Chapter 25: Date
As we stepped out of the Guild, I wondered if we might get caught up in something, but nothing happened. Situations like that are truly unique to light novels, aren’t they?
“Where should we go?”
“How about we head straight down the Main Street for now? We never know what we might find.”
Following her suggestion, we walked side by side down the Main Street. However, we soon stopped in front of a shop that caught our eye.
“I want to check out weapons, armor, and various tools. There might even be some Magic Tools.”
“My master mentioned that too. He said there are convenient Magic Tools powered by Magic Stones.”
We entered a nearby shop with a sign depicting a sword and shield, and as expected, it was a weapons shop. A few other Adventurers were browsing the items scattered around.
“There’s quite a variety here.”
From common weapons like daggers, one-handed swords, and two-handed swords to spears and axes, there were also ranged weapons like bows and throwing daggers. The armor ranged from sturdy full-body metal suits to lighter leather chest plates and robes for mages.
“As for equipment, I already have what my master gave me, so I’m good for now.”
“I… I want some clothes. Especially underwear…”
Her voice was laced with a hint of embarrassment as she spoke, a stark contrast to the words I never heard her say while living at my master’s house. I could sense a change in her feelings… though I wasn’t entirely sure what it meant.
“Shall we look for a shop that sells regular clothes?”
“Yeah.”
And so, we found ourselves at a second-hand clothing store. When I asked a passerby, they said this was the only place to go, and it turned out to be quite a sizable shop.
…However.
“Even second-hand clothes are expensive…”
In a world without machines, second-hand items were still pricey. Although they had new underwear available, even in a thrift store.
“Money is really tight…”
I couldn’t recall a time when I felt this financially strained. Living off the land at my master’s house had never bothered me, but now that I was in an environment where I could buy things with money, it was a different story.
I didn’t have much money, but underwear was a necessity. I bought one for myself and two for Rio. With that, I was nearly broke for the day. If I saved 200 Fron for a bath at the inn, I’d be left with just 80 Fron. Even buying a snack would be a stretch with that balance.
Still, I needed a bag to carry things back… I could probably tuck the underwear under my clothes, but…
“Let’s give it our all on requests tomorrow. Even if we can’t take on a monster subjugation request, we can still hunt the monsters that attack us, right?”
“Ahaha, that’s true.”
“Alright, we may be out of money, but let’s continue our date.”
“Eh, um… yeah.”
When I casually dropped the word “date,” Rio’s cheeks flushed a shade of pink. As I gently took her hand, her face turned even redder. What a cute creature she is. And to think I could casually hold hands like this—I never knew I could do that.
Continuing down the Main Street, we soon arrived at a large plaza. It seemed a waterway ran through it, and there was even an artificial pond in the center.
There were numerous street stalls set up, making it a feast for the eyes. From accessories and peculiar trinkets to food stalls wafting mysterious smoke, it truly felt like a trading city. By the way, I spotted a shop selling soap for 200 Fron. Expensive.
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
While I was distracted, Rio bumped into a small child who was about a head shorter than her.
“It’s okay!”
She waved her hand at the child, but I couldn’t help but wonder…
“Rio, did you lose anything?”
“Eh? …Hmm, not particularly… oh!”
She released my hand and started rummaging through the inside of her robe. It seemed she might have lost something after all.
“I’m missing some Herb and Antidote Herb.”
“Anything else?”
“Everything else is in the Dimensional Box, so it’s really just the herbs.”
“Ahaha, what a shame that they went through the trouble of stealing just that.”
“It’s not something to laugh about. But I guess losing the herbs isn’t the end of the world.”
It wasn’t worth chasing after the thief. In a typical story, this would lead into an orphanage arc or something, but that wasn’t going to happen here.
After circling the plaza, I noticed that the Main Street extended in all four directions. Each direction had a gate leading outside. The sun was beginning to set. We had spent about four hours wandering around the central plaza, and this city was surprisingly large.
Since dinner at the inn was waiting for us, it was time to head back.
“Dinner is 50 Fron per person.”
I couldn’t help but drop my jaw at the woman’s words.
“What should we do? We’re short on cash.”
As I had just blurted out, we were indeed low on funds. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect to run out today. I thought the accommodation fee would cover meals too, right?
Currently, I had 280 Fron. Since a bath costs 100 Fron per person, that left me with only 80 Fron to spend.
“Should we take a bath or have dinner? That is the question.”
“With those two options, it’s obvious what we should choose.”
I posed the question deliberately, but it seemed our answer was unanimous.
“Let’s take a bath!”
“Alright! The bath is down the hall. Towels and a soap set are available for 30 Fron.”
What? No soap included? However, we had no choice. Buying it would be too expensive.
“Please!”
With that, our balance dropped to 20 Fron.
The refreshing bath with soap was absolutely delightful.