CH 15

Chapter 15 - Collecting Nightgrass

“It’s strange …… It’s absolutely strange.”

“…… What’s wrong, Louise-san? Is it palm reading?”

Souya said to Louise, who grabbed her wrist and looked into her palm.

“Martial arts. Swordsmanship. Or even archery. The masters have a strong aura about them.”

Louise paused for a beat and then continued.

“…… So, if I may be so bold as to say so. Souya-san, I don’t know why I can’t see that kind of aura from you.”

Souya somehow understood what Louise was trying to say and what was causing it.

[Tactics]. It’s a very powerful skill that gives you the ability to use any kind of weapon.

The fact that Souya was able to show off his physical technique and dagger throwing skills to the wild thieves was due to this. Other than that, whether it was a sword, spear, axe, hammer, bow and arrow, or even an unknown weapon, Souya was able to intuit the proper way to handle the object through Tactics.

Perhaps this Tactics skill can’t be seen by Louise’s Sensor.

Otherwise, it was probably due to blank. It was twenty years ago that Souya had been sharpening his fangs.

(It’s very useful. But it’s kind of a sneaky thing. I feel a little bad for you at the time, too.)

The first request that the restless Souya made to the goddess Eris 20 years ago was for the Tactics skill. Suddenly remembering the goddess’ expression that was drawn at the same time as the request, Souya endured smiling.

“I see. You mean I look weak.”

Souya replied to Louise, who was observing her palm in front of her.

“I thought that the thieves were defeated by using magic. I can’t sense that kind of aura from magicians, after all.”

“But what Mia-kun said is true. In fact, while I was studying magic, I was also attending a dojo for physical training and sword fighting once a week.”

In the latter part of the story, Souya included some random thoughts.

But Louise seemed to have seen through that. She smiled faintly and traced her fingers over Souya’s palm.

“You have very clean hands for someone who enjoys bodywork and swordplay. There are no blisters. It’s strange.”

“Yes. That’s because I’m meticulous about hand care.”

“If there is such a hand care method, I would love to know about it …… That’s funny, my intuition doesn’t kick in …… Souya-san, I’m sorry for being so rude.”

Louise bowed her head, let go of Souya’s hand and pulled back, but she had a strange expression on her face, as if she wasn’t convinced. As a receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild, she must have come into contact with a lot of adventurers. She might have been confident in her ability to assess their abilities.

“…… If that’s the case, does that make you a magic warrior, Souya-san?”

“Is it that rare? A magic warrior.”

“Yes. It’s hard to have it both ways. …… Magicians tend to be lightly armored. It’s rare to be top-notch for both. Of course there are some, but our deputy guild leader …… Grandpa Rand, is doing both. He is one of the best fighters in Ilstadt, both in name and reality. The other exception is the Silver Haired Ray ……. Other than that, there’s Belmont, the magician from the headquarters. Well, I think he’s more of a magician ….. oh, I guess our Charlotte is close to that.”

Souya overheard a familiar name in Louise’s pickup. I’m sure Rand is the magic warrior known as Rand the Iron Hammer. He was a well-muscled sorcerer who used a huge mace and preferred close combat. Louise told me that he was the deputy guild leader of Ilstadt, but even 20 years ago he was over 50 years old, so he must be over 70 now. If he is still active in that style, he must have great vitality.

“Louise-san, I understand how unusual this is. I’m sorry I said something unnecessary.”

“Oh ……, I’m sorry to derail you. If you can kick out a group of wild thieves by yourself with your bare hands, then you definitely have the ability to fight as a vanguard. Even if I were to be lenient, I’d say that the Silver-class is a solid choice.”

Louise realized that she had gone off on a tangent and muttered apologetically.

“I can’t believe that Louise-san, who has been in contact with so many adventurers, would think so highly of me. If that’s the case, I’d like to aim for the Silver-class as soon as possible.”

“But the rules and regulations may force Souya-san to take a detour. As a guild, we really want our best people to advance as quickly as possible.”

“Don’t worry about it. As an organization, special treatment is not good. Besides, the adventurer rank is based on the evaluation of one’s abilities as well as one’s contribution to the guild. It is only logical to start with a blank-class and steadily build up my achievements in the guild.”

You should take your time and enjoy the game as you go. Even if I were to suddenly receive the Silver-class treatment, there is a chance that other adventurers would be jealous of me. And above all, it would be unfair and unjust, which is not to my liking.

“Mia-kun, would you mind if I asked you to chaperone me as a bronze-class?”

“Yes, I’ve been waiting for that. Souya-san, let’s do our best.”

""

Souya, who is a blank-class, has established a system for accepting requests with Mia, who is a bronze class, serving as the temporary party leader. 

“Let’s hurry up then, Louise-san. If you have a request, I’d like to take it or make a reservation. Do you have any requests that you think the two of us, Mia-kun and I, can handle?”

“Well, just wait a minute. How about this one …… It’s a bit laborious, but Mia knows a lot about medicinal herbs.”

Louise placed a request form on the counter and turned it towards us.

“Collect 30 bunches of Nightgrass. This is a request from the Alchemist who lives in the city. Due in four days. The reward is thirty gold coins.”

“Nightgrass. As I recall, it’s a material that alchemists can gather in the forest area for his concoctions.”

“Yes. It’s usually used to make potions. It can also be used to make restoratives and poisons, depending on the combination. I think Mia knows more about herbs than I do.”

Louise turned the topic over to Mia.

“Nightgrass …… is a flowering plant that grows in the forest. It is sensitive to direct sunlight, so it can be found in shady places. Also, it has a special feature: at night, the flowers emit a pale magical light. Therefore, it is easier to collect them at night. When it leaves the forest soil, it withers in seven days, so it’s not a good grass for long-term storage.”

“Excellent. Well done. It can’t be kept well for a long time. This is the point. That means it’s difficult to get a steady supply …… There’s a forested area east of town called the Thrail Forest, and I think it’s the fastest way to collect it.”

Louise clapped her hands in praise of Mia as she finished her explanation. Souya also imitated Louise and clapped.

“I didn’t know that much about it either. Mia-kun, that’s amazing.”

“Ehehe. I should be useful at least in my area of expertise. But when it comes to exploring the forest, I think you’ll need more serious outdoor preparation than you would in a meadow.”

“Hmm. We’ll have to go to the tool store after this …… I guess I’ll have to borrow some money from Mia-kun.”

We need to procure the necessary tools for camping. It may be a rather painful expense, but once you buy one, you can continue to use it as long as it doesn’t break, so it shouldn’t be such a bad thing if you think about it in the future.

“Thank you very much, Louise-san. Then, we’ll take care of the night glass collection. What happens if we fail?”

“There is no penalty for failure. The only thing that matters is whether or not we can deliver thirty bunches of Nightgrass by the evening of four days from now. If you do, you will be rewarded, if you don’t, it will be all for nothing.”

“I’ll do my best to make sure it doesn’t end up in vain. Thank you very much, Louise-san. Mia-kun, let’s go.”

“Oh, Souya-san, please wait …… Louise-san, I’ll do my best again, so please take care of me.”

Mia said a quick goodbye to Louise, and followed Souya at a slightly faster pace.

“Souya-san.”

Louise stopped him. Just as Souya and Mia were leaving the Adventurer’s Guild entrance.

“…… What is it?”

Feeling something tense, Souya slowly turned back towards Louise and smiled slightly.

“Next time we get a chance, let’s have a bout. I’m a little curious about your strength even though I can’t see your aura. And please teach me the hand care too.”

Louise smiled at him in front of the reception desk, and Souya managed to return her sullen look with a silent smile.