Chapter 94

I've been keeping you waiting. I apologize for taking a week off.

Starting today, I will resume posting twice a week.

Al, who had successfully delivered the alnite to the border city of Lester, arrived at the inn he often stayed at, "The Blushing Sheep," in the evening on the day he parted ways with Malaki.

“I'm back.”

“Welcome back.”

Iris, who was cleaning in front of the inn, greeted Al with a bright smile.

“Is my room available?”

Even though he always stayed there, he hadn’t made a reservation for a specific return date. If it wasn’t available, he would have to find another inn. However, Iris smiled and nodded.

“It’s fine. Did you get hurt or anything? If you have any laundry, please let me know.”

Iris circled around Al, checking if he was injured, and then leaned in, comparing their heights.

“Al, have you grown taller? We were about the same height before, right?”

“Haha, maybe a little. I’ll bring my laundry out later, so please take care of it.”

Al scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

“By the way, I found a traveling merchant selling all sorts of rare items where I went. I thought this tapestry might be good for decorating the inn. Also, I found some brightly colored scarves, so I thought you might like them.”

Al said this and took out the tapestry and scarves from his backpack. The tapestry had a white background with a red sheep, which he thought would fit the inn's name, "The Blushing Sheep." The scarves were red with fine white stripes, and he bought four of them, one for each of the people who always helped him, including Lars. Both items were made using unique techniques from the neighboring kingdom of Tempest, making them somewhat rare in this area.

“Wow, they’re beautiful. Thank you, Al. I’ll show them to Papa and Mama!”

Iris bowed politely and happily took the items from Al. She was about to run inside with the broom in her hand but stopped and turned back to Al.

“The usual room on the second floor is available. You can use that one. I’ll have my brother bring your luggage up later.”

Al nodded, and Iris ran inside. Al watched her for a moment, then readjusted his backpack and went in.

-----

When Al entered the inn’s dining room, more than half of the seats were already occupied. He spotted Orson eating alone and sat down at his table.

“I’m back, Orson.”

“Hey, welcome back. Looks like you completed the mission safely. But it took quite a while. Did something happen?”

Orson asked this while bringing a piece of meat to his mouth with his fork.

“Yeah, various things. In my case, since I didn’t get injured, it was hard to justify going to the hot springs.”

Al explained to Orson that he had taken on a job of hunting deer in the village at the foot of the mountain to camouflage his trip to the hot springs for alnite mining. However, he decided not to mention the Tempest corpse, as its location, though guarded by Malaki, was accessible to anyone, and he didn’t know who might be listening in the dining room.

“I see. There are people your age who like hot springs, but it would be suspicious. It’s best to keep the alnite source a secret.”

“Al, what would you like? Today’s special is garlic sautéed pointy pig.”

Iris approached with a round tray. The headscarf she usually wore had been replaced with the red scarf Al had given her.

“Sure, I’ll have the special. Ah, you’re already wearing it. It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

Iris smiled happily and relayed the order to her father, Lars, in the kitchen. Orson, watching this, chuckled but then suddenly became serious, as if remembering something.

“By the way, Al, about that treasure sword. Quinta got a message. It seems the Rain Border Baron’s family inquired about it. They plan to show it to a viscount named Eugene, who is scheduled to visit during the Mushroom Festival. They want you to provide detailed information about where and how you found it. Would you come with me?”

The treasure sword Orson mentioned was the highly decorated sword Al found in a thicket after defeating Mutsashidora, where the remains of the victims were scattered. It seemed to be quite valuable and of noble origin, so he and the others had entrusted it, along with a ring that reacted to magic detection, to Quinta, a woman at the adventurer’s guild.

“When is it?”

“A few days before the Mushroom Festival. He hasn’t arrived in the city yet, but he’ll contact us when he does.”

The Mushroom Festival is about two weeks away. If it turns out to be a possession of the Rain Border Baron’s family, a significant reward might be expected. Given that it’s through the adventurer’s guild, it’s unlikely to be a scam to obtain the sword.

“Sure, I don’t have any plans for a long trip anyway.”

“Thanks. Maddock and Nigella won’t be back for a while due to work, so I was a bit worried about going alone. You’ve graduated from a middle school and know a bit about noble etiquette, so I’m counting on you.”

As Al and Orson were talking, Iris brought their food. It was a thick, well-marbled piece of meat with a delicious garlic aroma.

“Wow, it looks delicious. Let’s dig in.”

Al took the fork and knife, cut the meat, and started eating with a smile.

Thank you for reading.

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