“The other countries calmed down a bit after the execution of the former king that was the cause of the disaster, but the relationship was still strained. It would have been fine if the godchild was also arrested, but in the end no one could catch him, and the stolen treasures were never recovered.” [Remiri]
Hearing that, Ryouma remembered what the magic God, Fer Noevir, had told him, and he understood.
Ryouma never had any intentions of committing any atrocities with his powers, but ever since hearing about how the otherworlders abused theirs, he’s been making sure to keep his abilities in check. But that was only something personal. Ryouma never had any perspective as the assailant or as the victim.
A victim would obviously try to prevent a disaster from happening. Especially, if there’s a high chance of it occurring.
“I see…” [Ryouma]
As Ryouma mumbled that, Shiva, who’s been quiet until now, asked,
“Since you understand, I’d like to ask, now that you know the truth, what are you going to do?” [Shiva]
“Even if you ask me that… I’ll still continue my training all the same, get my grandparents’ inheritance, and continue my life as a researcher and as an adventurer. I don’t really have anything I want aside from living a leisurely life.” [Ryouma]
Shiva heaved a sigh of relief at Ryouma’s response, and said,
“Exactly as Rheinbach had said, huh?” [Shiva]
“Eh?” [Ryouma]
Ryouma alternately looked between Shiva and Rheinbach, then Shiva explained.
Actually, when Ryouma left the inn, Rheinbach talked about the possibility of Ryouma being a godchild and his personality. There he mentioned that Ryouma was an unselfish person with no interest in money or honor, and would rather spend his days fixating over his hobbies without living in luxury.
And while that wasn’t exactly correct, it wasn’t wrong either.
While Ryouma was working hard back in Earth, there were also times when he thought to live a more comfortable life. But of course, that doesn’t mean to say that he wanted to live luxuriously.
Cheap, delicious food was more than enough. Clothes that wouldn’t get him laughed at was sufficient. And a warm, strong house that wouldn’t break during storms, and stay warm even during the winter was all that he wanted.
Ryouma isn’t completely free of desires, but he is more than content just having the necessities of life.
On top of that, this world could be said to be the embodiment of Ryouma’s hobbies. That’s why Ryouma is more than satisfied just living his life here normally, working as an adventurer. As a result, he really doesn’t really have much more he could ask for.
He’s also not the type to show off his abilities ostentatiously, and neither is he the type for needless violence. Although he might not seem to act as young as his 12-year-old self would suggest, he’s definitely a good boy.
That along with Ryouma’s response just now and the air about him showed how little intention he had of harming the kingdom, bringing Shiva great relief.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing.” [Shiva]
“I see.” [Ryouma]
Ryouma didn’t pursue the meaning behind those words any further. Shiva was the former knight commander so he figured it wouldn’t be strange at all for him to be thinking about something. What’s important is that he seemed to be relieved, thought Ryouma to himself.
After that, the atmosphere became silent for a bit. The one to break that silence was Remiri.
“Hey~ Ryouma-chan.” [Remir]
“What is it?” [Ryouma]
“If you don’t mind, could you show us your status board?” [Remiri]
“My status board?” [Ryouma]
“Yep, your status board. We think you’re a godchild, but if you could show us your status board, we could find out if you really are one or not.” [Remiri]
Ryouma was surprised again when he heard those words. Ryouma’s only heard about the term ‘godchild’ today, so of course he didn’t know that you could find something like that out just from looking at the status board.
Ryouma wondered whether he should show his status board or not, but thinking to himself, “What’s the point in hiding it after everything?” He showed his status board.
“There’s a column for titles in the status board, right? Is there a “Favorite Child of the Gods” title there?” [Remiri]
“…Ah, there is.” [Ryouma]
Looking at his status board, Ryouma saw that there was in fact such a title. So he made the column of titles visible for others to see, and he handed the status board to Remiri.
“He really is a child of god, huh? Even though I’m a dark elf, I never really thought I’d get a chance to meet one.” [Remiri]
“Same. Magic aside, I don’t think I could get him to go all out in martial arts.” [Rheinbach]
“So you left it to Shiva-chan?” [Remiri]
“Yes. Although I think today’s meeting was actually by the gods’ wills. I’ve always been planning of having Ryouma meet Shiva to measure his abilities, but I didn’t think we’d end up meeting today. Remiri, if you hadn’t seen Ryouma staring at the carriage we were riding on… No, if we had gone here either by my slave demons or by Sebasu’s dimension magic, then we probably wouldn’t have met Ryouma, right?” [Rheinbach]
“Yeah, that’s true. If Remiri hadn’t suggested to travel via carriage since we hadn’t met in such a long time, then we would have already gotten an Eternal Darkness (herb) and be on the way home now.” [Shiva]
As Shiva agreed with Rheinbach, he looked at Ryouma’s status board. Then suddenly, his eyes opened wide.
“Ryouma-kun, this title is…?” [Shiva]
As Shiva said that, he pointed towards the two titles beneath the title, “Favorite Child of the Gods,” toward the “Disciple of the Sage” and the “Disciple of the Martial God”. Ryouma replied,
“Ah, those are my grandparents who raised me. They are the ones who trained me in the foundations of magic and martial arts.” [Ryouma]
It was Ryouma’s prepared reply.
Silence flowed for a few minutes, then they asked for the names and race of Ryouma’s grandparents. Immediately, the four adults were shocked, and they finally understood why Ryouma was so strong.
“Unbelievable, to think that Ryouma would actually be the disciple of the martial god and the sage…” [Rheinbach]
“In all these years I’ve lived as a dark elf, this must be the most surprising thing I’ve ever heard.” [Remiri]
“So a godchild could show that much power after receiving guidance from those two.” [Shiva]
When Ryouma heard Shiva’s words, he couldn’t help but ask,
“Shiva-san, do you know my grandparents? You said ‘those two’ just now, right?” [Ryouma]
Shiva vaguely nodded, and then said,
“I only really got to exchange some words with them a few times. When we were still mere soldiers, they were invited by the country, but they refused that invitation and in exchange they taught martial arts and magic to select individuals for some time.” [Shiva]
“Of course one of those soldiers that were selected was me. Moreover, being just mere soldiers at the time, they weren’t someone we could freely call out to.” [Rheinbach]
After that, they decided to continue their conversation while eating, so they went back to town.
While eating, Shiva and Rheinbach spoke heartily. After that, Ryouma asked for advice in combining his magic with his sword, and he was told that he should at least find a way to cast his magic faster.
The group then discussed their plans the next day. Starting tomorrow, Ryouma will be learning from Remiri, and will be undergoing magic training while they search around the Town of Departed Spirits.
After their discussions ended, they went on their own ways, and Ryouma rested in a room that was prepared for him. There he was visited by Rheinbach and Sebasu.
“Ryouma-kun, do you have some time?” [Rheinbach]
“Yes, please enter.” [Ryouma]
Ryouma welcomed them. And when Rheinbach entered the room he said this,
“Actually, I wanted to thank you. Thank you for having a match with Shiva. There hasn’t been anyone whom he could fight with in these past few years equally, and on top of being made to do a lot of paperwork during his time as a knight commander, he became anxious over his age.
But thanks to you today, he was able to go all out, and has been feeling better since. And now it looks like that dominating spirit he once had is back. He’s tired, so he’s sleeping now, but it’s really been a long time since I saw him make such a satisfied face.” [Rheinbach]
“I’m happy I could help. I’ve also come to understand the places I’m lacking, so I’m also grateful to Shiva-san.” [Ryouma]
“I see. I’m glad to hear that it was mutual.” [Rheinbach]
Rheinbach laughed as he said that, then taking Sebasu with him, he left the room after telling Ryouma to enjoy himself, but to make sure to get some good night’s rest as they’ll be leaving early tomorrow.
After sending them off, Ryouma meditated until supper time, played with the slimes, and then he slept right after supper.