"Why are you traveling alone, Cystie?" I asked. "Isn't it obvious? To become an adventurer. That's why I'm heading to the royal capital. There's more variety and convenience there," Cystie replied. Her words sent a shockwave through me. This fantasy-like otherworld where monsters exist... So there really were adventurers who made a living by subjugating monsters. That's a staple of fantasy settings, after all. So she was aiming for the royal capital by way of Poda Village. Being an adventurer sounds nice. Accepting requests to defeat monsters and receiving rewards. Information would gather at taverns, and you might travel to distant lands for quests. Perhaps I could even gather information about my own head there. That might be the best way to make a living in this world for me. I figured that if I could disguise myself with the helmet, I'd manage somehow. "What about you, Duke?" Cystie asked. "I'm also aiming to become an adventurer. I came from the countryside," I replied. It's a classic move to declare yourself a country bumpkin - that way, people tend to overlook your ignorance. "I wonder if he came from a village in the Clodia Empire, if he really did come through the Demon Forest..." "Hm?" Cystie mumbled something next to me, but I couldn't quite catch it. "It's nothing," she said. "Well, that means we're heading to the same place, right? There's only an adventurer's guild in the royal capital from here on out." "Yeah, I'm a country bumpkin and pretty clueless, but I'll be in your care. I'm confident in close combat," I told her. I'm wearing full armor, but I'm not actually a swordsman. Figures. The truth is, my specialty is close-range punching. I don't even have a sword. "Yes, I'm a mage who attacks from the rear, so having a frontline swordsman like you, Duke, would be—wait, what happened to your sword?" "...It broke along the way," I lied. Cystie sighed, her expression suggesting she thought it odd for a swordsman not to have a sword. "Haah... We'll try to buy a sword or dagger from someone in the village. If we can't find one, I'll lend you my dagger." "...I'm sorry, but I don't have any money, so I might have to borrow from you, Cystie." "Maybe we should go our separate ways after all?" "Please don't abandon me! I promise I'm confident in combat!" I pleaded, grabbing onto Cystie's cape as she walked away, disappointed. "H-Hey! Don't cling to me like that when you're wearing that armor, it's creepy! You're going to tear my favorite cape, let go!" "I won't let go until you agree to party up!" "Hey, let go... Aaah!? I just heard a ripping sound! My favorite cape!? Let go right now! If you don't let go, I'll seriously kick you!" "Just try it! I'm confident in my defense!" ◆ "Is that Poda Village over there?" "...Yes, it is," Cystie replied. After I had demonstrated my usefulness and convinced her to let me come along, we walked along the path until a small village, presumably Poda Village, came into view. Cystie's voice next to me seemed somewhat exhausted, but that was likely due to the long journey. Her steps were a bit unsteady, as if fatigue had accumulated in her legs. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

"...My feet hurt." It was clear we needed to reach the village quickly so she could rest. As I turned my gaze forward again, I saw many houses similar to the one we had passed earlier lined up ahead. A fence encircled the village, likely to keep out monsters and wild animals. Outside the fence, there were numerous fields and waterways. A few small children were running around happily. It was truly a peaceful scene of a rural village. "Wow, look! It's a knight!" I heard a child's voice exclaim. "He's so big!" another chimed in. Subjected to the curious stares of the small children, Cystie and I entered the village entrance. However... "Thief!" As soon as we entered the village, an elderly man came out and hurled those words at us. "Hey, Cystie, did you snack on some crops along the way?" I asked jokingly. "Why would I do something like that? Unlike Duke, I actually have money, you know?" Cystie retorted. At Cystie's words, the old man looked at me with a gaze that seemed to say "I knew it." What's with that look? It's not right to suspect someone just because they don't have money. "Hey! What are you accusing me of stealing!?" I protested. There was no reason for me to be accused of a crime I didn't commit. I, the great Duke, formerly known as Sousuke, would stand firm against this accusation. In response to my protest, the old man pointed his finger at me accusingly. "That helmet you're wearing, boy!" My helmet?! "What!?" I exclaimed surprised. The old man continued speaking, "That helmet belongs to a retired knight from our village." Well, I had indeed carelessly taken the helmet and put it on. In other words, the old man had called me a thief because he saw me wearing a helmet that should have been in an acquaintance's house. I suppose that could be considered theft. Actually, it definitely was theft. "I thought I heard some rummaging inside the house. So you really are a thief," Cystie said, giving me a sharp look from beside me. "No, well, you see... I lost my helmet while coming through the Demon Forest..." I stammered, trying to explain. "You managed to survive losing both your helmet and sword? That's quite impressive," Cystie remarked. "Well, I've always been lucky," I replied with a shrug. It seemed she was somewhat convinced by my explanation about the Demon Forest. "Still, it's not right to take things without permission. Take off the helmet and return it," Cystie insisted. "No way! I've grown attached to this helmet! I absolutely refuse to take it off!" If I were to remove this helmet now, they'd discover I'm a Dullahan. What a ridiculous thing for her to suggest! "Returning the helmet would solve everything. Come on, give it back," she pressed. "I said no, and I mean it!" I stood my ground firmly. Cystie tried to grab my helmet, but her height was woefully inadequate for the task.

After all, my current height, including the helmet, must be around 190 centimeters. In contrast, Cystie's height is barely 160 centimeters, if that. I could easily dodge or deflect any arm coming from that low. "Hahaha, it's useless, useless," I taunted. "Hiyah!" Cystie shouted. "Whoa, that's dangerous!" This girl actually tried to jab my helmet with the staff she was holding. If it had hit a normal person, it would have hurt their face, and if it had hit me, a Dullahan, my head would have gone flying off in a shocking turn of events! "There's another way to handle this, you know!" I exclaimed, trying to defuse the situation. "Oh? What's that?" While trembling at the thought of being discovered as a Dullahan, my words were still able to stop Cystie from moving around for a moment. "We could just buy the helmet." "You don't even have any money!" Cystie shouted, her voice filled with anger. "I'm the one who'd have to pay!" My brilliant proposal was met with both an angry yell and a sharp jab from her staff. I managed to dodge it by shifting my posture. It was frightening how her attacks were becoming increasingly precise. I wondered if she had trained in staff techniques or something similar. "Well, I suppose I could give it to you as a reward," the old man mused. "Really?" I exclaimed, my voice filled with hope. "But, it belonged to that other villager, right?" Cystie asked. "Well, he's no longer in this world anyway..." The old man answered Cystie's probing words with a distant look in his eyes. He referred to the deceased with familiarity, so they must have been close. I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about using a dead person's belongings, but I knew it was necessary to blend in as a human. After all, meeting this helmet had changed my life. "I'm sorry," Cystie said softly. "It's alright," the old man replied with a grandfatherly smile. "I'm sure he wouldn't want his favorite helmet to just rust away." "So, if you're willing to give it to us as a reward, there must be something you want us to do?" I asked. "That's right. You two look like adventurers, don't you? Even if you're not, this young lady seems to be a magic user, and you, sir, are wearing full armor. I assume you're both capable fighters?" To be precise, we were planning to head to the royal capital to become adventurers. "So, you want us to exterminate monsters?" I asked. "That's right," the old man nodded. "We've been having trouble with goblins appearing sporadically lately. Fortunately, they've only damaged crops so far, and no villagers have been harmed. But we don't know when that might change. Goblins are creatures that multiply rapidly, after all." Goblins? That'd be a piece of cake. As long as it wasn't a horde of bear monsters or wyverns, we could handle it. "Alright, let's take it, Cystie!" I exclaimed. "It'll be perfect for gauging each other's abilities too!" I hoped she wouldn't say something like, "Huh? I'm not expecting anything from a thief, and I have no intention of going with you." I wouldn't be able to recover from that. But Cystie was kind, despite everything. I didn't think she'd say anything that cruel... probably. "Well, I suppose so," Cystie replied. "I was a country village girl myself, so I'd like to help with requests like this." What a relief. She didn't say anything harsh. Still, I was surprised. Cystie's manners and behavior were so refined that I had thought she was from the upper class. This was unexpected.