I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[028] Caretaker
As I pulled back the partition, I found myself face-to-face with a familiar visage.
A face I’d grown weary of seeing these past few days.
“Wh-what…?”
Radi stared at me with eyes wide as a startled mouse.
I froze in equal bewilderment.
‘Why is she here…?’
I’d anticipated Radi might come to this place.
After all, this was the only establishment nearby that rented accommodation tents.
Having received a fortune in silver coins as compensation, I couldn’t risk being robbed of it all—staying here was my only option.
What I hadn’t expected was that we’d be assigned to the same tent.
And….
‘…I was mistaken.’
Surely they wouldn’t assign men and women to the same room, regardless of availability?
I’d thought the voice sounded rather delicate, but since the boy hadn’t gone through puberty yet, I’d nearly made a grave error in judgment.
As I stood observing, Radi hastily adjusted her hood and cried out.
“Why are you staring like that! Get out!!”
“Ah, right. My apologies.”
“Your words and actions don’t match!! I said get out already?! And why are you even here in the first place!”
“Why? I paid to stay here.”
“…?”
For a moment, Radi looked up at me with a vacant stare.
Soon enough, she seemed to grasp something, her brow furrowed sharply, and she huffed indignantly before storming out of the tent to confront the merchant.
But she soon returned with slumped shoulders, trudging dejectedly.
“So there really are no other rooms available?”
“….”
“Unfortunately, we must accept reality. What else can we do?”
“…Why are you naturally moving toward my side? Go to your own space.”
“Wait, go where and sleep where… Are you alright?”
“….”
Radi fell silent, her lips pressed together.
I could hazard a guess as to why she’d been groaning.
「[Status Abnormality] You are currently experiencing severe leveling-up sickness!」
‘She looked unwell even when we defeated the golem….’
If it were this severe, she should have said something sooner.
There was no cure for leveling-up sickness except adequate rest.
After spending the night slaying the golem, then marching relentlessly to escape the Dungeon without pause, she had every right to be bedridden.
I brushed aside Radi’s hand as she resisted, perspiring, and pressed my palm to her forehead—the heat radiating from her was like touching a burning coal.
“You managed to follow along without complaint in this state. Looking at your complexion, one would think you were undead.”
“Undead would be… you. And I naturally have a high body temperature, so don’t meddle unnecessarily and just leave….”
“Would you go? I’d rather not wake up next to a corpse the next day. …Don’t even think about moving from here. Just wait.”
‘This works out perfectly.’
Pain is pain, but if I make a good impression now, I can earn some points.
If I win enough favor, I might even be able to turn his heart around.
Besides, I can indirectly infer emotions through my [Chaos] skill.
‘I absolutely must bring him back as an ally before we enter the next Dungeon…!’
With my resolve set, I hurried out of the Tent.
When I returned from the Market District laden with a wooden barrel of clean water, towels, and fever-reducing medicine, Radi looked at me with suspicious eyes.
“…What are you going to do with that?”
“What do you think? They say this medicine is good for bringing down fevers, so drink it all. Don’t leave any.”
“….”
｢’Radi’ is staring intently at you!｣
｢Radi finds your sudden kindness highly suspicious.｣
｢Luck increases by 1!｣
Radi looked at me with distrust, but apparently too tired to argue further, silently drank down the medicine.
“Ugh! Ptooey, ptooey… It’s bitter….”
“Things that are good for you are always bitter. And once you finish, give me the bottle and get to bed quickly. You need proper rest for the fever to come down.”
“Uhhh….”
Radi grimaced and drank the medicine to the last drop, then lay down on the bed. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and placed a damp towel on his.
‘I did catch a glimpse of animal ears peeking out from under the hood just now….’
I’d already deduced from his behavior that Radi was a beastman, so I quietly pretended not to notice. A faint voice escaped between his lips.
“…You realize this is completely out of the blue for me, right?”
“….”
“Of all things, to get entangled with a follower of Evil God Antagon… And they say you’ve even absorbed a sacred relic of Death Goddess Andira… I don’t harbor ill will toward you, but if I’m mistaken for a heretic because of this….”
“Yeah, it would get dangerous. That’s why I never planned to hide it for long. I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I’ll listen to your complaints later. For now, just sleep.”
“Really… I don’t like this….”
｢Radi is feeling grateful toward you!｣
｢Luck temporarily increases by 1!｣
Radi whimpered with dissatisfaction for a moment, then soon began breathing in steady, gentle breaths.
After confirming he’d fallen asleep, I returned to my own bed and lay down.
I’d played nurse out of goodwill, but I was in no better shape myself—utterly exhausted.
‘…At least now I won’t be woken up by noise in the middle of the night.’
The moment my head touched the pillow, I passed out.
* * *
I opened my eyes to the sound of a rooster crowing, and dawn was already breaking outside the Tent.
‘What…? Did I really pass out for more than half a day?’
As I sat up, cradling my aching head, I heard rustling sounds from beyond the partition as Radi stirred awake.
“…Hey, you’re up?”
“…Yes.”
“Ugh, I’m parched. Give me a moment—I’ll head over there.”
As I pulled back the partition, Radi was sitting perched on the bed.
Though fatigue lingered around her eyes, her complexion had brightened considerably—she appeared to be recovering well.
“The medicine seems to have worked. How’s your body feeling?”
“I didn’t sleep well, but I’ve improved significantly. …How about you? You must have experienced leveling sickness too.”
“I feel fine after getting proper rest. Besides, it was never as severe as what you went through.”
“…That’s somehow frustrating. Do you have any water?”
“Water? Hold on, I’ll grab the waterskin.”
I returned to my spot, retrieved the waterskin, and came back.
But as I drew closer, Radi turned her head away slightly.
“Ugh, the smell….”
“…Hey, even I find that reaction a bit hurtful.”
“Oh, that wasn’t my intention… I’m sorry. My sense of smell is just unusually sensitive, and I can’t help it….”
“Fair enough… I suppose that makes sense.”
I lifted my shirt and took a whiff myself.
I hadn’t bathed since returning from the Dungeon and had collapsed immediately.
As I began unfastening the buttons of my shirt, Radi cried out in alarm.
“Why are you suddenly undressing?! Do you have an exhibitionist problem?!”
“What do you mean? I’m just trying to wipe off the sweat. It’s quite a walk to the Water’s Edge from here… wouldn’t it be better to at least clean up a bit with a damp cloth first?”
“But why do you have to do that right here?!”
“We’ve already seen everything there is to see. You watched me transform, after all.”
“That was!! Your doing!! You showed me without my consent!! And besides, I think you’ve been laboring under a serious misunderstanding this whole time—I…!”
“You…?”
“….”
Radi, indignant, seemed about to say something, but her pride got the better of her and she clamped her mouth shut.
She then glared at me with murderous intent and kicked my shin with all her might.
Clang—!
“Ow! Why are you even wearing greaves indoors?!”
“Oh right. I forgot to take them off yesterday. I was too exhausted.”
I hastily gathered my clothes and the damp cloth, heading toward the other side of the partition.
“Actually, could you just help me wash my back…?”
“Get out this instant!!!”
「Anger triggered! Agility increased by 2!」
* * *
After a quick wash with the damp cloth, I returned to the other side of the partition to find Radi sprawled out, utterly exhausted.
“That’s what happens when you needlessly provoke people.”
“Honestly…! Sigh… what is it this time?”
As Radi sprang up only to sit back down again, seemingly dizzy, I casually gestured outside the tent and spoke.
“You hungry? Let’s go grab some food together.”
“…Haven’t you heard a single word I’ve said? If you keep hanging around with that thing, people will brand you a heretic!”
“Just keep your mouth shut and no one will find out. I won’t transform in front of people, so don’t worry.”
“….”
“I’ll buy you a meal.”
「Radi is conflicted!」
I dangled the promise of a free meal as bait, but Radi fixed me with a wary gaze as sharp as a wild squirrel’s.
Seeing him hesitate, I drew a silver coin from my pocket and drove the wedge deeper.
“How about this? I’ll flip this coin. If you guess heads or tails correctly, we go out together. If I guess right, we each fend for ourselves. What do you say?”
Besides, I had something I wanted to test anyway.
[Swindler]
「The round table where gold and psychological warfare dance is Antagon’s stage. Your probability of achieving favorable outcomes in games of chance and gambling increases slightly.」
‘Perfect timing.’
I’d never had the chance to use it until now, but this was the ideal moment to run a test.
If I could uncover the precise activation conditions of this skill, it might prove useful in combat as well.
Yet for some reason, Radi’s eyes grew even more suspicious than before.
“What?”
“…No, what if you’ve rigged the coin somehow? You want to bet with that? It’s obvious you’re trying to pull a fast one.”
“….”
Sharp-eyed bastard.
In this world, it’s common sense never to trust gambling or street hustles run by others.
Just as I was considering another approach, Radi sighed and rested his chin on his hand.
“Fine. Let’s do it. I’ll bet on tails.”
「Radi pretends to fall for it and accepts the wager.」
「It is a small repayment for your care yesterday.」
「Luck temporarily increases by 1.」
“Alright then, here goes?”
Ting—! I flicked my finger and the coin soared in a silvery arc.
After catching it mid-air and opening my palm, the dignified portrait of a sovereign was etched there in perfect clarity.
I quickly checked the log window and a new notification appeared.
「Passive skill [Swindler] has activated!」
「Antagon’s power has intervened in reality, drawing an outcome favorable to you!」
「The higher your ability level or the larger the stakes, the greater the effect you can achieve. But remember this: the price of defeat will grow proportionally with the stakes!」
「You have not yet discovered the exact conditions of use.」
‘Just as I thought….’
With a skill like this, I could make good use of it when negotiating with merchants or extracting information from people in the Tavern.
But what captured my attention most was that single phrase: “You have not yet discovered the exact conditions of use!”
Just as the [Disguise] skill doesn’t merely alter appearance but warps identity itself at its core, the [Swindler] skill must be hiding something deeper.
Since Antagon’s power intervenes in reality to bring about change, perhaps as the skill level rises, it could twist even greater realities and fates themselves?
Maybe I could glimpse destiny itself if I paid the proper price or met certain conditions.
As I pondered the log window’s message, Radi—who had been studying my eyes intently—rose from the bed and adjusted his clothes.
“Well, since I lost, let’s depart right away. …Aren’t you coming with us, Malton?”
“Malton said he’d be staying at an acquaintance’s place. If there’s no urgent business, he probably won’t be coming around here for a while.”
Radi and I slipped out of the tent and leisurely made our way through the streets.
As we strolled through the Restaurant District, we entered a place that looked decent and took our seats. A server promptly brought over a menu.
‘There are so many unfamiliar dishes, probably because we’re near the Dungeon….’
Come to think of it, this was my first time eating at a proper restaurant since arriving in this world.
Even when I earned money selling monster materials, I’d turn away from restaurants in my shabby clothes without a spare outfit to my name, too self-conscious to enter.
Besides, I’d been so consumed with hunting in Verastin that I barely had time to eat proper meals.
When I glanced across the table, Radi was flipping through the menu with a troubled expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“…You don’t think anything looking at this?”
“About what?”
“It’s way too expensive! Simple pickled vegetables for 3 pence, stew with just a bit of meat for 6 pence. And they’re even charging for plain water…! What is this!”
“Well, I almost cursed myself when I first saw it… but it’s filthy and petty, so there’s nothing to be done. Looks like these prices are standard around the Dungeon. …That fever medicine I took yesterday was two silver coins?”
“What, what?! You made me eat something that expensive!?”
“Your fever was burning up. What else could I do.”
“Then, then I’ll pay you back right now…!”
“Forget it. Don’t worry about that.”
“Then at least let me pay for the meal….”
“I already said I’d buy the meal. If you’re really sorry, just treat me to dessert.”
“…Understood. Then we’ll do it that way… huh?”
Wait, doesn’t that naturally mean we’d have to eat dessert together too?
｢Radi, realizing she’s been tricked, glares at you with reproachful eyes!｣
｢Agility increases by 1.｣
Though Radi shot me a sharp look, I brazenly averted my gaze.
‘Let’s see… what kind of menu would a kid like….’
“We’ll have the venison stew and mushroom cream soup, please.”
The moment I ordered the dish she’d been staring intently at since we entered, Radi looked up at me with wide eyes.
“Just now….”
“You looked like you wanted it, so I ordered it. If you don’t feel like it, should I get something else?”
“…I don’t mind anything. I was forced to come here in the first place anyway.”
｢Radi’s expression softens slightly as she leans back against her chair!｣
｢Radi’s mood improves, and Luck increases by 2.｣
‘Looks like I made the right call.’
She’s trying her best not to show it, but the stats don’t lie.
Her body must be aching, and no one would turn down hot broth and meat.
And there’s one more thing.
‘…This kid is incredibly stingy.’
When we first met, didn’t she eagerly accept free alcohol from Malton, or make do with hard ship biscuits for meals?
For a D-rank Adventurer, she shouldn’t be that desperate for money, yet she seems uncomfortable eating at a restaurant like this, glancing around nervously from beneath her hood.
‘This place isn’t exactly a high-end restaurant either….’
Adventurers typically indulge themselves for a day after completing a request, but this fellow seemed oblivious to such pleasures.
I wondered what reason he might have.
“…Well, this works out perfectly.”
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing. Anyway, after we eat, do you have anything to do?”
“Huh? Why are you asking…?”
“If you don’t have anything planned, come somewhere with me for a bit.”
I stretched casually and made the suggestion as if it were nothing, all while harboring the ambition to win his favor during this rest period and recruit him as a proper companion.
I stretched casually and made the suggestion as if it were nothing, all while harboring the ambition to win his favor during this rest period and recruit him as a proper companion.
As I smiled openly and met his gaze, Radi narrowed his eyes as if wondering what scheme I was plotting now.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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