CH 249

“Alright then, cheers!”

“Super cheers!”

That night, after successfully completing the request, we raised a toast at a local cheap tavern to celebrate our first successful task.

That being said, we had only accomplished one or two jobs that were “pretty good for beginners,” so we didn’t make a substantial amount of money. But the reason we could make a fuss together like this was because I used a little trick.

“Phew! The drink after work is super tasty! All thanks to Ed!”

“Haha, don’t mention it. We all worked together, so I won’t hog it all to myself.”

“Ed, as expected! Super generous!”

While we were looking for Cotton Thread Grass, I had found another herb that could be sold for a good price. We were drinking with the money from selling that, but it wasn’t just good luck that I found it. I pretended to find it casually using the [Akashic Compass].

Why did I do such a thing? To enhance our sense of unity. Certainly, my [Stranger Box] contains a large amount of cash and valuable items, but if I pulled it out and said ‘I’ll treat you’… well, Burn might be happy to come along, but there would still be some kind of reluctance or barrier.

But what if we found something while doing the same job that could be turned into money, and we drink together with that money? Even if it’s the same amount, the sense of unity we gain is significantly enhanced. This is one of the tricks born from my life experience of needing to get along with complete strangers hundreds of times.

“Anyway, Burn, you really were strong. I am impressed.”

“Hahaha! I am super strong! But Tia was also amazing. Elves are super amazing after all.”

“Hey hey, Tia’s not amazing because she’s an elf, she’s amazing because she’s Tia.”

“Oops, that was my super slip of the tongue! Sorry, Tia.”

“It’s fine. Besides, Ed was also amazing, right?”

“That’s right! How did you acquire such amazing scouting skills?”

“Hm? If you ask me that, all I can say is it’s the result of daily training. It just became possible when I worked hard. Isn’t that the same for you, Burn?”

“Certainly! I just swung my sword around and before I knew it, I had become super strong!”

If the story I heard in the first round is true, Burn neither had a master nor were his parents famous knights or adventurers. He’s an embodiment of unreasonableness who became the strongest just by swinging his sword around as a mere villager.

Well, most heroes are like that, but what happens when what you want to do and the talent you can do perfectly match? Burn is a prime example of that.

“Hey, Burn. If you’re okay with it, how about we form a party from now on?”

That’s why, when the alcohol had advanced to a certain degree, I made such a suggestion. The reason I showed my ability not as a swordsman but as a scout was to make this proposal.

“After working together today, I realized something. I’m scouting, Tia is supporting with her spirit magic, and Burn is cutting down enemies. I know it’s self-praise, but don’t you think we’re a pretty well-balanced party?”

“That’s true. I feel safe leaving the vanguard to you, Burn. What do you think?”

Immediately grasping my intentions, Tia also follows up. As we’ve worked together for a short time, we know Burn’s character and skills, so there’s no lie in her words.

“Well…”

In response to our words, Burn crossed his arms and thought with a furrowed brow. After a substantial pause, a huge grin appeared on his face.

“Of course, super! Okay! Actually, I was thinking about asking you guys!”

“Great! In commemoration of the formation of our party, shall we have another toast?”

“Sounds good. Let’s do it!”

“Alright! Here’s to the formation of our super strong party!”

“”‘Cheers!'””

Our wooden mugs clashed together and in the flow of the moment, Burn and I shared a hearty laugh. We enjoyed a fun night, parted ways for a while to return to our respective lodgings, and then met again the next morning.

“We, who have formed a party, demand a super difficult request!”

“Huh? You can’t just come out of the blue and say that…”

Upon meeting at the Adventurer’s Guild in the morning, Burn began pressuring the receptionist. The receptionist’s face was a mixture of annoyance and confusion. Well, anyone would react like that if someone abruptly said something like this without any preamble.

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“Ah, sorry about that. As Burn said, we’ve formed a party. And we thought we could accept more lucrative requests now that there are three of us.”

“Oh, I see. You did succeed in collecting the Cotton Thread Flowers yesterday. Considering that, and that you’ve formed a party, it’s true that even beginners can take on somewhat more difficult requests.”

“See!? Then quickly, give us a super lucrative request-“

As the receptionist smiled her business smile, Burn leaned in to interrupt. But knowing this won’t advance the conversation, I pushed Burn aside and spoke to the receptionist.

“Hey, Ed!? What are you-“

“Just ignore him for now. With three of us, we can keep a constant lookout and handle combat. So, we’d like to take this request.”

What I presented was a request form that I had already taken off the board. Upon seeing its contents, a shadow suddenly crossed the receptionist’s smile.

“It’s a request to investigate the Shitorowa Ruins, right? It’s true that the place tends to be infested with goblins and such, so we do put out regular requests to investigate and exterminate the beasts inside-“

“That’s fine, isn’t it!? Let them take it!”

As the receptionist was about to say something, a crude voice from behind interrupted her. Turning around, a bearded man was looking at us with a grin on his face.

“Gazil-san!? Again!?”

“It’s fine! They successfully collected the Cotton Thread Flowers yesterday. They’re a promising rookie party, right? Cleaning… no, investigating some shoddy ruins that people have gone into numerous times should be a piece of cake! Right?”

“Well, I think we can handle it.”

“Super! It’ll be a breeze!”

“I don’t think there should be any particular problems.”

“There you have it! If they themselves say so, let them do it! Experience is everything, Gahahaha!”

“Really now… So, what will it be? Can you accept the request?”

“Of course. Please, we’ll take it.”

“Sigh… Understood.”

With an exchange identical to yesterday’s, we were able to accept the request. As we made our way from the town to the ruins, Tia again subtly touched my hand.

[So, Ed? This request… Gazil-san? He’s involved again, isn’t it? Does this request hold some kind of meaning too?]

[Fufu, of course. But don’t worry, this one shouldn’t be particularly dangerous. So, Tia, just enjoy it along with Burn.]

[Hmm? Alright then. I’m looking forward to it.]

It was my second time around, and there was nothing I could do about it, but it was too tasteless to rob Tia of the joy of adventure. As I watched Tia’s ears bounce along with her steps, Burn called out from ahead.

“Hey, you two! You’re falling behind!”

“Oh, sorry about that. But Burn, you’re the one who’s going too far ahead! You do realize that I’m supposed to be the scout, right?”

I knew there was no way there could be anything dangerous enough in such a place to make us wary, but we still needed to be cautious. With a wry smile at my question, Burn replied without a hint of remorse.

“Of course! I’m super excited about going into the ruins!”

“No, you should be excited before entering, right!? Can’t be helped. Alright, Tia. I leave the rear to you.”

“Got it. Do your best.”

Always full throttle and leaning forward. While smiling bitterly at Burn who didn’t wait for me and marched on, I called out to Tia and started to jog after him.