Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
“Um…where is this…?”
When I woke up, I was still in the guild, surrounded by the same worried-looking people from before.
“Sorry, big brother! That’s what happened! I got too forceful.”
The first thing Najina said was an apology.
They then told me the story of what happened after I lost consciousness. Apparently, I was unintentionally choked by Najina’s strong arms, and Mia Alice immediately used a healing spell on me after I lost consciousness. And that’s how we got to where we are today.
The other person involved, Najina, was completely depressed. He seemed to have gotten used to Maon’s lecture.
“Really?! Even though he’s registered as an adventurer, Genta is still a student attending the academy! If you strangle him with your big, log-like arms, he’ll die before you do.”
“Well, well, Maon-san. I’m safe too…”
“But I’m glad Genta is feeling better!”
Mia Alice, who helped with his recovery, also seemed relieved.
“If Genta says so…”
“Well, I’m sorry, bro! I always do that to people when I get excited at the bar, but even though they were adventurers themselves, it never got to this point…”
“Don’t put me with a nice guy who can drink with my husband!”
Maon’s voice rang out again.
….
For the time being, since I had recovered, the tasting party came to an end and things returned to normal as a guild.
Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was past eight o’clock. Most of the adventurers at the Adventurer’s Guild received requests early in the morning, and each one headed off to their assigned locations.
There weren’t many streetlights in the town of Mean, so it became very dark after sunset. For this reason, many people, not just adventurers, started working early in the morning to ensure they could get as much daylight as possible.
As mentioned earlier, the Adventurer’s Guild received adventurer requests from early in the morning, which meant that unless there was some other reason, most of them had already left.
So, this was a relatively relaxed time. The receptionists used this time to sort out the requests of the adventurers they had accepted and took turns having breakfast.
Conversely, Mia Alice would finish gathering herbs around sunrise, and by that time the town gates would open and she would then be able to enter Mean.
By the time she arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild, the adventurers’ morning requests would have already been accepted, and she could smoothly have the herbs measured and appraised without having to wait long in the rush hour.
While the delivered items were being appraised and checked, I listened to Mia Alice talk about herbs gathering.
By the way, the medicinal herb that Mia Alice collected was called “Moonflower”, and it lived in the forest and converted the sunlight it received during the day into magical energy, which it stored in its leaves.
At night, the moonlit grass produced a small stem from the center and bloomed into flowers. It then looked similar to a short-stemmed dandelion[1].
“The flower uses all of its leaves during the day to store up magical power, which it absorbs through the stem and gives off a dim glow. When all the magical power stored up during the day has been used up, the flower stops glowing and falls. People appreciate the ephemeral nature of this flower, which blooms for only one night, and it has often been used in poems and song lyrics since ancient times, making it a familiar flower to many, that’s why it’s called Moonlit Night Grass,” Wozma added.
Come to think of it, I remember there being a plant called Tsukiyotake[2] in Japan. Those mushrooms seemed to glow dimly at night…
They look similar… That’s the impression I got. Of course, you shouldn’t eat tsukiyotake mushrooms as they are poisonous.
It is also said that the best time to collect Moonlit Grass is between night and dawn, as it is easy to distinguish it from other grasses if you use the flowers that have absorbed magical power and begun to glow as a landmark.
Furthermore, if you pick the flowers immediately after harvesting the moonlit grass, the magical power will not be absorbed. As a result, the magical power remains in abundance in the leaves, which, when combined with the medicinal ingredients, become a high-quality medicinal herb with even greater effects.
In addition, the flower itself has other medicinal properties and has other uses, so they also deliver this.
“However, even though the moonlit grass glows at night and makes it easy to find, it’s still in the middle of a forest at night, so it’s not that easy. Someone who isn’t used to it would have a hard time just moving around in a dark forest.”
Wozma explained.
“It’s dangerous to move around blindly in the dark. It’s the same in a cave. You never know what’s going to happen, it’s an unforeseen event.”
Najina-san followed behind with a completely serious expression.
“Even if you are careful, danger always creeps up on you. If you are careless, no matter how many lives you have, it will not be enough.”
“It’s like a motto for us adventurers. It’s ignorant and foolish to be spelunkers… It’s the kind of person you’d most detest if you had someone like that as a companion. Most of the time, that person will step into a trap. They’ll invite the enemy in. If they die because of their own actions, it’s easy to accept it, but it’s hard to accept dying because of a mistake that someone else deliberately brought about, right?”
Najina said “spelunker.” For some reason, it has a nostalgic ring to it, but it probably means the common English word “(a reckless cave explorer with neither knowledge nor experience)” in our world. Cave explorers with knowledge and experience are called “Cavers”, and are said to be clearly distinguished from spelunkers. There must be a world of difference between the two.
“That’s why we almost seem cowardly to you. We may look bold, but we’re not cutting corners on our preparations.”
“That’s how we survive.”
Najina and Wozma’s stories give us a glimpse into the harsh reality of being an adventurer, where everything is your own responsibility.
“Also, you shouldn’t let your guard down even in a building like this.”
With a smile on his handsome face, Wozma asked Maon, Mia Alice, and me, “Do you know why?” Seeing us shake our heads, Najina followed suit.
“For example… well, in buildings like this, during the day we open the fireplaces to let in light. But… if they were all closed at once, it would be pitch black in an instant. Miss Mia Alice seems to have good eyesight, but what would happen if that happened to you and your grandmother?”
“If it’s pitch black… I guess we can’t do anything…”
Maon’s words made me think. I see… it’s not like we have fluorescent lights in this world… It’s not like we wake up with the sunrise and die with the sunset, but people are mostly active only during the day, when they can see things.
Also, if there is no sunlight, it is the same as night, and inside a closed building it is as pitch black as being in a cave. What will become of me then? I will be nothing but a powerless being who can do nothing.
“I think so too. If I move carelessly, I might bump into something and fall.”
“That’s fine, Genta.”
“Huh?”
I was surprised by Wozma’s words.
“You can’t move carelessly in a situation like that where you can’t see your surroundings. But Genta, you can predict the danger of falling. In that respect, you’re completely different from a Spelunker.”
“Yeah, that’s when they tend to run around. They cause mistakes, trip and get hurt, and… well, they’re just a nuisance.”
“Protect yourself. And help as much as you can. Even if it’s just an adventurer passing by. We may help today, but tomorrow we might be the ones being helped.”
“That’s the way it is.”
I see… I guess it’s a kind of personal responsibility and sense of brotherhood that is unique to adventurers…
Of course, it’s not all good human relationships, but it still feels like a kind of “family”. I thought that being an adventurer is a deep thing, and at the same time, I thought that I should try not to become a member of the guild… That was the thought I had at the time.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next