Ch.19Chapter 19 – Seraphina Medimaker (1) (Revised)

Of course, while F-rank doesn’t offer many opportunities.

Being the lowest rank was the reason.

It was only natural that a guild that values trust couldn’t give proper work to a newcomer who had just joined.

In that sense, my waking up at dawn and spending the entire day carrying loads around the capital was inevitable and absolutely not by choice.

“Confirmed.”

“Good, young man. Take care! I like how strong you are!”

After handing over the flour sack I had been carrying on my shoulder to the client, the lady sent me off with enthusiastic expressions of joy.

I was a bit tired.

“Huff…”

I sighed lightly inside my helmet.

Simply put, money was the problem.

Even the cheapest inn in the capital cost quite a bit.

Yet the only jobs available paid very little.

I had no choice but to take as many requests as possible and quickly move around the capital.

Fortunately, I was physically strong.

I could endure.

I could endure, but…

“When will I ever get home?”

I couldn’t help but say it.

‘I knew it wouldn’t be an easy path, but…’

I hadn’t particularly expected to become acquainted with a wizard from the Magic Tower and have everything progress smoothly right from the start.

Still, after spending nearly two weeks as a delivery man, I was honestly getting sick of it.

I could navigate the capital with my eyes closed at this point.

People had even started recognizing me as “the delivery man with the helmet.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. The good part was that some people appreciated me, saying they could trust me because I delivered quickly with my strong body.

The bad part was that it made me feel strange.

“I guess I’ve finished today’s work…”

I thought as I watched the sun beginning to set.

‘I feel like I’ve done similar work like this a lot in the past.’

Especially when carrying heavy loads, my body seemed to remember, automatically assuming the least strenuous posture to carry and move.

Even if I couldn’t remember, did my body remember?

Even though I wanted to know for sure, I couldn’t prove it since my memories weren’t clear.

After completing my last request, I turned several corners to head to the guild to report today’s completed requests.

In one corner, adventurers were having a drinking party at a tavern, while at the counter, people were quietly going about their business.

Since there weren’t many people around as the sun was starting to set, I strode over, and someone recognized me.

“Ah, you’re here, KC?”

“Yes, Nina.”

I greeted the guild’s female employee with greenish hair braided over her shoulder as she recognized and greeted me.

We had developed a friendly relationship after exchanging a few words while I picked up delivery requests at dawn every day.

“You’ve carried an incredible amount again today.”

“I have to do this much to make a living.”

“That’s not wrong, but still.”

Nina smiled as she began calculating my request payment.

Soon, copper and silver coins were handed over from her hands, and I carefully received them and put them in my wallet.

With this, I can survive another day.

“Then I’ll be…”

“Ah, wait, just a moment.”

As I was about to leave to rest my tired body, Nina stopped me.

She checked a few papers under the counter and soon began to smile at me.

“It’s finally happened, KC.”

“What is it?”

I approached Nina and asked.

“You can now take the E-rank promotion test.”

I was momentarily stunned by Nina’s words.

The conditions for raising one’s rank were simple:

Number of completed requests and amount of request money earned.

Once these two criteria were met, one qualified for promotion.

However, promotions had to be discussed by the guild’s higher-ups first.

It hadn’t been that long, so I didn’t think my case would have reached their ears yet.

“Isn’t this a bit fast?”

Haven and several others had advised me that it would take about a month of continuous work to be promoted to E-rank.

Because of that, I had been destined to live as a delivery man for at least two more weeks.

“It is fast, very much so.”

“Then why?”

“Well, you take on two or three times more requests than others each day, and Haven recommended you too…”

I felt like I should buy Haven something.

No, I don’t have much money right now, so that’s for later.

“I recommended you too. That’s why you became a promotion candidate.”

Nina said with a smile.

It seemed she had put in a good word for me, so I bowed my head in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Your hard work is more than enough.”

Then Nina added one more thing.

“Tomorrow morning, we plan to give you a quest, so don’t be late.”

“I understand.”

I bowed my head once more to express my gratitude and left.

‘Finally, I might escape this delivery man role.’

It felt somewhat pathetic, but I was happy.

Continuing to do odd jobs indefinitely had been mentally exhausting.

I returned to the inn and lay down on the bed.

‘Just one step, huh.’

The plan was to work with the Adventurer’s Guild to establish a connection with the Magic Tower.

It seemed hopeless, but honestly, there was no other immediate option.

I didn’t know anyone connected to the Magic Tower, and since I was essentially a foreigner without credentials, I had to try this method first, even if it took time.

“Damn it.”

Still, I felt that I had a long way to go.

I cursed bitterly as I faced the streetlight coming through the window.

The reason I was staying at this expensive inn was because of that streetlight.

Although my memories were still patchy, looking at that light somehow calmed my mind.

It’s very different from the light I vaguely remember.

The principle behind it is probably completely different too.

Still, whenever I looked at that light, I found myself thinking of home without realizing it.

Perhaps that streetlight, which reminded me of my homeland, was the reason I could still hold on.

After staring at the light for a while, I sighed lightly.

“I want to go home.”

Even without memories.

I wanted to return.

As I traced my fragmented memories, trying somehow to recall thoughts of home, I eventually drifted off to sleep.

Dawn arrived, and I got up, tossing and turning.

I stretched my body lightly before going outside.

The capital was quiet yet busy.

The fruit shop owner carrying goods, the general store owner opening his shop, a blonde girl in white nun’s attire walking around soliciting religious conversions, smoke rising from the bakery’s chimney.

Various people were moving quietly yet busily to make the most of their day.

Pushing through the crowd, I arrived at the guild and sat in a chair to rest. Before I knew it, the appointed time had nearly arrived.

“You’re not late.”

“I can’t afford to be late.”

Nina smiled and guided me to the counter.

“This is your promotion mission.”

I checked the request form Nina gave me.

“Trent Mush?”

“It’s a giant mushroom monster with a blue cap.”

According to the request form, several had been spotted in the nearby forest.

The extermination request was for a total of 5 monsters.

‘…Is that a lot or a little?’

I looked down at the request form, pondering this ambiguous number.

Then I noticed the name written as the client and asked in slight alarm:

“Excuse me, is this real?”

“Huh? Yes.”

When I asked because “Royal Knights” was written as the client, Nina answered nonchalantly.

“It wouldn’t make sense for the knights to deploy to the forest just to eliminate Trent Mushes. They hand over such minor monsters or small-scale monster appearances to the guild.”

Nina explained further:

“Honestly, just mobilizing knights costs money.”

“…I see, so it’s cheaper to mobilize adventurers.”

It seemed the kingdom probably gave quite a number of requests to the guild.

To think there would be a request from the knights even for an E-rank promotion quest.

Nina explained more about the request:

“As I just said ‘just,’ the Trent Mush itself isn’t very strong, so have a safe trip.”

“Understood.”

It seems a bit lacking in information.

After nodding, I departed for the location written on the request form.

Having memorized the capital’s geography through my delivery work, I could find this place with my eyes closed, I thought to myself as I walked out.

After walking for several hours and reaching the forest, I pushed through the undergrowth and indeed found a giant mushroom with a blue cap.

It was easy to identify the target.

“A mushroom with a face clearly visible on its stem.”

It was obviously a monster to anyone who saw it.

It seemed unable to move on its own, as it was just standing there blankly. I carefully approached from behind and cut it with my sword.

I wasn’t sure if it could make a sound, but it was killed instantly without making any noise.

“…This is quite easy.”

I said as I removed the blue cap as proof of extermination.

Now it was time to search for the remaining ones.

By the time I had easily dispatched three more, I was thinking:

‘This is too easy?’

If it’s this easy, is it really appropriate as a promotion quest?

Could there be some kind of trap?

While thinking this and walking around, I suddenly looked down at my feet.

‘Footprints?’

Small but numerous.

They looked similar to the kobold footprints I had seen in the New Kingdom.

There were many footprints, suggesting they moved in groups. Fortunately, it seemed I hadn’t encountered these creatures yet. I was about to move on when—

I would have just passed by if I hadn’t noticed a book fallen on the ground.

“Why is there a book in a place like this?”

It was an old book.

Picking it up and looking at the cover, it had the word “journal” written on it.

I observed the book more carefully.

Though old, it didn’t seem to have been abandoned for long.

Just as I was wondering about it:

“Help meee!!”

“Ah, this again.”

This happened in the New Kingdom too.

I turned and ran toward the source of the sound.

When I reached where the sound came from, a spectacular scene unfolded.

“It wasn’t just kobolds.”

Kobolds were running around, mixed with giant ant-like creatures and bee-like ones.

All of them had mushrooms sprouting from somewhere on their bodies.

They were blue mushrooms that looked familiar.

And there was a girl running frantically in front of them.

“Why are there so many parasitized monsters?!”

I wondered if perhaps the mushroom monster used spores or something similar to increase its subordinates.

Judging by the mushroom-like growths scattered here and there, that thought wasn’t wrong.

And for some reason, the girl had drawn a lot of aggro, while I had approached unnoticed and easily killed the mushrooms.

‘Oh.’

If that’s the case, I’ve become the bad guy who used the girl as bait to kill monsters.

“…I should save her first.”

I took out my mace instead of my sword.

‘I should replace this too.’

The mace had become quite familiar in my hand and was of good quality, so I kept carrying it.

There was an incident where attackers recognized this mace, but I didn’t have money to replace it.

It seemed wasteful to throw away, and if I sold it, I might be tracked again.

If there was some kind of mark on it, I’d try to remove it, but that would require going to a blacksmith and would cost money.

I’d have to carry it for a while longer, hoping no one would recognize it immediately.

‘This isn’t the time for that.’

Turning away from the sad reality, I charged toward the monster group.

I jumped up and precisely smashed the waist of a bee with my mace, as it seemed the most troublesome.

“Help… Whaa?!”

The girl seemed to notice me and stopped, which I saw.

She almost lost her balance and nearly fell.

‘…Now’s not the time to worry about that.’

I threw my mace to shoot down another flying bee, then grabbed the stinger of the bee whose waist I had crushed.

“Hup!”

I pulled it out, revealing a giant stinger.

I stabbed the stinger into the head of a kobold that was jumping at me, then threw the kobold at the ants.

Taking advantage of the momentary pause in their momentum as they were crushed by the kobold I threw, I stomped hard on the kobold, burst the ants, drew my sword, and cut down several more kobolds.

Then, one remaining bee charged at me.

‘This is easy for me.’

If it comes, I’ll intercept it.

Just as I was about to cut it down:

“Watch out!”

Along with the girl’s voice, a suddenly glowing ball-like object flew and hit the bee, causing it to lose momentum and fall to the ground.

‘What was that?’

The unexpected glowing ball created a situation different from what I had anticipated, momentarily slowing my reaction.

Quickly regaining my senses, I stabbed my sword into the bee’s abdomen, then picked up my nearby mace and crushed the bee’s head.

‘What was that ball just now?’

While wondering about this, I was about to face the remaining monsters when I saw the surviving kobolds fleeing.

Not feeling the need to chase them, I retrieved my sword.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes! Thank you for helping me!”

As I approached the girl who had been fleeing earlier, she thanked me and bowed her head.

She had reddish-brown hair grown to about shoulder length, and her large eyes gave her a cute impression.

She was short, which added to that impression, but her body proportions seemed more like someone who was nearly an adult rather than a child.

She wore a red skirt, a light shirt, and a long brown coat over it.

But there was one feature of this cute girl that caught my eye the most.

‘They’re big.’

I couldn’t help but notice the assertive size of her chest and quickly shifted my gaze to her face.

I had been examining her carefully when suddenly that large feature entered my field of vision, honestly startling me quite a bit.

“…It seems you’re not injured.”

“Phew, no. I’m just a bit tired…”

The girl said as she sat down on the ground.

“All the parasitized monsters of the Trent Mush followed me…”

So those monsters with mushrooms growing on them were indeed parasitized.

That mushroom is creepier than I thought.

Meanwhile, the girl continued lamenting her misfortune.

“I threw away all my luggage while running… Ah.”

As if suddenly remembering something, the girl began frantically searching her person.

Her face started turning pale.

“The journal… Grandmother’s journal is gone?!”

As if her earlier exhaustion was a lie, the girl jumped up.

“I have to find it…!”

“Wait a moment.”

I stopped the girl who was about to run off.

“Is this journal what you’re looking for?”

“Ah!!!”

When I handed over the book I had picked up earlier, the girl quickly grabbed it.

“Yes! Grandmother’s keepsake! Thank you!”

“…No, I just picked it up on my way.”

I felt awkward as she thanked me with tears in her eyes.

The girl opened the journal here and there, then sighed in relief that there were no damaged parts.

After putting the journal back in her bosom, she spoke as if she had just remembered:

“It’s late, but may I ask your name?”

“KC.”

When I answered, the girl smiled.

“Thank you, KC. Thanks to you, I saved my life and didn’t lose something precious.”

“Well, it’s nothing.”

I couldn’t tell her that I had an easy job thanks to her, so I remained quiet.

Seeing that I had nothing more to say, the girl added as if she had forgotten:

“I’m sorry, I’m late with my introduction.”

The girl mentioned the fact that I had also forgotten due to her assertive chest.

“I’m Seraphina Medimaker.”

The girl smiled.