Chapter 64

We parted ways at the northern entrance of Bezart.

What are you going to do now? When I asked Lady Reia, she said that for the time being, she would wander around the town looking for a transferer, and once the movement of people became less visible, she would retract her [Phantom Body]. She then asked if it would be okay to use me as a point when retracting the [Phantom Body] at night and releasing it in the morning.

So, I decided to inform her of my plans as well.

"Lady Reia, I don't know how long it will take, but I will continue to stay in the Lulub Forest that I visited today. So, I won't be in the town."

"Why? That doesn't sound like you."

"I realized today that it's far away, the materials are large and take a lot of effort, and the financial efficiency is quite poor. So, I thought I might as well give up on money and stay in the Lulub Forest to graduate from it as soon as possible."

"I see... I understand."

While saying this, Lady Reia looked down for some reason.

(Oh... I feel a strange sense of guilt... but there's no other way. There's no benefit in going to such a place every day from Bezart. That's right, isn't it, me!?)

"Shoes..."

"Huh? Oh... Could it be that the shoes I bought here can't be taken back to the divine realm?"

"Yes."

If that's the case, the shoes will be left behind where the [Phantom Body] is retracted...

The shoes aren't particularly expensive, but I feel a bit bad about it since I bought them.

--Then.

"...I understand. If that's the case, let's continue to rent that room! When retracting the [Phantom Body], I'll leave the shoes in that room, and when releasing it, I'll take them from that room. I'll tell the innkeeper that I'm staying only until today, but after that, a girl will be staying, and I'll pay in advance."

"Is it okay for Loki to pay for a room he won't be staying in?"

"Hehehe, as you can see, I'm quite wealthy. I'm not sure how much I have, though."

"What's that?"

When Lady Reia laughed, I genuinely thought that she looked even cuter when smiling.

If she's a goddess, there might be something she realizes, so I should say it properly without making it awkward.

"...Lady Reia? You look even cuter when you smile. I think it's better to avoid smiling in the town because men will flock to you."

"――――!! I'll go put the shoes in the room later!"

--I watched Lady Reia run away.

(Today was fun... but the Rigspiders gave about 1% experience each. In contrast, the two orcs I killed while Lady Reia was hiding in the tree gave 5% experience. This means that even as a goddess, she might be absorbing experience. I think I'll get a definite answer if I hunt Rigspiders alone tomorrow, but that's a bit disappointing...)

I thought that even a party that can't be called a party might exist.

However, if asked which is more important, the pursuit of strength or something else, the pursuit of strength would win.

It's almost like an illness.

Phew...

Today is today, and tomorrow is tomorrow.

With the intention of getting serious from tomorrow, I headed to the Hunter's Guild to exchange materials for money.

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"I didn't expect to see such a normal amount of materials from Loki."

"It, it's because of the circumstances! Besides, today is my first day in Lulub!"

"Huh? Didn't you go yesterday? I didn't see you around..."

"Y, yesterday I was fishing in the Sail River..."

"Hahaha! That's fine. Loki worries so much that he hunts every day! You need to take breaks or you'll die young!"

"Mr. Rody, you're here every day too... Besides, I've taken enough breaks. From tomorrow, I'll get serious."

"Hmm? I look forward to it."

He checked the materials as he said, and indeed, today's amount was small and easy.

As I watched, Rody picked up the orc meat and moved it to the side of the dissection area.

There, a large fishing hook-like object was hanging, and he hung the meat on it and fiddled with something behind it.

"Is that a scale or something?"

"Yes. The price of meat is determined by the part, weight, and material rank. For Horn Rabbits, it's a fixed price per animal, but for orcs, it can't be that simple."

That makes sense.

For Horn Rabbits, even if the amount of meat varies a bit, the difference is only a few hundred bekes at most.

I've never seen a baby Horn Rabbit, but once they grow up, they're all about the same size, so there's not much difference.

But for orcs, it depends on how much the hunter cuts and brings back.

It would be a god-like skill to instantly know the weight by holding it in your hand—maybe such a skill exists in this world—but they measure it properly to determine the price.

"Alright, done. Two orcs, both with a material rank of 'B', top-quality meat, and 11 kg each. There are also two magic stones and two kill parts. Then, five Rigspiders and eight Small Wolves. And 1 kg of Rigspider silk."

As he said this, I was handed the usual wooden board, but I couldn't guess the amount at all.

"It's fine. I just can't figure out the price like before..."

"That's... I don't know either. That's the receptionist's job. Ask Amanda."

"Right."

There's no need for cash, but I'll exchange it today.

If Lady Reia and other goddesses come down in the future, they might need money in case of emergencies.

I was thinking of entrusting everything to Amanda, but I could also leave the cash with Lady Reia for now.

If someone tried to take it, Lady Reia could easily repel them.

Oh, right, right.

I should tell Mr. Rody as well.

"Mr. Rody, I'll get serious from tomorrow and stay in the Lulub Forest, so I won't be showing up here for a while. If someone wants to use the room, you can lend it to them."

"Huh? ...Wait, wait. What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. I'll be living in the Lulub Forest for a while. So, I won't be coming back to the town."

"...Is that what you mean by getting serious!? That's not normal!! Hey, are you listening!?"

I need to get back quickly; I don't know when Lady Reia will return to the inn room.

"It's fine. I'll do my best!"

Leaving that message, I headed to the reception.

I was going to hand the wooden board to Amanda... but—

Next to the counter, a man who immediately prostrated himself upon seeing me.

Yes, the man with the axe I saw today was pressing his forehead to the ground.