Chapter 4

"Welcome... you guys. Ha~... What do you want?"

The bald shop owner, who was usually gruff but friendly, clearly had an unpleasant look on his face.

He had already heard the rumors from the material merchants. The good relationship with the store was due to Gaius being considerate.

For example, when making new equipment, in addition to the processing fee, they would bring their own materials, but Gaius always brought the best quality. He would sell slightly cheaper scraps of the best quality materials to the blacksmith.

Even if you're not an "Item Master," it's natural to be able to use "Appraisal" when you're in business. Generally, adventurers can't tell the difference in the quality of materials. Transactions with "Item Masters" were reliable for the store in this regard.

Especially for A-rank adventurers, who are just below S-rank, they hunt fairly strong monsters. Processing these as materials is also a showcase of an "Item Master's" skills, but according to the material merchants, the kind of mutually beneficial transactions that happened when Gaius was at the "Crescent Claw" couldn't be expected anymore.

"I want an item pouch. I'll pay for it, make me the largest capacity one with the best materials."

"Materials? For the best, we need dragon leather or red cyclops leather. Durability is essential."

"Th-there's a large monster carcass in the base's yard. It's not processed yet... but, of course, I'll pay for the labor!"

"You idiots, processing a large monster takes a whole day. Can you really pay for it?"

The "Crescent Claw" exchanged glances, and Gurugan asked anxiously.

"How much will it cost?"

"Well, if I go there to process the materials and then make the item pouch... you want one for each of you, right? So, roughly... 120 gold coins."

"Huh?!"

"That's a rip-off! That's ridiculous!"

Gurugan and Hanna shouted reflexively. The item pouches they currently had were also made here, and they paid 5 gold coins each. The performance was about one-third, 10 square meters, but with Gaius, who could use the item inventory, the capacity was sufficient.

"Hey, even with Gaius, I'm giving you the lowest price. Besides, the royal palace isn't buying large monsters right now. I'll process the materials and make what you want. For that, I have to close the store for you. If you think it's a rip-off, let the monster rot in your yard. The guard will come."

"Alright, alright, I'll pay. I'll ask you to do it at that price."

It was partly because Gaius had asked, but the shop owner couldn't stand the idea of a large monster rotting without being used as material.

Still, these young adventurers knew too little about the value of things. Gaius had the "Negotiation" skill, and he always paid a little more than the asking price or added extra materials. That's what made the job worthwhile.

Making item pouches for these guys wouldn't be very exciting. He didn't intend to do a bad job, but the materials from a large monster were too valuable to waste on them.

He was also angry at being called a rip-off. Fine, he thought, I'll rip you off with materials, and with that mindset, the shop owner prepared to head to the "Crescent Claw" base with his tools.

"It's full payment upfront. I'll go after you pay."

"...Alright. Here, I'm asking you to do it."

Paying 120 gold coins upfront was something to be admired. However, with Gaius, it would have been cheaper, and the best performance item would have been made with a good feeling.

Being called a rip-off loudly was the end of his business, and the bad reputation of the "Crescent Claw" spread from the blacksmith.

◇◇◇

While Gurugan and the others were finally getting the shop owner to start processing the large monster in the yard, Gaius was roasting horn rabbit meat by the river.

"Oops, I overcooked it. Well, I can just put it in the inventory."

One rabbit would be enough to fill him up, but he had heated three rabbits on the stone before he noticed. He couldn't eat all of it alone, and Schukl... Draconics are herbivores, which is rare for a dragon.

Thinking about putting it in the inventory, he continued cooking when he heard multiple footsteps from the forest and looked over. He didn't sense any hostility, and if he had, Schukl would have been agitated.

"It's the smell of meat...!"

"Please, we'll pay everything we have... can you share some...!"

"There's water too...! Ah, we're saved...!"

They seemed to be a group of young adventurers, around 15 years old, who had just started.

They had apparently wandered in a forest near the capital, which should have been easy to navigate. Their obvious hunger raised questions about how they ended up in this situation.

"You don't need to pay. I was thinking it was overcooked anyway, so go ahead and eat."

Gaius generously shared the meat with the adventurers who were on the verge of death in this place and told them that the river water was drinkable before listening to their story.

"We registered as adventurers last month. We were gathering herbs for a collection request, but we didn't expect to run into goblins."

"Goblins, huh? They're troublesome at first. There are many of them, and they have weapons. They also throw rocks."

"That's right... my magic was exhausted, and I was a burden, and the other two were injured..."

"The deadline is today, but we ended up getting lost while escaping and eating the herbs."

They seemed to be a party of a swordsman, a mage, and a thief. They would need to hire a healer and a tank later, but failing a request early on would mean they would have to work in the city to pay the compensation.

Perhaps because they hadn't eaten in a while, they couldn't move. Gaius said, "Wait a moment," and disappeared into the forest for a moment, returning with a large bundle of the best quality herbs.

"There are areas where herbs grow in abundance in the forest. I'll show you the way to the capital while guiding you, so don't go into strange places and engage in reckless battles next time."

Although he said this, Gaius felt a bit embarrassed about acting like a senior. Since he had no delivery plans and had recovery potions, he gave the herbs to them and led them from the river to the herb cluster and then to the checkpoint before the capital.

"Hey! Are you still around here?!"

"We want to thank you! We'll do anything you ask!"

"Gaius, you're our savior. You understand us, who are just starting out..."

Their heartfelt gratitude was touching, and staying here for a while and taking it easy didn't seem so bad. Helping these beginner adventurers as a guide in this forest might be a good idea. He didn't need to rush back to his hometown.

"I might stay in this forest for a while. But I don't need any thanks, and don't tell anyone I'm here. When you hire a priest or an item master, that will be our goodbye."

Gaius's voice had a commanding presence that the beginner adventurers couldn't resist. They could only nod silently.

They waved goodbye to Gaius and returned to the forest with Schukl.

— Although they didn't mention Gaius by name, they told the guild staff in detail about the savior who helped them in the first forest. They didn't break their promise, but it was clear it was Gaius.

However, neither the guild staff nor the adventurers had any intention of passing on Gaius's story to the "Crescent Claw" members. They were told not to talk about it and nodded obediently. The beginner adventurers were then taken care of by the guild's adventurers.

And, having delivered more than the required number of the best quality herbs, they received more than double the reward and immediately applied to hire a priest or an item master, starting the recruitment process.