Chapter 7

The four of them rested in their respective rooms and the next morning,

This morning, the four of them took care of Dracynics, but since they had completely forgotten and couldn't recall their favorite food, they fed them whatever was available and then finally decided to have breakfast.

However, a problem arose here.

Until now, the four of them had relied on Gaius for meals, so they ended up arguing over who should cook.

"…Lilith, who supported Gaius yesterday, should make it."

"What…! Mr. Ben, what's wrong with Mr. Gaius?! We didn't consult about wanting him to quit; we kicked him out!"

"Don't yell in the morning, it's annoying."

"Hanna is a girl, so she should take the initiative to cook, right?"

"What's that supposed to mean! Gaius was a man, right? Since Grugan was the one who ultimately fired him, Grugan should do it!"

"You're yelling even though you told us not to yell…"

This led to a tense atmosphere.

In the end, they decided to take turns, and this morning Grugan made a simple fried egg and vegetable sandwich. The item box in the base kitchen still had the necessary ingredients. He served it with cold milk, and that became their breakfast.

Grugan's mind was swirling with the thought of where he had gone wrong. He had been thinking about it since last night, but he couldn't come up with an answer.

What came to mind was a camping trip from a long time ago.

He had once asked Gaius why he didn't change his job from "Item Master." It was around the time he had upgraded from "Swordsman" to "Knight."

Gaius, looking at the campfire… at that time, they didn't just leave everything to Gaius but also took turns tending the fire… seemed to have explained it to him.

"The skills of an Item Master include 'Item Inventory' with no limit, 'Throwing' that ignores terrain, 'Appraisal' to identify items, 'Instant Judgment' to choose the best item, 'Quality Improvement' to enhance the effects of handed items, and 'Negotiation' for all kinds of transactions. However, when you change jobs, something always disappears. 'Item Inventory' is a unique skill of the Item Master, and 'Appraisal' is only available to Item Masters among adventurers. If you specialize in 'Throwing,' you can change to a 'Ninja' or 'Ranger' and eventually become an 'Assassin.' If you specialize in 'Negotiation,' you can become a 'Tamer' to temporarily ally with monsters and eventually become a 'Trainer.' The Item Master has no equipment restrictions and can perform similar tasks to advanced jobs by developing skills, even though their stats don't grow as well. If you master 'Instant Judgment,' you can judge the best places to move and the best steps to take. If you develop 'Throwing,' you can aim for headshots with this magic bow, and with better accuracy, you can target vital points with daggers. The Item Master is a support role, so their health grows quite well, and they can keep fighting… If you develop 'Appraisal,' you can even determine the stats of monsters. It's quite a waste, really, to lose the ability to do things."

—So, I'll push the Item Master to the limit.

Gaius, who rarely spoke so much, laughed and said, "Sorry." Grugan replied, "There's no need to apologize," and the conversation ended there.

After that, they bought the riding beasts together, and everyone learned how to take care of the Dracynics. But over time, everyone except Gaius stopped doing it. Some were training to reach advanced jobs, and others were absorbed in love.

If you try it, you'll realize that it doesn't take much time if everyone does it together.

Gaius never asked for help. That's right, it's wrong to ask for help with your own riding beast. It's only natural to do it yourself.

Even when shopping, they relied on Gaius's 'Negotiation' skills, but did they ever ask for explanations about the items? Gaius was the one they relied on, Grugan and the others. They answered, "We can figure it out, it's fine," but they didn't understand.

Tears welled up in Grugan's eyes. While chewing on the sandwich, he regretted why they had let Gaius do all the non-Item Master tasks as if it were normal.

Even when they went to stores, blacksmiths, and the guild for deliveries, Gaius had always gone with them. When Gaius said he would go to the castle for deliveries, they were drinking to celebrate their new start. At least at that time, if they had decided to fire Gaius, would they have given him instructions about the items? Would they have asked how to handle them? No, they didn't.

The "Item Inventory" that could hold anything, the materials for campfires, and the large monster corpses for delivery to the castle. The rare drops that were too dangerous to use in real battles.

It must have been a lot of work to leave all that at the base, but at that time, they were drinking to celebrate their new start. Gaius had even gone around the city, saying, "Please take care of the Crescent Claw," before leaving the capital.

While eating the sandwich and crying, Grugan was so tense that no one could even speak to him, and breakfast time passed in silence.

◇◇◇

"Good morning, Mira. Have you calmed down?"

Gaius gave his one-person tent to Mira and slept next to Schukur. There were spare blankets, so he didn't freeze, but the riverbank was rocky and uncomfortable.

He offered Mira a warm cup of tea with honey and milk as she came out of the tent, fully dressed. The campfire was burning nicely.

"Good morning…! I'm sorry for suddenly imposing on you and taking your tent…"

Mira sat on a chair made from the leftover wood from the tree they had cut down yesterday, and Gaius sat next to Schukur, who was eating from the feed box.

"It's fine. —But why me again? I'm fine, but I'm not going back to the capital… I've been kicked out of the party. I've been helped by many people, but I'm not tough enough to live in the capital."

"…I know. The 'Crescent Claw,' right? To kick someone out like that…!"

Mira's sudden loud voice startled both Gaius and Schukur. Mira seemed angry.

"Gaius, you left all the items behind, right?"

"Huh? Yeah. The low-quality materials for campfires, the large monster corpses waiting for delivery to the castle, the rare drops that can't be used in real battles, and the recovery potions… they're not my personal items."

"That's the problem. Using the lowest quality monster skins for campfires, choosing the right recovery potions based on the size of the wounds, and selling large monster corpses to the castle… and preparing equipment by using materials yourself, right?"

"Uh, yeah. Why? I thought you'd learn that when buying from stores or during the adventurer guild's training…"

"That's the problem. You tried to sell the campfire materials by dragging the shopkeepers out, and when they offered to take them if you paid, you refused. You had the blacksmiths strip the large monster corpses, and when you asked them to make item pouches, you didn't even bring the materials, and they called it a rip-off! And you didn't even know how to properly use the recovery potions! Your reputation is really bad right now…"

Mira's words made Gaius cover his eyes with his palm and look up at the sky. Dragging out shopkeepers who run businesses, not paying them, not making transactions, and making them do jobs they don't specialize in. Stripping materials is something you learn in the beginner's training when you register as an adventurer.

Indeed, since he joined, he had been doing everything. For the quality of the materials, it was better for him, the Item Master, to do it. But… he was gradually becoming scared that he might not be able to do it anymore.

"…Are you kidding? No way, ha, I'm S-rank, right? I even went shopping with them… I was a bit worried about taking care of the Dracynics… but I thought they knew about the items since they didn't say anything when I left… Ah… I really didn't think at all… I was fired, wasn't I?"

Until now, he had thought that the decision to fire him was made calmly and unanimously because they thought they could manage without him. He thought they had the severance pay ready and were even looking for a suitable support member in another advanced job… In short, he thought the party members had a clear reason to kick him out.

Everyone had item pouches, and they had managed for a year without Gaius. He had left the orphanage in the countryside and found a job in the capital, where there were many opportunities, and by chance, he had become an Item Master through the adventurer aptitude test at the church.

The Item Master was so convenient that he had never considered changing jobs and had no intention of doing so in the future. So, what was convenient for him was also convenient for the party. But, the one being kicked out didn't need to provide a replacement plan.

"…You mean… they kicked me out without thinking about a replacement plan or what would happen without me…?"

"…Can you go back to the 'Crescent Claw'?"

"No, I'm not that kind of person… I thought about retiring to the countryside while traveling, but before that, I wanted to help beginners with my savings."

"Then, let's form a party! I'll buy the necessary items!"

"No, no, it's more cost-effective if I buy them. Asking the blacksmiths, too. By the way, what are we going to do in a party…?"

Gaius didn't understand. Even if they were just acquaintances, he didn't mind being asked to form a party by a cute girl.

But, she was probably in high demand wherever she went.

Even if it didn't harm Gaius, he couldn't find a reason why Mira would go out of her way to find him and form a party.

"…Can I tell you a long story…?"

"Sure, I have time. Let's have breakfast first."

Gaius took fruit and horn rabbit meat from his inventory, made a soup with pounded meat balls, and served soft, sweet fruit that could be easily chewed. He and Mira had breakfast together.