Chapter 14

The subtitles are the episode numbers, so it might be difficult to know what kind of story is in each one, but please bear with me. The author is not good at giving subtitles.

I will try to make it a bit more understandable by dividing it into chapters since I am attempting a long work.

If it becomes even more confusing and gets bad reviews, I might remove it.

Thank you for reporting the typo.

It was around the time when the brown soil started to show through the white fields of spring. This is Herman. Today is finally the day of my departure. I plan to go to Kauts Town after visiting Juddinoa, and I will go on foot. I'm a bit late because the perfect stagecoach didn't come, but it's rare for things to go according to plan. After finishing breakfast, it's time to leave... the farewell from my family is warm. It's like a farewell for this life, probably.

"Leaving now."

"Be careful."

"Don't overdo it."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

After exchanging brief greetings, I arrived at Juddinoa. Well, it's the same as usual here.

"Excuse me."

"Just a moment!"

I waited in my usual spot, reassured by the usual response. This place might be my last spot to sit. Soon, Judy appeared.

"Is today the last time I'll see your face, boy?"

"Please, don't say such ominous things."

It feels like I might die at the beginning! Judy laughed heartily. It's nice that she doesn't want to be sentimental, but it's nice that she can laugh like that.

"Well, in a sense, it's a farewell for this life... But, there's a possibility that I might see you again, even just once."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, I think we won't meet, but if things go well, we might meet again. Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean by 'if things go well'?"

"Yeah, that's right. If things go well, we won't meet. Things are going well so far. That's why it's a farewell for this life... If you're going to be a merchant, it might be different, but you said you're not, right?"

"That's right. If possible, I want to have a shop."

"Then there's nothing I can do. There are many things like that."

"I see. Then, thank you for everything."

"Take care. Try to become a good alchemist."

And so, I left Juddinoa. All that's left is to walk the wide road to the town. If I walk steadily, I should reach the town by dusk.

I walked down the road. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've left the village. It's quite a sentimental moment. But this area is just a vast grassland. There are no monsters here, let alone bandits. Bandits used to be a viable profession, but since the 'Extend Space' became widespread, bandits became bad adventurers. Attacking merchants won't even get them a single piece of food. That's why bandits as a profession no longer exist in this country.

It's impossible for a ragged person to use the 'Extend Space' even if they attack. It's easy to use in normal times, but it's difficult to activate in emergencies. That's the kind of technology the 'Extend Space' is. That's why bandits no longer exist.

However, the assassin profession still exists and is quite common. Most of them work for nobles. Commoners don't need assassins. There are many reasons for assassination, such as family disputes, marriage disputes, and so on. That's what I heard from Judy.

Monsters, too, mostly live in the magic realm. Even if some of them stray from the magic realm, they live in forests or woods, not in grasslands. If they do, adventurers will quickly turn them into money. Especially, struggling adventurers are enthusiastic about hunting them. The reward for hunting monsters is much better than the materials they collect.

...Yet, there are many foolish adventurers who choose sacred grounds instead of the magic realm. To survive, one must at least be able to read and write, but if one has combat skills, the magic realm is definitely more profitable. Reading and writing are not necessary for hunting. However, if one wants to advance and make more money, reading and writing is essential.

For example, let's say there's an orc. Normally, it can be sold for about 5 silver coins. But if there's a request to strengthen the buyback of orcs to 1 large silver coin, taking the orc without the request will result in a buyback of 5 silver coins. In this case, the guild will benefit, and the adventurer will lose out without knowing about the strengthened buyback. That's how it works. Therefore, if one wants to make money, it's better to be able to read and write.

Another case is when one is ennobled as a noble. Titles like knight or mage. The minimum requirement for ennoblement is the ability to read and write. It wouldn't make sense for a noble to be unable to read or write. ...Well, it might be rare for a muscle-bound person to even think about ennoblement.

In any case, the ability to read and write can raise one's living standards as an adventurer and as a human being. Yet, there are many adventurers who don't make the effort. The guild is trying to do something about it, but it's not working. A fool is a fool until he dies.

That's why a child can walk the road without weapons. There's no turmoil. It's not needed. It's not necessary. All I need to do is reach Kauts Town by the end of the day. ...But, walking through the grassland is boring. I've already been running, but running has become boring too.

Because the scenery doesn't change. It's a straight line. The old alchemist said that the road between villages was laid out by him, according to Judy. He measured it properly and laid it out straight. It's a grand story. Thanks to that, I can reach the next town in the shortest distance. But, this unchanging scenery is a problem. Even with so much flat land, there are no villages. It feels like it's due to a lack of talent. The absence of magic realms or sacred grounds is also a reason why villages and towns are not built.

To make a village, there needs to be a moderate amount of forest. For fuel. No matter how much slime can make fuel from garbage, there are limits. At first, one has to cut trees from the forest for firewood, and mushrooms and wild vegetables don't grow. Building a village is a long-term project. The existence of adventurers is also a reason why the population doesn't increase. Adventurers die young. There have been two fires in the village, right? Despite many people dying in the fires, the number of adventurers coming to the village hasn't decreased. To put it bluntly, there are so many adventurers that they can be swept away. A decent adventurer is one in a hundred, if that.

That said, for entertainment... Let me talk a bit more about adventurers. If you think adventurers mainly hunt in the magic realm or gather in sacred grounds, that's not the case. They also do errands in town, like a jack-of-all-trades. In fact, most adventurers can't make a living by hunting or gathering. Hunting requires talent and initial capital, and gathering requires the ability to read and write. Even such adventurers can do useful work. Tedious work, simple labor, physical labor, and dirty work. Even with the 'Extend Space,' adventurers earn their main income by doing jobs that ordinary people don't want to do, for a fee from individuals or towns.

Those who can earn a decent amount can spend the winter in a large room at an inn. They are better off than those who stay in sacred grounds and are at risk of freezing to death. ...It's sad to say, but the more difficult the job, the more money one can make as an adventurer. Whether reading and writing is more difficult than that is a different matter. There must be a certain number of adventurers for the town to function, but there are plenty of surplus adventurers. It's not a good job, but anyone can do it.

The hero of such adventurers is the one who delves into the magic realm. They risk their lives to fight monsters and obtain meat and materials. The adventurer guild buys them, dissects them, and sells the meat to butchers and the materials to alchemists. Then the meat is sold in the market, and the materials are sold to alchemists, mages, and magic guilds. It's a perfect cycle where no one loses. Everyone starts as an adventurer, dreaming of being such an adventurer. The exception is adventurers who don't know about the magic realm. And there are more exceptions than one might think. ...And even adventurers who know about the magic realm, once they realize their limits and are crushed by reality, return to being town errand boys. If one has talent, one can succeed in the magic realm. If not, one can make a living by working hard and gathering in sacred grounds. Otherwise, it's a miserable life.

...If one works hard as a town errand boy all year round, one can afford to share a room with a few people, not just a large room. The town doesn't pay the minimum amount to maintain it. Physical labor also pays a certain amount. Dirty work, in particular, pays better than other jobs. So why do they stay in large rooms? Because adventurers are not diligent. Once they work, they take 2-3 days off. Even if they work every day, they can make a living without much hardship, but why don't they work?

It's because they work in the same cycle as those who delve into the magic realm. Adventurers who enter the magic realm make money, but it's nerve-wracking. They are always on guard and risking their lives. The pay is good, but not many adventurers have the physical and mental strength to delve every day. It comes down to talent. If one has talent like Edwin's brother, one can delve every day without much trouble, but most adventurers are 1 or 2-star. At that level, they can easily defeat low-level monsters, but when it comes to high-level monsters, they have to be on edge. So, they spend 2-3 days resting after one day of fighting. To fight in perfect condition.

Another reason is the way they fight, which is self-taught and inefficient. I don't know if there are any schools, but most adventurers learn to fight on the spot, so there's a lot of waste. On the other hand, nobles who have fallen from grace often have proper sword skills, so even with low stars, they can manage. When born into a noble family, one is sent to a noble school for 6 years from the age of 7, regardless of talent or environment. There, they socialize, work hard to pave the way for becoming an adventurer, or prepare to enter an alchemy or magic school, among other things. ...This is when I first learned that Judy was a noble who had fallen from grace. Men who don't inherit the family and women who don't marry are actively sent out of the family. Well, they are not needed except for the heir, so it can't be helped.

In other words, many successful adventurers are nobles who have fallen from grace. They don't flaunt it, but there are many former nobles among alchemists and mages. I'm stepping into a complicated world. Even if I'm planning to be kicked out of the family, nobles invest money in education. If one leaves the family, one doesn't become ignorant, but one's misdeeds will only be pointed out by other nobles. That's why Judy cares about the family's reputation, even though she has been kicked out.

What about commoner adventurers? Most of them become adventurers at the