Chapter 31
The quest of Count Clermont's lament has provided us with something quite meaningful.
"♪~"
The girls sitting harmoniously at the back of the carriage, singing, are maintaining a good mood.
It's been two months since we completed that quest, and we've finally managed to go on an expedition with Nel and Amina, complete with escorts.
After that, there were various aftermaths to deal with, and Dent-san was quite busy, so it took a while.
Dent-san is driving the carriage, and beside him is Pidd-san, a bear beastman adventurer we met at the guild before. Above the carriage, Mile-san, a birdman, is keeping watch. It's quite a luxurious lineup for an escort.
So, here I am, enjoying the cheerful singing of Nel and Amina as background music, thinking about how to use the items we obtained.
Dent-san showed a lot of dissatisfaction with the quality of those items, but that was the contract from the beginning. He'll just have to deal with it.
"Alright, I need to think things through before we reach our destination."
I'm human too. I forget things sometimes.
Back in Japan, I had a convenient tool called a computer that stored all sorts of data, but such a thing doesn't exist in this world. All I can rely on is my memory.
To avoid forgetting, I need to meticulously record important points. Otherwise, I might forget them when it matters.
"Though, if I try to remember, I can recall things. Is this what youth is?"
From the leather backpack I bought with this trip's earnings, I pull out a bundle of somewhat poor-quality paper, like a notebook.
So far, I haven't forgotten anything, so it's not a problem, but taking notes like this serves another important purpose.
"Now, what to do with the items we obtained."
Flipping through the memo pad, I see a list written not in this world's script, but in Japanese.
It's a sort of anti-espionage measure, albeit a small one. The script of this world isn't Japanese, of course, so Japanese doesn't exist here.
I use it as a sort of code, an incomprehensible language to this world.
For some reason, I can understand the language here and speak it like Japanese, but let's just chalk that up to a reincarnation perk.
The items listed in the memo total nine.
As for money, Dent-san and I, along with Nel and Amina, split it into two shares. The guild's success reward goes entirely to Dent-san.
'Mithril Ingot ×3Pendulum of TransferBranch of the Ancient Magic Tree EldertreeIndestructible Rune ×2Flame Cannon Skill ScrollMagic Edge Skill Scroll'
We also collected all the exchangeable items, and thanks to that, our pockets are quite warm now.
And as expected, the rewards from the infamous junk mansion quest are delicious.
Mithril ingots and the branch of the ancient magic tree are items you can't get unless you take on a class 5 quest. Weapons made from these two items can be used up to class 7 dungeons. It's not something you should get this early in the game.
Even more valuable are the Indestructible Runes. These are low-probability drops from boss chests in class 5 and above.
If you can synthesize these, you can grant any weapon the Indestructible skill. It's an exceptional item without any drawbacks like the Mark of the Weak.
Getting all of these is quite a windfall. In the game era, buying all of these would cost at least 500,000 zeni, and that wouldn't be enough. Especially the Indestructible Runes, which would cost at least 3,000,000 zeni at the low end. Sometimes they were sold for three times that much.
Honestly, it's a huge profit.
"The ingots and branch will be for my weapon, the runes for Amina, one of the scrolls for Nel in exchange, and the other... I honestly want to use it myself."
The uses are already decided. Or rather, we went through all that trouble to complete the junk mansion quest because the uses were already decided.
With the mithril ingots and the branch of the ancient magic tree, I can get the weapon I want. With the runes, Amina can do what she wants. With the scrolls, Nel can get one step closer to her dream.
But with this distribution, Nel's share ends up being smaller. I'm confident we can make up for it later, but at this stage, it's inevitably unfair.
Then, I think about giving the weapon to Nel, but considering her future, mithril equipment isn't a good match for her.
For Nel, adamantite, which is heavier than mithril, would be better. Given the amount of ingots, we probably can't make a weapon for her.
"Hmm, it's a bit of a dilemma.""What does that mean?""It means I can't find the right balance. Huh? Nel, what's up? Weren't you singing with Amina?"
While I'm pondering how to distribute these items, Nel comes over and peers at what I'm holding.
"This script again."
She frowns at the Japanese writing and twitches her ears.
"Amina flew outside. She can't fly much in the city, and flying outside might attract monsters, but with adults around, she can fly freely.""Ah.""More importantly, when are you going to teach me this script?""Hmm, someday."
Amina, wanting to move her body a bit, flew out of the carriage and is apparently flying beside Mile-san, who's on watch.
"You always say that!! Teach me!!""Don't shake me~ I'll get carsick~"
Ever since she saw the Japanese writing in this memo pad after I bought it, she's been pestering me to teach her.
She shakes my shoulders back and forth. Even though she's a child, Nel, a fox beastman, has strength surpassing that of a normal child.
Though she's gradually putting on more muscle, my slender frame is easily swayed.
"Hey, you two can flirt all you want, but we're almost there."
If this keeps up, I'll really get carsick. Just as I'm starting to worry, Dent-san, with a look of exasperation, helps me out by letting us know we're nearing our destination.
"We're not flirting!!""Girl, let me give you some advice from an adult. If you don't act honest here, some random girl might snatch him away. No offense, but after seeing him, other kids just don't measure up.""What are you talking about?""And you, kid, you should pay more attention to your surroundings. Otherwise, you might get stabbed in the back.""Why!?"
Half teasing, half giving advice as an elder, Dent-san speaks to Nel, then turns to me with a look mixed with sympathy and concern.
I can't help but shout.
Well, I understand the meaning from the flow of the conversation. But at this age?
I glance at Nel's face, but she turns away with a pout.
Her features are well-formed, cute, and promising for the future.
But considering her mental age...
"That's how it is, huh?""Ha, haa."
If I made a move, I'd get arrested. Even if my physical age pulls me in that direction, my rationality tells me it's wrong.
Understanding the meaning, the ethical dilemma.
At that moment, I hear the sound of flapping wings.
"Ha! Flying freely in the sky feels so good! Huh? Nel, what's wrong? Your face is red!""Nothing!!"
Amina lands on the carriage. She's returned after relieving her stress by flying.
"???""Better not ask too deeply.""Liberta-kun, you're making a weird face too. What really happened while I was flying?"
I wanted to tell Amina that Dent-san was the cause of all this, but before I could, the carriage stopped.
"Hey! We're here! Let's set up camp first!!"
Clapping his hands, Dent-san instructs us to get off, and I miss my chance to speak.
"Kid, you're coming with me to gather firewood. Nel, you and Pidd set up the tent. Amina, you and Mile go to the river to fetch water."
Being used to traveling, Dent-san gives precise instructions for setting up camp.
The horses are tied to a nearby tree.
"Understood.""Got it.""Okay."
Dent-san, the leader of the escort. In the game era, we never had to camp like this, and I have no camping experience. That's why it's best to follow the experienced leader's instructions.
"So, kid, why did you want to come here? With our skills, we could have gone somewhere more challenging."
We split into three groups, and I'm with Dent-san, gathering dry branches that are just right, as instructed. As I pick up suitable branches, Dent-san asks why I chose this destination.
If I were a normal kid, he probably wouldn't have asked this. He wouldn't have taken it seriously if it were just a child's whim.
"So? What's the profit here?"
He doesn't look around sneakily or whisper.
"There's no profit here.""Tch, none at all?""I've taught you a few things since then, haven't I?""Yeah, thanks to you, I've made some profit."
All of this is because, since the junk mansion quest, I've been having Dent-san take on free quests that seem profitable and within his capabilities, also to verify my knowledge.
Free quests can be done multiple times and yield consistent results. It's a way to confirm if those quests exist and...
"Thanks to the tips you gave me, I never thought those troublesome quests could become so easy."
It's also an experiment to see if other tricks players found for seemingly quirky quests work here.
I'm keeping a safety margin to avoid failure. What I want to know is the existence of the quests, the content of the rewards, and whether my knowledge applies.
"After making that much profit, you're still trying to squeeze more out of a kid like me?""Don't say that. When a kid like you specifically asks to go somewhere, it's hard not to be curious, right?""And that's why you arranged for us to be alone together?""That's right. I don't want them to beat me to it."
In terms of results, it mostly worked. "Mostly" because there were fluctuations in the outcomes, both better and worse than expected.
Actually, even with Count Clermont's lament, we should have had more leeway, but we ended up with a narrow victory.
From this result, I learned that while my game knowledge is reliable, overconfidence is not good.
"Are you not getting along?""Nah? We're close enough to talk about our favorite women over drinks all night.""Didn't Pidd-san grab you by the collar and drag you around?""That was a gentle response. Pidd is the type to mercilessly beat up people he dislikes.""So that was the peaceful approach, huh?"
Unaware that he's part of my experiment, Dent-san sees me as a kid who knows about profitable ventures and thinks he's the only one who knows my secret, so he's becoming less reserved around me.
For a moment, I worried about his trust in the other members, but it seems that's not an issue.
"So, what's the real deal?""Nothing, really. This is just a place for us to level up.""Level up... You guys haven't leveled up yet?""Yeah, leveling up with mochi is fine, but that gives you weird titles, right?""Right, leveling up that way gives you strange titles."
We plan to gain some levels on this trip. It's best to avoid unpleasant uncertainties.
"That's right. And with Dent-san protecting us, we can hunt here relatively safely.""True. If I can't handle this place, I should retire as an adventurer. But still, as I said earlier, higher difficulty areas would level you up faster. A place like the Goblin Forest would do. The soldier brats who bothered you before are leveling up there.""Goblins won't do. We'll go there another time.""Hmm, so you're saying you have a purpose here?""There's no profit. I'm not lying about that. This place is just convenient for leveling up.""Hmm, convenient, huh? With those guys?""Yes, convenient."
As we talk, a rustling sound comes from the nearby grass, and a monster appears.
'Hanyaa~'
Its smooth, glossy, earth-colored body. Its right arm raised, left arm lowered in a strange pose. Using its short legs skillfully to move across the ground, this monster is...
A haniwa figure. Well, not exactly, but it's commonly called that.
Its official name is...
"Starting tomorrow, we'll hunt Petit Clay Golems.""Yes, that's right."
Petit Clay Golems. Small clay dolls.
Their characteristics are what make them useful for our leveling.