No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

Are we heading to Pelmia like this?

Or should we return to Vespians as suggested by the party?

“Alright, alright. Fine, let’s go back to Vespians.”

After a brief contemplation, I sighed deeply and nodded in agreement with my party.

I couldn’t insist on going against everyone else’s opinions.

If we go back to Vespians, the chance of meeting Heid is pretty high… but, well, it can’t be helped now that things have come to this.

As soon as we return, we can either take on another request and get stuck in a dungeon or just sit in our lodgings like recluses waiting for Heid to come back.

“Uh… Miss Hilde. Just wondering… Are you feeling, um, upset…?”

Maybe it was my sigh, but Friede, lounging on my thigh, cautiously looked up at me.

The way she seemed so anxious, like a puppy looking up at its owner after making a mistake, was quite amusing.

“Me? Oh no… not at all, right?”

…Honestly, it was kind of cute.

“Upset? No way! You just said something right, Friede.”

I chuckled and ruffled Friede’s hair, reassuring her with a simple line, “What’s there to be upset about?”

They say outstanding looks are a cheat code that makes life easier, right?

It certainly seemed that way.

Even though twenty is generally considered adulthood in any world, because of her youthful appearance, it felt almost natural for me to be generous like I was dealing with kids.

◆◆

Did I mention earlier?

The reward for this request is so low it could barely be considered a reward.

Now that Rug, the client, revealed that the request itself was a ruse and bolted, the only compensation we can expect is the deposit he left in the guild.

Any extra reward for defeating bandits turned into completely worthless paper, and Belita, who we could have hoped might offer a bounty, fled the moment it turned against her.

Considering the nearly ten-day deadline and the number of bandits taken down in the meantime, saying we did it almost as a volunteer service wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

…At least, that’s what I thought.

“Still, there’s something left.”

After a good rest, Amy, who had just woken up, pointed at the two carts Rug had abandoned.

“We can take those, right? They just left them behind.”

“…Right?”

I nodded, realization dawning.

I hadn’t thought about it, but since Rivilla’s caravan left the carts behind, they were just like money bags fallen to the ground.

‘Finder’s keepers,’ they say.

Basic supplies disguised as ordinary trading goods, mediocre luxury items, weapons and armor left by defeated bandits, even the carts themselves.

It might be a bit of a hassle to dispose of, but if we sold everything, we could easily make up for this loss.

No, if we just sell them at their proper prices, we might even get several times the amount we initially expected as a reward.

“…How much would we get if we sold all of that?”

“Well… if we sell everything, I’d say it would be just over a gold coin.”

So that’s up to thirty silver for each of us?

That’s significant profit.

Maybe the Rivilla caravan was more like confused Santa Clauses than actual con artists? A joke briefly flashed through my mind.

On second thought, considering how they messed with us, they might be closer to treasure goblins!

Either way, it was a win. With that money, this request could be considered a jackpot instead of a loss.

The only concern lingering was whether other parties would protest if our group kept all the contents of the carts…

“The carts, you say? Take them if you want.”

“Eh? Is that really okay?”

To my surprise, Bardu willingly relinquished ownership of the carts.

“Heh. If we hadn’t been able to stop Belita, we would’ve been left with nothing. I’m just grateful to have survived, so I can’t claim any share.”

He had a laugh as if he hadn’t even considered claiming ownership in the first place.

“Uh… well, thank you.”

I stuttered a little and nodded to express my gratitude.

Looks like I misjudged him.

I thought he was a decent guy trapped in the limits of being an adventurer, but it turned out Bardu was a true saint.

If he’d chosen to be a priest instead of a warrior, I wouldn’t be surprised if he radiated a holy light everywhere he went.

“Just to be cautious, I should mention that you should be a bit careful when disposing of those. You might get mistaken for thieves, and Rivilla’s caravan could turn around and report you.”

He didn’t just give up his claim willingly; he even offered advice to be cautious about potential issues during the disposal.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m technically part of the Mage Tower. Though it’s at the bottom.”

With Amy in our party, it was slightly unnecessary concern.

Other ordinary adventurers might think about intimidating us with threats of reporting or undervaluing us as thieves, but trying that against a Mage Tower member would only result in their own loss.

Didn’t I say earlier? The folks at the tower are practically a magical mafia that would do anything for their members’ interests.

For those not part of the tower, there’s no way to describe them appropriately, but as long as you belong, you’ve got the fortress-like backing of the organization.

Challenging a Mage Tower member without justification is about as good as challenging the entire tower itself.

That’s self-destructive.

Isn’t that why Amy sticks to the tower, paying her hefty dues?

If Rivilla’s caravan—specifically, Rug’s superiors were to report her on charges of theft, it wouldn’t be long before an unidentified corpse showed up in the city’s sewers.

…Or maybe not just one.

◆◆

What we gained wasn’t just that.

They say a tiger leaves its skin and a person leaves their name after death.

Belita, having died in flight, left neither, but perhaps she had some lingering conscience, as she left something behind when she bolted.

“Caw! Found it! The exploding spear! That lady’s lost item!”

A black steel spear embedded with flame explosion magic.

Belita’s cherished weapon, which she had failed to recover, lay carelessly in a corner of the bush.

“Oh, this was left! I thought it was shattered in the explosion.”

I received the spear from Kikel and twirled it a few times.

Even though it was the first time I was wielding it since reincarnating, my limbs moved as smoothly as if I were wearing a perfectly tailored suit.

Now that I think about it, wasn’t Brunhilde’s sword technique a twisted adaptation of her family’s spear technique into swordsmanship?

So it’s no wonder wielding a spear feels so astonishingly familiar. To convert spear techniques into sword techniques, one must master the spear techniques themselves.

Though she insisted on only using swords to mask her lineage, in reality, spear techniques would have been her true martial art.

Oh, perhaps it wouldn’t be just “spear techniques” but “throwing spear techniques,” right?

My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I definitely read that the Eisenstein spear technique is described as a martial art that shoots spears like projectiles, not just wielding them.

It might have been a detail that was only mentioned in passing, so I’m not sure about its accuracy.

… Well, whether it’s spear techniques or throwing techniques, who cares?

Even if Eisenstein’s techniques focused on throwing, it wouldn’t make sense that there’s only throwing techniques.

There’s no way her whole family is a bunch of lunatics obsessed with just throwing!

Though it might not compete with families that specialize in close-range spear techniques, there were certainly several techniques and postures that prepared for close combat in the Eisenstein techniques.

I might never get a chance to use them.

Why, you ask? That’s a no-brainer.

If I were to wield a spear, I could just as well swing a sword since knights like Brunhilde have embodied both swordsmanship and close combat.

Brunhilde’s established swordsmanship… in other words, the Eisenbald swordsmanship was originally designed for close combat and specialized in it.

Thus, in terms of close combat, Eisenbald’s swordsmanship blows any close range spear techniques acquired as a bonus clean out of the water.

Why bother swinging a spear when you can draw a sword and attack?

So, the most efficient way for me to use this spear would be to capitalize on its throwing power, delivering a decisive first blow or finishing move!

Honestly, it might be for the best if I don’t use it at all.

After all, Brunhilde was busy fighting with nothing but a sword to hide her family lineage, right?

In other words, if I start throwing around a spear, it’ll reveal that I—Brunhilde—am part of the Eisenstein family.

The exact implications of that aren’t known since the author stopped mid-story, but it’s clear it’s no trivial matter.

Based on the fact that Brenhilde rarely used a spear, it’s likely some crisis of her identity would arise immediately upon its revelation.

At least, since she knew what problems would come, she could prepare measures to deal with it, unlike me, who has no clue whatsoever.

In short, it’s best for me to avoid using spear techniques as much as possible.

Unless I happen to be in a situation where there are no witnesses I can ‘dispose’ of, there’s no telling what kind of snowball effects could ensue.

…Well, the fact that I’ve gotten Belita’s spear is incredibly joyous.

Honestly, for an adventurer, this spear’s value is several times higher than the carts!

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