CH 12

Chapter 12 - Morning after a tranquil rain

“Souya-san, wake up.”

“…… Nnn. Morning …… Mia-kun, good morning.”

Souya tried to check his alarm clock, but quickly remembered that he was in a different world. And he couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that he hadn’t gotten out of the habit he’d been in for over ten years.

The wall clock pointed to 6:10. It was slightly past the time when Soya usually woke up in the real world. The rain seemed to have stopped, and a cool, fresh breeze was blowing in through the open window that Mia must have opened.

“Hello, Mia-kun, did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to you, I slept well. But you’re still tired, aren’t you, Souya-san? …… I’m sorry, I made you use extra magic. I feel like I’m constantly causing trouble.”

Mia had already changed into her priestly robes. When I compared it to her nightgown, I knew it looked good on her. If you were to tell me that it was a custom-made priest’s robe tailored to fit her, I might believe you.

“I’m just glad to have a futon. I wasn’t expecting to get a good night’s sleep, after all. But I’m still sleepy …… Yes, magic is such an exhausting thing, isn’t it?”

As long as I don’t have any trouble at work, I usually go home on time, go to bed on time, and wake up on time. I’ve been trying to live a life with as little physical strain as possible. I’ll have to forget about those healthy days.

Souya got up from the bed, but he felt pain in his body and immediately sat down on a chair to rest his body again.

“Oh, now the pain has come.”

“Are you okay? Souya-san, if you need medical attention, I’m at your disposal.”

“Magic pain. It’s been a long time since I’ve done any magic. The rest is muscle pain. Both are best left to heal on their own.”

It was a condition known as magic pain, where a violent outpouring of magic power irritates the body and causes a dull ache. If you’re not accustomed to using magic, and you’ve used up a lot of magic power, you’ll often find yourself in this situation.

In other words, it’s like a magical version of muscle pain, and the pain may not go away for a few days while the body adjusts.

“If it’s magic pain, you just have to let it heal on its own. Muscle pain …… Has it been a while since you’ve exercised ……?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve done anything. It’s probably better to say that. It’s just a punishment for spending an unreasonable amount of time each day.”

Souya did a large yawn, as if to say he hadn’t slept enough. Mia chuckled at the sight of him.

“Are you not good at mornings? Souya-san, please wait for me. I’ll get you something.”

Mia walked out of the room. After a beat, there was a light bouncing sound on the stairs.

(Oh, well, she’s restless. No, it’s just youth.)

Souya rubbed his heavy eyelids, put on his black glasses on the table, and sat back in his chair, lost in thought.

“I got some snacks and coffee from the Master.”

After a few moments of distraction, Mia returned to the room and placed a tray on the table. On the tray was a plate of sandwiches and two sets of coffee cups. There was a cup of black coffee with warm steam coming from it. There was also a pot of what appeared to be milk in it.

“Do you want milk, Souya-san?”

“I don’t mind either way, but if you have it ready, it’s not a bad idea to use it. I’ll leave it to Mia-kun’s eye measurements. “

Mia poured an unexpected amount of milk into the two coffee cups, or rather, all of it. I wonder if that’s her preference. Souya chuckled.

“It’s delicious if you put milk in it.”

Mia sat down on the bed instead of the chair and drank the coffee with a lot of milk in it. If you mix it with milk, it will certainly taste good because it will become that.

“Kuku, a style of pouring about half in it, they call it café au lait where I come from. It’s a drink for children …… No, excuse me. That was just my own personal subjective opinion.”

Souya held his mouth in his fist and smiled wickedly. He picked up the cup of coffee, which had turned into a café au lait, and drank it down in one gulp.

“…… Children. M-Muu~, ahh …… Did pour in too much?”

“No, It was delicious. The weather is looking good, so let’s head to the adventurer’s guild as soon as we’re done eating and getting ready. If I remember correctly, the guild was in the same section.”

“…… Yes. It’s just two blocks away. We can get to the reception desk in three minutes.”

In Ilstadt, there is an adventurer’s inn, an adventurer’s tavern, and an adventurer’s guild in the same section. There were three affiliated facilities side by side. All of them were dedicated to adventurers, and the inn and tavern offered discounts to members with an adventurer’s card. There are also stores nearby that sell weapons, tools, and other necessities for adventurers, making it a special district for adventurers.

“By the way, Souya-san, are you registered with the guild?”

“I guess I should say I don’t anymore. It was 20 years ago, after all. So I’m thinking of starting over as a new rookie with a fresh start.”

“I see …… He said it’s been a while since he’s been to Ilstadt, after all. Souya-san, if you are a newcomer, there is an initial registration fee.”

“…… What? I know there’s an annual fee. But what’s the initial fee?”

The term “initial fee” was new to Souya. I’m sure the rules of the adventurer’s guild are different from 20 years ago. When Souya was forced to redo his calculations, he frowned.

“I heard that there were various reasons for the decline in the quality of adventurers. The adventurer’s card will take some time to be issued too.”

“Do you know how much it costs, Mia-kun?”

“I think it was about fifty silver coins, but I’m not sure. As for the adventurer’s card, I think we should ask the guild for the details.”

“I see …… that’s a problem. That initial fee is a miscalculation. What about those who can’t afford it?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got the money. I, a café-au-lait-loving child, will take care of Souya-san.”

Mia’s demeanor was a little sullen. She must be angry with me for treating her like a child just now. Her attitude and facial expression were cute, but what she said made the pretentious Souya feel miserable.

“Well, ahaha, you got me there …… I’m sorry, Please don’t torment a pathetic uncle who is being supported by a girl.”

In the real world, I don’t spend money and I have a good amount of savings, but I’m forced to play the role of a man who is sloppy with his money. Souya nodded his head and sighed, then picked up the sandwich on his plate and bit into it. The anchovies on the sandwich were a little salty, or was it just my imagination?