Chapter 26

Granos' Perspective

I woke up to the sound of movement from downstairs.

It seems someone has entered the house.

I got out of bed without waking Crane, who was sleeping next to me, and saw an old woman in a robe that looked like a forest witch coming up the stairs.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Ah, are you the master? I'm Granos, Crane's brother. I arrived in town yesterday and am staying here."

"Hmm... That kid didn't say anything about that... So, who are you really?"

She doesn't seem to believe I'm his brother. She glares at me sharply.

I see. Lying won't work... but I don't know how much she knows... Well, I can't afford to give a bad impression, so I'll just be honest.

"Right... Well, it's decided that I'll be here from yesterday. The setup is that Crane ran away from the village to become a pharmacist, and we chased after him. I have his consent, of course?"

"...The town has been noisy lately. Even an old woman's ears can hear the commotion. Is there any connection?"

"Yes... But it seems the surroundings are trying to keep Crane out of it."

"Hmm... Don't trust them too much. Treat the guild master as a sly fox. And above that, he's a monster."

I see.

She has some information.

She knows that Crane is connected to the adventurer's guild. She's warning me based on that information.

"Haha, I appreciate the warning. But for now, it seems we have no choice but to seek protection. We'll see what happens in the future."

"...What are you planning to do in the future?"

"Right... It depends on Crane's wishes. If necessary, I'll leave the town. I have no intention of being a burden. It's my duty as a brother to fulfill his wishes, right?"

"Do you have the resolve?"

"Yes... I want to repay the person who saved my life. I'll do anything for that. If being his brother can protect him, that's fine. Well, becoming an adventurer and getting what he needs for his sister would be a cool thing, right?"

"Hmm, for a kid, you understand. Alright, I like you. If you're Crane's brother, you're family to me. Granos... you can call me Grano. If anything happens, I'll take care of it. If you try to use my apprentices, I'll respond accordingly."

"Yeah. Master... I heard that we start learning alchemy at noon, but is it too early?"

"I was planning to lecture the one who insisted on doing alchemy in the morning."

I see.

But what a formidable old lady. She seems to be saying that one should be responsible for their words. It looks like lies won't work.

And... it seems the master has noticed that Crane is overworking himself.

Well, from what I saw yesterday, he might deserve a scolding. We made him overwork, but he could have stopped after the enchantment. He was working until late at night. I should report this and let her scold him.

"Hey, he was working until 2 AM. He didn't go to bed until after 3."

"Is that so... Well, I'll lecture him when he wakes up."

"...It's partly our fault. Please be gentle with him."

"Your fault?"

"Another childhood friend... is still sleeping. He seems exhausted, so I'll have him greet you when he wakes up."

"Is that so... Well, I'll read a book until he wakes up."

"Ah, how about some tea? I just boiled some water."

"Sure, I'll have some."

Naga woke up and greeted the master, but the conversation didn't progress much. I thought it was better not to listen, so I went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I grilled some meat and eggs and brought them on a sandwich. By the time I returned, they had stopped talking.

After Naga finished eating, his stomach growled loudly.

Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Crane opening the door, still half-asleep.

"Hey, good morning. You seem to have slept well."

"Good morning. I'm intruding, little one."

I smiled wryly at the still sleepy Crane and went to get the meat, eggs, and bread I had prepared for him.

"Eh? Master... Is it that time already?"

"It's only around 10:30. We have all the equipment here, so it's more efficient to teach you here. I can read a book while you work."

"Um, then I'll go get the magic stones and hundred-grass we need for today. I finally managed to mass-produce them last night, so I ended up working late... We're out of both magic stones and hundred-grass."

"I see. Wash your face and take a seat. There's no need to rush. I'll prepare the magic stones for you. It's also good to practice alchemy with something other than hundred-grass."

Magic stones.

Come to think of it, we used a lot of them. More than ten times what we hunted.

I glanced at Naga, who nodded, and decided to go monster hunting after this. We don't need to accept a quest to hunt monsters, but accepting one would give us extra money. Money is important, but first, we need to gather and return the magic stones.

"No, Master, please take your time. Ah, I'll make some tea."

"I already had some tea."

"Crane, sit down. I grilled some meat and eggs for you. Have them with the bread I bought."

I placed the plate on an empty seat, and Crane's stomach growled again. He must be quite hungry.

Come to think of it, yesterday... we ate dinner after registering, but Crane didn't eat.

"Hmm, your stomach is more honest in its response."

"Ugh... Itadakimasu."

If the master finds out Crane didn't eat, we might get scolded too.

We need to make sure he eats properly from now on.

"Master?"

"Yeah, nothing. I was just observing how you eat with bread crumbs on your cheek. You look so happy."

"Ah, ahaha... I must have been really hungry."

"You're still in your growth period. Eat plenty."

Naga also looked hungry, so I made him a second helping. Both of them were munching away happily.

We have plenty of meat from birds, rabbits, and boars, but we need to buy more bread. We need to prepare some money and buy supplies.

"Would you like a second helping?"

"Hmm... No, I'm fine. Master, I'll go get some magic stones."

"Already? Alright... If you see any Yakokko, hunt them. We'll practice not just alchemy and transmutation but also <Craft>. Also, if you find any palm-sized stones, pick them up."

"Got it. Ah, don't worry about my brother and his friend. Take your time."

"Hey, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?"

"It's not. Master is more important!"

"Still, I prepared breakfast for you, sleepyhead."

"I appreciate it, but..."

After finishing his meal, Crane hurriedly prepared and left. Naga also got dressed, grabbed his weapon, and left, so it looks like we'll be hunting separately. While washing the dishes, I found myself alone with the master, so I made some more tea.

"They're quite busy, aren't they?"

"Haha, sorry about that."

"But thanks to you, it seems they've relaxed a bit. I appreciate it."

"Yeah... You can tell, can't you?"

"I've lived longer than you. I can tell when someone is forcing themselves to be cheerful... You keep working on the alchemy I taught you until your SP runs out... and even after that, you keep going. You seem restless, so I gave you the alchemy recipes... but I was still worried. I thought about stopping you if you were doing alchemy this morning, but you looked happy, so I'll let it slide."

"Yesterday, we talked... It seems he relaxed a bit. He cried properly last night. If he can let out his emotions, there's no need to worry."

"That's good, that's good. I'm glad to hear that."

The master smiled with relief, clearly worried about Crane.

From what I've seen, Crane has built good relationships with people. He's a smart kid and seems to handle things well.

"Well... I guess I'll go hunting too."

"Are you an adventurer too?"

"Well, there's nothing else I can do. We used a lot of magic stones, so I'll hunt properly as an apology."

"Yeah. Go ahead. Men can push themselves a bit and create some scars. Be strong."

"Alright."

With the master's encouragement, I headed to the east gate. I confirmed that Naga had already left and went to the adventurer's guild.

I need to follow up with the old man from yesterday.

"Hey, you're late."

"Sorry. I was the first to wake up... After feeding them, they left quickly, and I had to clean up."

"I see. This way."

The old man was waiting. As soon as I arrived, he stood up and led me to a room. It was smaller than the one from yesterday but had a high-quality sofa. It must be the guild master's office. The furnishings are quite luxurious.

"So, why did you call me alone?"

"You must have questions too, right? There are things you can't say in front of that kid."

"If the decision about us and the outsiders has been made, I'd like to know. I don't have any other questions."

"I see. But, didn't you and Naga, and Crane say you weren't outsiders?"

"Sorry, sorry. I'll be more careful. So, are we treated the same as Crane?"

"Yeah. You're the children of an adventurer I used to work with. You and Crane are under my guardianship. Don't cause trouble, okay?"

Permission was granted in one night... This old man must have the guild master's trust.

As for Naga, we can only say he's a childhood friend. He doesn't look similar enough. Still, the setup we came up with on the spot to fool the gatekeeper has grown. We need to confirm his intentions eventually, or it might get out of hand.

"When was this decided?"

"Originally, he and Crane looked similar. When I introduced Pamela to Crane, I planned to do this. I couldn't just leave them, you know."

"Similar faces, huh?"

"Yeah, you look similar too. Crane looks more like him in appearance and personality... I made it seem like the three of you came to town relying on me. I'll apologize to the dead one and the woman later."

"That's a bit scary."

If we're being protected based on this old man's decision, the situation changes. The guild master and another person shouldn't be involved.

I should have asked more questions. I hadn't heard about this old man, Leonis, from Crane.

"Yeah, I get it. But... to me, you look like a friend who died... If he had a child, you'd be about that age... I can't just leave you. And the guild... and this country, value Pamela's apprentice. It's worth protecting."

The country, huh... They're that interested?

"No, not yet. But, a genius pharmacist's first apprentice in 40 years... Considering the old lady's age, you might be her last."

"First?"

"Yeah. The previous apprentice was excommunicated before inheriting the recipes."

"...Politically, it's important. Does he know that?"

"He probably doesn't understand the weight of it yet."

It's not the alchemy that's important, but being the master's apprentice.

Well, he's smart, so he'll figure it out eventually. I don't need to tell him.

We should talk about the contract and protection later.

"Also... about the outsiders, do you know what they've done in this town?"

"The one who ruined the ingredients for healing potions?"

"That's not all. The first ones who entered the town escaped from jail, killed someone trying to catch them, and fled... They were later caught and secretly executed. The woman you mentioned, who claimed to be a saint and performed miracles in front of the church, caused trouble with the church and is being treated with great care at the lord's mansion, but she's being very demanding. Among the adventurers who registered, one killed another in a dispute. The incident with the potion ingredients destroyed 70% of the sage leaves in the eastern forest for several months. They've caused a lot of problems in just a few days. We're gathering information from other towns, but it's not just this town."

"...I'm surprised you decided to protect us."

They've caused more trouble than I heard from Crane.

Well, it's not surprising... From the beginning, they tried to assert themselves and make others follow them. They seemed aggressive... and hard to reason with. They didn't seem to have any intention of adapting to this world.

"We don't need troublemakers. But, if they don't cause trouble, we want to keep them around. I told you, there are standards in this world. Your value and Naga's value are high. We don't want to turn your valuable, rare skills against us."

"Why do you know about unique skills? Was there a system during registration?"

"Artifacts reveal all information about the subject when touched. But even without touching, it's not impossible to read limited information. It's a burden on the user, and only a few can do it. By the time we asked for your disclosure, we had already checked your unique skills."

That makes sense.

At that point, this old man was watching me. I was being observed.

Crane also mentioned that his unique skills were known, so it seems we're sharing information thoroughly.

"...It's not a good feeling. Isn't it rude to investigate without permission here?"

"Well, it's not an acceptable practice... But we have our reasons. There are cases where bandits attack the town. Analyzing the enemy's strength is necessary."

"Yeah... When you put it that way... Can you distinguish?"

Bandits.

The group was frustrated about not being able to enter the town and started planning an attack... It's better not to say that. We don't want to be considered dangerous.

"...By the way, what happened to the outsider who didn't enter the town?"

"Hmm? You and Naga were the only ones who stayed, right?"

"No... There was one who came to our group, listened to us, and left immediately... A man with long black hair and purple eyes."

"...No, I didn't confirm that. Was there someone like that?"

"Yeah... I didn't talk to him, but he seemed suspicious."

I only saw him leave with a snort... For a moment, I felt a chill down my spine. He couldn't have noticed me observing him from that distance. He didn't turn around, so I don't know if he did anything.

"...We'll check on that. Now, back to the topic. You and Naga, and the so-called saint, were considered important... Well, the saint is a bit complicated. In some cases, she might die."

"Is she useless?"

"It seems she just wants to be pampered and doesn't have the selfless dedication of a saint. If she really wanted to be a saint, she should have chosen a different country."

"Is that so?"

The saint... She said a lot of things when we were in the group.

She seemed weak but beautiful, so she wanted to be served... When I politely declined, she threw a tantrum, so I kept my distance.

She might be killed... Without a trial, which is unimaginable in a modern rule-of-law country.

"Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but I need to tell you... Crane told you, but unique skills are valuable. Few people have them. Among outsiders, everyone has them. In this town, except for Crane, Naga, you, the saint, and one other, everyone has the same type of unique skill. You are valuable because of your unique skills, so don't reveal them."

"Same type?"

"First and second stages of the skill are <Fortune> and <Fate>. It's confirmed that they can come back to life after dying once."

"..."

How do I explain this to Naga and Crane?

Well, Crane might already know. He must have felt the danger of being killed, which is why he made the contract.

Trouble... I need to make Naga more cautious.

"...If you don't want to die, get stronger. That's necessary to live freely."

"Can you swear that's the truth?"

"Yeah. I won't set you up like I did with my dear partner. But... Crane will be entangled in the country's plans. If you want to protect him, you need to get even stronger."

From his serious expression, he doesn't seem to be lying.

But... I thought he was married? Even if he was a partner, he's a man. Giving special treatment based on a similar face is a bit concerning.

"...Alright. I'll believe you. If you know how to get stronger, can you tell me?"

"Learn more abilities while your level is low. It will boost your stats. Even at a low level, having many abilities makes you strong."

"How do I learn them?"

"I don't know. You learn them by increasing proficiency. The methods vary from person to person, so you need to try different things."

"...Can't you give me a hint?"

"Do you think I'm smart? I'm just a musclehead."

"...I was wrong to expect too much. Hey... Are you okay with us becoming a burden?"

"...Yeah. You're not a puppet who only follows orders. You can think for yourself, right? I want you to protect your sister with your own judgment."

Getting stronger.

Well, I want to be strong enough to protect my younger siblings.

If I need to get strong to live my life, I have no choice but to try.

But... I need to consult someone. The brains of the group. Both Naga and I are like the old man, more brawn than brains.