Chapter 31
Nera, Welly, and Berin had finished preparing for their adventure to the forest south of the kingdom.
"Because the Southern Forest is the closest one from here, right?" Nera asked.
"Yeah," Welly replied. "And it's generally safe enough for new adventurers like you."
Berin turned toward his father.
"Dad, we're heading out now."
Zix nodded slowly.
"Alright. Be careful. And remember, don't get lost."
Berin smiled.
"Don't worry, Dad. Welly is here."
Welly immediately stood up straight with a slightly smug expression.
"Oh right, Dad. Please tell Rumi and Lily all of this if they come back."
"Of course."
After that, the three of them walked toward the southern gate of the city.
When they arrived there, they coincidentally met Tom, the man whom Izumi had helped before and who had since become fairly close to her.
Tom stared at Nera for a moment.
"You."
Nera blinked.
"Hm?"
"You're Rumi's friend, right? If I remember correctly, your name is Nera?"
Nera nodded.
"Oh, right."
Tom then looked at the other two.
"And are they your friends too?"
But suddenly his gaze stopped on Berin.
"Wait... you're Berin?"
Berin looked confused.
"Huh? Do you know me?"
Tom chuckled.
"Of course. Your father and I used to be friends. I even attended his wedding."
Tom pointed at Berin while smiling nostalgically.
"I even carried you when you were little. You also used to play with May's nephew, Rey, all the time."
"Oh, him..."
Berin sighed.
"Yeah."
Tom noticed the change in his expression.
"Hm? What's wrong? You seem annoyed."
Berin immediately replied.
"No. It's just that I don't want to be friends with that guy anymore."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"It's a long story."
Berin crossed his arms.
"The point is, I don't want to get close to him or be friends with him ever again. Not until the day I die."
Tom could only smile awkwardly.
"Um... I see."
"Yeah!"
Berin decided to change the topic.
"Hmm... if you know my father, then why have I never seen you visit the inn?"
Tom shrugged.
"I only moved from the village to the royal city about a year ago."
"I also didn't know where your father's inn was. There are a lot of inns in the royal city, you know?"
Nera suddenly looked shocked.
This story has been stolen from NovelFire. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Eh...?"
Berin turned toward her.
"Nera, what's wrong?"
"Isn't Uncle Zix's inn directly across from Uncle Tom's herb shop?"
Tom froze.
"Huh?"
Berin also fell silent.
"Huh...?"
A few seconds later, Tom burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! The world is vast, but fate never truly keeps people apart."
Berin shook his head.
"Even so, I still don't know you, Uncle."
"That's normal."
Tom smiled.
"The last time I saw Zix, you were six years old. It's been a very long time."
Berin tried to remember his childhood.
"When I was six..."
His eyes widened.
"Wait."
"Are you that weird guy who always gave me strange plants?"
Nera and Welly immediately froze.
Meanwhile, Tom could only smile stiffly.
Weird guy?
Strange plants?
Those were medicinal herbs...
"Ahaha... looks like you remember me."
Berin nodded.
"Oh, now I remember."
"But Uncle looks completely different now."
"Maybe because you've gotten older."
Tom laughed.
"You've grown up a lot too."
Nera still looked puzzled.
"Your places are right next to each other. How did nobody realize it for an entire year?"
"That's what surprised me too."
Tom sighed.
"I never expected that inn to belong to Zix."
"I thought he would build a much larger and more luxurious inn."
Berin immediately shook his head vigorously.
"My dad building a luxurious and huge inn?"
"That'll never happen."
"Why?"
"Because my dad doesn't have that much money."
Berin paused for a moment before adding,
"And besides, he's stingy."
Tom looked at him strangely.
"Huh?"
"But your father is a former Rank S adventurer."
"There's no way he doesn't have money."
Instantly, Berin, Welly, and Nera shouted at the same time.
"RANK S!!!?"
"No way!"
Berin immediately denied it.
"My dad is terrible at hunting."
"And he's really careless."
Welly nodded as well.
"I never imagined Uncle Zix used to be an adventurer."
"Let alone Rank S."
"That's a bit..."
Welly, Berin, and Nera looked at one another.
Berin pointed at Tom.
"You're lying, Uncle, aren't you?!"
"No."
Tom shook his head.
"I'm serious."
"Don't you find it strange?"
"I'm sure many people know your father because of that incident."
"That incident?"
Tom smiled faintly.
"The explanation is very long."
"But in short, your father was an incredible adventurer."
"LIIIAAAR!"
Berin immediately protested.
"There's no way my dad was an incredible adventurer."
"I've beaten him in wrestling many times."
"Eeeh..."
At Zix's inn.
"Achoo!"
Zix suddenly sneezed.
"Ah..."
He rubbed his nose.
"Is someone talking about me?"
Back at the southern gate.
Tom smiled.
"Oh right. Are you heading to the Southern Forest?"
"Yeah."
"Well, what a coincidence."
"I'm heading there too."
Tom pointed at his horse carriage.
"Need a ride? I can take you there."
Berin's eyes sparkled.
"Huh? Really?"
Nera looked excited too.
"For free?"
Tom smiled slightly.
"Not for free."
"Your expression changed really fast."
Nera immediately lowered her head.
Tom laughed.
"You'll have to help me gather medicinal herbs."
"Instead of walking eight exhausting hours from here to the Southern Forest."
"If we take the carriage, we'll arrive in six hours."
Nera and Berin instantly lost their enthusiasm.
"Um..."
"I don't know anything about medicinal herbs."
"Me neither."
However, Welly proudly raised her chin.
"I've memorized everything about medicinal herbs."
Instantly, Nera and Berin became excited again.
They immediately hugged Welly.
"Welly!"
"You're so reliable!"
Welly smiled proudly.
"Hmph. Of course."
Tom laughed while watching them.
"Then get into the carriage."
"We're leaving now."
The three of them climbed into Tom's carriage.
Not long afterward, the carriage began moving toward the Southern Forest of the Kingdom of Monotiz.
Meanwhile, Izumi and Rey Renold had arrived at the training grounds.
A female knight was already standing there on guard duty.
The moment Izumi saw her, she unconsciously muttered to herself.
She's so beautiful.
Like a princess from a fantasy world.
Wait.
This really is a fantasy world.
"Good morning, Mr. Renold."
"Ah, Ela."
Rey smiled.
"So you're on duty today."
Ela nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"Haha. You look very excited."
Ela smiled brightly.
"Yeah."
"Because my younger sibling is coming to the training grounds today."
"Oh?"
"They want to become a knight?"
"I wanted them to become a knight like me."
"But they chose to become an adventurer instead."
"They said adventurers can travel anywhere freely."
Rey laughed.
"Your sibling truly has the spirit of an adventurer."
"Then let them choose their own path."
Ela nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"I just hope you won't go easy on them during the test later."
"Of course."
Then Ela turned toward Izumi.
"By the way..."
"Who is the girl beside you, sir?"
"Oh."
Rey smiled.
"This is Miss Rumi."
"One day, she'll become the greatest adventurer in the world."
Ela fell silent.
Someone acknowledged by Mr. Rey Renold?
And a woman?
Wasn't that a bit excessive?
"I see."
Ela smiled warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Rumi."
"My name is Ela."
"You can call me Ela."
"Yeah. Nice to meet you too."
However, another question appeared in Ela's mind.
What is that thing covering her head?
And what is that strong smell?
Is it coming from her hair?
Not long afterward, Rey and Izumi entered the training area.
"Ela, keep up the good work."
"If anyone causes trouble, you know what to do."
Ela saluted.
"Yes, sir!"
A few minutes later.
"I think it's time."
Rey turned toward her.
"Time for what, Miss Rumi?"
"To rinse my hair."
"Oh."
Rey pointed upstairs.
"The bathroom is up there."
"If you're still confused, you can ask Ela."
"Alright."
Izumi immediately headed toward the bathroom.
After rinsing her hair, a huge change became visible.
The jet-black hair that had once covered her head was now a bright golden-yellow color, like freshly polished gold.
Izumi created a small mirror.
She looked at her reflection.
"Waaah..."
"This turned out really well."
A few seconds later, she fell silent.
"I became even prettier."
Her face instantly turned red.
"Why did I say that..."
Then she created a special conditioner for dyed hair.
"This scent..."
"It smells exactly like my mother's hair."
Carefully, she applied it throughout her hair.
The result was far better than she had imagined.
Her golden hair looked smooth, soft, perfectly fluffy, and light.
Izumi gently touched her hair.
"My head feels so light now."
She then swished her hair from side to side.
Exactly like a child showing off a brand-new toy.