CH 9

“Look at this… It’s still here.”

Rurika mumbles in front of a quest document.

I look over her shoulder, and see it’s a quest from a nearby village about taking down goblins.

Goblins are seen as the weakest monsters, along with slime. Those two are classic examples of monsters novice adventurers fight first, but the only materials that can be harvested from them are magic stones, so they’re not worth much. However, they’re seen as low risk monsters that are good to build experience.

This quest has been here for five days, and no one has accepted it.

The reason is simple. The village is three days away by foot, and one day by wagon. But the cost of renting a wagon would be pretty much the same as the reward for completing the quest, and whoever accepts it could even end up losing money.

It’s not a problem for people with their own wagon, but most people who do are high rank adventurers, who aren’t going to go out of their way to hunt goblins.

“Hn… It would be perfect if a horsebus just happened to pass there, but walking for three days…”

“Is there a problem?”

“Camping is a hassle in itself, but someone would have to keep watch at all times, meaning we wouldn’t rest very well. It was really tough when the two of us walked for ten days… We didn’t have money back then…”

Rurika says while looking into the distance. I probably shouldn’t ask any more about that.

“Would it still be tough with three people? I don’t have a lot of experience camping, so I honestly don’t know.”

The experience I do have is from camping by myself in the real world. Back then, I pitched my tent and slept on dedicated sites, so I didn’t have to worry about anything dangerous. That means the situation is completely different. All the tools I used were ones that were very easy to use too.

I don’t even know how high or low the probability of countering monsters on the side of the main road is.

“It would be a little easier with three people, and it would be a good experience that doubles as training. It’s still warm, so a robe would probably be enough to sleep at night… We probably won’t encounter many monsters if we travel by the main road, so if we watch out for bandits…”

Rurika mumbles to herself, and herself and Chris talk about something, before declaring they want to accept the quest.

“This one please.”

“Hum… Are the three of you going to accept it together?”

“Yes yes. I want to teach this newbie here how to be an adventurer. I say that smugly, but it’s partially to repay him for helping us before too.”

“I see. Then I will fill out the paperwork accordingly.”

It looks like there won’t be a problem.

“We’ll buy what we need today and leave tomorrow. We have to inform our inns too. We don’t know when we’ll be back, so we should cancel our stay. I’m sure they’ll at least kind of understand if we explain the reason.”

We buy food and healing potions, and check if we have everything we need to camp. If anything is missing, we have to buy it.

Healing potions are surprisingly expensive, but I guess they’re cheap if I think about it as buying things that might save my life.

We buy monster repellent too, but we’re not planning to use it. We’re taking it with us just in case.

As for food, we buy things that will keep for a while, and since Rurika and Chris have simple cookware, that’s what we’ll be using. I just have to buy tableware for myself.

We still have some time after we’re done, so we go to the training area. This time, Chris is doing some exercise too, but suffice to say, most of the time she’s just watching.

We don’t spend a lot of time here, because we don’t want to be tired tomorrow, and leave after agreeing to meet up early tomorrow in front of the gate. I’m going back to the inn with some bruises again today.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Hm… It’s a great morning to leave the city.”

Rurika is already fired up. Isn’t she going to be too enthusiastic and get tired on the way?

“Oh, are you going out today?”

Says the gatekeeper, as he looks at our camping equipment. I nod, show him my guild card, and exit the city.

We’re not going to get lost walking near the main road, but I don’t see anyone else going in this direction.

According to Rurika, since the forest where the wolves appeared is in the same direction as the village, people are avoiding going that way unless they really have to.

Still, the wolves are deep in the forest, so there’s little chance that they’ll come this way. It’s in their nature to live in the forest, so they’re not coming out unless they have no food or lost a turf war.

We walk along the road without any problems or really anything noteworthy. We just keep walking silently as the scenery in front of us doesn’t change.

Having that said, as we slowly walk away from the forest where the wolves are, I feel relieved somehow. Rurika says it’s fine, but I can tell she’s cautious too.

We don’t push ourselves too much, and take several breaks as we walk. It’s also important to keep ourselves hydrated. We have to be careful, since if we keep walking on our first day because we don’t feel tired, that’s going to have an effect later. That’s what Rurika says.

I don’t feel tired no matter how much I walk, but that only accounts for the physical side. I do feel mentally fatigued. In particular, I feel like the nervousness I feel about being with two girls is intensifying as we get further away from the city.

Yes, to be honest, I’m not used to being with girls.

Rurika is so frank and open, that I don’t feel too nervous around her, but Chris is different. I don’t know if she’s not used to being around boys, or if that’s just the way she is, but she always talks to me like she’s shy and like she’s constantly stepping back. I can’t help but picture a coddled young lady from a rich family.

It kind of makes me feel self-conscious too.

Rurika looks at me and nods like she’s making fun of me, but at the same time like she’s saying she understands.

Ah, and I also have my wooden sword with me, and I’m being trained hard during our breaks.