How To Leave The Hero Party- Chapter 25

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Xrecker
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The Moon Temple began to collapse from within as soon as we exited.

Most event dungeons ended this way, so I wasn’t bothered, but the others were a different story.

Thinking the collapse would spread, they grabbed me and ran. Only after we were well clear of the temple did they finally relax.

“The situation on the battlefield…?”

“The Pale Moon is gone, so it’s fine.”

I was right. The special unit, the paladins, and the Hero’s Party, all prepared to fight the White Beasts,

watched as the beasts, no longer under the Pale Moon’s influence, crumbled into stone. They quickly dispatched the remaining cultists.

Veronica, watching the scene, sighed heavily.

“Haaah… it’s finally over…”

“You worked hard, Cardinal! You were amazing back there! Taking on that monster all by yourself! Your mace skills are incredible. Want to go dungeon crawling sometime?”

“Hehe. Are you asking a cardinal to become an adventurer?”

“Hey~ The Sage does it.”

“Ahem. W- Well, in that case, I’ll consider it.”

“Wow! Awesome! You promised! Mr. Sage! You’re coming too, right?! You have to! We’re friends!”

Wilkers hopped around cheerfully, a far cry from the high-level shaman who had just fought the Pale Moon.

I ignored him and turned to the woman approaching me.

“Hyun-woo! Are… are you alright?!”

“I’m fine.”

It was Claire. Covered in the blood of White Beasts and cultists, she looked relieved to see me unharmed. Leventia and Evangeline, who followed her, looked much the same.

They didn’t speak, but the relief in their eyes was palpable.

“I don’t know why you’re so concerned.”

Veronica stood up and said coldly. Claire looked flustered and glanced back at her. The other two members of the Hero’s Party lowered their heads, their shoulders slumped.

“It’s fine. Anyway, it seems things are under control here.”

“Ah… r- right… Then, Hyun-woo, you’re…”

“I need to go to the Church.”

“Can we… come with you? We… we also need to go to the Church for holy water and other supplies…”

“I think that would be problematic. The kingdom’s army will have a problem with so many of their key personnel leaving.”

“It’s fine if it’s just for a little while, right?”

“It’s at least a ten-day journey from here to the Church. But…”

“I can open a portal! Please? Hyun-woo, I’ll open a portal! It will cut down the travel time…”

“Well, that’s tru— Ow! Hey! Why do you keep pinching me?!”

“Hmph.”

If I were going alone, I could just teleport, but I needed to go with Veronica for the event achievement.

Claire’s portal would significantly reduce the travel time.

Why was she being so difficult when Claire was offering such a good deal?

“Thank you…”

“It’s nothing.”

“Is your conversation over?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then let’s head back to the encampment.”

“What about the cleanup here?”

“I’ll take care of it, so don’t worry.”

General Leoden, who had approached us, offered to handle the cleanup, just like in the game.

I was grateful. Cleaning up would have taken a lot of time.

I had gotten everything I needed here, and since the casualties were low, I could just rest for a day and then leave.

“So, Sage, are you heading back to the palace right away?”

“Ah, I need to stop by the Church first.”

“Hmm…”

“Why?”

“Well… the Princess is waiting for you.”

“I do have a lot to teach her. But it won’t take that long.”

I would go to the Church, complete the achievement, and then teleport back.

The others could handle the rest.

When we returned to the encampment, preparations for a celebration were already underway. Seeing the soldiers grilling meat and preparing alcohol, I said to the others,

“I’m going to help with the preparations. You guys do what you need to do.”

“Hyun-woo, can I help too?”

“I… I’ll help… too…”

Leventia and Evangeline pleaded with me, but I shook my head. The various tasks involved in preparing for this celebration, like preparing the barbecue, using woodworking skills to make extra tables and chairs,

and other miscellaneous chores, all counted towards achievements.

I wasn’t about to let them steal those opportunities from me.

“Ah… r- right…?”

“…..Ugh…”

They looked disappointed, but I didn’t care. I looked at the fidgeting Claire and said,

“Anyway, you all worked hard. Go and rest.”

“Okay…”

“Sage, I will help as well.”

As the Hero’s Party left, Veronica said with a slightly triumphant smile. I grinned.

“You should rest too.”

This achievement was mine!

I sent the disappointed women on their way and headed towards the cooks’ tent. The cooks, busy with the preparations, cheered at my arrival. I tasted the barbecue sauce they were making.

Hmm! Store-bought!

“Let’s make the sauce from scratch.”

“Huh? But Mr. Sage, isn’t that a lot of trouble?”

“If we’re going to eat, let’s eat well. Just watch. I’ll prepare an amazing barbecue.”

“Yes, sir!”

I had been cooking regularly during my stay at the encampment, so the cooks didn’t argue.

Thanks to that, I was able to finish the barbecue preparations and add to my “Master Chef” achievement progress.

Phew… Bulk cooking was the best.

“I think we’re done here.”

“Alright? Then I’ll go help somewhere else.”

“Mr. Sage, didn’t you participate in the operation? You should rest…”

“Who has time to rest? Everyone’s busy.”

“Mr. Sage…”

One of the cooks had tears in his eyes. Why was he crying? I left the cleanup to the cooks and headed towards the main celebration area.

“Bring more wood!”

“We don’t have enough tables!”

It was just as busy here. A few of the idle adventurers were helping, but they were clearly short-handed.

“I’ll do it.”

“Ah?! Mr. Sage?!”

“Hand me that hammer. And the nails and chisel… you’re making tables, right?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. We need more 10-person tables. And…”

“We won’t be using them for long, so let’s use scrap wood. We can use it for firewood after the party.”

“Yes, sir!”

Woodworking was an achievement I rarely had the chance to work on, so I had to make the most of this opportunity. I quickly began making tables and chairs. The soldiers watched in awe as they were assembled in my hands.

They were so easily impressed.

“Wow~ If it weren’t for you, Mr. Sage, this would have taken much longer.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“It’s nothing. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Ah, is there anything else that needs to be fixed or made?”

“You must be tired, Mr. Sage…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t hesitate to ask. I have to leave soon, so I want to help as much as I can before I go.”

“We’ll miss you…”

I would miss this too, but I had other things to do.

By the time I was finished, the special unit had returned. They seemed to have suffered no further casualties and were ready to join the celebration.

“You all worked hard! Tonight, eat and drink to your heart’s content!”

“Yes, sir!”

The knights and soldiers who had participated in the special unit, and those who had remained at the encampment,

all gathered for the barbecue party, personally funded by General Leoden.

The smell of grilling meat filled the air.

Clergy, adventurers, and soldiers,

all mingled, eating and drinking together. I started grilling vegetables.

Achievement points! Gotta get those achievement points!

“Amazing. Is there anything you can’t do?”

“There are plenty of things I can’t do.”

“But you’re so good at these domestic chores. You’d make a great husband.”

“Huh? I suppose so.”

“Excellent.”

I wasn’t sure what was so excellent about it, but Veronica nodded and walked away.

To a small table in a secluded corner, not far from where I was.

As I was grilling vegetables, Claire, Leventia, and Evangeline approached.

They looked like they wanted to say something, but I gestured to the people waiting behind them, and they walked away without a word.

“Wow~ Mr. Sage! This is delicious! I don’t usually like vegetables, but what’s in this sauce? I could use this sauce while adventuring. Can you make a big batch and share some?”

“I’ll be selling it at the Adventurer’s Guild later.”

Once I saved up enough money, I planned to mass-produce and sell it.

Wilkers, after adding a few grilled vegetables to his barbecue, returned to his seat.

“Alright, time for me to eat.”

“Hey! Mr. Sage! Come and eat with us!”

Lark, who was sitting nearby, raised his mug and called out to me. He was with a group of adventurers.

I needed to befriend adventurers for the S-Rank Adventurer achievement, and it was important to get to know the more normal ones.

Since there were some unfamiliar faces among them, I decided to join them and introduce myself.

“Wow~ so this is the famous Sage?”

“Sit down! Sit down!”

“Let’s have a drink!”

“We’re going to have a duel later, want to join? I hear you’re really good.”

Oh, I couldn’t refuse that.

I sat down, accepted their hospitality, and started chatting.

After a few drinks,

a tipsy, three-horned lizardman slurred,

“Sage, I have a good quest for you. Want to join me next time?”

“What is it?”

“It’s a quest to defeat the Demon in the Rovento Mountains…”

“Oh, that one. I have to do that one.”

The Demon Slaying quest was also an achievement. And the armor you got from defeating the Demon was pretty good, so I had to do it when I had the chance.

“What about exploring the Robilia Labyrinth?”

“Ah, that one’s not so good.”

As I gathered information and made friends,

a heavily drunk dwarf gnawed on a large piece of meat.

“By the way, is that rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

“Mr. Sage, are you really getting engaged to the Princess?”

“Huh?”

Who was getting engaged to whom?

“They say you have the Princess’s favor.”

“And that the Queen fell for you after you saved her, and that she’s been trying to woo you.”

“And that all the royal maids have a crush on you.”

Who was spreading these rumors, making me out to be some kind of playboy?!

And what did “crush” even mean in this context?

“And the adventurers moved to protect you, right? The Princess personally issued that quest.”

That was because Lucille respected me as her tutor. What a ridiculous rumor.

Well, adventurers were prone to spreading and believing baseless rumors.

I waved my hand dismissively and took a bite of grilled paprika.

It was all nonsense. No need to add fuel to the fire.

“Hey, those rumors are damaging to the royal family’s honor. Let’s just have a duel instead of spreading nonsense.”

“Oh, that’s a goo—”

The duelist, who had been eagerly waiting, froze as he was about to draw his cards. He was looking behind me.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

Standing behind me were Claire and Veronica.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“…H- Hyun-woo… is it… true? The rumor about you… and the Princess… getting engaged?”

I looked at them and sighed.

Seriously? A Hero and a cardinal? Couldn’t they filter out baseless rumors?

They weren’t so weak-minded as to be swayed by such nonsense.

The question was too ridiculous to even warrant a response. Veronica, looking disgusted, asked,

“Is it true…?”

“Of course not!”

Who did they think they were, trying to trap me like that?!

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇