Since we are in enemy territory, we decided to become adventurers to conceal our identities.
“That should be enough now…”
Jack said and grabbed the meat grilling on the rack, cutting it with a knife.
“Is it edible?”
“Yeah, help yourselves. I only have a knife and fork for me… Don’t you want to use them?”
Jack said, looking at Lisha and Maria.
Both nodded, reaching out to grab the meat sizzling on the grill.
“It’s hot!”
“It’s really hot!”
No surprise there.
“Jack, I don’t mind, can you lend one to us?”
“Just take it.”
Jack lent me a fork, and I pierced the meat and placed it on the plate.
Lisha and Maria looked resentful as they reached out to grab the meat with their handkerchiefs.
“Hot damn, your handkerchiefs look expensive.”
Their handkerchiefs were crafted by artisans, fetching a decent price.
I used to have one too but left it in the palace bathroom.
“Oh well, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
I said, stabbing a piece of meat with the fork and placing it in my mouth.
“It’s delicious.”
“Indeed. A bit tough, but salt and pepper do wonders.”
“It’s tasty. It tastes even better after that wolf meat from yesterday.”
Definitely a vast improvement from the wolf meat.
“Well, bear meat is considered a luxury.”
“Is that so?”
“Taste aside, it’s rare due to the difficulty of obtaining it, hence its high value.”
Bears are formidable creatures.
It’s probably harder to catch than boars or birds.
“Can we sell it in the village?”
“We can, it’ll sell well. The nearby village is small, so they might not pay top coin, but it should be enough to get you clothes and gear.”
That works fine.
It might spoil before we reach a big town.
“I see, then let’s go with that.”
“Yeah, and take this.”
Saying so, Jack threw something towards me.
I caught it and upon inspection, it was a red stone.
“What’s this? A magic stone?”
“Exactly. It’s the magic stone from the Giant Bear.”
“Oh… it’s of good quality.”
The difference between a beast and a monster often lies in the presence of a magic stone.
Of course, monsters have magic stones.
“This is from a C-rank level monster… It’s yours since you defeated it. Don’t sell it in the village; sell it at a guild in a big town or at a magic shop.”
Magic stones have various uses.
They can serve as catalysts for spells and even as fuel for magic itself.
I used them for my magic research too.
“How much could it fetch?”
“For a size like that, probably between 20 to 30 gold coins.”
“Hmm, not much. But well, that’s how magic stones are…”
“One more piece of advice. Sort out your sense of money. With 30 gold coins, a commoner could live comfortably for a few months. Understand?”
Is that so?
Not fully comprehending, I glanced at the impoverished Maria.
“That’s about how much I used to spend on wine!”
Hmm…
“…You guys, you need to be careful. Do you know how much bread costs?”
“We… don’t have gold coins. Maybe silver coins?”
“Is that about right?”
“I think so.”
Yeah, that sounds about right.
“A copper coin.”
Cheap!
“Is it really that cheap?”
“That’s about the price for bread commoners eat.”
Wow…
“So, with 30 gold coins, you could buy 3000 pieces of bread?”
Ten copper coins make one silver coin.
Ten silver coins make one gold coin.
I do know that much.
“Now we won’t starve,” Maria stated.
“That’s a relief!” Lisha added.
“…Are you guys rich or poor?”
“Wealthy in the past, now poor,” I responded.
“We have expenses for the meat as well; we’ll figure something out.”
“No, with accommodation costs and all, it’ll run out fast with three people.”
Seriously…
“How can we quickly earn money?”
“If there was such an easy way, everyone would do it. You seem strong, so hunt monsters like this. You may not be able to dismantle them, but just the magic stones can be profitable. Also, if you bled the creatures, guilds offer paid remote dismantling services, or you can ask other adventurers for help. Utilize these options.”
“Um, Jack-san, could you help us?”
Well said, Maria!
“Not possible. I have my own work, and more importantly, there’s no benefit for me.”
“I’ll thank you when I get home.”
“No guarantee.”
“That’s true…”
Try harder.
Appeal to his protective instincts.
You’re good at that.
Lisha, being prideful, can’t do things like that.
“Well, I’ll accompany you to the village, and just consult with the guild straightforwardly as beginners.”
That sounds good…
No need to pretend.
“Alright.”
“All set! Let’s get going soon. I’ll teach you things along the way.”
“Counting on you.”
After finishing the bear meat, we decided to depart and got up.
We headed towards where the bear was originally.
The remains that were once a bear were neatly dismantled into meat, fur, and bones.
“Well done.”
“It’s been decades of doing this.”
“Decades?”
“I don’t know my precise age, but I’m definitely over 40. I’ve been an adventurer for nearly 30 years.”
Starting as an adventurer at around 10 years old.
Impressive.
“With that long of a career, I bet you could write adventure tales and biographies.”
“Actually, learning to read and write was the hardest for me.”
As a commoner, and an orphan at that, he probably didn’t receive much education.
So, he learned later in life.
Respectable.
“Even legendary adventurers had their struggles.”
“They had more struggles. Adventure tales only capture the highlights.”
Well, stories of hardship aren’t always entertaining.
“But, that’s a lot of meat…”
There’s no way Jack alone could carry it all.
Maria is too weak, and Lisha, whom we trust with combat, shouldn’t carry it. I’ll have to take it.
“Jack, don’t you have a spare bag?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ll carry it.”
As Jack said that, he started storing the meat in the bag.
Observing, thinking there’s no way all that would fit, I watched as Jack continued to cram the meat into the bag, clearly exceeding its capacity.
“Is it a magic bag?”
“Yes. I had a magician friend convert it into a magic bag.”
A magic bag is enchanted with spatial magic, allowing it to hold more than its apparent size—as in, it can contain more than it shows.
“Oh… that’s convenient.”
“Having this or not can make a huge difference for adventurers.”
Being able to carry various items and return with them… impressive.
“Lloyd, can’t you use it?”
Lisha asked.
“Hmm, I don’t know spatial magic.”
I never had to carry a lot and never saw the need for it.
If only I had learned it now, it would’ve been useful.
“You don’t know it? Can you learn it?”
“It’s an intermediate-level spell, so it’s not too difficult. With a spellbook, you can learn it quickly. But spellbooks are expensive.”
Probably can’t afford it.
“I see. Well, it can’t be helped.”
Hmm, perhaps someone could teach me?
