Chapter 46

Keena, after returning to the village for a night, had come back to Felskeiro the next day. She recalled that she had to negotiate with Keirick, but thought of it as insurance in case she had wasted her trip since the experts were there. What Keena wanted to ask her son, Skalgor, was about one of the two deities who created the world, the 'God of Dreams.' It wasn't that she wanted an explanation of the world's creation or a detailed account of the God of Dreams (Night God).

It was because of a sentence written on the last page of the book left by Opus.

There, it simply read, "Night God Temple."

"Night... God? I don't get it. I don't know if I'm supposed to wait there or if it's a quest to reach there."

Just in case, she asked Roxilus and Roxine, but both shook their heads. The villagers only knew a simplified version of the creation myth, and even the knowledgeable Suunya replied, "You should ask the temple priests about that."

When Keena returned to Felskeiro, she first visited the inn where the Arbiters were staying to receive their reward for defending the capital. It seemed that the Flame Spear Mercenary Corps was lumped together with them for the reward. Since they had also defeated a separate squad, Keena's reward was a bit larger. While money was always useful, having too much could be a problem, so after careful consideration...

"I'll pay for the drinks here."

She proposed this to the Arbiters, who were drinking under the pretext of celebrating the reward for defending the capital. Everyone stared at Keena in shock, and Aelene, who was drinking with the Arbiters, was also surprised.

"Are you sure, Lord Keena? The drinks of rough men can be quite expensive, you know?"

"Would it be about one gold coin?"

"No, no, we don't drink that much. How much did you get, girl?"

"Three gold coins."

The mercenaries let out exclamations of surprise. This was partly due to the influence of the Shining Saber, who had heard about the composition of the separate squad and estimated the damage to the capital if Keena hadn't gone there. If that horde had invaded the capital, Felskeiro might have been erased from the map, so the reward also included a commendation from the king and princess. Additionally, it was to keep the threat of the separate squad hidden from the citizens. A note from Prime Minister Aguide, explaining the reward and the situation, was also included in the bag given to Keena. By the way, the reward for each of the Arbiters was about thirty silver coins. There was a significant difference.

Arbiter, who received the gold coin Keena flicked with her finger, looked at it in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, you guys! It seems the girl is treating us, so let's drink until we're drenched!"

The inn shook with a loud cheer, and people outside peered in to see what was happening. Keena, sipping a low-alcohol fruit wine, resumed her conversation with Aelene.

"Hmm, regular wheat purchases?"

"Even if the processed goods go to the merchants, there's no need to rely on just one store for the raw materials. If Aelene's caravan, which travels the outer trade route, can stop by the village from time to time..."

"Right, if you buy it before stopping by the village, the purchase is guaranteed. Alright, I'll accept your proposal. ...But, knowing the Keena I met at first, the current situation is quite amusing."

"Ugh... Yeah, that's true. My current state is thanks to meeting Aelene and Arbiter. It's probably time to pay back the initial lesson fee."

"Mutual aid, indeed."

They smiled at each other. While it was possible to buy wheat directly from the merchants, considering Keirick's previous statement, "This won't bring down the merchants," and the various favors owed to Aelene, she proposed this as a way to repay her. While it wasn't regular, if the delivery to the merchants didn't arrive on time, she could just use a bit of [Teleport] to buy it. Since it didn't take long to produce, she decided to leave the wheat to Aelene's caravan. She would have to inform Keirick of this later.

Keena had a reason for spending the morning with the Arbiters. She was supposed to meet Skalgor at the church early in the morning, but the head priest said, "We'll send someone when it's convenient," so she was waiting for the messenger. The head priest probably had top-level duties and responsibilities, so she was waiting for the messenger.

While being harassed by drunkards and discussing recent business with Aelene's caravan, two women entered the inn, which was rented out. Keena, feeling called, turned her head to see the two women approaching her.

"Hello, Keena. It's been a while."

"Huh? It hasn't been that long, has it?"

"It's fine, we hardly ever meet anyway."

"Right. Well, it's been a while, Ronti, Mai."

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