Chapter 6

It turned into an explanation like an interrogation, but thanks to Mirea, the receptionist, who explained my situation, I was released quickly.

I received two skewers from the stall owner, and as I took a bite of one, the sauce-soaked meat spread a juicy flavor in my mouth, making me smile involuntarily.

"Uncle, this is delicious!"

"Of course! I always set up my stall around here, so please come again! Next time, I'll charge you, though."

The stall owner answered with a laugh, glancing at me, who was enthusiastically munching on the skewer.

Suddenly, Kokuyou bit into the skewer I was holding.

"Hey! All of a sudden!"

Half of the meat on the skewer was already in Kokuyou's mouth.

Reluctantly, I brought the remaining skewer close to Kokuyou's mouth, and he chewed it contentedly.

"Horses... aren't they supposed to be herbivores..."

I ate the remaining skewer leisurely alongside Kokuyou.

Then, the guild staff explained that this happened because Kokuyou didn't have the mark of a familiar, and I quickly decided to put the necklace, which serves as the mark of a familiar, on Kokuyou.

"Kokuyou, this is proof of our contract, so can you wear it?"

Kokuyou lowered his head to make it easier to put on the necklace, as if he understood my words.

When I brought it to his neck, it automatically adjusted to the right length. The pendant glowed when I brought my left wrist, where I had a bracelet, close to it, and the registration was complete.

"Alright, this should be fine. It's already evening, so let's go to the inn we were introduced to."

I gently patted Kokuyou's neck and started walking, with Kokuyou following behind me.

The inn Mirea introduced us to was near the guild and the gate.

The inn was called "The Fox's Tail Inn," and a sign with a fox's tail was hung outside.

When I opened the door and went inside, there was a dining area and a reception desk, and an elderly fox anthropomorph was there.

(Anthropomorphs exist here too... This world might not be so bad after all.)

"Welcome. Are you here for a meal or to stay?"

"I'd like to stay. And... I have a familiar."

"A familiar? That's rare. There's a stable in the back—oh, Lami, could you show them the way?"

At the receptionist's voice, a young anthropomorph woman who was working as a waitress in the hall looked up.

"Sure, Mom. Oh, customer, I'll show you the way."

As I went outside with the teenage Lami, she was surprised by Kokuyou.

"Wow! You have a black obsidian horse? Are you a high-ranking adventurer?"

"No... I just registered as an adventurer a little while ago..."

I answered with a wry smile. Lami, still smiling, stroked Kokuyou, who seemed to enjoy it without any discomfort.

"There's a place to sleep over here, and I'll bring you some delicious food later."

Lami led Kokuyou, who seemed to understand her words, and followed her.

I also went to the back, where there was a stable that could accommodate about four animals, and no one else was in it.

"There are no other familiars here today, so you can relax. Some familiars feel uneasy when there are other familiars around at first."

I nodded in agreement with Lami's explanation, though I didn't fully understand.

We returned to the inn, and Lami called out to her mother at the reception.

"Then, please check us in. It's one silver coin and fifty copper coins per night for a guest with a familiar."

"...I'll take it for ten days."

I took out fifteen silver coins from my dimensional storage without being noticed and placed them on the counter. In exchange, she gave me a key and a registration form.

"Then, please fill out the registration form. Your room is at the end of the second floor. Dinner will be served soon. Please come down after you've settled in."

I wrote "Toya" on the registration form, took the key, and went up the stairs to the room indicated on the key.

The room wasn't very large, but the bed had clean sheets, and there was a built-in closet. I returned to the room early, but since all my belongings were in my dimensional storage, I went down to the dining area.

A few people were already eating and drinking in the dining area.

I sat down, and Lami, who was working as a waitress, came over with a tray.

"Mr. Toya, today's menu is an orc stew. Breakfast and dinner are included, but drinks are extra! Would you like some alcohol?"

I took the menu from Lami, but since I didn't understand it well, I ordered the ale and a snack that was listed at the top.

The ale and a small plate were soon placed in front of me, and I took a sip of the ale.

"It's warm... Is this how it is in this world...? What should I do from now on..."

I was worried about living alone in this world where I had no acquaintances.

The money I had in my dimensional storage could be used, so there was no problem with my immediate living expenses. However, I would need to earn a living somehow, as my funds would eventually run out.

While sipping the ale and thinking, a plate of food and bread were placed in front of me.

"Our stew is the best! After all, my dad makes it!"

I nodded at Lami, who proudly answered with a smile, and took a spoonful of the stew to my mouth.

The meat was rich and flavorful, with no unpleasant odor, and it was truly delicious.

"Yeah, it's delicious! It's really good."

"Right? It's our pride and joy. I've already brought some food for your familiar, too."

Lami, beaming at the compliment, skipped off to the kitchen. I dug into the food and before I knew it, the plate was empty.

I finished the last of the ale, paid for the drink, and returned to my room early.

Back in the room, I quickly took off my shoes and dove into bed, thinking about the future.

"Only the nobles can use the bath... I should check the value of money here. I don't know how much my money is worth... Also, I need to decide what to do with the items in my dimensional storage. I could sell them for some money, but I don't want to draw too much attention. But for the sake of living, I guess it can't be helped..."

While looking at the contents of my dimensional storage and thinking about the materials I had collected in the game, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, after finishing my breakfast, I headed to the guild early. I decided to leave Kokuyou behind and go alone, as it would be too conspicuous to bring a black obsidian horse, which is much larger than a regular horse, while checking the market prices.

When I arrived at the adventurer's guild and started looking at the E and F-rank requests posted on the board, I was suddenly called from behind.

I turned around to see Clada and the others, who had come to town with me.

"Hey! It's Toya, isn't it? Looks like you managed to register as an adventurer. Already looking for a request? Did you already turn in those goblin ears?"

I shook my head at Clada's words, realizing I hadn't turned them in yet.

"What? You haven't turned them in yet? The goblin request is a standing one, so you can just take the ears to the counter. Look, it's free now, so go ahead."

Clada led me to the counter, where a different receptionist from yesterday was sitting.

"Could you cash in these goblin ears for him?"

Clada said to the receptionist and quickly returned to the board. Left alone, I placed the bag containing the goblin ears on the counter.

"Also, please show me your guild card."

I handed over my guild card as instructed, and she scanned it while checking the quantity of the materials.

"It's Mr. Toya, I see. I've confirmed 30 goblin ears. This request will make you an E-rank adventurer. The standing request is 50 copper coins for five goblins, so that's three silver coins in total."

...Huh? Is that all right?

The receptionist explained my confusion.

"Mr. Toya was an F-rank adventurer, so the points for the E-rank request to slay goblins are doubled. That's a great achievement for your first slay! But please don't overdo it, as you're on your own. From now on, you can also take D-rank requests."

I felt guilty looking at the receptionist's smile. I didn't actually slay them; Kokuyou had kicked them all away.

I took the three silver coins and the card, and when I checked the card, it indeed showed E-rank. However, my level was still 1 thanks to Kokuyou's efforts.

Then, I went to the board to look for new requests...