Chapter 9

"Ah, thank you..."

The girl, who had received and drunk the hot water from the women, was still trembling.

"Why did you set up your tent so far away? When you camp alone, you should set up your tent near other women. That's common sense, you know?"

"Eh?"

"Ha, it seems you don't know much. Traveling alone as a woman is wrong to begin with. If you must travel alone, you should avoid moving at night, ride in a carriage, and set up your tent near other women. It's too late to be attacked like this."

"Sorry..."

The girl realized that what the man had said was common sense.

"You should stay here tonight. They might do something strange again."

"Thank you. My name is Iris Flone... just Iris."

The girl stopped herself from giving her full name.

"Nice name. I'm Roka."

"I'm Vanessa."

"I'm Cisco."

"Um, you all..."

"We are hunters. We're part of the Star's Guidance party."

"You're hunters?"

"Yeah, we belong to the Hunter's Guild in the capital. We heard that monsters have been appearing on the road to Lionel and near the village, so we came to investigate. Where are you from?"

Vanessa asked Iris, sitting cross-legged.

"I was on my way to the capital from Lionel."

"Did you see any monsters on the way?"

In response to Vanessa's question, Iris told her about camping on the road and being attacked by wolves, and how an unknown man had driven them away and brought her here.

"You drove away the wolves without a sword?"

"Yes, I hit them with a pot."

The three women whispered to each other.

"What kind of man was he?"

Roka asked for more details, and the girl described how unpleasant Margine had been, pouring out all her pent-up frustration.

"And he made me pay 500G for water from an unknown source."

"Unknown source?"

"Yes. He carried my luggage, but I didn't know where he put it."

"Did he have a backpack or a bag?"

"He had nothing."

"Roka, could it be...?"

Cisco looked serious.

"Yeah, I thought it might be a magic bag, but since he had nothing, it probably isn't. Maybe he can use storage magic?"

"What's storage magic?"

"Storage magic is a spell that allows you to store items in a separate dimension. Which direction did he go?"

"He said he was heading back to the capital."

"Vanessa, have you heard of anyone in the capital who can use storage magic?"

"No, I haven't. If it's a noble's retainer, it's possible we wouldn't know."

"Iris, what did he look like? Did he seem like a noble?"

"No, he looked like an ordinary person. His black hair and eyes were rare, though."

"Black hair? A foreigner?"

"Sorry, I'm from a distant territory, so I don't know."

"I see. And the 500G water, could you drink it as it was?"

"Yes, I was thirsty, so it tasted good. There's still some left in my canteen."

Roka and the others decided to collect the girl's tent and luggage and try the water from her canteen.

"You have quite a lot of luggage."

"Yes, it was a long journey."

After drinking the water, Roka was surprised.

"Try this, too."

Vanessa and Cisco also drank from the canteen.

"It's much better than well water."

"Iris, did he produce this water from nowhere?"

"Um, yes."

"I'll produce some water too. Try it. It's safe to drink without boiling, but..."

"It's not undrinkable, but it doesn't taste good..."

"Right? Water produced by water magic usually tastes like this. It's a bit dusty or something. This is still better than most."

"Is that so? But it's amazing that he can produce water with magic."

"No, the man who helped you is even more amazing. Cisco, Vanessa, should we look for this man when we return to the capital?"

"Sure, a black-haired man should be easy to find."

"Yeah."

"Um, is he that amazing?"

"Yeah, I want to know where he got the magic to produce this water."

"But he was really mean. He told me to find a water source in the forest at night and that I had to pay if he carried my luggage."

"Hey, you're just complaining, but didn't he help you?"

Vanessa said, exasperated.

"Well, he did help me, but he made me run all the way to this village. And as soon as we got to the village, he told me to camp near people and secure water in advance, and if I didn't have money, I should help with the baggage cart to get a ride. Then he left for the next village. He even took 500G from me, even though I had no money."

Vanessa spread her hands in exasperation.

"Is this the money he took?"

Vanessa jingled the copper coins at the bottom of the canteen bag.

"What? I don't remember putting money there..."

"Maybe the man who took the money didn't intend to make you pay. He might have secretly returned it to you."

"Huh?"

"Hmm, he's quite a cunning man. I'm even more interested now."

Rustle, rustle, rustle

"What are you doing?"

Vanessa was rummaging through Iris's large backpack.

"You said you only had a little dried meat left, right?"

"Um, yes."

"Is this food?"

Vanessa waved a bag of something like biscuits.

"What is that?"

"This is portable food. It's expensive and delicious, with dried fruits. One piece provides a day's worth of nutrition. You have five. With dried meat and water, you can survive for about a week."

"Huh?"

"Let's see..."

Rustle, rustle, rustle

"Wow, you have some good stuff."

Vanessa pulled out the magic light Margine had given her.

"Oh, I forgot to return this."

"Is this also from the man who helped you?"

"Yes. He gave it to me to find a water source in the forest at night. He said the magic crystal might run out halfway."

"Magic crystal? Not a magic stone?"

"Um, yes."

Hearing about the magic crystal, Vanessa opened the back of the magic light.

"Wow, it's big..."

"Is it almost out?"

Vanessa scratched her head.

"Do you know the value of a magic crystal?"

"It's used to power magic items, right?"

"Usually, a magic light like this uses a magic stone. A magic crystal of the same size is dozens of times more expensive. This size of magic crystal can light up for days. If you sell it, you could live for 2-3 months."

"Huh?"

Vanessa put the magic crystal back and turned on the light.

(What the heck, it's incredibly bright... I've never seen anything like this...)

"You should be more grateful to the man who helped you. He didn't forget to return this; he gave it to you. He made sure you could safely reach the capital."

"But... he was so mean and said such unpleasant things..."

"Idiot, everything he said was right. Helping with the baggage cart to get a free ride is the best option for you."

Iris fell silent at Vanessa's words.

—The next morning—

"Grandpa, grandma, thank you for your hospitality. I'll buy some vegetables and then head back. The leeks from this village were delicious."

"Ah, the leek farmers will be happy to hear that."

"The tomatoes and cucumbers from this village are also delicious. Come back during the season. Thank you for the gifts; we'll enjoy them during the winter."

Margine said goodbye to the elderly couple and went to buy vegetables. It's cheaper to buy directly from the village than from the capital, even though they also supply the capital.

"Can you carry all of this back?"

"It's fine, it's fine."

Margine bought a large amount of leeks, much cheaper than in the capital. The price difference was so significant that she wondered if there was a mistake.

"Can you introduce me to the people who grow tomatoes and cucumbers?"

"Sure, but they don't have any tomatoes or cucumbers right now."

"No, I want to give them sample products."

"Sample? What's that?"

The farmer looked puzzled but introduced Margine to the tomato and cucumber growers.

"Wow, powdered fish to make vegetables taste better?"

"Probably. Try it next time. Mix a little into the soil and see if it works. If you like it, it's made by the fishermen in Lionel."

"From Lionel? If I buy it again, I can ask a merchant to purchase it for me?"

"Yes. They might not have a lot yet."

"Got it. I'll try it in the spring."

With that, Margine's sales pitch to the head fisherman was complete. It's time to head back to the capital. The madam at the brothel will be angry if the gifts are late.

Margine finished her pre-winter purchases and returned to the capital.