Once Reina-san headed into the back, Henry-san turned to look at me.
"Erik. Are you really sure about spending your own money for the village...? Your parents are still there, you know."
"It's fine. It's to help everyone else. Ah, but please don't tell them I was the one who paid for it, okay? You know how they'd react if they found out I was earning money, Henry-san."
"Ah, yeah... I know. Though honestly, I'm not even sure they're in any state to care about that sort of thing right now."
Hearing him say that, I asked if something had happened.
Even before I left, the villagers had harbored mixed feelings toward my family.
For starters, they had essentially neglected me as a child, and the other villagers had warned them about it countless times.
Yet no matter how many warnings they received, their attitude toward me never changed.
In the end, because my family kept acting that way right up until the day I left, most of the villagers had naturally distanced themselves.
"Besides, the only reason anyone hung around that house in the first place was for your sake, Erik."
"...I figured as much. I could never understand why such kind people would ever associate with a family like mine."
My family was strange.
Even though the neighbors knew how I was treated, they still made polite conversation and maintained friendly ties with them.
I had wondered so many times why such warmhearted people would do that.
Occasionally, the thought had crossed my mind that maybe they were doing it for me.
"Still, it's a complete mystery to me. Why did they single you out for that kind of treatment, Erik?"
"...Because they never planned on having me. They already had my two older brothers, after all."
"You told me that before, but no matter how I look at it, I can't help feeling there's more to it than just that... Well, I won't pry any further. I'm sure you don't even want to think about them anymore."
"I'm sorry."
Reading the expression on my face, Henry-san dropped the subject.
After that, I spent some time asking him how the village had been doing since my departure.
He told me that while they used to ask me for help with chores just to look out for me, they were now genuinely struggling without me around.
Apparently, I had been far too competent; even when they tried cleaning the same way, some dirt was always left behind.
On top of that, the time they had previously saved while I handled housework had allowed them to focus on farming.
Now, finding that extra time was difficult, leaving them with exhausting, busy days.
"I-I feel bad for causing so much trouble..."
"Haha, there's no need to apologize. It just made everyone realize all over again how much you contributed to the village. We're all cooperating and getting by, fondly remembering what an amazing kid you were."
"...Um, do you think it would be alright if I went back to visit someday?"
"Why are you asking something so obvious? You may have left, Erik, but it's still your hometown. Though when you do visit, you'll probably want to wear a disguise so they don't spot you and make a scene."
I nodded in agreement.
"I'll do that. It'd be a pain if they found me."
I had finally gotten away from that family, and I wanted nothing to do with them ever again.
While I was lost in thought, Reina-san returned from the back.
It seemed the quest paperwork was complete, and she went over the details to verify them with Henry-san.
They confirmed points like the location and the characteristics of the wyvern.
"Very well, I will post this on the quest board immediately. As soon as an adventurer accepts, we will dispatch them."
"Thank you very much."
The quest bulletin board.
I didn't use it myself, but adventurers typically chose their jobs by browsing the request forms posted there.
In my case, Reina-san always gave me recommendations, so I picked from those instead.
"For now, Henry-san, please get some rest today. If you stay this exhausted, you'll collapse before you even make it back to the village."
"Yeah, will do. Besides, now that the request is officially submitted, all the tension has drained out of me. I couldn't head back right now even if I tried..."
Henry-san had been pushed to his limits the entire time.
If he hadn't been able to post a request here, the village would have remained in grave danger.
He had probably intended to search on foot for any adventurer willing to take the job for low pay.
Thinking it would be unsafe to leave him on his own, I decided to walk him to an inn.
"Before we go, I just need to report the completion of my quest."
"Sure, sounds good. I'll wait here."
I handed my report form to Reina-san and collected my payment.
Cain-san's request paid a reward of five silver coins, which I took as is.
With that settled, I took Henry-san with me and headed to the inn.
"Sorry, you two. We don't have any vacant rooms."
"Ah, is that so? Sorry to bother you, then."
I had brought Henry-san back to Fledgling Pavilion, but we were told there were no rooms available.
It certainly was a popular inn.
Considering its reputation, an open room was hardly something you could expect on short notice.
"Is that person an acquaintance of yours, Erik?"
"Um, this is Henry-san, the son of the village chief from my hometown. He's always looked out for me, and since he came to the royal capital, I brought him here so we could stay at the same place."
"Oh, is that right? Hmm... Well, on the condition that you clean it up first, Erik, I wouldn't mind letting him use the large room."
Amanda-san made the offer, and by accepting her terms, I successfully managed to secure Henry-san a place to stay.
I could have tried another inn, but I didn't know of any place better than this one.
Since he had pushed himself so hard to reach the royal capital, I wanted Henry-san to get a proper rest.
With that thought in mind, I agreed to the condition and arranged his stay for the night.