Chapter 17

With a slightly tired face, I descended to the first floor of the Hunter Guild, where I found Jin-kun and the others waiting.

"Hey, Jin-kun, you were looking for me too?"

"Yeah! I was wondering where you were staying... I never thought you'd be sleeping in a tree!"

"Right? I didn't think I'd be sleeping in a tree again even in the middle of town... But from now on, it's all good!"

*Jajaan!* I showed the leather bag I received from the Guild Master.

"Oooh!!"

Oh, it seems even Potta-kun recognizes this leather bag. *Kukukuku*.

I sat down with the three of them and placed the leather bag on the table.

"I'm going to check the contents right away! I'll buy Potta-kun's skewers soon, so just wait a bit, okay?"

"What did you get this for?"

"Apparently, it's a thank-you gift from the mayor for saving Mei-chan and the others."

"Wow, for a guild emergency request, I thought you'd get more, like 100,000 Beke for a single survivor, right?"

"Yeah... but... no, never mind."

I'm not sure why Jin-kun's comment is unsettling, but I don't really understand it, so there's no point in worrying about it.

I turned the leather bag upside down, and several gold coins fell out.

*Jara jara jara...*

"Let's see... 15 in total. How much is one of these worth?"

"10,000 Beke each."

"So that's 150,000 Beke... That's still amazing!"

"But if it was a guild emergency request, you would have gotten more!"

"Idiot! If such a request was posted, even if we survived, we would have been punished!"

"Huh? There's such a thing?"

The unexpected mention of punishment made me interject.

"Yeah. If you don't return within the expected time for the request, the guild will send out an emergency search or rescue mission. If you're found, you'll be fined as a penalty for causing trouble, and the fine will be deducted from your future rewards."

"I see... What about this time?"

"Since it wasn't an emergency request, we're fine. The mayor probably gave us a smaller reward than the guild would have, but it's still a thank you."

*Hmm.*

This doesn't quite match Yagof's explanation...

Yagof seems suspicious, like a smooth-talking salesman. He's not necessarily a bad person, but he seems to try to manipulate people with favors and emotions to get what he wants. I need to be cautious and not let my guard down.

I probably can't out-talk him.

"Well, we got what we got, so it's all good! And it seems like none of you will be punished! I'll treat you to skewers!"

"Yay! I'll have one!"

"Is that okay? After being saved, you're doing this again... But just one!"

"Potta-kun gets two, no questions asked. I already got some meat. So, lady, five skewers, please!"

"Already returning the favor, huh? That's quick! Sure thing!"

I saw that one skewer costs 300 Beke.

If they're happy with that, it's a good deal.

I need to ask them to stay a bit longer... *hehe*.

"Ah! Right, right! I'll give you the money for yesterday's materials. Let's see... how much should I give?"

"Huh? How much did we get in total?"

"22,000 Beke in total."

"So that's 5,500 Beke each."

"Wow!!"

Ah, they're still just 10 or 12 years old...

They should have the skill [Arithmetic], but it seems like they don't go to school, or there isn't a school, so it's understandable.

When I asked how they usually split things, they said they each took one coin of the same color and size until there were two or fewer left, and then it was Jin-kun's turn today, Mei-chan's turn tomorrow, and so on.

It's a rather unique distribution method.

Even if we don't always act together, I should help them when I'm around.

"So, do you guys have any plans for today?"

"We were waiting to sell our swords!"

"Sorry about that. Let's eat skewers while I go register as a hunter and sign up for the training!"

I headed to the counter, and for some reason, the gaze of the lady who guided me earlier, who looks to be in her early 40s, was intense.

When I glanced at her, she was staring at me with a smile, and it felt inappropriate for a 13-year-old.

(*Sigh*... She wants me to come over...)

I trudged over to the counter, and the lady greeted me with a full smile.

"Registering as a hunter and signing up for training, right?" She seemed to understand the situation, which made it easier for me.

She handed me a wooden board and asked if I could write, so I replied, "Probably."

This is a quill pen... I've used a fountain pen before, but a quill pen is a first.

My name... if I write Loki here, there's no turning back...

But the Guild Master already knows me as Loki, so *eh, whatever*!!

I wrote my name as 'Loki', age '13', race 'Human', and special skills 'None'.

Incidentally, the letters form in my mind, and my hand moves naturally, but the writing looks like worms, and I can barely read it myself. It's strange that it's still readable.

The quill pen is really hard to use.

After all that, the registration and training sign-up were complete.

I received a 'Guild Card' with a thin chain. The card itself is a thin iron plate, similar in size to a business card, with letters stamped on it, like a credit card.

The 'G' is particularly large and stands out.

Apparently, there are no magical elements, and if you lose it, you have to pay a reissue fee.

Most people wear it around their neck, but it must be tough for those with metal allergies.

It's now a little past 10 AM.

The training is supposed to be in the afternoon, so I have some time.

So, let's sell the sword and go shopping!

I told Jin-kun and the others that I was done, and we left the guild in a group.

When I asked where we were going to sell the sword, they said it was at the weapon shop right across the street.

It's so close...

Incidentally, this town has only one weapon shop, which also sells armor, so it's the go-to place for Besart's hunters.

It seems there's no competition, so it feels like we might be overcharged, but if it gets too bad, I can step in to help.

We arrived in just 5 seconds, and I excitedly looked around the store.

While I was browsing, Jin-kun was negotiating with the somewhat unfriendly, large man with navy blue hair, who was the shop owner.

Hmm... The swords and spears stuck in barrels by the entrance must be used items...

The barrels are labeled with 50,000 Beke and 100,000 Beke, so it's like a uniform price sale.

The prices are tempting, but they're all adult-sized equipment.

As I moved towards the back counter, the items became more expensive, with armor made of materials that don't look like iron, and swords with a strong blue luster, and staffs with embedded gems, all displayed in a way that made me excited.

Looking at the prices... I see.

One item is priced at 12,000,000 Beke, which is clearly out of my reach.

It seems I'm still 30 years too early.

In a small town, if the prices are this high, I wonder how expensive the weapons in the capital or other major cities are. I'd like to see them just for fun.

However...

I can't keep using a screwdriver forever, and I need something longer than a knife, but not as long as a full-sized sword, maybe around 70-80 cm.

While wandering around, I found a weapon hanging on the wall.

*Short Sword Paiser - Enchantment: Magic Power Increase - Price: 550,000 Beke*

I'm not sure if Paiser is the name of the weapon or the person who made it.

It's hard to tell, but since most of the other weapons on display are priced over 1,000,000 Beke, this might be a relatively good deal for a first weapon.

And the enchantment...

I think I have the skill [Enchantment], so this weapon was probably made using that skill.

While I was thinking about this, it seemed Jin-kun's negotiation was over.

"Roki! This sword is 50,000 Beke! Can we sell it?"

"Sure. By the way, if we split it among four people, how much is each share?"

"I don't know!"

"Right... So, sir, we four want to split the cost of this sword. Ideally, we'd like to pay 80,000 Beke, but can you do a little better?"

"Well, I'm in business too. I can't buy it at a loss."

"Of course. But this sword is sold in the barrel, right? You wouldn't buy it for 50,000 and sell it for 50,000, so you must be planning to sell it for 100,000 in the barrel."

"Ah... So what?"

"That means you're planning to sell it for double. You won't be at a loss, and it won't just sit there. Can you do a little better? If the price is right, we'll leave it here. I'm considering whether to give it to the big guy, Potta, or to keep it based on the price."

"Ugh... 60,000 Beke! I can't go any lower!"

"By the way, this sword was sold here about 10 days ago, right?"

"...Why do you know that?"

"Through the Hunter Guild. The gatekeeper said it was in good condition for a used item. It seems better than the ones in the barrel. The previous owner must have chosen it from the barrel because it was in good condition..."

"..."

"If you keep it, it will sell quickly, and it will be a good buyback for you. So, 72,000 Beke. I think this is a fair deal. You'll make 28,000 Beke right away."

"72,000 divided by four is... 18,000, so it's fine... I get it..."

"..."

"Sir, thank you for your effort. I'll come back to buy a knife for dissection! Please give me a discount!"

"Ah... I'll try to be reasonable..."

We left the weapon shop, and I was the only one smiling.

Considering the basket's share, I negotiated to increase our daily income...

The three of them didn't seem to fully understand.

"Let's see, 18,000 Beke each. That's 5,500 Beke more than before, so we can afford to take a day off, right?"

"Roki, you're amazing, even though I don't really understand why!"

"Merchant? You must be a great merchant!"

"No, I'm a new hunter, Roki!"

"Getting 18,000 Beke each for that sword... I'm glad we went back to get it..."

"So, since we have a bit more money, I have a favor to ask. Is that okay?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I'd like to know if you have any recommendations for inns, and I need to buy clothes and shoes right away! Do you know any stores where I can buy them?"

"The 'Billy Corn' is the best place to stay. The others are dirty!"

"For clothes and shoes, with the money from the mayor, we can easily afford them. Do you know any stores where we can buy regular stuff?"

"Right! Just regular stuff!"

"There are a few stores on the main street. I might buy something too. Potta, do you want to buy something?"

"Sure!"

"Let's all go then!"

Maybe we'll part ways eventually, but for now...

My words at the back of the group were lost, unheard by the three of them.