Life of an Adventurer in a Harsh World – Part 02

After leaving the guild, Hikaru bought daily necessities: spare underwear, soap, a hand towel, a toothbrush, magic flint, a rope, and a knapsack to put them all in. He spent a total of 500 gilans.

“Uh… armor… oh, here we are.”

He wanted to get out of Roland’s clothes, so he decided to buy clothes and armor first. Freya told him about this place earlier.

Dodorono’s Armor Workshop. Dodorono was the name of the owner. It was common in this world to incorporate the craftsman’s name in the name of their shop.

“Wow…”

As soon as he stepped in, Hikaru was stunned. The clothes on the wooden mannequins were all fancy and frilled. There were even gothic lolita outfits.

I’m sure the owner is someone with refined tastes.

“Welcome!”

A deep, thick voice came from within.

“Thanks fer comin’ to me workshop!”

A dwarf. A male dwarf with a long, frizzy, braided beard.

“…”

It’s a dwarf. Known for their smithing skills. Beings that sing “hey ho!” while drinking booze.

So why is this one in the clothing business?

“I know what yer thinkin’. How can a dwarf be so…”

“Ah, no. I wasn’t…”

“Out with it, lad!” Dodorono stomped his foot, then smiled. “How can a dwarf be so fashionable?! Aren’t ye the honest lad? I like an honest folk, aye!”

What an extremely positive guy. Hikaru told Dodorono his budget, and the dwarf picked an outfit for him.


“Looks good on ye!”

“…Okay.”

“Guhahaha! How do you like me fashion sense?!”

“Anyway, thank you very much.”

“Hey, answer the question!”

After paying, Hikaru left Dodorono’s Armor Workshop. At first he thought, “the name says armor, but all you have are fancy clothes,” but apparently they were made with raw materials from monsters and were way tougher than iron-made armor.

Following Dodorono’s recommendation, he bought and donned the following:

A Night Wolf Coat: an overall made with the jet-black hide of a Night Wolf. Quite tough, yet light. Helps conceal the wearer’s presence from others. But its pitch-black color makes it too stuffy under direct sunlight.

Night Wolf Boots: same as above. Silver threads are used for its laces, a trademark of Dodorono’s fashion style.

A cloak (made of cloth): made to repel direct sunlight. Hooded.

Including size adjustments, he paid a total of 9,500 gilans. Hikaru found it quite expensive, but it was actually a steal. Dodorono’s skills were top-notch, but the prejudice about dwarves being blacksmiths prevented his store from flourishing. So he bought cheap materials and sold his goods at a discount to new adventurers.

Even then, these new adventurers eventually moved on to other shops because of their prejudice once they were making enough money.

“They grow up so fast!”

Dodorono was smiling, but there was a note of sadness in his voice.

Hikaru folded Roland’s clothes and placed them inside a knapsack. He then left the store, found a place to burn garbage, and set the clothes on fire there. It felt like a waste, but there was a chance that Morgstadt’s murder would be traced back to him if he kept wearing them. With his Stealth on, people from the neighborhood did not notice him.

Now he was completely free of Roland. All that remained with him was his body.

Hikaru then went straight to a blacksmith so he could buy weapons. They were crucial for self-defense, but he also thought that as an adventurer, he had to have a weapon. He was a young man indeed.

He arrived at a place called Leniwood’s Weapon Workshop. Smoke was billowing from its chimney.

Hikaru stepped into the shop. Swords filled the walls. Metal armors stood on display. Wooden swords that looked like what people sold in Kyoto were in a corner on sale.

“Welcome! I’ve never seen you around before.”

A dashing fellow appeared, and Hikaru froze on the spot. Again.

“Smithing is art, and art is strength!” he declared, rolling up his sleeves.

He was skinny… in fact, he was a male elf, with pointy ears and all that. Blond hair. Green eyes.

“I don’t discriminate against young customers. What do you think of this claymore? Isn’t it just a wonder to look at? It actually has a special effect!”

A special effect, huh?

Hikaru studied the claymore hanging on the wall. A two-handed sword, with a blade about a meter long. He couldn’t use it, but it must be quite the weapon if it had a special effect.

“It boosts elemental magic!”

“…”

Hikaru almost blurted out a, “What?”

Elemental magic? But aren’t swords used for physical attacks?

“Next we have this steel longbow. This one also comes with a special effect.” He puffed out his chest. “Cold wind blows after you shoot an arrow!”

“…”

Pointless… or rather, meaningless.

“I know what you’re thinking,” the elf said. “I can see it in your face. ‘Why? What’s it for?’”

“I-I’m not really thinking that…”

Perhaps there was some very important point to the special effect. It didn’t sound like it, though.

“Listen closely! You see, after shooting an arrow… it gets cold!”

I knew it was meaningless! Why did I even think that maybe the arrow would have some kind of special effect?!

“Your outfit… you got that from Dodorono, yeah?”

“Uh, yes.”

The elf’s expression suddenly turned serious. “I see. You’re here through Freya’s referral. Then I must give you something decent. I’m Leniwood Mal Evora. What’s your name?”

“Hikaru.”

“Hikaru, it is! I got something nice here for you!”

Just like with Dodorono, Leniwood picked a weapon for him.

Dagger of Strength: 5,000 gilans. A dagger preferred by agile people. For some reason, it had the effect of increasing one’s arm strength. With a length of 25 centimeters, it looked more like a knife handy for everyday use rather than a dagger for killing.

Hikaru chose the weapon as it was easy for him to get close with his Stealth. He wanted a weapon that would prove mighty in short range. Also his budget was tight. The other weapons cost over 10,000 gilans.

Just like that, he was down to 4,860 gilans in just one day.

“But now I’m fully equipped.”

It’s time for an adventure.


The Adventurers’ Guild’s counter, a place where beautiful ladies greeted adventurers.

“Hmmhmhm~!”

“Well, aren’t we in a good mood?”

A lady in a receptionist uniform smiled as she watched Freya do her work swiftly, accepting quests and drafting reports.

She had long, purple hair tied to both sides that cascaded down her chest. Her slanted eyes opened slightly as she spoke in a soft voice.

Her name was Gloria. With her two large bosoms, she was known as the Best Soothing Receptionist among the adventurers.

It is to be noted that there is no criterion for breast size in hiring receptionists for the guild. These two women just happened to be endowed.

“S-Sorry. Was I bothering you?”

“Of course not. I’m still recovering, so I’m just a little envious.” Gloria held her cheeks and heaved a sigh.

The adventurers were astir.

“Is Gloria okay?”

“Is she not feeling well?”

“Are you fine now? I was worried about you.” Freya put on a diplomatic smile.

Freya wasn’t comfortable around Gloria. She could sometimes glimpse malice behind her gentle voice whenever they were talking. Freya’s hunch was always right on the mark, so there was no doubt about it.

Not that Gloria ever meant harm to Freya. Gloria herself was highly capable, so there was never any problem with her work.

“I heard there’s an adventurer you’re enamored with,” Gloria said.

“What?! I-It’s not like that…”

“What kind of an adventurer are they?”

The adventurers stirred again.

“What? Did Freya get a boyfriend?”

“Hell no. Probably just a guy hitting on her.”

“I heard there’s a guy that made her smile. A genuine smile!”

“What?!”

Stop, please, stop, Freya cried deep inside.

“I-I don’t have any feelings for Hikaru.”

“So his name is Hikaru,” Gloria said.

“Ah!”

Freya had dug herself a hole. She was indeed relieved that Hikaru dropped by the guild today. She cared about the boy who didn’t really possess any talent or powerful Blessings.

As for his looks, Freya thought he was cute, though he didn’t stand out much. He was diligent and honest when it came to commissions. Her overall assessment was: he was the kind of adventurer rarely seen these days.

Freya was thinking how much fun her job would be if there were more adventurers like him. So yes, Gloria was right.

“A-Anyway, I’m almost done with my shift. Bye!”

Freya bowed and hurried away from the counter, her ears red.

“…Hmm?”

Gloria saw Freya off with a smile, but that smile was now gone. Behind her slightly-parted eyelids, her purple eyes glinted sharply.

“Freya sure is enthusiastic.”

There were also adventurers who watched Freya go bitterly. Adventurers who were gunning for her affection.

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