episode_0067

“Then, your registration is complete. I wish you good luck on your journey!”

The receptionist’s voice was barely audible.

“Wow…”

Yuri, holding up the small metal card with her name on it, was so overcome with joy that she kept exclaiming.

“Woooow…!”

Could she be any happier?

Well, it would all be new and exciting for her.

I also didn’t want to pretend it was nothing, lest I arouse unnecessary suspicion.

“It’s really starting now.”

The name neatly written on the clean, rectangular silver plate.

Unique-rank adventurer, Narias.

Like Yuri, I quietly looked down at the pass and offered a faint smile.

『[Sub Scenario: Adventurer Registration] cleared.』 『[Experience and rewards will be given.]』 『Level up!』 『[Main Story Chapter 3: Artemis Ruins] unlock conditions have not yet been met.』

“I knew it… but to start as Unique. We already far surpass the party combat power requirements needed for the Labyrinth exploration.”

Swish—

A long tuft of sky-blue hair swayed as Eve walked into the guild lobby.

She had her hair tied up in a ponytail and was in comfortable attire.

Slacks, a shirt, and leather shoes.

‘Anyone would think she’s a farmer.’

As I silently watched, Eve blushed and grumbled.

“Why… is it weird?” “No. You just… look pretty. That hairstyle suits you.” “…Whatever.”

She turned her head with a huff and went back outside.

Her footsteps didn’t carry far; she was probably waiting up front.

“Ah- that’s going to be difficult.” “…What is?”

Yuri, who had finished greeting the receptionist, approached from behind.

Then she widened her eyes and raised a finger.

“She’s already shown this much, so why is she acting so awkwardly? She clearly has feelings.”

What nonsense is she spouting now?

“It’s not like that.” “Not like that? Eve is totally your type, unnie. She feels the same way.” “It’s not like that… she is pretty, but—”

—should I say it’s hard to approach her, or that she has a noble air about her?

I, despite my inherent nature as a show-off princess, see something manufactured in her that’s stronger than her true nature.

…I can’t explain it properly.

To use an analogy, it’s not gold itself, but feels like it’s wrapped in gold leaf.

She seems to be trying very hard not to appear inferior.

That’s why I can’t take my eyes off her.

“…Anyway, it’s not like that.” “Hmm… is that so? Aren’t your standards for women too high?”

Why is she like this today?

Is she too elated after receiving her adventurer’s pass?

She’s being playful and pushy, which isn’t usual for her.

I pinched Yuri’s cheek.

“It’s because of someone.” “Ouch- uh- aaaaah…”

She stuttered like a broken record, her eyes spinning as she stumbled. Just as she was about to fall, Nix’s black mist appeared, softly catching her.

“Me, me?!”

…I don’t know.

“Yes, you too. You two are so pretty that I’ve lost my mind. My standards for women have reached the heavens.” “Kheh, khehiih.”

Why is she laughing so much?

I took them both with me to the shopping district inside the Wangdo with Eve.

. . .

Yuri was a little nervous, thinking we would head straight to the Labyrinth after registration.

But that was wrong!

Adventurers put a great deal of effort into preparations before embarking on an adventure.

This is consistent with my previous attitude of regarding adventurers and their work as extremely dangerous and avoiding it.

This is because you never know what might happen on an adventure.

If you’re lucky, you might discover treasure.

To give an extreme example, a dungeon break might suddenly occur, causing monsters to flood the area and kill you before you can react.

Adventurers are not the strong, but the survivors; therefore, they must prepare for all such eventualities.

So, the first shop Eve took us to was a magic item shop.

The exterior looked like a normal store, but the Karis Adventurer Guild emblem embedded in the sign indicated it had a partnership with the guild.

“In short, having a pass means you can buy things cheaply.” “Hoo… discounts are important.”

The eyes of Yuri, the serial discount queen who, with her unique nonchalant expression and manner of speech, sucked the very marrow out of the Wangdo market merchants, lit up.

Ting-ting-

As we opened the door, the crisp sound of the door chime and the cool air inside enveloped us.

“Welcome—Whew…”

Huh?

Didn’t something just change in their eyes?

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and stepped inside.

The shopkeeper then came out from behind the counter with a displeased expression.

“Whew… Young ladies. What are you doing here?” “We’re here to buy things?” “This isn’t the kind of place for brats like you.”

Ah, I see.

Eve, who is leading, is dressed like a country girl, and we, following behind, deliberately wore plain, cheap dresses.

They probably think we’re young commoner girls.

There’s no help for it… (I have to show it to get the discount), I was hesitant to take it out but…

I showed the shopkeeper the adventurer’s pass I had carefully kept in my arms.

Sparkle.

“…”

Blink-blink.

He spasmed, opening and closing his eyes, repeatedly checking the Karis Adventurer Guild emblem stamped on the pass.

Slap—!

He slapped both cheeks, quietly went inside the counter, and then came out again.

“Welcome, guests! What can I get for you?” “We’ll look around~”

It’s too late to change attitude; the first impression was already made, however.

Following Eve, we began carefully examining the items.

First, potions.

Restoring and healing are essential parts of adventuring. There are potions for stamina and mana recovery, and those that are high quality, can treat various status effects including poison.

In my case, I can cast healing magic quickly with a little effort. If there’s also a healer in the party, it is still necessary to have a sizable supply of potions in the event we become separated, or magic is unavailable.

We don’t have a healer, so about five of those for Yuri, which would be best.

Second, return stones.

A return stone is a magic stone imbued with a teleportation spell that moves you to a designated point. Destination points usually exist at dungeon exits, and if the coordinate set prior to entry is used, a quick return is possible in the event of a critical situation inside.

One of these per person.

That’s partially to minimize our baggage… But, return stones are quite expensive.

“You’re wealthy though, aren’t you?” “We need to conserve, you brat… This was all your money, right?”

I need to have Yuri make Nix also adopt a proper sense of finance soon.

Next, camping supplies.

Restoring physical strength and healing injuries is important, but maintaining a certain level of mental strength and energy is always important.

Adequate warmth and sleep are required.

Even if we can use fire magic, it’s still a good idea to bring firewood, just in case. The place we’re going to is a labyrinth that may lack even simple resources.

“Unnie! Look at this, this bear plushie is so cute!”

Yuri, who had momentarily been distracted, got a tiny teddy bear from the souvenir corner near the entrance, one about her size.

“Do you need that right now…?” “It’s cute…! Plus, it looks like it would be nice to sleep on during camping.” “Then you sleep on it. Nix will sleep on my lap.”

Joy and sorrow intertwined. Nix laughed, mouth agape, whilst Yuri puffed out her cheeks and put the teddy back.

“Tch.”

Lastly, there’s food…

I gently grabbed Eve’s wrist who was choosing small packaged preservation meals.

“We’re skipping this.” “…Why? We need to pack enough food. Even if you can manage, Yuri will struggle without food.” “This… I don’t think it would taste good…”

In my past life, I only ate frozen fried rice and frozen chicken breasts microwaved, but… thanks to someone, I’ve became quite a foodie. Would I really be able to handle it?

Those preserved foods, those that, to put it positively, were healthy-tasting, or otherwise, completely awful dried foods that overly focused on nutrition and preservation stats.

I honestly don’t think so.

I know better than anyone that I’m not very patient.

Rather than preservation meals, we bought a variety of preservation recipes from the Guild, and finished our shopping at the magic item store.

I carried the full shopping basket to the shopkeeper.

They began packaging the items, beads of sweat dripping from their forehead.

“Er- two silver coins…” “Huh? Isn’t it three? I counted the items all against the price list…” “F-first-timer discount… this is the discount…! Yes…”

They displayed a contrived, kind smile, and showed two fingers. I gave them two silver coins, looking displeased.

The shopkeeper’s back bent like a bow.

“Th-thank you—!!”

. . .

The rest, various magic scrolls and a map.

“Yuri, why don’t you go to the guild and pick out some food preservation recipes? I’ll leave the menu and taste entirely up to you.” “Yes! I’ll pick out a ton of your favorite things, unnie!” “Be reasonable. No… Eve, would you go with her?”

Grabbing Yuri by the scruff of her neck like a kitten, Eve nodded. She flailed, but was no match for my strength, and she couldn’t fight back, of course.

The two of them left.

“Why did we split up? We could’ve gone together to buy magic scrolls.” “Eve seems to have noticed, but you didn’t.”

Nix, who was tailing me, tilted her head.

“It was consideration for you, Nix.” “Huh?” “…Where are we going?” “I said a magic scroll shop.”

At first, I said it casually. Then, after pondering the meaning… Nix finally realized where we were going.

“Ah—!”

Perhaps, besides the library, the place ‘Knowledge Spirit’ would most enjoy. A magic scroll shop, filled with things related to magic.

“We’ll pick up what’s necessary and then I will let you eat your fill, alright?” “…Yes!!”

Because Nix had only been consuming things in her physical form recently. The moment had finally arrived for her to ‘eat’ in her spiritual form once more.

She was so delighted that drops of black mist fell from behind her footsteps.

While I’m filling Nix’s heart… I might as well pick up a few cheat items for myself, too.