"Well, what shall I do today..."
After eating breakfast at the inn where he was staying, Alan stepped outside.
That was when Sharl arrived.
"Alan."
"Good morning, Sharl. What's the matter? It's unusual for you to come see me. What, is it going to rain blood today or something? Just kidding."
"Alan, that commission you just took — Randy, was it? He's been unconscious and in critical condition since last night. And his right arm got cut off."
............
Did I hear that wrong?
"Sharl, where is Randy right now?"
"He's at the doctor's. I'll take you there."
◇◇◇
"Ugh... Randy, Randy, how did this happen... I thought he was finally going to confess to me..."
"Miss, Randy is already... At least hold his left hand for him."
When Sharl and I arrived at the doctor's place, there was a girl clinging to Randy's bedside, weeping.
"And who might you two be? Relatives of Randy?"
The doctor in his white coat asked, but right now, none of that mattered.
Randy was covered in wounds from head to toe.
His face was swollen, and the bandages wrapped all over him were soaked with blood.
On the table beside his bed lay his clothes, equally drenched in blood.
The black suit with a tie, likely the only one he owned, was torn to shreds.
And then... from the right elbow down, his arm was gone.
"Regeneration Heal."
A soft green light enveloped Randy.
After the light faded, Randy lay sleeping peacefully, his wounds across his entire body healed and his right arm fully regrown.
"This is... a restoration spell on par with what the Saintess herself would use... Just who are you?"
"I'm an acquaintance of Randy's. I only just finished the job."
"You... you're the one who healed Randy...?"
A girl with long golden hair was staring at me with a look of utter disbelief.
So this must be Randy's girlfriend.
"Yes. He's going to be fine now. I think it'll still be a while before he wakes up, though."
"Th-thank you so much! My name is Elize, and I will never forget this debt for as long as I live! If there's ever anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask!"
◇◇◇
With Randy healed, I left him in the care of the doctor and Elize, and Charle and I headed to the café he ran out front.
Ever resourceful, Charle had already sent his subordinates to investigate the matter.
Charle received a report from one of his men.
"Master, it seems Randy was found in a dark alley. According to eyewitnesses, the ones who left the scene took with them his right arm — still clutching the flower."
"Oh. So they attacked him, but when he wouldn't hand over the flower, they cut his whole arm off?"
"That's likely the case. Also, this was found at the scene."
What his subordinate held out to Charle was a pendant engraved with the image of a horned wolf.
"This is... the crest of Marquis Galm's household."
"Yes. Upon investigation, the attackers were three elite mercenaries employed by Marquis Galm. The one who gave the order appears to be Dalton, the marquis's son."
"Eldest son of Marquis Galm, Dalton, huh. A good-for-nothing who can't cut ties with his parents, looks down on commoners as livestock. And he's famous for approaching every beauty in the capital only to get shut down every time. Oh—hey, Alan!"
Alan stood up from his seat.
"...You're going to pick a fight with the marquis's household."
The guy who'd try to swoop in and steal the results of a quest someone else had accomplished—something like that.
"I absolutely won't forgive him. I'll torment him slowly and crush him to death."
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Perhaps not the most fitting line for a protagonist.
Skills: [Reverse], [Divine Eye], [Sword God], [Fist God], [Spear God], [Scorching Magic], [Freezing Ice Magic], [Clear Storm Magic], [Rock Iron Magic], [Holy Magic], [Dark Magic], [Space-Time Magic], [Thunder God Sword], [Gentleman Thief], [Ninja Master], [Seeker of Truth], [Supernatural Power], [Idaten], [Pain Relief], [Complete Status Abnormality Resistance], [Dark Spirit's Protection], [Super Intuition], [Heaven's Gate], [Contractee of the Abyss], [Magic Hand], [Treasure Search], [Seduction], [Incitement], [Telemesmerism], [Eloquence], [Strong Luck], [Growth Speed x10], [Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!