The Path of an S-Rank Adventurer: The Boy Who Was Expelled from His Party Awakens to His True Power [Weapon Master] and Eventually Becomes the World’s Strongest

Encounter

Sasha was walking through the old commercial district with Reynold.

Today, the entire area seemed to have turned into an Antique Book Market.

Stalls lined with bookshelves, doors of old bookstores usually closed wide open, even makeshift café spaces turned into reading areas—there were so many people enjoying reading and shopping.

“This looks like something Tycoon would love.”

“He’ll probably come another day. Uh, looks like it runs for ten days.”

Reynold said, glancing at a parchment.

Then, he stole a glance at Sasha.

“The scent of old paper and ink is nice…”

Seeing Sasha in casual clothes was a rare sight.

A simple shirt and skirt—that was all. She didn’t seem fond of accessories, wearing only a wing-shaped hair ornament. The small bag with her wallet hung from her hand as she walked, drawing more than a little attention.

“Hey, isn’t that the S-Class…?”

“And that’s A-Class Reynold.”

“The rumor that they’re dating must be true.”

“Man, Sasha’s so cool.”

Probably adventurers, they whispered among themselves.

But Reynold didn’t mind it at all.

It had been a long time since he’d been alone with Sasha.

“H-Hey, Sasha. Let’s take a look around.”

“Sure. Oh, that bookstore over there… Hm, let’s check it out.”

It was a stall run by an elderly man wearing glasses.

The stall had just two small bookshelves and sold bookmarks as well.

“Silver-crafted bookmarks…”

“Welcome. Would you like one?”

“…The craftsmanship is exquisite.”

Sasha complimented him.

The butterfly-shaped bookmark was incredibly detailed.

The old man smiled warmly as he spoke.

“My grandson made those bookmarks… Heh, aren’t they beautiful?”

“Yes, they’re lovely… Alright, I’ll take this one.”

“Much appreciated. How about the books?”

“Oh, let’s take a look at those too.”

Sasha began browsing through the bookshelves.

Reynold stood beside her, watching her with satisfaction.

◇◇◇◇◇◇

Haise had stumbled upon an interesting book stall and bought a few intriguing antique books.

He stashed them in his item box and continued to browse other shops.

His companion, Presea, had vanished at some point. It seemed she had really gone off to explore bookstores on her own, which was a relief for Haise.

When he reached the center of the old district, the place was bustling with energy.

Haise entered the largest bookstore in the area and began browsing.

“It’s been a while since I came here, but this is great.”

Reading was his hobby. Haise liked books enough to say that outright.

At first, he had read to gain knowledge.

He enjoyed tactical books and memoirs written by retired adventurers. About half of those books were said to be “exaggerated,” but Haise enjoyed them all the same.

After leaving the large store, he entered a smaller antique bookstore on the outskirts and browsed the shelves.

He found a book with an interesting title.

“Oh, ‘The Adventures of S-Class Adventurer Gerald’… Was there really an S-Class adventurer named Gerald?”

S-Class adventurers were recorded in the Adventurer Registry of the Heiberg Kingdom.

The guild could confirm it too, so Haise thought he might look it up when he had time. He reached for the book.

At that moment, a soft hand reached for it from the side.

““Ah—excuse me… huh?””

It was Sasha.

Both of them had reached for the exact same book at the exact same time.

“Ah… s-sorry.”

“N-No, it’s fine.”

The conversation ended.

Haise was momentarily flustered but quickly regained his composure.

Then Reynold appeared.

“Hey, Sasha—wait, Haise? You’re here too?”

“Yeah. I’ve been busy since I was kicked out, didn’t have the time before.”

“…Is that so.”

There was a slight edge to Haise’s words, and Reynold frowned.

Haise continued.

“Are you two on a date? Must be nice, being such a close couple.”

“W-Wha, a couple…?!”

“Well, something like that.”

Reynold casually put his arm around Sasha’s shoulder.

“R-Reynold?!”

“See ya, Haise. Have fun.”

“…………”

“Wait, Haise. We’re not actually—“

“Haise.”

Presea appeared beside Haise, arms full of books.

“Looks fun. What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay. Hey, want to grab some tea? I’m tired from all this walking.”

“That’s your own fault for carrying so many books…”

Haise started walking, with Presea following behind.

Sasha stared after them, dumbfounded.

“…Hah. Looks like he’s not lonely, at least.”

For some reason, Reynold’s words struck Sasha right in the chest.