Returning To The Royal Capital

I was able to return to the Royal Capital just as the sun had begun to set. The journey to the village had taken a full three days on the way there, but I managed to make the return trip in about a single day. I had rested properly in the Divine Domain during the night, so my condition was not bad.

I presented my adventurer card and entered the city, walking along the familiar road toward the guild. I did not really want to go there at this hour because the guild would be extremely crowded, but if I did not sell the monster materials, I would have absolutely no money.

I wondered if Adolf and the others were there. Judging by how things had looked, they had probably been spreading the story of kicking me out of the party as if it were some amusing rumor. If I stepped into the guild, I would definitely become the center of attention. In a bad way.

What should I do from here on… It seemed I should not make public the fact that I had become a servant of the Goddess of Peace, so I would keep that secret. However, if I did not let people know that I had grown stronger, I would probably continue to be harassed for quite a while.

That would be troublesome, so I wanted to show them my strength. Not by using the abilities of a divine servant, but by showing the results of my efforts now that the curse had been lifted.

While thinking about that as I walked, the Adventurer Guild soon came into view. I still had not fully organized my thoughts, but… well, things would work themselves out somehow.

The guild had once been a place that gave me trauma because every time I entered I was met with scornful gazes, but even I was surprised that I placed my hand on the door without hesitation. When I pushed it open all at once… the familiar adventurers inside twisted their faces in contempt when they saw me.

“Hey, hey, the useless Luca has come back.”

“Didn’t you realize how useless you were and tuck your tail between your legs to run back to the countryside?”

“No, maybe he’s a client now? Like, ‘I might get killed by beasts while going back to my village, so please escort me~.’”

“Gahahahaha! An adventurer hiring an escort… w-wha, that’s a masterpiece!”

Sigh… It was even worse than before. I did not feel the same frustration I once had, but anger definitely rose up. What should I do with these guys?

But if I let my anger take over and resorted to violence here, I would be lowering myself to the same level as them. That would absolutely not do.

“What’s wrong with an adventurer coming to the guild?”

“Huh? Hey, Luca, you think you’re allowed to talk back to us!?”

A large man with a short temper grabbed the collar of my clothes and glared at me. Before, I had been too scared to think of anything, but now that I thought about it, these guys were the kind of pathetic people who could only act tough toward those weaker than themselves.

“A useless guy like you should just obey strong people like us…!”

Perhaps it really irritated him that I did not apologize, because the man swung his fist down at my face with an enraged expression… and I caught it with one hand and stopped it.

Oh. Seriously, that was light. A servant of a god could improve their physical functions by absorbing divine power into their body, but it was said that the extent of that depended on the abilities the individual originally possessed.

Which meant this strength was my own. I was truly happy, and it made me realize just how much the curse had been affecting me.

“W-what… you…”

At the moment the man widened his eyes in shock after his full-powered punch had been stopped by me, someone from deeper inside called out.

—It was Adolf. Jeanne and Rora were standing beside him.

“I thought you finally realized how useless you were and left the Royal Capital, but you came back again? You really are a genuine idiot.”

“I’m an adventurer.”

“Buhah… d-don’t make me laugh. D-do you plan to go solo now? Or did you come begging us to let you back into the party?”

Hearing those words spoken without even trying to hide the contempt in his eyes, I felt anger toward my past self for ever thinking of this guy as a comrade.

When people have no room to spare, their perspective becomes narrow.

“Well, if you get down on your knees and lick my shoes, I might consider it.”

“Sigh… As if I’d ever do that. I don’t think of you guys as comrades anymore. You’re the ones who expelled me, so stop bothering me.”

“…Hey Luca, what’s with that way of speaking? Use polite language, polite language, huh? And it’s not ‘you,’ you idiot! It’s Adolf-san!”

Ah, they were really noisy. This would not work. If I did not show my ability once, they would keep picking fights with me like this forever. Maybe if I challenged them to a duel at the training grounds…

Just as I thought that and placed my hand on my sword, a small figure suddenly jumped in front of me and spread both arms wide.

“Aren’t you ashamed, bullying someone weaker when you’re all adults!? Luca works desperately hard every single day, and he’s many times cooler than all of you!”

It was Rebecca. Rebecca was a sixteen-year-old girl the same age as me, and she had been looking out for me for a long time.

Just having even one person stand on my side like this was truly encouraging and made me happy. It made me feel that I was not alone in this world.

“Pfft, the girl who can only gather medicinal herbs is saying something.”

“Hey, hey, don’t say that. Gathering herbs is already the best that girl can do.”

As if they had found a new target, the adventurers turned their ridicule toward Rebecca, throwing scornful words at her with mocking smiles. When I saw Rebecca bite her lip in frustration… my body moved before I even realized it.