Chapter 4
“Personal research funds are paid at the end of every year.”
Professor Brammathon said this after confirming that I had taken the certificate that also served as my identification.
“You can collect your monthly salary from a bank affiliated with either the university or the Kingdom of Britannia.”
“Yes. Thank you for letting me know.”
I already knew that, but I thanked him anyway. It didn't cost me anything to bow and show my gratitude.
“…Would you wait here for a moment?”
“Yes. Understood.”
I figured some procedure must still remain, so I waited. Professor Brammathon left, then returned to his office carrying a book I had never seen before.
“Take it.”
“Huh? Are you giving this to me?”
He thrust it toward me the way one might return a borrowed book to a library, so I simply took it.
Was this a handbook listing laws field workers weren't allowed to break? Maybe it was like handing soldiers a pamphlet about reserve call-ups when they were discharged from the army.
But the actual title of the book was [An Adventurer's Alchemy].
“…Is this a book about alchemy?”
“No. It's a memoir I wrote for adventurers. You could call it a guidebook containing personal experiences and a few tips.”
Wait, what? A guidebook written by a Gold-class adventurer? Seriously?
That humorless gym machine wouldn't lie to me about something like this, so it had to be true.
I couldn't believe it. A current adventurer had written a book about his own experiences!
And it wasn't some clueless Bronze-and-Iron adventurer who had asked the regular adventurer Johnson at some neighborhood bookstore to ghostwrite it for him.
It was a book written personally by a Gold-class adventurer who was also a professor at Carmine University!
Professors usually studied hard but had no knack for writing books. Carmine University professors were one of the few exceptions. The insanely elite professors at this university were multitalented people of this era, capable of writing even science-minded prose with literary flair.
So this book would surely be perfect, with flawless readability and content so thorough that no one could find fault with it.
“It's a book I made by reorganizing part of the thesis I used to earn my Master's Silver Badge, back when I was working on my doctorate. I removed the material related to our department and filled it with things that might be useful to adventurers.”
My chest swelled with emotion at Professor Brammathon's following words.
Paper was fairly advanced in this world, so books themselves weren't particularly rare. But the price of a book rose exponentially with the quality of the knowledge it contained.
The reason was simple. Every bastard in this other world was a tier whore—probably the kind of person who would greet an ex-girlfriend they hadn't seen in ten years by asking, ‘So, what tier are you?’
The people living in this world were fucking stingy about sharing useful tips that could help someone else's life.
They couldn't stand the thought of someone who was supposed to remain beneath them climbing up and earning a higher tier than theirs.
Money-grubbing mages even sold three- or four-page sheets of A4 paper for several gold coins.
Learning a single spell cost tens of millions of won. Fuck, those bastards must have been planning to earn enough money to replace their deceased parents with new ones.
In this filthy, shamelessly unethical other world, where there was no Namu Wiki and people put on all kinds of airs and made a grand show of teaching you even something as simple as how to dig a hole.
And now he was actually giving such a precious book to someone who wasn't even a student in his department!
For free!
That two-faced Yerna bitch had run off with my thesis before I could leave, without giving me a damn thing!
“Guh!”
I quickly wiped away the tears that were about to fall. I couldn't stand there sniffling pathetically in front of the great senior who had walked the path of machismo ahead of me.
I hugged the guidebook to my chest with one arm and gave Professor Brammathon a ninety-degree bow.
“Thank you so fucking much for everything until now!!!”
“All right. Take good care of yourself.”
We said our farewells in a solemn-as-hell atmosphere, like a master and disciple who had shared three years of hardships together.
Anyone watching us would have thought he was my advisor.
***
After receiving my certificate, I gathered my belongings and headed to the pier, where the ship to Sargadis was waiting.
Since Carmine University itself was located in a trade city, I didn't have far to go.
I didn't bother obtaining separate equipment for my work as an adventurer.
‘The university gave me supplies, so I probably don't need anything else.’
The supplied equipment was fairly comprehensive.
An iron breastplate, protectors for my arms and legs, and a sword.
It wasn't regulation armor. It was a dirt-cheap product, like the razor blades the military handed out, and it didn't even bear the university's mark. Still, it was sturdy and perfect for rough use.
─Clomp, clomp.
I went to the pier and looked for the ship to Shehir.
Shehir was a southern coastal city and a stopover on the way to Sargadis. I would disembark at Shehir, transfer to a carriage, and continue on to Sargadis.
“Oh, you're here?”
“Huh?”
But amazingly, Dana was waiting for me at the harbor.
“What the hell? You came to see me off even after drinking that much yesterday? I guess I haven't wasted my life after all.”
I was secretly moved by the fact that Dana had come to see me off.
Yesterday, Dana, the other research students, and I had gathered in the lab for my farewell party.
Since there was no advisor around to watch us, we stocked up on takeout food and booze.
Borrowing courage from the alcohol, we spent all night screaming Kkiyoyoyot! Kieeeek! and acting like freshmen who had just entered university. Then, following the self-evident law of nature that drinking causes hangovers, every single one of us passed out until lunchtime today.
And yet she had endured her hangover and come to see me off. Could it be that this girl had actually liked me?
“I'm not here to see you off. There was no advisor around, so I came here to claim I was seeing you off and legally slack off.”
Oh, for fuck's sake.
“You're insanely clever. As expected of a Master's Gold Badge holder.”
“Can you feel the difference in intelligence?”
“Wow, are you seriously using the exact words I once used on you? Where did your scholarly pride go?”
“People naturally grow by imitating others.”
“What? Are you saying I was your role model? Oh-ho. How touching that you sought to emulate me.”
“You may be number one at this university when it comes to being a shitty person, at least.”
“Huh? You really have no idea what I'm talking about?”
“This bastard's personality is a complete disaster.”
As usual, we chatted while snickering. Knowing that it would be difficult to have conversations like this after I left for Sargadis made it even more enjoyable.
“Hey, let's not stand here. Let's have a drink or something.”
I spotted a nearby drinking establishment and pointed at it. During the day, it sold light alcoholic drinks and beverages like a café, then turned into a bar around the time the sailors returned.
“Follow me, slave. As of today, I, Lord Nord, who has completely escaped slavery, shall graciously buy you a drink.”
“Buy us a drink? What could a beggar like you possibly buy?”
“Ahem. My pocket money is the crystallization of a former slave's sweat and tears. Show your gratitude by crying.”
“Crying is a bit much, but I can grin from ear to ear.”
“Fuck.”
Still yapping, we sat down at the bar and ordered some light drinks. Dana looked at the menu and grinned.
“Oh, I've been here before.”
“Really? With whom, you old lady with no boyfriend? Don't tell me you came alone?”
“Watch yourself. If you keep mouthing off, I'll order a hot drink and pour it over your face, leaving you with burn scars.”
“Wow! An adventurer-style scar! Then whenever someone asks what happened, I'll brag that it was a scar left by an old friend.”
“Oh? What is this? Are you getting Gold class based on your looks? Was adventurer ranking based on ugliness?”
“Then I'd be Iron class forever. Because I'm so fucking handsome.”
“Keep dreaming, you psychopath's favorite customer.”
Dana chuckled and called over the server to order the drinks. Two of them, including one for me.
“Why the fuck are you picking my drink?”
“Trust me and try it. This stuff is fucking delicious.”
“What does that mean coming from a woman who guzzles the beer around here?”
Dana was gulping down beer that tasted like Cass diluted with water. Could a drink really be delicious if it suited her tastes?
“Your Citrus Corona is ready.”
─Clatter.
The server set two teacups down in front of me as I looked on skeptically. Why the fuck was the drink called Corona?
I hesitantly peered into the drink the server had brought me.
There were things floating like fish eggs on top of some violently green juice.
“Holy shit, what a fucking visual shock.”
“Why? It looks delicious.”
“You think fish-egg juice looks delicious? Please start living your life.”
“They're not fish eggs. They're a fruit that looks like this. They serve it to people going on sea voyages as a blessing for their safety.”
“Ugh, shit. You're making me drink this? Are you trying to make me raise parasites in my stomach?”
I wanted to throw it away, but after all the time we'd spent together, it felt wrong to do that.
I decided to trust Dana and try it anyway.
The first taste was slightly alcoholic.
Had they added liquor? In a world where even distilled spirits were precious, how had they found alcohol to put in tea—
You fucking British bastards!! You put beer in it!!!”
Gweeeeeeegh!!
The moment I took a sip, I twisted my body and danced popping like Ppoppi, a salon dog whose balls had been stepped on.
It tasted like some sour, bitter other-worldly mojito!
I should have realized something was wrong the moment Dana said it was delicious!!
“Fuck, what is this!!! Sour! Bitter! Salty!”
“Pffhahahaha!! Ahahahahahahahaha!!”
Dana responded to my reaction with a laugh so utterly unfeminine she might as well have thrown femininity to the dogs.
This fucking bitch. I hoped the next professor to come along would ninja-steal her thesis, too.
“Uuugh… This is fucking discrimination against master's students….”
What if those weren't fish eggs but insect eggs?
The sourness probably meant it was rich in vitamin C, which sailors desperately needed, but it felt like it wrecked my taste buds in exchange for preventing scurvy.
Or was that the point? Since you had to eat nothing but salted or smoked food or whatever while aboard a ship, did they ruin your sense of taste in advance?
“Hehehe. It gets better once you get used to it.”
Dana laughed and drank her own portion of the beverage.
It was the sort of drink that looked as if some motherless orphan who had never learned what food was supposed to taste like had made it, yet she was guzzling it down just fine.
“Fuck… Whatever. If you were buying, maybe, but I don't want to spend my own money on this garbage. It feels like I'm going to get seasick.”
“Tsk. I knew you'd say that. If you don't like it, take this and eat it.”
Dana held out a paper bag she had brought along.
“Ugh. What is it this time?”
I made my suspicion obvious. Dana casually urged me with a glance to take the bag.
I set the bag on the table and looked inside.
─Rustle.
The bag was full of fruit. They were citrus fruits that looked as if they would be rich in vitamins.
“Huh. You bought all this just because I'll be on a ship for several days?”
“Just eat it. It's not as if you usually make a point of eating fruit.”
“Yeah. I'm so grateful that tears are coming to my eyes. It would have been a good memory if you hadn't made me drink this juice.”
Since she had gone to the trouble of thinking of me, I decided I had to eat all of it during the voyage.
As I picked up the paper bag, I suddenly remembered that Dana was still working on her thesis, too.
“Oh, right. So, Dana, are you almost finished with your thesis?”
“My thesis?”
Dana frowned as she drank her tea.
“What's the point of talking about it? There won't be anyone around to oversee my promotion to the doctoral program before the next professor arrives anyway.”
“What? Is that bitch Yerna mocking me, now that I've been reduced to the equivalent of a master's student because she bolted?”
“That's a misunderstanding. They say you shouldn't tease death-row prisoners or terminally ill patients.”
“You bitch.”
“Hahahaha.”
Even though we wouldn't be seeing each other for a while after today, our conversation was just like always.
The life of a research student was practically the same as that of a slave, so there was no reason for some fresh topic to appear between people who had been seeing each other's faces for more than three years.
Even so, things weren't awkward or boring. We continued our conversation in high spirits.
Poooooot─!
But pleasant times always passed quickly.
“Shehir! Passengers bound for Shehir, board now!!”
A horn sounded through the harbor, announcing that the departure time was near. Dana frowned and grumbled softly.
“What the hell? We waited around for ages, and now it's already time to leave after barely getting to talk.”
“Hehehe. Did you take hangover medicine and rush here early because you didn't know when I would come, only for me to leave so soon? Are you sad, poor baby?”
“Stop bullshitting and go roll around with monsters, you bastard.”
Dana shoved me in the back, her earlobes turning red. It seemed I had hit the mark.
“Anyway, don't cry just because I'm gone. This time, get your doctorate and escape your life as a slave.”
“Cut the crap and worry about yourself. Earn your Silver Badge before we meet again, and I'll buy you one hell of a meal.”
“Silver Badge? You mean a Doctorate Silver Badge? I can totally do it in three years.”
“If a master's student dies, do they get promoted two ranks at once? Damn, I had no idea.”
“No way. Are you seriously cursing someone who's leaving?”
“You can curse a former slave who's trying to escape slavery all by himself.”
“Wanna work in the field?”
“Go play tomb raider by yourself.”
Dana pushed me all the way to the front of the pier. The server seemed to be giving us space; they didn't follow us out and hound us for payment.
Perhaps they'd seen plenty of people leaving or seeing someone off, just like us.
Thinking that made me feel silly for secretly regretting our parting.
“….”
“….”
After a brief silence, I met Dana's eyes and spoke.
“Well, I'm off.”
“Yeah. Take care.”
Poooooot─!
The horn announcing the ship's departure sounded through the harbor again.
Creak. Creak.
I walked across the wooden gangplank laid out where a bridge would have been.
When I reached the end, I turned around one last time and shouted with a smile.
“When we meet again, be ready to call me Doctor! I'm going to rack up some fucking incredible achievements and become the youngest doctor ever!”
“Ha! What are you saying, Master's Copper Badge holder? I'll earn mine before you!”
Dana, standing in the harbor, answered with a smile.
“You too, just give up and come back when you think you're about to die!! If you bang your head and beg, the university might give you a research-student position!!”
“Yeah~ Even if I die, I won't be a slave~!”
As soon as I climbed onto the ship's prow, the scheduled departure time arrived, and Dana waved toward the ship I was on.
“Take care, Nord!”
“You too, Dana!”
I waved back at my friend as she waved from the harbor.
The ship left the harbor where Dana stood and headed toward Britannia's southern region. Before long, once we had moved away from the harbor, the entire city came into view.
The trading city of Ainheir.
The land where I had spent three long years as a slave, enduring every kind of fucking hardship and making memories.
Carmine University also came into view in the far distance.
It had been hard and fucking grueling, but that place had allowed me to form many connections and given me the chance to adapt to this other world. It was my second home.
The thought of leaving that place made me feel oddly wistful.
“Whew.”
But I had no intention of getting lost in half-baked memories or sentimentality.
My life in this shitty world had only just begun.