Chapter 19

"Hey, Koushin."

When I returned from the North Gate, there was a flashy head there. The dazzling prince in civilian clothes looked somewhat dejected. He gave a wry smile at my voice and muttered, "Hey."

"Why are you here?"

Weren't you at the South Gate this morning? I tilted my head, and he nodded bitterly.

"It's a business trip. To the city where the lord is."

"Huh? Now?"

Judging by the angle of the sun, it was probably around 3 PM. It was about to set soon.

"No, I'm leaving early tomorrow. I'm arranging the horses now."

"Wow, that's tough."

No, what is he going to do at the lord's place? For the captain to be moving alone. I wanted to ask, but I didn't really want to know.

"Please be careful."

In the end, only safe words came out. If he had decided, anything I said would be useless.

The atmosphere in the town hadn't changed at all. The gatekeeper who greeted me was relaxed. Of course, without a strong backing, it would be too big a target to report. How many allies does he have?

After parting with Koushin, I returned to the Adventurer's Guild. Approaching the counter, a man was at the reception today. He was a young man with slanted eyes. I confirmed the items I had collected today and took an additional request form. I took it to him.

Oh, wait. There's no stepping stool. I looked around and found one at the end of the counter.

Here we go. Let me try again.

"Hmm. Hello! Report?"

He laughed. No, if you're going to laugh, you might as well laugh out loud.

"Yes. The request for Mits fruits. And I also collected some herbs, so please take these too."

I took out the bag of fruits from my bag. There were 50. Also, 40 stems of Toki grass with the top three leaves intact, and 20 leaves of Ridris grass.

There were no one-horned rabbits in the request.

"You collected a lot. I'll check them, so can you wait a moment?"

"Sure."

The receptionist started counting the fruits. Oh, this person is a beastman. He had ears poking out of his head.

"50, right? Please show me your adventurer's card."

It clicked on the black board. That completes the request.

"I'll process the rest, so can you show it again?"

"Sure."

He was doing some processing. I couldn't see it, but it was probably something like a computer. Only this place was high-tech.

"Um, Toki grass. Only the leaves, right?"

"Huh?"

I looked back at him, and he looked back at me curiously.

"But, the old lady told me that only the top three leaves have medicinal properties, so I collected them like this..."

"That's not wrong."

Suddenly, a voice came from above. I looked up to see a thin man with sharp eyes. He had a white beard on his chin.

"Rondo, is that so?"

The receptionist asked, and the old man nodded.

"I wrote that in the request form at first, but everyone brought only the leaves without reading it, so the guild couldn't sort them out. We discussed it and removed that sentence. But, the lower leaves can also be used."

Wow, I see.

"For us, it's better if you collect them neatly like a monk. You learned from a good person!"

Heh heh heh! The old man patted my head and seemed in a good mood. Who is this person?

"He's a pharmacist who supplies us with recovery potions and other things. He occasionally comes to pick up the herbs we buy."

The receptionist explained. So, he's in the same line of work as the old lady.

"The Ridris leaves are also clean and free of insect damage. You have the makings of a good adventurer! Many can only fight and can't even identify Toki grass."

I was somehow praised. Of course, it's natural to submit clean ones since they are used for medicine. Even if you can force it with magic, if it doesn't work when you need it, it could be fatal. I pay attention to these things because I make them myself.

The old man bought the herbs I collected at a slightly higher price.

"Here, that's all done. Thank you for your hard work. This is your reward for today. The breakdown is on this paper."

"Wow, thank you!"

It wasn't the small "chink" sound from yesterday. The bag of coins placed with a jingle made my expectations grow. I counted each one and checked the amount written on the paper. Maybe I'll just take it and put it in my pocket next time. I'm still not used to receiving money.

"Is everything correct?"

The receptionist looked at me with a smile as I counted in front of him. I felt embarrassed.

"Ah, yes, everything is correct! Thank you very much!"

I bowed and put the stepping stool away before rushing out of the guild. Counting in front of him was rude. But, maybe it's normal in a transaction. I'll ask quietly next time.

Oh, what about the rabbit's horn and skin? Maybe tomorrow is fine.

Right now, I need to go shopping! I need to buy a stove and make some potions. I also want vegetables and a pot, and some seasonings. The load will increase, but I think it's okay. I'll think about it after I eat something delicious.