SGB: Episode 122

Episode 122: Veteran (1)

Misha woke me up early the next morning.

"Wake up, wake up! How long are you going to sleep?!"

It was 6:30 AM.

It was a very early time, considering our schedule of going to Commelby.

"Let's eat out today. I couldn't pack lunch because I woke up early."

"Then let's have breakfast on the 1st floor—"

"No, no! Let's eat outside. Okay?"

"I'm hungry..."

"Come on, I'll buy you something delicious. Okay?"

I was dragged out by Misha before I could even have breakfast. And after escaping on a carriage, we finally had a meal after arriving in Commelby, the commercial district.

Misha took me to a restaurant that she claimed was famous, about 30 minutes away from the public transportation platform.

"How is it? Delicious, right?"

"It's delicious...!"

I don't know what she did to the stew, but it has a very familiar and savory taste.

I should make a note of this place and come back whenever I'm in the neighborhood.

"I'm glad you like it. Do you like it that much?"

"Except for the expensive price."

"That's because you ate four bowls, you barbarian!"

After our late breakfast, we went to the weapon shop and the general store I frequented and sold all the loot.

‘3 million stones…’

It’s the amount we earned from selling all the equipment and consumables of the three guys from the 2nd floor and Jensia.

It's not a small amount of money, but it doesn't feel that significant. If we had sold Viper's Fang and the 2nd-tier leather armor, it would have been several times more.

‘Well, we can sell those later.’

Afterwards, we went to the blacksmith recommended by Hikurod to get the equipment repaired. I was worried about the repair cost since my shield and breastplate were quite dented from the troll battle…

"It’s 300,000 stones in total.”

…but the repair cost was cheaper than expected.

Well, I guess it's easier to fix dents than melted parts.

“Do you also handle leather?”

“Yes, do you have something to repair?”

“Ah, this part here feels too tight…”

We had Misha’s armor repaired while we were at it.

Although I was worried that there might be a problem if we messed with it since it’s leather armor, there wasn’t any major issue.

"There’s no need to add new material for this. We can just use a softener to slightly stretch out the tight parts."

The repair cost was only around 50,000 stones.

Maybe it’s because we came here through Hikurod’s introduction, but they don’t seem to be ripping us off. It seems like a very honest shop.

"Come back in three days."

After leaving the blacksmith’s, we wandered around and purchased some exploration supplies.

I restocked Witch’s Lamp Solvent, a counter-consumable for stealth, and bought a few more items that came to mind.

And…

"I’ll give you two bottles for 2 million stones.”

…I repurchased two top-grade potions at the general store I went to before.

It’s because I didn’t expect to use up one bottle so quickly.

It was a significant expense, but it’s a little better since we’re splitting the cost.

"Fortunately, we didn't have to touch the money in the shared account. Here’s 325,000 stones.”

We split the remaining money.

Then I guess we’ve finished today’s schedule.

"Then I’ll be going! Sleep well, Bjorn!”

“You too.”

We returned to Ravigion in the evening, had a simple meal, and parted ways.

And when I returned to my room…

…what is this again?

I see a silver-haired fairy squatting in front of my door, her head buried in her knees.

“Erwen…?”

“Ah, you’re here?”

Erwen greets me with a bright smile as soon as she sees me.

Her eyes seem tired for some reason, so I ask,

“…How long have you been waiting here?”

“Not long. Were you two out?”

“Ah, we had to go to Commelby.”

“I see… As expected.”

“So what brings you here?”

I ask her what she wants since it’s almost time for me to wash up and sleep, but Erwen just keeps her mouth shut.

As if she’s organizing her thoughts.

She has a serious expression, but soon speaks in her usual cheerful voice.

“Mister, I won’t be able to visit as often as before. I came to tell you that.”

“Huh? Ah… well, the situation is different now.”

She’s not a one-month-old newbie explorer anymore.

Well, she hasn’t even been an explorer for a year yet…

…but she should know that now is the time to focus on her growth even more.

“Yes, I’m starting special training with my sister tomorrow. So I probably won’t be able to come more than once a week. I wish I could come more often, but… it would take too long.”

“Too long?”

“…There’s something like that.”

Erwen trails off as if making an excuse, and then she smiles brightly and disappears before I can ask any further.

“Anyway! I’ll come next week, so see you then, mister!”

“Uh, yeah…”

…What’s with this unsettling feeling?

_____________________

The next day, at lunchtime, we had a team gathering at a bar.

And we had our return drinks while distributing the loot from the previous expedition.

“It seems like we each get 550,000 stones. The byproducts of the Frogman Shaman sold for a higher price than I expected.”

“Haha, it’s all thanks to Rotmiller’s skillful dissection.”

“Ahem, I have to do at least that much since I’m not much help in battle.”

I roughly ignore Rotmiller’s humble words and finalize the income from this expedition.

400,000 stones from the magic stones we acquired in the rift, 1st floor, and 2nd floor.

320,000 stones left after subtracting the consumable expenses from the money we earned from selling equipment.

And 550,000 stones from the request completion reward and byproducts.

A total of 1.27 million stones.

‘I earned this much even after spending so much?’

Despite all the expenses, we still made much more than the previous two months on the 4th floor.

No, actually, considering the essence and leather armor that Misha absorbed, and Viper’s Fang…

…we practically made a huge profit.

And I also have the 5 million stones I’ll receive from the bear-like man.

‘At this rate, I’ll be able to reach the 6th-stage engraving soon.’

I grin and take a gulp of beer.

There’s still 2 million stones in cash left in Misha’s and my shared account.

My personal savings are about 2.5 million.

Although I was a bit anxious since our growth had practically stopped in the past two months…

…looking at my bank account balance makes me feel rich.

“Bjorn! How could you drink the first glass alone?!”

“Huh?”

“Let’s drink together! We haven’t properly celebrated yet.”

“…Yeah, do whatever you want.”

“To celebrate defeating that troll bastard and returning safely! Cheers! Everyone, bottoms up!”

After the settlement, we all have our return drinks and reminisce about the past expedition.

Is it because we overcame another crisis together?

The dwarf, our team leader, seems very happy.

However, the drinking party ends even more quickly than last time.

“I… I need to leave now. I have to stop by my family’s place.”

First, Misha leaves, and then Rotmiller.

“I should call it a night too. I have some business at the guild.”

The two of them, who had only been sipping their drinks and going along with the atmosphere because of their prior commitments, leave. With Misha gone, the once noisy party becomes quiet.

I was going to stay a bit longer so that the dwarf wouldn't feel sulky if I left too…

But surprisingly, the dwarf stealthily moves to the next table.

“Hahaha, that’s right! Turns out that troll wasn't a big deal! Lie? No way. Do you see that barbarian over there? He’s called Little Balkan, maybe you’ve heard of him…”

The dwarf starts chatting and drinking with explorers he just met, leaving his teammates behind. So I’m about to leave too, but Dwarkey grabs my arm.

“Le, let’s talk for a bit.”

“What?”

“Co, come to think of it, we’ve never had a quiet conversation, just the two of us.”

Hmm, that’s true.

Although I often chatted with Rotmiller when everyone else was drunk and asleep, this guy was usually the one who passed out.

‘Does he have something to tell me?’

And that’s it.

Dwarkey just sips his drink awkwardly and doesn’t speak first.

‘Damn it, I should have just left.’

Unlike the noisy surroundings, an awkward atmosphere surrounds me.

So I speak first.

I have something I’m curious about anyway.

“Is your body okay?”

“Ah, yes… honestly, I felt a bit uncomfortable even after receiving treatment from the priest, but I’m completely fine now.”

“That’s good. Then how about this?”

Dwarkey tilts his head as I tap my forehead, asking him.

“It must have been your first time experiencing your body being folded in half. How is it? Can you still enter the labyrinth?”

It’s more common than you’d think for explorers to break mentally.

Sometimes, the cruel memories that remain in the body are etched in the mind like scars.

“Ah, that is…”

Dwarkey hesitates to answer as he understands the meaning of my question.

As expected, it seems like it’s not nothing.

“Whew… to be honest, I haven’t been able to sleep properly since that day. I thought it was because we were in the labyrinth, but it’s the same in the city.”

Dwarkey then lets out a long, alcohol-fueled sigh and confesses that just thinking about entering the labyrinth again makes his hands tremble.

“But don’t worry too much. It’s something that everyone goes through, and it’s something we overcome, isn’t it? I’ll be fine before the next expedition.”

He can overcome it…

Judging by his eyes, it doesn’t seem like he’s just saying that.

But there’s one thing that’s puzzling.

“Is there a reason for you to push yourself that much?”

Most people overcome their trauma and continue working as explorers.

Because it’s their only way to make a living.

In a city where you have to pay taxes to survive, they have no choice but to overcome it.

But Dwarkey, the mage, is different.

“You can earn enough just by working in the city, so why do you want to keep being an explorer?”

Dwarkey hesitates at my question, then chugs a glass of beer before answering.

“That’s… because it’s fun.”

It’s a completely unexpected answer.

“Because it’s fun?”

“Of course, the reason was different at first. Do you remember what I said when we first met?”

“I remember. You said you wanted to become a great explorer and bring honor to the barony.”

“That was all a lie. I just thought that maybe my father… no, the former baron, would pay attention to me if I became a famous explorer.”

Dwarkey is an illegitimate child of a noble family.

And as is typical of illegitimate children, he feels a deep love-hate relationship with his blood relatives. He resents them, but at the same time, he wants to be loved by them. It’s a contradictory emotion.

“As you know, the former baron passed away. And as you saw… the brother who inherited his position didn’t even know I existed.”

At first, he felt empty, he says.

He felt like he was adrift after losing his life’s purpose in an instant.

Dwarkey, poetically expressing his feelings at the time, looks me straight in the eyes.

“But I was able to overcome it. Because I had four people around me to rely on.”

“Don’t tell me… yo, you’re talking about us?”

“Then wh, who else would it be? At first, I didn’t know that’s what companions are like. They were more than just friends I could trust and rely on, it felt like fa, family…”

“I, I see?”

“That’s right. After my mother passed away, I always felt like I was alone in the world… but when I explored, laughed, and chatted with you guys, I didn’t feel that way at all.”

Dwarkey finishes his beer in one gulp, as if he knows he’s saying something embarrassing.

“Thank you, Bjorn. Thanks to you guys, every day is enjoyable these days. So… even though I went through that this time… I can overcome it.”

“…I see.”

“Yes. So don’t worry too much.”

“Alright, I won’t worry about that part anymore.”

I cleanly dismiss my concerns.

Whatever his motivation, it seems like Dwarkey’s mental state will be fine if he’s like this.

“Huhu, you know, you seem like a softie even though you’re not.”

“Enough, let’s drink.”

Thanks to the sincere conversation, the awkward atmosphere has disappeared.

Dwarkey, who was hesitant in front of me, starts talking enthusiastically, and I listen and respond.

That’s when…

“Um, Bjorn… I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“By any chance, are you and Misha… dating?”

I stare at Dwarkey instead of answering.

His flushed face is filled with anxiety and tension.

Only then do I realize one thing.

‘No wonder he suddenly wanted to talk alone.’

This was his real intention.

______________________

"Braun Rotmiller. Age 34, it's been 8 years since you became an explorer, right?"

As soon as I entered the office, I felt a contemptuous gaze. Feeling humiliated, Rotmiller answered,

"...That's right."

He was more curious than shocked.

He had received a summons from the Explorer's Guild this morning. So he arrived at the guild on time, even though he was in the middle of catching up with his companions.

And he followed the employee upstairs to this room.

A man was sitting in a chair, and he was a familiar face.

'Nile Urbans, the 7th Regional Manager of the Explorer's Guild. Why would someone like him call for someone like me...?'

A question welled up inside him, but he didn't act recklessly and waited for the man's explanation.

Because who knows what kind of trouble might befall him if he makes even a small mistake?

"Hmm, I like it. Especially the part where you wait patiently even though you're curious."

"Then can you tell me what this is about?"

The regional manager nods with a smug smile at his request and explains the reason for calling him here.

The more he listens, the more absurd it sounds.

"So you're telling me to betray my companions?"

"That's up to you. To be precise, I just need you to fix that barbarian friend's behavior."

Rotmiller clenches his teeth.

One of the only 13 regional managers in the city.

A being who can easily bring great misfortune upon a mere explorer just because they find him annoying.

That's why he needed courage even more.

"I'll... pretend I didn't hear that offer."

He forces out a refusal, his fist clenched tightly.

The regional manager smiles with interest at this.

"If you're done talking, I'll be on my way."

Rotmiller hurriedly turns towards the door before he's consumed by fear.

That's when...

"It's admirable that you cherish your companions. It's truly a wonderful belief. But... how long do you think they'll be your companions?"

Rotmiller involuntarily stops at the voice that follows.

"I looked at your records. I think you must feel quite wronged. It took you 8 years to reach 7th grade. Meanwhile, that barbarian became 6th grade in just half a year."

"I've never felt that way."

"If you say so. But shouldn't you start accepting reality?"

"......"

"Your companions will keep climbing the ranks. They're not ordinary humans like you."

Rotmiller bites his lip at his blunt words.

But he can't refute them.

Because he knows all too well that what the man said is true.

"How long do you think you can keep up with them? Three months? Four months? Hmm, maybe you can last longer. If they pity you, that is."

Rotmiller opens the door and leaves without listening any further.

"I trust you'll make a wise decision."

The regional manager, visible through the closing door, has a kind smile on his face.

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