“I wonder if those kids will be okay.”
“Is there something to worry about?”
“A bit. Those kids are just rookies, but they took a quest for wolf slaying. That’s why I’m a bit concerned.”
“What’s their rank?”
“They just joined the other day, so they’re still rank F. Apparently they can handle wolves, though.”
“Then shouldn’t they be fine?”
“Yes, but this time they’re going a bit out of the way, so I’m a little worried.”
“But it’s just wolves.”
“It seems that a large pack’s been seen too near one of the neighboring villages, so they put in a quest. It’s not much, but there’s a reward, so the kids chose to go.”
I understood her concern, but if they’d defeated wolves before, they should be fine. That’s how it was in the game, too. Fighting multiple opponents at once was the secret to efficiency.
“Well then, Miss Yuna, did you come in to look at the quests?”
“There weren’t any interesting ones, so I’m heading home.”
“Interesting ones…that’s not normally way people prioritize quests.”
Helen seemed appalled.
I was still bored the following day. Quests didn’t vary much within the span of one or two days. The weather was nice, so I thought about taking a stroll with Kumayuru and Kumakyu.
“Fina, let’s go for a walk!”
That was the first thing I said to her when she came in for work.
“But why do you want to do that all of a sudden?”
“I’ve got some time on my hands, so I thought I’d go for a walk with the bears. I was hoping you’d come with, Fina.”
“But what about my work?”
“You get the day off!”
“Boo…”
“You can take some wolf meat back with you.”
That sealed the deal.
“So then where are we going, Yuna?”
“I was thinking we could go to a village I’ve been to before, but let’s grab some souvenirs to bring with us first.”
I took Fina shopping before we left town. We were going to the village whose boar problem I’d solved. Marie’s baby should have been due soon. I wanted to get her a baby shower gift.
“Hey mister, I’ll take all of that fruit, please.”
I bought out all of the vendor’s oran.
“Um, are you sure about buying all of them, bear girl?”
“If me taking all of them would cause trouble, just give me however many I can buy.”
“I don’t really mind, but what are you going to do with them all?”
“They’re just going to be a little gift.”
Since we’d come to an agreement, I put the box of orans into bear storage. After that, I went around to a couple shops, bought some things that seemed like they would be hard to get ahold of in the village, and headed out of town.
Extra Story:
The Rookie Adventurers
Part Two
WITH ME RIDING KUMAYURU and Fina riding Kumakyu, we left Crimonia and ran across the plains. The weather was good—perfect for a walk. Then again, if anyone saw us, they’d probably tell me to double-check what “walk” means in a dictionary. After a while, I spotted a familiar forest. As long as I used my map skill, we wouldn’t get lost. The village came into view after a few minutes on bearback.
The barrier I’d created was looking good. As we got closer, I found Bogue guarding the same village entrance he had last time.
“Lady Yuna?!”
For a second I thought there was something weird about his tone, but I was sure I was just mishearing things.
“Long time no see! Has Marie had her baby yet?”
“Yes, ma’am, a healthy baby boy.”
I was glad she hadn’t had any complications.
“Lady Yuna, hast ye come to bless us with an inquiry?”
Alright, maybe I wasn’t mishearing…maybe he was just a goon.
“And who might that white bear and girl o’er yonder be?”
Right, I thought, he didn’t know about Kumakyu.
“This is one of my bears too, so relax. The girl’s Fina. She was free, so I had her come with me on a walk.”
Fina bobbed her head and introduced herself.
“I want to visit Brandaugh and Marie, so can I go into the village?”
“Yes, of course. However, aforeward, may I bid ye visit the village chief?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you very much.”
Since explaining how summons worked to the villagers would have been a pain, I decided not to send the bears home. Since they stood out as much as anybody would expect them to, the kids obviously started gathering as soon as we came through the gates—and the adults, too.
I kind of felt like they were making a big deal out of this.
“Yuna…”
It looked like Fina wasn’t really sure what to do about the kids that were coming up to us. Bogue told the kids not to get too close; they seemed disappointed as they filed away. Uhh, I thought, I guess I’d have to play with them later or something.
The chief must have noticed the commotion, because by the time we turned up at his house he was outside waiting for us.
“What in the world is going on?” he said, before noticing me. “Lady Yuna!”
Okay, so the goon-speak was contagious.
“What has brought you to our neck of the woods?”
“I had some time to kill, so I just went on a walk. Also, I was wondering whether Marie might’ve had her baby by now.”
“Yes, a healthy baby boy.”
“Yeah, I heard from Bogue. That’s great. I brought gifts, so make sure everyone in the village shares them.”
“You have brought us tidings? We are glad, but we have naught to give in thanks, Lady Yuna.”
I hoped there was something wrong with my ears.
“Umm, so what’s up with you calling me Lady Yuna?”
“Why, it’s because you’re the savior of the village, of course. We cannot thank you enough for the wall that you put up; it’s protecting our crops from the other animals.”
“I get why you’re doing it, but please don’t call me a Lady. I’m not that big of a deal.”
“But…”
“If you don’t, I’ll smash the walls,” I made myself sound really serious.
“Well…fine. Then
