Ch.21Chapter 21 – Seraphina Medimaker (3)

“I need to earn a living.”

Seraphina muttered with a serious face.

“I never imagined accommodations in the capital would be this expensive.”

“That’s true.”

I agreed with Seraphina while tearing off a piece of bread to eat.

I slightly lifted the face guard of my helmet and tossed bread pieces through the gap.

I had wanted to just take off my helmet and eat comfortably, but since people often got startled seeing the burns on my face, eating this way had become a habit.

‘It’s also a hassle to take it off.’

“Kay, you have a rather unique way of eating.”

Seraphina said as she tore off a piece of bread and tossed it into her mouth, mimicking me.

However, she seemed too preoccupied with her immediate problems to be particularly interested in my bizarre eating manners.

“…So, I’m sorry to ask, but do you know of any good job opportunities…?”

“How about becoming an adventurer and taking on odd jobs right away?”

There wasn’t much I could suggest beyond becoming an adventurer.

Hearing my words, Seraphina thought for a moment before speaking.

“The Alchemist Association wouldn’t prohibit working as an adventurer on the side, would they?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Well, I’ve never had any dealings with the Alchemist Association.

Seraphina spoke in a dejected voice.

“I guess I’ll have to go to the association first, register, and ask about it at the same time…”

Seraphina quickly finished her remaining bread.

Her face was full of worry; she must really be in a precarious situation.

“Then I’ll head up first.”

“Alright.”

Seraphina said this and went upstairs.

I also finished my bread and headed up.

The next day, I woke up early and headed to the guild.

Now I could work as an E-rank adventurer.

With excitement, I checked the bulletin board and started selecting suitable quests.

“Goblins, giant rats, kobolds…”

All weak creatures.

I was about to pick up a quest for the sewers since they were closest, thinking I’d go there in the morning.

“Oh, isn’t that Kay?”

Hearing a familiar voice, I turned around to see Ravi, an adventurer I had met before.

“That’s an E-rank quest form. Have you already been promoted?”

“Yes. As of yesterday.”

“That’s impressive~.”

After I said that, Ravi examined my quest form.

“Giant rats, huh? I used to hunt those to death back in the day.”

“Is that so.”

I acknowledged Ravi’s comment, and he nodded.

“By the way, since we’ve met, Kay, could you spare a moment?”

“What’s the matter?”

When I asked, Ravi nodded and said:

“Actually, there’s going to be a major extermination operation at the mines.”

“Major extermination?”

It was the first time I’d heard the term.

Just from the name, I imagined either hunting down many creatures or many people gathering to hunt one creature.

“It’s a quest to quickly deal with monsters whose numbers have increased exponentially.”

Ravi explained.

“You know that the kingdom entrusts monster elimination to the guild, right?”

“Yes.”

I nodded in affirmation.

My promotion quest had been such a case.

“Major extermination is an extension of that, but there’s a difference.”

“What kind of difference?”

“The guild summons adventurers above a certain rank and sends them out.”

Ravi said with a smile.

“When important areas of the kingdom are affected or when monster numbers suddenly surge, they contact the guild to handle it quickly.”

“So since the guild usually gets work from them, they gather all available personnel for a quick resolution.”

“That’s right.”

After saying this, Ravi pointed to the door leading to the guild’s reception room.

“Right now, behind that door, our leader and quite a few adventurers are listening to the guild’s briefing.”

It seemed Haven had been summoned for this, and Ravi was waiting here with nothing to do.

“Where did the other two go?”

“To get equipment. We heard this major extermination is happening in the mines, so they went to get suitable gear in advance.”

I nodded after hearing Ravi’s explanation.

“Would you mind waiting a bit? Our leader will be out soon.”

“I don’t think I’d be allowed to participate though?”

Having just been promoted yesterday, I doubted they would permit it.

Ravi gave a mischievous smile.

“If we insist you’re a porter and include you in the party, the guild can’t say anything.”

“I see.”

So there’s a method like that.

Indeed, it’s uncommon to bring porters of similar rank. Anyone with a strong body can carry luggage.

“But is it such a large-scale operation that you need porters?”

“Major exterminations are always like that. We need someone to collect and carry the extermination evidence.”

I suppose they’re necessary, considering both weight and volume.

“Well, it’s up to you. When our leader heard about the major extermination and saw you, he said we should ask if you’d be interested.”

“Then I’ll wait.”

I heard that my promotion was expedited thanks to Haven’s recommendation.

It wouldn’t hurt to hear what this is about.

As I waited for Haven, the guild door opened.

“Oh, Kay, you haven’t left for work yet?”

Seraphina opened the guild door and entered.

“I ended up having to meet an acquaintance. Did you resolve your issue?”

When I asked Seraphina this, she averted her gaze.

“…I came here feeling somewhat desperate…”

“Is there a problem?”

Seraphina looked at me with an expression that suggested she might cry.

“…Five silver coins.”

“Pardon?”

“The Alchemist Association registration fee is five silver coins.”

A girl who’s barely managing her daily expenses couldn’t possibly have that kind of money.

I understand why she used the word “desperate.”

“So you came to earn money.”

“Yes…”

Seraphina looked quite dispirited.

I felt sorry for her, but I was at a loss since I couldn’t help resolve her problem.

Ravi spoke up:

“Who’s this girl, Kay?”

“Someone I met during my promotion quest.”

“Ah, I’m Seraphina Medimaker. Please call me Seraphina.”

Seraphina said with a weak smile, and Ravi awkwardly returned the greeting.

After briefly looking her over, he muttered quietly:

“…They’re big.”

“What?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Soon Ravi cleared his throat and looked at me.

“Kay, can I tell you something?”

“What is it?”

Ravi looked at me with serious eyes.

“I don’t mind, but make sure you manage things properly.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If you don’t know, just be prepared to deal with the consequences.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve warned you.”

What is he suddenly talking about?

I couldn’t understand what Ravi meant.

I just thought Seraphina probably came to join the guild and would need guidance.

“Excuse me, I’ll help this friend register and be right back.”

“Take your time~.”

After greeting Ravi, I looked toward the counter.

I could see Seraphina walking dejectedly toward it.

A short while later, Seraphina’s guild card was made.

“Now you’re an official adventurer.”

After saying that, she muttered sadly:

“I came to the capital to become an alchemist, but…”

For some reason, I felt like teasing her that life is interesting precisely because it’s not easy.

While I was holding back, another familiar voice reached my ears.

“You really are here, Kay.”

“It’s been a while.”

Haven and I exchanged a brief handshake.

“Did you hear from Ravi? About the major extermination.”

“Not in detail.”

“I figured.”

Soon he pointed to the tavern inside the guild.

People were gradually gathering there.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

I followed Haven and we found seats in the tavern.

Haven ordered beer, while I just had water.

Why don’t I drink with him? I tend to just pass out when I drink alcohol, so I can’t.

“Is it okay to drink during the day?”

“I don’t have anything else planned today. Just going to drink and rest early.”

Haven said this, took a sip of beer, and began:

“So, how much did Ravi tell you?”

“Just that there will be a major extermination at the mines.”

“Starting from there, huh,” Haven muttered.

“Yes, specifically, monsters have suddenly appeared in large numbers at a mine managed by the kingdom.”

“Suddenly?”

“Well, I heard a separate investigation team will be formed to determine the cause.”

Haven took another sip of beer.

I noticed the surroundings had become noisy and glanced around.

Except for one corner where a black-haired woman seemed drunk with her head on the table, everyone else was gathered and chatting.

‘Are they all personnel going to the major extermination?’

It seemed like they were each calling their party members to explain the overview.

Anyway, as it got noisier, Haven’s voice grew a bit louder to match.

“That mine is managed by the royal palace, so they say that’s why the extermination request came directly to the guild.”

“That’s unusual. For something of that scale, they could just mobilize the army.”

“They probably calculated that using adventurers would be cheaper. Not that it’s bad for us.”

I nodded at Haven’s words.

In truth, there’s no need to consider things from the kingdom’s or guild’s perspective.

That’s for the higher-ups to worry about.

What matters is how much I’ll earn, how beneficial it is to me, and how dangerous it is.

“What kind of monsters have been identified in the mine?”

“Monsters that eat minerals. Creatures like rock turtles, they say.”

I’ve never heard of those. What are they?

“Ah, rock turtles… their shells are good alchemical materials…”

Seraphina reacted.

Seems like they’re good materials for alchemists.

Seeing her muttering to herself about what could be made with the shells, it seems her dream of becoming an alchemist is genuine.

Leaving Seraphina to drift into her own world, Haven continued:

“They have tough bodies that resist blades, so many of them inhabit the area. We’ll need to prepare equipment with that in mind.”

“Ian and Rachet went to get exactly that kind of gear.”

“It’s good they guessed right, but why are they taking so long?”

Haven and Ravi started grumbling.

It seems the other two are delayed somewhere.

While their complaints became background noise, I glanced at the mace attached to my waist.

‘With this, I’ve saved some money at least.’

I probably don’t need to acquire a weapon specifically for the mines.

For tough creatures, there’s hardly a better conversation starter than this.

“So, I have a proposal—would you like to come along, Kay?”

“Is the rank restriction not an issue?”

“Actually, the participation rank is C-rank and above, so we can’t bring you normally.”

Haven said.

Since he said “normally,” he must be thinking of using the method Ravi mentioned earlier.

“So you’ll bring me as a porter.”

“That’s just the excuse. We’ll treat you as a full party member, so don’t feel slighted.”

I’m not offended.

As long as they pay me well, that is.

“I don’t mind, but do we need to bring enough luggage to require a porter?”

“The monsters in the mines have rather heavy extermination evidence, so yes.”

“Since some monsters are made of stone.”

Indeed, if they’re made of stone, the materials won’t be light.

The more evidence of extermination submitted, the better, but if it’s heavy, it’s hard to carry a lot.

Having a porter is much better than going back and forth.

“So we need to hire porters then.”

“That’s right. How many would be good?”

Ravi pondered as he spoke.

Hiring many porters would mean spending more on wages.

At the same time, personnel would need to be allocated to protect those porters, so it’s not necessarily better to bring too many.

“Since Kay is essentially a party member, should we hire two more porters?”

Two people.

Then I had a thought.

“Porters just need to carry a lot of luggage, right? It’s not dangerous?”

“That’s right.”

I decided to ask to confirm.

“What if one person could do the work of two?”

“Then we’d try to hire them even if we had to pay extra. But where would you find such a person?”

Haven said with a laugh.

It seems such people aren’t easy to find.

And yet, I already know someone like that.

I looked at Seraphina, who was still in her own world.