Chapter 148

Yuri instantly sensed death.

A spur-of-the-moment decision, almost like running away, led her to join the Adventurer Guild.

If that was her mistake, then so be it, but it wasn’t a mistake deserving of being killed in this unfamiliar forest.

She had just resolved to get her act together and attend the academy diligently.

Why did this have to happen?

As she tightly closed her eyes, what she felt was resentment, fear, and regret.

But…

5 seconds passed.

10 seconds passed.

No matter how much time passed, she felt no pain.

Finally sensing something odd, she cautiously opened her eyes.

And what she saw first was the Crescent Bear, which had seemed ready to tear her apart with its crescent-shaped claws, now collapsed and twitching.

And standing calmly in front of the Crescent Bear, as if nothing had happened, was Kurt.

“Originally, I only planned to conduct the adventurer assessment today, not to hunt…”

Grr, grooowl…

“But I can’t just ignore a monster that bares its fangs at people.”

Kurt’s tone was as casual as if he were out for a stroll.

…

…

…

Carrying the Crescent Bear’s corpse, several times heavier than his own weight, on his shoulder without a care, Kurt and Yuri walked silently back to the Adventurer Guild.

Of course, just because they were silent didn’t mean their minds were empty.

‘I’ve only had bear meat a few times before, but now I’ve got my hands on some rare meat. What dish should I make with it? I’m already happily pondering.’

Kurt, having unexpectedly obtained rare monster meat, was quite excited and busy thinking of recipes using bear meat.

‘When I persuaded that runaway brat, I thought it was just some silly reason to become an adventurer, but now I’ve been blessed with being attacked by a bear. Is this what they mean by good deeds bringing good fortune…?’

Of course, from a normal perspective, being attacked by a bear monster would be considered misfortune, but to Kurt, who was already listing dishes to make with bear meat, it wasn’t a big deal.

Meanwhile, Yuri was equally stunned and confused by Kurt’s strength.

‘Taking down a Crescent Bear in one strike… What kind of person is Kurt? With this level of skill, why is he a low-ranked adventurer…? Wait, could it be that he wasn’t a low rank from the start? Is he actually a gold-ranked adventurer hiding his strength? But why would someone of that caliber care so much about a girl like me?’

If it were before, Yuri would have been thrilled to meet a high-ranked adventurer she idolized.

She might have even exaggerated his kindness, thinking she had some hidden potential that even a gold-ranked adventurer would notice.

But after the events of today, Yuri had grown a bit more mentally mature.

She had come to accept that she didn’t have the exceptional talent as an adventurer that would catch a gold-ranked adventurer’s eye.

In fact, she realized she had no talent for adventuring at all.

She had even tried to deceive them during the interview, so it wouldn’t have been strange if she had been kicked out.

Yet, Kurt not only didn’t kick her out but even risked danger from other monsters to give her multiple chances.

Of course, with Kurt’s strength, those monsters might not have been a threat, but it was still a hassle.

She couldn’t understand why a gold-ranked adventurer would go out of his way to give someone like her so many chances.

Thus, the two returned to the Adventurer Guild, each with their own complicated thoughts.

…

…

…

Upon returning to the Adventurer Guild, Yuri had failed her adventurer qualification exam.

But despite failing, her face showed no particular disappointment.

This was because, through her conversation with Kurt, she had let go of her lingering desire to become an adventurer.

Instead, her attention was now focused on Kurt.

However, Kurt, oblivious to her gaze, immediately requested the Adventurer Guild to process the Crescent Bear and then asked her,

“It’s gotten quite late. How about we grab a meal? I’ll walk you back afterward.”

“A… a meal?”

Indeed, she had left the academy before sunset, but after the skill test at the Adventurer Guild and hours of stubbornly clinging to her resolve, quite some time had passed.

Even considering the late summer sunset, it was now close to midnight.

Having run around for three hours without dinner, it was only natural she was hungry.

“B-but I’ve already caused enough trouble. I can’t possibly impose further by accepting a meal…”

Yuri tried to refuse Kurt’s offer.

Grrrooowl…

But once she became aware of her hunger, it roared fiercely, making its presence known.

“T-this is… I mean…”

“Hahaha. Don’t worry about it. Cooking for one or two doesn’t make much difference.”

Seeing Yuri’s stomach growl, Kurt laughed cheerfully and offered the meal again.

Seeing his kindness once more, Yuri cautiously asked the question she had been pondering since returning to the guild.

“W-why are you being so kind to me?”

“Why am I being kind?”

“Everything I’ve done so far has been immature, trying to become an adventurer without any qualifications. I should’ve been kicked out of the guild right away. But you’ve given me multiple chances. You didn’t even know I was a noble’s daughter…!”

‘Perfect disguise? A noble’s joke?’

Kurt glanced at Yuri’s face to see if she was joking, but her expression was completely serious.

“It’s nothing. You just reminded me of when I first started as an adventurer.”

“When you… first became an adventurer?”

“Yeah. Coincidentally, you’re a lot like how I was back then.”

Kurt’s words were completely truthful.

But even if what he said was pure truth, how the listener interprets it is another matter.

Hearing Kurt’s words, Yuri felt as if lightning had struck her mind, and she came to a realization.

“…!”

‘S-so that’s how it was. I thought Kurt was always a strong adventurer from the start. I thought he must’ve been a prodigy with overflowing talent, unmatched from the beginning… But that wasn’t the case.’

Sniff…

Tears welled up in Yuri’s eyes.

‘Kurt must’ve been just like me, inexperienced and without talent at first, but through relentless effort, he reached where he is now. That’s why he’s been so kind to me! He’s telling me not to give up even without talent, not to deceive myself, but to honestly strive!’

In reality, her reasoning was completely off, but so what?

‘What a magnificent person! Kurt’s heart! I’ve truly understood it!’

Though her realization was completely off the mark, it led to yet another moment of mental growth for Yuri.

Yuri gained mental growth, and Kurt unknowingly earned the favor of a noble’s daughter.

A win-win situation, truly a good deed.

Anyway, it was a good deed.

…

…

…

Having secured Yuri’s agreement to share a meal, I headed to the kitchen to cook.

But something felt off…

I had talked with Yuri, but it felt like our conversation didn’t quite connect.

“Well, it’s probably nothing major.”

First, cooking.

As I looked at the neatly prepared bear meat, I thought.

We didn’t have any significant conversation, and we probably won’t see each other again, so what’s the big deal?