Chapter 41 Smell Of Conspiracy
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As the Zombie General fell, the sky cleared once more, and sunlight bathed the scarred land.
Jason continued running through the forest until a bright light emerged in front of him.
He had finally arrived at Root Village.
Spotting Raphtalia standing at the village entrance, anxiously looking for him like a wife waiting for her husband's return, Jason smiled and waved his arms.
"Master Jason!"
Raphtalia, seeing him, lit up with joy and rushed toward him with all her speed.
Before Jason could react, Raphtalia leaped into his arms.
"It's so good that you're safe!"
Tears shimmered in Raphtalia's eyes, and a joyful smile graced her lips.
"Sorry for worrying you," Jason replied, wrapping one arm around her and gently stroking her head with the other.
"Master Shield Hero, thank you so very much this time. If you hadn't come, I believe we all would have perished."
"Please allow us to express our gratitude."
"We have nothing with which to repay you!"
At that moment, the villagers of Lute Village approached, and before long, they began kneeling down to offer their most sincere thanks.
"Get up. The wave of disaster has just passed, and the entire village still needs to recover. I can't help you with that; you'll have to rely on yourselves," Jason said as he set Raphtalia down.
"What are you saying? It's thanks to you that we were fortunate enough to save our lives. How can we trouble you further?" a villager said respectfully, his sincere tone indicating no mere formality.
"Yes, let us take care of the aftermath," added the deputy head of the Kingdom Knights, accompanied by his soldiers.
The blood-stained armor on their bodies testified to the battles they had fought. Even though Jason had dealt with many monsters and faced a small boss, it was evident that managing the aftermath of the disaster wave remained a hefty task for them.
"Alright, thank you for your hard work. My equipment needs maintenance, so I'll head out first," Jason said, deciding not to linger in Root Village any longer.
Back in the capital, the streets were bustling with life, everyone excitedly cheering for the successful repulsion of the disaster wave.
Ren and Itsuki, who had arrived just ahead, were greeted as heroes, showered with flowers from all sides.
As for why Motoyasu was absent, it was because he was likely searching for a place to clean himself up. He definitely didn't want to face the crowd reeking of monster remains, as that would be far too embarrassing for him.
With everyone's attention focused on Ren and Itsuki, Jason and Raphtalia, who entered the city later, went mostly unnoticed.
Jason didn't mind and headed straight for the weapon shop.
As they walked, Raphtalia suddenly stopped and sighed softly.
"What's wrong?" Jason asked, turning to see Raphtalia bent down to pick up a gold ring from the ground.
"Someone must have bumped into me and dropped this. Huh... where did that person go? They just vanished!" Raphtalia said, looking around in vain for its owner, a puzzled look on her face as she scratched her head.
"Since you can't find them, just throw it away!" Jason suggested.
"But this looks really valuable! If someone lost it, they would definitely be anxious."
"Let me see it," he replied.
"Alright!"
Raphtalia handed the gold ring to Jason.
The gold ring seemed to be crafted from pure gold, adorned with exquisitely beautiful patterns, and set with an exceptionally clear sapphire. From its appearance alone, it was evident that it was a highly valuable item.
Most importantly, Jason felt a sense of familiarity with the ring, though he couldn't quite place it. After all, something so small could easily go unnoticed.
As he struggled to recall where he had seen it, Jason decided to put the ring away.
It wasn't that he was greedy and wanted to keep it for himself; rather, he sensed a hidden conspiracy.
Logically, such a precious ring would either be contained in an exquisite gift box or be carefully carried by its owner. The fact that there was no gift box but only a solitary ring suggested something was amiss. If someone carried it, it wouldn't simply fall to the ground during a casual bump.
With this reasoning, Jason was about 80% certain that the gold ring had been intentionally dropped in front of him by its "owner."
As for what kind of conspiracy lay behind it, he couldn't figure it out just yet, so he decided to stow it away for later examination.
Raphtalia didn't pry, understanding that Jason's actions were likely rooted in his own considerations.
Not long after, the two returned to the weapon shop.
"Haha! Brother Shield Hero, little girl, it seems you both managed to repel the disaster wave successfully and returned safely!" the weapon shop owner called out, his hearty laughter filling the room as Jason pushed the door open.
"Of course! It was Lord Jason who defeated the boss that was the source of this disaster wave!" Raphtalia proudly exclaimed before Jason could speak.
"Hearing that, Brother Shield Hero is truly impressive," the shop owner acknowledged, though he bore a look that suggested he expected nothing less.
"Boss, you should be a bit more surprised! Come on..." Raphtalia sighed deeply, her enthusiasm waning upon noticing the shop owner's expression.
"What's so surprising about this? After all, I've seen the Shield Hero's strength. It's hardly extraordinary for him to take down bosses."
Jason couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, boss, you must be complimenting me, yet I can't shake this empty feeling."
"Haha! I'm just not very good at flattery. But let's get back to business. Since the disaster wave has just ended, you hurried back here—could it be that your equipment is damaged and needs repairs?"
The shop owner's eyes swept over Jason as he spoke.
"I'm satisfied with my current equipment; there's no damage from this battle. However, there's monster blood everywhere, and I need it cleaned and maintained," Jason replied as he began to remove his gear and placed it on the counter.
After that, he turned to walk deeper into the shop. "Boss, you must have a bathing area here. After so long of fighting, I'm covered in sweat and monster blood. It's quite uncomfortable."
The shop owner stared at Jason, bewildered.
"Brother, do you think of me as a nanny or a hotel? This is a weapon shop, a weapon shop!"
After regaining his composure, the owner shouted.
"Don't be so stingy! I saved the country just now; if you want money, I'll pay!" Jason countered with a grin.
"Okay, fine! There is indeed a bathing area upstairs. Just go up to the second floor and turn left, but you don't need to pay. I'm not stingy."
Ultimately, the shop owner sighed in exasperation.
"Thanks, let's go take a shower, Raphtalia."
Jason immediately headed toward the second floor, calling out to Raphtalia.
"Okay, I'm coming!" she replied, hurriedly following him.
Not long after they ascended, a man entered the weapon shop, breathing heavily and appearing anxious.
"Excuse me, is Master Shield Hero here? Oh… that's right. Master Shield Hero mentioned having something to ask, so I was sent here to find him. My name is Lex."
The weapon shop owner's face twitched upon hearing the name Lex. He realized that Jason did not regard the shop as a mere commercial establishment but rather as a second home.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Darkphoenix11
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