Chapter 3 - Information Gathering
I invited Via to have lunch together at the inn's diner. Dia also tagged along as a bonus. While we were waiting for our orders, I explained about the escort job to Via and asked if she could be my guide.
"I don't mind, but the elves will come here soon, right? I've been appointed as the village's goodwill ambassador to the elves. I'm afraid it will be causing trouble for everyone if I'm also absent at that time." (Via)
Now that she mentions it, the elves will come to this village. If both of us weren't present at that time, the elves might go back home without bartering anything. But the departure is still three days away. There will be no problem as long as the elves come before that.
Back then, the captain guy said that he would dispatch Mittor and several other elves within a few days. This could be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
"I am heading to Leanne Town in three days. Maybe the elves will come before that. If not, it's their fault." (Fell)
If possible, I'd like them to come while I'm here, but adventurer's work is also important, so it can't be helped. Let's hope that Mittor and the others come soon. Speaking of which, are they going to ride the beetles? The last time they came to get me, they were walking.
"How nice.... I want to go, too." (Dia)
Dia was talking to herself with a loud voice as she turned to the day after tomorrow.
Although she was talking to herself, it would be too pitiful if no one responds.
"You have guild work to do, right?" (Fell)
"Listen, Fell-chan. There's a system called paid vacation in my job. It's a dream system where you get paid even when you're absent!" (Dia)
The demon world has it too. I've heard that you can get 20 days off a year. I've never gotten any, though.
"Dia-chan. How much paid vacation do you have left?" (Via)
There is no reaction. The dream system doesn't seem to work indefinitely.
".... I got it. I will hold down the port while you two are away, so don't forget to bring back a souvenir for me, okay? Anything is fine. Though something expensive is preferable." (Dia)
First she said she didn't mind anything, but then demanded something expensive. Should I just pick up some random stone from Leanne Town? If I ask Via to turn it into some kind of magic tool, it can be counted as a proper souvenir.
"By the way, Via, what kind of place Leanne Town is?" (Lean)
Information gathering is fundamental. The presence or absence of information will greatly affect the planning and execution of strategy.
"Even if you ask me…. I don’t know how to explain it, so I'll just tell you everything I know." (Via)
According to Via, Leanne Town is a city belongs to Magic Country of Olin with a population of around 1000 people. There any many inns, stores, and blacksmith in this city because people who are heading to the west through the Boundary Forest or coming from the east through the Boundary Forest, always stop by to rest or to resupply their provision.
There are a lot of adventurers gathered for escort purposes so fights often break out. Even so, the security is quite good because there are many soldiers patrolling the city. Those who have caused problems will be apprehended immediately, so be careful. Why did she say it while staring at me?
The lord of Leanne Town is a noble who seems to be a fairly famous wizard. He and his first son have a good reputation among the citizens. On the contrary, his second son is famous for being good for nothing.
Olin is a country of magic supremacist, so even though the second son has been disowned, he is still treated like a noble due to his high magic power.
"Oh, I've also heard a lot of bad stories about this second son from a fellow guild receptionist over there." (Dia)
I don't want to get involved with someone like that. I want to get the job done as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. The best thing would be to receive a message that the nun is already on her way here. But in that case, I'll lose my job as an escort.
"That being said, this second son seems to spend most of his time in the royal capital. I don't think you will get involved with him." (Dia)
Yeah, I hope so.
When we were talking about this topic, Yato came with our orders.
"Thanks for waiting, ~nya." (Yato)
We stopped the discussion to enjoy our lunch.
Nia’s cooking is the best, after all. The elves' cooking is also delicious, but Nia's cooking is on another level. I wonder what kind of dish Nia will make using the ingredients that the elves will bring. I'm looking forward to it.
Having finished our lunch, we continued our discussion for another 30 minutes before they both left.
Dia said that she was free, but it seems she has some work to do ---- organizing documents or something. Meanwhile, Via left after saying she needed to clean the products. I also have an escort job in three days. Until then, I have to do something else to make money.
“Guess I will check the field.” (Fell)
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In the field, I saw the scarecrow golems fighting Big Worms and Big Moles.
Are scarecrows supposed to be this active? I thought their job is to stay on the spot to scare off the birds.
The villagers seem to be busy plowing their field with hoe and harvesting vegetables. Maybe those harvested vegetables will be used by Nia in her cooking. This gets me excited.
"Yo, Fell! It’s been a while. What's up today?"
One of the villagers stopped his work and approached me. It was the guy whose bucket and ladle were turned into a scarecrow golem without permission by my slimes.
"I'm here looking for work. Do you have anything for me?” (Fell)
"No, nothing. The scarecrow golems kill Big Worms and Big Moles in a blink of an eye, so even we barely have something to do anymore now."
The scarecrows seem to have taken away their job. This is a problem on its own way.
"I'm planning to open up the forest with the intention of expanding the fields a little as much as I have free time. Forest reclamation is also a job, but I can’t afford to pay someone to do it."
Forest reclamation? I can do it, but if it doesn't make money, I will pass.
"I will help you if you can pay me. Well, tell me if anything happens." (Fell)
“Got it.”
Now then, let's check my field. Maybe it's already too late, but if I don't see it with my own eyes, I might regret it even more.
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I’m still regretting it, after all. My borrowed field is in a terrible state --- a turf war. There is no honor in it. This is a do or die battle.
As far as I can see, the sunflower army has the upper hand. They're steadily expanding their territory. However, it seems arlaune and mandragora armies have formed an alliance. Now I'm not sure which side will come out as the winner. I just hope the lost side won't go into exile in someone else's field. I will be scolded by the owner.
There is also a matter with the beetle. He wants to make a round trip between this village and Elven Village on a regular basis. I'll be escorting the elves and humans to and from this village --- he said it enthusiastically.
Maybe he wants to run a business, too? Let's throw the whole matter at Mittor when he comes.
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I left the field while feeling mentally exhausted.
I borrowed the field to solve the food shortage in the demon world. However, nothing grows there can be eaten. Instead, they prefer to be the ones who eat. My plan to get sunflower seeds is failed as well. I want to rent another field and grow some proper vegetables. The ones that don't move, talk, or go war.
Speaking of which, what happened to the livestock I requested? I've been away for a few days and haven't heard anything since then. Maybe they will be here soon. This time, I will definitely handle it myself. I won't let my slimes interfere.
Where should I go next? By the way, the village square is kind of noisy since a while ago. I wonder what's going on there. Did the elves come? Let's go and see it.