Chapter 39
After returning to the inn, I wolfed down some soup and black bread, then went upstairs.
Lyle and the others had saved me a spot, so I lay down there.
"How'd it go?"
Lyle asked in a low voice.
"Yeah. I'll tell you tomorrow."
That was all I said before closing my eyes.
—Late that night.
I suddenly woke up, sensing something was wrong.
In the darkness, an unfamiliar man was reaching into Lyle's pocket.
I thrust the staff I was still holding against the man's throat.
"...Tch."
The man flinched and froze for an instant.
But the next moment, he clicked his tongue and went back to his own bed.
There was no point making a commotion here.
The townspeople didn't care about disputes between low-ranked adventurers.
Both sides would just be thrown out of the inn, and that would be the end of it.
I kept watch until the man fell asleep.
—Word was getting around that we were making money.
I'd like to move to a more decent inn, but that would be difficult too.
A decent inn was decent precisely because it didn't take in adventurers like us.
Maybe our only choice was to make a lot of money all at once and earn the right to stay at a decent inn.
I quietly closed my eyes and sorted through my next plan.
The next morning.
After healing the flea bites on my back with 'Heal,' I left the inn and headed for the Guild.
The morning air was cold and crisp, and birdsong echoed through the streets.
"All right, let's take another Horn Rabbit quest today!"
I lightly grabbed Lyle by the shoulder and held him back as he started running toward the quest board.
"Wait. Let's take a different quest today."
"Huh? Did you find a good one?"
"Yeah. I'll tell you about it after we leave town."
I pulled a quest slip from the edge of the board and submitted it at the counter.
The receptionist who'd handled the paperwork for the reference room yesterday silently stamped the quest slip.
We left town and walked along the highway.
After making sure no one else was around, Lyle spoke up.
"Hey, Noah. What was that quest? It was all text, no picture."
"It's to gather Ice Crystal Flowers. I looked up how to harvest them in the reference room."
"Ice Crystal Flowers?"
"Yes. Apparently, they grow on the cliffs of that mountain."
I pointed to the mountain range towering beyond the grasslands.
"They melt quickly, so we need to keep them cold while transporting them. We'll be counting on Elena-san's ice magic."
"Sure, leave it to me. So, how much is the reward?"
Elena thumped her chest.
"Five gold coins."
"...Huh? Gold?"
Lyle's voice cracked.
Even Kai had his eyes wide open, which was rare.
"Isn't that, like, a dangerous quest...?"
"From what I read in the materials, it didn't seem all that difficult."
"If it's such a sweet deal, why hasn't anyone taken it?"
"Probably because they can't read."
—The quest slip probably had no picture to weed out adventurers who couldn't read the materials.
Maybe the quest had been designed to screen adventurers willing to use the reference room.
"I see... Hey, Noah, teach me how to read sometime, will you?"
Lyle looked at me earnestly.
"Of course."
I nodded.
"Still, five gold coins... Even after paying off the registration fee, we'll have plenty left."
Lyle's face broke into a grin.
"Speaking of which, why don't we open an account?"
"An account?"
"Yes. It's a system for depositing money with the Guild. With a deposit certificate, you can collect your money at any branch."
"Wow, that's really convenient."
Elena's eyes widened in admiration.
"But there's a fee to issue a deposit certificate. At least one gold coin."
"What? That's a total rip-off."
"It seems cheap if you think of it as a safe way to transport money anywhere on the continent."
"But if someone steals the certificate, aren't we screwed?"
"From what I saw in the reference room, apparently no one but the owner can use it."
"Hmm. But why open an account? We aren't planning to travel anywhere for now, are we?"
"Having an account earns you credibility. Then—we can stay at an inn with proper rooms."
"I mean, the food's awful and there are fleas, but... An inn's fine as long as you can sleep, right?"
"Lyle, did you notice that someone tried to steal your wallet last night?"
"...Seriously?"
"Yes. I chased him off, but could you sleep in a place like that with gold coins on you?"
"All right. Let's open an account."
Lyle's face turned pale.
"Then let's head for the mountain. Watch out for Horn Rabbits."
We made for the mountain, pushing through grass that reached our knees. Keeping an eye on the slightest movement in the grass, we stepped carefully.
Before long, we reached the foot of the mountain.
Looking back, the town appeared tiny in the distance.
Before us towered a sheer cliff.
The enormous rock face was bare gray stone, with patches of white snow shining here and there.
"...That's huge."
Lyle murmured.
I stared up at the cliff, searching for the place where the Ice Crystal Flowers were said to grow.
I could faintly make out a bluish-white flower shining on a ledge halfway up the cliff.
I gripped the rock face and began climbing carefully.
"Be careful, Noah."
Lyle's voice trembled slightly with tension.
The cliff was steeper than I'd imagined.
I hooked my fingertips into crevices and placed my feet securely, moving forward one step at a time.
From time to time, water from the melting snow dripped down, making the rocks slippery.
Elena helped us climb by using ice magic to create small footholds.
The wind rushed past, its cold sinking into my bones.
But the bluish-white Ice Crystal Flowers ahead of us spurred us on.
My legs grew tired, and my hands hurt.
Still, each step brought us closer to our goal.
"Just a little farther...!"
Lyle called out encouragingly, and we continued scrambling up the cliff.
When we reached the ledge where the Ice Crystal Flowers bloomed, we finally took a breather.
We sat on the ledge and looked down at the town and the road.
The town's buildings and the people coming and going looked tiny in the distance.
The cool wind brushing our cheeks felt pleasant.
"What a beautiful flower."
Elena murmured as she looked at the Ice Crystal Flower.
"When you pick it, take it from the base and wrap it in ice right away."
"Got it."
Elena nodded, carefully plucked the Ice Crystal Flower, and encased it in a block of ice.
"So, that's five gold coins."
Lyle's eyes gleamed.
"If we deliver it safely to the Guild, that is. Let's be careful on the way down, too."
With that, Elena started down the cliff.
It took twice as long as the climb, but at last we reached the foot.
"Whew... Going down was more dangerous."
Lyle wiped the sweat from his forehead, relief spreading across his face.
Kai was as expressionless as ever.
"All right, let's head back without letting our guard down."
At Elena's call, we set off for town.