Chapter 34
Translator: Kell Editor: Weasalopes
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Laying Some Groundwork
At the reception counter, Gloria’s cheeks twitched as she looked at Hikaru’s loot .
「Hikaru-sama, what’s all this?」
「I believe there are requests for these items . 」
「That’s true…」
Hikaru’s bag was packed full .
Special moss that only grew on the backs of Green Wolves, Wolf Moss . Mirage Butterflies, insects that fly away and disappear when humans get too close . Slumber Orchids, a flower that only Forest Barbarians could grow . Insect Loquats, a fruit that when dried up and used to brew tea, could heal extremely rare diseases that affect young children . There were body parts as proof of kill from wanted monsters – monsters that were too dangerous and should be eliminated at once when spotted .
Hikaru took them all out at once . It was almost closing time, and the few adventurers left in the building were abuzz . He realized he was in too much of a hurry, which was understandable . After seeing Gloria naked that night when he followed her to her place, he couldn’t stay composed . The image just popped up in his head .
「Hikaru-sama . You want these assessed all at once?」
「Yeah . 」
「Hmm… This should more or less cover half of the required number of requests to go from rank F to E . On that note, congratulations on your promotion to rank F!」
「Thanks . So can you assess these for me?」
「Yes, we can . But there’s a lot . We need to conduct a few checks…」
「That’s fine . You can go ahead and do that . 」Hikaru said boldly .
Gloria looked surprised .
「Most people wouldn’t like that . 」
「You’re going to investigate whether I stole these goods or attacked adventurers and snatched from them . I get it . That’s fine by me . But for the record…」
Hikaru inched his face closer and so did Gloria .
「…I bought them . 」
「Bought them?」
「Ssh! You’re too loud . 」
Hikaru pressed his forefinger on his lips to give the impression to the adventurers that he cared about what they thought of him .
「A group of hunters dropped by at this huge forest . I bought these from them . It cost me quite a lot, but that’s not really illegal, is it?」
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「No, it’s not . But spending a lot means you’ll suffer a loss . Insects and plants will make you money, but rewards from wanted monsters won’t give you much, unless you got more parts from them instead of just the trophy . 」
「I’m prepared for that . 」
「Do you want to get promoted that bad?」
「I have my reasons . 」
「May I know what those reasons are?」
「Hmm… It’s a secret . 」
Hikaru played hard to get on purpose . That should do for the groundwork . Gloria’s imagination would do the rest . Actually, he didn’t care if Gloria was suspicious of him . The important thing was that adventurers knew that he paid for his loot so he could rank up .
One had to be rank E to enter the dungeon as it was a dangerous place, and only those who were fairly skilled got to that level .
It hadn’t been long since Hikaru became an adventurer . If he got to rank E right away, he would draw attention for sure . As a result, they might turn their eyes on Lavia as well . So to prevent all that, he lied about how he obtained the goods .
「Is he the son of some moneybags?」
「Paying to get promoted? That’s messed up…」
The adventurers reacted just as Hikaru expected . In fact it worked out too well, it was a bit eerie . He would still draw attention this way, but this was better . Becoming a rising star would be much more terrifying .
Needless to say, the whole hunters thing was a lie . He gathered all the materials by himself . If the guild tried to look for said hunters, they wouldn’t find them . Hikaru could just say “they probably moved somewhere else” and that would be it .
「That reminds me, Glorisan . Since the assessment will take some time, I’d like to withdraw some cash . I’m penniless at the moment . 」
That too was a lie, but a necessary one to make his story more credible . He withdrew 10,000 gilans from his account .
「Thanks . Good luck with the assessment . 」
「Ah, Hikaru-sama . 」
Hikaru was about to leave when Gloria stopped him . Oh crap, am I busted?
「What?」he said, turning back, pretending to act calm .
「Jill was mad . 」
「…I’m sorry, what?」
「Jill was mad about you going to the royal capital without telling her . She looked like she was expecting for a souvenir as well . Me too, of course . 」
A souvenir?! Do I really have to give one? Hikaru broke out in a cold sweat . Gloria flashed one of her knowing smiles . Then he realized something . She must’ve partly guessed what he was trying to do .
He might’ve bought half of these, but I’m sure he gathered half of them himself . He doesn’t want to draw attention so he lied, was more or less what her face was saying .
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So what she was trying to say was: “I’ll play along if you give me a souvenir . ”
Unfortunately, he didn’t bring one .
「…Hikaru . 」
Lavia swiftly moved closer to Hikaru and handed him something .
「It’s a patterned handkerchief that’s popular in the royal capital . 」
Hikaru thanked the gods for letting him meet such a thoughtful girl .
「Oh, sorry, I almost forgot! Of course I got you a souvenir . I hope it’s to your liking . 」Hikaru said in a monotonous voice as he turned to face her, wearing his best smile . He handed the handkerchief – one with a peculiar pattern, dyed with two colors .
「I didn’t actually expect anything, but thank you!」
「It’s popular in the capital apparently . 」
「I can brag about this to Jill . You’re not giving the same thing to her, are you?」
Hikaru gave a start .
「It’s okay . 」Lavia whispered from behind him .
「Ah, sure, go ahead . You can brag about it . 」
「I see . Yes, you wouldn’t make that mistake . I know you’re in a hurry, so I’ll ask Unken-san for help as well . That way we can finish the assessment faster . 」
「Thanks . That would be great . 」
And so Hikaru finally left the establishment . Dusk had completely settled outside . As soon as they were away from the guild, Hikaru let out a huge sigh of relief from his lungs .
「Phew… Thanks, Lavia . I owe you one . 」
「You’re unbelievable, Hikaru . I thought for sure you at least bought some souvenirs . 」
「What? Are they really that important?」
「There’s no better tool than that if you want them to give you favorable treatment . Pond is the capital’s satellite town and people are interested in the trends over there . 」
「Uh…」
「What’s more, the other party is a guild receptionist . It’s only natural for her to assume she’s getting a decent gift . 」
「Uhhh…」
「Hikaru . 」
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「Yes?」
「I bought that handkerchief for myself . 」
「Sorry . 」Hikaru apologized sincerely . It never crossed his mind that Lavia, who was pretty much an expert in being a shut-in, would teach her how to interact with others .
「It’s fine . It was your money anyway . 」
「Don’t worry . I’ll make it up to you somehow . 」
「No, really . It’s fine . I’m actually glad to see that you have a careless side as well . I would suffocate if you were too perfect . 」
Incidentally, Jill’s gift was an accessory case the size of one’s palm . Although more expensive than the handkerchief, it couldn’t be carried around . According to Lavia it was better to give them both two completely different things so it’s harder to compare .
「What about Aurora? Should I give her something too?」Hikaru asked .
「No . Giving something to someone you’re not even close with will have the opposite effect most of the time . 」
「It’s not like I’m close with Jill and Gloria either . 」
Lavia heaved a deep, deep sigh .
「It’s not about intimacy with those two . There’s a rivalry going on between them so if you give something to one of them, you have to give one to the other as well . 」
「I’m not sure I understand, but okay . 」
It was an area Hikaru was completely clueless about .
They once again booked a room at the same hotel .
「Ah, I thought you were not coming back…」the cat-eared lady at the front desk said in a slightly disappointed tone .
Do you even have any idea how to work in the service industry?! Hikaru thought .
「That reminds me… Front desk lady . 」
「What is it, Hikaru-san?」
Wait, why are you getting overfamiliar?
「I went to the royal capital . They don’t check guild cards over there . They just verify if someone has a criminal record or not . 」
「Oh, that creepy stone tablet…」
「Putting aside whether it’s creepy or not, yes, I’m talking about the stone tablet . You don’t use that here, and instead check people’s cards one by one . Why is that?」
「It’s simple . It can only be used in the capital . 」
「Really now?」
「Soul cards and guild cards can be used throughout the whole kingdom… No, actually the whole world . The stone tablet operates using a different kind of technology and it can only be used in the capital . More precisely, in lands ruled by nobles as well . Basically, only major cities . 」
Hikaru felt relief wash over him . If the technology was the same as the one used in the cards, Lavia’s name could’ve been exposed . The stone, it seemed, only checked for crimes that were actually known and recorded . As such, Lavia was safe .
「We can’t use that stone here in Pond . And that’s where I come in!」the cat-eared lady exclaimed, pressing her index finger on her temple with a smug look . 「One look at a card, and I remember every detail . 」
「Memory, huh…」
I see . A rather analog approach, but the most reliable nonetheless . People working in this business are usually extremely good at linking a name to a face .
「So there you have it . You can rest assured, Hikaru-san . 」
「All right . 」
Hikaru felt uneasy all of a sudden .
Money left: 27,190 gilans (+90,000 gilans)
As always, they only took one room . Hikaru didn’t mind sleeping together with Lavia in a cramped bed . She embraced everything about him and that made him happy more than anything .
The next day, Hikaru planned to get a somewhat expensive breakfast for Lavia as thanks for yesterday . He thought about going to a restaurant or some café, but Lavia wasn’t feeling too well . The fatigue from firing immense magic yesterday had only just affected her now .
We need to be extra careful when spending mana .
Hikaru went out alone after Lavia asked him to buy a light breakfast .
A light breakfast… That reminds me, Lavia loved that spicy hotdog . Has the flavor improved since then? It should be high time they got it right .
He made his way to the hotdog stand .
「Hmm?」
The muscular shop owner was standing there, arms crossed, and before him was a lone girl . It wasn’t just her clothes that caught Hikaru’s eyes . She wore a fine, silk-white robe – one that’s uncommon even in the royal capital . Patterns that looked like magic circles were woven into her sleeves and hemline in red and silver threads . It was a robe of high quality, the kind that a Sorcerer of the royal palace would wear .
But what surprised Hikaru was not her outfit . It was her hair .
「Good lord! I didn’t expect to find real ketchup and mustard in this town!」the girl exclaimed .
She had glossy, black hair, tied in pigtails .
「I give this hotdog a passing score!」
Standing there was a girl with black hair and equally black eyes .