*

　Makoto and his friends left after a generous meal break.

We won't arrive at the city in the evening. Huh, 50A for one day?
Can't you just shut up and walk?

　Makoto poked at Yuka, who let out a deliberate sigh.
　Doesn't he know to be sorry for the pain he's caused because of his words and actions?

'But it's 50A a day, okay?'
That's about as good as it gets at our rank.

　It's a request that would not have been accepted if it was just Makoto and Yuka.
　On top of that, it's also a request that would likely have failed if it weren't for Fene's power.

I know, I know. I know, but is there any way to make a quick buck like this?
Let's take it slow. Let's take it slow.
'What's an adventurer to do without adventure!
In your case, it just looks like you want to gamble.

　I can see him getting into it with a lot of money in beginner's luck.

'Fene, do you have a way to make a lot of money?'
You can earn money by beating up on the toughest monsters.
Yeah, I suppose so.

　The reward for defeating the Skeleton Lord was 50,000A.
　If it was the Skeleton General, the reward for defeating him would be around 1000A.

''If we defeat the demon brown bear, we can earn 2000A.
Hey, are demon bears really that powerful?
It's the best neighborhood.
'No, what I'm asking is, do you mean do you get that much of a reward for taking down one of them?
The payoff is somewhere around 500 A.
The strongest in the neighborhood and it's 500A.
Well, as long as you have the right people and the right equipment, you can beat them.
You think so?
That's about it.

　Mm-hmm, said Fene, nodding repeatedly.
　I'm very curious what kind of criteria are used to determine the bounties.
　500A for the strongest in the neighborhood and 1000A for a legendary monster is too cheap.

''Where are you going to get the remaining 1500A from?''
We're selling furs and magic stones.
Magma Stone?
A slightly stronger monster has a stone called magic stone. By the way, the demon brown bear's fur can be used for armor and the magical stone for magic items.

　Well, the magic stones taken from monsters choose where to sell them, Fene added.
　Suddenly, Makoto remembered the undead he had defeated in the dungeon.
　I had a bad feeling.

''Could it be that the magic stones have undead too?
Of course. Rumor has it that there's a magical stone in existence.
Oh, my God.
Because I didn't know that either.

　A bad feeling came over me.
　When I stared at it without effort, Yuka also answered without effort.
　I only thought it was a weakness, but I didn't expect it to become gold--.
　No, there was no point in whining about what had passed.

''What's going on?''
That's okay. By the way, I heard the church doesn't buy material at the church?
There are a lot of places that will buy you out.

　Hmmm, Mako snorted.

'What are we going to do?'
There's no way you're going to find them if you ask me what to do.

　Mako stopped and let out a small sigh.

　--shit!

Did you get a signal again?
Don't call it a signal.

　At the very least, I'd like you to say telepathy.

So which one is it?
It's over there.

　Makoto pointed deep into the forest.

''It's ... that way.''
Is there something on your mind?
'It's different now, it's like you're in a hurry, while enjoying it!

　I don't feel tight enough to think I don't need to go help.
　Suddenly, the image that passed through my mind was Liv.
　She's fighting a monster. It feels good to think of it that way.

'What are we going to do?'
I'm coming to get you. Even though I just met him, I don't like the idea of a dead guy I knew.
It's not much of a stretch.

　Yuka cowered her shoulders.

You're coming with me?
Of course.
I'm coming with you.

　Fene said with a twinkle in her eye, but it's impossible to follow Mako and Yuka as fast as she can.

'Yuka, can you ask?'
I know. So get the f*ck out of here.

　Oh," Makoto nodded and kicked the ground.
　It accelerates like an arrow that has been unraveled.
　No, I should say that the arrows are rockets, because they are slowing down.

''After all, it's bad enough being in a situation where you don't know where your limits are, isn't it?

　I blurted out as I ran. The landscape flows at high speed.
　Despite this, I don't feel breathless or fatigued.

'We'll figure it out later. Right now we should focus on the voices.'

　The quality of his voice has changed. It's more frustrated than before.
　He must be quite trapped.
　Still, I can't take care of it because the amusement is winning out.

''........Is that it?''

　When I squinted, I saw that Liv was fighting a giant bear.
　The bear was standing on its hind legs and waving its arms around.
　Liv dodges the bear's attacks and fights back, taking advantage of the gap.
　But it doesn't seem to be doing any damage.
　The difference in body size is probably one of the reasons.
　She herself is quite tall, but the bear is big enough to look down on her like that.
　The other reason is because the gap is small.
　If she could use her centrifugal force to attack, she might be able to do some damage, but the bear wouldn't allow her to make a big swinging attack.
　At last, the bear's attack catches Liv.
　But I should say that he is a mercenary.
　Liv had split the gain between the bear's arms and her own body.
　If he hadn't done so, he would have gotten his head blown off by now.
　However, it only postponed receiving the fatal wound.
　Liv was blown off and slammed into a tree from her back.
　The tree shook violently, no matter how much of a shock it was.
　It was truly a desperate situation.
　Despite the situation, Liv had a fierce smile on her face.
　The bear walks up to him and raises his arms, as if intending to stab him in the back.
　Makoto let out a sigh and stepped between the two.
　Surprised by the sudden intruder, the bear distanced himself from him.

'You~. If you have time to laugh, take your weapon.''
Hey, Makoto. He's gone.

　Makoto said with a sigh, and Liv laughed with a bloody nose.
　The pole hammer is heavily distorted, and the arm is twisted in a weird direction.
　Is it a bone sticking out of the skin?
　My heart skips a beat at the sheer devastation.
　I feel like I'm going to throw up.

''Well I thought I'd learned my gloom tolerance by being a zombie.
Mako, look out!

　Liv shouted and Mako looked ahead.
　Then the bear's arms were close at hand.
　He bent his knees, wondering if he should avoid it, and remembered that Liv was behind him.
　I couldn't help it, and the next second I got my arm up, the impact exploded.
　He tried to stomp his foot, but his body leaned slightly.
　Makoto dives into the bear's bosom and unleashes a fist.
　The impact doubled as before exploded and the bear was blown away as if it had been hit by a shell.
　He did two or three rolls on the ground and finally stood up.
　The difference in strength is obvious.
　Nevertheless, the bear did not try to escape.
　It's not like he was prepared to die, is it? I'm just a d*mned animal, and just when Makoto was thinking about it, a hot wind rushed in.
　Red light swirled around the bear.
　Careful observation revealed that the red light was made up of tiny glowing particles.
　It must be trying to use magic.

'Oh, I see,'

　I finally got it right.
　The bear didn't escape because of its magic.
　Probably because it had overcome the predicament many times through magic.

'Ignition!

　Jet-black flames erupted from his right arm.

''Flames--''

　I was about to say it and kept my mouth shut.
　Because I thought that if I used the flame bullets, I wouldn't be able to get my hands on the fur and magic stones.

''........Convergence.

　The flames that had been burning converged on the right hand side, giving off a jet-black glow.

Guru...

　The bear growls low.
　I don't know how the animal feels, but it doesn't seem to be losing its will to fight.
　Maybe that's how confident he is in his magic.
　'I think convergence is enough,' says Mako, looking at his right hand.

'Mako, run!　That thing is bad!
Gohhhh!

　The bear howled, and flames rushed in.
　It's like a flamethrower.
　I shouldn't have spared him this.
　But it's too late to whine.

''d*mn it!''

　Makoto stuck out his right hand.
　His right hand rips through the flames, creating a safe zone behind it.
　Unfortunately, the hot air can't help.

'Liv!　Get behind me!
Oh, oh!

　Mako shouted, and Liv obeyed obediently.
　The smell of burning was in the air, and her skin tingled and ached.
　It seems that physical and magical resistance is only resistance.
　Just when I thought that I might be in serious trouble if I didn't figure out my abilities, my vision opened up.
　The flames were cut off.

''Gruuuuuuuu.''

　The bear roared, and the red light swirled again.
　There's no way my attacks can't work.
　Maybe he thinks that he can kill it with one more blow.
　There--.

''Luno Kesta Agata!　Like a cone through and through, O Periolis, you shall be a cone through my enemies!　Reveal the magic bullet (Brit)!

　Yuka's voice rang out, and a light bullet blew the bear's face off.
　Fragments of blood, flesh, bone, and fur splattered around it, exposing its brains.
　The bear rushed towards us on all four legs, expecting to fall over as if a switch had been turned off.
　The way it rushes forward while scattering its brains and flesh and blood makes me fearful.

''Be quiet!

　Mako took a big step forward and raised her fist in the air.

'Stay dead!'

　He swung his fist down and the bear plunged head first into the ground.
　He looks at the bear while holding his fist up.
　After a moment, he lowers his fist.

''Oh, I failed to finish it off!

　Yuka came out of the bushes, complaining.
　Behind her back is the figure of Fene.

'Just for the record, the reward is equal, equal parts,'
Oh, I know what you mean!

　Yuka said, her face turning red.

'Come on, get off your ass.
It was super scary.

　Fene descended from Yuka and sat down on the spot.
　Her face is pale and she looks like she's about to vomit.

''I almost forgot.

　Mako turned behind her and scowled.
　Liv's hair was charred and her entire body was red from being seared by the flames.
　Her open fractured arm is painful.
　I mean, I feel like I'm going to throw up.

'You don't look too good, are you okay?
Yeah, that's what Mako did.

　Then Liv smiled charmingly.

'Do you have any water pills (potions)?'
Of course.

　Liv took the vial from the pouch and set it on the ground.
　Wondering what she was going to do, she took out a flimsy cloth and chewed lightly.

''No way...''
Ggggghh!

　It was that no way.
　Liv pushed the protruding bone into the ground.
　She must be in unimaginable pain.
　Sticky sweat drenched her entire body.
　With trembling hands, she opened the lid of the bottle and covered her head with the water potion.
　By what principle, the water potion evaporates with a glittering glow.
　In the light, the wounds heal to rest.
　Her skin, which had turned bright red, regained its original color, and her wounds healed to rest.
　Liv picked up the cloth and repeated her breathing wildly.

'Are you sure you're okay?'
Yeah, yeah, I've been there.
I'm used to it.

　Mako looked at Liv again.
　Carefully observing her, old wounds remained all over her body.
　There are wounds that appear to have been cut, wounds that appear to have been caused by arrows, and large, twitching wounds that could only have been caused by stabbing and scratching with a blade.

''Brother, brother!　I need help taking it apart!
You.

　Mako let out a small sigh and turned around.

'You have some things to do first, don't you?'
Is it worth it?
...?

　Fene and Yuka tilted their heads in wonder.
　They looked at the two of them and let out a sigh again.

'Discussion, discussion. 'Liv?'
Oh, yeah.

　Mako called out, and Liv straightened her residence.

'Do I get an equal share of the reward?'
What are you talking about?
'Yes!　My brother defeated him, so the demon brown bear is ours!

　Yuka and Fene crowd in on us.

'You know, even Liv, who was fighting first, has the right to claim her share, right?
What?　The ones who beat him were me and Makoto!
'Yes!　The one who beat him has priority!

　Hmmm, Mako groaned.
　Doesn't the two of them have the idea of avoiding resentment?
　He looked over his shoulder at Liv, but he didn't expect any backup.
　On the contrary, I feel like I'm about to give up my share of the money.

'I don't want that,'

　Sure enough, I should say, Liv said something like that.

'See, he says he doesn't want it either.
Yeah.
...instead of...

　As Liv continued, Yuka and Fene looked like they had bitten down on a bitter bug.

''Will you let me handle the demon bear's fur and demon stone for you?
He's making a getaway. Getaway!
I wouldn't do that!

　Liv raised her voice and cleared her throat as if she was mending things.

'If you let me handle it, I'll handle it for 2,000A.
'No!　There's no way I can sell it at such a high price!
I have connections.

　Fene called out, but Liv said in a confident tone.

'If you can handle it for 2,000A, you can give me 500A as commission. Not a bad deal, right?'
Yeah, not bad.

　I especially like the fact that I have my share of ribs.
　Turning to look at her, Yuka cowered lightly.

''It's up to you to decide.''
Are you sure?
You're the leader. Isn't Fene good enough?
...if that's what you decide.

　Fene grunted.

'Alright. I'll let Liv handle the furs and magic stones.''
Are you sure?　You don't know if you're going to get away with it?
It's just that I wasn't a good judge of character at the time.

　When you lend money, you lend it as if you'll never get it back, that's Makoto's motto.
　It also means that he chooses the right person and lends them an amount of money that they are willing to give up.
　I'm not lending you money this time, but I can say that you meet the conditions.

''Before that, though, I have to take out the fur and take out the magic stone.

　When Makoto held out his hand, Liv scratched her cheek in embarrassment and squeezed it back.



　The next day, when Mako woke up and went downstairs, she found Liv sitting at the counter.
　Sherry is at the counter preparing breakfast as usual.

'Good morning,'
Yo, yo.
Good morning, sir.

　When he greeted her, Liv looked embarrassed and Shelly returned the greeting as usual.
　Mako sat down next to Liv, biting off a lack of attention.

'Mako, here's the 1500A you promised me.
Thanks.

　I take the small cloth bag from Liv and put it in my pocket.
　Of course, I'm going to give it to Yuka and Fene later.

'Aren't you going to check?'
If you're sitting down, that means you've got the money you were promised, right?
Yeah, but... Mako is too good-for-nothing.

　For some reason, Liv's lips twitched in frustration.

'Hey, Mako. Are you planning on becoming a mercenary?
As I said yesterday, I'm going to continue living the way I am for a while.
Are you serious about this?

　Liv said, leaning forward.
　His tone is a change from yesterday, a feverish tone.

You can make a lot of money if you become a mercenary. You can stay in more luxurious lodgings and have all sorts of women.
It's not bad.
'Right?　I want you to really think about it. In the beginning ... no, I'll take care of all the messy stuff for you.

　Liv is serious.
　There must have been something bison hornish about him that he felt.
　So I'm sorry.

'Sorry, it doesn't change the answer,'
Don't you have any greed in your heart?

　Liv tapped the counter irritably.

'I'm greedy, man,'
Well then....
Just hear me out, okay? Honestly, I'd like to get my money's worth. But I don't have any interest in a fancy hotel or a girl. Just for the record, that doesn't mean I'm interested in a man.

　The life of staying at a luxurious inn and holding a beautiful woman by turns isn't bad.

'I want money, but I don't want to make a business out of killing people.
Adventurers kill people, too.

　Liv said back, as if she was miffed.
　Perhaps she felt that she was being mocked for her work.

'It's true that being an adventurer is a profession where you might kill people. But it doesn't mean you have to kill them by any means, right?
Well, you know.

　Liv nodded with a sense of reluctance.

'Besides, I'm in charge of Yuka and Fene's lives. I don't want to get those two's hands dirty as much as possible.''
I smell hypocrisy.
'It's not that big of a deal. It's just my mood.
You're in the mood.
Yeah, it's a good mood.

　I can argue with logic, but emotions are difficult.

'I guess I can't blame you for being in a mood.
I'm sorry.
'All right. I'll give up on making Mako a mercenary. But I need to ask you one last question.
If you can answer that question.
What is Makoto's greed?
....

　Mako shushed him.
　When he looked at the counter, Shelly's mouth fell open.

'Do I have to answer that?'
Yeah, I need an answer.

　Liv couldn't have been more serious.
　She could tell a lie, but she would have to answer in earnest.

''........slow life.''
Slots?
So, slow life, slow life. I'm trying to make as much money as I can while I'm young, retire early, take it easy, you know?
I mean, really?
'I'm serious. And for that....

　Makoto roughly calculates the target amount.
　If he lives for sixty years, 60 years x 365 days x 100A, that's 2.19 million A. "I'd like to have three million A in reserve," he said.

'I'd like to have 3 million A saved up to spare. Oh, no, the reward is divided into three equal parts, so you won't make 9 million A.'
....

　Liv is silent.

'....Hey...
What?
Why don't you let me join you?
I don't mind.

　There's no better way to enrich the force, and her connections are helpful.

'But can we do something like that that would throw away the career we've had?
Don't worry about that. I'm making a name for myself there, but to be honest with you, I was feeling limited.

　Could it be true?
　No, there was no reason to doubt it.
　At least she offered to be one of them because it was beneficial to her.

'Well, well, part of it is that I'm in love with you.
............right.

　Mako answered with a pause. Don't get me wrong, he told himself.
　I think what Liv says about falling in love with you means something like admiring your strength.
　You're the one who gets hurt by the feeling.
　It's not good to be self-conscious.

'I'll have to tell Yuka and Fene what's going on.

　Mako muttered quietly.