Chapter 3 - Buying Clothes in Town, The Guild, and a Parting of Ways
Richelle was like a medieval European town. Surrounded by castle walls, entry was limited to specific gates. After successfully making it into the city, Mizuki and I headed to a clothes shop. We decided to adapt by going with the flow. The townspeople were more modernly dressed than I’d imagined, but suits and sailor uniforms stood out like a sore thumb. The shop was recommended by Arai, the 'boob monk.'
"I don't know what to wear."
The climate here has distinct seasons, but it's generally mild and comfortable. Right now, it’s spring. I picked out a plain T-shirt and some hot pants-ish thing at random.
"Don't wear anything embarrassing! We're going on an adventure!"
Apparently, my weekend fashion sense is shameful.
"How am I supposed to know what to pick when you put it that way?"
It was a small store, but well-stocked. I’d expected medieval-style garb, but there were a lot of things similar to our original world. Probably brought over by past migrants.
"Then, I’ll choose for you."
"Are you my mom or something?"
"Mmyup, whatever. Choose your own underwear."
In the end, I bought the clothes Mizuki picked, and changed right there. I ended up looking military-ish, while Mizuki had a sailor uniform-like outfit similar to before. There are things I want to say, but forget it—it’s too much of a hassle. Besides, if she’s wearing a skirt, maybe I’ll get another glimpse of her panties.
"They said they’ll buy our old clothes for five silver coins."
"Wait, are they going to sell them?"
"Uh-huh? Money is always useful, right?"
"Then I’ll buy your clothes for ten silver coins."
"Huh? No, I’d absolutely hate that. It's creepy."
"Even if you sell them to the shop, some creepier old man than me might buy your clothes. I might even secretly come to buy them myself."
"Muu... Fine. Stop being mean."
Mizuki gave up trying to argue and handed me her clothes.
"Oh? You’re selling them to me now?"
"I don't want money. Just wipe out that slap you gave me with this."
"Understood. I’ll take the light-blue panties too."
Mizuki’s palm met my cheek again.
After that, we stopped by the adventurer’s guild. Freelancers register here and make a living by completing quests. I started as an F-rank adventurer. I’d have to gain experience to rank up to E, D, and so on. The term 'F-rank' makes me feel bad because it’s the same as my old university’s abbreviation back home.
"Where is this Demon King thing?"
I asked the girl at the guild reception.
"The Demon King? There’s always been the Demon Kingdom far to the east."
She gave me a strange look. It seemed to be common knowledge around here.
"Isn’t the Demon Kingdom's king the Demon King?"
"The Holy Knight Squad took him down a hundred years ago. Since then, the Demon Kingdom’s been ruled by a triumvirate. But they’ve gotten stronger than when the Demon King was around."
"Is that so?"
"Yep." Her nodding was cute. Mizuki, having already registered, was talking with members of 'Wind’s Blade' in the guild. I don't know how she could chat so comfortably with people she’d just met. Speaking of which, she was aggressively trying to get me to talk to her too. I took a beginner herb harvesting quest while I was there. I also bought a herbal guide made of pressed flowers. Fifteen silver coins seemed fair enough considering the effort. There were dungeon exploration and monster subjugation quests too, but there was no way I'd pick any after today's battle. The sun was starting to set, so I planned to leave tomorrow. It had been a long day. As I finished registering, Mizuki came up to me.
"Hey, Wind’s Blade asked me to join their party."
"Oh, I can’t."
Her expression was exactly like someone who just swallowed a bitter pill. She hadn’t expected me to refuse outright.
"Why? If we join, we can learn a lot, subjugate strong monsters, and even level up faster. You’ll get used to this world quicker that way."
"That’s exactly what I don’t want. Learning is fine. But the rest is no go. Until I get used to this world, I want to go at my own pace. I thought I was going to die in today’s fight. I’m scared of combat. Aren’t you scared, Mizuki?"
"It's scary, but Wind’s Blade is a B-rank party, so it’s safe, right?"
Party ranks are determined by the leader's adventurer rank. My gaze met Reed's from across the room. He grinned at me for some reason. I didn't know how to react. Maybe it was normal in this world, but I didn't like how he had two women as attendants and slaves following him around. It would be rough being constantly reminded of that. There's no way I could join that team.
"Safety should be secured by your own strength."
"Muu..."
"No, I don't intend to force my opinions on you. You can do whatever you want, Mizuki."
"Why? Aren't we the same migrants?"
"No, we were strangers even in our world. Anyway, I’m going to collect herbs starting tomorrow."
Today had been so eventful that I almost felt like Mizuki and I had known each other for a long time. But we couldn't forget that we were just strangers.
"...Okay. I'll try going dungeon exploring with Wind’s Blade tomorrow."
I didn’t want her to be sad, even though she clearly can't stand me. I’ll never be able to join them at my age.
"I’m going to find an inn."
"I’m going to chat with Reed and the others a little longer."
She said that, but joining was a done deal. They knew about her solo subjugation of the goblin horde. Her joining as a combat force will be cheerful for them.
I checked into the 'Great Ape Inn,' a slightly luxurious inn for commoners recommended in Racshell’s 'World’s Guidebook.' That 'World’s Guidebook' was incredibly thick and hard to handle. That cover story took up half the book. It cost seven silver coins for a single night with breakfast, and an additional silver coin for dinner. Alcohol was five copper coins or one silver coin for two drinks. Each room only had one bed. Water was drawn from a well. The toilet was on the first floor, and there was no bath, but you got a bucket of hot water to wash your body. The first floor was a bar and dining area. I ate in the dining area. The food wasn’t bad. It was even good. But it was oily and something was missing. As I ate while reading 'World’s Guidebook,' Mizuki and the members of Wind’s Blade came over. They seemed to use this place as a base as well. Mizuki immediately found me and came over.
"If you’re staying at the same inn, you could have waited for me."
She immediately complained.
"I wanted to check out the city too."
I had to check out the red-light district too. Just to check, not to do anything. Unfortunately, I had no communication skills when it came to the opposite sex.
"I see."
Mizuki nodded.
"Doesn’t seem like there’s a macho warrior around."
"... Bears went to a shared-room inn."
Mizuki looked awkward. I remembered that dude was a slave.
"I’ve decided to join Wind’s Blade. I’m going dungeon exploring with them tomorrow."
They must be going to a dungeon near the city. Dungeons are a type of spatial magic, similar to those storage systems. But the reason for their existence is unknown. There are many of them all over the world. They can appear anywhere in the world. One day they suddenly show up. And monsters emerge from the dungeons. The goblins I fought today were born in a dungeon and wandered into the field. To protect the world's safety, dungeons must be conquered. They consist of multiple layers, and the monsters become stronger with each layer. Each floor has a powerful monster called an Area Guardian. Up to six people can enter the space where an Area Guardian is located. Because of this, the maximum number of people in an adventurer party is six. Area Guardian is defeated and the Crystal Core in the deepest part is destroyed, the dungeon disappears.
"Still, no... nevermind."
Mizuki hadn't given up on getting me to join Wind’s Blade.
"I see. Well, I'm going back to my room."
I said that and parted ways with Mizuki.
Back in my room, I checked my character sheet. My adventurer level was 4. I didn’t know if the 'Experience Up' skill was working. The level benchmark was getting past 50 to menjadi A-rank adventurer but it would take more than 10 years. For jobs that mainly rely on mana consumption, such as mages and priests, it would take twice as long. It is possible to master multiple jobs by changing jobs repeatedly, but only the first job gains experience from defeating monsters. I checked the help for the 'Goddess Summoning' skill.
『Racshell Goddess Summoning. Showers swarming enemies with infinite arrows, while powerful enemies are struck by a single divine spear thrust. It consumes a large amount of MP, so be careful.』
I wondered if the 'Goddess Summoning' or Mizuki’s skill was stronger. Whether or not 'Super Save' could block the divine spear thrust would determine the outcome. Speaking of which, I had never spent so long talking with someone of the opposite sex other than relatives before. The total time I had spent talking with women might be less than the time I had spent talking with Mizuki. Mizuki hated me, yet she was still trying to communicate with me. I couldn't imitate that. She is rude, and every one of her statements irritates me, but she balances that with a visually beautiful appearance that everyone would agree is pretty. There's even an 'added service' of her showing off her panties and providing late-night material. That Mizuki is joining Wind’s Blade. I wanted to stop her, but there’s nothing I can do as someone she hates. Mizuki will become friends with Reed, and will become a couple like Arai or Cecily. I shook my head and dispelled the delusion.
"Goddess Summoning!"
I tried shouting, but nothing happened. Was it because there were no enemies? Or was it because I didn’t have enough MP? Embarrassing, but no one was around, so it was okay. I was tired today. I would collect herbs tomorrow. Let’s do my best.