Chapter 244
Chapter 244
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: Signs of Disaster? (4)
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It was impossible to refuse an item bestowed directly by the lord. That wouldn't be humility—it would be rudeness. In the end, I accepted the gleaming golden unicorn horn.
'A real headache.'
It was only natural. This golden unicorn horn was an item worth its weight in gold, but since it had been given to me personally by Lord Corin, I couldn't just sell it off somewhere....
That said, carrying it around on my back wasn't an option either. Of course, I didn't have to carry it—I could just store it in my subspace ring....
If I were a knight or a mage, there would be no greater honor. I'd have gone straight home and displayed it prominently where everyone could see it, admiring it every time people came and went. I could have bragged endlessly about how I'd saved Corin.
But I was a wandering druid. I couldn't exactly pull out the golden unicorn horn to show off to every person I met....
'What am I going to do with this?'
Carrying worries as heavy as the horn itself, we returned to the inn. The sun hadn't set yet. Before leaving Corin, we'd headed to the shopping district to pick up supplies we each needed, promising to return to the inn before dinner. Fortunately, Callisto didn't stick to me; she went off to collect our pay from the missions we'd done in Corin so far.
'It's been a while since I've moved alone.'
I bit into a skewer from the stall at the shopping district entrance—the same one I'd bought when I first arrived in Corin—and started walking. Let's see, what did I need?
First, I had to buy salt and other spices. I'd be cooking for myself until we reached the next city after leaving Corin. Salt, pepper, saffron, dried lemon, paprika powder, red yuzu juice, unfiltered pressed olive oil.... As I walked through the shopping district, I bought the necessities one by one and stored them in my subspace ring.
I also stocked up on basic chicken, duck, pork, and beef. I could get vegetables and grains from the Dimensional Garden, but meat was different—hunting might not always be feasible, so it was best to prepare in advance like this.
"Hmm, where was that offal shop again?"
Racking my brain, I headed to the monster byproducts shop near the blacksmith. It was time to offload the miscellaneous monster parts I'd collected so far. Most were from orcs, and while none were worth much individually, selling them all at once brought in a decent sum. Oh, I kept the magic stones separate since I had plans for them—I didn't sell those.
Emptying out my subspace ring and clearing away the useless junk felt refreshing. Even back when I played games, I had a habit of keeping my inventory neatly organized, and it seemed that habit had stuck with me. I couldn't stand having random clutter taking up space.
On top of that, I used the money from the byproducts to buy frequently used ingredients. A cocoon from a golden silkworm, a bundle of venom extracted from hornet stingers, a bottle of sleep moth powder, a few deep-sea lava stones. I planned to make arrowheads from the deep-sea lava stones. It would have been nice to get more, but having even a few was better than nothing.
Among other things, I bought roasted sunflower seeds for Pipi, dried buffalo tendons shaped like chews for Ayla, and a jar of jelly honeycomb as a treat for Legion. Then, with leisurely steps, I made my way back to the inn.
"Theodor-nim!"
Who I ran into in front of the inn was none other than Raben. The Sequoia Forest grew dark quickly, so the construction workers at the temple site, the guards, and Raben had returned to Corin before sunset. I raised my hand in greeting to Raben, who came running up excitedly.
"I'm so glad! I thought you'd already left...."
"We're setting off at sunrise tomorrow."
"Th-that's a relief.... Huff. Pant."
Raben caught her breath for a while, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and grinned.
"There's something I really need to ask of you, Theodor-nim...."
"A favor?"
"Yes. Whew.... Haah.... Could you spare a moment before you leave tomorrow?"
"....Sure. If it's before we head out."
"Thank you!"
Raben grabbed my hand tightly and beamed. What on earth could she want?
"Then, let's meet at the temple site as soon as the sun rises tomorrow."
"Got it, Raben."
"You have to come—absolutely!"
"Of course."
Raben thanked me repeatedly before leaving. And in the spot she vacated, El, Lloyd, and Callisto arrived one after another. El was carrying newly polished armor, Lloyd had something wrapped in black cloth (probably liquor—very strong liquor). And Callisto had a hefty money pouch from our mission payments tied to her waist.
We all gathered around the table and ate the last dinner the innkeeper prepared for us. The menu was the fried chicken I'd requested—simple yet hearty. It was like ordering chicken for a weekend evening.
-Crunch!
-Crisp!
The chicken, coated in salty batter and double-fried in clean oil, was straightforward but undeniably delicious. Dipping it in just salt sprinkled with a bit of pepper was enough to prove it. The only downside was the lack of pickled radish.
'At least there are pickles.'
I chewed on the tangy pickles brined solely in white vinegar—no sugar—and picked up another drumstick. The moist juices and tender meat melted gently on my tongue.
"Mm...."
Sometimes, simple dishes like this hit the spot. Oil, flour, meat—just those three ingredients produced this flavor. Guaranteed satisfaction, familiar yet always tempting!
'Proper sauce would make it even better....'
I always thought half-and-half was the way to go with chicken. No sauce, and it felt incomplete.... But making that mysterious sauce required quite a bit of effort. Starting with.... 'gochujang' or something.
'I could try making it if I have time.'
But time was the issue. If nothing happened until we reached the next city, it might be worth a shot.... Anyway, I'd think about that later. For now, focus on the food in front of me.
We devoured the fried chicken. We must have gone through nearly ten—no, twelve birds. El deserved most of the credit. I had two, Lloyd three, Callisto didn't touch the chicken, so the rest went to El.... Growing girls are scary, scary indeed.
Oh, Legion polished off one too, of course. But he didn't seem particularly interested in this 'simple' flavor and didn't beg for more. Like, 'I'll eat it if it's there.' Total gourmet now. Yeah, right.
"Ah, that hit the spot."
After downing the last mug of beer, I patted my full belly. Felt like a junk food binge, but not bad. These days happen.
With dinner done, I asked the innkeeper for three days' worth of packed lunches and settled the bill for lodging and meals so far. She was saddened by our departure and promised to put her all into those final lunches. I thanked her for everything and returned to my room.
"...."
It was quiet.
A far cry from the boisterous first night when I'd arrived in Corin, buzzing with excited mercenaries. It was hard to believe. It would take quite some time for Corin to get lively again.
I leaned by the window and gazed up at the night sky. Then, I methodically reviewed everything that had happened.
The reason for leaving Corin in such a hurry was simple.
Because I had a feeling the same thing was happening somewhere else.
The pattern so far made it clear. The Crows' movements had been nearly simultaneous. Even accounting for this pseudo-medieval land's standards.
Fortunately, we'd thwarted a few, but elsewhere, they might have already succeeded. I just didn't know about it yet.
So I needed to hurry and find the Fragment of the Origin God too. Given the events so far, the Crows might have gotten their hands on the remaining fragments first....
-Knock knock.
Lost in thought, I heard a knock at the door. What, not Callisto again? Bracing to chase her off, I opened the door.
"May I come in?"
It was Lloyd. Unexpected.
"Ah, Lloyd. Of course."
"Am I interrupting?"
"No, not at all. Come on in."
Lloyd entered slowly. As I'd guessed earlier, he carried a bottle of liquor. Whoa, that color looks potent already. Lloyd, your liver's really okay?
"I wanted to share a drink before we part...."
"Sure."
We sat facing each other with a small desk between us. Dark brown liquor—almost black—was poured into wooden cups. Mm, nice aroma. What was it made from? As I sniffed it, Lloyd tilted his cup first and spoke in a low voice.
"....I wanted to say thank you."
"Thank you?"
"Yeah. Everything you did here in Corin, Theodor...."
"Whoa, that's embarrassing."
"...."
At my quip, Lloyd smiled faintly and took another sip.
"Theodor."
"Yes."
"You're far more... than I thought."
Lloyd stared at his cup, lost in thought for a moment. Then.
"You're an amazing person."
"...."
"Like you're not even from this world."
Ouch. His unexpectedly on-point words left me speechless, and I gave an awkward smile.
"Sometimes I wonder."
"Hmm? About what?"
"What kind of person you are."
"...."
A brief silence fell. I noticed Lloyd's eyes sharpening.
"....Just an ordinary druid."
At my answer, Lloyd chuckled again, as if he knew everything.
"Yeah. You're a 'ordinary druid.'"
"And you're an ordinary swordsman."
"Honored."
Lloyd didn't pry further. Fortunately.... Or was it? I wasn't sure. It felt like he saw me as someone hiding something, deceiving him.... My heart grew heavy, and as I set down my cup, Lloyd refilled it and spoke softly.
"Someday, Theodor."
"...."
"I'd like to hear the tale of an ordinary druid."