Starting Fresh, With A Dirty Slate!

Part 1

In the busy Adventurers Guild, 2 people sat on a table.

One of them was me, Slate.

“Hey, let me take a look at what’s underneath that helmet of yours, Slate.”

“-Yeah sure. Just show me your chest and we’ll call it even.”

“Absolutely not, my body belongs to Ali! Not you! Where did you get that idea from? Ugh, just the thought of it makes my skin crawl.”

I crossed my arms, scoffing as the woman who had just asked me to take off my helmet curled back defensively.

The woman in question was Christina, the mage of our adventuring party. And she had eyes on someone else.

I snorted in response.

Of course, my facial expression couldn’t be seen by them.

I wore a knightly closed-helmet that covered my entire face.

Although, in contrast to the steel helmet I wore, the outfit below was completely leather and light akin to that of a poorly equipped Crusader.

My Job Class was: Holy Crusader.

“You can’t just ask a man to do something, and expect him to do it for free! How about it, if you’re so curious about what my face looks like, let me fondle those jugs of yours as payment, eh?”

Before I could say or do anything else more, I felt a hand karate chop my steel helmet from behind.

“Ow!”

“-Stop sexually harassing Christina!”

The woman from behind had short messy silver hair that reached only the base of her neck with a hint of shining purple with two bangs coming from both sides of her face.

She wore tight shorts and a durable bra-like top that exposed her stomach with two daggers held by a leather strap beside her waist.

She looked like your average tomboy.

Her name is Ionia, Job-Class: Thief.

I turned around, and took a glance at Ionia’s flat chest, and glanced back at Christina’s large chest and heaved a heavy sigh.

“Haah~… Not up to par.”

“-Hey, can you tell me exactly what isn't up to par? Hey. Tell me why exactly you sighed in disappointment after looking at me then Christina. Is there something she has that I don’t? Hey. Tell me.”

With veins popping from her temple, Ionia grabbed my collar, pressing her forehead against my cold helmet as she coldly muttered.

She had an empty scary look in her eyes.

“N-Nothing.”

I looked away in submission while raising my hands in surrender.

The last time I made fun of Ionia’s body, my groyne suffered a devastating hit. I’m not going through that again.

Used to my antics, Ionia let go of me and took a seat beside Christina.

“Alright, good job on the quest today Ionia, Christina and Slate. You all did well, I got the reward money here along with the quest we’re gonna do tomorrow.”

While Christina and Ionia were having a little chat, a mature burly-looking brown bearded man who looked to be shy of being middle-aged approached with a medium sized pouch of gold and a sheet of paper.

He stood in front of the table, facing the sides of me and the girls as he slammed the sheet of paper onto the table.

“-Another quest, Ali? What is it, and why so soon?”

While my party members were chatting, I sighed, covering my face with my palm.

“Urgh… I’m so hungry! Too hungry!”

With that proclamation, I grabbed my share of the reward and walked out of the guild.

My stomach growled intensively.

…

Part 2

A few hours later –

“Get the hell out of here, helmeted bastard! You’re good for business because you’re trash at gambling, but I can’t have you harassing my customers damn it!”

I was thrown out of the one of many small casinos in town.

“Isn’t it proper manners to thank a lady for looking so good with a compliment? I see nothing wrong here mate!”

What’s so wrong with complimenting a good-looking lady?

“You didn’t thank her, you groped her! You know, one of my best dealers is holed up in her own house refusing to come out to work, and that’s because of your constant ‘compliments’! You’re a cunt, never come back!”

From the perspective of anyone other than Slate, he was the worst.

The owner of the Casino shut the door loudly.

“Whatever… I blew all the money I got from the quest today… I want a cold hard beer.”

I spent so much time gambling that I forgot to buy food. Just looking at posters of food posted on the restaurant walls made my mouth water.

Getting up on my feet, I adjusted my crusader helmet before walking down the street.

It was quite difficult to see with a helmet that covered the majority of my sight, but I’ve worn this for quite some time so I’m used to it.

In the town for Intermediate Adventurers “Ally”, it was just about sunset, the sky was dark orange in the town.

Apparently, I was an infamous delinquent adventurer in town.

“-I don’t even have enough to get a beer. And no cute ladies around… Damn it. I guess I’ll just go home.”

The sun was setting anyway, it was time for me to turn myself in.

…

Making my way to the small cheap Inn, my eye caught a petite-looking woman with short silver hair sitting in the inn’s lounge seats.

“Heya, Ionia.”

This was the same woman who karate chopped my head earlier this morning, my Thief party member.

“Look, Slate. Just because you blew all your quest money on gambling so you have nothing to drink or eat doesn’t mean I’ll lend you any money.”

Before I could even say anything further than that of a greeting, Ionia blasted me with a habitual statement suddenly and without warning.

She predicted everything.

Though yes, I was going to ask her for some cash. What’s so wrong with that? Shouldn’t friends help each other out?

“That’s rude! How did you know I spent all my money on gambling today? Maybe I spent it on important armour fitting for a Crusader.”

“If you did buy proper armour, I would be proud of you. Come on, buy some armour already. You can’t be a vanguard if you wear only leather. Also, it just sounds about right for you to lose it all to gambling. So, did you?”

She was on the mark.

“-Yeah.”

“And did you buy any proper armour?”

“-Nope.”

“Then why do you have that stupid helmet for?! Why can’t you spend more wisely? It’s frustrating enough that we’re sharing a room in the inn, but that’s only because it would be bad if us, the vanguard of the party, were to be in bad condition before a dangerous quest!”

Ionia frustratingly gulped a mug of iced water after saying that.

“For that, I’m very thankful.”

I bowed slightly.

I kind of felt like a street dog, but that was okay.

“If you’re thankful, then stop gambling!”

She slammed the empty mug on the table as she retorted angrily.

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“Listen here, Ionia. Gambling is just a part of a man’s life. You can’t just take that away from me, who would I be without it?”

I clasped my hand together, and spoke in a gentle tone.

“A proper human being.”

But Ionia replied harshly.

“-Anyways, take off that helmet already. Why do you always keep it on, you even wear it to sleep. Come on, take it off and show me your face. I’ve never seen it before, I wanna see it.”

Ionia sighed and changed the subject to something she was more interested in.

“If you want to see it, let me touch your- …Eh, nothing.”

I glanced at Ionia’s chest, and stopped my sentence midway.

“Why did you stop, Slate? Why don’t you finish up what you were saying? Why don’t you tell me straight? Eh? Actually, step outside, let’s fight.”

The air suddenly felt heavier.

Before the situation could get worse, I made a tactical retreat out of the inn.

…

“Looks like I won’t be going back there for a while.”

The sun had just about set, and the streets were getting darker. At this point of time, there were very few people out walking about the streets of Ally, probably finding their way home.

I could hear my stomach growl repeatedly and loudly.

“Shut up already! You won’t be getting anything to eat today.”

I screamed at my stomach, who’s been misbehaving the entire day.

There are no places that are willing to give out food for free.

Oh right! The church!

Considering that I was a Holy Crusader of the Water Goddess, I knew exactly which church to visit.

I made my way to the Water Goddess Church.

Making my way up the steps, I reached the large double doors and opened it without warning.

What greeted me was a familiar presence, Young Priestess, who was cleaning the wooden church benches near the door.

“What’s up.”

My tone implied that I was smirking, I waved toward Young Priestess, she was a familiar face.

“Ugh, it’s Slate, the two-bit thug. A stain on our church.”

Young Priestess looked away with a distorted expression of what looked to be disgust after seeing my face.

“What was that? Come on, greet me properly.”

“Welcome to the church, Holy Crusader Slate… What business do you have with us today, the Church Of The Water Goddess? If you’re here to beg for money, please leave.”

Young Priestess managed to say with a forced smile, one eye twitching in sheer exasperation as she forced herself to speak politely.

Since I was a Holy Crusader, I was technically her superior.

But, she doesn’t like me.

“Ah, can you spare some bread and water please? Pretty please? I’m so hungry that I can’t stand it anymore. You’re so cute when you smile, I know you’re struggling to keep it up but you should keep it up the best you can.”

The holy priestess’s eyebrow twitched multiple times.

This wasn’t the first time I came begging for food and water.

But I was a Holy Crusader, they wouldn’t refuse me. Especially not her.

I was her superior, after all.

“Sorry, we’ve run out of spare food and water. Please come back another time. And being called cute by you doesn’t make me feel a thing, two-bit thug Holy Crusader Slate. ”

“Eh? But I clearly see boxes of bread at the back-”

“Please come another time!”

With that, Young Priestess shut the door.

“Oh come on! I’m a starving Crusader in need, the Goddess Of Water won’t look favourably on you well if you refuse a man in need!”

I banged on the church’s door loudly with my fists.

“Shut up! Because of you, the reputation of the Water Goddess is being driven into the ground! It’s really really hard to convert people when everytime we mention the Water Goddess, people think of you! Please stop being a nuisance!”

From behind the door, Young Priestess could be heard shouting, although it was muffled greatly.

“Ah..”

Ignoring the complaints of the priestess, I rested my hand on the hilt of my blade pressed up against the side of my waist and sat on the church’s steps.

I looked at the dark sky and the bright moon while sitting down before heaving a sigh:

“Okay look. I’m sorry for spreading all those false rumours about you guys, alright? Can you please let me in?”

“Wait what? You spread false rumours about us? Is it this fucking head? Is it this brain that keeps ruining our reputation?! Slate! I won’t forgive you! I will never forgive you! Never! Aaaaaaah–!”

The door flung right open and the priestess ran out and grabbed my shoulders from behind and shook me.

“What did you say about us, Slate?! Please don’t go ruining our reputation even more!”

She had a teary expression on her face as she shook me forward and back over and over again, I was feeling a little bit dizzy from it all.

“The Church of the Water Goddess is slowly dying out in this town anyways, right? I don’t think it matters.”

“Dumbass! It’s because we’ve become a minor religion in this town that it matters a lot, and it always mattered!”

Young Priestess ran down the steps and turned to face me. She had an exasperated tight-lipped expression on her face as she placed a hand on her hips, with the other pointing at me.

“I’ll let you in to eat if you promise to take back those rumours first thing tomorrow morning! I don’t care what you said, take it back!”

At the prospect of food, my eyes widened.

“I’ll do my best, so please let me in.”

I gripped my fist.

“And you also have to help with church activities tomorrow! You’re a Holy Crusader, a position as respectable as an Arch-Priest, you have to act like it!”

The only thing on my mind was getting something to eat, whatever she was saying felt like a complete blur to me.

But I nodded and went “Mhm, sure” to whatever she was sternly lecturing me about while fantasising.

“-Alright, so where’s the food?”

Young Priestess was a pretty cute-looking girl, too bad she had a major dislike for me.

She had pure blonde hair with bangs that escaped from both sides and wore a blue nun-outfit with a frail build.

After we entered the church, she walked over to a box and took off the wooden lid, and threw me a piece of bread.

My stomach was gnawing at me. Begging me to eat it all in one go.

“Jeez, Slate. This is for the needy, so this is all you’ll get. I won’t give you anymore even if you beg on your hands and knees, okay?”

“I am the needy though.”

Taking a seat on the bench where the altar-boys usually sit at the edge of the church, I opened up the mouth-part of my helmet.

And that seemed to raise questions everytime.

“Hey Slate, can I see your face? Why do you always keep it on? We’ve known each other for a year now, let me see your face. I bet you’re some sort of ugly bastard.”

I’m very handsome, if I do say so myself.

Before I could take a bite of the stale succulent bread, Young Priestess interrupted with a smug remark. Her tone is a mix of curiosity and jest.

Feeling frustrated, I decided to tease her:

“The answer is no, unless you give me some sort of ‘special service’ in the confession room. Or unlimited access to bread everyday.”

“Please don’t say such sacrilegious things in church. Anyways, before you eat, can you carry the flour to the front for tomorrow’s breakfast distribution? And it’s for the needy!”

Young Priestess was dulled out by the usual harassment I threw onto her, so she didn’t give a strong reaction to that. Instead, she asked me to do something.

Infuriating.

“Tsk. You’re pretty cocky for a Priestess.”

“-No, you’re the one who’s cocky for someone who rarely participates in church activities and work. The least you can do is that, please.”

Ignoring Young Priestess, I stood up to heed her request.

The church had two adjacent buildings beside it, housing orphans and church workers along with the supplies As a Holy Crusader, I worked here sometimes and was familiar

With the untouched bread still in hand, I walked into the hallways into one of the buildings.

I saw a lone child, an orphan, exploring the church mischievously at night.

Perhaps from getting caught by a grown-up, the little girl froze, and smiled awkwardly with a ‘ah, you got me’ look.

She looked up at me, or more accurately, she looked at the bread.

I was pretty hungry, my stomach was still growling.

“Gurr…”

I heard her stomach growl too.

The little girl glared at my piece of bread, like it was prey.

“Gurr.”

Her stomach growled again.

It was the last piece I had, Young Priestess definitely won’t give me any more.

I haven’t eaten anything today either.

This bread looked delicious in my hand, even though it was stale; hunger makes anything look and taste delicious. Having eaten nothing today, this was my only piece of sustenance and felt like a bag of gold in my hands.

There was no way I’d give it to this kid—-

“-Thanks, tall Helmet guy! Hahahaha.”

With a quick hug, a bright warm smile formed on the little girl’s face before ran back to her room victoriously.

My stomach growled more intensely than before, it was painful.

But, that was fine.

In spite of what my stomach said, I felt full and satisfied.

…

“-Anyways, thanks for the food. I really appreciate it. Really”

Even though I didn’t eat anything. It was against the rules for her to even give it to me, she could have gotten in huge trouble if caught.

I gave a sincere grateful smile, tapping her shoulder lightly.

“It’s not like you to thank others for doing you a favour…”

After receiving gratitude from me, the colour in Young Priestess’s face completely drained as she looked at me with a glint of suspicion, easing her body back defensively.

“What’s the matter with you? I’m always a good, grateful and generous person!”

I smiled pridefully, pointing toward my helmet with a thumb side-ways.

“...That’s not correct. In fact, that’s a bold-faced lie. Not only is it a serious joke that you consider yourself grateful, but it’s not even funny if you call yourself good. But you look like you’re being genuine for once, so I’ll believe you.”

Despite her harsh words, the Priestess smiled at the end.

Did she see what I did earlier?

…

In the bathroom–

After locking the door, I glanced at myself in the mirror.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen my own face without the helmet.

With a steady hand, I unlocked the mechanisms holding my steel helmet in place. As I removed the helmet, revealing my face still covered in cloth like a ninja, I felt a familiar unease settle in the pit of my stomach.

My brows furrowed, and I turned my head slightly to the side, unable to meet my own reflection head-on in the mirror.

It was impossible.

A deep, desperate feeling of nausea washed over me. I reached up, gripping the side of my head tightly as if to push the feeling back down, to keep it buried where it belonged.

My brows furrowed as my head slightly turned to the side to look away.

“Ugh… This is why I hate washing my face.”

I washed my face, scrubbing away the remnants of the day, before quickly replacing my helmet.

That feeling disappeared.

[End Prologue]