Silent Lady

Renato swung his newly acquired sword, reluctant to put it down. It was both the tool he earned his living with and one of the few pleasures he had at the moment.

The blade had no ostentatious decorations. Its overall design followed that of a traditional human two-handed sword, with everything serving the sole purpose of practical combat.

A practical aesthetic with a distinctly human touch. Renato liked it.

Watching the pale blue-green sheen ripple over the blade in the sunlight, Renato decided to give it a name-"Silent Lady."

The name did not come from any strange sense of humor. As an utterly unremarkable sword that had spent so long tucked away in a corner, he thought the name suited it quite well.

Despite Oliver's low opinion of it, Renato thought the sword was almost perfect.

"Harder than mithral or steel weapons, tougher and lighter than adamantine or steel weapons, and cheaper than adamantine or mithral weapons. Aside from not being enchanted, it's practically the perfect weapon!"

"A fine sword like this, left gathering dust in a corner for so long because those Eryl couldn't recognize its worth."

After adjusting the shoulder strap, Renato slung the Silent Lady across his back and took out a bottle of healing potion.

It was a "free gift." Remembering Oliver's expression, as though he had swallowed a fly, Renato could not help being amused.

He swallowed the clear brown liquid. It tasted like harsh liquor, leaving a lingering bitterness on his tongue.

The taste was certainly awful. Hopefully, its healing effects would not disappoint.

Brekka Town was as noisy as ever. The four adventurers' return caused no stir, and One-Eyed Holly was still calling out jobs in the square.

Several intact deer hides and foul-smelling entrails hung from wooden racks beside the road. The unpleasant smell did nothing to dampen Renato's appetite, and he headed to a familiar tavern.

The Last Cup was the tavern Renato frequented most, and usually where he went to pick up news.

There were few people inside. He picked a seat at random and called the owner over to order.

"Made some money again, young master? What'll you have?"

The owner, Gane, ran the little establishment alone. Though his beard had turned white, he remained as sturdy as any young man.

"What have you got right now? Just so we're clear, I only eat hot food. Don't try to pass off leftovers on me."

Renato ordered a serving of stew, two boiled eggs, and a piece of white bread.

He did not order any ale. Renato struggled to consider that slightly sour, cloudy liquid a beverage. When he first arrived, even the waterskin he bought in Brekka Town had contained small beer. He had been baffled at the time. Did people here not drink water?

The only utensil was a spoon, while the white bread served as a bowl.

Renato spooned the broth into the bread.

The broth was warm and fragrant with fat. Several unfamiliar vegetables had been stewed until soft, releasing their natural sweetness, while chunks of salt-cured meat gave the broth a distinctive flavor.

Well worth the ten copper coins, Renato thought, thoroughly satisfied.

Although he had failed to rein in his spending and blown all five gold coins he had just earned, Renato still intended to treat himself. The city's bathhouse was out of reach now, but a good meal was still affordable.

Despite the simple seasoning-nothing more than a little salt-the food whetted Renato's appetite. He had never imagined he could find such satisfaction in so simple a meal.

As he ate, he could not help recalling his old eating habits-fast food, intensely flavored seasonings, heaps of spices...

By comparison, this simple yet warm meal left him surprisingly moved.

Renato fished the chunks of turnip from the bottom of the pot and ate them along with the white bread that had served as his bowl.

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, Renato decided to visit the nearby vendors and sell off all his unnecessary odds and ends.

After paying sixty copper coins for his lodging at the front desk, Renato returned to his room at the inn.

It was time for his daily bookkeeping again. He emptied his coin pouch and counted the coins one by one.

"The shortsword sold for one silver and fifteen copper. The silver ring was too light, and the workmanship wasn't great either, so it only fetched one silver. That lousy dagger sold for thirty-two copper..."

Including Martha's "voluntary donation," Renato now had ten silver coins and ninety-seven copper coins.

This isn't nearly enough to spend the winter in the city, Renato calculated. And I still need to buy a book about monsters. The memories from my noble upbringing contain only limited knowledge of adventuring. What the original owner knew is starting to fall short.

I need to keep making money, and not just to stay alive. At a thought, the Adventurer's Guide appeared, and Renato examined his panel.

[Character]

Renato de Fernando

Race: Human

Class: Champion Warrior level 4 (515/1000), Chosen of Dakoul level 1 (30/?)

HP: 51/51

Strength: 14

Constitution: 13

Dexterity: 14

Perception: 15

Intelligence: 11

Resolve: 15

Feats: Heavy armor proficiency, martial weapon proficiency, sword specialization, darkvision, Mind Over Body

Skills: Religious knowledge level 6, historical knowledge level 4, linguistics level 4, group tactics level 3, riding level 2

Remembering the two feats he had acquired, Renato still could not help feeling excited.

Darkvision lets me see everything within 120 feet in darkness as clearly as in daylight. Even in a completely lightless cave, I can make out the Giant Spiders on the ceiling.

And Mind Over Body speaks for itself. After three days of trekking and several brushes with death, with my nerves stretched taut the whole time, I still had the energy to haggle at the magic shop and sell off odds and ends when I got back...

Although the original owner had witnessed plenty of spells and divine magic in his memories, Renato still felt exhilarated when supernatural power truly became his own.

Amid his excitement, he began planning for the future.

I'll have to keep adventuring, not just to earn money for food, but also for the experience I'll need to level up later.

And experience seems to scale with the difficulty of the job itself, Renato thought, comparing this job with his previous ones. Most of the jobs I took from the guild before involved exploration or gathering. They weren't particularly dangerous in themselves. The main threats were unknown monsters and traps along the way...

I need to keep an eye out for jobs that offer this much experience. Leveling up takes more and more now. A few dozen points barely make a dent, nowhere near enough for a level. I need jobs that give more experience.

If nothing else works, I'll look for private jobs like this one.

Private jobs were commissions that did not go through the Adventurers' Guild, with payment made directly by the employer. The advantage was avoiding the guild's cut, leaving both sides better off. The disadvantage was the complete lack of guarantees; everything depended on the reputations of the two parties.

For most private jobs, withheld pay or being shortchanged counted as a relatively good outcome.

Private jobs were usually somewhat more reliable when arranged through an intermediary. Renato silently resolved to ask Little Finger and One-Eyed Holly about them tomorrow. It was time he started taking private jobs too.