Chapter 3

The girl hadn't slept at all. After abandoning the cave she had been using as a bed, she had no choice but to sense the presence of monsters.

If she felt danger, she would move to a new location and wait for dawn without a moment's rest.

Maintaining this tension all night had pushed her consciousness to its limit.

At sunrise, she stood at the forest exit, the rendezvous point, waiting for Ardis and his party.

She wanted to sleep, but it would be rude if she were in such a state when they arrived. The girl steeled herself and waited.

"Why... why not?"

An hour had passed, and she wasn't particularly worried yet.

Dark clouds began to gather in her heart two hours later.

They must have been unable to come for some reason. They must have had some urgent business.

She had been making such convenient assumptions, but finally, one terrible reason came to mind.

"Abandoned? Even though I survived? Why? Why?"

Her body trembled, and her eyes stung. No matter what treatment she received, the hero Ardis was never wrong.

She hadn't expected to suddenly receive training. Ardis had been testing her with his eyes.

The girl had been telling herself this and enduring until now.

But in this situation, even her positive spirit had its limits.

"It's fine if I don't have talent... But then, there was no need to make such a promise... Was I just being teased all this time..."

For a person with a sound mind, this environment would likely have driven them to flee on the first or second day.

She had faced everything with pure purpose, without making excuses for herself.

Now, it seemed that all the treatment she had received was just harassment. It wasn't hard to come to that conclusion.

The girl clenched her fist and hit a tree.

"Damn it!"

Was she a fool for believing? But the girl held back the tears that threatened to spill.

It was easy to despair. Even if she collapsed here, no one would help her.

This kind of thing could happen to an adventurer. She recalled her father's words.

Despite their strong opposition, her parents had sent her off with a smile.

"Alright!"

More than anything, if she let this week go to waste, it would be a waste.

The girl looked up at the blue sky. The world was as vast as this blue sky. When she realized this, she made a decision.

"I won't give up. My dream wasn't easy. That's all. Alright!"

She pumped herself up to change her mindset.

If she stayed depressed, she would be letting down her parents who had sent her off with a smile.

The girl resolved to start anew and set her sights on the next goal. First, she needed to go to a town.

However, it was dangerous to wander aimlessly on foot without a map.

Her body was near its limit, but she couldn't afford to complain.

She recalled the last town they had visited with Ardis. It was about two days away.

There were supposed to be water sources and convenient rest spots along the way. Despite her body's limits, the girl started walking.

* * *

"There! A town!"

When she saw the town, the girl couldn't help but cry out in joy.

As she passed through the gate and saw the bustling town, she felt as if a string had snapped. She fell to her knees and slumped to the ground.

She could defeat monsters, but she no longer had a stone knife, so she had only been drinking water.

Despite her barely holding on, she praised herself for making it this far.

However, the girl realized that arriving in town didn't solve everything. She had no money.

Her parents had given her travel supplies and money, but Ardis had confiscated everything.

The immediate problems were a place to rest and food, but she needed money to get them.

The girl understood how to earn money. Those who don't work, don't eat.

Even in the village, children helped adults, from babysitting to farming, working from morning till night.

The girl was no exception.

"Excuse me! Can I work here?"

The place she visited was a restaurant. She remembered eating there with Ardis's party.

However, her orders were never allowed, and she only got leftovers.

The owner seemed to remember her and hurried over.

"I remember you. You were with Ardis... and his party, right? You look terrible..."

"I'm on my own now, and I have no money... I'll do anything."

"First, you need a bath. And you must be tired today."

"I'm fine!"

"...Alright. After you bathe, change into this. Hey!"

The owner's wife led her to the back. Since the restaurant was attached to their home, the bath didn't take long.

After washing off the grime, the girl almost fell asleep.

But she couldn't afford to be complacent. She had to earn money, regain her strength, and then go to the adventurer's guild.

She hadn't even taken the first step toward her dream.

"You're changed. It's past noon, so there aren't many customers. Can you wash dishes?"

"Yes!"

"Great, I'll leave it to you!"

Until the busy evening hours, the girl worked tirelessly. She was used to this kind of work.

In the past, if she was slow, she would be hit. She worked efficiently and, when there were more customers, she took the initiative to serve them.

Her natural energy seemed to spread throughout the restaurant, and both the couple and the customers were in good spirits.

"You work hard! Are you new here?"

"Yes! Oh, the water is running out! I'll bring more!"

"Ah, sorry about that."

She was also very observant. In Yggdrasia, even a small mistake would result in a kick.

She could see the big picture and what everyone needed.

With the reflexes she had honed in the forest, she quickly went to the customers. Thanks to her, everything was more efficient.

"Little girl, you must be hungry. I'll treat you."

"Really? No, that's okay..."

"Don't be shy. I can tell you've been pushing yourself."

"Hey, Old Man! Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I was thinking of closing soon anyway."

The beef stew brought by the customer was delicious.

The girl had prepared meals while camping in Yggdrasia, but this was on another level.

As the restaurant closed and most customers left, the place finally calmed down.

"Thanks for today. Thanks to you, I felt like the early days of the restaurant."

"The early days?"

"With my age and fewer customers, I was thinking of closing. But thanks to you, I feel like I can keep going a bit longer."

"I'm glad I could help!"

The owner sat at the counter, and his wife brought teacups. The girl took a sip as prompted and winced at the heat.

The owner chuckled at the girl's reaction.

"The food here isn't bad, it's my fault. But they would throw plates and demand free meals... I was disappointed when I heard they were the famous hero party."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything back then..."

"No, no. It's not your fault. I could tell you were uncomfortable. Were you an apprentice?"

"Yes, but I was fired for lack of talent."

"I see..."

She would never say that she was lied to and abandoned.

She was angry, but they had given her a chance to leave the village.

Even though she was treated poorly, she might have ended up worse if she had left without any knowledge.

In that sense, she was grateful to Yggdrasia.

The girl remained positive.

"Actually, the food here isn't bad. It's really delicious."

"Thank you. By the way, this is today's pay."

"Wh-what, this much?!"

The amount was more than enough to cover her earnings for the day. She tried to refuse, but the owner insisted.

He gently placed the leather bag of coins in her hand.

"Thank you so much... I'm really happy..."

"You don't have any plans, right? If you're staying in town, you can stay here. What's your name?"

The owner had noticed from the moment she arrived. He had hired her on the spot without even asking her name.

Her appearance was that pitiful.

"My name is Riti."

The name that even Ardis had never called her, she said for the first time outside.