Chapter 52: Compensation

On the way back to Norn, Carlisle and Carrie had several secret negotiations, and they seem to have found a landing place. As former colleagues, they settled on Carlisle sending five gold coins and a long sword of excellent quality as a parting gift. Weapons of good quality are delivered to the royal family and are not readily available to the general public.

Carrie, who was on night watch at the camp, speaks to me.

"Harris. I've managed to put my mind at ease now. But are you okay with it?"

Rather than being satisfied with the amount of compensation, Carrie was refreshed by seeing Carlisle's face turn red and blue.

"Well. I guess part of me is satisfied when I'm able to get ahead of what that guy is up to."

"Yeah. You're surprisingly not greedy. I thought you would take advantage of my weakness and suck up to me and my sister."

"That's a terrible thing to say."

"I'm just kidding."

I stare at Carrie's profile. Oh, I see. Maybe it's because she's standing in a similar position to Dennis, but it's a bummer to be thought of as having the same principle of action as him. It's true that she could have verbally accused him and demanded Eilia's body. But she's not that outrageous.

I look up and see Carrie peering at me with amusement.

"You're so sensitive."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry about the joke I made earlier. I apologize."

Carrie snaps a dead branch in her hand and puts it in the fire. We chose a spot where the wind would be sheltered, but the dropping temperatures were getting out of hand. I thought the lack of a cloak would make the cold more bearable, but it didn't. Well, it wasn't as cold as in the dungeon, so it's not surprising.

"I'm never bored when I'm with you. I can't predict what you will do next. The intercepting order at the riverbank was precise, and you were surprisingly tolerant of Carlisle's behavior when I thought you were going to cut down the bandits mercilessly. I think even that barbarian girl would have fetched a pretty good price if she had been sold to a slaver."

"Maybe so."

"They are barbarians. They can raid remote villages, and they can't be blamed for not showing mercy. Well, maybe Eilia's reputation has improved as a result."

"It's not like that."

"Then why?"

Carrie stares at me with eyes that sparkle in the reflection of the campfire. She is quite persistent for a storyteller who is bored out of her mind on her sleepless nights.

"She was just a kid, you know."

"What's that?"

I got up and walked away from the campfire, wary of my surroundings, as if I was done with this conversation. How could I sell her into slavery?　If I did, it would ruin the trust Tiana had built up in me. Besides, I didn't have a bad impression of the girl, even though she was quite a jerk. It would be a shame to ruin the life of someone I had no grudge against because of me. And they are children.

Back at the campfire, Carrie did not rehash the topic of conversation. She asked me about my history with Zeigt, and I told her that we were originally adventurers together.

"So he's risen from adventurer to holy knight? That's amazing."

"Well, yeah. It's no wonder, considering his ability."

"I'll have to work hard too."

"Are you going to be a knight again?"

"Maybe. The life of an adventurer is exciting and I think it will be interesting for a while. I'd like to go back to being a knight if the guildmaster gives me permission and asks for my services."

It gets tougher to be an adventurer as you get older. Carrie's choice is reasonable. She's capable and there's a good chance her hopes will be fulfilled. I'll have to think about what I'm going to do. I can handle it on my own, but I have to take care of Tiana, too. I woke up Comba and Carlisle for a shift and fell asleep with my backpack as a pillow. I dreamed that Tiana was crying.

Perhaps because of my bad dreaming, I had completely forgotten that I had invited Eilia to dinner until I arrived back in the town of Norn. I remember this when we say goodbye at the junction of the road leading to the temple and the road to my house. Watch out. If I had gone home, I would have had no face to show to Tiana.

"Ah. Eilia. If you'd like, would you like to have dinner with us tomorrow night?"

Carlisle looked horrified on the other side of Eilia's face when I called out to her. I was completely misunderstood.

"Wait. Actually, Tiana asked me to do something for you. She asked me to treat Eilia to a meal as a thanks for treating her."

Eilia's face breaks into a smile, and Carlisle relaxes somewhat.

"I haven't done anything to warrant a thank you, but if that's the case, I'd be happy to accept your invitation."

"That's good to hear. Tiana will be delighted. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow night, then. Oh, and please bring your brother with you."

Carlisle finally stopped looking so grumpy. Let's do one last harassment here.

"How about you, Carrie?　Tiana's cooking skills are on par with the bat pavilion."

"Well then, since I'm here, I'll take your word for it."

"Comba, you're coming, too, right?"

"Are you sure, brother?"

"Of course."

"Isn't it hard for Tiana when there are so many of us?"

"One more person won't make a difference. And Gina will be helping too."

"Tiana?　Well then, I'll be happy to join you."

"I'll be waiting for you when the evening bell rings. Good night."

"Harris. Thank you for your cooperation. God bless you."

"Leader. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Bye."

"Hey, bro. Good night. I'll get you something to drink."

I leave everyone and head home. It was unthinkable before that I would enjoy going home after work. There were times when I would drink at the bat pavilion because I couldn't be bothered to go home, and then I would just collapse and fall asleep at the table. I open the door to the house and call out to them.

"I'm home!"

The house was quiet and there was no answer.