Remembering that night, Eídal couldn't help repeating the same thought in his head.
Yes. This is definitely going to be difficult.
"And?" the heroine pressed.
Her short hair and imposing height made her presence all the more intimidating.
"Um, well... uh. Cough, cough."
Eídal broke into a cold sweat.
Ah! Th-this is bad.
He had never imagined that maintaining a calm demeanor would prove impossible.
"Can't you speak any louder?"
"...Um."
It wasn't that he had forgotten how to speak. The long years of lethargy were simply beginning to take their toll. The same thing had happened in the tavern.
At this point, maintaining even a decent conversation was beyond him.
"What a waste of time."
At the heroine's conclusion, Eídal swallowed hard.
Everything depended on what happened next.
Time to use one of the four thorcams!
He had taken it out beforehand. It resembled a snail shell with three small leaves attached to its end. It was no wider than two fingers, small enough to rest in his palm like a coin. At first glance, it was no different from some crude wooden ornament.
It was the thorcam imbued with the enchantment [Suppress Emotions].
Activating a thorcam required neither an incantation nor a spell. Only will.
Desire, as some called it, was the on-off switch.
Once a connection was established with a thorcam, it became little more than another limb of the user's body. It was worth emphasizing, however, that every thorcam possessed its own powers, costs, and side effects.
I want to run, but I can't. I'll do this for my family!
Eídal used the thought as a means of connecting with the thorcam in his hand.
In an instant, an imaginary screen appeared before him.
The heroine didn't seem to notice.
It was only the second time Eídal had seen this screen. The first time, its sudden appearance had startled him so badly that he nearly jumped out of his skin.
The screen was divided into two windows placed side by side. One displayed the primary emotions; the other, the secondary ones.
Eídal glanced over them.
Fear, disgust, and surprise were the emotions with the highest values.
Then he selected from among the many emotions displayed.
He had practiced this beforehand.
With his mind, he moved through the available options and switched off those that were negative. Finally, he increased the intensity of joy and confidence among the primary emotions, as well as pride and pleasure among the secondary ones, all of which had been sitting at zero.
By the time he finished and closed the screen, the trembling in his hand had stopped.
"If you're not going to speak, then I'll end this."
The Spear Heroine moved her hand as though she were about to brush away a fly.
Would such a simple movement really be enough to finish him?
Eídal didn't want to wait around to find out.
So, drawing a deep breath, he interrupted her.
"Well, well. You can't expect someone to talk while threatening them. Don't you think you should be a little kinder?"
Ah! Wh-what was that?! Did I really just say that?
The playful tone was completely different.
No, the very intention behind his words was different.
"So you really can understand human language after all."
The heroine's tongue was just as sharp as her gaze.
But Eídal wasn't about to be outdone.
"No, no. You really can't be kind, can you?"
"Enough with the detours. What's in your hand?"
"Hmm? You mean this?"
Eídal revealed the contents of his right palm.
It wasn't the snail-shaped thorcam, but a small blue pouch.
"Would you believe me if I said it just happened to end up in my hand by accident?"
G-Good! This is going pretty well, right? Right? Right?!
Thanks to the [Suppress Emotions] thorcam, he was managing to hold a normal conversation after so many years of lethargy.
"For a thief, that's a pretty pathetic excuse."
The heroine merely lowered her voice, but it was enough to make Eídal shut his mouth with an "Um."
She was the very image of a strict teacher.
"...M-Miss. Cough. I still don't know your name, but calling me a thief is going too far."
"What are you talking about?"
The girl he had collided with interrupted.
"You didn't even notice?"
The heroine pointed at Eídal as she scolded her companion.
"This little thief took your purse. Do you see it?"
"What?!"
They were talking about the small blue pouch Eídal was displaying in his hand.
While hiding the terror churning inside him, Eídal smiled.
Since his encounter with the heroine, he had already used three thorcams in total.
The one allowing him to suppress his emotions had been the third.
More precisely, the second had been used to take the girl's purse.
It carried the enchantment [Request Objects] and took the form of a kind of glove. It consisted of five wooden rings, one for each finger. Thin roots, fine as threads, held the rings together and connected them to a wooden bracelet worn around the user's wrist. Two long green leaves extended from either side of the bracelet.
Eídal wore this thorcam on the back of his right hand.
The magical item also displayed a kind of screen through which the user could select the object they wished to exchange.
There were two limitations when selecting an object.
First, the user had to offer something of equal weight in exchange for whatever they wanted to take. Eídal thought of this as a trade.
Second, activating the thorcam required physical contact with either the object itself or the person carrying it.
The [Request Objects] thorcam's screen also provided several helpful functions. For example, it could tell the user whether the weight of the object being taken matched the weight of the item being offered.
Eídal had simply used gravel from the street as payment for the girl's blue purse.
When the girl checked the pocket of her clothes, she let out a startled, "Huh?! What's this?!"
Then she pulled out a handful of small stones.
"But how...? I didn't even see it happen."
"It was pretty quick," the heroine explained.
Eídal sighed in admiration.
To be honest, even he hadn't noticed the exact moment the thorcam exchanged the gravel in his hand for the girl's purse.
By the time he stood back up, the purse was already in his possession.
That meant the heroine's senses were on par with those of the thorcams themselves.
"I'll just end this."
Th-this is bad. I need to calm down.
His nervousness was proof that Eídal had yet to overcome his trauma.
What are you willing to sacrifice for your family?
His master's question echoed through his mind once more.
So, gathering his courage, he spoke.
"Haah. I already told you it was an accident. When you fall, isn't it perfectly natural for your body to try to grab onto something? It was a reflex."
"You call that an excuse?"
"I-I already apologized... Ahem. By the time I realized what had happened, this thing was already in my hand. But when I tried to return it, you showed up."
The crowd that had gathered around them began murmuring as well.
"Hey, hey. Shouldn't he just bow his head and apologize? Doesn't he know he's talking to a hero?"
But Eídal answered them.
"A hero? I'm not the kind of person who gets excited about that sort of thing. I was just heading toward the outskirts of the city. I'd appreciate it if we could leave this misunderstanding here. So shoo, shoo."
Eídal waved his hand at them as though he were driving away a flock of birds.
The heroine's well-defined brows furrowed at his attitude.
But the other girl, embarrassed, interrupted.
"J-just give it back!"
"Then catch."
The heroine caught the pouch Eídal tossed into the air and whispered,
"Yes. Let's just get this over with."
She handed it back to the girl, who thanked her with a nod.
"Try to take better care of your things."
"Haah! Tell me about it. And you..."
The girl stared intently at Eídal.
"You weren't actually trying to steal it, were you?"
In response, Eídal merely shrugged.
To tell the truth, he had only done all this because his heart could no longer withstand the pressure of being the center of attention.
For the sake of his own peace of mind, this needed to end here.
"I hope we don't meet again."
"Likewise!"
Ignoring his companion's shout, the heroine silently watched Eídal leave.
The crowd, meanwhile, began to disperse as well.
F-Finally! It's over.
Haah. That was harder than I thought. I'm glad I practiced beforehand.
Eídal remembered how he had used the two drunks at the tavern to polish his performance.
Then, from the bottom of his heart, he offered another prayer for them.
I truly hope all that liquor tastes wonderful to them.
As he passed by the heroine, he whispered,
"Just try to relax."
He placed particular emphasis on the final word.
"Hero..."
With that, he walked past the group and continued at a brisk pace until he slipped into a side alley branching off the main street.
To be honest, he was afraid to look back.
The first step, which he had called the introduction, was complete.
All that remained was to force some form of cooperation.
But cooperation without an incentive was impossible.
That was why Eídal had demonstrated two things here: his abilities and his complete lack of interest in anything concerning heroes.
Now, he wasn't merely someone with potential.
Because he had shown no fear of them, he was also a safer person to associate with.
Or at least, that was what he believed.
I remember Ingrid once told me, "When someone shows interest in you, you'll become defensive. But when they're indifferent to you, you'll start to relax. That's a good way to approach dangerous people."
It was incredible that even now, she was still helping him.
I also managed to use the other thorcam.
He had placed it on the girl.
It was the thorcam imbued with the enchantment [Track Objects].
Following them would be easy now.
Without the heroine realizing it, the foundations of her downfall had been laid during this troublesome little incident.
After deactivating the [Suppress Emotions] thorcam, Eídal ducked behind a dumpster and vomited.
"Bleugh! Buaaagh! Buaaagh!..."
Coughing, stomach acid and half-digested crumbs splattered across the wall of the alley that served as a dumping ground. Some of what came up was simply the result of the pressure he had been under; the rest was a side effect of using the [Suppress Emotions] thorcam.
"I was told using a thorcam had side effects. Ugh!"
"Bleugh! Buaaagh! Buaaagh!"
"Haah, haah, haah. And..."
He looked down at his right hand, where the [Request Objects] thorcam was still attached.
"My hand hurts like hell."
His palm trembled slightly.
"Aggh! From the shoulder down!"
After emptying his stomach, Eídal tried to make his way out of the alley.
"Though the master did already tell me this: 'Using the [Suppress Emotions] thorcam causes vomiting, while [Request Objects] causes intense pain in the limb it's used on.' But hey! That last line came out pretty well, didn't it?"
He remembered what he had said to the heroine during their first encounter.
"Just try to relax, hero..."
Now she probably thinks I'm some intimidating, strong-willed guy!
...I'm kidding.
But one thing I'm certain of is that she won't forget my face.
Haah. All that's left is to force another encounter and prove my usefulness.
Once outside the alley, Eídal pulled a third thorcam from the wooden box hanging around his neck.
It looked like a stubby piece of branch no larger than the palm of his hand. At its center was a small leaf pointing in a particular direction.
It was a kind of compass, and it carried the enchantment [Track Objects].
Eídal spread a map across the ground and placed the thorcam on top of it.
At once, he could determine the location of the heroine's party.