6 - border town

"Hey, Thor, you're an adventurer, aren't you? Do you think I can be one too?

Thor was greeted first thing in the morning by Sora's bouncy question.

Perhaps because he had achieved his goal, he had overslept a little this morning.

Thor woke up a little later than usual, washed his face with fresh water and went to the kitchen.

As soon as he arrived at the breakfast table, the words he had just spoken came to him.

Good morning, Sola. Good morning, landlord.

"Oh, good morning."

"Yes, good morning."

It seems that Sola, who had woken up earlier, had already made friends with Yuril, the landlord.

She must have told him about the adventurers.

Thor rubs his feet and thinks about the girl's question.

The landlord's personality would never describe an adventurer as a dream job.

In fact, it is an intense job, wandering endlessly through forests, wildernesses and caves, fighting for one's life against vicious monsters.

We had expected this, but it does not seem to suit Sora's easygoing nature.

Besides, the village where Thor and his family were born was basically peaceful, although some weak monsters appeared here and there.

Until they were attacked by the "outbreak".

Sora must still have a lot of fear after being in close proximity to such a vicious monster for the first time.

To confirm her feelings, Thor casually looks into the eyes of the girl who is trying hard to eat the bread.

There is no hint of a glimmer in the girl's eyes, nor does she seem to be putting on any more energy than necessary.

To Thor, who had been with many newcomers, the girl seemed perfectly normal.

"How are you doing?"

"Me?　Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good."

"Well, good. And you have to soak this bread in the soup to eat it.

"Ugh, no wonder it's so hard!"　

In the village, it was common to eat wheat as porridge, but hard bread that lasted for a long time was a regular food around here.

Thor had a hard time swallowing it at first.

Thor's heart was broken when he saw Sora struggling with the unfamiliar crunchiness of the bread.

Instead of worrying about this and that, it would be easier for him to understand if he actually experienced it.

Just like hard bread, if it doesn't suit his palate, he will understand.

"Yes, it's delicious!　Could this round thing be meat?"

"Oh, it's mole meat."

"I see. Mole is delicious!"

The white bean and meatball soup was familiar to Thor, but to Sola it was a treat.

Thor's mouth relaxed unknowingly at the sight of the girl who was smothering herself in the soup.

Maybe Sora would enjoy the hard bread and the adventurers as much as he did.

"Well, I'd say we should go register as adventurers after we finish eating. ......"

"Oh, wow. Really?

But first, I'll need something to get ahead of myself."

"What, do you need something?"

You're going to get into a lot of trouble looking like that.

Sola is now wearing a woolen one-piece dress that reaches below the knees and a pair of pants.

She is reasonably well suited for outdoor work, but not well suited for facing monsters.

With the skills she possesses, she does not need to be out in front, but without a minimum level of protection, she may not be allowed to register as an adventurer.

Or, it is very likely that the sales pitch for equipment and invitations to pre-service training will take up a lot of your time.

It would be a simple matter to buy one piece of equipment made of mole skin, but even Thor's jacket costs three silver coins.

I have five silver coins worth of gold that I have been saving up, so I can buy it if I have to, but there are many other things I need.

Thor chews slowly and swallows the bread, then glances at the old woman sitting on the top seat.

He had heard that she had been a famous ice man who had traveled extensively in her youth.

He knows that this is an impolite request, but he decides that there is no point in trying to make it up to her now.

"I'm sorry, landlord. I will get them soon, so until then, could you please take care of my protective gear for me?

"Mine?　I haven't used it in a long time.

We can take care of that.

"Yes. Then please feel free to use my grandma's used one. Miss Sora.

"Is that okay?　Thank you."

He was surprised at Thor's willingness to say that he could do it, though he could understand if he would do something about it.

Having known Thor for nearly ten years, he was well aware of Thor's exceptional discretion and strong will.

This morning, in addition, he seemed to be full of confidence.

Yuril refrained from saying anything more, wondering if it had something to do with the girl who had come back to life.

For the old woman, the exciting life of an adventurer was already over.

No matter how regrettable the end may have been.　

The flaxen robe and white hard-copper breastplate that Ulir had prepared for her after breakfast were very fine, if a bit old-fashioned in design.

It would have cost nearly twenty pieces of silver to buy.

The robe was quite yellowish and the breastplate was rusty like mold.

Thor stopped the girl who immediately tried to put on the robe with great joy and gently touched the items.

In an instant, the robe and breastplate were as good as new.

Yuril's eyes widened at the change, and Thora hugged Thor's arm with a big smile on her face.

"Thank you, Thor!

"Was that ......?"

"It's my skill. I'm sorry I startled you."

Thor's is likely to be too great a change to be concealed.

In that case, it is better to reveal it quickly only to those who are close to you and whom you trust, so that you do not have to go through the trouble of explaining it to them.

This is the decision.

"Oh, it's so easy!　I thought it would be heavier.

"How does it feel to wear?"

"I think it's a little wobbly..."

It's adjusted by the clasp. Here, here, like this."

The breastplate is held in place by shoulder straps and side straps, and the length of the straps can be changed through the holes where the clasps are hooked.

Casually looking at the sora, I noticed that two holes had been put back in the sora.

Thor casually recalls that the hole at the very end had been used before the restoration.

"...... two times, no?"

"Are they really that different in height?"

"No, not much different from when I was younger. Yes, it fits me like it was made for me.

Sola puts on a robe over her breastplate and spins around on the spot.

Thor scratched the bottom of his chin in silence.

Thor prepared himself and handed Thora a spare backpack, urging her to put it on.

The girl, wearing a pure white flaxen robe and a dazzlingly shining breastplate peeking out from her collar, was full of adventurer-like features.

She was a little out of proportion to Thor in his dark brown leather armor.

"I'll walk ahead of you, why don't you follow me a little later?　It would be less conspicuous."

"Can I hold your hand?　Tall girl."

"Oh, my goodness, you're such a good friend. Here's your lunch.

"Stop it, it's hard to walk. Thank you for everything, landlord. I'll see you later.

Good luck on your adventure!

"Yes, take care."

Eventually, they left their lodgings side by side and headed for the town square.

Although it was already mid-morning, there were many people passing by on the street.

Thor spoke to Sola in a whisper while rubbing her neck.

"Don't look around too much, or you'll get caught by the touts.

I've never seen so many people before. Is today a festival?　Oh, there are so many food stalls over there!

"Relax, there are stalls every day. This is an old neighborhood, so there are quite a lot of residents here.

"A cooperative community?"

Along the way, Thor gives the girl a brief history of the city.

At the center of the world is a huge cavern called "Coma Hole" where a noxious gas overflows, covering the land and creating numerous monsters.

No one seems to have witnessed it properly, but Thor and his friends were terrorized by the old men of the village when they were children.

The land is called "noxious land," where monsters roam and no one can live.

To reclaim this lost land, a redoubt was built on the border between the miasma and the human sphere of existence - a border town.

"Oh, I see."

That's why there are so many adventurers here.

"Oh, I see."

Monsters, who show a strong predatory urge toward living creatures, actually have a nasty habit.

When they sense a large gathering of people or livestock, they attack in packs.

In the past, they used to build forts and station troops in the moorland, but they had to retreat in the face of the monsters that came in day and night.

There is one more inconvenient aspect of operating with a large force: the points earned from defeating monsters are distributed according to the number of soldiers who participated in the battle.

This makes it impossible to develop skills efficiently, and it is hard to expect an improvement in the force.

"Ah, that's why I'm an adventurer."

"Yes, because it is more advantageous to work in small groups."

Thor is not familiar with the origin of the name "adventurer.

Perhaps those who ventured into the miasma alone after the central army had left called their actions adventures.

Plants and minerals can develop abnormally in areas where they are constantly exposed to the harsh noxious air.

The skins, tendons, horns, and fangs of tough monsters can also be used to make very good armors and protective gear.

Merchants took notice of this.

They made their fortunes by hiring adventurers to hunt monsters and buy the precious plants and ores they collected.

The closer the monsters were to the pit, the stronger and more numerous they became.

Conversely, as one moves away from the center, the number of monsters decreases and the area becomes relatively safe.

Eventually, taverns and lodging facilities were built in locations that were not too far from the marshes, but just far enough from the marshes to not attract the vicious monster hordes, making it easy to trade with adventurers.

This was the beginning of the current border town.

During this period, various monsters and skills were researched, and commercial activities using the miasma became more and more popular.

And naturally, the central government would not let this go unnoticed.

"Hmmm, is that so?"

"From the top, they are a bunch of rich people with a powerful private army. If left unchecked, they could take over the country.

This is not to say that they set out to suppress it by force.

Rather, they adopted a policy of incorporating the entire system built up by adventurers and merchants.

First, an Adventurers' Bureau was set up in each town to unite adventurers and manage them as a group, like a volunteer army.

Salaries would be based on a piece-rate system, rather than fixed salaries, in order to motivate the adventurers and select competent personnel at the same time.

In addition, the adventurers would be ranked to increase their competitive spirit, and the survival rate would be increased by limiting the areas in which they can advance.

The merchants were firstly controlled by giving them a monopoly on the trade of materials from the supposed noxious gas.

They are then divided into different categories such as meat, hides, ores, and timber, and each group is given its own trade guild.

This was done to avoid the concentration of goods and profits in the hands of the major trading associations.

In this way, the state-led cultivation of the miasma areas began in earnest.

"This also involves magical stones and underground labyrinths (dungeons), but I'll explain that later.

"Well, I want to hear it now!"

We're out of time. Here we are.

Stopping, Thor cupped his chin at the large building in front of him.

"I can go it alone from here. The money you need is in your backpack. Just be brave and it won't take long.

"What, you're not going to escort me?"

"I'll watch over you from a distance where they won't know I know you, don't worry."

He is as caring as a father with an adolescent daughter.

Thor puts his hands on his hips, and Sola pokes his cheek with his index finger, pondering.

Then she suddenly crouched down on the ground.

"Oh, there you are. I'm so hungry, Thor. Well, I think it will get better if you take me to that building.

"That's messy, man."

Thor is appalled by the fact that Sola, knowing the effects of , dares to choose a temporary illness.

However, it seems to be effective to a certain extent.

The beautiful girl's deliberate moaning attracts the attention of passersby one by one.

"Okay. I'll be young this time. I'll be about twenty-five years old, and I'll be able to fake it.

"It's outrageous that you would change that!　Tall girl."

"Oh, yeah?"

Thor scratched his chin as Sola raised her voice while holding her knees.

After a few moments of silence, he told the girl the reason for his concern in an unaffected manner.

People don't think well of me. If you stay with me, you'll get into trouble, too.

"Did you do something wrong?"

"No, not particularly. But an old man like me, still a lowly adventurer, is an embarrassment.

"It's funny that you should be ashamed of yourself for working so hard for me!"

With pursed lips, the girl continues to speak.

"Those who would make fun of you for such a thing are the ones who don't know what they're talking about. I don't care what they say!

"But he's such an old man!"

"Thor, you may be an old man, but you're still a cool old man!"

Thor now remembered that Sola had lost her father when she was very young and had a longing for older men.

"Are you over the stomachache yet?"

"Can you lend me a hand?　Thor-chan."

Thor smiles bitterly, and the girl begs in a cute voice as she crouches down.

With a sigh, Thora gently lays her own hand on the hand offered to her.

Then she squeezes it tightly.

Holding each other's hand, the two begin to walk to the Adventurers' Bureau building.