usually giving off a somewhat carefree impression—was unusually serious, perhaps because of what had happened the day before.
“I’ll keep my promise properly. I just swore it again to Gerd-san, too.”
Saying that, Zack thrust out his fist.
“Yeah.”
Jin smiled and thrust out his own fist in the same way, the two of them bumping fists together.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, the women, who had grown rapidly closer during the feast the night before, were hugging each other, reluctant to part. Jin had no idea why, but those who understood would know it was a sense of solidarity between women troubled by similar romantic concerns. Not only Merry, but Ashley as well was a girl at that age.
And so, with everyone lingering over their goodbyes, the time finally came for Jin and the others to leave the city.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Jin took his seat on the driver’s bench of the carriage, and Aria and the others climbed aboard.
“Yeah, take care.”
“See you.”
“Later.”
Zack and the others called out their final farewells as they saw them off, but this wasn’t a farewell for life. It was a greeting for a reunion—let’s meet again someday.
“We’ll meet again!”
Jin called back loudly, and the carriage began to move.
Both those seeing them off and those being seen off felt a trace of loneliness, but there were no tears in their eyes.
They were all adventurers; their paths might cross again someday. With that thought, Jin drove the carriage onward, smiling.
The carriage that left the city of Tron headed straight for the city of Lienz without taking the main highway. Though they were occasionally attacked by magical beasts, there were no major problems, and the carriage continued onward while fending them off.
From Tron to Lienz would take roughly four to five days. Just like on the way there, they set up camp at sunset and drove the carriage once the sun rose. The one slight difference was that they began preparing camp about an hour earlier than before. That extra hour was used for self-training, taking advantage of the lack of people around.
Of course, they didn’t waste the time spent riding in the carriage during the day either.
Erza and Jin mainly talked about principles of close-quarters combat, Aria taught methods for using magic and practicing shortened incantations, and Rachel gave lessons on healing magic. They taught each other about their respective areas of expertise and skills. For now, out of consideration for Aria’s position, they didn’t reveal detailed skill builds, but they freely shared their own experiences and knowledge, working diligently to improve each person’s abilities.
Even today, with only two days left until they reached Lienz, Jin and the others were training.
As Aria and Rachel watched, Jin continued to fend off the fierce barrage unleashed from Erza’s greatsword.
Naturally, the one attacking was serious, but the ones watching were just as serious. Their intense focus made it clear they didn’t intend to miss even a single movement.
“That’s enough!”
At Jin’s command, Erza’s attacks came to a halt. While steadying her ragged breathing, Erza let out a frustrated groan.
“Ugh. It’s still frustrating. None of my attacks land at all.”
“Hahaha.”
Jin responded with a dry laugh. They didn’t have wooden training weapons, so they were using steel weapons he’d used before. Even with a body that wouldn’t be injured, getting hit would hurt like hell, so Jin was doing his best to avoid taking any blows.
“So, how was it for you two, Aria and Rachel?”
Jin asked the two who had been watching.
“Yes. I can see it much more clearly now.”
“I feel the same way.”
Following Aria’s reply, Rachel answered likewise.
This training had been repeated continuously ever since they left the city of Tron. Its purpose was to acquire defensive-type skills such as Footwork, Parry, Weapon Guard, Reading the Enemy, and Evasion. Among these, Weapon Guard and Reading the Enemy were skills Jin had learned during the fight with Gerd. In addition, he had also acquired new skills like Mental Resistance, Spear Swordsmanship, and Unarmed Combat.
So why had Jin chosen to focus on these defensive skills in the first place? The reason was simple: even Erza, the party’s front-liner, hadn’t learned a single one of them.
That might have been the flip side of the fact that they had rarely struggled in past battles against magical beasts. Erza, even among beastfolk, possessed outstanding physical abilities, and the presence of her former partner, the mage Sheerin, had also been a major factor. Aria had always specialized primarily in magic to begin with, and as for Rachel, ever since she started adventuring with Jin, there had been very few occasions where she’d even swung a weapon. Sensing danger in the party’s overall situation, it was only natural that Jin would prioritize defensive skills as the ones they needed to learn first in order to raise their chances of survival.
That said, unfortunately, Jin had originally been an unathletic, indoorsy type. He liked action movies and martial arts, but he wasn’t very knowledgeable when it came to theory. So first, he had them watch how he handled incoming attacks, and then had them put it into practice themselves.
Earlier, Erza had been the attacker, but next it was Aria’s turn, followed by Rachel. Considering the possibility that an attack might accidentally land, Jin took on the role of defender every time. And since the only wooden weapon they had was Jin’s wooden sword, when Erza and the others practiced defending against attacks, Jin was also the only possible attacker. Even though the two observing the practice weren’t letting their guard down, it was still a training routine that put a heavy burden on Jin. On top of that, Jin’s wooden sword was actually quite high-performance as a blunt weapon, which meant handling it required a lot of care. Still, it doubled as good training for Jin himself, making it worthwhile.
After about an hour of this intense training, it finally ended, and it was time for the more enjoyable part: dinner. Everyone shared the food Jin had made and enjoyed some light, casual conversation.
But that wasn’t the end of the day. After a short break, training resumed.
Rachel practiced Chant Shortening, which she had learned from Aria, while Aria began training to acquire Mana Control by adjusting the output of her Basic Magic. Meanwhile, Jin and Erza returned to training near the relatively bright campfire, once again focusing on acquiring defensive skills. Since these were skills Erza, as a front-liner, urgently needed, they went ahead without worrying too much about the dimness of the surroundings.
Only after all of this training did they finally go to sleep. That night, Aria and Rachel turned in first, while Jin and Erza took the first watch.
Wrapped in silence, the campfire crackled softly from time to time. With the fire between them, Jin and Erza sat facing each other.
From far away, the faint chirping of insects could be heard, but none nearby—probably thanks to Jin’s Bug Slayer skill. Not having to deal with the insects that usually plagued camping trips was nice, but Jin gave a small, wry smile to himself, thinking it did take away a bit of the atmosphere.
“What’s with you, Jin? Why’re you smiling to yourself like that?”
Erza called him out on it.
“No, it’s nothing like that. Just… a little thing.”
Feeling awkward at having been noticed, Jin brushed it off. He’d already explained that skill before, but explaining it again now felt unnecessary.
Still, while the sound of insects had its own charm, the faint crackle of the campfire beneath a sky full of stars wasn’t bad either. Thinking that honestly, Jin didn’t say anything more.
“Heh, whatever.”
Erza laughed it off as well, and the quiet returned. Once again, only the sound of the campfire echoed, and for a while, the two of them enjoyed the luxury of listening to that simple music together.
“Say, Jin.”
After a long, comfortable silence, Erza suddenly spoke, as if something had just come to mind. Her gaze, however, remained fixed on the campfire rather than on Jin.
“Hm?”
“Do you think… I can get stronger?”
The voice Jin heard from Erza was utterly calm.
“You’ve got amazing power, Jin. I know that. But it’s not just you. Aria can use Chant Shortening, and Rachel has Divine Protection.”
Erza paused for a breath. Her eyes never left the fire.
“…But I don’t have anything.”
She murmured that quietly, then fell silent again.
To Erza, that was simply a fact. The three of them had rare things she didn’t have. Still, they were reliable companions, and she’d always thought she just had to work hard and not lose to them. Seeing Gerd’s overwhelming strength and being unable to do anything had nearly crushed her, but even so, she’d resolved to grow stronger together—with Jin, with everyone.
She’d believed that firmly, right up until now. Perhaps this serene atmosphere had allowed the anxiety buried deep in her heart to spill out.
But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Letting out weakness, at times, was something people needed to do.
“I see…”
Muttering just that one word, Jin slowly stood up and moved directly behind Erza.
“Huh?”
“Excuse me for a moment~.”
Ignoring Erza’s flustered reaction, Jin sat down so that he was back-to-back with her.
“H-Hey—”
“Mm… yeah, the armor does kind of get in the way.”
Erza tried to protest again, but Jin ignored it and leaned his body back against hers.
Though he acted casual, Jin’s heart was pounding inside.
“Hey, Jin!”
“Listen, Erza.”
“…Fuuhhh.”
Erza had been about to raise her voice, but Jin’s call—utterly unconcerned, as if he hadn’t noticed anything at all—robbed her of the will to argue. Letting out a long sigh, she finally gave in and relaxed her body. From the waist up to their heads, they were lightly leaning against each other.
Erza had no idea what Jin was thinking when he did this, but once she calmed down a little, she became aware of how close they actually were.
“What is it?”
Perhaps to hide her embarrassment, Erza’s reply sounded sharper than necessary.
“You’ll be fine.”
That was the answer Jin gave to her unease. His voice, heard from right beside her, was as natural and gentle as ever—so calm it treated her worries as if they were nothing.
“You’ll be fine, Erza. Everyone’s here… and I’m here too.”
Jin didn’t say that as a platitude. He truly believed it.
It was true that the talent skills he possessed were abnormal, and that Rachel’s blessing and Aria’s rare skill, Chant Shortening, were exceptional. At present, Aria might be a step ahead of the others. Even so, Jin had never once felt that Erza’s abilities were inferior. Just like with Rachel and the others, he sensed something in Erza that shone.
And even if that feeling really was just Jin’s imagination, what he said here wouldn’t change. Erza wasn’t alone. She just needed to grow stronger together—with him, with everyone.
Talent could certainly be cruel. Especially in this world.
Because Jin himself had experienced setbacks in his former world, had known the frustration of lamenting his own lack of talent, he could easily imagine the kind of anxiety Erza carried. It might not have been impossible to put her at ease by spending countless words here. But Jin had no intention of doing that.
“I’m glad you let it out.” “You don’t have to carry it alone.” “I believe you can become strong.” “Let’s do our best together.” Swallowing all the things he wanted to say, Jin chose instead to convey just one thing to Erza:
“It’s okay. You’re not alone.”
Those words, spoken by Jin, seeped into Erza’s heart and body along with the weight and warmth she felt through his back. That didn’t mean her anxiety would disappear completely—but as long as she didn’t lose while carrying what little remained, that was enough.
“Are you sure it’s really okay?”
Erza checked again, but there was only a faint trace of unease left in her voice.
“It’s okay.”
Jin’s reply thinned that unease even further, replacing it with reassurance.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Really, really?”
“Really, really!”
Like a playful exchange, the back-and-forth continued, and before they knew it, smiles had spread across both their faces. They couldn’t see each other’s expressions with their backs together, but they could feel it in each other’s voices and presence.
“Really, really, really?”
“Really, really, really—reaaally, really!”
Jin declared it emphatically, and the very next moment, they both burst out laughing at the same time.
““Pff—!””
Their shoulders shook as they laughed, the sound echoing beneath the starry sky. It wasn’t a loud laugh, but hearing each other’s voices through their backs made it resonate all the same.
After they’d laughed their fill, Jin added just one last line.
“Being ‘not alone’ is an amazing thing, you know?”
“Yeah!”
Erza answered with a bright, forceful smile—one that showed no trace of anxiety anymore.
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