Chapter 3

Well, there's one more place to visit before leaving town.

A lone apothecary shop stands at the edge of town. It's still early in the morning, so I managed to get there without running into anyone.

"Granny! Good morning!"

I opened the door without knocking and went in. The store is dark because the herbs inside dislike light. The small shop, with its unique smell, is something I'll have to say goodbye to. Light from a lamp leaked from the back room.

"Leaving, huh?"

The old woman who came out said this as soon as she saw me. She has a hooked nose, beady eyes, and a slightly hunched back. My first impression of her was "She's a witch!" And she still looks like one, muttering to herself while stirring a suspiciously colored liquid.

"Yeah, I'm leaving."

I had told her in advance that I was leaving town. In fact, I had consulted her on how to leave. She taught me the basics of making simple potions in exchange for doing odd jobs, and she also shared a lot of information about the world outside the town. By the way, there's one other person who treated me normally: the priest at the church. But he just treated everyone equally.

"Here, take this as a parting gift."

The old woman poked something on the counter with her cane. A few small bottles, a folded piece of cloth, and a leather pouch containing silver coins.

"Is it okay?"

She must know that I don't have any money. The old woman raised one eyebrow skillfully.

"Throw it away if you don't want it."

"I want it! I'll take it. Thank you!"

The old woman has a sharp tongue. She sometimes gets into arguments with the occasional customer. Apparently, she had some complicated relationships in the capital in the past. Her catchphrase is "Get out!"

The small bottles contained intermediate healing potions, status recovery potions, and mana recovery potions. I can't make any of these, and they're not cheap. But if I hesitate, she'll get angry, so I gratefully put them in my bag.

"And this... What? A cloak!?"

When I unfolded the folded cloth, it was a hooded cloak. It's probably waterproof, as the outside is smooth. The inside is fluffy and warm, and it even has pockets. When I looked at the old woman, she told me to try it on. I eagerly put it on, and it felt very comfortable. It's easy to wear, just draping it over my shoulders and fastening it in front, so it doesn't hinder my movements. I tried drawing my bow, and it seemed fine.

But... My gaze dropped.

"Well, you'll grow into it eventually."

The old woman laughed at me.

The hem of the cloak just barely misses the floor. When I put on the hood, I look like a teru-teru-bozu. Well, there's no such thing in this world. The hem is long! No, I'm just not tall enough! I'm short, damn it.

After laughing at my pout for a while, the old woman waved her hand as if shooing away a kitten.

"Alright, go on. I don't like being sentimental."

"Okay."

I smiled and wanted to set off on my journey. I put on my backpack, slung my bow over my shoulder, and stood up straight. I looked at the old woman firmly.

"I'm off!"

The old woman only lifted the corners of her mouth, but that was enough to make me happy.

In terms of herbal knowledge, I never managed to become a cheat. Most things beyond the basics require skills, and most of what I could think of had already been made. The old woman wasn't interested in making money, and while she taught me, she only took my ideas half-seriously. Besides, most things can be handled with potions. Colds, cuts, even toothaches can be cured. Potion cheat. In the end, I'm just a nobody who knows nothing about medicine, so I can't be a cheat.

I ran out of the apothecary shop and quickly passed through the town's entrance. There's a gatekeeper, but he's more like a town resident with a spear, dozing off.

I kept running. I know this area well because I sometimes go hunting here. A side path leads to the forest. From here on, it's a new place.

The road is just a path that has been trodden down, and on both sides, the forest gradually turns into a wilderness. I've heard that there aren't any particularly strong monsters, but I can't be careless. I continued jogging while staying alert.

It's about a day and a half by carriage from this town to the next.

So, I'll camp out. As the sun began to set, I stopped running and sat down by the roadside. I'm completely exposed, but there are no bandits around here. There are no merchants to rob, and the monsters can be dealt with by a campfire, I hope.

I prepared a bird I caught on the way for dinner. Actually, this is my first meal of the day. I'm pretty okay with one meal a day. But maybe that's why I'm so short. But then again, my younger brothers, who have the same eating habits, are of average height... I can't cry.

The large cloak will be very useful when I sleep. I added a thick log to the campfire and lay down. Good night. I want to eat three meals a day from tomorrow.