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 157: An Unexpected Survival Life 26

Episode 157: An Unexpected Survival Life 26

A month and a half passed, and then I received a message from Alicia via the Mail Bird.  

I thought it was just a regular report, as usual, but the content of this one turned out to be a bit problematic.  

“Hmm, what should I do?”  

“What’s wrong, Maki-kun?”  

As I stared at the letter, groaning in confusion, Madoka was concerned and asked.  

“That’s from Alisha, right?”  

“Yeah. It is… but please read it for yourself.”  

It would be quicker than explaining, so I handed the letter to Madoka.  

Madoka started reading it, and her expression slowly shifted to one of confusion.  

“…….Huh?”  

“Right? The content was so unexpected, it’s kind of shocking.”  

“Shouldn’t we tell Taiku-san about this?”  

“Yeah… really, those traitors he was summoned with sure left behind a mess.”  

Summing up the contents of the letter, it said that Moriya Taiku was considered a demon trying to destroy the world, according to the people of the Adelreed Kingdom.  

“Probably, those who escaped the Forest of Demons by sacrificing Moriya spread all sorts of rumors, making it sound like this.” 

“But I’ve never heard anything like this before.”  

“Well, we wouldn’t have known about it. We weren’t really trying to learn the history of this world.”  

Moreover, since Alicia and her family have ancestors from another world and are the lords of the Adellreed Kingdom, I didn’t think it was that significant.  

There were no demands like “hand him over immediately,” “don’t bring him here”, or “kill him”. So it didn’t seem like an urgent matter.  

“Well, I’ll mention it to him. But I’m not giving up on taking Moriya with me.” 

“I agree. Taiku-san has been so helpful to us.”  

I focused on crafting magic tools, Madoka was taught magic, and Arata worked on leveling up.  

I truly couldn’t thank Moriya enough, especially for giving each of us our own familiars. They were important to us, and they had likely been great companions for him as well.  

We owed him more than we could repay, so I was determined to get Moriya out of here no matter what.  

“By the way, where’s Moriya?”  

“He’s with Mitsurugi-kun today.”  

“Really? That’s unusual.”  

Arata had his familiar Haku helping him with his leveling, and I occasionally joined in. But Moriya had never come along.  

As of now, Arata’s level had risen to 43. His highest stat was Strength, which had reached a whopping 1060.  

Though he still wasn’t as strong as Moriya or Haku, he had grown strong enough to take on lower-level monsters by himself.  

…….Arata’s probably one of the strongest people in the Adelreed Kingdom by now.  

But that’s why I found it odd that Moriya went to the forest with Arata and Haku.  

“…….Did a particularly strong monster appear?”  

Once I started wondering, I couldn’t get it out of my head. So I decided to use my Appraisal skill.  

“Appraisal: Current Locations and Statuses of Arata, Moriya, and Haku.”  

Since Moriya couldn’t go farther than a 5 km radius, he likely hadn’t gone too far.  

When the results came back, my eyes widened in surprise.  

“…Huh?”  

“Wh-What’s wrong?”  

I let out a strange sound, which caused Madoka to look worriedly at me.  

I silently showed her the display screen.  

“…They’re fighting against Taiku-san?!”  

“Could it be a mock battle? But why the two of them?”  

Madoka’s question was understandable.  

There were plenty of monsters around here, so Moriya didn’t need to volunteer for a mock battle.  

Also, mock battles didn’t give experience points. So unless it was for some kind of human combat, it wouldn’t be something to focus on.  

“…Ah! Maki-kun, look at this!”  

“Huh? What is it?”  

As I was lost in thought, Madoka pointed at the screen.  

Looking there, I saw that the reason for the mock battle was conveniently displayed.  

…….Sorry, I completely missed it earlier.  

“…I see now. They’re practicing against an opponent who uses magic.”  

“Monsters used magic too, though.”  

“Well, maybe it’s because they use magic based on monster instincts? If a human were to use magic based on thought, it could be pretty troublesome for Arata, who focuses mainly on close combat.”  

Even Sunny, despite being a monster, sometimes showed responses that made it seem almost human.  

I think that’s because it’s a special-class magical beast, but we’ll likely face more powerful monsters like that in the future.  

It seems like this mock battle was preparing for that.  

“…Taiku-san’s been thinking about not just me and Maki-kun, but also about Mitsurugi-kun, haven’t he?”  

“…Yeah.”  

I thought he only gave Haku to Arata, but it seems like he really considered everyone equally.

How could someone as good-hearted as Moriya have been betrayed? And why is he being labeled a demon by the public…? The ones who betrayed him really can’t be forgiven, yeah.