At the Adventurer’s Guild, I sat at a table near the counter, tilting a cup filled with homemade honey water.
Normally it would be mead, but since we’d be heading to the orphanage afterward, I couldn’t allow myself to get drunk. So, I watered it down heavily and adjusted the flavor.
Even so, today seemed unusually busy here.
On a normal day, acquaintances would come up to chat, or beastkin kids would shyly grip their tails while approaching me, but today I could quietly sip my honey water alone.
The reason was probably that. Turning my gaze toward the quest board, I saw it swarming with adventurers.
「Oh, you’re here, niichan.」
「Ah, it’s you.」
It was the guy who once smashed my potion.
We’d grown pretty close since then, to the point where we could drink together.
Honestly, among the men in this Adventurer’s Guild, he might be the one I get along with the best.
Ah, well, come to think of it, I never actually asked his name. Still, we’re pals.
「Strange to see you alone.」
「Mizera is meeting with the Guild Master, Aina and the others are off taking a quest. Wendy and Shiro stayed home and went shopping.」
「Oh-ho. So you’re just sitting quiet, having honey wine, huh?」
「Idiot, this is honey water. I don’t drink in the middle of the day.」
「Well, that’s uncharacteristically proper of you, niichan.」
The man dropped into the seat beside me, so I set out another cup and poured him some honey water. He gave me a small grin and a thanks before tipping it back.
「Ahh. Tastes good, but without alcohol it just feels lacking…」
「Drunkard. Don’t you have work after this?」
「Yeah… work. I’m swamped.」
This guy was an adventurer too. If I remember right… C-Rank?
He’d also been in charge of training newcomers, but apparently that ended recently.
He was the leader of a party of four, two men, two women, and it turned out both pairs were married couples.
Incidentally, they’d gotten married after that whole incident.
By then, we were already on good terms, but even his wife bowed her head to me in thanks, so to show it really wasn’t an issue, I gave them matching rings as a wedding gift.
This world does have the concept of wedding rings, but it’s mostly a custom of nobles and the upper class. Among adventurers, it’s not common.
So I told him about the tradition from my old world, then had him bring back the best ore he could find, and crafted the rings from that material.
「…Hm? What’s wrong? Staring at your ring like that… Hey, I paid for it, so don’t think about giving it back!」
I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the burly adventurer trying to hide his wedding ring like it was something precious, looking a little pathetic in the process.
And I sighed in exasperation, of course I didn’t want it back. I’d even refused payment since it was a gift, but they’d insisted on paying anyway.
「So, how’s it working out for you?」
「Great. Really great. Never thought marriage would actually help out in adventuring…」
What I’d given them was unmistakably a wedding ring.
But since they were adventurers, and since I was the one making it, of course it came with boosted abilities.
And because it was a wedding gift, I’d put some real effort into it.
『Ring of the Golden Winged Pair – Agility (Moderate increase), Defense (Moderate increase), Attack (Moderate increase), Paired Wings』
The Paired Wings effect meant that if the wearer’s partner was nearby, the other effects would increase further.
In other words, all three stats rose to a greater increase.
Naturally, I wouldn’t make something like this for just anyone. I’d only done it as a gift to a close friend.
His wife was apparently a vanguard too, and the two of them tore through the battlefield side by side.
The other married couple in their party sometimes looked at them with envy, but since the ring was costly and rare, I only told them I’d make a pair if they brought the materials themselves.
「Heh. Every day, y’know? My wife and I look at our rings and say, ‘We made it through another day.’ She tells me, ‘We’re lucky to have such a good friend.’ Really, thanks a lot!」
「I’ve heard it enough already… You’re drunk on honey wa… ah no, you’re drunk on your wife.」
How many times had I heard this now?
At this point, the sweetness of his bragging was cloying enough to make me feel sick, sweeter than the honey water itself.
He was running full speed down the road of happiness.
「So, where’s your wife now?」
「Oh, right there. At the quest board, fighting over the good jobs. Oh, looks like she just found one.」
His wife emerged from the crowd, holding a quest sheet high above her head despite some minor scrapes and bruises.
She looked like a seasoned housewife who had just snatched up her target item from a bargain bin and was making a swift retreat.
Afterward, she headed for the reception counter, where a long line had formed. The receptionist, flustered and nearly in tears, was struggling to keep up alone.
「Still, things look pretty hectic.」
「Well, that can’t be helped. The festival’s coming up soon. Merchants have to stock up more than usual, so we’re flooded with requests.」
「Festival?」
「Yeah. The biggest one in Einzheil.」
「Huh. Sounds like fun.」
I see…
So that’s why the whole city had been so noisy, it was because of the festival.
When I was a child, I used to agonize over what to buy with the little allowance I got for the festival. But once I became an adult, the chances to actually go grew fewer, and even though I had money, I hardly bought anything.
I rarely went at all, and fireworks were just something I’d glimpse, small and far away, through the train window.
「So, niichan, aren’t you doing anything for the festival?」
「No, I only just found out about it. It might be fun to try, but if it’s such a big festival, the stalls must already be decided, right?」
「Well, yeah. It’s big enough that even people from other countries and territories come to take part, so it’s probably all set. Shame though… your cooking has a good reputation, and I was looking forward to it.」
「Who told you that…」
As soon as I said it, I realized it must have been Aina and the others, but it was too late.
「Everyone at the Adventurer’s Guild knows. Sorte-san, Aina-san, and Renge-san are always bragging about it.」
「Ah… sorry…」
They must be telling the same stories over and over.
The listeners must be sick of it by now…
「It doesn’t bother anyone. Everyone just looks warmly at the three of them being so happy. But if you feel bad, then sometimes you should sit and quietly listen to my bragging too.」
「…Fine.」
So that’s where he was taking this.
But you know what? When he gets drunk, he repeats the same story three times a day.
At his worst, he’d start telling the same thing every time he got another drink.
And even when I told him, I’ve heard this already, he’d just say, ‘Shut up and listen’, and tell it again. And now he wants me to sit quietly through it?
「What are you two talking about?」
「Ah, welcome back, Mizera. Is the discussion finished?」
「Yes. It went smoothly.」
Mizera, still holding a stack of papers she had received, sat down in the seat beside me.
She had gotten more used to it by now, but in a guild full of intimidating men, she never strayed far from my side.
「Hey there, Mizera-chan. I’m just borrowing your lord for a bit.」
「Hello. Make sure you return him properly, okay?」
The two of them had gotten acquainted during our previous visits to the guild.
At first, she was a little afraid of him because he was a man, but each time I held her hand and stayed with her, she gradually got used to it. Now, finally, she could speak with him normally.
I felt like she had gotten along with him a little faster than she had with me… but I decided it was just my imagination.
Well, this guy always came over to talk whenever I showed up at the guild, and he had been the very first to use Mizera’s potions, after all.
「So, what were you talking about with the guild master? The receptionist looked ready to cry, running around trying to keep up all by herself.」
「Ara, I guess we caused trouble for her… But it was just about the deliveries.」
「Hm? Was there some problem? I used one today too, and the effect was perfect.」
「That’s not it. It’s just…」
「They told her Mizera’s potions have been selling so fast that they’re already gone. So from now on, they want her to increase the delivery numbers.」
Apparently today’s delivery wasn’t enough.
So she and the master had been discussing how much more she could provide in the future.
「Heh. That’s great news.」
「Of course. My Mizera is talented.」
「Stop it… I already know the reason. You did something, didn’t you, milord?」
「Hey now, that’s unfair. I really didn’t do anything this time.」
「But otherwise it doesn’t make sense. There’s no way mine would be selling more than yours.」
That was true.
I hadn’t made any deliveries today. Not that mine weren’t selling at all, but judging by the current sales trend, the guild figured they could wait until next time.
Meanwhile, Mizera’s stock needed to be increased.
「Well, if you think about it, this place is full of men. If the effect is the same, and the choice is between something made by a guy or something made by a beauty, they’ll pick the latter.」
「That’s right. If I were an adventurer, I’d choose the pretty girl’s potion too. Besides, mine are mass-produced with ‘Multi-Copy’. Mizera’s are carefully handmade one by one. Honestly, they could be sold at a higher price just for that.」
「Wait… so that’s the reason?」
Mizera gave us both a look of exasperation.
But she probably didn’t realize just how many people would want something simply because it was handmade by a beautiful woman.
「So it really is about appearances… I knew it. They aren’t judging me by my skill as an alchemist.」
「What’s wrong with that? The effect is the same, so don’t worry about it. You might not like it, but appearance is a kind of talent too. So just sell as many as you can without fretting over it.」
Looks are a kind of business skill too.
TN: Looks also differentiate you from a helpful gentleman to a stalking creep.
Even the receptionists at big companies are chosen for their appearance.
Making sure you don’t leave a bad impression, or giving the other person a better one, that’s a talent in its own right.
「Well, if you’re not satisfied, then work hard from now on and get recognized for your skill as well. And it just so happens that potion orders have increased. You’ll get plenty of practice.」
「Yes. Of course I’ll keep working hard. I even failed at making an accessory today… so I need to push myself more.」
「Oh, you’re making accessories too? Now that’s something to look forward to. But if you bring them to our place, people will be fighting over them.」
「That could happen. In that case, leave the selling to me. I’ll drive the price up for you.」
「Honestly… don’t joke around. I’ll sell them at the fair price.」
I wasn’t joking, though.
If people really would be fighting over them, then there’s no problem with raising the price a little.
Maybe an auction format would be best…
Of course, the money would all go to Mizera, but if we’re going to sell them, we might as well aim high… hmm.
「Milord. Don’t go plotting strange things.」
「…Yes.」
「That pause before you answered makes me uneasy…」
「Hahaha. Want some honey water?」
「Don’t laugh and blatantly change the subject… I’ll take some, though.」
I poured Mizera a glass of honey water and handed it to her, hiding behind a cheerful smile.
「You’ve got it rough, Mizera-chan.」
「…I’m getting used to it. Just a little.」
Mizera held her head with a complicated expression, while I kept smiling like nothing was wrong.
Before long, the man’s wife came over to drag him away, and I kept up that same smile until Aina and the others returned.
When Sorte and Renge finally came back, they told me my smile looked unnatural, and with that, we all headed off to the orphanage.
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