Chapter 33

From inside the carriage, hello, it's about time to hunker down for winter, isn't it? This is Herman. Well, I've been in the forest of rails for three years. It's been a while since I've been to the capital. ...You might ask if there was a two-year gap? Nothing particularly special happened. I just kept gathering, sleeping, gathering, sleeping, and then cleaning up after fires and sleeping. If there were no adventurers in other gathering areas, something might have happened, but the area was full of adventurers. Do you want to hear about how I just gathered without much interaction? I don't want to. Nothing really interesting happened.

Ah, in Nera Town, we also caught mice during the winter. I only took requests for that from the Adventurer's Guild. I also bought some clothes. I'm currently 11 years old. I'll turn 12 at this New Year's Festival, but I'm already about 180 cm tall. The average height for a farmer with a scythe is around 180 cm. I think I'll grow a bit more and reach about 185 cm. I don't know for sure, though.

As for gathering, to be honest, it went smoother than I expected. I probably gathered more moonlight mushrooms than I can use, and I secured about 50 bottles of full moon mushrooms. Roughly 500 or more, which is plenty. Since the Supreme Potion costs one Great Magic Coin, that means I'll make about 500 Great Magic Coins. Arrogance would probably dance with joy.

Another thing, the number of fires was ridiculous. They happened about once a month. And unlike in York's forest, the farmers didn't help. We had to clean up after each fire with just the adventurers. After so many fires, I got used to it. They provided a lot of brooms made of wheat straw, which were very useful. The wooden handles on the brooms were a surprise. We also had to take the burned bodies to the church and then the next day, take the bodies killed in the fighting tournament to the church to be burned. Honestly, how many people died in three years? It's too much to count. I no longer get swallowed by darkness. I've sort of figured out how to sublimate it. I don't think I've been consumed by the Great Sins.

Really, that's about all that happened. This carriage has a few other passengers, but it's not crowded, and there were no incidents on the way. Without any events, there's nothing to talk about. I think the only thing left is to see if anything happens when I return to the capital.

So, I arrived at the capital without any incidents. It's quite a while before the New Year's Festival, and I could have moved in the spring, but I decided to come back early. I need to gather information. I want to set out for the capital this spring. It's fine even if it's in the summer, but I want to arrive a bit early to check out the sacred sites and magical realms near the capital. I want to gather information on what materials and monsters are there from the Alchemy Guild and the Adventurer's Guild.

I don't even know how long it takes to get to the capital. I need to gather information from the very basics. I don't think it will take more than a year. The kingdom isn't that large. If it takes more than a year, it means I underestimated the information gathering. So, I came to the Alchemy Guild. I'll start with some inquiries.

"Excuse me, how long does it take to get to the capital?"

"The capital? Are you planning to apply to the Alchemy Academy? If you go now, you might just make it in time for the application."

"No, I'll be 12 at this New Year's Festival, so I just wanted to know how long it would take to get there."

"Oh, I see. If everything goes smoothly, it should take about 50 days. ...Please wait a moment. I need to confirm something."

The receptionist went to the back. I didn't need an exact number of days. About 50 days is enough. If I leave in the fall, I should make it in time for the application. As I was thinking this, the receptionist came back.

"I've confirmed. The Alchemy Guild has a request from the church to provide a carriage to the capital this spring. I think it would be best to ride along with them. It will get you to the capital quickly and safely. ...However, it will cost one small gold coin. If you're okay with that, I recommend you take it."

"Is it a request from the church? Can I ride along?"

"Yes, you can. They would have had to request guards from the Adventurer's Guild anyway. ...The driver is a fallen noble who can fight, so it might not be necessary, but if the church thinks it's insufficient, they would need to ask the Adventurer's Guild for reliable adventurers. So, they won't complain if you add to the fighting force. ...By the way, can you fight to some extent?"

"I've only fought goblins, but I can handle up to three without any problem. I'm not sure about more than that. I have three stars as a swordsman, so I don't think I'm completely useless."

"A three-star swordsman should be a good addition to the fighting force. Most of the monsters will be goblins or kobolds, with the occasional orc. I think it would be enough to bring some basic potions and antidote potions. There shouldn't be many poisonous monsters, but it's better to be prepared."

"I have 20 basic potions and 10 antidote potions. Is that enough?"

"That should be enough. ...If you decide to ride along, it will cost one small gold coin. This is not a request, but a ride fee."

"That's fine. Can I pay in advance?"

"Yes, in advance. ---Here, I have received it. By the way, it would be helpful if you could come to the Alchemy Guild once every five days after the New Year's Festival. The departure notice will be sent about 10 days before the trip."

"Understood. It's probably in the spring, right?"

"Yes, it will be just before the planting season. ...I'll inform the other staff, so you can come to anyone."

"Understood. Thank you."

This is good information, and my trip to the capital is now certain. If it takes about 50 days, I should arrive before the peak of summer. I can also visit the sacred site adjacent to the capital. I'll have time to thoroughly investigate the magical realm, and it might be worth a visit. I won't go deep, just the entrance. I'll probably only fight the lowest-level monsters like goblins and kobolds. Maybe even orcs, but I don't know how dangerous the magical realm near the capital is. I'll need to gather information once I get there.

So, I left the Alchemy Guild and headed to the inn. I'm going to the usual place because the food is delicious. That's reason enough. I used to think any inn would do, but after a failed attempt at a restaurant during the winter, I've been sticking to the inn's menu. They only serve porridge and dried meat soup. The inn's menu is rich because they preserve vegetables from spring and summer in jars. There's no need to go out of my way to eat. I walked down the main street of the West Avenue toward my destination.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate it if you could leave a review. If you could also provide some feedback, it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.