When Romon woke again, it was already the next day. Climbing out of bed, he was somewhat surprised to find the weather so fine. 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 enjoying his free time.
The moment he saw Romon come downstairs, the middle-aged man raised his mug 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 mayor's residence. Rumor had it that he was related to the baron. That was only natural—important posts were always filled by the lord's relatives.
"Celebrate what?" Romon was slightly taken aback.
"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. "Celebrate the fact that I'll have another taxpayer in the future! Cheers!"
As he spoke, he took a large gulp of beer.
"Thank you, Mr. Bakasi," Romon said, his face flushing slightly.
"Have a drink. My treat. A little beer in the morning is good for your health!" Bakasi smiled as he pushed a mug toward Romon. "The lord should have heard the news today. A reward will surely come down, and then you'll be a rich man."
"Thank you. Cheers to your health." Romon accepted it and replied softly with a smile, lightly tapping the rim of his wooden mug against Bakasi's.
That calm demeanor made Bakasi narrow his eyes slightly. Romon nodded to him, then headed out the door. Naturally, he was going to the Temple again to wait for the Temple to convey the lord's decision.
"Oh, Romon, you did very well. Although I heard the news yesterday, I'm still very happy today," Miss Eileen said cheerfully.
"Miss Eileen, it is my honor," Romon said.
"Not bad, Romon, but I hear you still owe a considerable sum of money?" Priest Tennis glanced at him and said this.
"Yes, Priest Tennis. Last time, I borrowed 100 silver coins from the Guild, and I still owe another 50 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 it clear. Yet even the amount he had stated was no small sum.
"In that case, by tradition, non-warrior professionals are granted the full rights of a Free Citizen. But to become a Free Citizen, one must be free of debt. You must repay that 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 those present.
"Romon is already a Druid. Though it is a considerable sum, he should be able to repay it eventually, shouldn't he? Why not grant him full Free Citizen rights in advance?" Miss Eileen truly felt some sympathy for him. However, 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.
"Rules are rules and should not be broken. Especially not by us; we should be even clearer on that point. However, it isn't as though there's no solution. You could join our Temple!" Priest Tennis said, a glint flashing in his eyes.
Joining the Temple naturally came with decent benefits: ten silver coins in monthly wages. The old Romon might have agreed, but with the mind of a modern man, he knew this was no good thing. The priest before him was the manager of this Temple. If Romon became his subordinate, then any accusation could be fabricated against him.
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, which had barely brought the total up.
Thinking of this, Romon could not help but smile bitterly. For the moment, he could think of no solution. After being depressed 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 at present... However, I would like to study herbal knowledge under Apothecary Ansen."
"Mm, tending herbs is very hard work..." Hearing that he was unwilling to join the Temple, Priest Tennis showed a trace of disappointment and spoke with some hesitation.
Although the herb garden was within the Temple grounds, it did not belong entirely to the Temple. Its proceeds were shared with Ansen, and now that there would be one more person, he was naturally unwilling.
Romon bowed. "Priest Tennis, I am not afraid of hard work. I only wish to study under Mr. Ansen. I will live outside in the future. Of course, if there is ever a need, I would be more than 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, Priest Tennis hesitated before finally saying those words.
"Yes, Priest. Thank you very much." Romon's heart filled with joy as he bowed. "Then I shall take my leave."
Seeing that there was nothing more to say, Romon bowed deeply once again and withdrew.
Romon walked along in regret. The town was very small. If Priest Tennis wanted to make things difficult for him, the debt to Jefa could not be hidden. He would find out sooner or later, whether Romon tried to conceal it or not.
As long as the debt remained unpaid, Priest Tennis would have grounds to trouble him and delay issuing his real Free Citizen certificate and the documents permitting 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 hard for you!"
Even Fafier knew about Miss Eileen. Romon could not help sighing at how insensitive his former self had been. He said in frustration, "Then what should I do? I wanted to open a shop to make arrangements for Nick. Even if Nick is cured, there will be serious aftereffects. He won't be able to do strenuous physical labor, run quickly, or fight fiercely. Other than doing business, there is no other path for him."
After a pause, 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, his face full of helplessness. "Besides, if it's only 150 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 down the street. Romon and Fafier both felt somewhat awkward. They were only fifteen or sixteen, just young boys. How could they possibly come up with a solution so quickly?
Romon did have peaches, pears, and other fruits from his original world in his space, but unless it came to a life-or-death crisis, 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 bring a harvest. At three hundred kilograms of dried grass per mu, this plot would also yield three hundred kilograms. And the market price was one silver coin per kilogram!
Even if he sold it cheaply, he could still earn enough money. But tomorrow, he had to bring Nick home. Though most of Nick's treatment had been completed, some things could no longer be concealed. That would only worsen the blow to Nick's family.
"Come on. Let's go to the blacksmith first and pick up my sword. Then we'll go hunt in the forest to earn money and repay the debt!" Romon gritted his teeth and said.
"Romon, you're a Druid now. Isn't hunting for a living 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 cutting down trees or hunting animals. As long as it is necessary for survival. It may not be necessary for my survival now, but Nick's situation is close enough." Romon thought it over and reassured Fafier. "It's fine. We'll prepare all our equipment, bring Nick back, and then go hunting."
"Mm, since you've made up your mind, I have nothing more to say." Fafier nodded heavily. "Lately, I've also been reviewing some warrior techniques with the camp. If it really comes down to it, even if we have to fight Goblins, we'll do it."
Goblins were intelligent beings after all, and Bear Goblins were natural warriors. Taking down a lone one might be possible, but trying to make money that way would be gambling with their lives.
!!
Before you continue