I’m an Appraiser, But What the Heck is a [Divine Eye]? ~I Want to Live Freely as the World’s Best Beginner Class~ - Episode 137: An Unexpected Survival Life 8

Episode 137: An Unexpected Survival Life 8

When we entered the house… I had to admit, it was a properly well-built log cabin. It was so well done that I found myself thinking, “Did he really need to go this far just because he had plenty of wood?”

“Isn’t it amazing? I’m especially fond of the wood grain on this wall! I even arranged the furniture so that the wood grain would be right in front of my favorite chair. Oh, and also—”

And just like that, Moriya hadn’t stopped talking. I had started tuning him out halfway through, but he didn’t seem to notice.

As I wondered how to get him to stop, Arata, apparently had had enough and finally spoke up.

“Uh… Moriya… san?”

“Hmm? What is it… oh, Arata-kun, right?”

“Ah, yeah. I’m Mitsurugi Arata.”

“Oh! And I’m Yachiyo Madoka!”

“Ah, Arata-kun and Madoka-chan, nice to meet you! So, what’s up, Arata-kun?”

“…Could you get back to the main topic?”

“Huh? Oh! Sorry, I just got a little too excited about the wood grain!”

As expected of Arata, he knows when to get things moving. It’s like his way of kendo—or maybe not quite that. Either way, I was grateful he got us back on track.

“Alright, I’ll go make some drinks. We’ve got tea, black tea, and coffee. What would you like?”

“Ah, I’ll have coffee.”

“I’ll take black tea.”

“…I’ll have tea.”

“Got it! Feel free to sit anywhere, just not in my favorite chair over there!”

He was quite protective of that chair, clearly attached to that wood grain. I didn’t get what was so great about it, but we all picked other available seats.

Before long, a delicious smell wafted in from the kitchen, filling the living room.

“…….He actually has real coffee here.”

“Come to think of it, I haven’t had coffee since we got here.”

“Yeah. Even in Shriden, we never had it.”

“…….Does he grow it himself?”

We exchanged puzzled glances. But right then, Moriya returned.

“Sorry for the wait… Hmm? What’s up with the three of you?”

“Hey, Moriya. Do you grow your own coffee?”

“Yep! It took forever to find the seeds, but I love coffee too much to give it up. Though, you know, I can’t drink it anymore! Hahaha!”

Hmm, the rattling of his bones was still annoying. But I wasn’t sure if I should laugh at that or not.

If what Moriya was saying was true, he had also been summoned here and sent to the Forest of Demons, just like us. Not only that, but he was betrayed by his comrades and ended up as a skeleton. I didn’t know the details of how that happened. But if it were me, I think I’d have a hard time continuing to live.

Once everyone had their drinks, Moriya sat down, and the conversation began.

“Okay, I guess I should start by talking about myself, right? It’ll help you believe me.”

With that introduction, Moriya began telling us his story. He had been summoned more than a hundred years ago. He stopped counting partway through, which is why he just says “over a hundred”.

The kingdom that summoned him was the Alfante Kingdom, two generations before the current Adelreed Kingdom was founded.

“Two generations ago……. Would that even fit within a hundred years?”

“No idea. That’s why I just say over a hundred years.”

…How old is Moriya, really?

Back then, the term “conquer” was used instead of “develop,” and many forces were sent into the Forest of Demons. Moriya and his group were part of a major operation. But partway through, things went wrong.

“The unit carrying food, camping supplies, and most of our gear was attacked by magical beasts. We lost almost all our resources right around here.”

“You couldn’t stop them?”

“Even divine-class professions aren’t omnipotent, you know. Not just me, but the other heroes didn’t notice the approaching magical beasts in time.”

They managed to kill the beasts and survive. But more of them started gathering, blocking their escape. While Moriya was desperately trying to think of a solution, his comrades betrayed him.

“They used magic to restrict my movements. I was confident in my strength, though. So I figured I’d destroy the magic and turn the tables on them. But in that short time, the other heroes broke through the monsters and fled, leaving the rest to swarm me.”

A swarm of magical beasts from the Forest of Demons… I didn’t even want to imagine that. Both Madoka and Arata had gone pale.

However, several questions began to form in my mind.

“Hey, Moriya.”

“Hmm? What’s up?”

“You were a divine-class profession holder, right? If your movements were restricted, does that mean the other heroes were also divine-classes?”

Divine-class professions are above even special-class professions. I’m not a combat class, so my stats are likely different. But since Moriya survived here, his profession must be a combat class.

So, if they were able to restrain Moriya…… I began to wonder.

“Nope, that’s not it. Everyone else was special-classes, not divine-class. Divine-class professions seem to be pretty rare, you know?”

…Uh, yeah. I already knew that?!