The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 2 - Chapter 121

Chapter 121:

Why I Keep Traveling

THE GM STARED at Sora with great curiosity. Was there something about Sora that interested him? “Whoooa, that’s a really rare one. I’ve never seen a translucent slime.” 

The slime stared right back at him.

“Quite a sight, isn’t it?” Rattloore chuckled.

I agreed. A burly, intimidating man having a staring contest with a slime was certainly a strange sight to any eyes. Or maybe…creepy?

“Um, Sora? This is the guild master, Mr. umm… Uhh…” As I stammered, I could feel Rattloore and the GM’s eyes boring into me. Um? What was the GM’s name, again?

“Don’t worry about it, Ivy. Hardly anybody knows the GM’s real name.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ha ha ha!” the GM laughed. “No problem. Rattloore’s right. Even adventurers don’t know my name.” He smiled at me kindly, but I felt rude. Err, his name… “Lowgriff,” he supplied. “Nice to meetcha, Sora.”

Lowgriff? No, I really don’t remember… I give up.

“Pu! Pu, pu, pu!”

“Ivy, what is it saying?” the GM asked.

“I don’t know.”

I honestly had no idea. It kind of sounded like Sora was making fun of him, but I chose to believe that was just my imagination.

“Weird, isn’t it?” Rattloore poked Sora a couple times.

“Puuu!”

Ah! That’s the noise it makes when it’s mad.

“Mr. Rattloore, Sora didn’t like that.”

“Ha ha ha, sorry! Sorry.” Rattloore petted Sora gently.

The slime’s eyes narrowed. It liked being petted, so that improved its mood quite a bit. You’re too easy, Sora.

“By the way, I hear you’re getting ready to travel?” the GM asked as he retrieved a cookie from his desk.

“Yes. Once the money is all settled, I plan to set off.”

“I see. You don’t want to settle down here?”

“Umm, I’d prefer to continue my journey.”

“Ah well. We hate to lose you. Don’t you agree, Rattloore?”

“Well, y’know.” Rattloore shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey, look,” the GM said, changing the subject. “This cookie here is what we plan to make our town’s specialty.”

Hm? Are they going to start selling those? I looked at the confection curiously; it seemed to be a butter cookie. It was baked to just the right color, so it looked delicious. After asking for permission, I took one and tasted it. I liked how it was just the right size to eat in one bite.

“How is it?” he asked.

“Very tasty. It’s crispy and just sweet enough. I like the snackable size, too.”

“Really? Phew, that’s good to hear.”

Why? Is there something special about this cookie?

“The GM’s wife made that,” Rattloore explained. Oh, I see! Huh? Why’s the GM blushing? “He always gets shy about his wife. Funny, right?”

“Hey, don’t tease!”

Rattloore laughed and took a cookie. “They are good, though.”

“Yeah. We’re doing our best to get them on store shelves.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Ooh, thank you!” The GM blushed again. He was really softhearted when it came to his wife. I had no idea when I came today that I’d learn one of his weaknesses. “Anyway, you’re free to come back anytime.”

“Okay. Thank you for the invitation.”

Everyone I’d met in this town was so kind. Despite everything that happened, I was glad I came here.

The GM loaded me down with cookies for souvenirs before I left his office. We strolled slowly through the town. Soon, I’d have to say goodbye to it.

When we reached a less trafficked road, Rattloore stopped and turned to me. “So you’re sure you don’t want to settle down here?”

“…The whole reason I started this journey was to run away.”

“Hm?”

I wanted to share this with Rattloore. He’d been so considerate toward me. Because of his kindness, for the first time, I wanted to tell someone the truth about myself. So I did.

“When I was five years old, they checked my skills at a church. I’m a tamer.” My heart pounded. Was it safe to tell him? “But they said I was starless.”

“Starless…”

I was torn between the desire to look up and see his face and the fear of what I might see there.

“Everything changed. Everyone around me, even my parents, became hostile. All except for one…”

My only ally back then was the fortune-teller.

“When I was eight, my father tried to kill me. So I fled the village. Back then, I was so sad and angry, but I ran away with one desire—to survive.”

“…I see.” Rattloore didn’t sound disgusted. That gave me the courage to finally look up at him. He looked serious, but his eyes were gentle. I felt my own eyes get hot.

“I’ve always wondered whether I can really keep running forever. Where can I go to escape this?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought people might kill me if they knew I was starless.”

That was how it had been in the village. My parents had abandoned me the moment they knew, so the fear of being murdered for it always followed me.

“When I met Captain Oght and Vice-Captain Velivera in Ratome Village, they knew there was something wrong with me. Yet they helped me without asking any questions. Captain Oght even became my guarantor.”

“Yeah.”

“When I met you all, you helped me out as soon as you knew I was a target. You even adopted my reckless strategy without complaint.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re different from the people I knew before. I think I understand now why the fortune-teller told me to learn about the wide world.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I understand why she pushed me to become stronger, too.”

At first, I thought she was just urging me to train myself so I could survive in the woods. Then, after meeting Captain Oght, I thought that perhaps she wanted me to be strong enough to believe in others. But now, I wondered if the strength she was talking about was actually the strength to be sure of who you are. The strength to face the reality that I’m starless. I thought I wasn’t running away from it, but I was. I didn’t want to accept it. But now I could say…even with no stars, I was fine. There was nothing wrong with me.

“You’ve met some good people, haven’t you?” Rattloore mused. Those words made me happy.

“Rattloore, my journey from now on isn’t about running away. It’s a journey to find something.”

“To find something?”

“Yes. I want to figure out what I really want to do.”

“Hey, that’s great. If that’s what you want, then seeing the world is a wonderful thing to do. Lots of adventurers go on to open inns, taverns, and of course, sweet shops.”

“Yeah!” I thought he might say something like that. He was always thinking about what was best for me.

“When we first met, I was worried about you because you seemed so…skittish,” he said.

Skittish? Maybe that’s because I was scared of everything!

“But I think you’re doing okay now. I can tell you’re looking ahead to your future.”

“Thank you. I know you’ve got my best interests at heart. That’s given me courage.”

“Ha ha ha! C’mon, you’re embarrassing me.” The sight of him blushing and covering his face with his hands was a relief. I was glad that I’d told him, glad that I’d met him.

“Thank you again.”

“I haven’t done a thing. You found your answer on your own, Ivy. Honestly, I was surprised to hear about your past, but that doesn’t change anything—you’re still Ivy.”

Yeah. I’m me, and part of me is being starless. What’s wrong with that, though?

“I’m still Ivy…”

“Darn right.”

I was so grateful to him.

“My goal may be ahead of me, but I do still have a mountain of problems to solve.”

“Ha ha ha! First, you’ll have to figure out a way to protect yourself.”

He’s right. Ciel, Sora, and I…we’re not ready for the journey ahead. If I wanna keep traveling until I find something I love, then I have to find a way to keep us all safe!