The Former Knight Commander
The Guild was fairly quiet, as lunchtime had just passed. Most people were out hunting magic beasts.
"Velita, ma'am!"
"Ma'am? I'll have you know I may not look it, but I'm still in my vibrant forties."
Lyla strode over with plenty of energy. So the guild lady's name was Velita.
"More importantly, Lyla. What brings you here at this hour?"
Thud! Lyla silently pointed at someone.
"Hmm."
Velita's gaze landed on Ryude. Arnold had come along too, but he was still scared of her and kept his distance. He also didn't seem interested in getting caught up in the sharp tension between the women.
"Hurry up and give our Ryude his money back! Do you really want to snatch pocket change from a kid?!"
"Sigh. I had a feeling this would happen after I saw the two of you talking the other day."
Two days ago, Velita had watched the pair chatting. She didn't know the exact reason, but Lyla loved helping others. So she'd suspected this might happen, and sure enough, here they were.
"Kid."
"Yes?"
"Here."
A heavy money pouch flew through the air. Ryude caught it, unable to hide his surprise. He hadn't expected her to return it so willingly.
"Kid, curious why?"
"Stealing money doesn't need a reason!" Lyla protested on Ryude's behalf.
"It's fine, Lyla noona."
"N-noona?!"
The word "noona" made Lyla, who had been fired up, instantly go quiet.
"So, what's the reason?"
She was the former commander of the Imperial Knights and currently handled guild affairs. Any public-facing job like that made one's face well-known. The idea of someone like her skimming money was, by common sense, impossible. That's why he wanted to know the reason. Why she had done something like this.
Velita let out a small chuckle and opened her mouth.
"To get straight to the point, kid, I took a liking to you."
"Huh?"
What did liking him have to do with slashing the mana stone price? Still, since he'd decided to listen, he paid close attention to her words.
"Hunting magic beasts is a job where you risk your life. But someone has to do it. This world is always full of the threat of magic beasts."
Velita snorted and continued.
"But these days, young people don't even want to try. Well, with technological and civilizational advances, it's easier to pursue stable profits. And I get not wanting to throw away your own life. But still, someone has to do it, right? Kid, don't you think so too?"
It was a sudden question.
Uh... honestly, not really.
Until about two months ago, Ryude had been Korean. A completely ordinary person steeped in modern society. What leisure did someone like that have to think about others? As long as he could eat well and live well, that was enough. That's what he thought, but he nodded anyway.
"I don't think it's completely nonexistent. There's that place... what was it called? The academy? But that's the end of it. Talented people? If you look hard enough, they're everywhere. And even now, there are quite a few strong ones if you go looking."
Velita rested her chin on her hand and asked Ryude.
"Kid, what do you think when you look at the current mana stone prices?"
Mana stone prices. If an orc was worth a million won, that was honestly a total steal.
"Seems pretty good?"
"Right? It's because no one hunts magic beasts anymore that the prices shot up. Back in my day, it wasn't even half this much."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah."
"Then isn't it worth risking your life? It seems like you'd earn dozens of times more than a normal job."
"Oh ho, kid. You hit the nail on the head."
Velita continued her explanation.
"Like you said, kid, a lot of people tried. And a lot of them failed. But there were also quite a few who succeeded."
"Then shouldn't the mana stone prices drop again?"
"No, that's where the problem started. You probably heard from Lyla, but even an orc is difficult for an average person to handle. Only those with a certain level of talent can take one down alone. But as mana stone prices rose, people realized they could live comfortably just by hunting orcs. If you can live well just hunting orcs, who would risk their life to hunt higher-ranking magic beasts?"
Now that he heard it, it made sense. The collateral for magic beast hunting was none other than one's life.
"As a result, those with some talent stopped trying to improve and settled for what they had. That's how we ended up like this."
"...So that's why you only gave me ten percent?"
"That's right. Kid, there aren't many kids like you who show such promise from a young age. But if you get a taste for money this early and spend your life just hunting orcs, how much of that talent would go to waste?"
"............"
It was absurd, but it wasn't complete nonsense, which made it even more ridiculous. Still, that was that and this was this. He had every right to protest her skimming money.
"Ah, and as an apology, I added thirty percent more. Out of my own pocket, of course."
"Ma'am, you really are a kind-hearted person."
"Heh heh. Kid, I really like you."
Thirty percent interest over two months? He couldn't let that slide.
"Haah, the young ones are bad enough, but the so-called big shots in the Empire are a problem too. Every last one of them goes crazy over protecting their own honor instead of having any sense of justice."
Velita muttered to herself. People who reached a certain level were bound to be praised. Naturally, that would fuel their desire for fame. It was a desire no human could ignore.
She's overflowing with a sense of justice.
It seemed she hadn't become knight commander for nothing. She really must have spent her whole life hunting magic beasts to help others.
That's when something caught his eye.
A prosthetic?
He'd known for a while that her right arm looked unnatural. But since he hadn't been particularly interested, he hadn't looked closely. Now that he was paying attention, he could see her right arm was made of metal. Only now did he understand why she shouted about justice but never stepped forward herself.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing."
The conversation seemed to be over. But she still had something to say, judging by the smile on her face.
"More importantly, what are you going to do now, kid?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going to keep living off hunting orcs?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. How can anyone know their own future?"
"Heh heh. Every time I see you, I like you more."
Still, he did have a set goal.
"For now, I'm thinking of going to the academy."
"Oh ho?"
Through Lyla's words, Ryude had realized he possessed quite a bit of talent. In that case, it was definitely worth going. Once there, he'd have far more opportunities than he did now.
"So until the year after next, I'll build up my strength—"
"Hm? The year after next? Why wait that long?"
"They said the academy admission age is sixteen. I'm fourteen right now."
"Come on, what difference does one more year make for a little brat? Just go next year."
"Huh?"
It was awkward to say, but who was she to be telling him that?
"I'll put in a word with the academy. Anyway, go next year. Got it?"
"Uh... yes."
Ah, right. She was the former knight commander. But was it really okay for her to do this?
"Oh, that's right. Kid. What's your name?"
"Ryude."
"Alright, Ryude. Live diligently. But don't overdo it."
"Yes, I will."
And so, somehow, the conversation wrapped up nicely.
"Whoa. Our Ryude became rich in one go?"
"I guess so."
Ryude peered into the money pouch. There were a ridiculous number of silver and copper coins. By his estimate, it was easily worth more than one gold coin. In other words, ten million won. It wasn't an insane amount, but for a fourteen-year-old, it was an enormous sum.
"Lyla noona, Arnold hyung."
"Yeah?"
"What is it?"
"Want to eat something delicious for dinner tonight? My treat."
"H-huh?!"
"Uh......"
The two looked at each other. Then they immediately waved their hands in refusal.
"N-no, it's fine!"
"R-really, Ryude. Save it for yourself."
Their expressions clearly said they couldn't possibly take anything from a kid like him.
Hmm.
If it weren't for these two, he never would have thought about going to the academy, and he wouldn't have earned this much money either. Ryude really wanted to repay them.
Just then, he spotted a shop. Fresh seafood stood out.
"Oh, they sell king crab over there. Want to try that?"
"K-king crab?!"
The two gulped audibly. They were veteran magic beast hunters, after all. But recently they'd moved, bought new equipment, and paid Arnold's hospital bills, so they were completely broke.
Ryude smiled gently to put them at ease.
"I was actually craving it too. Please eat with me."
"............"
The two weighed their conscience against their appetite. Their conscience was slightly heavier, but it was hard to refuse when he put it like that.
Grab! Lyla tightly clasped both of Ryude's hands.
"I'll definitely pay you back once I earn some money!"
"Come on, you don't have to."
And so the three of them sat together and enjoyed a very delicious king crab feast in a cheerful atmosphere.
Time passed, and winter arrived. It had been roughly five months since he'd come to this world. Those five months here had felt incredibly long.
"She didn't show up again today."
Even Ryude found it strange, but despite being able to earn a lot of money, he made sure to do volunteer work once a week. It felt like a substitute for a day off. After all, he didn't have anything else to do on his rest days.
But starting a month ago, the person he'd seen every day stopped appearing. The four-dimensional nun, Sheryl. She was someone who came to volunteer every single day. Yet as time went on, her visits grew less frequent, and now she didn't show up at all.
"I thought at least we'd be able to say goodbye."
He was planning to go to the academy next year. Well, if he failed he'd come back, but still.
"Everyone has their own circumstances, I suppose."
Today was his last volunteer activity. He needed to start preparing for the academy entrance exam. Even though it had been a bit of a hassle, he'd grown rather fond of her. Talking with her had been quite enjoyable.
With that, Ryude left the church. Somehow, the church without her felt empty. Although their meeting hadn't been by choice, having someone to talk to hadn't been bad at all. But with this, the link of volunteer work that had connected them was severed. This was probably the end of their connection.
"Sigh, it's not even really a farewell."
It had only been a few months. And even that relationship had relied on her goodwill.
"She'll live well, I'm sure."
She would meet many more people and form good relationships in the future. To her, he was probably just a passing acquaintance.
"Let's go hunt some magic beasts."
Ryude offered a word of thanks to the woman who had shown him a place where he could rest his mind, even if only briefly, and walked on. When he arrived at the stream, his eyes met someone lighting a campfire there.
A young-looking woman. She didn't seem much older than him. Her first words were:
"What are you looking at?"
She seemed to have a terrible personality.