Chapter 25

Something unexpected happened, but I arrived at the Knight District.

There are the residences of the knights from the four families who serve the lord, as well as the homes of their squire knights and soldiers. Although they are called the four families, it's a thing of the past; now there are more knights, so there should be new knight residences, but I can't tell the difference between the squire knights' homes and the new ones.

The residences of the knights from the four families, which have existed for a long time, have large grounds and spacious gardens, unlike the townhouses. Each is surrounded by high walls or iron fences, and there are gates that can be closed between the grounds. This structure is designed to protect the residents and prevent monsters from invading when the town is attacked, just like the square.

Taking advantage of the lack of people, I stopped and took a bite of the grilled fish. From behind the practical walls and iron fences, I could sometimes see the individuality of the trees in the gardens. I find the residents of the knight residences who plant laurel trees or fruit trees a bit interesting. I keep casting concealment spells to avoid being caught!

After passing through a less crowded street, the lord's mansion is at the northern end. While greeting the gatekeepers, I peeked inside and saw a beautiful lawn spreading out, with a red-roofed building in the back. With the gatekeepers' eyes on me, I quickly passed through and arrived in front of the barracks. The only place I haven't been to yet is the southern corner.

At the end of the barracks on the side facing the lord's mansion, there was an office with a reception desk facing outward. When I asked what it was, it turned out to be the headquarters of the guard posts at each gate. They apparently hear the residents' complaints here.

Incidentally, I learned that there is a paid training experience with knights, up to five times a day, so I decided to try it. Can I ride a horse?

No, it's not about riding a horse; it's sword and shield training. Of course.

When asked about my preferred weapon, I chose the sword I had, as I only had one. There are apparently loaned weapons available as well.

"Hi, I'm Tail. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Homura. Nice to meet you."

Tail gave me one-on-one training through sparring.

... I thought it would start with endless practice swings in the corner of the training ground, but it didn't.

We repeatedly alternated between "attacking" and "defending" according to the form, but the speed kept increasing. If I made a mistake in the order of the forms, would I get seriously injured? Tail continued the sparring at a speed I could barely keep up with.

My EP visibly decreased. I'm glad I ate something earlier.

After about an hour of sparring, Tail sheathed his sword, so I did the same and bowed.

Even without using any skills, my EP was almost depleted, and I felt wobbly. What kind of stamina do these knights have!

"You seem to be more of a speed type. You're not suited for brute force swordplay, so I think you should choose skills that increase your speed and number of attacks to capitalize on your strengths."

That was the final advice before the training ended. I already knew that, but since I haven't acquired many initial skills, there are hardly any skills to choose from, Mr. Knight.

When I checked, my "Swordsmanship" and "Katana" skills had each increased by one level. They can improve through training. This is good, and I want to come every day.

I'll teach Kikuhime too. She must want to use big weapons and make a big noise, but she's holding a shield to take on enemies for the party.

I'm taking a break in the shade of the training ground, watching the knights and soldiers train. The knights are individually honing their sword techniques, while the soldiers are practicing group movements.

Since my EP was running low, I'm drinking a Very Tea. I'm refraining from eating solid food for now.

While watching the training, Tail came over.

"Sorry, is eating and drinking not allowed here?"

"No, hydration is encouraged. Occasionally, people come for experience training, but most adventurers leave quickly after finishing, so I found it unusual. Are you interested in becoming a knight?"

"I'm interested, but I don't want to become one. I have no one or nothing to pledge my loyalty to."

"Oh, that's a shame."

If I had said "yes," would there have been a course to become a knight?

"Want to drink?"

I offered him the Very Tea.

"Is it tea?"

"Would you prefer coffee?"

"No, I'll take it."

"The man who just took a point from the bottom is Rib, a solid swordsman."

Tail, perhaps as a thank you for the tea, is explaining the knight duels.

"The one who lost is Lamp, a powerful swordsman."

Lamp looks strong and sturdy. Sturdy to the point where his legs are as thick as my waist. Rib, who defeated him, is rather small.

"The two pairs over there are the dual-wielder Misuji and the thrust swordsman Nekus."

Misuji is the only woman, and the two are showing off a beautiful display of speed versus technique, but... the names sound like cuts of meat. Rib and Tail, are your names taken from cuts of beef?

I got on the carriage and decided to go to the square, which is at the northern and southern ends.

In the end, I thought, "Skills are amazing!" and bought Recipe 9 for 9,000 silver at a restaurant. It includes corn soup, berry jam, and flying rabbit stew, and teaches how to make "simmered" dishes. Although the recipe is level 9, thanks to my cheat-like number of specialty dishes, the minimum evaluation for "vegetables," "fruits," and "meat" is 3, so there's no risk of failure, and I can acquire the skills by making each dish once.

However, it's only about being able to make them. If the evaluation doesn't exceed 4, it's overpriced, and it's better to eat at a restaurant. I don't like bad-tasting food.

By the way, many people are sitting in the square, calling out to sell items. Is this a player-run bazaar that formed while I was in Fos?

Not only are they calling out, but they are also publicly posting what they are selling in the Patka comment section. Won't they be scolded by the street vendors? The herb shop, which was left in the care of the old bookshop, seemed quite strict. While thinking this, I peeked to see if I should buy production materials, and found that the prices for materials used in the early stages of production, such as herbs and flying rabbit meat, were particularly high, while materials with higher ranks were cheaper.

Is this due to supply and demand? It seems many people are buying a lot of early-stage materials to level up their production skills. I was happy to buy a lot of cheap flying rabbit meat and fish, but I sighed at the high price of herbs when I was called out.

"Homura"

"Homura~"

It's Momiji and Kaede.

"Hello. Weren't you in Fos?"

"We came back for supplies."

"We came back~"

"Fast has more weapons."

"Fast has more armor~"

There's a slight difference in their voices.

"So, can you sell us some food~"

"Sure, but I've never made anything with an evaluation of 10, and I don't know the market prices."

I might be able to make Very Juice according to the recipe.

"Most of the evaluation 10 dishes aren't sold at the bazaar."

"Even if they are, the rank is low, so the effect wears off quickly~"

"Since you can buy them at a restaurant for a bit more, not many dishes are sold at the bazaar."

"The additional effects aren't very high~"

"The only things sold are grilled meats."

"Grilled meats are the only things cheaper than at the restaurant~"

"We want your high-rank ingredient dishes."

"They make you less hungry~"

"Using skills makes you hungrier."

"You won't have to munch during battles~"

The twins take turns speaking, and I'm gradually losing track of who is speaking, but Momiji's voice is monotone, while Kaede's has more inflection.

Their matching black outfits, with short skirts, half-pants, half-coats, and knee-high socks, are quite cute. I prefer the absolute territory look over bare legs.

In summary, even if the evaluation is 10, the effect isn't great because the rank is low, and they want high-rank food that slows down EP depletion, not worrying about the evaluation 10 bonus effects.

"Then, can you make the dishes with the ingredients we provide~"

"We'll pay 15 silver per dish~"

"I can do it for free if you bring the ingredients."

"That's not possible~"

"We want to use your services again~"

"The key to a long-term relationship is being clear about money~"

"We'll pay the market price when we know it, so please give us a discount this time~"

"Chototsu steak with an evaluation of 5 costs 70 silver~"

"That's expensive."

"The meat costs about 45 silver, and the other ingredients make it reasonable~"

"Can you make three at once?"

They apparently thought I could only make one at a time. But since they are willing to pay the bazaar price, I agreed to 10 silver per dish while I'm still improving my cooking level.

I started making dishes that can be eaten without sitting down, using the ingredients they provided.

Chototsu and watercress sandwiches, fried potatoes, fried white fish, Margherita pizza, and biscuits. At Kaede and Momiji's request, berry tart, coffee, tea, and beer.

It seems they will share with the party members. While making the dishes, Kaede bought the missing ingredients from the bazaar. I replied to messages from Ocha-zuke and Kikuhime, who had logged in, while cooking.

"The beer will take a while, so use what you have. Also, taste the spaghetti."

I have extra beer for about three people, so it's fine to give some. In exchange, I stocked up on the ingredients they provided. My cooking level went up by one, and the spaghetti is a bonus for Kaede and Momiji. I found it very helpful since I don't like dealing with the bazaar and NPC buyback is a loss.

It was time to meet Roy and the others, so we said our goodbyes and headed to the guild. I wanted to check the second-floor reference room, but I wasn't sure if it would be available.

The adventurer guild was less crowded than I expected, which was a relief. The initial impression was so strong that I couldn't shake the image of it being packed, even though I've visited a few times. I approached the counter and greeted the receptionist, remembering that I hadn't asked for their name on the first day.

"Sorry, can I use the reference room upstairs?"

"Yes, you can. There's a staff member inside, so please let them know. No eating or drinking is allowed, so please be careful."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. You're the one who helped organize the crowd a while ago, right? Thank you. I'm Plum. Please let me know if you need anything."

I was surprised to be remembered, but I've heard that receptionists are good at remembering faces, which is a skill I don't have.

"Thank you. I'm Homura. By the way, is it okay that adventurers are holding a bazaar in the square? I ended up using it just now."

"No, it's not allowed, and they will be fined. Since it's a current offense, it's fine as long as you don't use it in the future, so please don't use it."

Oh, that was close.

"The commercial guild allocates the rights to sell, but there are issues with just banning it, so they are currently preparing the southwest area for an adventurer bazaar. If you're interested, it might be good to show your face there."

"Thank you. I'll go there before heading to the reference room."

I don't plan to become a merchant, but I want to gather information.

The commercial guild is across the main street from the adventurer guild, facing the square. It's impressive that they are selling illegally right in front of the rights holders. It's hard to tell if it's a bazaar or just friends exchanging items, and my interaction with Kaede and Momiji was also risky.

Since I usually sell most items at the adventurer guild to level up my rank, I've only peeked into the lobby of the commercial guild. This is my first visit.

There's a reception counter in the middle of the lobby, with one staff member inside and two outside, all in matching uniforms.

"Sorry, I want to know about adventurer sales."

"Yes, you're not here to sell, but to buy. I'll show you around."

One of the staff members outside offered to guide me, so I followed. The first floor seems to have a sales area facing the square and a buyback area facing the street.

I was led to the third floor and stopped in front of a particularly heavy door.

"The guild leader, an adventurer is here about sales."

Wait, why the top person? Are they free? Is the guild leader free!