A Small Banquet (Part 2)

When Romon woke again, it was already the next day. Climbing out of bed, he was somewhat surprised to find that the weather was excellent. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and a gentle breeze brushed past, lifting his spirits.

After taking a few steps down to the inn's ground floor, Romon glanced around and realized it was at least eight in the morning. There was only one middle-aged man in the inn, reclining in a wooden chair with a mug of beer in hand, leisurely savoring his idle time.

The moment he saw Romon come downstairs, the middle-aged man raised his cup in greeting. "Hey! Romon, I heard you became a Druid yesterday. That's worth celebrating!"

This middle-aged man was Bakasi, the tax officer at the town lord's manor. It was said that he was the Baron's relative. That was only natural—important positions were always held by the lord's relatives.

"Celebrate what?" Romon paused slightly.

"Hey, you're only fifteen, right? And you've already become a Druid. Your deeds have spread throughout the entire territory! Hahaha!" Tax Officer Bakasi said in an exaggerated tone. "Cheers to my gaining another taxpayer in the future! Bottoms up!"

As he spoke, he took a huge gulp of beer.

"Thank you, Mr. Bakasi!" Romon said, his face faintly red.

"Have a drink. It's on me. A little beer in the morning is good for your health!" Bakasi smiled as he pushed a mug of beer toward Romon. "The lord should hear the news today. There'll be a reward, and then you'll be a rich man."

"Thank you. To your health!" Romon took it, replying softly with a smile as he gently tapped the rim of his wooden cup against Bakasi's.

That calm demeanor made Bakasi narrow his eyes slightly. Romon nodded to him, then went out the door, naturally heading once more to the temple to await the lord's message conveyed through it.

"Oh, Romon, you did very well. Though I already learned the news yesterday, I'm still very happy today," Miss Eileen said brightly.

"Miss Eileen, it is my honor," Romon said.

"Not bad, Romon, but I hear you still owe a large sum of money?" Priest Tennis glanced at him and said this.

"Yes, Lord Priest Tennis. Last time, I owed the guild one hundred silver coins, and I still owe fifty silver coins here and there." After hesitating, Romon added, "I also owe Master Jefa some money."

This was not exactly a lie; he simply had not made things clear. Yet even the amount he had stated was no small sum.

"In that case, according to tradition, non-warrior professionals are granted the full rights of Free Citizens. But to become a Free Citizen, one must be free of debt. You must repay this money before you can receive the lord's recognition!" A trace of smugness appeared on Priest Tennis's face.

Romon could only fall silent, his gaze flicking over the people present.

"Romon is already a Druid. It may be a considerable sum, but he can repay it eventually, can't he? Why not grant him the full rights of a Free Citizen in advance?" Miss Eileen could not bear it after all, but she could not possibly take out such a large sum for no reason and give it to Romon—it was no small amount even to her.

"These are the rules. They should not be broken, especially not by us; we should be all the more clear about them. Still, it isn't as though there's no solution. You can become a member of our Temple!" Priest Tennis said, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Becoming a Temple member naturally came with decent benefits: ten silver coins in monthly wages. The old Romon might well have agreed, but with the mind of a modern man, he knew it was no good thing. The priest before him was the manager of this Temple. If Romon became his subordinate, then if someone wanted to condemn him, would they ever lack a pretext?

Yet Romon's current assets did not even amount to fifty silver coins. That included the gold coin he had happened to obtain outside the Temple last time, merely enough to scrape together the sum.

Thinking of this, Romon could not help smiling bitterly. For the moment, he could think of no solution. After brooding for a while, he could only answer respectfully, "I have already promised Master Jefa that I would become his student, so I cannot work at the Temple for now... However, I would like to study the knowledge of herbs under Apothecary Ansen."

"Mm, tending herbs can be very arduous..." Hearing that he was unwilling to join the Temple, Priest Tennis revealed a trace of disappointment and spoke with some hesitation.

Although the herb garden lay within the Temple grounds, it did not wholly belong to the Temple. Its proceeds were shared with Ansen. Now that another person was being added, naturally he was unwilling.

Romon bowed and said, "Priest Tennis, I am not afraid of hardship. Besides, I only wish to study under Mr. Ansen. I will live outside afterward. Of course, if there is ever a need in the future, I would be very willing to serve the Goddess and the church."

"Then starting tomorrow, you may come to the Temple and study under Ansen." Feeling Miss Eileen's gaze upon him, Priest Tennis hesitated before finally saying those words.

"Yes, Lord Priest. Thank you very much." Romon's heart brimmed with joy as he bowed. "Then I shall take my leave."

Seeing that there was nothing more to say, Romon bowed deeply once more and withdrew.

Romon walked along with great regret. The town was small. If Priest Tennis wanted to make things difficult for him, there was no way to hide the money owed to Jefa forever; sooner or later, it would become known. Even if he tried to conceal it, it would be the same.

As long as he did not repay the debt, Priest Tennis would have a reason to make trouble for him and delay issuing his proper Free Citizen certificate and the documents allowing him to open a shop.

"Romon, how did it go?" Not long after he left the Temple, Fafier arrived.

Romon did not hide anything and told him everything. After hearing it, Fafier's face darkened. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Priest Tennis once pursued Baron Rokas's eldest daughter in town, but failed. Now he's pursuing the second daughter, Miss Eileen. Everyone knows that. You used to be close to Miss Eileen, so he became jealous. This time, he's deliberately making things difficult for you!"

Even Fafier knew about Miss Eileen's situation. Romon could not help sighing over how insensitive his former self had been. Somewhat vexed, he said, "Then what should we do? I wanted to open a shop for Nick's sake. Even if Nick recovers, there will be serious aftereffects. Strenuous physical labor, running fast, fierce combat—none of it will be possible. Other than doing business, there's no other path."

After pausing, he added, "I dragged him into this."

"Ah, this isn't your fault. If you hadn't paid for Nick, he would have died." Fafier let out a long sigh, helplessness written across his face. "And if it's only one hundred and fifty silver coins, I think you'll gather it soon enough! When all is said and done, you're the one who has given more!"

The three fell silent for a time as they walked quietly along the street. Romon and Fafier both felt somewhat awkward. They were only fifteen or sixteen, merely youths in the springtime of life. How could they think of a solution so quickly?

Romon did have some peaches, pears, and other fruits from his original world in his space, but unless it was a matter of life and death, he could not sell them. New varieties of plants appearing in this world would itself be a major event.

As for the Bluegrass he had planted, another three and a half months would see a harvest. At three hundred kilograms of dried grass per acre, this acre could also yield three hundred kilograms. And the market price was one silver coin per kilogram!

Even if it sold for less, he could still earn enough money. But tomorrow, he had to bring Nick home. By then, although Nick would be mostly healed, some things could no longer be concealed. That would be a blow upon snow for Nick's family.

"Come on. Let's go to the blacksmith first and pick up my sword. Then we'll go into the forest and hunt wild game to earn money and repay the debt!" Romon said through gritted teeth.

"Romon, you're a Druid now. Isn't specializing in hunting a little..." Fafier had also heard some rumors about Druids. Generally speaking, Druids did not hunt animals for profit.

"Druids are not completely forbidden from felling trees or hunting animals. As long as it is necessary for survival. Though it isn't necessary for my survival now, Nick's situation is more or less the same." Romon thought for a moment, then reassured Fafier. "It's fine. We'll prepare all our equipment, bring Nick home, and then go hunting."

"Mm, since you've made up your mind, I have nothing more to say." Fafier nodded heavily. "Recently, I've also been reviewing some warrior techniques with the camp. If it truly comes to the worst, even if we have to fight Goblins, we'll do it."

Goblins were intelligent lifeforms after all, and Bear Goblins were natural warriors. They might be able to handle a lone one, but if they truly wanted to make money that way, they would be gambling with their lives.

!!