Volume 3 Chapter 31 The Messenger From The Port City Châtillon I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Oh, what should I do?! Should I write a customer service manual? But wait, MoiMoi can’t even read! She’s the most troublesome little one!”
”By the way, Her Excellency mentioned wanting to see ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’ in its unadorned state. I think as long as you keep it clean and carry on as usual, it should be fine.”
”That’s just flattery!” “Carrying on as usual is a recipe for disaster! We’ll be executed if we keep that up!”
They both chimed in at once.
It seemed that the father and daughter, half-crazed with worry, needed a moment to calm down.
”I would love to help if there’s anything I can do──though I’d like to say that I actually have a personal request waiting for me in Châtillon, and I plan to depart from here within the next couple of days.”
”Châtillon, the seaside city in the southwest!? How nice! I’ve never seen the sea since the day I was born.”
”Sorry… I must be making things difficult for you.”
”No, it’s totally fine. I’m having fun helping out my dad with his work.”
”I’ll bring back some souvenirs for you. Is there anything you hope for?”
”No, that’d be too much trouble. Besides, I’ve already received too much olive oil as it is.”
”Exactly. Soon enough, the cost of your meals will be immeasurable with all this generosity, Kian.”
Esther nodded seriously.
However, Robert cast an expectant gaze toward Kian, saying, “But that aside…”
”If I give you some money, could you buy a few bottles of wine over there?──Is that too much to ask?”
”Dad… Of course that’s out of the question!”
”I’m fine with it. What do you want?”
”Uhhh… That feels a bit too greedy…”
Esther lowered her brow and glanced at the bottles of soap and olive oil.
Robert crossed his arms, wearing a pitiful expression.
”Still, it’s true we can’t go to Châtillon because the shop is busy. Esther, do you know what that town is known for?”
”Isn’t it famous for spices and perfumes? I’ve heard people talk about the spices from Azrael and Shin, and how even saffron can’t compete with their prices!”
”Ah, they do sell those imported goods, but more than that, this place has been famous for its wine for ages. There are plenty of shops that offer wine made from grapes found only by the sea and distilleries boasting centuries of history. I heard in passing during my Adventurer days that Châtillon originally gained its wealth through the trade of spirit drinks in this very street.”
”Really now?”
”With distilled spirits, they can dilute it later with ice, herbal water, or fruit juice, allowing them to sell it in bulk after transportation. Personally, I want to collect rare wines and also use them in my confectionery. Well, I suppose Kian will be heading into a tavern over there too, so if you could snag a few bottles while you’re at it, I’d be grateful. Of course, I’ll pay extra for your troubles.”
”Understood. I’ll take that task.”
”Oh, should I place this order as a Quest with the Adventurer Guild?”
”Would you mind doing that?”
The bear-man raised his hand and laughed heartily.
”Not a problem at all! It wouldn’t be right for me to gain everything for myself; I ought to help you earn a few contribution points. After all, even the smallest contribution can pile up to a mountain.”
”Thank you, Mr. Kian.”
”It’s nothing. I’ve received much help from Esther and Mr. Robert.”
Kian smiled warmly.
Esther’s cheeks flushed at the sight of his grin, gazing up at him with a look that could be described as almost enchanting.
It probably wasn’t good for her to wear such a face in front of Robert; did she even realize it?
Regardless, Kian had no choice but to play the oblivious man, unaware of Esther’s feelings.
A few seconds later, Robert deliberately shifted the topic.
”Speaking of which, how many Adventurer points have you accumulated? When do you think you’ll be eligible for an intermediate rank?”
”I’ve nearly got enough points to reach Rank 7. I reckon I’ll be able to take the intermediate rank qualification exam sometime next month.”
”You’ve been racking up quite a few personal requests lately, haven’t you? It’s almost mind-blowing how fast you’re progressing, but I guess that’s just typical for you.”
”Thanks to the folks at the fortress, the work hasn’t dried up just yet. Things have settled down a bit, and I can finally focus on quests,”
”Once you’ve got that intermediate-rank qualification, the advanced-rank should be just around the corner.”
”Is that so? Dad said before that advanced-rank isn’t something you can just breeze through.”
Esther knit her brows in surprise, but Robert just shook his head nonchalantly.
”If you can keep taking on Rank 2 quests after becoming intermediate-rank, it’s pretty quick. But──say, going from Rank 6 to 2 ranks up is a Rank 4 quest. That means facing seasoned individuals like Griffins, or if you’re unlucky, Kelpies or Arachnes for a slaying request. An average Joe wouldn’t last against those monsters in a row. You’d be lucky to escape with severe injuries. Your party members will start complaining, and you might end up with someone who breaks down mentally.”
”────”
”So, when everyone reaches intermediate-rank, they deliberately slow down. Just by picking up whatever quests are posted on the Adventurer’s Guild board, you can make an average of 5 silver coins a day. By then, most have one or 2 ‘regular clients’ they can earn efficiently from. That’s why those who make it to Rank 6 don’t go off challenging Griffins every 3 days. It’s suicide, and they can live just fine without doing that.”
Robert squinted his eyes dazzlingly at Kian.
”Even reaching intermediate-rank, to keep tackling Rank 2 and above high-difficulty Quests, you’ve got to be a genuine genius or a battle maniac. Most of those types end up biting the dust during Quests. It’s fine when you’re Rank 6, but once you hit Rank 5, the highest you can reliably go is Rank 3. You can’t constantly take on Rank 3 Quests without expanding your operational range, and there just aren’t many of them to begin with. Without connections to nobles or big merchants, you’re stuck picking off the local Guild’s Quest board bit by bit. And once you hit your mid-thirties, even humans start to show signs of decline and shift towards maintaining the status quo. That’s why there are so few advanced-rank Adventurers. It wasn’t like this in the old days…”
”Actually, Rean and the others had already reached the most advanced-rank by the time they were 20.”
”That guy’s a proper beast. To hit the highest advanced-rank at just under 8 years, that’s some wild ride. It’s a wonder there wasn’t more grumbling from the party.”
Robert nodded firmly, then hunched his shoulders.
Kian’s smile was met with, “What are you grinning at? You’re the same kind of person as Rean,” he said.
Esther puffed up her cheeks and retorted spiritedly, “Mr. Kian isn’t a monster!”
”I’m complimenting the beast here… Hey, Kian. You planning on staying in all day?”
”After breakfast, I’m scheduled to process beast hides with my companions. After that, I’ll purify myself and prepare for the journey.”
”Alright, I’ll whip up a simple lunch for you to take with you. Something easy to grab on the go.”
”Thank you.”
”No worries, no worries. Let me do this much for you. ────I’ll give you the money for the wine before you leave for Châtillon, just give me a shout when the time comes.”
With that, Robert tucked away Kian’s gift and retreated towards the main house.
* * *
After breakfast, they regrouped with Rufna, who had returned from the Guild, and set off towards the Eastern Forest.
Rufna, hidden within the forest, gathered the furs she had stashed away, quickly processing them to be sold as merchandise.
The fat that clung to the underside of the pelts should have been neatly scraped off and preserved, but with time not on her side──and no use for the fat──she buried it in the earth instead.
The unexpected abundance of furs meant that the day was spent entirely on the task, pushing her market run to the next day.
That night, she returned to the training ground, crafting an impromptu bath cauldron there, to wash off the stench and greasiness.
She longed to be with Rufna, but her body reeked too much of beast, prompting her to prioritize cleansing.
As dawn began to break, she erased the campsite’s traces, bringing her lengthy bath time to an end.
By the time the sun rose and adventurers were heading out from the gates to the fields, Natra returned, having taken Sword-Cain and the others back to Dacia.
Upon her return, when they all went to the Adventurers’ Guild, they found a missive from Guy already waiting, informing them that an escort would arrive later that day.
This sent them into a flurry, gathering supplies needed for their stay in Châtillon.
According to the message, Châtillon would provide the accommodations and meals during their stay, but they were lower-rank adventurers after all, unsure when they might be evicted on a noble’s whim.
There was no guarantee of a proper bed, so it was better to be prepared with items for camping, like torches and preserved foods.
By the time Kian and the others had gathered their necessities and returned to ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn,’ the sun was high in the sky──it was nearly noon.
”──Let’s have lunch first.”
They pushed open the door of ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn,’ their packs bulging with items.
”You should eat some vegetables, milady.”
”Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Rufna? I’ll eat them if Sir Kian does, no need to tell me.”
Natra coolly shot Rufna a glare, as was her habit when she had a bit of free time.
If someone were to ask them, “You two, are you perhaps not on good terms?” they’d deny it with a completely straight face, leaving others none the wiser.
Inside ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’, several patrons were drinking even at midday.
Behind the counter, Melissa was standing idly, yawning with boredom.
She was mid-throat-clearing when she seemed to notice Kian’s entrance.
Her face instantly flushed crimson, as if about to burst into a huff, and she stomped towards him.
”Hello, Ms. Melissa. Is Esther baking bread?”
”Did you see?”
”Huh?”
”I mean, when I was yawning. Did you see?”
”Yes.”
”────! ~~~~”
”Say, serving lady, more importantly, is the magician who came to visit us from Châtillon here?”
”What!?”
”Lady Melissa, we have business with that person. We’ll be happy if they haven’t arrived yet.”
Natra said that in a serious tone, and Melissa, who had been puffing out her cheeks at Kian, reluctantly backed down.
It seemed Natra was a thorn in her side.
”I’ve been standing here the whole time, but I haven’t seen anyone like that. No one took a room, and all the guests are here in this hall.”
Some were drinking, and others were playing cards at the large table in the back.
Even at ‘The Boar’s Trot Inn’, which is popular with adventurers, it was like this during the day when the main clientele wasn’t around.
”Sir Kian, according to the letter from Lord Guy, the magician is supposed to be teleported here at noon.”
”We can just wait while we eat. It might make a bad impression, but I don’t care. Little lady, one pheasant with berry sauce, please.”
Rufna quickly claimed a nearby seat.
Kian and Natra followed, and Melissa went into the kitchen to relay the order.
”She didn’t even take mine or Sir Kian’s order yet.”
”That’s Melissa’s quality, isn’t it…”
”Hey, Master, want to play a card game while we wait?”
No matter how you slice it, playing cards all the time is bound to leave a terrible impression on the other side, so it’s a no-go.
Just as the 3 of them breathed a sigh of relief, the shop’s waiter Moimoi peeked in with a tiny frame, her body wiggling.
”Yo-ho, Kian! Kian, are you here? The lady, Renaud──or Shateon, something like that──is calling for you!”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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