127 - - adventurer's knowledge

Word spread quickly of the defeat of the storm sand giants of the Breaking Wind Wilderness.

The reputation of Thor and his men, who had defeated the giant spirit monster with only six men, immediately rose to prominence and attracted even more attention.

In particular, Garudo's act of avenging his wife's death over a period of three years was regarded as a beautiful story, which added further impetus to the reputation of the group.

In the meantime, Garudo himself announced his retirement from the adventuring business without hesitation.

His daughter, who had been suffering from an illness for a long time, had recovered and he wanted to be there for her.

Naturally, the people around him would not leave a man in the middle of a whirlwind alone.

Immediately, the Guard Corps and the Temple of the Servant of the Earth God Gaidaros raised their hands.

He is a shieldman best suited for defending bases and escorting dignitaries, and with his upper branch skills, he is a sought-after candidate.

It seems that there was quite a heated exchange of salaries and contracts.

Garudo, however, turns them all down without hesitation.

The bearded ex-guide's choice was to be a coachman and coachman for Thor and his friends.

"Is that what you wanted?"

"Yeah, the job I've been offered doesn't have to be right now. They said they could wait a few years, because of Rudel."

But are you sure you want to do this?　It would be a big help to me."

"I promised him I'd give him the carriage. Let me take care of it until the end. And it's been with me a long time. I don't want anyone else touching it but me.

Four days after the slaying of the giant.

The messy cleanup was over, and Thor and the others were finally catching their breath.

They are now discussing the details with Garudo in the living room of their lodgings.

Tomorrow they would resume their search for the rocky fortress of the beast demons in the wilderness.

"Besides, the Adventurers Bureau is still in a bit of a state where it's hard to show up," he said.

"You didn't blame them, did you?"

On the surface. But I still don't have the courage to face that deputy director.

I'd be sorry if I hadn't done anything about it.

Garudo's search for a skilled adventurer to guide him seems to have been put behind him, offset by this act of heroism.

However, he could not go in with a big face.

For Thor, Garudo's offer is a very welcome one.

Carriages are expensive to buy, but they are also expensive to maintain.

Fortunately, the use of the Adventurers Bureau's carriage yards is free of charge, thanks to Yuril's rank of C, and the Adventurers Bureau's use of the yards is free of charge.

However, the wages of the horse's caretakers and the cost of the fodder and horseshoes are not free.

Convenience, after all, comes at a price.

"Don't worry about it. It's my way of repaying the favor. Well, I've already been paid in advance."

I told you not to worry about it because that's your share.

So I guess that means we're even.

Unfortunately, the Adventurers' Bureau did not offer any kind of reward for the giant's slaying.

It seems that the budget is too tight to pay out money for a project that has not been commissioned.

Since we did not submit the storm crystal stone as proof of our defeat in the first place, it seems that the bureau has no way to make a move either.

However, they agreed to the purchase of the magic stone without any inquiry.

There were six magic stones attached to the spirit nucleus of the giant.

Since all of them were of the third grade with a black shine, the purchase price was ten gold coins each, making a total of sixty pieces, which was a terrible sum.

This amount is equivalent to the annual income of a major merchant, and not something that can be easily earned.

Incidentally, this grade of magic stone is too powerful to be used with ordinary magic tools, so you have no choice but to sell it.

Although Garudo and the others insisted that they did not want their share, there is no doubt that they were friends who risked their lives to take on the challenge together.

After consulting with everyone, they agreed to divide the property into six equal portions.

They were reluctant to accept it, but in the end they accepted it.

The storm crystal stone was to be processed into an altar at the trading temple of Rohe, the Wind God.

The twins Tapa and Tali were going to make a ritual article out of the fur of a wind beast, so I asked them to do the same for me.

As a side note, the trading temples do not give out ritual implements according to the work done, but rather, the priests are required to procure the materials for their own ritual implements as proof of their priestly status.

In return, they are exempted from offering much more money, and can use the flying dragon service at a lower price.

However, since Tapa and his friends are currently exploring the wilderness, it will be a little later when we will hear more about them.

By the way, Bettina's guide this time is Saralisa.　

She said that she is planning to continue being an adventurer for a while longer.

She said that seeing Thor and the others had made her want to go further.

Saralisa's carefree smile was as if she had lost all her possessions, and she had the air of a different person.

It seems that she had always had a very strong character, and with Rudel's illness, she had been under a lot of pressure.

She seemed to have completely relaxed her shoulders as she said cheerfully that she had planned to follow Garudo immediately after killing him.

"Hey, if the blue-crowned grass in Cerce had remained intact, how would you have settled the matter?"

"Hm?　Oh, in that case, I made sure I got the letter right."

Apparently, they intended to convince the sisters that it was their will, by writing a letter that only the sisters would understand.

"When I handed it to her after I got home, Saralisa started crying so hard. It was hard to comfort her."

"Well, that's understandable. I guess all that tension must have drained out of him."

"So, this is what was in the package with the letter: ......."

As he said this, Garudo lifted his hand and found an unfamiliar shell ring in it.

It was a symbol of his promise to make his beloved a formal family member.　

"I've been smitten, too," he said. Maybe we'll have a wedding soon."

"Okay. Take good care of him."

"No, I'm the one who's going to be taken care of. If you make him angry, he'll stab you again for sure.

The middle-aged men grinned, then lifted their fists and bumped them against each other.

"But ......, I didn't know you were this far ahead of me. She's a great woman.

After Garudo left, Sola, who was listening to the conversation next to him, muttered deeply as if she was deeply moved.

"Well, I guess determination is important, isn't it?

"What are you talking about?"

"That's what I thought when I saw Mr. Garudo and Ms. Saralisa. Yes, I know, Thor!

What's next?

"Adventurer's Guide!　I've been thinking about it for a long time. I think this is it."

"Yeah, I think that's enough."

The girl's cheeks puff out and she makes an adorable, angry face in response to Thor's absent-minded reply.

"Oh, Thor, you're not serious!

"No, I answered seriously."

"No, it was very conventional!"

Thor replies to Sola's unconvinced expression in a troublesome manner.

"Well, to begin with, there's no such thing as a rule of thumb for adventurers, is there?"

"Oh, really?"

It's up to you to decide what you know and how you know it. If you swallow what others tell you, you may not be suited for this job.

"Uh, maybe."

So, for every hundred adventurers, there are a hundred different ways of knowing. You just have to find the beliefs and goals that suit you.

"If it's something you want to do, there's always Moos!　Tor-chan."

Moe, who had been in a good mood playing with Rudel earlier, interrupted me from the side.

"Well, I want you to stay with To-chan and the others all the time. And eat lots of delicious food. And ride on the Ohanamaru, and do stone-pinching, and sing songs.

"Hmmm, you have a lot to offer, Mumu."

"Do you have one too, Mr. Yuril?"

"Me?　My first goal is to discover new things, so I have to have good eyes and ears for that. Always be alert.

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Yes, because the end of my adventure will be when I no longer feel that way."

"Hmm, that's cool too. Hey, what about you, Thor?

Thor scratched the underside of his chin in disappointment as the girl looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye in anticipation.

"The thing I know is that you should have a good reason for leaving," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"When you have a place or an object that holds a lasting impression on you, it gives you unexpected strength in times of crisis. I'm not going to die in a place like this.

"I see. The most important thing is to come back alive.

Thor patted the girl on the head as she nodded in agreement.

Then, as if to remind her, he reveals the truth.

"That's what you've been doing for the past twenty-five years of my life!"

"............ eh?!"

"Every time you were about to die, all you could think about was Sola."

"What, huh?　Tall girl."

Sola's eyes and voice become bright red as her cheeks turn red.

Thor continued to speak to her in a casual tone.

"If a dead body is found in the room, the reputation of Mr. Yuril's lodgings will be ruined, and I'm afraid that my childhood friend will be called a bloody statue or something and made a spectacle of.

"Oh, thank you very much for your concern."

I was so excited!

"To-chan, you should think more about Moo too!"

Thor did not dare to say the rest of the words as he picked up the child who had jumped on him.

Long years to perfect the skill of .

The thing that had been driving Thor all these years was certainly the presence of Sora.

And even after the girl's resurrection, Thor still holds on to the importance of Sola in his heart.

Of course, not only Sora, but also Mu and Yuril.

To have adventures with these three and to come back to this place together was Thor's current goal.

The room was filled with a relaxing atmosphere.

His childhood friend, who had been sulking with a pout on her lips, is now smiling again.

The beautiful woman with two cats on her lap smiles gently and squints her eyes.

The little girl, snuggled up against you, transmits her warmth to you.

With a small lift of his lips, Thor thinks about the adventures he will have tomorrow.

"Well, I'm getting tired of this. I wonder if this subhuman orc or whatever has nothing better to do than to run into us..."

"As you say, they are rather monotonous, but I don't think they are to be underestimated, my lady.

"...... if you let your guard down like that."

"...... I promise you, you're going to be in a lot of pain."　

At the same time that Toll and his friends were resting their bones.

Bettina and the others, with Saralisa as their guide, are exploring deep in the wilderness.

Since they did not encounter any wind beasts this time, they still have plenty of time and energy left.　

They had been bragging about it, but it was already halfway through the third day.

The three men shrugged their shoulders and exchanged glances with Bettina, who made no effort to hide her impatience.

At that moment, the red-haired woman in the lead suddenly stopped.

She points happily at two shadows lurking in the shadows of the boulders ahead.

"Look, look!"

"...... hmm, another orc."

"...... Two of them. Which one do you want to kill first?"

"Wait, haven't you noticed?　You see, my request has finally been fulfilled."

"Well, you seem to be dealing with a slightly different kind of person this time."

Because he is a shieldman, Godin was the first to notice.

He explains the difference to the twins, who are twisting their short necks.

"Look, those two don't just have spears, they also have shields."

"...... Hoho."

"...... if you ask me."

"...... What, a shield?"

The one who was the most surprised was Saralisa, who was walking at the end of the line.

She caught up with Bettina and the others with a panicked look on her face and stared into their eyes.

For a moment, the woman of the Scales gazed intently at the orc holding the shield.

Then, with a slightly annoyed look on her face, she tells them a surprising fact.

There is no mistake. That is an orc guard guarding the entrance to the fortress.