Chapter 47

As twilight fell, the adventurers who had been out on missions returned to the guild.

They came back not only to complete their reports and other paperwork, but also for the evening meal, which served as a way to confirm each other’s survival.

Rio and Shiraha stood in the guild’s tavern, menus in hand, looking around at the adventurers.

“There are a lot of tough-looking people, but the atmosphere is good, isn’t it?”

As the old man at the reception had said, it was important to get to know fellow adventurers, as they often met in the forest.

The tavern was an ideal place for socializing and getting to know people, and several groups had even developed into drinking parties for exchanging information with those they didn’t usually work with.

For Rio and Shiraha, who had only interacted with acquaintances in their village, the atmosphere was a bit unfamiliar.

They knew they should take the initiative to start conversations, but they couldn’t find a way to do so.

While pondering what to do, Rio looked at Shiraha.

“Let’s order something. Is there anything you want to eat? Let’s order different dishes and share.”

“Yeah. ... Deer steak and steamed mountain vegetables.”

Shiraha, who had already decided, pointed to the menu and named the dishes. A group of young men and women nearby called out to them.

“Deer meat from a malevolent beast will be available today, so you might want to ask for it when you order. We hunted it.”

The young man spoke in a friendly tone, and Rio immediately saw an opportunity to start a conversation.

“Is malevolent beast meat delicious?”

“Carnivorous malevolent beasts are not tasty. But herbivorous malevolent beasts don’t eat meat even when they attack other animals. As a result, they have a wide territory and eat a lot of good food. That’s why they’re delicious. Really, really delicious.”

The man, perhaps eager to spread the word about the meat they had hunted, repeated how delicious it was several times.

Hearing this, Rio became interested and found deer meat with herbs on the menu, and ordered it.

The young group then moved to their table.

“Let’s eat together. I’ve been itching to tell the story of how we hunted it.”

Rio understood how these social gatherings developed.

Shiraha subtly moved to sit next to Rio.

The leader of the group introduced himself as Jaggi.

“We operate as a group of four. Our rank is C.”

“I’m Rio, and this is Shiraha. We’re new and still at rank E. Nice to meet you.”

“I know. You’re the duo who fight with self-taught sword techniques, right?”

“Is that a rumor? Is it rare for newbies to come here?”

“Newbies aren’t rare, but Rheilahn is a dangerous area. Most of the newbies have trained at some dojo.”

It seemed that self-taught swordsmen who could use their skills in real combat were rare.

While eating and listening to Jaggi’s story about their hunt, an older adventurer approached their table.

He was a seasoned adventurer, carrying an iron mace and a thick sword at his waist.

After glancing at Jaggi and the others, he spoke to Rio.

“Newbie, you were trained by Galdrat, right? Bring him some food as a thank you.”

After saying that, the adventurer returned to his own table.

Rio had been thinking about how to thank Galdrat for showing him some exclusive materials, but he was a bit puzzled when he looked at the food on the table.

The food was delicious, but Galdrat was a guild-owned asset and should be provided for.

Rio thought it might be better to bring something else, but Jaggi leaned in.

“Hey, you really were trained by him? If so, bring him some food. It’s a custom.”

“Custom? Doesn’t the guild provide meals?”

“They do, but they won’t accept any other form of thanks. They’ll accept food because they can’t waste the ingredients that have been provided.”

It was a rather selfless custom.

“In that case, I’ll bring him something. Does Galdrat have any food he doesn’t like?”

“He apparently can’t drink alcohol, or maybe he just doesn’t.”

“In that case, I’ll bring him some warm soup. Or maybe I should invite him here.”

Not only Rio, but the other adventurers had all been trained by Galdrat and respected him. Even though he was a slave, no one would mind him eating and drinking with them in the tavern.

Rio thought it was a good idea, but Jaggi made a grim face.

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not?”

“Galdrat has a slave collar, right? It’s designed to tighten around his neck if he moves too far from the training ground. He wouldn’t be able to eat or drink here.”

“Is the collar really set up like that?”

Rio frowned, not understanding why such strict measures were necessary, as he didn’t think Galdrat would run away.

“... He’s well cared for.”

Shiraha interjected, as if to soften the statement.

Rio glanced at her, wondering what she meant.

Shiraha smiled faintly and looked towards the training ground.

“He could buy his freedom if he converted the food into money, but he’s probably content with his current situation.”

Shiraha’s words made sense.

If Galdrat wanted to earn enough money to buy his freedom, the adventurers here would be happy to help.

Moreover, the guild seemed to value Galdrat, as evidenced by the high-quality materials they had shown him today, which could have been confiscated by the guild.

Despite still being puzzled by Galdrat’s position, Rio ordered a warm soup and skewers as a thank-you gift.