Translator: Shizukuku

Editor: Lilia

Read at Watashi Wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 144 – The Official Name of the Gatekeepers

Maybe it was no good. I hadn’t tasted it myself yet. It might not taste good, but from the appraisal, it didn’t seem to be anything bad, so I wanted him to give it a try. But I could understand feeling hesitant about taking a medicine he’d never seen before.

“Vidello-san?”

“…Sorry, I was just a little taken aback.”

At my words, Vidello-san finally came back to his senses.

“Yeah, that’s right. The Mac I fell in love with was always like this…”

The corner of Vidello-san’s mouth quirked upwards as he muttered something like that. Then he went back to seriously studying the medicine in his hand.

The color and smell weren’t that bad. I could understand his reluctance, and his condition seemed stable…

But still, they had only done basic first-aid for the corruption for now, so that meant the corruption itself hadn’t been cured yet. 

“In the meantime, does it hurt or something? If touching someone causes corruption, does that mean the corrupted person needs to stay in isolation for a while?”

“Yeah. Basically, someone who’s corrupted stays at home until the corruption fades.”

“If they have family or a lover, why don’t they go buy holy water for them instead?”

“When the corruption is severe, they do go out to buy it, but if it’s not that bad, it’s normal for them to not bother and just wait it out.”

When I heard Vidello-san’s story, I frowned.

They could easily be cured with holy water, but they choose to mask it with alcohol instead.

So the basic rule was that they wouldn’t go near the church unless absolutely necessary.

Someone could go buy holy water, but they’d be forced to pay the offering if they were discovered to be corrupted. The whole thing sounded like a shady business. 

“Show me your chest.”

“Ah, dummy, I just told you not to touch…!”

“I’m going to touch it. I’m going to let myself get corrupted and then use this potion to heal it. Then Vidello-san and the others will see that it’s not some strange medicine.”

“No one was doubting it in the first place… Hey, Mac!”

Ignoring Videlo-san’s attempt to stop me, I reached out to touch his chest where the wound had been. It wasn’t purple anymore, but it was still corrupted, right?　

If I touched it, got corrupted, and then drank the Dispel Potion, everyone would feel safe drinking it too.

In his haste to stop me, Vidello-san eventually realized that holding me back with his hand wouldn’t change the fact that he was touching me, so he withdrew his hand as if he’d given up. The moment I touched his chest, he gulped down the Dispel Potion I had given him in one go.

“Ah!”

“What are you surprised about? I was supposed to be the test subject, right?”

“Ah, y-yeah, but I hadn’t actually gotten the corruption from you yet…”

“…I would never want to give you something like that, Mac… If I’m going to give you something, I’d rather it be something that makes you happy.”

As he gave me a sheepish smile, Vidello-san’s pale face began to regain its usual vibrance.

I was glad that it seemed to have worked.

Just as I thought that, Vidello-san hugged me. What a relief! Vidello-san touched me of his own accord, which meant that the corruption was really gone.

“Do you feel normal again?”

“Yeah… It worked immediately. Mac, you’re really amazing. To be able to make such an incredible medicine. Thank you, I love you.”

Vidello-san confessed his love to me again and brought his charming face close to mine, and I couldn’t help but give him a small kiss. Then, I felt eyes on my back and I nervously glanced over my shoulder.

Ah, we were being watched. They were all staring at us intently. Aaahh, I totally forgot everyone else was here…

Blossom-san looked stunned, Roy-san was smiling warmly, and Marcus-san was grinning.

“Vi-Vidello-san, could you please let go of my waist for a moment…? I need to give the medicine to everyone else too…”

Being held firmly by the waist, I started to feel embarrassed and lightly tapped Vidello-san’s arm.

It’s not like this was anything new, but… I totally forgot about everyone and kissed him in public!

Ahhh, they all saw it! What was I doing…?!

As I covered my flushed cheeks with both hands, I could faintly hear Vidello-san’s laughter echoing through my ears.

“Mac, you’re so cute, especially when you’re embarrassed.”

“I’m not cute!”

I somehow managed to slip out of Vidello-san’s arms and handed the Dispel Potions to the three others. 

As soon as I did, they all started teasing me, making my face feel even hotter.

“What’s this? Does drinking this make you want to confess your love or something?”

“Shut up, Marcus-san! It’s not that kind of medicine!”

“I’m sorry, Mac, but my heart belongs to another.”

“Wait, Roy-san, that’s not what I meant…!”

“If I drink this, won’t Vidello kill me?”

“Come on, Blossom-san, stop teasing and just drink it already…! It’ll cure the corruption!”

I forcibly shoved the potions into the hands of the three grinning men and watched their expressions closely.

After downing the medicine in one gulp, the color in their faces visibly improved.

Once their faces had brightened, their smirks quickly disappeared.

“This… really got rid of the corruption…”

Their faces were grim. Hey, the corruption is gone, so let’s be happy about it!

As I anxiously watched them, Vidello-san, who had recovered his energy, was by my side to support me before I knew it.

“You’ve always known Mac’s skills as a pharmacist are top-notch.”

“Yeah, I guess… but if this gets out, the church won’t stay quiet about it…”

Blossom-san murmured that and glanced at Vidello-san. Vidello-san gave a small nod in return.

Ah, they were worried about me; that’s why they looked so serious.

Tre’s gatekeepers were really good people. I could understand why Vidello-san wanted to stay here.

“I’m hoping the prime minister can help with that somehow. Once I perfect the medicine, I plan to take it to him.”

“You say ‘the prime minister’ like it’s nothing, but…”

“It’s okay. I’ve got a connection.”

As soon as I said that, Vidello-san quietly murmured, “I’ll go with you.”

“When Mac goes to the royal palace in Sei, I’m going too. So let me know when you’re going. Blossom, I’m counting on you during that time.”

“Well, it’s my duty, anyways. Leave it to me. It shouldn’t take longer than last time. I’ll take care of it, so make sure to protect Mac properly.”

“Got it.”

Before I knew it, the conversation had progressed to the point where Vidello-san was assigned as my guard.

Was Blossom-san actually an important person? Was he the kind of person who could make decisions like that? 

As I was surprised, Blossom-san, seeing my expression, gave me a sly smile.

“Oh, you didn’t know? I’m the [ Deputy Commander of the Guardian Knights of the Tre Gate ].”

I didn’t know. I had no idea the gatekeepers had such a cool title.

“Then, Vidello-san is also a [ Guardian Knight of the Tre Gate ]… How cool…”

Blossom-san and Vidello-san laughed at my unintentional mumbling.

When we returned to the gate of Tre, the gatekeeper standing there excitedly shouted, “Meat!” as a greeting as soon as he saw us. Blossom-san cuffed him upside the head. Of course, since he was wearing a helmet, it made a satisfying clunk! sound.

“More importantly, there was a corrupted monster deep in the forest. It’s a special mutation. There might be a spot where magical energy is leaking out. We should start patrolling the forest.”

At Blossom-san’s words, the gatekeeper gasped.

“What happened to the monster? Are you going to regroup and take it on?”

“We already took care of it.”

“What?! Just the five of you?! And well, I hate to say it, but wasn’t Mac with you?”

The gatekeeper glanced at me and lowered his voice a notch. I can hear you, you know. But I wasn’t suited for combat, so it couldn’t be helped. I’m a pharmacist, after all. 

Just as I thought that, Blossom-san also lowered his voice a notch and glanced at me.

“You idiot, Mac’s dangerous, don’t make him angry.”

Hey, what do you mean by dangerous, Blossom-san?

Don’t look at me like you’re scared!

The gatekeeper swallowed nervously.

“H-How exactly is he dangerous…?”

“First, he’ll throw some kind of potion that’ll disable you from fighting. While you’re paralyzed and screaming, he’ll slice you with a sword. And then, to finish you off, he’ll blast you into the trees with magic!”

“Yikes! That’s terrifying!”

“Hey, stop giving weird explanations! I’m not that dangerous!”

The moment I responded to Blossom-san, the other gatekeepers burst out laughing. Even Vidello-san was laughing!　

The gatekeeper who had been giving me strange looks earlier was also laughing, and it was only then that I realized I was being teased.

Come on, stop messing around with me!

Inside the gatekeepers’ station, I took a large amount of meat out of my inventory and placed it on the table in the dining hall. Everyone else also took out meat from their bulging bags, delighting the gatekeepers who had stayed behind, and from there, a drinking party began. Wait, didn’t they have work tomorrow? It was already late at night.

As I watched the gatekeepers with a sigh, Blossom-san placed a hand on Vidello-san’s shoulder, who was standing beside me. Then, Blossom-san leaned over Vidello-san to peer at me.

“Mac, when you take that stuff to Sei, make sure you let me know. Take Vidello with you. He’s familiar with Sei. We’re not going to say a word about that potion until you bring it to the higher-ups, so I’m counting on you. I want that potion to be spread around.”

“…Okay.”

I nodded my head at Blossom-san’s words. They felt incredibly heavy.

A moment later, ping, I received a notification.

Quest cleared, most likely.

Glancing at the wild boar meat party in front of me, I quietly opened my quest column.

『 Defeat the Unique Boss

A Unique Boss has appeared in the depths of the Tre Forest!

Join forces with Tre’s elite to defeat the Unique Boss and protect the town from the threat of monsters!

Clear Reward: ???

Quest Failure: Failure to defeat the Unique Boss, incapacitation of Tre’s elites, destruction of Tre’s southern gate, 1/3 of Tre’s functionality reduced. 

【Quest Clear!】

You successfully defeated the Unique Boss without losing a single person!

The peace of the town was preserved!

Clear Rank: A

Clear Reward: Escort to the Sei Castle Town obtained (valid indefinitely from the start of travel), Increased favor with the members of the Knight’s Order. 』