I’m Not Good at Offensive Magic, but I’ll Do My Best With Support Magic!

「It’s so peaceful, it’s like everything we’ve been through has been a lie」
「Un. Strange that it’s slowing down」

We are leaving this city soon and heading once again to the Republic of Artica, so we are making the rounds to greet those who have helped us in this city.
It would be troublesome if we stand out too much, so Kiara-chan and I are wearing robes today.
In a way, though, we stand out on the contrary

「Kiara-chan, you could have taken your time, you know?」
「No, I wanted to walk outside with you」

Prior to helping Kiara-chan, I met people whom I am on my way to greet, so Kiara is not acquainted with all of them.
It could be an awkward and boring time for Kiara-chan, as the conversation might be going on between just us.

「If you want to come, come」
「Yes!」

She happily responds to Shia-san’s invitation.

「I feel like you’ve suddenly became closer, what happened?」
「Nothing」
「Really?」

I feel like Kiara-chan is more lively than yesterday, however. It’s a good thing, though.

「So, I plan to head over to Zack-san first, is that okay?」
「No problem」
「I’ll follow… and stand in line with you」
「Um, spreading it out can be annoying, right?」

Perhaps because of the incident last night, it seems less crowded than usual, but it is still full of many people, you know.

「Kiara, that one is different than this」
「T-That’s right」
「?」

I knew there was something going on between the two of them!
I don’t like the idea of being left out.

「Snow-san thinks so, too, right?」

I tried to talk to Snow-san to get her to understand my feelings, but she was walking behind us with heavy steps, looking down.

「Hmmm… ah, yes, I guess… umph」
「Eh, um, are you okay?」
「I’m okay, just leave me alone for now…」

You don’t look very okay.

「Yuan, treatment」
「Eh, yes」

Shia-san says so, to which I apply treatment to Snow-san.

「The unpleasantness is going away… thanks, Yuan」
「No, no, did you take poison?」
「No, it’s just that last night’s alcohol…」

Speaking of which, we had drinks with Illumina-san yesterday.
Snow-san seems to have been working the whole time, and has been ruffling too many feathers.

「I get like that too when I drink too much. Il-nee also used to be like that」

Apparently, drinking too much alcohol causes headaches and sickness the next day.

「I’ll have to be careful too」

I’ve never thought about drinking alcohol, though, so it doesn’t seem to matter at the moment.

「Hello. Is Zack-san here?」
「Oh, girls, how nice of you to come」
「Hello, Luida-san」

This time they didn’t seem to have forgotten.

「Is Zack-san here?」
「Zack is in the back. I’ll be back in a minute」

Luida-san disappears into the back of the store.

「This is amazing」

Kiara-chan is looking at things in the store with a curious look on her face.

「Is this your first time in a place like this, Kiara-chan?」
「Un, I didn’t make much money, so…」
「I understand. I didn’t have a connection either until recently」

That’s the hard part of being a poor adventurer.
I have recovery magic, but I hear that as a regular adventurer, the cost of potions to heal wounds is ridiculous, so I think it could have been better still.

「Well, well, well. Welcome」
「Thank you, Zack-san, for the other day」
「No, no, by the looks of it, it seems to have worked out somehow?」
「Yes, thanks to you, Zack-san, somehow. So, that magic machine we were talking about the other day…」
「Is there something wrong with it?」
「It worked without any problems, not even a malfunction. So, the price…」
「Did it work!」

Zack-san holds his head in an exaggerated manner.

「Yes, it worked when I channeled magic, but…」
「Oh, that’s right, all you had to do was to channel magic. Oh no, I could not move it because I had no magic. I learned a lot, thank you very much」

With that, Zack-san bows his head.

「Then, for the price…」
「No, I’ve learned a lot, so I’m offsetting that」
「But…」
「Yuan, on the contrary, is being rude」

Shia-san rebukes me.

「Suppose Yuan healed a wounded person without compensation, what if she was given money despite her good intentions?」
「I see」

If someone is hurt and in need, I would not hesitate to help them recover. But I don’t want to get paid for it because it is on my own accord.

「That’s what I mean. Nevertheless, I would like to say that I no longer owe you a debt for your help」
「of course!」
「Then, from now on, I welcome you as a customer with whom we can do business as equals」
「Yes. But that is also the reason I came to you this time」

I won’t tell him that we will be treated as criminals, but I will tell him that we will soon be leaving the city for the Republic of Artica.

「I see. I’m sad to hear that」
「I’m really sorry」
「No, don’t worry about it. That’s what adventurers do. Then you will need a lot of things」

When it comes to traveling, it is only natural that you will need some things.

「Yuan, how do you and your team usually encamp?」
「Build a fire and take turns around it?」

When I was camping alone, though, I often did nothing but rest by the trees.
That’s how it was when I camped with Shia-san.

「It seems that the number of people has increased, and it would not be good to keep it that way forever, would it?」
「Is that so?」
「We merchants sleep in wagons, but many adventurers have their own tents.=」

A tent?
But we have to keep an eye on things and so on, and I’m afraid we won’t be able to move quickly enough.

「Of course, you can’t use it all the time, but I think it would come in handy in places where it is safer, such as beside a street with good visibility, no?」
「Plus, there’s Yuan’s defensive magic. I agree」
「Rinshia-san says so, and if you don’t mind, I’ll try to find you a good one, how about it?」

Since money is involved, I cannot reply immediately.

「It depends on the price」
「Then, I will prepare some options for you. Can you come back before your departure?」
「Yes, but if I don’t purchase any, won’t Zack-san be in trouble?」

It looks like they have a variety of tents available, so either way, there will be a surplus of tents that we won’t buy.

「Don’t worry, tents are in demand by more than just adventurers」
「I understand. We will visit you again」
「Yes, thank you for your continued support of Zack’s Store」

I was just going to say hello, but I ended up buying a tent, but I was also able to successfully express my gratitude.
Leaving Zack’s Store, the next stop was Platinum Pavilion.
Once again, this is to inform Rose-san of the request and its completion.

「Excuse me, um, I’m here to see Rose-san, please convey it to her」
「Understood, please wait a moment」

The process went smoothly because we had visited there before for a progress report. They remembered us, having stayed only once before.

「Thank you for your patience. Let me show you to her room」

After a while, an employee arrived to see us waiting in the lobby and showed us to Rose-san’s room.

「Excuse me. It’s Yuan」
「Come in」

I knock on the door, tell her we are here, and with her approval, we go inside.

「Sorry, I’m stuck here」
「No, don’t worry about it. We are happy to pay you a sudden visit」

On Rose-san’s lap sat her grandchild. I remember her too, because she was the youngest of all those who were kidnapped.
She apparently made it back to Rose-san yesterday, but when she saw us, she was shaking uneasily.

「Laura, these are the people who helped you」
「The other day, those people?」

She looks at us intently.

「Ah, sorry. you can’t tell with this」

Since I was wearing a hood, I had a different image the first time, and above all, it is rude in front of them, so I remove the hood.

「Fox oneechan!」

When I took the hood off, Laura-chan happily ran up and hugged me in my stomach.

「Glad to hear you are doing well」

I stroke Laura-chan’s head as she presses her head down into my stomach.

「Ehhh~」
「Unfair」
「It’s not fair」
「Not fair」

Seeing Laura-chan looking so happy, Shia-san and the others murmur.
Certainly, Laura-chan is cute and I can understand why they want to pet her.

「Laura, Yuan and the others are our guests, don’t bother them」
「Okay, I understand」

Laura-chan leaves and we are offered chairs and sit across the table from Rose-san.

「Thank you so much for your help. Let me thank you from the bottom of my heart」
「No, I’m really glad she’s okay」
「Thank you, big sisters!」

Rose-san and Laura-chan both bowed their heads and thanked us.
Laura-chan is a small but well-behaved girl.

「And we would like to thank you, but we are also traveling, and we don’t have much money on hand to thank everyone」
「Don’t worry about it」
「That is not possible. I am still a noble who rules a territory, and it would be a shame not to return the courtesy with a proper thank you. So, please accept this first, even if it is not much」

Rose-san placed a bag on the table. As soon as she put it down, I heard the sound of metal clinking against metal, so I knew it was money.

「Um…」

Although she said it was not much, looking at it from the side, one would see it to be a reasonable amount. Because the bag is bulging out!

「At least 50 gold coins」
「S-So much!」

Shia-san and Snow-san look at me like it’s only natural, but Kiara-chan is just as surprised as I am.
This is supposed to be normal.

「As you can tell from the girl over there, that’s not a lot of money by any means. Hey, isn’t that right, Snow?」
「Yes, as Rose-sama said」

Snow nods back at Rose-san’s words.
I couldn’t believe that the exchange was between two strangers, and I couldn’t help but ask Snow-san about it.

「Um, do you both know each other?」
「Umu, I am a noble after all, so we see each other often, and above all, she is Emeria-sama’s guard, and is famous for many things」

Rose-san answered my question.

「Snow famous?」

Snow-san, however, shakes her head at Shia-san’s question.

「Not really. Compared to Rose-sama, I’m nowhere near as famous at all」
「I’m just an old lady」
「Haa, still the same…」

Snow-san sighs in distress.

「Snow-san, is Rose-san such a remarkable person?」
「In a way, though, it’s more amazing that Yuan calls her “Rose-san”… Yuan has heard of Rose-sama, right?」
「Yes, I heard. This is Rose Arcana Trentia-sama」
「Yuan should also remember from now on that if a person’s surname contains the name of a place, it represents that territory」
「Hee~, I see!」

Commoners like us only have a name. If I were to marry a noble, I would be called Yuan XX.

「You don’t seem to understand」
「What is?」
「Trentia, Lord」
「That’s what I’m talking about」
「Hee~ …………… eeeeeh!」
「Fuufuufuu」

As Snow-san explained, I finally understood how great Rose-san, or rather, Rose-sama, was.
Seeing me flustered, Rose-sama is laughing at me, but to be honest, I can’t stop breaking out in a cold sweat.

「Rose-sama, I apologize」
「It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s no need to apologize. Please remain as you are」
「But…」
「If that’s what Rose-sama wants, it’s fine. It happens all the time」
「Don’t make me sound like a mischievous old lady」
「Because that is actually true. Emeria-sama is always in troubled」
「By the way, Rose-sama “san” …… are you also acquainted with the Princess?」

The name of the princess was mentioned many times in her conversation with Snow-san.

「Speaking of acquaintances, are you acquaintances?」
「What are you talking about… Yuan, Rose-sama is a central figure in our Peace Faction」

Rose-san replied, and Snow-san was quick to correct her.
It appears that she’s an important figure.

「That’s why I got involved in this one」
「Why?」
「Threats」
「Threats?」
「Yes, the goal would be to reduce the power of the Peace Faction. Fortunately, it never got to that stage」

They kidnapped her granddaughter and could have used her as a hostage to force her to leave the Peace Faction or join the hardliners, Snow-san said.

「So, for the sake of Emeria-sama, and for the sake of this child’s life in the future, please accept this reward now」

While petting Laura-chan, Rose-san looked at the bag of gold coins.

「I understand. I will accept this as fair compensation」
「Umu, you did a great job. And I have heard about you, Yuan-dono」

The way she addressed me changed from “Yuan-chan” to “Yuan-dono”. Just like that, I could feel the harmonious atmosphere tighten.

「If you like, why don’t you come to my territory as escorts?」
「Rose-san’s territory?」
「Yes, my territory is west of here, close to the border. Wouldn’t that be convenient for you, Yuan-dono?」

We are planning to head for the border, so it is certainly convenient.

「But, as escorts?」
「Yes, I had not originally planned to stay here this long, but my plans have changed」

It seems that there were others who were supposed to be hired as escorts, but the contract expired because they were significantly overdue.

「I can’t give you an answer right away. Can you wait a little bit?」
「No problem. It will take time for Laura to settle down. But this city is in the hands of the hardliners, so I’d like to be out of here by the time Emeria-sama leaves」
「Understood. I will get back to you as soon as I can」
「I’m waiting for a good answer. Let’s talk about rewards then. Or should I ask first?」
「No, I don’t make decisions based on compensation」
「Umu. Good answer. Don’t forget that thought. There’s always a flip side to every sweet deal」
「Yes」

I was nervous.
Rose-sama’s atmosphere has changed dramatically since she started calling me “Yuan-dono”.

「Oneechan, come visit again」
「Yes, I’ll be back in a few days」
「I’ll be waiting」

I patted Laura-chan’s head, thanked Rose-san for the commission, and left Platinum Pavilion.

「So, is there anywhere else to go?」
「I don’t」
「Me too」

I don’t know many people in this city, so I don’t think there are others, but just checking.

「Oh, by the way, I have a thank you note from Kabai-san」
「Kabai-san」
「Yeah, about his daughter and the Resistance」

Kabai-san also worked hard for his daughter.

「Is Kabai-san in Tanza?」
「No, I think he’s on his way to Talis with his daughter now」
「Well, I’m glad his daughter is safe」

I am glad to know that his daughter was among those we rescued. We did not have that much time to spare at that point.

「I told him that we are leaving town. I wasn’t sure if he’d make it in time, so please send a letter and thank him」

I received a letter from Snow-san. I can’t read it in the city so I will put it in storage for now.

「And here’s a little something for you」
「Um… what’s this?」
「………… It’s a magic sword」

It was a familiar magic sword.

「I can see that, but why this?」
「I guess it’s out of the blue」

It is the magic sword that Azul used.

「Doesn’t this make me a thief…」
「I don’t see a problem with that. It should be clear from this point on that Azul was complicit with the lord」

Even though he is the second-in-command of the Knights, he is still charged with a crime if he participates in wrongdoing. Right now, it seems that he is being held captive by the Princess’s Knights and will be judged in the Imperial Capital.

「And then there’s this」
「Money, again?」

I was given another bag.
I honestly want to increase the amount of money steadily because I am worried that the money will only increase in a short period of time.
I’m happy, though, because it brings me closer to my goal.

「I don’t think so」
「Eh?」

I was curious to see what was in the bag because Snow-san said it was different.

「So many sparkling, beautiful stones」

I thought they were magic stones, but they weren’t either.

「Mithril Ore」
「Oh, it was definitely this color」

The stones had a characteristic of appearing rainbow-colored when exposed to the sun.
It is larger than a fist and looks very expensive.

「Are you sure? These are nice things」

Mithril Ore has a high conductivity of magic and can be used for weapons and armor. However, it is also very expensive, and if it is not used properly, it can cost up to gold or platinum coins.

「I haven’t been able to thank you as part of the Resistance, and I hope it would help if you would take it. I belonged to it, and I appreciate it」
「I understand」

I have no use for them at the moment, but I will put them away for safekeeping.

「I don’t have anywhere else to go after this, and I would like to relax in the city, is that okay?」
「Un」
「Yes」
「Ok」

We take our time and relax.
It is only a few more days, but it will be a brief respite.
We had a great time shopping and eating in the city, and took Kiara-chan to a candy shop that Snow-san and I went to.
After discussing it, we decided to accept Rose-san’s request.

But there are things we have to do before we accept it.

「Kiara-chan, do you have an answer?」

As the day of departure approached, I asked Kiara-chan.

Author-san

This time it was longer than the previous one, as it was shorter.
Now it’s time to start the journey.
The chapters go on and there are many things I want to write about, but I can’t seem to get to them…

Thank you as always for reading.
Thank you for your help in reporting typos. And thank you so much for the new ratings and bookmarks!
Please continue to support this project as it is still going on.