Chapter 32: Agreement – 1

Chapter 32: Agreement – 1

“Wait, alone? Then you……”

“Oh, but I’m officially a citizen with an ID card, so could you please not look at me like that?

 No matter what, I know that it’s illegal for someone who isn’t even a citizen to do business at the Adventurers’ Guild, you know?”

At those words, suspicion momentarily flickered in the Guildmaster’s eyes, but seeing the ID card I showed, he nodded slightly.

Melini… well, I could tell what she was feeling just by her expression darkening already.

“Then… your family and parents….”

“I never had them from the start. Oh, to be precise, I did, but they disappeared at some point. I just grew up alone.”

I mixed half-truth with half-lie.

My mother was alive in my original world.

But, strictly speaking, I truly had no family in this world, so in a way, it was all true.

…The fact that I practically grew up alone was also true.

“Indeed… this shining city is harsh on such children.”

“Damn it…. Oh, man, this makes me out to be a really bad person.”

“Logically, even if it was for the purpose of intimidation, it’s still your fault for drawing a bladed weapon first, Melini.”

Melini’s face rapidly flushed as red as her hair.

Her personality and words might be a bit rough, but she was an character with many delicate and vulnerable parts.

……In fact, she had the most fragile mental state among the main characters.

She looked like she would just ignore anything and go her own way no matter what happened, but she was easily hurt and held grudges for a long time.

‘So, shall I make a proposal now?’

*…That’s a very wicked expression, is that right?*

The system was giving me a bit of a hard time, but I cleanly ignored it.

After all… well, it’s also helping the growth of a main character.

“Anyway, I’ll make a proposal from my side.”

“What is it?”

“Right now, I’m the victim, aren’t I? Of course, I intentionally got hit by that sword, but Melini-nim was the one who drew the sword and threatened me in the first place, right?”

“…I can’t deny that. But you’re not exactly in a position to make unreasonable demands, are you?”

“That’s why it’s a proposal. It’ll probably be quite tempting for Melini-nim, too.”

Saying that, I lightly shook the potion I had just made.

“In other words… ‘review after experience,’ perhaps?”

Alright, let’s force-sell to the main character!

***

“…To summarize, you want me to buy this ‘potion’ you’re selling and promote its effects?”

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be promotion. You can say it wasn’t the effect you expected, or that it wasn’t good, etc. Bad reviews are fine.

 However, it’s forbidden to lie and say there was no effect when there was.”

“And in return, this incident concerning Melini will be treated as if nothing happened?”

“If the person who was attacked says it’s okay, can’t the adventurer who inflicted harm avoid punishment and have it treated as if it never happened?”

Saying that, the unidentified girl smiled sweetly and showed the ‘potion’ she had personally made.

Honestly, my first impression was that she was half-crazy, or a wandering child committing such strange acts of deviance because her life was boring, but…

Judging by the slightly revealed situation and the glimpse of a dark expression, I could be sure that wasn’t the case.

……Of course, I still think she’s half-crazy for doing something that could seriously injure her to create this situation.

‘As the Guildmaster, I have no reason to refuse, but… I don’t know about Melini.’

Adventurers gather from various places and each do different jobs with different goals.

Therefore, it was inevitable that various incidents and accidents would occur.

The Adventurers’ Guild was created to manage such things, even if only a little, and to create order among adventurers.

Therefore, fewer incidents and accidents directly translate to the guild’s success, and my success as Guildmaster.

Thus, from the guild’s perspective, there is no reason to call this proposal unfair or to refuse it.

‘Melini might refuse, though.’

Melini… was not the type to meekly follow what others forced upon her, even as a formality.

The reason she was still a 5th-grade adventurer despite being able to be promoted to 4th-grade long ago was because she violated the guild’s regulations so many times.

Because she was Melini, I thought she would refuse this proposal too.

She would rather receive punishment according to the guild’s regulations than use some unknown item that an unknown girl was forcing her to use.

……Yes, that’s what I thought.

“…Are you okay with just that?”

“Of course. In the first place, I also induced this situation, so in a way, the original responsibility lies with me. …I’m sorry about that.”

“No, no. Strictly speaking, I suspected you without any basis and accused you of being a scammer. If… this hadn’t happened, it would have been difficult for you to live your life going forward, wouldn’t it?”

It was an unexpected reaction, but it also pointed out a part that I myself had been curious about.

Most orphans left without family like that are plagued by financial hardship.

That’s why they resort to scams or crime.

Melini probably suspected the girl in that context as well.

…This means, in other words, that Melini, who almost ruined the girl’s potion-selling business, was no different from a sworn enemy who almost blocked her means of livelihood.

“Well… it would have been a bit difficult if I couldn’t sell potions at the Adventurers’ Guild. 

 I’d like to sell them on the black market or something, but I’ve made friends with the defense force, so I can’t do anything bad.”

However, the girl was calm.

She didn’t seem genuinely angry at Melini either.

“If negative rumors about you spread in the Adventurers’ Guild, wouldn’t your livelihood become difficult?”

“Me? Not really? I have a good home, food to eat, and money…… Oh, I spent all my money making this, didn’t I? Anyway, I can make a living.”

Was she genuinely okay, or was she implying that since she poured all her assets into the potion she was holding, it should be worth that much?

…It felt like the former, but the situation certainly seemed like the latter.

“Anyway, so you’ve accepted the proposal, right?”

“…If that’s enough for you.”

“Well, if you’re really that uncomfortable, you can help me out occasionally. It’s good to have a strong person when getting ingredients for making potions.”

Saying that, the girl went with Melini to haggle over the price of the potion.

…She was truly a stormy girl who appeared in an instant, caused an incident in an instant, and disappeared in an instant.

‘I should remember her. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing her a lot in the future… in some way or another.’

***

Back in the lobby of the Adventurers’ Guild, I quickly negotiated the price and easily received 50 silver coins.

…Honestly, I thought I was ripping her off a bit, but… when I explained the desired amount and effect, Melini made another strange expression.

“…To buy equipment with that level of effect, even the cheapest would be over 15 gold coins.”

“This has side effects and is single-use. Equipment is permanent, but this is volatile, so it should naturally be cheaper.”

“A merchant who says their own goods should be cheap. What a terribly ill-fitting combination.”

“As ill-fitting a combination as an orphan living well alone in the capital.”

At those words, Melini’s expression didn’t darken like before… instead, she laughed and replied.

“Hey, kiddo, you shouldn’t just go around saying things like that, okay? You’ll be looked down upon.”

“I think it’s good for moving the hearts of people like you who are only rough on the outside?”

“What? Oh, really. You… I felt this earlier too, but you know how to get under people’s skin, don’t you?”

“Of course, this time it’s a joke. ……So, can you put that greatsword back in its sheath?”

Unlike before, Melini had returned to her usual self.

It’s definitely a bit easier to deal with her like this.

“More importantly, what am I supposed to do with this potion?”

“Just as it says, you hunt fire-elemental monsters, right? There’s a forest nearby where monsters live, so you can catch some strong ones and get good ingredients too.”

“Hunting, huh? That’s my specialty, but… what kind of monster should I catch?”

At those words, I was momentarily speechless.

…No, I’ve never seriously thought about it, and I don’t know.

Before, when looking for ingredients, I would just beat up whatever monster was in front of me and then ask the system about the spoils to see if they were ingredients or not….

“……I don’t know either.”

“Huh? Are you kidding me?”

“No, I haven’t seen the monsters myself, so how would I know….”

My voice rapidly grew smaller.

…But I couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

……If I had known this would happen, I would have looked up the names of ingredients and monsters beforehand.

“Puhahaha! You’re a lot funnier than I thought, aren’t you? You seem so thorough, but the obvious things are missing, aren’t they?”

“Ugh…! You too, you look so boisterous, but earlier I saw you were quite soft-hearted, didn’t I?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. Let’s just say that.”

…Naturally, I tried my best to endure Melini’s immediate teasing and thought about what to do.

‘I haven’t forgotten the names of ingredients I’ve used before, like Flame Stone or Ice Lizard Scales… but it’s a waste.’

I didn’t want to use this opportunity to freely exploit a newly acquired professional combatant on something I could do myself.

I wanted spoils from strong monsters that I, still unfamiliar with combat and magic, couldn’t catch.

*Anyway, even if you get spoils from high-ranking monsters now, you won’t be able to use them for potions right away, will you?*

‘But I’ll use them someday, right? …If they’re actually ingredients.’

*Indeed, there are also spoils from monsters that aren’t used as ingredients. Well… if you show me the monster directly, I can at least tell you whether its spoils will be used as ingredients in the future or not.*

‘…Really?’

“…It’s a problem that can be solved if I go with you.”

“What?”

“Because I’ll know when I see them, which ones are ingredients.”

At those words, Melini’s expression softened a bit.

It was clearly an expression of reluctance for me to come along.

Honestly, I really didn’t want to go with her either.

Melini’s hunting style was… so rough that it was a joke that she definitely killed monsters and half-killed her companions too.

However, I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

I could get to know Melini, the main character, without getting too deeply entangled, and also obtain spoils from strong monsters.

“…I’m not going to stop you since it’s obvious you won’t listen anyway, but I’ll warn you, it can be dangerous, okay? This is from experience.”

“Which part? The part about me not listening, or the part about it being dangerous?”

“……Both, you bastard.”

Saying that, Melini packed her gear.

Her main weapon was the greatsword on her back, but as an adventurer focused on hunting, she had many auxiliary tools.

…I already knew from the novel what role each auxiliary weapon played.

“You’re surprisingly willing to come forward?”

“…Well, it’s my fault first. And… no.”

It was clear that the fact she had tried to ruin my business was bothering her.

…Anyway, she holds grudges for a long time about things she did wrong, and she blames herself for a long time about things she didn’t do well for others.

I wanted to say a few things, but… I kept my mouth shut because I felt like a true Christie MK.2 would appear if I did.

Anyway…… from the moment I decided to go hunting with Melini, various incidents were already scheduled to happen.

And, ominous predictions never fail to come true.