Chapter 9 – Herbalism Quest #5

With a light hitting sound, the magic orb hit the kelpie’s forehead. Rebecca, who hit the magic sphere, was also surprised, as if she really didn’t know it was going to hit her.

“Oh my god!”

It is a magic missile that can crush even hard stones.
Even a kelpie with the toughest skin will take a hit if it hits the head.
I expected the kelpie to fall in one blow.
But the moment he shook his legs, ominous words came out of Rebecca’s mouth.

“Have you done it-?”

It’s like a taboo word that shouldn’t be done in this situation!
Did those words give strength to the faltering kelpie?
The kelpie finally managed to stick his hooves into the ground and stand up.
He was breathing heavily as if he was very excited.

Puhin hin-!!

“Oh, they’re still moving!”
“Because you say such ominous things!”
“What’s wrong!”

Losing hope, I clutched my head.
It seems that it was actually a fluke that I bounced the magic sphere and hit it, but that kind of luck won’t come a second time.

Yeah we messed up
It was the turn of the genuinely enraged kelpie to slaughter our party.
Horrible visions came to my mind of my body being bitten by kelpies and being dragged to the bottom of the lake.
Contrary to my thoughts, however, the situation around the lake was peaceful.

“…?”

Kelpie did not attack Rebecca in front of her.
It wasn’t even that he was approaching the hemp sack that had fallen on the floor. It spun from where it stood, like a disoriented animal.
Rebecca, who accidentally found herself in the middle of the circle drawn by the kelpie, put on a puzzled expression.

“What kind of shit is this…?”
“I-I don’t know?”

In the next moment, something even more strange happened.
The kelpie, which had been wandering around for a while, walked toward the lake.
The kelpie threw himself into the lake without looking back.
Being fully submerged, the kelpie was no longer visible to me and Rebecca.

“It’s gone.”
“Aren’t you coming back?”

I couldn’t really relax.
When first encountered, Kelpie was an intelligent monster that fooled all party members.
He might be preparing a funny hidden camera under the surface.

“Cool… You succeeded in exorcising the kelpies. Both of you were great.”

Ethan, who was lying down, finally opened his mouth.
After hearing Ethan’s explanation, I realized what had happened.

“Did you kick them out?”
“There are cases among adventurers who have survived encounters with powerful monsters. Monsters tend to be wary of great stimuli they have never experienced. You can get drunk. Did you see that kelpie go round?”
“Yes. What special meaning did it have?”
“That means, the kelpie suffered a blow to the brain and couldn’t move properly. To calm the chaos, wild beasts spin around in their seats. Your spell must have done a lot of damage.”
“Is that so? In a word, the kelpie jumped out of fear?”

Ethan replied that he was lying down.
That sounded pretty plausible.
Since he has the title of Monster Behavior Specialist, his remarks would not be unfounded. After a long time, no kelpies crawled back to the ground, so at least I could feel that I was out of danger.

“We’ll move the camp because we don’t know. Couldn’t the kelpies attack again while we were sleeping. Ethan-san, are you feeling well?”
“It’s okay. Even if you look like this, my body is strong.”

Ethan let out a short moan, and she staggered to her feet.
I was a little surprised to see it.
To be able to move even after being properly hit by a big horse’s back kick!
When we first met, it must have been a lie to introduce ourselves as having a strong body.

“We set up camp far from the lake.”

After walking for a long time, my party and I made camp in a place overgrown with bushes. The rest of the kelpies did not have the energy to make a separate shelter. After roughly deciding the order of night watch, I got into my sleeping bag and took a rest. My turn is Malvern, so I should be able to sleep comfortably until dawn.

As soon as I laid down, I immediately fell asleep.
While living an adventurer’s life, he got used to homelessness to some extent.
Because I realized that if I can’t fall asleep when I can, then I’m the only one at a loss.

However, Rebecca, a first-time adventurer, did not seem to be accustomed to sleeping in a foreign country.
After a good night’s sleep and a wake up call, when I shook the two of them and woke them up, I found Rebecca looking very tired.

“Did you sleep well?”
“No. I hardly slept. I was worried that the kelpie I saw yesterday would reappear…”
“Then shall we rest a little longer and then leave?”
“Oh, no. Let’s go back to the city. Even if we rest, it’s better to rest at the inn.”

It was fortunate that Rebecca was in excellent physical condition.
My party and I returned to the city as soon as the day dawned.
On the way back, we couldn’t take a carriage, so the three of us had no choice but to walk.

It is noon when the sun rises in the middle of the sky.
When I saw the high walls surrounding the city of Yoensu in the distance, I felt a small sense of accomplishment.
It felt like an achievement that I, a dream horse, had safely completed the party quest.

It wasn’t as much a quest to eat raw as I first thought.
What do you think?
I wish I could wake up

“The apothecary who entrusted the request will be near the south gate.

On the street inside the south gate, an old apothecary was sitting on his mat and selling potions.
The old man was the client who had entrusted the collection of herbs to the Adventurer’s Guild.
When Ethan took the lead and held out a sack of sacks, the old man took out a bag of money and antidote from his bosom as if he had waited.

The total reward for the herb gathering quest was 180 Cooper.
If you divide it among three party members, it drops to just 60 copper.
In addition to that, I received an antidote one by one, so if you chew it when you are tired, you will be able to recover your energy.

“Good job. The request is over. Now you can split up. I’ll take care of reporting to the guild. I must report the fact that kelpies have started living in Lake Mersil.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Ethan.”
“Good work!”

Since he had paid for it, the request was over.
There was still a procedure to report the results to the guild, but that was the role given to Edan, the party leader.
Saying that there is nothing wrong with our party disbanding like this.

Before we parted ways, Ethan suddenly spoke to me.

“I’m surprised. Luke, I thought you were a wizard.”
“Yes? Ah…”
“I wish I had told you in advance. It’s rare to meet an adventurer who can use magic.”

Ethan was staring at me with eyes that seemed like he had seen it again.
For some reason, I was embarrassed because I was getting a lot of attention.

“I’m still immature in casting spells. It’s not something I can proudly tell others about. You saw how I shot a dying orb at a kelpie yesterday and it all missed. If Rebecca-san hadn’t knocked it off, I wouldn’t have been able to hit it at all.”
“Still, the fact that you can use magic doesn’t change. In the adventurer industry, wizards are a rare talent. Even an incubus that is shunned at parties can learn magic, it’s a different story. Can’t you light up the darkness with magic? It’s a rare ability that can’t even be compared to swordsmen.”
“That’s right…”

To light a fire and light up the darkness with magic?
It was a story that was far from me who had just started learning magic.
Since the only spell I know how to use is magic missile, it would be shameless to introduce me as a wizard, and it would be more accurate to introduce myself as a bead wrapper.
However, it was not good to reveal it as it is, so I was just laughing.
Ethan, unaware of my true identity, carefully asked for a handshake.

“If you received a good request later, call me. I hope the day we form a party again will come. I didn’t do much in this quest, but next time I’ll show you my skills.”
“Okay, Ethan.”

After shaking hands with me, Ethan left for the adventurer’s guild.
I stared at the distant Ethan for a while, then pondered over the words I just heard.
Ethan made it clear that he was willing to party with me again.
It sounded quite pleasing to an incubus who was virtually isolated from the adventurer industry.

Because I have the hope of carrying out the party quest.
There was a wider range of requests that could be performed by two people rather than one person.

“Did I finally have a network? A bronze level network?”

It was when I was scratching my cheek with a smile on my face.
Rebecca’s voice suddenly echoed from the side.

“Wizards are rare! Even in my hometown, people who use magic are very rare.”
“Wow!”

I didn’t even know Rebecca was by her side.
Rebecca must have left this place a few minutes ago when she was told it was okay to disperse.
But for some reason, Rebecca came back to me at some point.

“Why are you back?”
“I have something to ask you.
“What do you want to ask?”
“This rat tail. Where should I sell it?”

Rebecca pulled her thick tail out of her backpack.
It’s the tail of the monster mole you hunted on the plains yesterday.
Japtem sold for 2 copper each.

“You can sell it to a general store that handles medicinal materials. There are several stores in the city that offer good prices… I’ll just guide you directly. Follow me.”
“Huh? Is it okay if I just explain in words? Am I just bothering you?”
“I have to dispose of the rat tail anyway. You can think of it as helping as well as a job.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could teach me.”

Rebecca gave me a soft eye smile.
After a while, Rebecca started following me.
She looks like a duckling following her mother.
The scenery of the unfamiliar city seemed strange to keep glancing around as he followed.
The more I looked at her, the more I couldn’t help but feel that she was a woman from a faraway country.
I led Rebecca to a general store frequented by her adventurers.

“Welcome.”

It is a shop run by a bald owner.
Contrary to hair, I have a conscience, so there is nothing that beats the purchase price in this store.
I put the hesitant Rebecca behind her and first put her rat tail on her shelf.

“Monster Mole’s tail. Would you mind paying 2 coppers each?”

The bald owner who calls the right price without finding any faults.
The fast-paced transaction is also a good part of this store. After I sold three tails, Rebecca proceeded with the transaction with a relieved expression. Rebecca gleefully took the 2 coopers she received for her tail.

“It’s okay? Remember this store well. If you’re an adventurer, you’ll find a lot of things to do at the general store.”
“Thanks, Luke! I would have been lost a lot without you. I don’t know much about the geography of this city yet.”
“Then go in and rest in peace. From the next request, don’t forget to tell your party members that it’s your first visit.”

I introduced the shop, so I did everything I had to do.
It could be seen that this was enough for his role as a senior adventurer taking care of newbies. It was just when I was about to break up with Rebecca cleanly, as I hadn’t done a good deed for anything in return.

“Wait for a sec!”
“What else?”
“Do you have time in the evening?”
“I can’t ask for help. I also have a private life. Rather than keep asking, why don’t you try to solve it on your own?”
“It’s not like that…! I’ve only received help from you since yesterday, but it’s kind of like breaking up like this without repaying it. If you owe me a favor, I’ll have to pay it back. I’ll buy you a drink in the evening.”
“Is it to repay the favor?”

Free booze!
I never did a good deed hoping for something in return.
However, there was no reason to refuse the free drink.
I changed my complexion in an instant and nodded.

“Then let’s go. Where shall we meet?”
“Is there a good pub in town? It’s too expensive, but not good.”

I told Rebecca about a shop called “Moon Protection”.
It was a bar located near the entrance to the market in Yoensuu City.
The taste of the food wasn’t great, but it’s a place where you compete with quantity rather than quality.
It is a shop that fits Rebecca’s needs perfectly.

“Then, meet me at the bar in the evening! Don’t be late!”

There was still quite a bit of time left until evening.
I’ve been doing business with Rebecca for a while and decided to meet again at her bar. Seeing the back of Rebecca as she left, I felt an unfamiliar feeling for the first time.

Even though it was a reward for helping out—-.
Anyway, you got a chance to have a drink with Beauty alone, right?
That’s a red-haired female swordsman with a great body.

Naturally, thoughts like this come to my mind.
If the meeting is done well and develops into a friendly relationship, or if it goes further and builds a deep relationship.
It reminded me of the bad ending where I go straight to the inn with Rebecca.
In my imagination, Rebecca was giving me a cute wink.

‘Could I get a pity ticket tonight? Isn’t it possible to escape from the virgin incubus?’

It is a characteristic of virgins to burn the happy circuit over a pretty woman.
As I thought of Rebecca’s naked body, I couldn’t control her tingling sensation.
Excalibur hidden under his pants is about to rise.

“Mom, that oppa’s pants suddenly got thick!!”
“Shh! Be quiet!”

I quickly lowered my back at the sound of a voice coming from somewhere.
I quickly sang the national anthem in my mind to calm her erection.
Until the appointed time, I decided to go back to the inn and rest.