Chapter 28

Comprehensive Daily Ranking 2nd Place! Daily High Fantasy Ranking 2nd Place! Thank you very much!

"Great job today too!"

It has been a week since Mina and Reta started living in the border town of Amrus. Their life together is going smoothly. Reta runs around the town and even outside almost every day to handle recovery requests. Mina tries to follow and help him as much as possible, but there were a couple of times when she had to stay behind. On those occasions, she was taken care of by the Douran family, who run the inn "Bearded Dwarf Inn," and helped out there.

Mina seems to want to be with Reta as much as possible, and recently, she has been looking anxious whenever they are about to separate. One morning, when Reta got up a little earlier and left the bed, she started searching for him in surprise.

I think she has grown attached to me, but I can't quite understand what she is thinking. After all, an old man can't really understand the feelings of a girl of her age.

"There are just too many injured people in this town."

At least there are no sick people. Reta can't treat diseases "yet."

(I've been reading the magic book, but I don't have the chance to practice.)

Recently, the magic book he inherited contained spells for "Healing and Recovery" to treat conditions like poisoning and paralysis, and "Disease Recovery" to cure minor illnesses like colds and stomachaches. However, he has no time to train, and the only time he can read the magic book is before going to bed.

(Well, it's best that there are no injured people or sick people.)

Even if it means fewer opportunities for him to help, it's better for the townspeople to be healthy.

(...And my savings have become quite substantial.)

With requests, there are also request fees. After discussing with the guild, Reta decided to charge one to ten silver coins for minor injuries and one white silver coin for severe injuries. This is a bargain price, not much different from seeing a doctor. Considering that healers usually demand several gold coins, it's not even comparable.

Reta has healed over a hundred injured people in the past few days. With various expenses added, including travel fees, his savings have reached about 500,000 yen. He can live without working for two months.

"Are you not going anywhere in the evening?"

"I don't have any plans, so I might spend some time with Riggs."

"Mu. Reta, you've been drinking so much lately!"

"Hey, it's not my fault. It's Riggs' fault for having such a good selection of drinks!"

"...Sometimes, Reta, you say things like a child."

"...Sorry."

Dwarves are known for their love of alcohol. Riggs is no exception; he is a big drinker. He is particular about the taste and brand of the alcohol, ensuring that only the ones he is satisfied with are served at the inn. He especially enjoys strong distilled spirits like whiskey and has been having a drink with Reta after closing the shop for the past few days.

(I'll have a nice drink after finishing my work today.)

The old man grins foolishly, and the girl glares at him with a deadpan expression. This awkward yet peaceful time is expected to continue until they return to town. However,

"Mina!"

"---Huh?"

"Stay behind me. I smell blood."

Suddenly, the smell of blood stimulated his sense of smell. Reta, who deals with blood daily, has become very sensitive to it.

They are currently outside Amrus. They accepted a guild request to help a nearby caravan that had injured people. The caravan had been in combat with monsters about an hour's distance from the town and was unable to move. The goods were scattered, and the caravan had set up camp. Reta was invited to stay, but he politely declined. They offered to return together the next day, which would be safer for Reta and Mina due to the lack of a guard. However, he declined because he didn't know when an emergency request might come. He had been woken up late at night or early in the morning several times in the past few days, so he wanted to stay in town as much as possible. Additionally, he wished for Mina to sleep in a bed for her safety.

(...Damn. Maybe I should have stayed with the caravan.)

He might have made the wrong choice, but if there are injured people ahead, he can't just leave them.

(I hope it's not just monsters and corpses.)

"...Reta"

"It's okay. Let's go check it out. We'll turn back if it's dangerous."

"Okay."

Reta can fight to some extent. The monsters around Amrus are not very strong, but they often cause injuries due to their numbers.

(We have to be careful!)

Holding Mina's hand firmly, they walked down the road and found it.

"...What is this?"

"A red tiger?"

On the ground lay a large tiger with a bright red fur. It's a Ruby Tiger, a type of monster. There were three of them, already dead and motionless. They were covered in arrows, which were the cause of their deaths.

Nearby, a man and a woman were desperately calling out to a fallen child.

"Reta, let's go!"

"Right, looks like it's my turn."

Prompted by Mina, they quickened their pace and realized that the smell of blood was due to the injured child.

"Hey! Are you okay! ---"

Reta called out and was surprised. It was because their appearance was so unusual. They had beautiful, doll-like features, silk-like hair, and pointed ears.

"Are you elves?"

"Elves?"

"Sorry if I'm wrong. It's my first time seeing an elf. Anyway, I'm Reta, and this is Mina. We live in Amrus, the town nearby. If you don't mind, I can heal the child's injuries."

Approaching with a friendly smile to avoid alarming them,

"Stay back, human!"

The elf aimed a bow at them and glared.

---

The Elf chapter begins. There might be a new heroine.