CH 99

With that decided, I immediately set off for Elf’s Tears.

Now then, let’s see how the Magic Potions I requested were doing.

I had already more or less  figured out the relationship between the total combined level of the Magical Grass and the quality of the potions that would come out of it. My rough estimates should be correct, but interestingly enough, when the grandma was in good shape, the quality would go up by a level.

Since that meant that a Medium-grade Magic Potion would become a High-grade Magic Potion, it would be great if the grandma was always able to perform at her best, but… that was too much to demand of her. With moderate hopes for this batch of requested Magic Potions, I arrived at Elf’s Tears and opened the door. When the door swung open, it was accompanied by the familiar, comforting chime of the bell and the calming, natural fragrance of the shop.

There was no sign of the grandma behind the counter today, so she was probably working in the back room.

“Grandma, it’s Lewin! I came to pick up the potions!”

“Sure thing! I’ll be right there, so wait just a bit.” (Grandma)

“Lewin, you finally came. I’ve already finished the potions you’ve requested of me.” (Grandma)

“Thank you as always! Your potions are always tasty and have great effects, so it really helps me out a lot!” (Lewin)

“Kukuku. Hearing you praise them every time always puts me in a good mood. Ah, that’s right. This time, since things were going well, I managed to make two High-grade Magic Potions in this batch. Here you go.” (Grandma)

“Really?! Thank you so much!” (Lewin)

Oooh! I was wondering about it on my way here, but it seemed that she really was in good shape for this batch. Elf’s Tears was truly too good of a store. Not only were the potions delicious and of good quality, but also I could sell my high quality plants for a high price here. That wasn’t all, either. The grandma was kind and had extensive knowledge, and would teach me whatever I asked about.

“Lewin, what are you grinning so much for? Did something nice happen to you or something?” (Grandma)

But she always seemed busy with a lot of things. Since I didn’t want to cause her any further trouble, I should just be upfront about asking.

“Grandma, can I ask you something?” (Lewin)

“A question? Of course it’s alright, but what do you want to ask?” (Grandma)

“Actually… lately, I’ve been training to improve my combat ability.” (Lewin)

“Hmm… I was thinking about it a bit, but… all of the acquaintances that came to mind are people who each have their own quirks. The ones I thought of are all the kind of people you don’t really want to be learning from either.” (Grandma)

“Is that so… I thought that if it was grandma, you would know something though.” (Lewin)

“Wouldn’t it be fine to just learn from an adventurer? There are adventurers who take on those sorts of requests. Or, it could be good to ask the Kingdom Soldiers or the Knights of the Royal Order. If you pay them, they’ll include you in their training. If you want to properly learn the fundamentals, it would be good to pay them a visit.” (Grandma)

The Knights of the Royal Order… When I heard that, the woman from the Knights of the Royal Order that would stare at me every morning came to mind. I could tell from her appearance that she was no ordinary person, so would she really be willing to teach me swordsmanship if I paid her? If she could use the time she spent observing me every morning to teach me instead, it would be killing two birds with one stone… This could be a good idea, actually.

“Oh? Judging by the look on your face, you seem to have thought of something.” (Grandma)

“Yes! Thanks for always teaching me about so many things. Your extensive knowledge always helps me out so much!” (Lewin)

“Kukuku. You’re exaggerating. Well, hearing you say that makes me happy,” the grandma said with a warm smile. Exaggerating or not, I really thought that I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for her. Every time I came here, I couldn’t help but feel gratitude for her.

“Then, I’ll be back another time! Thanks for the information!” (Lewin)

“Sure thing. I’ll be here, so feel free to visit whenever you have time.” (Grandma)

Sending me off with a gentle smile, I said goodbye to the grandma and left Elf’s Tears. Now that I had an idea in mind, I wanted to go talk to her right now… But the woman from the Knights would be there every morning anyway, so it would be fine to just talk to her then.

For the rest of today, I was planning to go to Iron Will to do maintenance on my equipment, and then go to Clive’s shop to sell some Glutamate Herb to make some money. I had no idea how much it would cost to get someone to coach me in swordsmanship, so it was best to have some money to spare.