The Chronicles of a Man Who Aspired to Be an Unparalleled Character with Hidden Weapons - The Explorer Who Conceals His Power Becomes the Strongest When He Wields a Sword - Chapter 08: The Importance of a Child's Smile

Chapter 08: The Importance of a Child’s Smile

Several days had passed since the event in the dungeon with the regular department. 

In my group, things got quite troublesome because of the Chiba incident, but since then, there hasn’t been any more involvement from them.

Rather, I haven’t seen Chiba since that day. 

Maybe… No, for now, I should just focus on my own exploration.

“Well then, what do we have here…”

Despite everything, today I thought I’d try something different. 

I was looking at the request board in one corner of the Explorer’s Guild. Here, there are requests not only from Explorers but also from ordinary people.

Typically, Explorers choose either the well-paying requests or those that help build connections with higher ranks, but I didn’t have any particular preference.

“…?”

Among these, one particular request caught my eye. The handwriting on the request seemed to be that of a small child, mostly in hiragana with a few kanji.

“My mom isn’t feeling well. Please help.”

This earnest plea compelled me to immediately take the request to the reception.

“Okay, I’ll accept this. The location is…”

After finding out where it was, I headed straight there. 

Instead of a house, it was an apartment, seemingly quite old and weathered.

“Uh, this should be the place.”

Standing in front of the room I was directed to, I knocked gently. After a moment, the door opened. A small boy appeared, and upon seeing what I was holding, he suddenly burst into tears.

“Whoa, it’s okay. What happened to your mom?”

He just uttered a faint “…come” and pulled me inside. 

There, wrapped in a futon, was a woman who appeared to be his mother, looking extremely weak, as if she hadn’t even noticed my entrance.

“…This is… no way.”

Despite her obvious distress, she wasn’t sweating at all.

Her breathing was labored, and her eyes lacked focus. A certain suspicion crossed my mind about her condition.

“Mom, are you okay?”

I wish I could have assured him that everything was fine, but I couldn’t make such irresponsible claims. 

Without responding to his question, I gathered magical energy in my palm and directed it towards his mother’s throat, pushing it through. Then…

“Cough! Cough!”

“Mom!?”

It seemed my suspicion was correct. 

The mother appeared to be suffering from magical energy deficiency syndrome, confirmed by the way she reacted to the magic I pushed into her.

“She’s not an Explorer, right?”

“No, she’s not.”

If she wasn’t an Explorer, it meant she didn’t possess magical energy. But then, why would she be suffering from a disease related to magic? It’s rare and the cause is unclear, but occasionally, even those who don’t possess magical energy can suffer from this syndrome.

“The note said it started the day before yesterday. Has it really been just that long?”

“Yes. She’s been bedridden since then… And… mom, is she okay?”

I nodded, reassuring him that it would be okay. 

Typically, this illness, caused by a lack of magical energy, affects those with magic. To fully cure it, a spiritual herb that grows in dungeons is necessary. However, this herb is not only expensive but also considered a luxury item. If I recall correctly, it takes about two days to get approval from the government to obtain it.

(Thinking about it from a parent’s perspective…)

When a person with magic contracts this disease, their magical power gradually diminishes. But for someone without magic, what’s lost isn’t magic but rather their very life force.

She was probably in a state where death wouldn’t be surprising. Yet, her strength to endure the pain, likely for the sake of her son, kept her alive.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back with the medicine.”

“Really? Okay!”

“I’ll say it again. She’s going to be okay – so don’t cry, be a brave boy. I’ll definitely save your mom.”

“Got it! I won’t cry, I promise!”

“There, there, you’re a good kid.”

Now, it’s time for me to go.

“But before that,”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a lantern-shaped item. 

This item, when filled with magical energy, disperses a scent like perfume, which can be used to infuse some magical energy into a body. Although his mother isn’t accustomed to magic and it might escape quickly, it should ease her suffering to some extent. 

(It would be a terrible awakening if I came back and found her dead.)

As I was about to leave the room, the boy said to me,

“Big brother! …um, I don’t have any money—”

“Don’t worry about it. Just seeing your mom get better and smile is enough for me.” 

Incidentally, this line is also something the Legion Knight would say.

I hurried towards the entrance of the dungeon and used the teleportation circle to transfer directly to a floor equivalent to S-rank.

“Phew, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

While spiritual herbs do grow on A-rank floors, they are harder to find there. Conversely, on an S-rank floor, they should be relatively easier to locate if I go far enough.

Right now, my priority is to find the herb quickly and give that boy some peace of mind.

“Let’s go.”

As expected of an S-rank floor, there’s not a soul in sight.

After all, among the many dungeons, this one is only accessible to students, I nodded to myself in realization.

[Unparalleled Blade]

Switching from a bow to a sword, I dashed off into the dungeon.