Chapter 85

We headed to the Adventurer's Guild. The reason was to have Sharon's abilities evaluated by the beastman spearwoman, Beatrice Raval. Today, the four of us—Beatrice, Ridi, Sharon, and I—were going to enter the forest.

Sharon seemed a bit nervous after hearing about Beatrice, but when I told her, "She's not a bad person," she nodded and at least didn't show any signs of anxiety.

We waited in front of the guild, and Beatrice, clad in leather armor, arrived. As soon as she saw Sharon, she said, "You're a little lady," and squatted in front of Sharon. Sharon let out a small scream and flinched, and Beatrice, looking a bit sad, apologized to Sharon.

"I thought it would be okay because Zack didn't flinch... I'm sorry. I know my appearance can be scary..."

I placed my hand on Sharon's shoulder and said to Beatrice,

"Scary? Who said that? Come on, Sharon. You were just surprised, right?"

Sharon nodded slightly and said, "I'm sorry," bowing her head to Beatrice. Beatrice looked at me, unsure of what to say.

"I think you're beautiful. You're just big, but you're not scary at all."

I said what I honestly thought, but she patted my back and said, "Don't tease an adult." I stumbled and coughed, while Ridi turned away, looking annoyed and saying, "Stop fooling around."

I apologized sincerely and confirmed the day's plan with Beatrice. Beatrice, trying to cover up the earlier commotion, put on a serious expression.

"Today, I'll see Sharon's abilities. I believe Zack, but I want to see for myself. So, we'll go hunting in the nearby area today."

According to Beatrice's plan, we would search for monsters in a relatively safe nearby area. If she thought Sharon was worthy of sponsorship, we would return to the guild and complete the registration procedures. It seemed she was concerned after seeing Sharon.

Indeed, Sharon, who looked like a young lady, didn't seem like she could be a combatant. However, I secretly thought that Beatrice would be surprised today.

We headed north from the guild towards the forest. After about an hour, we found about ten killer bees, which would be perfect opponents for Sharon and me. The bees were about 20 meters ahead, moving from left to right, but they hadn't noticed us yet because I spotted them first. I smiled at Beatrice and said, "They're perfect opponents." She looked incredulous and whispered, "Do you know what you're dealing with? They're killer bees."

"Sure, they're dangerous for ordinary adventurers. But for the three of us, they're easy prey."

Beatrice seemed like she wanted to say something more, but she seemed to decide that she and Ridi could handle ten killer bees.

I whispered to Sharon, "Let's use the Blade Tornado." She nodded in agreement. We stood up and began casting the Tornado Slash spell. The killer bees noticed us and buzzed towards us.

"O great wind god who governs the many winds, grant me the raging tornado and the dancing blades. I offer the power of my life to you. Tear my enemies apart! Blade Tornado!"

As Sharon and I finished casting the spell simultaneously, two small tornadoes, about two meters in diameter, appeared in the forest. The tornadoes, picking up grass and leaves, headed towards the killer bees.

The bees, sensing danger instinctively, tried to avoid the tornadoes by splitting to the left and right. But this was exactly what we expected. My tornado moved to the right, and Sharon's to the left, leaving the bees with nowhere to go. If they were intelligent monsters, they would have turned and fled, but these insect-type monsters, driven by instinct, charged towards the edges of the tornadoes at full speed. This was a habit I had noticed after fighting them a few times. As the bees approached the tornadoes, they were sucked in one by one and sliced by the vacuum blades. In the end, none of the ten killer bees managed to escape the tornadoes. After about thirty seconds, the tornadoes dissipated, and Sharon and I finished them off, collecting the magic crystals.

After collecting the magic crystals, we rejoined Beatrice and Ridi. Beatrice stood there, stunned.

"Sharon's abilities are quite impressive, right?" I said. Beatrice, still in a daze, replied in a hoarse voice,

"Yeah, as you said, she's better than an average mage."

I pressed on, "Then, it's okay to register her, right?" She just nodded.

We returned to town and headed to the Adventurer's Guild to register Sharon as an adventurer. When we tried to register Sharon, Tina at the reception desk reported on Terry's violent behavior from the previous day. I wasn't particularly interested, but since I was the one who reported it, I decided to hear the report.

The summary of the report was as follows:

Terry, who had actually caused the disturbance, was fitted with a slave collar and fined 1,000C (about 1 million yen). The fine would be deducted from his rewards, and he would have to wear the collar until it was paid off. The slave collar was a magical item that inflicted pain if the wearer disobeyed orders, typically used to prevent slaves from rebelling. In this case, Terry was not being made a slave but was being forced to wear the collar to prevent further retaliation against the victims. Additionally, he was prohibited from drinking alcohol until the fine was paid off.

All members of Terry's party who were present were also fitted with slave collars, banned from drinking for three months, and required to pay 20% of their rewards as a fine during that period. Half of the fine would be given to me, the victim, but honestly, I didn't care since I hadn't been harmed. However, I agreed to accept it as a way to teach those who can't drink a lesson.

This was not just a fight between adventurers but also involved a general customer, and more importantly, a child. Although there was no actual harm, the punishment was quite severe. Even so, a fine of 1 million yen for an attempted assault seemed light, but considering Terry was a young, seventh-level adventurer, this was the extent of the punishment. The guild was giving him a chance to reform, taking into account that it was an attempted assault. Of course, the punishment would be much harsher for higher-level adventurers, and for those at the fourth level and above, who are considered elite, immediate expulsion from the guild and a hefty fine would be imposed. If they killed or severely injured someone, they would be reduced to criminal slaves, regardless of their level. This was not limited to the Adventurer's Guild.

After hearing the report from Tina about Terry and his party, we registered Sharon. Then, I presented ten magic crystals from the seventh-level monster, the killer bee, and completed the request fulfillment procedures for Sharon and me. Since this was the result of a hunt before Sharon's registration, it technically shouldn't count towards the number of completed requests. However, in Doctus, post-registration was possible, so it could be counted. Of course, very old results wouldn't be accepted, but a one-day difference was fine.

As a result, Sharon and I were promoted to the ninth level.

We then returned to the forest and hunted monsters together as a group of four. With Beatrice joining us, our party's combat power significantly increased. Having two front-line fighters greatly reduced my burden.

Beatrice's combat power, which I had only seen a glimpse of at the training ground, was impressive. She wielded her long spear with ease, slicing through small monsters like a halberd or a glaive. Against larger monsters, she used precise thrusts to pierce vital points. Even the rock boar, which was quite tough and would have been a challenge for us alone, she defeated with a single strike.

When I asked about her level, she revealed she was a level fifty-one spearwoman. I thought I couldn't beat her even if I stood on my head. We decided to celebrate Sharon's registration as an adventurer and our meeting with Beatrice, with the rock boar as the main dish.

Around three in the afternoon, we returned to town, sold the magic crystals at the guild, and went home. We invited Beatrice to our house, and Sharon, the housewife, hurriedly started preparing the meal. Ridi went to buy bread and wine, while Beatrice helped butcher the boar. I used my magic to fill the bathtub with water and heat it, while also making ice.

(Filling the bathtub alone after returning from the forest is quite a task. It would be better to fill it with water the night before. That way, I wouldn't have to use as much magic...)

When I finished preparing the bath, Beatrice had finished butchering the boar and brought the meat to the kitchen.

"It's not that big, but there's a lot of meat left. What do you want to do with it?"

The boar she had killed weighed about 100 kg and was relatively small. We had roughly butchered it in the forest and discarded the unnecessary parts, but we still had a lot of meat. We often distributed leftover meat to our neighbors, so I asked her to cut it up for us. We kept about 20 kg of ribs, shoulder, and thigh meat for ourselves and distributed the rest to the neighbors. After giving meat to a few houses, including the Littlef and Novello families, we received fruits, smoked meat, and stews in return. It reminded me of the neighborly interactions in old Japan, and I found it heartwarming as I returned home.

By the time we got back, Sharon had finished making a simple stir-fry and was putting seasoned ribs into the oven. Ridi returned with bread and a wine jug and asked if the bath was ready. I said it was, and she headed to the bathroom with a happy face. Beatrice, sitting at the dining table, asked, "Do you have a bath?"

"I made it, and it's pretty good. You can go in after Ridi."

She sighed, "Whose mansion is this?" Our bath was quite large, so it should be fine for Beatrice. We made it big enough to accommodate my father and his retainers when they visited, but I didn't expect it to be useful in this situation.

Ridi came out of the bath. She was wearing a simple robe, which was quite alluring, but since there were no other men around, she didn't seem to mind. I was initially uncomfortable, but I've gotten used to it.

I asked Ridi to show Beatrice how to use the bath, and she begged for a cold beer. Her gesture was so cute that I said, "Just one," and poured a glass from the small beer keg Ridi had bought, chilling it with a pseudo-Peltier effect spell. She took it lovingly and drank it in one go. It reminded me of my father, but I didn't point it out. Beatrice, surprised again, said, "I'll let you have a beer after the bath," and sent her to the bathroom.

Sharon's cooking was almost done, and we were ready to eat after the bath, but Beatrice didn't come out. Ridi, who was supposed to explain, also didn't return.

I was curious and went to the bathroom to call out to them. But I heard voices from inside and couldn't help but listen.

From inside, I heard Ridi's voice, "What's in your chest, really?" and Beatrice's slightly flustered voice, "Don't touch me without permission."

(I hope they're not getting too close. I'll pretend I didn't hear and tell them to hurry up.)

"Sharon and I are still waiting! Stop fooling around and come out!"

I shouted, and Ridi's cheerful voice came from inside, "Why don't you join us? You'll see something amazing."

She couldn't be drunk from just one beer, but she seemed a bit tipsy.

When Ridi returned, I asked if she was drunk.

"I had a drink at a stall earlier. After all, I'm having dinner with someone I just met yesterday. I needed a drink..."

I had forgotten about Ridi's social anxiety because Beatrice was a woman. I apologized, "Sorry, I didn't think about Ridi," and she laughed, "I don't dislike that girl, so it's fine. I just needed a little courage."

Beatrice came out of the bath, and the guest robe was quite revealing. I was at a loss for words. She was trying to close the collar in front, but it wouldn't fully close, and her cleavage was clearly visible. The length was barely enough, and her healthy thighs were exposed. Moreover, a yellow and black striped tiger's tail was swaying from the back of the robe.

I tried not to stare, but it made her blush slightly, and she said, "I'll change into my clothes," and went inside. When Sharon went to the bathroom, Beatrice returned. She tried to cover up the situation by saying,

"Wow, this is amazing. I've never been in a bath before, and I didn't expect it to be so relaxing."

I replied, "Yeah, I can't live without it," and gave her a cold beer. She was surprised to have a cold beer in October and drank the 500 ml glass in one go.

"Phew. I understand why Ridi asked for just one. It's so good."

She looked like she wanted more, but I shook my head and said, "Wait until after dinner," taking the empty glass.

After Sharon came out, I went to the bath. The water level was significantly lower than usual. I thought, (No wonder, with her body type, the water would be drained.)

While soaking in the bath, I thought to myself, (A new companion... No, it's too early to tell. Ridi seems fine, but I need to hear Sharon's thoughts. Personally, I want her around because she can help us explore deeper into the forest... Of course, she's a wild beauty, which is another reason. I'll admit that honestly...)

I was making excuses to myself while soaking in the bath.

After getting out, we immediately started the celebration. We laid out the food from the neighbors and Sharon's cooking, and finally placed the main dish, the oven-roasted boar, on the table.

Sharon and I had grape juice with ice, Ridi had chilled wine, and Beatrice had a cold beer. We toasted, and during the meal, Beatrice kept praising our lifestyle.

"The bath is amazing, and having cold drinks is great. There's plenty of ice, and this is a more luxurious life than a poor noble's mansion, isn't it?"

I chuckled at the mention of a poor noble's mansion, and she quickly apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't mean your family."

"No, it's fine. Our family is poor, but our life is rich. We have a large bath and even a wine cellar."

In fact, the current Lockhart family is not as poor as before. Thanks to the sales of Scotch, we have a stable income and are not struggling financially. In other knight territories, they need to hire mercenaries or adventurers to deal with monsters, and they also have social obligations with other nobles, which can be quite expensive. In contrast, in Rasmore Village, the self-defense force handles the monsters, there are no nearby noble territories, and we have no court obligations, so we hardly spend any cash. The villagers' lives are peaceful, and their living standards are higher than those in the territories of great nobles, and their happiness is high.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up, the evening passed slowly. Ridi and Beatrice were quietly drinking together.

I had a question for Beatrice. I asked, "Can I ask you something?" and she nodded quietly.

"If we go deeper into the forest, we'll reach the foothills of the Saewum Mountains. How strong are the monsters there?"

She thought for a moment and said,

"You know there are various types of monsters in the forest, right? The monsters in the mountains are basically the same, but they are one level stronger. Additionally, there are powerful monsters like dragons and giants. Parties entering the mountains should be at least level five and have a level thirty-five or higher. According to Beatrice, at least level forty and a powerful mage capable of area attacks are necessary."

"I see. So, we're still in the forest, then."

Beatrice looked a bit puzzled and said,

"What are you in a hurry for? For your age, your abilities are more than enough. You're only fifteen, and you have another ten years to reach twenty. You can take your time to get stronger."

I chuckled and said, "I'm not in a hurry, but..."

"I want to reach level fifty in magic and level forty in swordsmanship by the time I graduate in five years. At my current rate, I'll be around level forty in magic and in the late thirties in swordsmanship. So, I want to fight stronger enemies."

Ridi and Sharon, who knew my secret, didn't say anything, but Beatrice, who didn't know, was taken aback.

"You want to be on par with a court mage by the time you're fifteen, and have sword skills on par with a veteran mercenary at level forty... I think you might be able to do it, but why the rush... No, I won't ask now. It's not something to tell a stranger you just met."

She looked a bit sad and said to herself,

"I understand. I'll do my best to help you. Leave it to this big sister."

She smiled and said playfully, but added, "But if you do anything reckless, I'll punish you."

The evening ended there, and Beatrice left for the inn, looking a bit reluctant. As she left, she