Chapter 57

The delivery office next to the East Branch of the Royal Capital was quite busy with a considerable number of delivery customers, as it was evening.

I had been doing only F-rank or lower odd jobs in the Royal Capital for the past two weeks, so this was my first time coming to the delivery office.

Seeing the monsters, which I had only seen in the Canardia Monster Encyclopedia, and the battle-hardened men and women carrying them, my excitement was rising.

As we entered the vast delivery office, the old man once again shouldered the Grithesnake, which stood out significantly, and whispers and glances came from all around.

"Hey, it's the 'Apple of Lind.'

It's pretty big, isn't it?

They hardly ever venture far, so did a Grithesnake of that size really appear around here?"

"Sure enough, it's Lind.

...Who's carrying the 'Bald Eagle' in the back?

I've never seen that kid before."

"Idiot.

Isn't that the 'Mad Dog' who recently joined 'Apple'?

I can't imagine the Bald Eagle getting close to Lind, so the kid must have taken it down with his shortbow..."

"Is that so?

He looks like a well-bred, slightly country kid...

He's an archer, huh?

But it takes quite a skill to take down a Bald Eagle with a shortbow, you know?"

"Yeah, I saw Bensa from Goldrat fawning over that kid just now, so it must be him.

He seems calm, but once he gets going, he turns into a bloodless fighting machine.

His guardian, Lind, is also a handful, so don't start a fight with him, okay?"

What's this 'Mad Dog' all about...

I'm not like my sister.

Sure, I've taught people the right way when they've been unreasonable, but I've never started a fight for no reason or lost my temper and gone on a rampage.

At most, I've been a bit angry a few times.

And that fat guy's name is Bensa...

I can't help but think of a toilet seat, so I won't forget it.

I don't want to remember it...

The old man, seemingly oblivious to the rumors, walked confidently and headed straight for the idle delivery window marked 'Large.'

He's really cool.

Without waiting in line, we reached the window, where a woman who looked like she had been doing this for 40 years was waiting.

It seems that there aren't many people who deliver large prey in the Royal Capital.

She was probably a few years younger than the old man.

"Lind, isn't it?

It's rare to see you here.

I'll take a look at that kid for you, so put the prey on this table."

"It's been a while since I've been here, Saki.

We only had a drink with Shell and two others three weeks ago.

I didn't plan to hunt today, but we ended up chasing a herd of Meadow Mares all the way to the Eastern Rune Plains.

I got stuck with them..."

"Wow, that's bad luck.

Oh, a single strike, huh?

Not bad for you, who are usually so rough.

Did the kid who hunted the Rovulture help with the Mares?

If he could pull a bow without wetting himself at that age and in that situation, he's got some potential."

Saki seemed to understand the situation as if she had seen it herself.

"Yeah.

If it weren't for him, we would have had some injuries.

He even wiped out about 20 Mares in 10 seconds and immediately ran to our aid.

He's just a kid, but he's a pretty decent archer."

"...Old man, 14 of them."

"What?

Don't be so picky."

"No, 14 and 20 are quite different...

It's hard to pin down."

That's something I've realized over the past two weeks.

Even reducing the firing speed by 0.1 seconds is much harder now than it was at the beginning.

"Keeheehee."

Saki laughed and stretched out the Grithesnake's body, which was curled up like a hose, on the table in one go.

This woman is also strong...

"Here it is."

From the 8-meter-long body, excluding the head, she immediately peeled off the scale where I had shot it.

"Kid, what's your name?"

Saki asked me, rotating the scale on her fingertips.

"Huh?

...Call me Ren."

I hesitated for a moment but, as I would have to show my explorer license for the delivery procedure anyway, I gave my fake name while showing it.

Saki raised her eyebrows and looked at me with a serious face after seeing the license.

"......I see.

Have you told Shell yet?"

"...Not yet.

He wanted to see it with his own eyes, and it will happen sooner or later."

"Keeheehee.

Hey, kid. I mean, Ren.

You should always use this large window for your deliveries.

You have a 'reason,' right?

I'm usually here, but if I'm not, I'll make sure you can use it."

...I see.

This woman is also one of the old man's drinking buddies, along with Shell.

The old man must have brought me here today to introduce me to her, understanding my situation.

Normally, I would refuse any special treatment, but if I have to show my license every time I make a delivery, there's a risk of my identity as a Royal Academy student being exposed.

I decided to accept her kindness.

Seeing me nod, Saki started the evaluation.

"Alright, let's cut the chatter and get to the evaluation.

20,000 reals for the Grithesnake's scales.

10,000 reals for the head and meat.

5,000 reals for the fangs and other materials.

For the Rovulture, 2,500 reals for the feathers that can be used as arrow fletching and 1,000 reals for the meat.

The Meadow Mare's magic stone is 100 reals each.

If you agree, sign here."

I have no idea about the market prices, so I'll leave it to the old man.

"...I don't have any complaints about Saki's evaluation, but is the snake okay at that price?

The scales are fine, but the rest seems a bit high..."

"Hmph.

As you know, there have been some strange rumors lately.

The meat of this snake can be used as food, especially the head area, which is used for health recovery potions, so the price has gone up by 30%.

This one doesn't have a venom sac, and the organs usually don't have a price, but there's a buyer through a connection recently.

The demand for monster food is what's driving the price up."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but ask.

"...Are the snake's organs tasty?"

"Keeheehee.

If they were tasty, they would have a price normally.

They're bitter and smelly, and you can't eat them, keeheehee."

Saki laughed with a mischievous face.

The connection is probably Sol.

And this expression means she's heard about me from that side.

The taste will be a morning surprise in a few days...

Not a pleasant one, though...

I confirmed with the old man just to be safe.

"I don't mind, but is it okay to sell the meat?"

"Yeah, we just took two sheep.

We can't handle any more, or they'll rot.

It's better to turn them into money.

Saki, split the earnings with this kid and me."

Hearing this, I politely declined.

The Rovulture is one thing, but with the Grithesnake, I only fired a restraining arrow.

"Old man, that's not right...

I didn't have the means to defeat this snake.

You're my savior, and I can't accept money.

I understand that if we hadn't agreed on a reward beforehand, splitting the earnings is the norm for explorers, but at least take the snake's share for yourself or 'Apple.'"

But the old man shook his head firmly with a stern face.

"Then it's a 'charity' to 'Apple.'

Do you want me to fire you?"

Intimidated by his presence, I couldn't say anything, and the old man laughed.

"Besides, you did a good job as the party's rear guard.

It's not just the one who makes the final strike who's important.

This money is your fair reward.

Take it with pride."

"Keeheehee.

The deal is done.

I'm busy with the dissection, so hurry up and leave."

The two of them ended the conversation in perfect sync.

Well, if it's a pure recognition of my work, I'm happy.

I should accept it humbly.

However, nearly 20,000 reals...

Maybe I'll splurge tonight and get soba with pumpkin tempura.

No, squid tempura sounds good too...

Hmm, I can't decide!

◆

After that, I went to the request-specific window with the old man and submitted the delivery certificate I received from Saki.

If it's just the purchase of materials, the delivery office can handle the cashing or transfer, but since the Grithesnake, which had ventured into the plains near the Royal Capital, the Rovulture, which steals the prey of explorers, and the attribute-holding Meadow Mares were all part of the standing requests, we had to go through this process.

There, I was informed of my promotion to E-rank.

I protested strongly, thinking it was too early, but a woman who seemed to be a supervisor came out from the back and insisted that the rules state that if the criteria are met, a promotion is mandatory, and there was no room for discussion.

The old man also told me, "You're being unreasonable by being F-rank in the first place. I understand your point, but remember that capable people can also take the jobs of those who can't do them," and I reluctantly gave in.

While there are no jobs I can't take at F-rank, there are quite a few I can't take at E-rank, so it was a bitter decision.

This time, I'll give in, but since it's probably Satowa pulling strings, I secretly decided to protest to the headquarters for the future.

Through this hunt, I realized one more thing.

The C-rank explorer from the countryside, Dio, who trained me with a spear when I came to the Royal Capital, has a spear skill that is on par with the old man, who is said to be close to A-rank.

I can't say for sure because I don't know much about spears and Dio was probably holding back, but...

In terms of power, it might be the old man, but in terms of technique, Dio might be better?

Even if strength isn't everything in ranking, why is that guy wasting away in such a rural area...

Thank you as always!

I'm sorry, but I'll probably take a break tomorrow too!