Chapter 93

We arrived in the town of Baars. Since there were some familiar faces among the merchants, we decided to unload the carriage and goods in the courtyard of one of their homes. They offered some form of thanks, but I had already heard many useful stories and enjoyed a delicious meal, so I considered it even.

North of this town, there is apparently a dungeon near another town. I hadn’t heard of it before, but it seems the dungeon isn’t very popular.

Dungeons are considered one of the most mysterious things in this world. They are referred to as "God's trials," "playgrounds of the gods," "remnants of a super-ancient civilization," and so on. To me, they are just like a game. Defeated monsters turn into items, each floor changes, there are treasure chests, and there are bosses. Honestly, it might be difficult with our current strength, but I’d like to take a peek.

Anyway, Rada decided to register as an adventurer. I thought she would give up quickly, but she seems to be surprisingly calm. She hasn’t fainted recently and has been working hard on disassembling things. Since she doesn’t seem to want to leave, we decided to register and form a party.

We head to the Adventurer's Guild. I wonder what the trend is here. Based on my past experiences, I think the quality of the guild depends on the guild master.

“Hey, why is there a kid here?”

A voice suddenly came from behind. There was no one on either side, so it must have been directed at me. I’ve grown a bit, you know. If my cloak wasn’t so short, you’d see how much I’ve grown.

Kokushin accompanied Rada for her registration. To be precise, I slipped away to check the bulletin board. I was told to wait until it was done, but I intended to return quickly. If I didn’t, I’d be in trouble.

“Miss, come here. Are you lost?”

I turned around and looked up at the speaker. He was a large man, both tall and broad. And he had bamboo leaf-like ears on top of his head. Hmm, if he were at my feet, he might kick me. No, that’s not the point.

“I’m not a little girl, and I’m not lost.”

I pulled out my tag to show him. I couldn’t modify it, but it’s not a problem.

The large man bent down to look at the tag and grinned. “So you’re in the same line of work.” He was holding a bucket in one hand and was pulling out a piece of meat with bones and munching on it. Before I could comment on his manners, I noticed the sheer amount of food he was eating. The number of bones visible was ridiculous.

“Hmm? Are you here?”

“No, I’m not.”

I shook my head. The man didn’t look disappointed and picked up the next piece of meat.

“Hey, Gynoid, how long are you going to eat? Let’s go!”

The man with the meat turned around. Two women and one man were waiting at the entrance of the guild. They seemed to prioritize appearance, wearing rather flashy equipment. “Ah,” the man turned away from me. On his back was a large, round shield like a turtle’s shell, and a thick, long tail extending from below it. Ah, that’s right, it’s a kangaroo’s tail.

They seemed to have some kind of hierarchy in their party. The leader’s half-smile gave me a bad feeling. The two women flanked the man, and the large man followed behind.

I felt like I had seen something unpleasant and sighed softly.

Parties can have various compositions. Some are close friends, while others are purely business. Some use slaves, and some have harems. I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to comment.

“Raito, I’m done. What’s up?”

Kokushin and Rada came over. “No, nothing,” I shook my head. I wondered if we looked strange too. After all, these two are my guardians.

We looked up at the bulletin board, thinking we could take on a simple quest despite the odd time. Rada seemed to have registered as an adventurer without any issues, but she looked a bit tired.

“When I said I was making medicine, they kept insisting on a lower price… Kokushin stepped in for me.”

Kokushin shrugged.

“I told them they needed the leader’s permission.”

“Leader…”

They both looked at me. Ah, they mean me. Sure, sure. I’m the leader.

“Yeah. You don’t have to sell it. I don’t want to be on the bad side of the local shops.”

I only intend to sell in emergencies, like during a stampede when a large amount is needed at once. I won’t sell to anyone who tries to haggle. If they have a good reason, I might listen, but it seems they didn’t.

We accepted a simple request to gather herbs and headed out. The staff member looked at us with hopeful eyes, but this request was from the town’s pharmacist. I won’t sell any extra herbs or the medicine I make from them.

“This guild isn’t very good.”

Kokushin’s impression wasn’t very good either. He looked displeased. Rada smiled wryly.

“I was being hit on.”

“Ah…”

There were only female staff members there. It was a bit rude to talk with the hood up, so when Kokushin took it off, they went “kyaa!” and one of them was obviously leaning in.

“Let’s head to the next town quickly.”

Traveling by horse, we should arrive before Rada’s registration expires. I think it’s valid for 10 days. So, we’ll either stay at an inn or camp tonight. We unanimously decided to camp. We’ll stay outside and complete the request in the morning before leaving the town.

At a suitable distance from the town, I started setting up camp. The two of them went to gather herbs, and I stayed with the horses. I prepared a lot of Rotcrow I had caught along the way. Since we had time, I decided to make some minced meat. I cut it into small pieces with two knives. I also mixed in some salted meat, which I don’t particularly like, but it was a gift.

“Tadaima!”

While the minced meat was resting, the two of them returned. I was making a stove.

“Welcome back. How did it go?”

I was holding my magic bag, so they had brought back burlap sacks. They seemed to have done well, and Rada reported with a smile about what she had found. Kokushin went to gather firewood without saying a word.

“This is different. Ah, you found this well!”

While making soup, I checked the gathered herbs. Rada had collected more than just what was requested. Compared to when we first met, she has become much better at identifying them. She even found some small ones that I might have missed.

“Hehe, look at this!”

From a separate bag, Rada pulled out a beehive filled with golden honey.

“Wow. Did you go out of your way to get it? Didn’t you get stung?”

The honey was dripping, so I quickly transferred it to a container. Without a centrifuge, we just let it drip by gravity.

“I smoked them, so it was fine. They really do calm down.”

I remembered we had talked about this before. Kokushin returned after taking care of the horses.

“Did you have any problems?”

She tilted her head and then said, “Well, not really.” It seems she tends to focus too much on gathering and neglect her surroundings. I’ve experienced this too, so I can’t be too harsh, but I’ll remind her. Rada won’t be going out alone to gather or hunt.

“So, what’s this?”

Three pieces of meat sizzling in the frying pan. They looked well-cooked. There’s no sauce, but the flavor should be strong enough. I checked the doneness with a skewer.

“I minced the bird meat and cooked it. It’s called a hamburger.”

“Hmm.”

Kokushin’s eyes lit up as she looked at the hamburger on the plate. Neither Kokushin nor Rada had cooked for themselves before traveling with me, so they readily accept anything I make that’s not from this world. Well, the world is vast, and you can always bluff.

“Itadakimasu!”

They took a bite. The meat had a firm texture and was juicy. It wasn’t pork or beef, but it was delicious. As for the two of them… well, there’s no need to ask. The hamburgers were quickly shrinking.

“More!”

“None left.”

“What!?”

Don’t look so disappointed. There were only three in the frying pan. Alright, alright! Don’t give me that silent pressure. Next time, I’ll make them with boar meat.