Chapter 99

I returned to the shed and continued making the soap.

I planned to add a small amount of essential oil from the general store this time, keeping the proportions the same.

While overpowering smells would be a problem, a faint plant scent shouldn’t cause any trouble.

Thinking that if it went well, I could sell it as a premium product, I proceeded with the work.

Incidentally, the alcohol used to extract essential oils is sold by the Alchemist Guild for disinfection.

It seems that the development of alcohol extraction through wine distillation is already complete.

However, distilled spirits are not seen in town, and few people even know of their existence.

There’s no beer either. I had been looking forward to a beer after a bath, but I gave up after looking at my belly.

When I asked the local liquor store, it seemed that wheat and barley were only seen as food items.

As for wine, it seems that it was mass-produced after a batch of grape juice was accidentally left in a barrel and fermented well.

Mead also exists on the same principle, but it’s expensive and I’ve never seen it.

Regarding distillation, the Alchemist Guild confirmed that applying strong wine to wounds reduced the likelihood of death, and they completed the extraction of the relevant components.

The alcohol content isn’t as high as pure alcohol, but it seems to be around the level of pre-storage distilled spirits.

I thought, "If it’s a drink, wouldn’t people drink it?" but since the Alchemist Guild sells it as a material for medicine and component extraction, it’s not recognized as a beverage.

While thinking about whether beer or distilled spirits would sell if I developed them, I decided to slightly revise my domain plan.

According to Norwe and Diane, the water quality in the domain is very high. I hope it’s hard water, as there are many German-style dishes.

I want to enjoy a thick and heavy ale with sausages.

While daydreaming about my future, I continued stirring.

Once I had stirred sufficiently, I thought I would hand it over to Teisha the next morning and returned to my room.

When I returned to the room, Liz was either exhausted from waiting or from the bath, and was sleeping soundly on the futon, drooling and smiling faintly, probably having a good dream.

Thinking, "Ah, she’s cute even in this," I slowly pulled out the blanket to prevent her from getting cold and slipped into the warm futon.

Tomorrow, we would be going on an expedition with the new member. While considering the adjustments needed for the increased number of people, I fell asleep.

I woke up to the morning sun. Liz, as usual, was an early riser. After getting ready, I headed to the kitchen.

Teisha seemed to be in a great mood, probably due to yesterday’s incident. Her smile was about 120% brighter than usual.

Her skin was also glowing. Thinking about it, I realized—ah, Ast must have seen Teisha’s beautiful skin. I decided to keep quiet about it.

"Your skin is still so smooth and silky. Baths are amazing, aren’t they?"

Teisha exclaimed after her morning greeting, clearly very pleased.

"From tomorrow, we’ll be on an expedition. We’ll need extra firewood to boil water, but considering the amount for Liz and me, it should only be a slight increase."

I suggested using the bath, explaining that it would be beneficial for cleaning and improving blood circulation.

"Is it really that good?"

Ast seemed somewhat interested.

"It cleans the body and improves blood circulation. It’s good for your health."

While explaining the benefits of bathing, I continued eating. I decided to leave Ast’s bathing arrangements to Teisha; I have no interest in washing a man.

After finishing breakfast, I headed to the guild. The usual two were already there, chatting. The engagement bracelets on their wrists suggested that Rott had taken action.

After exchanging greetings, I discussed yesterday’s chat and the party participation. There was no significant opposition.

Generally, there are few rear-guard mages, so it’s rare for them to join parties. In this case, it’s lucky that they came to us.

We all entered the guild building and headed to the entrance. Chat, who had been looking for us, ran over with a beaming smile.

"Good morning! I’m Ely Chat. Please call me Chat. Wow, a real Valkyrie. Wow, wow."

There was one excited person, two confused ones, and two others. I had mentioned that the elf had a strong accent, but seeing her in person was something else.

"Ah, it’s annoying. I’m not a Valkyrie."

Fia shouted, probably annoyed by the clingy behavior. Liz, with a resigned look, allowed the embrace.

"Don’t be so mean. It’s a special occasion, just for today."

Chat continued to cling, undeterred. I had thought she was a sheltered young lady, but I was reconsidering.

"Still, we need to correct the accent. Liz, Fia, can you help with that?"

They both nodded vigorously.

"Chat, you’ll be joining the party, so try not to be so clingy. Are you ready?"

"I understand. I’m fully prepared. I just need to know about the food, so please let me come with you."

I left the four of them to replenish the food and entered the adventurer’s guild building to inform them about the expedition.

I told the receptionist about the plan and the estimated timing for our return. While doing so, I noticed that the goblin bounty had returned to its original price.

I wondered if the guild had determined that the situation had stabilized. Looking ahead, I saw that an orc extermination request had been posted. It was the first time I had seen such a request for that forest.

I asked the receptionist and learned that the recent attack by the command creature had resulted in more goblins being killed than usual, creating a significant gap in the forest’s central area.

Orcs from distant regions had moved in and started settling there. However, they had only been sighted a few times in the deeper parts of the forest, and the guild seemed to view them as something to be hunted if they were there.

Unexpected prey can lead to accidents, and the guild seemed to be concerned about the orc situation.

While it would be ideal for the guild to act before an accident occurs, they were currently unable to afford the extra expenses due to the aftermath of the command creature battle. Thus, they lacked detailed information.

When unexpected events occur, various ripple effects can happen, as I had learned the hard way after entering society. It’s to be expected.

I asked if there were any detailed materials on orcs, and was told they were in the archive room. I decided to visit the committee chairperson, whom I hadn’t seen in a while.

When I peeked into the archive room, the usual braided committee chairperson was so engrossed in organizing materials that she hadn’t noticed me.

"Good morning."

She jumped and turned around. She must have been very focused.

I explained that I was looking for materials on orcs, and she quickly brought me a compiled set.

The content seemed to be a summary of information common to all guilds, focusing on orc ecology.

Orcs are more social than goblins and have enough knowledge to form settlements.

They can process wood to make armor, though they don’t have blacksmithing skills, so their weapons are mostly wooden or stone.

They also form a hierarchical society with job specialization.

Hmm. Just because they are larger than goblins doesn’t mean they have larger brains and higher intelligence.

It feels natural in some ways, but also unnatural. It’s something I’ve been curious about, and it will likely come up again. It’s not good to rely too much, but I’ll clarify it now.

I prayed and asked, "Does the universal love include all living beings except humans?"

'Diane here. The answer is yes, it includes all living beings.'

I thanked her and thought about it.

The fact that Diane specifically answered suggests that the upper echelons of beings with a certain level of intelligence are all under her influence.

This means we’re not just hunting beasts but fighting intelligent beings.

The extent of their knowledge is unknown, but they can likely set traps and use cunning.

They’re not as easy to deal with as goblins. Just knowing this is fortunate.

When I left the guild, everyone was already waiting. We divided the bulky items like food and tents to a minimum and loaded them onto a cart, which we tied down. Thanks to the 'Great Strength' skill, pulling it felt almost weightless.

I walked with a satisfied smile, though I wondered if it looked a bit silly to others.

On the way to the forest, I explained the details about the orcs. Everyone looked a bit tense.

Bears are just animals. No matter how strong they are, they can be dealt with. Intelligent opponents, however, are scary because you don’t know what they might do.

It was good to share this concern.

We decided to minimize the goblin bounty and instead target bears using slime cores. We would discuss the details while advancing into the forest.

Since we planned to camp in the forest, we kept the tents loaded. We adjusted the cart size to avoid getting stuck in narrow spaces. While agile turns were impossible, we could abandon it if danger approached.

With this in mind, we hunted a few unavoidable goblins along the way, using it as a test for Chat.

Her earth magic skillfully knocked out goblins with small, sharp pebbles, and she used wind magic to knock back and immobilize multiple targets.

"Are you pretty experienced in combat?"

I was surprised because I hadn’t expected her to be this capable.

"Rear-guard mages are taught to observe the situation. I’ve been doing it this way, so I’ve become like this."

I asked the women to help correct her accent. Chat was aware of her accent and was eager to correct it, though it would take time to see results.

However, it’s valuable to have someone who can see the situation. Proper support can make the front-line fighters’ job easier.

With this in mind, we gradually advanced into the deeper parts of the forest, feeling the increasing magical essence.