Stalker…
The two of them had been celebrating after defeating the goblins, but they quickly got to work, cutting off the goblins’ ears as proof of subjugation, then starting to dismantle the bodies and extract the magic stones.
“They’re handling the dismantling well too. Boss, isn’t that enough?”
Yeah… they were doing a good job.
They must’ve gone through proper training, and it was obvious they’d prepared by listening to advice from their seniors, Angela included.
“Do they really want to be adventurers that badly? She could just take over my shop…”
“Maybe she will eventually, but she’s still young. And, well, being an adventurer is fun, you know?”
Fun, huh.
“You enjoy it too?”
“Yeah, more or less. Though I also like helping out at your shop, and I like magic too, so I’m not all-in on adventuring or anything.”
Having options… that’s a good thing, I guess.
Back in our day, there was a war going on. We didn’t have that kind of choice.
“… I see.”
I shifted my gaze back to Mary and Katrina.
Looks like they’d finished extracting the magic stones, they were both staring at them together now.
“You still worried?”
“Of course I am.”
“Hmm… but shouldn’t we head back soon? It’s almost noon, and customers are gonna start showing up.”
We did have requests lined up. Yeah… I needed to get back and work.
“… Let’s head back.”
“Right, right. Let’s do our jobs.”
Yeah. Let’s.
“Angela, come here.”
I said that and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Huh? What? Eric, you’re still wearing the helmet, wait, what?”
I let go of her.
Because we were already back home.
“Phew…”
I took off the helmet and cloak, fanning myself with my hand.
“Wait… aren’t we in the living room?”
This was the living area of our house.
Kitchen, table, sofa. Through the window, you could see the backyard, where our pet white horse, Rachel, was happily drinking water.
“I can’t exactly walk into the house dressed like that.”
People would notice.
“No, I mean, weren’t we just in the forest?”
“Teleportation magic.”
You can use it too, can’t you?
“Teleportation only lets you jump a few meters, right?”
I can go over ten meters.
Though, from that forest to here is several kilometers.
“If you set a point, you can return even from dozens of kilometers away. I’ve set up a magic circle for that in this house.”
“… What is that?”
“I already explained everything.”
There’s nothing more to add.
“Can I just go with ‘the boss is amazing’?”
“That’s fine. More importantly, sorry, but could you make lunch? I’m gonna check on the shop for a bit.”
“Okay…”
Angela tilted her head but headed to the kitchen. I went over to the shop, took down the [Out] sign from the entrance, and started going through the requests she’d organized, setting timelines and such.
“… Afternoon’s gonna be tight.”
Yeah, I really needed to work.
“Boss~ lunch is ready~ Let’s eat together~”
Angela popped her head out and called to me.
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
I stood up, went back to the living room, and the two of us ate the pasta she’d made.
“How’s work?”
“I’ve gotta get to it this afternoon.”
“Yeah, figures. You might be worried, but those two will be fine.”
I want to believe that…
“You gave them a lot of advice, right? They came to you for help?”
“Yep. They told me to keep it a secret from you, though.”
You should’ve told me anyway…
“Then tell them this for me. They should add another party member.”
Watching them today made that pretty clear.
“Ahh, yeah. Two people’s a bit… Normally it’s three or four. Even I join other groups when I go adventuring.”
Angela only occasionally worked as an adventurer since she helped at my shop, so she didn’t have a fixed party. She’d said she usually joined others temporarily.
Most adventurers didn’t like that, but mages were an exception, strong, and with spatial magic to reduce luggage. If she asked to join, most parties would welcome her.
“It’s not just numbers, it’s roles. They don’t have a proper attacker.”
“An attacker? Mary’s sword and Katrina’s spear looked great though?”
For beginners, sure.
“Neither of them is a dedicated attacker. Mary’s versatile, she can use both sword and magic, and she’s nimble. Katrina can use a spear, but she’s more of a backliner type. In short, two short girls can’t handle the front line.”
Frontliners sometimes have to protect the backline.
But Mary’s the type who dodges rather than blocks. If that happens, there’s no one protecting Katrina, and she’ll die.
“Ahh, I see. Then I wouldn’t work either.”
Yeah. Angela’s even more of a backliner than Katrina.
“They need to add someone.”
“Think they’ll find anyone?”
“If it comes down to it, ask Arvin.”
Long expeditions might be tough, but he’s someone I could trust.
“No way, Arvin’s got his own job. Hmm… well, I’ll tell them to consult the guild.”
Guess that’s what the guild’s for.
“If I could go with them, that’d be best…”
Not that I’m an attacker either, but I wouldn’t lose to anything around here.
“No one wants to go adventuring with their dad tagging along.”
“What about Fullface Maskman?”
Not a dad.
“Even worse. Also, Boss, you’ve got a shop to run, remember? Planning to shut it down? This is the only magic tool shop in town. People would be in trouble.”
… Yeah, fair point.
Guess Fullface Maskman’s role is more of a “watching over from the shadows” type of hero.
What do you think about this chapter?
