Chapter 11: 65535
Translator: Soafp
“No, we can't leave this request to you two.”
“What!? We're S-class! We should be more than enough!”
“Stop it, Phalan.”
“But, Erius…”
As we argued at the adventurer guild counter, people around us cast cold glances our way.
Nonoa, who had awakened as the “Master of Numbers”, had captured one of the Demon King Army's supposedly impregnable castles, instantly becoming a famous adventurer.
And I, who had expelled her, was treated as incompetent. At the adventurer guild, I was handled like a leper, and even when trying to take on requests, I was refused by clients:
“Eh? You're the incompetent one who expelled Nonoa, right? I can't trust someone with no eye for talent with an important request like this.”
As a result, we could hardly take on requests—our income plummeted.
Displeased with the struggling party, Phalan and Nick left before reaching the five-year mark.
Lena, anxious both because of the cold stares from others and because she couldn't make donations to the church as she wanted, proposed:
“Let's bring Nonoa back into the party. If she's to fight the Demon King, the Saint should accompany her.”
This happened every time, making me wonder if this was another required action.
Since she stubbornly refused to meet, I tried several times to relay my proposal for her to rejoin, switching messengers each time, but each time the reply came:
“It's too late.”
And because this negotiation never appeared in red text, I concluded it was just Lena panicking.
Which made sense. The very person she had suggested letting go as “useless” turned out to be more competent than anyone.
Lena had a strong sense of responsibility. She knew I was aiming to defeat the Demon King.
And she admired me. That's why she couldn't tolerate holding back the party. She had just begun to feel capable, with her Saint skills strengthened, and yet this failure hit her hard.
“I-I've done something terrible!”
I would calm her:
“It was a decision we made together. You don't need to bear the responsibility alone.”
Even though I knew it was pointless, I repeated the face-to-face meetings and rejoining proposals every time…
And every time, I died on the same day.
Since I started expelling Nonoa, the cause of death was always the same—a death so horrifying I couldn't even speak of it.
After resurrection, I opened the Guide. If Nonoa had awakened as the Master of Numbers, it stated in black text:
“Nonoa challenged the Demon King but could not win.”
Below it, a mysterious number appeared.
For example, when she first awakened as the Master of Numbers:
(41269/65535)
At first, I had no clue what the number meant. But I assumed it must be some kind of clue, and kept a close watch.
From then on, I focused on the accumulation of causal flags marked in blue.
Forming the party and observing the accumulation of blue-marked causality, I began to organize each item to move as efficiently as possible.
Some items were impossible to accomplish simultaneously.
For example, selecting party members.
Out of four slots, three—including myself—were fixed. And complicating matters, each blue-marked individual had their own unique causal events.
To summarize: for Phalan, a spear user, a representative blue causal event is “Slay the Dragon of Mount Maley.” For Nick, the archer, it's “Bridge Passage in Merril Village.”
After repeated verification, the fourth slot was fixed with Phalan.
In the case of the dragon hunt, during preparations at the magic city of Balhant, Nonoa would acquire an accessory—a blue causal event.
This causal event cannot overlap with the Bridge Passage of Merril Village. If you go to Merril Village first, the accessory is sold out by the time you reach Balhant.
Thus, Nonoa acquiring the accessory in Balhant was a time-sensitive causal event.
I had already discovered this before expelling her.
It was merely a matter of giving her the ring. Yet even that proved surprisingly tricky.
Several visits to Balhant revealed Nonoa examining the merchandise.
“What's wrong, Nonoa?”
“Oh, I was just… interested in this, but it costs 800 lanes, so I can't really afford it.”
The shopkeeper said:
“Miss, it suits you. I'll let you have it for 400.”
Yet Nonoa's gaze was fixed on one ring. It looked ordinary, but Nonoa had a keen eye; it might have some special effect.
“Hey, sir, I'll get the money in a couple of days. Can you hold it until then?”
“I'd love to, but I have to move this afternoon. Sorry.”
The party could afford 400 from its funds, but Nonoa would object. So the ring purchase was postponed to the next cycle.
“Count it, 400.”
“Thanks!”
I paid and received the ring from the shopkeeper.
(I don't know if the ring is any good… but I should give it to Nonoa for now.)
“Here, Nonoa.”
“Eh? I can't accept something this expensive! There's no reason for me to receive it!”
I hesitated, thinking how to explain… then decided:
“Think of it as a bonus. Your efforts have given the party financial leeway.”
It was my best attempt at justification, but…
“No, everyone's working hard. I'm just doing my job. I don't want special treatment.”
That was a problem. Clearly, the design was feminine; I couldn't wear it myself.
“But…”
“No way! I just can't accept it!”
And Nonoa ran off.
“Ah…”
“Looks like you got rejected, brother.”
“…Refund?”
“Of course not.”
Later, at the inn's dining hall, the three of us—Nonoa, Lena, and I—were eating. Nonoa seemed slightly uncomfortable, perhaps because of the day's events.
(After examining the ring… it provides resistance against magic. Moreover, it reduces the power of magic according to a certain ratio, making it especially effective against opponents who spam powerful spells.)
As I contemplated the ring's effect, the door burst open, and Phalan ran in, shouting:
“Hey, Erius! Is it true you proposed to Nonoa and got rejected!?”
I almost spit out my food. Before I could speak, Nonoa loudly protested:
“W-What are you talking about!? I wasn't proposed to!”
Nonoa panicked, and Lena looked somewhat complicated. Lena already had a sense of rivalry toward Nonoa—this was not good.
“Well, my friend saw it! You tried to give Nonoa the ring, and she ran off!”
“…Ah…”
Nonoa and I exchanged glances.
“Geez, don't do misleading stuff like that.”
“Seriously… how could you misunderstand? The ring provides resistance against magic. I only intended to give it to Nonoa because she might be in danger.”
“Hmm… but Erius, how did you know that?”
“…I'd seen the same item before.”
I answered casually to Nonoa's question.
“Hmm… then shouldn't Lena have it?”
“…Me?”
“Yes. Even if Nonoa, you, or I get badly injured, worst case, Erius or I can manage. But Lena, if you were hurt and couldn't use healing magic, it would be a crisis for the party. The one who should have the most protection is you, Lena.”
Phalan glanced at her, as if confirming the correctness of his words.
…He was right.
“Phalan's right. Lena, you should wear it.”
“B-But…”
Lena glanced at Nonoa. Seeing Lena's complex expression, Nonoa smiled and nodded:
“Yeah, I think that's better too!”
“Don't worry. As the leader, it's your role to assign appropriate equipment to the party, right, Erius?”
“Phalan's right. So don't hesitate.”
“I understand. Thank you, everyone… I'll take good care of it.”
Watching Lena's modest joy, I couldn't help but wonder, Is this really okay?
That night, alone, I checked the Guide…
“No new text, huh.”
So perhaps the ring really shouldn't have been given to Nonoa. I might try to ensure she gets it next cycle.
But…
“Nonoa's fairness and modesty are virtues, but… that also makes it hard for her to accept things. I need to consider her personality when giving it to her.”
In the end, the Guide recorded “Ring from the street vendor” in blue text two cycles later.
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