“What the hell with that receptionist?”
Nina was walking beside me, looking very angry.
“Don’t take it to heart. She’s just doing her job.”
“But Rag, I mean…. Rox! Aren’t you upset at being treated like that?”
She just realized in panic that she almost said “Ragnus”. Well, I guess it’s still safe.
I was forcing Nina to call each other by Rox and Earlv from now on.
This is because I’m still most afraid of being caught unawares by someone overhearing our conversation.
“Whether you’re upset or not, it’s true that a pair of F-ranked and G-ranked taking a recommended C-ranked quest would be very reckless.”
“Indeed, it might be considered reckless.”
Frustration, Nina bites her lip.
“Right? However, we got the quest, so let’s just call it lucky for now.”
Recommended quests, as the name implies, you can take the quest if you have the recommended rank or higher.
However, the achievement rate is much lower if you have a higher rank, and the receptionist will often stop you.
By the way, we persisted for an hour at the reception desk to get this quest. To be precise, the receptionist, who was overcome by the expression on Nina’s face that said she would never back down, reluctantly agreed to take the quest.
“‘–Yes, you’re right. Rox may be right. As a result we were able to take the quest, so complaining about it was a waste of time. Besides,” she continues.
“Didn’t we get a rank increase by doing quests with a higher recommended rank than us? We just have to raise our rank like that and not let them complain next time. Let’s do our best, Rox!”
That’s how she showed me her smile. It’s all well and good to be positive, but I’m pretty sure the receptionist wasn’t complaining, she was simply concerned for our safety.
“‘Right. Earlv.
However, it would be wrong to break her inspired determination, so I just replied appropriately for the time being.
Our destination, the village of Arni, is about two hours by carriage from here
Since we don’t have our own carriage, we inevitably have to rely on merchants who do such transportation.
This is also a trading city, such people can be seen here and there when walking. I tried to talk to a merchant who was nearby.
“I’m sorry, I just have to ask.”
“What is it?”
“‘I’d like to request a carriage to the village of Arni, how much for the two of us?”
“Alright.”
The merchant takes out a calculating device and begins to crackle and calculate.
“60,000 yale per man one way, 120,000 ale for the two of you.”
“Let’s go on foot, Rox.”
As a result of Earlv’s quick decision, we had to walk. If we went back and forth, we will go broke. It can’t be helped.
By the way, when I suggested that we go with my [Peerless], she rejected it with all her might. The reason is ……, well, I understand.
Although it’s called a village, Arni Village is not that remote, and you can just walk along the street and you won’t encounter any monsters. Earlv and I picked up the bare necessities at the appropriate item store and left Jorgen.
“Rox, this is Wild Rabbit.”
We encountered it right after I left the city. Level 1 has a low luck value, so that’s a problem. This might be my fault.
But Wild Rabbit is such a weak monster that even a beginner can kill it with ease. It’s quick, but its speed isn’t so fast that you can’t keep up. Unless you’re level 1.
“Rox!! It went that way!!”
“Kiki!!!”
“Gofoah!”
The Rabbit rushed towards me and I blown about a meter away.
Suddenly, memories of the past flashed through my mind like a running lantern.
“Fireball!”
The wild rabbit made a strange noise and disappeared into ashes, engulfed in flames.
“Are you okay, Rox?”
“Yes, I’m fine. I thought I was dead when they hit me, but now I’m fine.”
I was blown away, and the moment I managed to stand up, the pain receded quickly. Maybe it was just the impact and not so much the power. And what was that running lantern?
“Thanks God. I heard a few bones that seemed to break, so I thought you’re not okay.”
“Did it sound that bad?”
When I was sent flying, I didn’t notice because I almost passed out for a second.
I touched my tummy again, but it was still feel nothing.
“Maybe it was the sound of the Wild Rabbit taking damage.”
“I suppose so. Maybe that be case from Rox’s current looks.”
The wild rabbit disappeared with Nina’s magic, so there’s no way to be sure, but I guess that’s what it is, since I’m still in good health.
After that, we had several encounters with monsters, and we ended up staying overnight at an inn town on the way to Arni Village, because it was impossible to reach there today.
The next day, we set out first thing in the morning, but as a result of continued encounters, we arrived at Arni village in the afternoon.
“This is the village of Arni, isn’t it?”
“It’s kind of deserted.”
I could tell from the sign at the entrance that it was Arni Village, but I didn’t see any sign of people.
Maybe it was too late?
“Let’s just see if anyone’s around.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
We went into the village of Arni and walked around to see if there were any villagers.
Then, around the back of the house, I spotted an old woman.
At any rate, I’m relieved to see that they haven’t been wiped out.
“Hello, Grandma.”
Earlv smiles and talks to her.
“Oh, you’re a traveler? What brings you here?”
The old lady smiled back at me, and I smiled back at her. So me and Earlv explained how we got here.
“Well, I didn’t expect you to actually come. I’m going to call the village chief, so please wait for me.”
Saying this, the old woman went away at a slow pace.
A few minutes later, a white-haired man appears, accompanied by an old woman.
“My name is Kale, the chief of Arni, the village I requested you to visit. Please let me tell you the details at my house. This way, please.”
The man who calls himself the village chief, Kale, urged us to do so, and me and Earlv followed him.