Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 8: Wof 13 years old8
The next day, when I was completely out of luck, I came to sell the harvest from yesterday.
It sold for a decent price.
While I was at it, I decided to ask about knives.
Arifa-san leaned on the counter and sighed.
“Knives, huh?”
“Do you have any cheap used ones?”
“Used knives, even cheap ones, aren’t very good. New ones are better.”
“Is that what the antique dealer says?”
“Well, yeah.”
Arifa-san gave a wry smile.
“By the way, Wof, about that ring.”
“Oh, yeah. What happened with that?”
I had forgotten until she mentioned it.
“It seems like it was a commissioned item. I’ll give you the fee as promised, minus the intermediary fee.”
She then placed a bag on the counter.
“Is this it?”
“Yep. Go ahead, take it.”
“How much is it?”
I hoped it would help a little.
After all, I couldn’t enter the dungeon for a while.
Before coming to the antique shop, I had been curious, so I went to the dungeon, only to find it closed.
A closure occurs when a relic with a barrier seals off the dungeon.
I had suspected it after the earthquake, but actually seeing it closed made me feel uneasy and worried about the future.
I still needed to buy a knife, so I hoped this would help at least a little.
“127,000 Oro.”
“Huh!? 120,000!?”
I couldn’t help but shout. It was way more than I expected.
In fact, it even exceeded the registration fee for explorers…!?
“The client was really happy. They wanted to meet you directly to thank you, but…”
“Ah, I’m sorry about that.”
“—I thought so, so I accepted the thanks on your behalf.”
“Thank you very much!”
I bowed my head.
Arifa-san sighed.
“It’s fine, but once you become an explorer, it won’t be that simple.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Being cautious and going solo isn’t a bad idea.”
“I think it’s also due to my personality…”
“I figured as much.”
Arifa-san gave a faint smile.
I’ve never been good at socializing since my past life… and that’s still true now.
Haha… old habits die hard.
“I know I have to do something about it.”
“Usually, if you’re aiming to be an explorer, you’d become a hired apprentice.”
“…Yeah.”
I made a gloomy face.
A hired apprentice.
A servant employed by an explorer or their party.
Their main job is doing menial tasks and carrying baggage.
They might get paid, but it’s usually not much—just a pittance.
To be honest, they’re often seen as a useful slave.
I’ve heard that this is a real issue in the explorer guild as well, but there has been no solution.
Actually, it seems like they don’t even intend to solve it.
The reason is the largest clan in Hydrangea.
‘Coon hunt’—no one in this frontier area doesn’t know about them.
“It used to be better.”
“Has it changed?”
“It used to be more like a knight’s retainer or a mentor and disciple relationship.”
“Oh… really?”
Ad
“I used to be a hired apprentice too.”
“Is that so?”
Arifa-san must have been a child back then.
I can imagine she must have been full of energy.
“But honestly, the way hired apprentices are treated now is just… ugh.”
“I thought so…”
“I can feel the quality of explorers has gone down too. I know the cause.”
“Coon hunt… right?”
Arifa-san gave a small, confirming smile.
Coon hunt, the largest clan in Hydrangea, or even in the frontier.
The master of that clan is a grade 1 explorer.
One of the 27 explorers in the world who are considered “Kings of Explorers.”
That’s why the name is widely known.
At the same time, Coon hunt is constantly surrounded by bad rumors and reputations.
And since they employ a large number of hired apprentices, things haven’t improved.
Ad
That’s what I’ve heard.
And I think it’s probably true.
“Be careful, Wof. Especially…”
“Y-Yes.”
“By the way, hey, Wof. With this, you can buy the knife now.”
Arifa-san grinned.
“Ah, right.”
“It’s used, but there are knives on the shelf in the back.”
“But you said used knives aren’t good.”
“Haha, well, just go take a look.”
“Got it.”
I headed towards the back shelf as I was told.
There, various swords and knives were cluttered, taking up all the space.
I peeked at the shelf, which had a bit of dust collected on it.
There were knives of all shapes and sizes, some in sheaths and others exposed, all haphazardly placed.
“This one looks good. This one too. This one, and this one as well.”
Even though they were used, there were some good ones. I picked them up one by one.
The prices were… 20,000, 40,000, 60,000… 150,000… Expensive.
Even though they were used, were they really this expensive?
No, it may seem expensive to me, but it’s probably not much for an explorer.
I was shocked at the 120,000 price, while Arifa-san, a Grade 3 explorer, remained unfazed.
This was the difference between an explorer and a child like me with nothing.
The knives on the shelf.
They all looked good, but something felt like they were lacking for me.
What was it? What could it be?
Even though each one was clearly better than the previous knife I had.
They all felt lacking. I didn’t know what was missing.
“Hmm… what are you doing…?”
“I’m trying to pick a knife, but something feels… off.”
“Off…?”
“I don’t know what it is, but it just doesn’t feel right. It feels like something’s missing.”
“Hmm… missing…?”
“Hmm…”
Hmm. Who am I talking to right now?
When I turned to look in the direction of the voice, I was surprised.
There was a beautiful girl with pale pink hair.