Chapter 12

When the sun had risen considerably, Raphatalia was waiting for me to wake up.

"Are you going to the town at the foot of the castle? Cough."

"Yeah."

She started coughing again.

I silently handed her the medicine, and she took it with a grim expression.

Then she applied to sell the medicine to the apothecary.

"Hmm... The quality isn't bad. Are you well-versed in pharmacology, Sir Hero?"

I felt like I was becoming a regular customer, but I showed him the medicine I had made.

"No, I made it for the first time yesterday. Which is more profitable, selling the herbs directly or the medicine?"

"That's a tricky question. Herbs are more convenient for quick use, but medicine can be a lifesaver in many situations."

The apothecary, who was looking at Raphatalia with a grim face, seemed to understand that he would be seen through if he tried to take advantage of us or lie, and spoke honestly.

"Recently, due to the influence of the prophecy, the sales of medicine have been good, so for now, the buyback price for medicine is higher."

"Hmm..."

The risk of failure and the buyback price, and the unknown cost of gathering the necessary tools.

But given the times, it wouldn't be a loss to have them.

"Hey, do you have any tools you don't use anymore?"

"...I thought you'd say that after selling herbs for two weeks."

The apothecary's face was hard to read, but he seemed to understand my question.

This time, he gave us the herbs for free in exchange for a lesson, bought the medicine, and gave us some used equipment.

I received various tools, including a mortar, a pestle, measuring equipment, flasks, and a distiller.

Some of them would have been quite expensive if bought new.

"Keep in mind that these are used items from the warehouse, so they might break at any time."

"They're good tools for a beginner."

In any case, with these, I could now attempt to mix potions.

The only thing left was to dispose of the burst balloons.

On the way to the merchant to sell the balloons, I noticed a child passing by.

It seemed that the burst balloons were being sewn together and sold as balloons. A child was playing with a balloon, bouncing it like a ball.

Raphatalia was looking at them with envy.

"Hey, those are..."

"Yes?"

I pointed to the ball the child was holding and asked the merchant.

"Yes, they are a use for the burst balloons."

"I see. Can you deduct the cost and give me one?"

"Uh, sure..."

The merchant took the items I sold, calculated the amount, and gave me a ball made from a balloon.

"Here."

I threw the ball to Raphatalia, who caught it and looked at it and my face alternately, her eyes wide.

"What? Don't you want it?"

"N-no."

Raphatalia shook her head and smiled happily.

It was the first time I had seen her smile.

"After we finish today's work, you can play with it."

"Okay!"

She seemed to be getting more energetic. That was a good sign.

If Raphatalia became more energetic, I would benefit.

We walked to the forest we had visited yesterday and repeated the process of gathering herbs and slaying monsters.

I expanded the range I could cover based on my own high defense.

...There was a village deeper in the forest, but the path the annoying woman recommended made me angry, so I rejected it.

We found various items and had some spare time, so we extended our range to near the mountains.

Oh? I spotted an unfamiliar enemy.

It was a creature that looked like an egg.

Ecologically, it seemed to be related to the balloons.

"This is a new monster. I'll go first and check it out. If it looks okay, you can stab it."

"Okay!"

That was a good response.

I ran towards the monster, which noticed me and bared its fangs.

Bang!

As expected, no damage. It didn't hurt at all.

I grabbed it and positioned it so Raphatalia could stab it easily.

"Go!"

Raphatalia's thrust was more forceful than yesterday and pierced the monster.

Egg

That was the enemy.

The Egg shattered with a crack, scattering yolk.

"Ugh, gross!"

I wondered if the shell could be sold. It would be a waste if it couldn't.

The smell was also rotten, so it probably couldn't be eaten.

I had the shield absorb the shell.

A few more Eggs appeared, and Raphatalia skillfully stabbed and defeated them.

The Egg Shield condition was unlocked.

Egg Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Cooking 1

Another skill-type ability appeared.

This time it was cooking.

Then, as expected, a different colored monster appeared, and we continued hunting.

Blue Egg Shield condition unlocked.

Sky Egg Shield condition unlocked.

Blue Egg Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Appraisal 1

Sky Egg Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Basic Cooking Recipe

Why did skill-type abilities keep appearing?

Was it because of the enemies we were defeating?

In any case, we also gathered unfamiliar herbs and other items.

It was getting dark, and I still had some concerns about Raphatalia's equipment.

Today's harvest:

Me, Level 8

Raphatalia, Level 7

Damn. She's starting to catch up.

It's inevitable since she's the one defeating the enemies.

Grr...

"I'm hungry..."

Raphatalia said with a troubled look.

"Alright, let's have something to eat when we get back."

We ended our exploration and returned to the town at the foot of the castle.

In the town, we sold the Egg shells, which couldn't be used for mixing potions.

Combined with what we sold earlier, we got 9 silver coins.

I was a bit skeptical about the use of the shells, but it was fortunate that they were bought at a good price.

The herbs and medicine also sold well, so I wondered what we would eat today.

Raphatalia was drooling at a food stall.

I didn't want to spoil her, but she had worked hard. It was fine.

"Let's get that today."

"Really? Is it okay?"

"Do you want it?"

Raphatalia nodded in response to my question.

She was becoming more honest.

"Cough..."

She started coughing again.

I silently handed her the medicine and ordered a food item that looked like mashed potatoes on a skewer from the stall.

"Here, you did a good job."

When I handed her the skewer, Raphatalia, who had finished taking the medicine, took it happily and took a bite.

"Thank you!"

"Y-You're welcome..."

...I was glad she was feeling better.

While munching on the food, I looked for a cheap inn to stay in.

"Are we staying here tonight?"

"Yeah."

I didn't want to stay up all night because of Raphatalia's night crying, and the battle with the balloons was exhausting.

We entered the inn.

The innkeeper, who immediately distorted his face when he saw me, quickly put on a business smile.

"Can you let us stay even though my companion might cry at night?"

I subtly showed the balloon hidden in my cloak, almost as if threatening him.

"T-That—"

"Can you do it? I'll try to keep her as quiet as possible."

"Y-Yes."

Since coming to this world, I learned that intimidation was a necessary part of business.

The people in the kingdom treated me as a laughingstock, but they couldn't report everything to the king.

Or, even if they did report it, the king could only let it slide.

Damn, I'm grateful for this different world.

I paid and rented a room, and we put down our belongings.

Raphatalia was holding the ball and looking excited.

"Come back before it gets completely dark. And try to play near the inn."

"Okay!"

She was a child of her age.

Half-elves were apparently looked down upon, but if treated as adventurers, they wouldn't cause too many problems.

While watching Raphatalia play with the ball from the window, I studied potion mixing.

After about 20 minutes, I heard a loud voice.

"Why is a half-elf playing in our territory!"

What? I looked out the window.

Sure enough, a group of kids was confronting Raphatalia in a hostile manner.

No matter the world, there are always such kids.

"Hey, this kid has something good. Hand it over."

"Um, well..."

Raphatalia seemed to know that half-elves were in a low position and didn't resist.

Sigh...

I left the room and went down the stairs.

"Hand it over," they said.

"N-No..."

Raphatalia weakly refused, but the kids seemed intent on taking it by force, surrounding her.

"Hey, kids, hold it."

"What, old man?"

Old man!?

Well, I'm 20, but I don't know the age of adulthood in this world.

I might be an old man.

"What do you mean by asking for someone else's property?"

"Huh? That ball isn't yours, is it?"

"It's mine. I lent it to this child. Taking it from her means taking it from me."

"What are you talking about, old man?"

Sigh... It seems they were too angry to understand.

I wouldn't show mercy to anyone, even kids, who tried to take someone else's property.

"Alright, I'll give you my special ball."

Raphatalia, startled by my attitude, squeezed out a warning to the kids.

"Run!"

But the kids looked at me with a smirk.

I smiled inwardly and took out the balloon that was biting my arm.

Snap!

"Aaaaah!"

I made the balloon bite the kid and immediately put it back in my pocket.

"Alright, do you really want the ball now?"

"It hurts!"

"Cut it out! Old man!"

"Die! Idiot!"

"Shut up, brats!"

I cursed at the fleeing kids and returned to the inn.

"Um..."

Raphatalia grabbed my cloak.

"Hey, the balloon is in there."

Raphatalia, who had flinched and let go, timidly looked up and smiled.

"Thank you."

What was she saying?

"Um..."

I ruffled Raphatalia's hair and returned to the inn.