NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19
[You have achieved 1000 healing sessions.]
[As a reward, the Healer’s Essence will be granted.]
“Aigo! Thank you!”
Today marks the third day. Thanks to consistently healing people in the back alley for three whole days, I finally got what I needed.
I gazed at the small piece of Healer’s Essence in my pocket.
“Master? What is that?”
“It’s a necessary ingredient for making medicinal potions. Now, since we’re done here, shall we start to leave?”
There were no more customers, after all.
Thanks to my dedicated efforts in healing, there weren’t any sick or injured souls left in the alley.
Receiving their grateful farewells, I wrapped things up and left the alley with Sowol.
“I heard Laila and the other warriors are heading back… What about us?”
“Do you want to stay longer?”
“Well… If Master says he wants to stay and play more, I guess I must follow as your disciple?”
Oh, how she fidgets while saying that, yet manages to say it so well!
“Then let’s just go.”
“…Yes.”
See? She’s all sulky now, with her lips poking out again.
“I’m joking. Let’s have some fun. We’ve come all this way to the big city; it’d be a shame to just leave, right?”
“R-Right?! So what should we do for fun? What should we do?”
Hmm… The famous thing in Roberen City is the theater, but we just went to that last time, right?
So we should do something else… but what would be fun?
“Oh, by the way, I’m broke.”
“Don’t worry! I’ve got money!”
Sowol grinned as she raised her pocket.
Having a rich disciple by my side is quite nice. I patted her head.
With Sowol giggling happily, we returned to the inn for the time being.
According to Sowol, the warriors in the inn seem pretty busy getting ready to leave.
“Welcome back. We’re about to head out. What about you, Master and Miss?”
“We plan to stay a few more days.”
“Oh… I see.”
Laila seemed a bit flustered as she looked intently at Sowol.
“Wow! That’s all there is to it!”
“W-What do you mean?!”
“Hehe. If you both are planning to stay, then I can’t say anything! Ah, if you need some travel expenses…”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got the money.”
“Oh. Is that so? Then please enjoy yourselves! And Master?”
With a sly, playful smile, Laila winked at me.
“I haven’t forgotten our last promise~!”
The last promise?
Ah. She must be talking about making Sowol see a play after I had her do all the work.
I really wish she’d just forget about it.
“Let’s handle that when we get back.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
Maybe I should teach her some decent swordsmanship or martial arts? Although she’s not as good as Sowol, Laila has decent talent, so I guess I can teach her quickly.
“Is that okay?”
“Yes! Have a wonderful time!”
With a cheerful wave, Laila left.
Watching that, Sowol shot me a slightly sulky look.
“What are you planning to do with Laila?”
“Ah, we’ll probably mess around doing various things.”
“….”
“More importantly, let’s think about what we should do. Hey, innkeeper, is there something fun around here?”
“If you’re looking for something fun, how about visiting Lake Lankin nearby? The scenery there is stunning, and you can enjoy a boat ride… Also, if you mention that you were introduced by me at a certain restaurant nearby, they’ll serve you excellent grilled trout.”
Scenic views and boat rides, huh? A mix of peaceful and action-filled fun could work well.
Sowol didn’t seem to have any complaints and nodded along.
“Then let’s head there tomorrow.”
The next morning, Laila and the rest of the caravan got ready to set out.
They mentioned they’d arrive at the caravan by evening since they were heading back empty-handed.
By that time, we’ll probably be at the lake.
“So, should we leave too?”
“Yeah!”
To get to Lake Lankin, we need to ride a horse. I asked Laila to leave me a horse yesterday; I wonder if she remembered?
I headed to the stable with Sowol and saw one horse remaining.
Only one horse for two people—what’s up with that?
“I don’t know how to ride a horse…”
“Don’t worry about that.”
You can just run alongside!
This is all part of your training.
“Can I ride in front of you, Master?”
“Huh?”
Wait, that’s not how this was supposed to go!
I watched Sowol hop onto the horse with an innocent smile.
She claims not to know how to ride, yet her posture is quite impressive.
“What are you doing? Hurry up! You’re not saying Master can’t ride a horse, are you?”
“Of course not.”
I’m not bad at galloping.
“I was thinking of running to help with your growth… Hey, hey. Don’t stare at me like that. I was just joking.”
Seeing Sowol’s glaring eyes relaxing, I finally climbed onto the horse.
Sowol leaned back against me, shivering slightly as she spoke.
“Okay, let’s go!”
“Right. Let’s go.”
Since today is a day off, training feels a bit off. Yes, let’s relax today.
It wasn’t far to Lake Lankin on horseback.
However, I noticed Sowol getting a bit tense while bouncing around.
She was raised as quite a delicate girl, so it’s clear that riding a horse feels different for her.
“Should I teach her how to ride…?”
There’s a lot to teach.
I leaned my chin on the pink-haired Sowol in front of me.
She flinched and fidgeted a little, but before long, Lake Lankin began to come into view.
“Wow…”
A little gasp escaped.
The lake, stunning enough to astonish even Sowol, was beautiful indeed.
With a bright, blue surface sparkling like a massive mirror and surrounded by lush green foliage, the scenery was enchanting.
True to the innkeeper’s words, the area around the lake was quite developed for tourism, filled with facilities for visitors.
It’s different once you step into reality; this isn’t something you’d find in a game.
“Master! Let’s hurry over!”
Sowol’s excited voice rang out.
I thought she wouldn’t like this sort of thing so much, but seeing her enjoy it is rather nice.
“I’m going to run, so stay careful.”
In that case, better speed up.
I wrapped my left arm around Sowol’s waist before shaking the reins with one hand.
As the brown horse started galloping, I noticed Sowol getting even tenser in my grip.
“Oops. Was I too fast?”
“Uh… N-no…”
“No? Come on now.”
Clearly, she’s scared.
Even if she’s grown strong enough to use Sword Energy, she must find it nerve-wracking to run this fast, perched high on a horse.
I slowed down and loosened my grip on her.
“Ah…”
“Feeling a bit better now?”
“It’s fine to go fast, though…”
She’s fine, is she?
Well, she certainly wouldn’t be fine at this speed.
I maintained a cautious pace as we reached the lakeside.
“I see people are enjoying a boat ride over there. Should we go boat riding and have lunch?”
“…Yes.”
But why does her voice sound so flat?
Is this some rebellious phase?
Interacting with kids who’ve hit puberty sure makes things tricky.
But what can I do? This is the duty of a master, after all.
I ruffled her hair, and she seemed to finally relax a bit and followed me with a smile.
“Master! I want to ride in that flower boat!”
“Sure, sure.”
You’re the one paying for it, so what can’t you do?
Sowol confidently walked over to rent the flower boat.
It looked like a gondola lavishly decorated with vibrant flowers.
Jumping on top, Sowol began to row while beaming.
Ha. To think my heavenly master was being ordered around like this! What a cheeky little girl!
But today is a day of fun. It wouldn’t hurt to show some mercy as a master.
“Do you know how to row?”
“This is basic.”
I took the oar and lightly began to move it.
Maybe it was due to the good condition of the boat?
Gliding effortlessly across the blue, mirror-like surface, the flower boat danced gracefully.
“This feels nice…”
Maybe the gentle breeze produced by the motion pleased her.
Sowol, her pink hair dancing softly in the wind, surely looked picturesque.
Regardless of her personality, it’s true that she’s an adorable girl.
“Master, have you been on a boat like this before?”
“I have.”
“…With who?”
“With a dwarf warrior named Rubalkan. An old man who swings an axe.”
During that time, we cleared a pirate event while riding on a boat like this.
“Ah, haha. What about with high priest Serin…?”
“Forget her. She gets seasick and can’t even ride on boats like this.”
Waving my hands dismissively, Sowol seemed even happier, grinning widely.
“Oh?! It seems there’s a bard playing a tune on that boat. I should have hired someone…”
“I can play music.”
The bard over there might be playing a lute, but I can do this.
“What kind of instrument?”
“A flute.”
It’s my healing item, so I learned it back in the day.
I pulled out the flute from my item pouch and played a simple tune.
Since it has been a while, I felt a bit awkward, but the performance wasn’t bad.
“…Why the long face? Can’t you join in clapping?”
Once the song ended, Sowol was staring at me with her mouth agape and eyes wide.
What’s the deal? Is my musical talent that surprising?
“I didn’t know Master could play such romantic music…”
“Well, they say the flute is an instrument of romance.”
It’s fun to do this again after such a long time.
Maybe I should practice a bit more when I later achieve Sage status?
“…I think I’ve gotten to know you a bit more, Master.”
Sowol said this, sporting a sweet, gentle smile.