Volume 1 - CH 22

Adventurer’s Guild

After locking the door to my room I went down to the dining room, where the other escort members were already gathered.

「Touya, you’re late! 」

I bowed to Lumina and the others and took an empty seat at the table. The orders had already been made and ales were soon distributed to everyone at the table.

Lumina stood up and gave a toast after confirming that everyone had ale in their hand.

「This is for making it safely to Dumbler! Worry not about tomorrow, it is a free day, we drink today! Cheers! 」

「「「「Cheers! 」」」」

A toast was made, and each of us chugged down our ales.

But it tastes terrible….. The temperature of this ale is normal in this world, but it’s not for me. I am more accustomed to the chilled beer in my previous life.

So I snuck my mug under the table to chill it using magic before taking a sip.

Cold ale goes down better, after all.

Lumina caught my satisfied look, and was quick to question me about it.

「Touya, what’s that look about, what are you doing over there? 」

That made everyone else’s attention on the table turn to me.

The mug was still under the table, that is bound to make everyone curious…..

「No……..it’s…….it’s nothing? 」

Lumina, with the speed that would put a cheetah to shame, snatched the mug from my hand as I brought it out.

「You …… what’s this …… in the mug? 」

Lumina, astonished by the freezing mug, curiously takes a drink.

She looks even further overwhelmed as the chilled ale touches her lips.

And then – silently, she pushes her own mug towards me.

「—Okay…….. 」

I concurred to the obvious request and cooled her mug.

Lumina eagerly tastes her now chilled ale and looks pleased but still queries the change in its taste.

「What the hell did you do!? 」

The others at the table were also keenly waiting for me to chill their mugs, why wouldn’t they be. They all looked at me with anticipation with their mugs laid out in front of me.

As I had done for Lumina’s, I cooled their nastily warm ale.

「What’s this!? Incredible! 」

「It tastes so much better when it’s cold….. 」

We gulped down the ale along with the food we’ve been served.

The ale was easier to quaff down now. And was speedily consumed.

Two hours elapsed and we were all ready to turn in for the night, and Milka drunkenly proposed.

「Touya! You should tag along everytime! And chill the ale for me! 」

As for the jovial Lumina, she held me in a headlock. I can’t help but laugh at her recklessness.

After a while the group disbanded, with everyone staggering to their rooms.

I was out the moment my face hit the pillow, one of the results of the heavy drinking I had done.

The bright light from the morning sun entering through the window woke me up and the other effect of heavy drinking, a hangover, came into effect, making my head ring in pain. I slowly and tenderly got up from the bed and cast two magic spells on myself: Detoxification Spell to cure my hangover and Body Cleanse as a form of a bath.

Body Cleanse is the only form of bathing known in this world, and is a life magic that anyone with the smallest amount of magic can perform.

「This magic is useful, but it’s not a bath……. I can’t wait to get home……」

I went down for breakfast and chose to explore the city since it was a free day.

None of my drinking buddies from last night woke up for breakfast.

I silently laughed when I remembered last night. I told the innkeeper that I am going out in case anybody comes looking for me and I left the inn.

The city of Dumbler is significantly smaller than Fendi, with a population of only three thousand. It is a trading post between the city of Fendi and the southern city.

I walk around the city, admiring the different products on display on the stalls. They have the same signage as in the streets of Fendi and the Adventurer’s Guild’s symbol of a shield and sword came into view.

I don’t intend on accepting any requests, but curiosity of what kind of requests they have listed got the best of me and I went inside.

The internal structure of the guild is identical to the

Fendi branch but smaller in size.

It is filled with adventurers looking to take early morning requests. I leisurely look at requests posted on the bulletin board.

As expected, since the forest is right next door, the main requests are focused on material gathering and escorts. Young low-ranked adventurers in front of me are also examining the requests.

「What’s wrong? Are you lost? 」

「Oniichan you’re a Recovery Priest, right…? My sister is not well. But I need money to help her. I don’t know whom to ask…… 」

I pat the boy’s head as he asks me for a favour with tears in his eyes.

「— I understand. I’ll help you. Can you lead me to your sister? 」

「What?  Really!? 」

I stood up, smiled and nodded, and the boy wiped his tears away and gave me a big smile.

But suddenly he grabbed my arm and shrunk behind me.

「Oi oi, don’t be dealing with slum brats in here. And you – you don’t look familiar, you new? 」

When I turned to face the owner of the voice, and the source of discomfort that has made the boy take cover in my shadow, there stood a trio of mean-looking adventurers.