A Commission

"What luck. Maybe I should start believing in the goddess too."

"Hey, kid, you've got so many secrets that even if you believed in the goddess, you wouldn't get into heaven."

Glenn chuckled.

As an accomplished warrior, he had noticed Galan's well-honed hands when they first met and realized that Galan was a seasoned warrior too.

Because of that slipup, Galan wore a pair of white gloves whenever he went out afterward, to keep his identity from being exposed.

Fortunately, there were few legends of the Shadow Warrior in the northern nations. He had mostly operated in secret in the central nations, so people here were unlikely to see through his identity. They would just think he was a strange man who had given up being a perfectly good warrior to become an apothecary, though it might also be a personal interest.

But what Galan truly feared was the organization discovering he was still around, and the peaceful life he now had disappearing forever.

Maybe there are still people who recognize this face of mine.

Heaven knew what might happen in the future.

And with Lia at his side now, it seemed he had one more burden on his mind.

Maybe I really shouldn't have taken her in that day. My sympathy really got the better of me...

"That goddess really is heartless... So, how many are you here to buy this time?"

"Hmm—"

Glenn crouched down and looked carefully at the bottles of potion.

"I've got complete confidence in your craftsmanship. How about ten bottles for twelve Shtrel Silver Coins?"

"Throw in another twenty copper coins."

"We're old friends. Can't you give me a discount?"

"It's precisely because it's you that I'm offering this price."

Glenn smiled and didn't argue further. He knew Galan's habits well, and the potions really were worth the price.

"Thanks for your patronage. The goddess will surely bless you."

He took the coins Glenn handed him and merely weighed them in his hand. Their solid feel was enough to warm his heart.

It felt wonderful to have money.

"Oh, right. Since you're here, I have a commission I'd like to ask you to take."

"Huh? You're actually putting out a commission?"

Galan was a little surprised. A professional adventurer whose job was to deal with all sorts of trouble was looking for someone to take a commission?

"Because it has to do with my injury."

He pointed to the bandaged part of his right arm.

"A demon who was skilled with poison left me this wound. What a troublesome fellow. I managed to stop the poison from spreading, but now I can't even lift my sword."

He tried to draw the greatsword from his back with his right hand, but failed several times. It seemed the situation really was serious. No wonder he had used his left hand to get his money out earlier.

"But I'm just an apothecary. Shouldn't you be asking a cleric to analyze poison? I'm not good at detoxification."

Galan spread his hands, looking helpless.

It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but this was beyond his capabilities. Besides, detoxification was usually handled by clerics who used the goddess's magic.

"But none of the local clerics in Rogley can do anything about this poison. It would take more than ten days to reach the nearest metropolis, and I reckon my hand would be beyond saving by the time I got there. That's why I'm looking for someone to take the commission."

He took out a scroll and unfurled it in front of Galan.

"[Panacea of Ten Thousand Poisons], a universal antidote said to cure every poison. I paid a hefty sum to get this from a small village on the Northern Plateau. It should be able to deal with the poison in my arm."

When Galan heard that the scroll contained the method for making the [Panacea of Ten Thousand Poisons], his eyes lit up. The shiny coins in his hand instantly lost their appeal.

The supposedly all-purpose universal antidote really did exist. He had come across records of it while looking through ancient books, but he hadn't expected a formula created in the age of myth to have survived in the world.

"Looks like I really should start believing in the goddess. Your luck is downright frightening."

"Don't make fun of me. I'm about to lose my trusty right hand."

He gave a bitter smile, then asked with a serious expression,

"If you can make this potion for me, the formula will be your payment for the commission. How about it? I've already gathered most of the ingredients, but I've looked in many places and couldn't find any Red Mirror Flower or Sun-Moon Grass. You'll have to find a way to get those yourself."

"I do have some Sun-Moon Grass in my collection, but the Red Mirror Flower..."

Galan froze, then gave a bitter smile of his own. It sounded as though only one ingredient was missing, but the reality was not so simple.

"You really know how to give me a difficult task. That herb only grows near a Red Mirror Dragon's lair. To pick it, I'd have to face a dragon. It's not like I could tell it, 'I'm just here to pick an herb at your home, so let's stay out of each other's way,' could I? I'm not tired of living..."

Red Mirror Dragons were among the most vicious kinds of dragon, and their fearsome reputation was well known. An ordinary adventurer would be lucky to escape with their life after encountering one. Even setting aside how to find and pick the herb near its lair, escaping after picking it would be no easy task.

"I know it's difficult, but I really don't have any other choice now... Forget it, forget it. It's just one hand. I managed to defeat a Demon General, so it wasn't a bad trade."

Though Glenn said that, Galan could still sense his frustration and distress.

Anyone would feel dejected after losing their dominant hand in their prime. The hero had yet to reach his twilight years, but his ambition remained undiminished.

"There's nothing else, so I won't keep you from your business. I'll try my luck at the Adventurers' Guild later and see if I can find an experienced adventurer willing to take the job."

That was what he said, but they both knew that any experienced adventurer who hadn't drunk themselves senseless and still had their wits about them wouldn't take the commission.

These days, who would gamble with their life? The danger involved couldn't be measured in money.

But Glenn said it anyway, perhaps because he didn't want his old friend Galan to worry about him.

Come to think of it, he was very loyal to his companions. In the past, when he teamed up with others to hunt monsters, he would often brave danger to save teammates in dire straits. Many of his scars had come from saving people.

If someone like that couldn't get help when he was in trouble, his faith in the goddess would probably crumble too, wouldn't it?

The goddess really was unreliable. In the end, you had to rely on yourself.

"All right, all right. I'll take the commission."

Glenn had put away the potions he'd bought and had only taken a few steps when he heard Galan say that. He stopped in his tracks.

"Is that so?"

"Shouldn't you be a little happier? Throwing your arms around me and bawling your eyes out or something?"

"I'm Glenn, the [Black Sword]. How could I lose my composure like that?"

"Really? Then what about that time you got so drunk and clung to me, bawling your eyes out...?"

"Stop, stop. Honestly, I can't with you."

He turned around, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Looks like the goddess does favor me after all."

"I'm the one favoring you, Glenn. Don't forget to buy me a drink later. This time I'll drink you under the table again."