After having prepared everything for our departure, I suddenly noticed that Ryoku was gone.

Eh? Huh? Do you know where Ryoku is?

No? Wont he come runnin as soon as you call him anyway?

Hell come running if I call him, sure, or rather, its kinda unthinkable for me that hes wandered off somewhere on his own accord.

Just as I thought that, he stealthily showed his face from the roof.

Oh, Ryoku! Why are you in such a place?

Umm, I

Huh?

Did some kind of basic function trigger?

i ReCEiveD a reQuEsT frOM ThE pHArmaCy gRANnY

What was that!?

After exchanging a look with Sword, Ryoku and I turned on the optical camouflage, and headed to the pharmacy like that with Sword probably unable to see either of us. On the way, I explained to him that the guild had told me to not get involved with them since it had actually been a regular request.

I see. Already wondered why it was so low payin. A time limit for a gatherin quest is weird, too.

Her exclusive adventurer should have resumed after getting over her injuries, so things should be over with this

Once we arrived at grannys place, Ryoku drew close to her.

Oh, I see, you called her over, havent you? Youre a smart boy. She stroked Ryoku.

Wait a sec!! Why do you get attached to people other than me!?

I heard from Ryoku that he accepted a request or something like that

Thats right.

Wait a moment, the guild told me to not accept any requests from you. You have your very own adventurer working for you, dont you?

Its about that girl.

Unbelievably that girl had rushed out of the pharmacy to head deep into the forest to gather plants out of some feeling of rivalry with me even though it was well beyond her abilities.

Well, no need to worry then. The guild is going to put up a rescue request after the delivery time passes. If she comes back safely, all will be fine, and if not, theyll send someone to rescue her.

Granny shook her head with a sad look.

Huh? Isnt that how it works?

Looking at Sword, he frowned, In short, your tellin us to rescue her for free without goin through the guild?

Hmm? Whats this about?

When I tilted my head to the side in confusion, granny started to talk with a somewhat desperate tone, You can tell from looking, cant you? This place is where the penniless gather. That girl was also born and raised here. The reason why Im running a pharmacy over here is to treat the injuries and illnesses of those who dont have the money to buy healing potions. I have no problems with that. Rather, it makes me happy if my knowledge can be of use to others.

Granny sighed, I taught that girl all kinds of things as I wanted her to become like me, but she hated it. She rushed out, saying Ill become an adventurer and earn lots of money!. But you see, she lacks composure and is careless. Above all, with her slender arms and her not having the money to buy equipment, being an adventurer is asking too much. Thats why I put up a request to make her gather plants safely.

So that regular request was an expression of her kindness!

That meansI did something bad by having accepted it. But, that girl is misunderstanding! Adventurer isnt a job to earn lots of money, but an occupation to go on adventures!

Therefore, if that girl has to pay a fine because of that request Itd still be okay if she can pay it, but Id feel terrible if she fell into slavery because of it. But, even I dont have any significant savings to pay the fine for her. But, if its you, I can ask you to save her.

No, Im not that easy-going, you know?

Im sorry, but I dont feel like saving her. That girl is the typical type of person who returns good with evil. Id love to grant your wish, but since my feeling of not wanting to save her dominates, I have to turn you down this time.

Sword cast a sidelong glance at me.

Yep, You keepin somethin from me? is totally written on his face! Perceptive guys are unpopular!

As I feigned ignorance while facing Sword, granny took something out with a rustling.

This is a medicine of perpetual youth. Well, its just being called like that as its effect doesnt go that far, and it wont do much good unless you take it every day. Even so, it has the achievement of having healed people, who got afflicted by unknown illnesses, after making them take it.

My eyes flew wide open, and adrenaline rushed through my veins.

An effect of Reactive Oxygen removal!?

Haah? Sword immediately reacted.

Granny, whose face was somehow dyed with exhaustion, laughed.

Idiot! You dont know Reactive Oxygen? Its common knowledge! Reactive Oxygen, you see, was the reason for many of the human illnesses in the world I used to be. Its an extremely harmful component to humans! Oxygen is essential for the human body, but Oxygen also has some very harmful traits. If a body takes in too much Oxygen, itll turn into Reactive Oxygen. The Reactive Oxygen will then damage the cells in the human body-dy-dy-dy-dy.

I was violently shaken back and forth.

I got it~~~~! Alls fine now, so calm down!

I breathed in deeply.

I breathed out deeply.

Granny guffawed.

It sure sounds like Ive got your interest with this. So, are you going to take up the request?

Wait. Teach me the raw materials too. The material containing components with the highest removal effect I know of is the skin of Melons which can be harvested in big farming nations, but what would be the equivalent over here? Or are there any plants with an even higher effect-ect-ect-ect-ect.

Im being shaken again.

Dont get so riled up!

I breathed in deeply.

I breathed out deeply.

Got it, Ill accept the request. I answered clearly.

Youve definitely made a mistake with your job choice. You should have become a scholar and not an adventurer.

Hearing that remark, granny commented with a laugh, Shes young, so she can still choose her own way in life, cant she?

Certainly, she got a point there.

Well, you might be right about that, but I dont want to do this as a job. Its one of the things I can enjoy because its just a hobby. Besides, I havent adventured yet. You make sure to tell that girl that being an adventurer isnt about earning big money but about going on adventurers, once she comes back safely, okay?

This time Sword burst into laughter.

True, its just as she says. Theres a bunch of other good job for earnin lots of dough. You can tell her from me: If you cant come to terms with all the absurdity and irrationality, you wont get far. And if you cant cope with unreasonable violence and slander, your goin to barely manage to make a livin without ever makin any profit as adventurer.

Sword looks like hes making a good profit though? Is it some kind of scheme where hes making good money with some side job?

On the way to the destination of the request, he questioned me, as I had already expected would happen.

Hey, your hidin somethin from me, arent you?

Look, men shouldnt persistently interrogate women about their secrets! Besides, being somewhat thickheaded is the key for any popular guy!

When I jerked my head the other way with a huff, it earned me the usual grinding.

Aint no women round anyway. In the first place, Im not goin for bein popular!

Ou-Ou-Ouch. Its no major issue. I told you when we went to the pharmacy, didnt I? I accepted the request without knowing about it being regular.

So, you got in a fight or somethin?

It caused a tiny ruckus, but that got resolved without a hitch.

Ive been tellin you to expand on that tiny of yours!

Well, the person were going to rescue apparently disliked me having accepted the request on my own accord, and started making an uproar. Without listening to grannys soothing, she shouted something about me having deceived granny, resulting in some old blokes appearing from all over the place. Since they began to scream around after getting together, I called the authorities through the guild to help me by taking them in for being a nuisance to the neighborhood.

After becoming dumbstruck, Sword thundered at me, Hey! Dont hide somethin so important!!

Youre exaggerating, you know? The uproar died down when I gently stroked them a bit before things escalated, and the guild employee admitted his own blunder and apologized to me. However, he told me that itd be better for me to stay away from the pharmacy, and thus I planned to leave the town just like that. I had already found out what I wanted to know about the medicinal plants, and the compounding was finished as well. So I had just been going to granny because it was so much fun to discuss medicinal plants with her.

Sword opened his mouth, about to say something, but then closed it again. Then he caressed my head.

So? Your sayin were goin to rescue the one whos responsible for the uproar and your bein forbidden to go there again?

Yeah. For her to offer me this must mean that granny is dotting quite a bit on that girl. I showed him the medicine I got.

Though, youd be about the only person whod move a finger for that. That granny is quite cunnin when it comes to askin for things.

No kidding. I nodded.

When I looked at the medicine again, Sword laughed, If it holds such a big value for you, I spose theres worth doin a request you hate.

Pardon?

No, its not like you need to come with me though?

Once I turned him down, Sword looked at me with surprise written all over his face.

What are you talkin bout all of a sudden!?

Its nothing that unusual, is it?

Even during simple rescue missions, youll take damage without knowing it, mental one that is. So, stay away.

Obviously Im goin! Rather, I should actually take your place instead!

I frowned, not understanding what he meant.

Why would you take my place? Ive been telling you for a good while now. Ill take care of all lifesaving.

You goin to save someone who made others gang up on you while treatin you like a criminal!?

I expect her to grumble about not wanting to be saved, and shell likely yell at me even after I rescued her.

So youre still goin despite knowin all that!?

Thats the value it has.

You mean the medicine you received?

I nodded deeply.

Sword looked at me and sighed.

Gotcha. But, Ill come with you. Im worried.

And Im worried about you

Id really like him to stay out of this when considering him suffering so much mental damage that he starts drinking heavily again.

When I sighed as well, he ground my temples again.

Thats so unwarranted!

Im tellin you that Ill worry bout you. Rather, you should take a tiny bit of mental damage yourself!

I was told something terrible by an awfully sulky Sword.

If this much were to be enough to cause mental damage, Id never have survived as noble. Besides, I lived in a far crueler environment when I was little. Compared to that time, this here is no more than a gentle breeze.

Whaaa! I got startled when I was suddenly lifted up by Sword.

Sorry, I wasnt aware of your past environment.

I sighed once again.

Thats whyI dont want you to suffer damage from the little bit I told you. You need to reflect on things and be more thoughtful, but theres no point in you getting hurt by unnecessary sensitiveness. Youre an old guy whose period as a sensitive boy has long passed, after all.

I was dropped on the ground.