Chapter 1446

The beruul curse. It came from prolonged exposure to the poisonous fog released when certain mutated ghost-type monsters died. In fact, contrary to the name, people didn't even know whether it was an actual curse or some kind of disease.

From what Davey could tell, Troy's medical knowledge wasn't very advanced. Priests of the temple took care of most issues.

The onlookers were absolutely stunned by the seemingly miraculous recovery.

“G-goodness... You!!” Gelleson muttered, looking at Davey. “Did you... just cure him with one spell?”

Davey was unbothered, simply responding, “Is there a problem?”

“Ah. N-no, it’s just...”

“Their bodies will be quite weak for a good while.” Davey advised, “Since their immunity can drop, make sure they eat porridge mixed with carrots and onions for a while. Adding meat is fine too.”

“Ah. Yes.”

The man nodded with a puzzled look, still struggling to believe that the three had been cured in such a short time. When Davey stood up without even looking back, the man cautiously called out to him, “Um... Benefactor.”

“Do you have something to say?”

“Will... Will it not relapse?”

“Did you say it was a poisonous fog that did it to them? If they are exposed again, they’ll have better resistance than before, but they’ll still be poisoned. Frankly, their bodies are not strong enough to handle it, so you should give up on ever going to that place again.”

The man blankly nodded at his explanation. Eventually coming to, he loudly shouted, “Thank you!!”

If Davey couldn't hire a mercenary or directly request the information he needed, his only remaining option was to raid the local information guild.

Even though the country strictly prohibited entry, he figured there’d be a way to sneak in without using brute force.

This time, instead of Red Ribbon, Blue Ribbon bravely climbed onto Davey's shoulders and wrapped her arms around his forehead in a hug, steadying herself.

Gelleson was still trying to catch up with the sudden changes. “W-where are you heading?”

“I have to get going,” Davey replied. “Seems like I won’t be able to find the information I want here.” He knew he wouldn't hear anything good, even if he asked them about the information guild.

Gelleson waved his hand with an awkward look. “T-take care.”

The news of Davey curing the beruul curse in one go spread like wildfire. He thought it’d be nice if he could gain something from it, but that didn’t matter.

He had bigger things to concern himself with.

Whuuuum. Whummm.

A powerful vibration had already been coming from the ring Davey shared with Perserque for a while.

He knew it meant she was looking for him, and felt a sudden cold sweat. Realizing that his time was running out, he headed toward a secluded back alley.

“Red Ribbon, Blue Ribbon. Return to your sword form.”

Following his command, the two children glanced at each other, then took the form of swords with sad faces.

Then they flew on their own to his waist.

Rinne spoke up from the side to advise, “Lord Davey, considering the information guild’s secrecy, we’ll need some time to track them down.”

“We’ll be taking a shortcut.” Davey put his hand on the ground and then activated spirit magic.

‘Gnoum, spread your waves. Show me all hollow spaces underground.’

Ready to assist, Gnoum’s waves traveled through the earth and scanned for possible locations.

Granted the special vision, Davey could see all of the sewer pipes installed in the city. He was even able to spot the shape of a large facility that had likely exceeded its blueprints in scale.

As soon as he finished his preparations, Davey immediately headed to what was sure to be the area’s information guild.

Thump.

Once he arrived, he was greeted curtly, an employee telling him, “We only do business in the evening.”

“I came to buy information,” Davey calmly declared.

The man’s expression soured. “I swear, all kinds of crazy people come through here. We just sell drinks here! If some useful information comes out from drunk people, then sure, you could say we sell information, but we aren’t some specialized org dedicated solely to gathering and selling it.”

Davey pushed the gold bar he had taken out from the mercenary guild toward the man. “If you give me the information I want, I’ll give you this.”

Everyone stared in silence and trembled greatly. He continued, “I only came after already figuring out everything about this place, so you better choose wisely.”

If the man looked down on Davey, things would get annoying and complicated. The most efficient way to gain an information guild's trust was to crush an opponent.

Although it was an absurd situation for them to encounter, he knew it to be a surefire method. He concluded by advising, “If you don’t like that, the only option is for me to open it by myself.”

“W-what in the world...”

The flustered man hesitated. Then, he finally seemed to resolve himself and nodded. “This is the first time this has happened... But fine, let’s talk. The information you want must be about the extreme regions, right?”

They were the place where the mutated monsters were presumed to have first appeared. Detailed information on such a sensitive region was, of course, restricted.

When Davey nodded, the man sighed. “I am sorry, but I cannot sell that particular information.”

“What?”

“More accurately, we have the information, but we’d like to offer you a better proposition instead.”

Davey’s head tilted, seeing four figures in robes approach.

One person was large, one person was small, and one person had a medium-sized figure. Lastly was a being presumed to be a fairy.

“Information about the extreme regions is classified on the level of national secrets. It’d be better to offer a good suggestion rather than take unnecessary risks,” the staff member advised.

Then he bowed to the four figures and addressed Davey again. “Then, I will clear the area for you all to talk.”

“Aww. Thank you.”

Those four were treated with the utmost respect, even by an organization like the information guild.

Davey approached them, a strange sense of deja vu nagging at the back of his head. He began, “So, you all have a good proposition for me?”

“We do.” The small human, who appeared to be the leader, pointed to a nearby table using a pale hand. “Will you please sit down first?”

Once Davey slowly sat down, the girl nodded, seeming pleased. She greeted, “Great. My name is Aris.”

“Before we continue,” Davey interrupted her briefly. He stared straight into her eyes, despite her face being barely visible behind the hooded robe.

He smirked. “If we’re going to make a deal, shouldn’t you at least show some sincerity and expose your face, Miss?”

“Oh, you’re right! If you are to ask about me!”

As soon as she whipped off her black robe, the face blindness spell was dispelled. At the same time, a girl with sapphire-blue bobbed hair appeared.

“I am Hero Aris! That’s my rank!”

Explosive energy overflowed from her. She was the first hero Davey had seen since Reina, who radiated a powerful presence of the Goddess's energy.

“Haah.” Davey gave a shake of the head.“Showing all your cards before the conversation even got going...”

It seemed this empty-headed girl, whose mind was filled with nothing but cheer, had suddenly revealed her identity when she should've kept it a secret.

Sizing him up, she abruptly declared, “This person’s mind is really pure! We can trust him.”

Her companions were skeptical. “...Is that true?”

“Absolutely! My eyes are accurate.” She then looked at Davey as if seeking his agreement.

“How much money would a slave trader pay me if I caught you all?” Davey mused.

“Uh...” Aris backed away, shrieking, “AHHH!!”

He nonchalantly assured her, “I’m just kidding, man,”

“Weren’t you talking to me formally just a moment ago?” she asked.

“That was before I knew you were just kids.”

She frowned and shouted, “I’m not a kid!”

“You totally are a kid. You look like you’re not even fifteen! Am I wrong?”

She didn't know how to respond, stuttering, “T-that is...”

“My friend Reina also became a hero in her late twenties. Making a kid into a bonafide hero? Is Goddess Freyja seriously crazy?”

As Davey sighed, the being presumed to be a fairy tossed off their robe.

Her long, pale sky-blue hair, even lighter than Aris's, fluttered around a face that was beautiful yet cold. “Hey. Human. She is, in both name and fact, a hero chosen by the Goddess. Do not talk about age when—”

“The fairy who looks like a mage is also young,” Davey cut in to add.

“W-what did you say?!”

He calmly pointed to the wings on her back. “An adult fairy has three pairs of wings, but fairies in the middle of their growth period have two pairs. Since it doesn’t seem like you had your wings torn, your fewer wings mean you’re still a little kid.”

“How do you... even know that?”

“Doesn’t matter. More importantly, how will your party help me?”

The fairy gritted her teeth, but Aris smiled brightly. She readily answered, “Actually, we came here to do some research nearby, then happened to see something amazing at the mercenary guild.”

“Something amazing?”

“The beruul curse. You’re the first person we’ve seen who can cure it, besides the Great Saintess. That curse doesn’t affect people on our level, but it affects others.”

“It’s not really that big of a deal,” Davey responded with a shrug. “It’s probably only hard for everyone to handle because they just don’t know the right method to use.”

While he knew he might sound arrogant, it was true.

“That’s a pretty brazen answer, yet since you actually cured it, I can’t really say you’re wrong.” The fairy mage sighed and introduced herself, “Nice to meet you, human. I’m Mary, a fairy mage.”

“Yes, nice to meet you. I also didn't expect to see a fairy in person here.”

She was confused by that. “Hmm? What do you mean? Fairies are common.”

“I have my reasons. Anyway, can we continue with our deal?”

“Ah, of course!” Aris smiled brightly and looked at Davey, asking, “Can you still cure more of the beruul curse?”

“It’s not hard, but I’m also busy.”

“We heard you’re looking for a way to get to the extreme regions.”

Davey quickly understood the deal from her statement. “You’ll take me there in exchange for curing some more beruul curse cases?”

“Wow! This person must be a genius!”

When she clapped her hands, the fairy Mary sighed. “The extreme regions...”

Davey had heard that heroes could enter and exit it freely. If he tried to infiltrate the kingdom with the help of the information guild and caused trouble, there was a good chance Perserque would find out where he was. Once in such a situation, even the slightest mistake would see him descending to hell in a hand basket.

Therefore, being able to enter without causing any trouble would be ideal.

Of course, there were other things bothering Davey too. He began, “Let me ask you one thing.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“You said you’re a hero. Are you going to fight on the front lines?”

“Of course! I’m a hero who spreads hope.”

He didn't quite know how to respond to her. Though she was a true-blue hero, Davey sensed only one special power from her, and it was nothing nearly as extraordinary as Reina's.

She cheerfully informed him, “My power’s deadly to the mutated monsters!”

It seemed the world had nurtured Aris’s creation so she could act as a deterrent against and possible annihilator of the mutated monsters. However, he was a little suspicious upon noticing that the power of Goddess Freyja had played a part in the process.

“Aris is a hero in every sense of the word, human. So, this is the offer we want to make.” She cleared her throat before continuing, “There is currently a knight order that has been dispatched to the extreme regions you’re looking to analyze. However, the investigation cannot proceed, hindered by a wave of people showing symptoms of the beruul curse.”

In other words, Aris needed a way to resume the investigation, which would mean taking care of those people. Since someone capable of curing the beruul curse in such a short time had appeared, it was only natural for them to take an interest in recruiting his assistance.

While their attempt to hide their identities and contact Davey with spycraft was certainly commendable, to him they were still kids who needed protection.

“I don't know about the orc or the priest, but you two are too young to be risking your lives in battles like this,” Davey told them.

“Do not look down on us because we are young.”

“It was just yesterday,” Davey said calmly, “That the bodies of some kids who wanted to become Transcendent-Class mercenaries were brought back to this village. They were only able to return after they were eaten alive by mutated kobolds and red mice.

Aris kept her smile, though her expression was stiff, and Mary overtly frowned.

Davey continued, “Do you think your opponent will go easy on you just because you’re young? Especially in a fight where you either kill or get killed?”

“Hey buddy, you have a lot of nerve! We’ve already overcome many hardships!”

Davey could only sigh.

Danger and experience weren’t the issue.

“At least by this world's standards, you two aren’t even adults yet, are you?”

They didn't know how to respond. It was true, after all.

“I don’t know if this country’s crazy for letting kids stand on the front lines, or if the entire world has already gone insane.”

Aris’s smile slightly drooped, muttering, “I have to do it.”

“There are plenty of people who can do it instead,” Davey countered.

“I am a hero! A hero bears the mission to save many people.”

“That’s something you decide for yourself, not something someone else decides for you. Even if you were born with the fate of a hero, you’re too young right now to take it up.”

“If I don’t step up, the suffering victims you mentioned—or even worse victims—will continue to appear.”

Davey felt a certain emotion in her smile and voice. He concluded that it was madness. “You’re not in your right mind.”

“Being a hero isn’t something you can do with a sane mind,” she argued. “Even if it’s unreasonable, I must step up. That’s the answer.”

At the same time, it’d be wrong to call adults who would send children to the front lines of a battlefield sane.

“Fine,” Davey relented. “If it means I can enter without any trouble, I’ll help you out.”

“Don’t worry, we can protect you on the way there. Even if it doesn’t look like it, I’m quite strong,” Aris told him, clearly confident in herself.

Davey’s eyes closed with resignation at her words.

Boom!!

That was when it happened.

A bulky aristocrat waddled in and shouted, “I finally found you, Hero!!”

“Ugh...”

Brushing back his distastefully grown mustache, he approached and glared at Aris.

Davey turned to him, greeting, “And you are?”

The knight next to the aristocrat angrily shouted, “This man is the lord of this territory. Bow your head, commoner!”

Hero Aris stopped him. “This person is going to be an important party member. Stop it.”

“Hmph! Hero, you're nothing but a fool! Do you really think your status as a Hero will be an effective excuse for everything?!”

“Milord,” Aris began, wanting to defuse the situation.

The lord approached her with aggression, mocking, “I'm sorry, but I can't acknowledge you as a heroine!”

His face was anything but welcoming.

Yet, Davey quickly realized he'd been wrong in his assessment.

The man emphatically shouted, “What kind of lunatic would send a child who's not even an adult to the front lines of a battlefield?! Go put your sword down, wash your feet, and go home and play with your friends!”

It turned out that you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance alone.

“More importantly, you,” he said, finally turning to Davey. “I heard you cured the beruul curse?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmph. That was a useless thing to do.” He took a moment to check belongings and then handed Davey a large pouch. “Take this.”

“What is this for?”

“It's a reward! Since you protected the mercenaries of this land, I, the great man who governs those lowlifes, am simply rewarding you for your courageous deed. Consider it the greatest honor of your life!”

The old man was surprisingly likable, despite his appearance and demeanor.