Chapter 104: Gathering in the Forest

In the guild master’s office, Ren carefully transferred the leather pouch with his reward in it into his bag.

As he drew the mouth of the pouch closed, he couldn’t help a slight smile.

Two gold coins.

For an apprentice adventurer boy to come by all at once, it was a considerable sum.

At which Mikaila, standing opposite him, frowned slightly.

“Ren-kun.”

“Yes?”

“You want to be careful carrying that home, or it’s dangerous.”

Ren hurriedly straightened his face.

Mikaila folded her arms.

“Letting other people know you’re carrying a large sum is asking for trouble. Be careful.”

“Yes.”

“By rights it would be good if the guild could hold it for you.”

She shrugged as she said it.

“This branch can’t manage that, though.”

“Hold it?”

“Yes. The Adventurers’ Guild in the Royal Capital has one. A money-keeping service.”

Ren tilted his head.

“You leave your money with them? After you’ve just been given it?”

“That’s right. It’s dangerous carrying about money you aren’t going to spend straight away, isn’t it? They issue a certificate, and you draw it out when you need it. Merchants use it too.”

“Huh…”

Ren couldn’t quite get a feel for it.

If you had money, you could spend it. He didn’t really see the point of going out of your way to leave it with somebody else.

Mikaila smiled wryly.

“You may think you’ve no need of it, but the Royal Capital has a great many people, and that means a great many thieves and swindlers.”

“I see.”

“But a keeping service needs people to run it and ledgers to keep, doesn’t it? This branch hasn’t the room for that.”

I see, thought Ren, and nodded.

Inwardly, though, he was thinking of something else.

If I keep it in the “small box”, it should be all right.

Two gold coins he could store away safely, out of anyone’s sight.

There would be no worry of it being stolen.

Ren thanked Mikaila and left the guild master’s office.

He stepped out into the corridor. He glanced at his bag, heavy now, and pictured the leather pouch of money inside it going into the “small box”. The bag went light in an instant. He didn’t have to look inside to know.

The sunlight coming through the windows was still bright.

From inside the guild came the laughter of adventurers and the bustle of the dining hall.

Were Victor and the others still in the reference room? They might be carrying on with the letter-board game. He thought for a moment about telling them that another reference room job looked likely before long.

But he shook his head.

Another time will do.

Ren left the guild as he was.

Outside, a high, clear blue sky stretched overhead.

There were few clouds, and a pleasant breeze was blowing.

He felt somehow as though he might fly up into the sky himself.

Two gold coins.

He still didn’t know what the Academy’s fees came to.

But little by little. Truly, only little by little.

He felt he was getting closer.

Ren took a deep breath.

For now, do what I can.

First, the letter boards.

He had an order from the guild for two sets. At present they were only boards with a single letter on each, but he wanted more variety.

The names of magical beasts, place names, kinds of medicinal herb. There was plenty he could make.

For that he needed materials. He still had a little stock of the wood he used for the boards, but he decided he would need more, so Ren went out through the gate and headed for the forest.

He entered the shallow part of the forest.

He walked with his eyes on the ground, gathering up fallen branches.

For letter boards they wanted a certain width. He avoided any that were damp or worm-eaten. He picked the dry ones with little damage and put them away in the small box.

It was after he had gone on a while.

“Hm?”

Something like clear droplets on the trunk of a tree caught his eye.

He touched it with a finger. Sticky.

Resin! …probably…

He tried collecting a little of the resin weeping from the trunk. But there wasn’t much of it.

“Wonder if I could gather more…”

Looking at the resin seeping from what seemed to be a wound in the tree, an idea came to him.

The “small box”.

He set the corner of the “small box” shallowly into the place the resin was coming from, arranging it so that the resin as it wept out would go straight into the box.

“Let’s see how this does.”

He cut small wounds into nearby trees of what looked like the same kind, too. Then he set a small box at the foot of each.

He covered them lightly with fallen leaves. Even if someone looked, they would be hard to spot.

If he came back for them another day, he might have a fair quantity.

Satisfied, he had just set off walking again when—

Rustle.

The undergrowth shook. Moss rabbits.

Two of them. No — three.

They came bounding out at Ren, and he deployed the Small Box on reflex.

A translucent box appeared like a shield.

Thud!

The first struck it and lost its footing. Ren aimed for that instant and thrust out his simple spear.

The second, the third.

They hit the “small box” and their momentum died.

And his thrusts landed.

Because the small box stopped them where they stood.

It had been a near thing, but he brought them down without harm.

“Phew…”

He let out a breath and looked at the spear. A simple weapon he had made himself.

But it was doing its work.

A close-range weapon really is necessary, he thought once again.

He had meat for dinner, as well.

It was as he came up to the mansion.

“Hm?”

A carriage stood in front of the gate. He didn’t recognise it.

And it was a fine one.

There was a crest painted on the side. But it wasn’t the crest of the Cream baronial house.

A noble’s carriage, most likely.

Have relatives come? They did say there’d be a celebration.

Ren tilted his head and went into the mansion. Inside was someone he didn’t know, apparently a servant.

Finely dressed. The moment the person laid eyes on Ren, their eyes widened.

It was the look one might give a beast that had wandered in from the forest. But they said nothing.

Ren paid no attention and went past.

Then Yona came running up the corridor towards him.

“Ren-niisama!”

Her voice was brighter than usual. Looking closely, he saw a soft, fluffy ribbon he hadn’t seen before tied in her hair. It must be new.

Ren gave Yona a smile.

“Yona, where did that ribbon come from?”

“Ehehe.”

Yona smiled, rather pleased with herself. But in the next moment her face grew serious.

Then she lowered her voice.

“Ren-niisama.”

“Mm?”

“Grandmother is here.”

Ren’s feet stopped dead.