Ch.56Intermission

After completing all her preparations by touring the shopping district of the Third Western City, Mina began the enhancement of her single-action revolver in earnest.

According to Mina, optimal performance could be achieved simply by repeating the process of modifying the magic bullet engravings 2-3 times to balance the bullet’s power, velocity, and recoil, but…

“Ready? Fire!”

“BOOM!!”

“Whoa!?”

The moment the trigger was pulled, a flash of light erupted from the entire cylinder with a deafening roar.

The cause of the accident was a magic bullet detonation inside the cylinder. If it hadn’t been a test-firing bullet with no destructive power, the consequences would have been terrible.

“Ah~ Another failure!”

“Will, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine since it was just a test bullet.”

While reassuring Seti who was worried about injuries, I handed over the revolver that now looked like it had been doused in red paint. Mina and Jessica began exchanging opinions as they analyzed the pattern of stains that had bloomed on the barrel.

“The acceleration and rotation elements activated without issue, but magic power overload at 139%. The case where other chambers detonated because they couldn’t withstand the magic consumption of the formula.”

“Hmm, metal with 95% magic conductivity is no joke. But if we use a different material just for the cylinder, damage will accumulate at the boundary where it transitions to the barrel…”

The revolver adjustments and test firings conducted over two days had already met with their sixth failure.

The main cause of these repeated failures was none other than the gun’s material.

The magic conductivity of the metal used in the revolver—that is, its “property of transmitting magical power”—was so excellent that excess magic power would frequently be injected, causing the magic bullets in the cylinder to detonate.

“It seems impossible to maintain the bullet’s power while simultaneously increasing acceleration and rotational force.”

“That can’t be~! This is a matter of pride for me as a dwarf and as a firearms technician!”

“But there’s no solution right now, is there? It’s absolutely impossible with just magic bullet engraving modifications, and if we tamper with Will’s revolver and something goes wrong, it would be a disaster…”

“Hmm~~~”

“Come on, now. We have the test results, so let’s eat lunch first. We can’t think straight when we’re hungry.”

As I urged them to eat while pushing the backs of Jessica and Mina, who were engaged in heated discussion over the result sheets, the two reluctantly returned the revolver and prepared to leave.

Mina seemed anxious that the revolver enhancement work she had confidently promised wasn’t proceeding as planned, but technological innovation typically comes through dozens of trials and errors.

Moreover, thanks to the test bullets, this trial and error could be repeated as many times as needed without worrying about injuries or damaging the firearm—an encouraging situation.

There was no reason to be impatient just because visible results didn’t appear in a day or two.

“Oh, it’s still bustling even though we’re a bit past lunchtime.”

“Welcome! Are you here for a meal, or do you have guild business?”

“A meal. Lunch menu for four, please.”

“Certainly! Please take a seat at the table by the window.”

After finishing our test firing, we stopped for lunch at the most famous restaurant in this city—the “Third Western City Adventurers’ Guild.”

When the pioneering spirit moves westward and concepts of stability and tranquility begin to take root in a city, adventurers’ guilds find themselves at a crossroads of change and decline.

As the number of adventurers passing through the city decreases, revenue from request fees plummets, making it difficult to cover staff salaries and building maintenance costs.

The Oxville Adventurers’ Guild had sold its building and been pushed to a corner of the square, while the Zemest Adventurers’ Guild had carved out a new path as a distribution terminal connecting transporters and shops.

The solution sought by the Third Western City Adventurers’ Guild was to become a restaurant—more precisely, a single-menu food court.

They rented out kitchens at affordable prices to chefs who couldn’t afford to open their own establishments and implemented a daily rotation system, transforming into an inexpensive cafeteria offering diverse repertoires.

We sat at the table and began chatting while filling our hungry stomachs with today’s lunch menu of vegetable salad and roast duck.

“You mentioned before that this city is your hometown, Jessica, right?”

“Yes. I lived here until I entered the academy.”

“Then your parents…”

“They run a shop selling scrolls and potions on the western frontier. My dad is a magic scholar, and my mom is a potion maker.”

“…I hope I won’t be served a deadly poison potion when I visit them someday.”

“Hehe, who knows~? It might depend on how many women you bring along with you.”

Only after hearing Jessica’s seductive laugh did I realize that the future awaiting me would be a much thornier path than I had imagined.

“Please give me your daughter” is already a high hurdle, but if I say “I also have other wives,” wouldn’t I need to prepare for a double-barrel shotgun?

If by any chance I were to have a third or subsequent lover, this is something I would need to carefully consider.

“Come to think of it, meeting Seti’s parents would be even more problematic. They’re already hostile toward pioneers…”

*BANG!*

*Jingle jingle*

While I was contemplating the thorny path ahead in harem life, the door of the Adventurers’ Guild was roughly thrown open, causing the doorbell to make a clamorous sound.

The person who entered through the wide-open door was a slender elven beauty with a golden ponytail hanging down to her waist.

The elven woman, dressed in a radical fashion of a short-hemmed sleeveless dress with black tights, began to shout loudly, not even bothering to notice the men’s gazes focused on her.

“Excuse me for interrupting your meal! Are there any adventurers active in this city?!”

When the elegant and beautiful elven lady shouted in a spirited tone reminiscent of a female knight, the room was suddenly enveloped in silence.

The elven woman scanned the crowd with her beautiful emerald-green eyes and raised her voice once more.

“This is urgent! I need adventurers skilled in monster combat! Even just one person would do!”

“…Hey, miss. You’re looking for adventurers?”

As people in the restaurant began to chuckle one by one, a tall middle-aged man addressed the elven woman.

“Hmm? Are you perhaps an adventurer?”

“No, I’m just an ordinary cobbler. More importantly, miss, do you know how many years it’s been since adventurers cleared out of this neighborhood?”

“No, I do not.”

“It’s been almost 20 years. There might be some who occasionally pass through, but there’s no way there’d be any resident adventurers, right? If there were, they would have starved to death long ago or be begging for food in some alley behind the orphanage!”

“Wahahahaha!”

“Th-then is there no way to summon adventurers to this city as quickly as possible?”

While the crowd roared with laughter at the bearded man’s wit, the elven woman asked with an endlessly serious expression, showing no sign of displeasure.

The one who answered her question was a guild employee who was serving food on plates.

“If it’s urgent, the fastest way would be to request an emergency quest at the reception counter over there. The request will be shared with adventurers’ guilds in each city via magical communication devices.”

“If I request an emergency quest right now, how many days would it take for adventurers to arrive?”

“Even assuming you’re lucky and there are some in a neighboring city, it would take at least 4-5 days.”

“Kuk… that would be too late…!”

As the elven woman fidgeted anxiously, Jessica tapped my shoulder and whispered in a small voice.

“Why don’t you step up?”

“Is that okay? I was keeping quiet because it felt presumptuous to just jump in.”

“We seem to be the only adventurers here anyway. We can’t just ignore someone with such a desperate expression.”

Both Seti and Mina silently nodded in agreement with Jessica’s question.

Having obtained the consent of all three, I raised my hand and called out to the elven woman in a loud voice.

“Hey, elven miss! We’re four adventurers here—what do you need?”

“Oh! There are adventurers! And four of them!”

The elven woman who spotted us approached with quick steps, weaving between the tables.

Not just her, but the surrounding customers who apparently hadn’t expected adventurers to be in this restaurant naturally turned their attention to us.

“My name is Phyllis Eidra, captain of the Guardian Unit at the Willow Sanctuary in the Northern Forest.”

“Adventurer, William J. Kim. These are my companions Jessica Walter, Ellem Lu Seti, and Minaret Belghand.”

After exchanging brief greetings following my introduction, I pulled up an empty chair from nearby and offered it to her. Phyllis sat down with elegant poise, keeping her legs together.

Her speech was unmistakably that of a female knight, but her gait and demeanor gave the impression of someone from a noble household.

“Is William the leader of this party?”

“Jessica here is our leader, but I often handle public interactions. And please, just call me Will.”

“You can call us Jessica, Seti, and Mina too.”

“Understood. Please call me Phyllis as well.”

“So, Phyllis, you mentioned urgent business—what exactly is going on?”

Hearing my question, Phyllis began to explain her specific request with a rather serious expression.

“A danger level B plant-type monster called a Demon Rose has been discovered in the forest a short distance from the Willow Sanctuary. It has the ability to control nearby insects and commands an army of giant bees, making it unmanageable for the Willow Sanctuary’s defense forces.”

“Demon Rose? That’s a monster I’ve never heard of before.”

“It’s a giant rose vine that swings its thorny stems like tentacles. It also has the special ability to control insects using its pollen.”

“So you want us to exterminate this dangerous plant. What’s the compensation?”

“Compensation… Honestly, this is my first time requesting extermination from adventurers, so I’m not sure what amount would be appropriate.”

“For a danger level B monster, the standard rate is about 200 gold per creature, and in cases where it commands a group, additional compensation is typically set per head for the subordinate monsters.”

A guild employee who had been listening to our conversation nearby informed us about the standard reward for extermination quests, causing Phyllis’s eyes to widen as she began to panic.

“A-at minimum 200 gold or more?! I only have 65 gold on me, and even if I scrape together all the human currency stored in the sanctuary, it wouldn’t amount to 100 gold…”

“The compensation doesn’t have to be cash, and insufficient funds don’t prevent you from issuing a quest. However, the worse the conditions, the less likely adventurers will accept it.”

“Kuk…!”

A perfect “kuk” that should be followed by “Kill them!” Much respect.

Her expression with tears welling up as if she might cry at any moment somehow stimulates my sadistic tendencies.

“Well, that’s fine. As the guild lady said, quest rewards don’t necessarily have to be cash upfront. How about meals and lodging for the four of us, plus some local specialties from your village?”

“R-really?!”

“If Will is okay with that, I have no complaints either. We’re already indebted to elves in various ways, so let’s call it a special discount as a token of our gratitude.”

“Agreed.”

“I agree too~”

“A-adventurers… thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!”

After hearing the four of us talk, Phyllis bowed her head deeply once more to express her gratitude.