Chapter 11

A Transparent Lie

I left Chief’s smithy and made my way to the guild house. You just needed to follow the road in front of the smithy towards the north in a straight line and you’d get there. My feet felt a bit heavy knowing the kind of atmosphere that would await me once there, but I couldn’t hold onto these herbs forever. Their freshness was important.

“Ahhh…I’m tired…I hate this time of day…”

I grumbled without thinking. But this life as an adventurer was how I supported myself, it was necessary in order to live.

And more than anything, this whole deal about moving to another world had been something I had dreamed of.

Of course, there were things concerning killing that gave me pause. My life had been quite peaceful back in j.a.pan. And so it wasn’t too surprising that there would be a resistance to fighting. But after having to survive in the forest without civilization and then the plains, I realized that it was important to be rational in terms of where you were. Or so I told myself. But that was why I had no intention of changing the way I lived. Though, it still made my heart feel a little heavier.

I stand in front of the guild. You could hear the drunken clamor of the bar from outside. I force a lid over my heart and walk inside.

“Ho, Asagi. So you’re back then.”

“Gardo. I didn’t know you were back.”

My luck seemed pretty good today. Gardo was here. The adventurers around us glared at me viciously but that was easily ignored. Apparently, they didn’t like how frankly I spoke to Gardo.

“Just a minute ago, really. You too?”

“Yeah. I picked some herbs.”

“Hehe. What a liar you are.”

“It’s a not a lie. I have the herbs right here.”

“I’m sure you do.”

s.h.i.+t. Even Gardo knew now. Oh, well. This was necessary.

For instance, had I only been picking herbs and raising my rank, my level wouldn’t match my rank. If I went out to the forests or plains in that state, I’d just get trampled. In that case, I didn’t see any harm in raising my level and learning how to fight in advance. I had speculated that this sort of thinking was what would separate the ‘Rocks’ from the ‘Gemstones.’

After Gardo waved his hand and left, I went over to ‘Rewards’ and untied the sack that was attached to my waist and placed it on top of the counter.

“I’m Asagi. I’ve just returned from the Medicinal Herbs quest.”

“Well done. I’ll take the herbs and your status card now.”

I took the card out of my pocket and handed it over. The thing was really light.

“Yes, I see. Please wait here one moment.”

After this, they would check the state of the plants and determine the price. I’d have some time until they were done, so I might as well have a light meal here at the bar. The stares of the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds would be annoying, but they would at least be quiet today. Now that I think of it, Ness wasn’t here.

“Excuse me, do you have anything light I can eat?”

“Sure.”

I sat down at the bar counter and ordered something to chew on from the master. A few looks were turned towards me but I barely noticed. Ness really wasn’t here, huh.

“Ness ain’t here.”

Gardo called from the table. It seemed that he had noticed my little search.

“Looks like it. That’s kind of rare.”

“Well, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had a good payout today. So it’s off to the brothel.”

“Hmm…you have such places here then.”

“Aye, he was quite determined today too, something about ‘winning her over today’… Well, I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it.”

I see… I was a little interested in this person Ness seemed devoted to, but not in the brothel itself. Diseases were no joke. It was a world of magic, so perhaps there were contraceptives and magical remedies, but I didn’t know how trustworthy they were… Plus, it seemed like trouble. Getting involved in the troubles of others seemed like a rule in itself when it came to these stories about other worlds. Well, I didn’t receive any special conditions as a protagonist, so perhaps I was safe. Still, being extra cautious was the trick to survival.

“Here you go!”

“Thank you.”

I received the food from the master. Today’s dish was chicken roasted with herbs, huh… I quite liked this one. It was easy to eat because of the bone. It was also softer than wolf meat and very juicy. The sharp spices stimulated my tired and empty stomach. I finished it in no time.