Chapter 16: Marle

The Next Morning

After having breakfast, we immediately set out to find someone who can make stuffed animals. As people from another world, it would be difficult for us to find them randomly, so we consulted with the receptionist at the Adventurers Guild.

.

“Well, how about submitting a request for it as a quest?” she suggested.

Ah, I hadn’t considered that at all. We promptly asked her to help us with the request.

The details of the request were as follows: make a cat stuffed animal with a size of about 10 centimeters. The reward for completion was 100 gold, with the cost of materials to be paid separately.

We deposited 120 gold, which included the reward of 100 gold and a 20% fee to the guild, as suggested by the receptionist. It seemed like a reasonable arrangement.

After that, we took on an E-rank extermination quest called “Defeat 10 or more Large Rats in the Abandoned Mine.” It was to level up Mia and earn some gold.

At this point, my level was 10, and Mia had reached level 5. As a precaution, I equipped Mia with reinforced robes and a reinforced cloak for armor. As for her weapon, she continued to use the reinforced slingshot and reinforced stones for long-range attacks, just like yesterday.

—On the way to the abandoned mine.

Mia seemed hesitant about something ever since we left the town. She seemed to have something she wanted to say but was hesitating. To put it simply, she looked a bit fidgety.

“Takumi-san, I actually have something to discuss…”

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

“W-Well, um, could we stop using honorifics when addressing each other? It’s dangerous during combat…”

“Indeed, that’s a good point. I agree. Alright then, I’m looking forward to working with you Mia..”

“Y-Yes. T-Takumi, please take care of me.”

I immediately tried calling her by her first name without honorifics. These things become more difficult to say the longer you wait, after all, and it was adorable to see Mia’s face turn red.

◇

“Are you really going in?”

“Yeah. I just want to see what it’s like for now. If it’s dangerous, we’ll retreat immediately.”

We had arrived at the abandoned mine.

Inside the mine, fluorescent stones called fluorite were embedded in the walls at intervals of two meters, providing a certain level of brightness. It seemed that fluorite could be obtained from this mining site, as it was often found near the areas where rocks and such were stacked. I picked up some of them and put them in my backpack since Mia’s “Deform” skill could potentially turn them into lighting devices.

After a short walk, I smelled something like rotten meat.

There was a rock that was just right for hiding, so we hid there.

I became cautious and turned towards Mia.

“That’s probably the large rat. Get ready to attack.”

Trembling, Mia kept her eyes fixed on the red lights.

When I looked closely, I saw six large rats tearing apart what seemed to be animal carcasses.

I lightly tapped Mia’s shoulder, and she got startled, noticing me.

I was a bit worried, but seeing her nod strongly, as if she was revitalized, reassured me.

We attacked the rats with our slingshots while hiding behind the rocks.

We managed to defeat two of them with the first attack. When the other rats noticed that two of them were killed, it briefly glanced around before returning to its meal.

It seemed that as long as we attacked while hiding, we wouldn’t be attacked in return.

So using the same strategy, we defeated the remaining four rats.

As we were about to go and collect magic stones, Mia grabbed the sleeve of my robe.

Before I could ask what was going on, she raised her index finger in front of her mouth, signaling me to be quiet.

I strained my ears… and heard a faint rustling sound in the distance, resembling footsteps, looks like those rats might still have some friends around.

We decided to observe the situation without making any moves.

Then, five more rats appeared from the back passage and started feasting on animal carcasses.

If the rat pack was in a starving state… this could be bad. We hid behind the rocks. Again and defeated the five rats.

After confirming that there were no more monsters nearby, we quickly collected the magic stones and left the abandoned mine.

Since we had fulfilled the quest requirements, we decided not to push ourselves and return to the town.

◇

When we reported the completion of the quest at the Adventurer’s Guild, we were told that we were in a rather dangerous situation.

Large rats are often found in large groups, and killing them without setting traps is considered a suicidal act.

The place where we hunted the rats happened to be an area where someone had set traps using animal carcasses. We were fortunate due to that coincidence.

From now on, we need to make sure to confirm the best way to defeat the monsters and any precautions when accepting quests.

We divided the 110 gold from selling the magic stones and the 100 gold from the quest reward, a total of 210 gold.

Considering the danger we faced, the quest wasn’t worth it.

As we were about to leave, the receptionist called out to us.

“Takumi-sama, there’s been a response to the stuffed animal request you made.”

“Oh, that was fast. What kind of person is it?”

“Their skills are reliable… but they’re a dwarf.”

“When you say ‘dwarf,’ it gives off a blacksmith vibe. Can they also do crafts and such?”

“Dwarves excel not only in blacksmithing but also in accessories and crafts. However, there are people who dislike dwarves… What will you do?”

“Their race is not an issue at all. I’m more interested in their technical skills. Can I meet this person?”

“Of course. Here’s the contact information. The person’s name is Marle, a dwarf woman.”

We returned to the inn first, freshened up, and had a light meal before going to meet Marle.

◇

Near the slum area in the southwest of the city, there was a shop with the address written in the contact information.

There was no signboard on the building, which could not be said to be beautiful even by flattery.

Considering how dwarves are treated in this town, it was as expected.

I knocked on the door.

“Is Marle-san here? I requested a quest from the Adventurer’s Guild.”

From the back of the door, there was a rattle, totto-totto…the sound of someone’s footsteps approaching.

The door opened, revealing a dwarven woman with reddish-brown hair tied back.

“I am Marle, desu. Are you the one who wants a stuffed animal made, desu?”

“Nice to meet you, my name is Takumi. I’m looking for someone to make a stuffed animal. Before I make a formal request though, can I see some of your work?”

“Of course. Please come inside, desu.”

The dwarf Marle-san had an interesting way of speaking.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter