Ch.28Chapter 28 – Ominous Premonition

The next day arrived.

“…My body is completely healed.”

There was no discomfort anywhere in my body.

And having slept soundly, I felt somewhat refreshed.

“Looks like my medicine worked well.”

While I was standing and moving my body around, Seraphina entered the room.

“I didn’t expect to recover completely in just one day.”

Seraphina smiled slightly at my words and said,

“From what I can see, Mr. Kay, you seem to have a monstrous recovery speed.”

Seraphina probably meant no harm with her comment, but it bothered me deep down.

After a good night’s sleep and with a clear head, I could remember what condition my body had been in.

‘At minimum, these weren’t injuries that would heal in a day or two.’

The medicine Seraphina gave me might have helped me recover faster, but even so, the recovery speed was abnormally fast.

“Mr. Kay?”

While I was lost in thought, Seraphina called out to me.

“Ah, yes?”

“If you’re feeling alright, Haven wanted to talk to you today.”

I couldn’t guess why he was calling for me.

For now, I got ready to go out, putting on my armor.

I wanted to forget this unsettling feeling, even if just a little.

+

“I’m truly sorry, Mr. Kay.”

Haven Party was bowing his head in apology.

“Even though you’re strong, to make you face such a formidable opponent almost alone…”

“It was an accident. Everything turned out fine, so let’s leave it at that.”

Adventurers suddenly attacking, the centipede, monsters appearing out of nowhere.

The situation had been too urgent to blame anyone.

“So, what did you want to discuss? I don’t think you called me just to apologize.”

“Ah, it’s about the centipede materials. The guild is keeping them for now.”

Come to think of it, Seraphina did mention yesterday that while I was resting, Haven’s party went back into the mine to retrieve the materials.

“Is there a problem?”

“No problem, but for proof of subjugation, we just need to submit the head. I thought you should decide what to do with the rest of the materials.”

Haven added that I essentially killed it alone.

First, I should understand what they can be used for.

“When you say materials, what can the centipede’s parts be used for?”

“Well, the fangs can be used for weapons. The carapace for armor materials.”

Haven explained.

“Since you don’t have any weapons right now, it might be good to take the fangs and have them made into a weapon…”

With Haven’s words, I finally had to accept the reality I’d been denying deep down.

That’s right.

I currently have no weapons.

I lost the mace, and the sword broke.

I have a dagger, but one dagger alone feels inadequate.

For now, it was certain I’d have to spend money.

“…How much does it cost to make a weapon from monster materials?”

I asked, wondering how much money I might save.

Haven thought for a moment, then turned his head and said,

“It’s relatively cheaper… relatively.”

‘So it’s not that cheap after all.’

It seems I can’t avoid spending money on weapons.

Come to think of it, until now, I’ve been using weapons I took from others; I’ve never bought one with money.

It felt like an expense I shouldn’t have to incur.

I sighed slightly.

“I guess I’ll use the fangs for weapon materials then.”

I thought that next time, I should make sure to retrieve any weapons I throw.

“What will you do with the carapace?”

“I’ll have to sell it.”

Fortunately, my armor was still in usable condition.

The helmet fastener needed some repair, but that was it.

I hoped the money from selling the carapace would cover the cost of a new weapon and then some.

“Ah…”

Seraphina opened her mouth as if she’d remembered something.

“Could I perhaps have some of the centipede’s venom?”

“Is that also a material for medicine?”

“Yes…”

Come to think of it, they did say it was a venomous monster.

Fortunately, I avoided getting poisoned by not being stabbed by its fangs.

‘I’ll give it to her in exchange for medicine.’

I should consider it an exchange for the medicine Seraphina gave me yesterday.

“So I’ll keep the venom and fangs, and sell the rest.”

“That sounds good.”

Haven nodded.

When I asked if he needed the carapace or anything else, he said he didn’t.

Since we needed to complete the paperwork, we headed to the temporary guild.

+

After handling everything at the guild.

Haven stayed behind with his party members to prepare for their return journey, while Seraphina and I headed back to the inn first.

“Thank you, Mr. Kay.”

Seraphina smiled as she held the venom.

I didn’t sell it to the guild and brought it along since she said she’d use it for alchemy.

Seraphina was grinning happily while holding the venom.

There’s something unbalanced about seeing a small, cute girl happily holding venom.

“By the way, what do you use the venom for?”

If she said she was going to use it to poison someone, I’d have to take it back.

Seraphina smiled and said,

“The centipede’s venom is a paralytic poison. If you adjust the dosage, it can be used as a painkiller.”

So processed paralytic venom can be used as a painkiller.

Still, getting the dosage wrong could be disastrous.

“Oh, Mr. Kay.”

“Yes?”

I looked at her when Seraphina called me.

She handed me a small stone.

“What’s this?”

“I found it near you back then…”

It was a small stone that glowed red.

“I found it in the remains of a small rock turtle. What do you think it is?”

The mention of rock turtle reminds me of something.

‘Eve definitely said they sometimes eat gemstone ores.’

So, this must be a gemstone.

Given its small size, it’s probably not very expensive, but still valuable.

“Since it came from a rock turtle, it’s probably nothing special, right?”

‘This girl…’

It feels like she’s trying to get a reaction out of me by saying it’s nothing special when she got it in one go.

There’s a term for that, but I can’t remember it.

“…Well, it might be good. Let’s have it appraised later.”

“Hmm, I’ll just give this to you, Mr. Kay.”

Seraphina handed me the sparkling stone.

“Are you sure?”

“I didn’t catch it myself, and it’s probably nothing much anyway.”

Seraphina said with a smile.

I quietly put the stone in my pocket.

‘I should ask Eve to look at it later.’

I started thinking about what to do with the money if it sold for a high price.

When we arrived at the inn, Seraphina took out an ointment from her bosom.

“I’ll apply medicine for you. Would you take off your helmet?”

“I can do it myself…”

Before I could finish speaking, Seraphina grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room.

I instinctively tensed up and resisted.

“Hup!”

…When Seraphina applied force, my small resistance was instantly neutralized.

I ended up being dragged along in an undignified manner.

“I-I’ll apply it myself.”

While being dragged, I quickly spoke up, trying to stop Seraphina even for a moment.

“No. I’ll apply it for you.”

But Seraphina spoke firmly as she continued to drag me.

I was eventually escorted to the room.

Seraphina lifted me up, sat me on the bed, and forcibly removed my helmet.

“Look, I really can do it myself…”

“It’s not like it hurts, so why are you trying to run away?”

Seraphina said as she fixed my face with one hand.

‘Damn, what strength.’

I tried to turn my face even slightly, but it wouldn’t budge.

“The burn has hardened, so it shouldn’t sting or anything…”

Seraphina began slowly applying the ointment to my face.

A slightly cool sensation spread across my face.

“Applying it thoroughly is the best way to get the full medicinal effect.”

Seraphina said with a genuine smile.

With my face still held firmly, I asked,

“…May I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why are you going to such lengths?”

I was grateful for the help, but I felt burdened by her excessive care, which is why I asked.

Seraphina carefully opened her mouth.

“It’s because of my grandmother.”

Seraphina closed the lid of the ointment.

She looked at the ceiling for a moment and then spoke.

“I thought, if it were my grandmother, she wouldn’t have looked the other way.”

Seraphina was silent for a while, as if thinking about the past.

Of course, her hand was still holding my face and applying the ointment.

“I liked my grandmother. I wanted to be like her.”

Now that she seemed to think she had applied enough medicine, Seraphina removed her hand.

“I’m sure you will be.”

I said, ignoring my slightly numb face from Seraphina’s firm grip.

Seraphina smiled and said,

“Yes. But I got stuck at 5 silver coins.”

“…You’ll earn 5 silver coins soon enough.”

“I hope I can earn it this time…”

Seraphina seemed lost in thought for a moment.

It seems her financial situation isn’t good, so she’s having many stray thoughts.

After a while, Seraphina spoke up.

“By the way, Mr. Kay.”

“Yes.”

Seraphina seemed to be contemplating something.

Soon she opened her mouth.

“We’re not just acquaintances who’ll see each other once or twice, right?”

“That’s right.”

I don’t know what the future holds, but for now, we’re inn neighbors.

Since neither Seraphina nor I are financially well-off, we’ll likely stay at the same inn.

It’s definitely hard to say we’re just passing acquaintances.

Seraphina carefully opened her mouth.

“Would you call me Sera from now on?”

“Sera?”

“That’s what people from my hometown call me.”

Seraphina explained.

‘Isn’t this a bit out of the blue?’

I asked, slightly taken aback.

“Why so suddenly?”

Seraphina covered her face slightly, as if embarrassed, and said,

“I’d like to have someone I can be comfortable with, like people from my hometown.”

Come to think of it, she did say she came from the countryside.

‘Is this some kind of homesickness?’

I felt a slight similarity with her.

Although different from me, as someone who wants to return home, I could understand Seraphina showing symptoms similar to homesickness.

After all, even I was reminded of home by the streetlights.

While I was thinking, Seraphina smiled and said,

“You’ve helped me quite a bit all this time, and I’d like to become closer. Is that not okay?”

Quite a bit, she says.

Helping her when chased by monsters, helping her find a job, bringing her work opportunities…

‘It’s more than just “quite a bit”‘

I seem to have looked after her quite, no, considerably a lot.

“Well, I’ve also thought it would be nice to have someone to speak comfortably with.”

Still, it wasn’t a request I couldn’t grant.

At my words, Seraphina, no, Sera, smiled and extended her hand.

“Then, would you like to try?”

“…Yes, let’s do that.”

“You’re not doing it yet.”

It felt awkward to start suddenly.

I opened my mouth again.

“Alright then, Sera.”

“…It sounds a bit stiff. Next time, more softly…”

“Aren’t you being too picky about this?”

“Am I?”

We looked at each other for a moment, and then finally laughed.

“I guess we’re both feeling awkward.”

“…Since we’re on the topic, what about you being comfortable with me?”

“Okay. Kay.”

Sera called me by my name, albeit awkwardly.

“Calling you Kay feels strange since you’re older. I’ll just stick with Mr. Kay.”

“But that’s not…”

You’re the one who suggested we speak comfortably.

“Then how about ‘Kay oppa’? Or ‘orabeoni’?”

Sera said with a laugh.

Those titles felt somewhat embarrassing to me.

“…Let’s stick with Mr. Kay.”

“Yes, Mr. Kay.”

Sera smiled.

+

The next day, we packed our belongings and went to the front of the temporary guild.

‘So this place is coming to an end too.’

Before leaving, I became sentimental and looked around.

As always, even a place where you’ve stayed briefly looks beautiful when you’re about to leave.

I closed my eyes and reminisced about the memories here.

Adventurers noisily clustering everywhere, the slightly dark mine, the drunkard who clung to me while vomiting in the morning, monsters suddenly appearing, adventurers turning into robbers, the giant centipede monster…

There were no fond memories.

I don’t want to come back here.

‘It was terrible being here, so let’s never see it again.’

I said inwardly, looking at the mine entrance in the distance.

“Now, let’s go over the schedule.”

Haven spoke in front of the temporary guild.

“As you can see, I called for a carriage because we have a lot of luggage. We’ll just ride the carriage comfortably for a few days, and that’s it.”

Haven said with a smile.

Come to think of it, I was worried about the carriage fare.

“Isn’t it expensive?”

Sera asked with visible tension, not hiding her concern at all.

She must be more financially strained than I am.

Haven smiled and said,

“Well, it’s about 4 silver coins a day, so I booked it for 20 silver coins.”

20 silver coins.

It might not seem like much, but if my daily wage is 1 silver coin, it’s a considerable amount.

“Since it’s a carriage, won’t we get there faster?”

“If it were a magically enhanced horse, maybe.”

Haven said.

“But those are honestly ridiculously expensive. If it’s just a regular horse moving slowly, it’s not much different from walking.”

“I see.”

Haven added that we’d still arrive a few hours earlier.

“So we collected 4 silver coins from each of us… Ah, Mr. Kay and Miss Seraphina, you two only need to pay 2 silver coins each. If you can’t afford it, you don’t have to pay at all.”

Haven said.

I could afford that much, but the problem was Sera.

Sera, who couldn’t join the Alchemist Association because she didn’t have 5 silver coins, couldn’t possibly have that kind of money.

“I… I don’t have the money…”

Sera said, looking away in embarrassment.

However, knowing the situation, Ravi smiled and said,

“That’s perfectly fine. With our income, we can afford to cover this.”

“But…”

“If it bothers you, you can pay us back big later. Like with 1 gold coin?”

Ravi added jokingly, indicating that they truly didn’t mind.

Still, 1 gold coin.

I know it’s a joke, but it seems a bit too much.

I quietly took out 4 silver coins from my wallet.

‘So I’m spending the money from selling the troll’s blood here.’

Of course, I haven’t spent it all.

I’ll need money for getting a weapon made, but I also have the carapace and the stone Sera gave me, so paying this much wasn’t a problem.

Sera exclaimed in surprise,

“Hey, are you sure?”

“This much is fine.”

Embarrassed, Sera quickly checked her wallet.

After much deliberation, she finally took out 1 silver coin.

“Um… this…”

“Just keep it.”

Even that is a big expense for Sera.

In the end, Sera, who had no money, put the silver coin back in her wallet.

“I feel bad…”

Sera seemed slightly wounded in both conscience and pride.

Looking at the two of us, Haven spoke up.

“You two seem to be getting along quite comfortably.”

“We agreed to be more comfortable with each other yesterday.”

I answered, and Haven nodded.

“Well, sometimes I found your excessive politeness a bit burdensome.”

“Is that so.”

I was a bit surprised by Haven’s comment that being polite was burdensome.

Haven laughed.

“Well, it’s nice to see, so keep speaking comfortably like that.”

“Yes.”

Next time, should I speak more casually?

Haven suggested we start loading the luggage onto the carriage.

Thanks to Sera, who turned her embarrassment into strength, loading the carriage didn’t take long.

Soon the carriage departed, and everyone took their seats.

“Good work, everyone.”

“We’ll receive our payment when we return, right?”

“That’s right. Just submit this document to the guild when we get back.”

The document recorded that Haven’s party was concluding their subjugation mission today and returning, along with the number of monsters they had killed so far.

“The payment should be quite substantial.”

“Really?”

When the topic of payment came up, Sera showed interest and spoke up.

“How much will it be?”

“Let’s leave that as a surprise for when we get back.”

Ravi said with a smile.

Sera also smiled and leaned back against the carriage seat.

‘At least I earned some money.’

In conclusion, it seems I’ll earn quite a bit of money.

Thinking that I should still be thorough with saving, I also leaned back against the seat.

The carriage rattled and shook, and my body swayed with it.

-Clunk, clunk

‘Something feels ominous…’

I tried to ignore the bad feeling that was rising for some reason.