Chapter 59

From the central square of the outer city, just off the South Avenue, there stood a large tavern.

The sign of the tavern, painted green, depicted a wine cup, and the name of the establishment was Green Oak Inn.

As the name suggested, it was a popular eatery where even Green Oak-class adventurers could afford to dine comfortably.

In the afternoon, in a corner table of the bustling tavern, Thor had invited four guests.

"I'm sorry to have taken up your time."

"No, it's fine at all! Right?"

"If you're buying us a meal, I'm always up for it, old man."

"You should show a bit more restraint. Ah, thank you."

"Hello, Thor. Is Sora not here today?"

"Yeah, she had a prior engagement."

"So, what brings you here today?!"

With a flushed cheek, Sisan leaned forward and asked Thor.

Seeing their leader's unusually enthusiastic demeanor, Hink and Alesia exchanged exasperated glances.

Beside them, Rikkar was ordering various dishes from the waitress without hesitation.

The four young adventurers were as energetic as ever.

Their carefree expressions made Thor relax a little, and he smiled.

Perhaps because his smile was rare, the three of them, excluding the red-haired boy, blinked in surprise.

Thor nodded slightly to cover it up and then brought up the matter at hand.

"To be honest, I'm a bit stuck. I could use some help."

Thor briefly explained the current situation at his hunting grounds to the still surprised Sisan and the others.

At first, the four listened with interest, but as the story progressed, their expressions grew tense.

Once they grasped the general situation, they all let out a deep sigh in unison.

"...It's a tougher place than I expected."

"Yeah, I can already see a future where Rikkar and Hink are just bickering all the time."

"What's that supposed to mean! I guess it could happen, though."

"True. If things continue like this, that's inevitable."

The four were now at a level where they could reliably hunt five groups of goblins a day.

However, with the costs of lodging, daily meals, and equipment repairs, their savings were almost depleted.

Still, the fact that they no longer had to take on odd jobs like night patrols of the outer walls was a significant improvement.

Seeing the four's gloomy faces, Thor tried to reassure them.

"Wait, wait. What I just told you is just based on my experience, and it's not necessarily all true. There might be more to the story, so it's too early to jump to conclusions."

"Is that so? But..."

"Yeah, and from what I know, your progress is impressive. If you keep this up, you'll soon have the chance to challenge the goblin cave. If you take it on carefully, like we did, you'll be fine."

"Old man, you know your stuff. Yeah, with me around, you can relax."

"True, with your recent performance, I can trust you as the front-liner."

"Hey, you should point that out. It's a good opportunity, right?"

With the usual banter between the two, Sisan and Alesia also regained their smiles.

Once the atmosphere returned, the red-haired boy, who led the group, spoke up.

"So, Thor, what's the problem? There are so many things that could be bothering you..."

"From what I can see, there's only one thing where we can be of help."

The sharp observation from the young archer made Thor nod in agreement.

"Yeah, I need a few magic stones."

Thor's request was for the group to give him some of the magic stones they had obtained.

In return, he would assist them in their adventures.

Selling acquired materials without going through the Adventurer's Guild was strictly prohibited.

However, transferring materials between adventurers was allowed.

In reality, within the factions of adventurers, such transactions often occurred secretly, and the authorities mostly turned a blind eye.

"Sure, I'd be happy to. How many do you need?"

"Hey, hold on. Don't decide so quickly, Sisan."

"That's right. We should hear everyone's opinion first."

"Hey, old man, can I order more meat?"

Unlike their impulsive leader, the other three remained calm.

Thor smiled again, appreciating the good balance among the group.

Thor chose them as trading partners not only because they had kept quiet about the <Restoration> effect but also because he genuinely wanted to help these sincere and promising young adventurers.

"As a token of appreciation, I can offer some advice and information, and of course, treat you to a meal like this."

"That's fine with me. A level 10 magic stone only sells for ten copper coins. I'll be gone as soon as I'm full."

"Thor's advice will be very helpful for our future. I'm in."

"If you can teach me the secrets of that amazing healing magic, I'm in. Plus, if Sora is in trouble, I want to help her."

"Hmm, I've heard that we might face a shortage of magic stones in the future. Do we have the luxury to give them away?"

In response to the long-haired boy's reasonable concern, Thor explained his thoughts.

"I think it will be fine. Once we move past our current hunting grounds, the next wilderness is said to be populated by sub-humans. If that's the case, we'll be able to return the magic stones. If I can't guarantee that, I'll back out immediately, so don't worry."

"...If that's the case, I'm in too."

The four nodded in agreement, and the food arrived just in time.

The large platter of fried potatoes came with plenty of thinly sliced garlic and melted butter.

The palm-sized, half-moon-shaped pies were filled with hot minced meat and sautéed onions.

The sausages, grilled over charcoal and spiced with red pepper, were served with a clear broth made from the bones of a sharp-beaked creature.

Cups of water infused with apple juice were distributed to everyone.

Just as Thor was about to suggest they start eating, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Hey, isn't that Alesia?"

"Wow, what are you doing here?"

"What else? Eating, of course. What else would we be doing?"

"Well, if you try hard enough, you might find something else. Like in the bathroom or something."

The voices belonged to three men.

Two with red hair and one with black hair.

All of them wore F-rank blue-bordered adventurer badges.

Amused by their own joke, the men burst into crude laughter.

One of them noticed Rikkar, who was turning away in disgust, and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, it's been a while, Rikkar. You haven't been showing your face around."

"Considering we called out to you, what's up? Not interested?"

"...I already told you, I don't want to join your group."

"Huh? Are you kidding me?"

"Is this some kind of late growth spurt? Maybe we need to retrain you, huh?"

"Hey, calm down. How about you bring Alesia around next time, and we'll let it slide."

The red-haired man, who seemed to be the leader, suggested something ominous.

The party's main defender spoke up.

"Excuse me, but Alesia and Rikkar are important members of our group. Please leave them alone."

"Who are you? What's with the sudden tough act?"

"Hey, read the room. This isn't the time to be cool."

"Cut it out, the food is getting cold."

Thor, who had turned around with a disapproving look, finally caught the attention of the three men.

Seeing the red-bordered adventurer badge on his chest, they hesitated for a moment.

But, perhaps unable to back down, one of them raised his voice forcefully.

"What are you looking at!"

"Hey, stop! That's the mud-fishing old man."

"...Really? ...Shit. That's the guy who beat up Lazzel one-sidedly—"

"...And the one who took down a hundred hobgoblins alone during the recent monster incident—"

The black-haired man's face turned pale as he glared at Rikkar.

"So, you're suddenly acting tough because of this, huh?"

"Are these guys part of the mud-fishing group...?"

"Wait, really? I'm part of the old man's group? For real?"

"Is that true, Thor?"

While Thor was unsure how to respond, the others were already moving the conversation forward.

"Damn, we can't mess with them. What do we do?"

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Your face is turning a weird color."

"Ugh, just looking at the old man's face made me feel sick..."

"Hey, don't throw up again. I don't want to clean it up. Damn, remember that!"

"No, it's bad if you remember. Forget it!"

The men left as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind a clumsy parting shot.

The four young adventurers, undeterred, began to talk excitedly.

"So, we're finally part of the outcasts, huh?"

"Yeah, I feel safe with Thor."

"Hey, Sisan, are you crying?"

"Ah, I just got a bit emotional. Sorry, Thor."

Seeing the tears in the boy's eyes, Thor couldn't bring himself to say no and instead gave a safe response.

"Come on, the food's getting cold. Eat up."

"Sure, thank you."

"Let's toast first, old man."

"Then, to our new companionship!"

"Cheers!"

Somehow, it had come to this.