Chapter 36

We moved to the next town.

“Listen, stay clear from rescue requests! I’ll take care of those! You do other requests!”

“I’ve been tellin’ you, I’ve got it. Sorry for makin’ you worry.”

Somehow it looks like Sword is fairly sensitive despite his insensibility. As soon as he gets blamed just a bit, he immediately starts feeling depressed. I’d love to tell him to learn the soundproof spell and simply ignore the whining.

…Suddenly I got hold up in Sword’s arms.

“You’ve never seen anyone die before, have you? You might suffer a far heavier shock than me if you actually witness it.”

“I’ve lopped off monster heads and dismantled their bodies with these hands, you know? Should I prove to you that I can kill a person by doing it in front of you and dismantling them?”

I was thrown on the ground.

“Your senses are totally messed up! What? Are people and monsters on the same level in your other world!? What kind of world is that supposed to be!?”

I rubbed the place that hit the ground.

“Ou-Ouch… Some people over there didn’t consider them to be of the same level, but I see no difference between them. What’s up with the idea of regarding only humans as holy even though animals, fish, insects, and even plants are alive just as much? If you say they’re different just because of language comprehension, then I can assure you that the animals I kept when I lived in the other world understood my words just fine. If those guys got killed, I’d have definitely grieved and I’m confident that I’d have murdered the one who killed them, even if it was another human.”

Sword sighed.

“…In short, all that matters for you is whether you cherish someone, huh?”

“The people of this world lead wars, don’t they? So they warrant killing other humans as long as they regard it as justified, but only when a human gets killed by a monster, do they mourn their death? Actually I’d say I don’t understand your view on this. When people, who calmly kill other people, get attacked by monsters, you try to rescue them, and wail in sadness if you fail at it. That makes absolutely no sense. Personally I’d mourn if a monster, who loved me, got killed by some human for the sole reason of it being a monster.”

Sword groaned while being at a loss.

“…That…might be true, but…”

“That’s why I’m telling you that I’ll do it. Between us two I’m the one who’s capable of carrying out a task indifferently as part of a job.”

“……Roger.”

The middle-aged man looked dispirited.

＊

As I was checking out the requests at the guild after we arrived at the next town, I plainly announced, “Sword, let’s split up and work separately.”

Sword became dumbstruck.

“Haah?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“There’s a request I want to do. Since I can handle it myself, I’d like to work solo on this one.”

It’s a request that has piqued my interest.

“Wait. Sure, it might be proactive to go with a murder request, but I’m worried because it’s likely that you’d get totally off the right track. I told you that you don’t have to show me how you dismantle a human, so please give it a rest, ‘kay?”

――Just what does he consider me to be? There’s no way that I’d actually show him how I dismantle a human, is there? Of course I’d do it if asked, but I don’t have the hobby of dismantling useless materials that won’t even sell.

“You’re wrong. …Do you want to do it together with me then? Oh right, I guess you can do this while I’m being taught.”

I pointed at a gathering request. Sword furrowed his eyebrows.

“…That’s quite a few different types. Moreover, it’s time-limited and the reward is cheap, too. …Hey, this is certainly a request no other adventurer accepts, but you see, it ain’t a request we should do either.”

“I want to accept it. It might be easy for you, but I want to learn a bit about the various types of medicinal plants.”

Sword sighed very, very deeply.

“…Your 『I want to learn』 means you plan to make medicine, right? But, you’ve never gotten injured yourself, have you? The other day you said you used somethin’ you made yourself, but honestly, even without you goin’ out of your way like this, we can cover everythin’ with a single healin’ potion. Also, I’m an S-Rank, you remember? I’ve got plenty of cash layin’ ’round. I also own special grade healin’ potions, not to mention all the high grade potions.”

That’s not the issue here!

I puffed up my cheeks and pursed my lips.

For some reason it caused Sword to flinch.

“…I hate such a loveless medical treatment. If you get injured I want to properly heal your wounds with something I made with my own hands.”

“Gotcha. Accept the request. And if I get injured, you’ll heal me.”

The old man’s bashful side seems to have come out. Either way, I got his permission.

“…Your really…maybe it’s that otherworld knowledge of yours, but sometimes you sure say stuff that can be easily mistaken as a pick-up line.” Sword mumbled under his breath.

“That’s why I’ve been telling you that this world is way too brutal. Having the parent apply the healing with their own hands if a child falls over, or having a pretty woman apply the medicine on the wound with her white, slender fingers if a guy gets injured engenders feelings of gentleness and calmness, right?”

“Didn’t you just casually drop a line you’d hear from a perverted old man in there?”

I ignored him.

“In short, what I want to tell you is to not drink healing potions unless you’re in a situation where you’ll be killed if you don’t heal yourself right away.”

“I HA-VE UN-DER-STOOD. Since I have a boy with the mind of a middle-aged guy at my side, I’ll let myself get healed by him.”

……That’s a nasty thing to say.

＊

I accepted the request, and visited the client first. Sword accompanied me as well.

It looks like he wants to make sure that it’s safe.

“…It’s in a fairly remote location, eh?”

The location of the client was deep in a place that would be described as【Slum】 in the other world. At the end of a row of houses that looked like they’d fall apart at the first earthquake.

“…Let’s see. Oh! This is the place!”

【General Pharmacy】 was written above the door.

＊

When I tried to energetically enter, Sword grabbed my shoulders, stopping me.

“What’s up?”

When I looked back, Sword was looking at me with an indescribable expression.

…This face, if I remember correctly, he had pulled the same expression in the first town we visited, hadn’t he? I reflexively put myself on guard.

“…Your plannin’ to become the apprentice of a pharmacist?”

…Eh? Why?

“No? In the first place, I don’t even know what the pharmacists of this world do. Just, there are some plants I need, but I don’t know how they look in this world. I’ve been merely planning to try asking while completing the request.”

He let go of me with relief written on his face.

I became slightly sullen, and added, “…You as well, don’t start telling me to become a pharmacist apprentice to experience some of the world, okay?”

He roughly stroked my hair.

“As if I’d do that, silly.”

“You looked like you would.”

“Eh? Haah? I didn’t even think about it, so why would I pull such an expression?”

That’s what I want to know.

I quickly turned my face away, “……No clue. ……Previously, when we went to the first town, you had the same face.”

“Huh?”

No idea! I haven’t become uneasy or anything! And if I say I haven’t become uneasy, then it’s a fact!!

Finishing the talk, I opened the door.

＊

Once I entered the pharmacy, my excitement rose due to the characteristic fragrance tickling my nose.

Yep, this is the smell of crude medicines I know so well!

Sword looked somewhat doubtful.

“…Oh my, you’re quite the lovely customer, aren’t you?”, commented the granny inside the pharmacy.

“No, I’m not a customer. I’m the adventurer who found and accepted the request you put up with the guild.”

“Oh, Ms. Tiny Adventurer, you’re going to handle my request?”

“Correct. The one behind me…well, please don’t mind him. So, it’s a bit abrupt, but as a matter of fact, I’m not very well-acquainted with medicinal plants. I’d like you to give me some pointers for when I’m going to gather them.”

“I suppose I should slowly explain it to you over a cup of hot water then.”

Seeing the hot water she served, my eyes widened.

“［Starch Gruel］!?!”

“Haah?” Sword retorted while the granny tilted her head in confusion.

“This here is one of the plants I wanted to find! It has, you see, an effect of warming your body! Also, the ［Ginger］ inside also heats up your body! If you make ［Arrowroot Tea］ by mixing this and several ［Natural Remedies］, it’ll work against all early, light ailments! It’s also effective against stiff shoulders! Though I never confirmed it myself! It also contains ［Ephedra］, ［Jujube］, ［Cinnamon］, ［Peony］, umm, umm.”

“Hey, calm down. I’ve completely stopped understandin’ what your talkin’ ’bout!”

Sword shook me back and forth.

“……I understand. I’ll calm down.”

I breathed in deeply.

I breathed out deeply.

“…Excuse me, I just got a tad excited.”

The granny stared at me, her head still tilted.

“…Ms. Tiny Adventurer, are you a pharmacist?”

“No, I’m not. My parents have worked in a similar occupation. I just got a smattering of knowledge about it. But, in this world you can heal everything by just drinking healing potions, can’t you? That’s quite hard to swallow for me. And then, today! Right here! Medicines! These are real medicines!”

“Wait. Calm down. We understand, so settle down. Just get a clue that we don’t get what your talkin’ ’bout, really.”

He shook me back and forth once more.

I breathed in deeply.

I breathed out deeply.

Since the granny silently held out the starch gruel to me, I calmed my mind by drinking it.

“…Anyway, you got to see that there are hundreds of ways to contort medicine with medicinal plants, but the common medicine are limited in types, so as long as I know those, well…I should be somehow able to handle smaller illnesses one way or another. Since I want to make such medicine, I’d like you to teach me about medicinal plants. I don’t mind if you keep the details to a level equivalent in value to the 『amount of money you offered for the request』.”

Sword opened his mouth. The granny laughed.

“Sure, we’ve got a deal then.”

“Please take care of me.”

I held out my hand.

＊

“So, as you’ve heard, I’m going to frequent this place for a while. You take another request. However! If it includes saving other people’s lives, leave that part to me! Don’t do it yourself, no matter what!”

“I already told you that I understand. …Still, you…do you really hate becomin’ someone’s apprentice so much?”

Huh? Why?

When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Sword explained, “It was the same with me, and you said somethin’ similar to that old grandmother as well. Whenever you request to be taught somethin’, you’ll always suggest a bargain. Is that how it’s handled in the other world?”

Eh? Isn’t that normal?

“No? It’s not like that, but if you take the benefit of both sides into account, this way won’t turn into one side exploiting the other. Since it’ll be necessary to thank her if I get her to teach me either way, I’ve suggested this method before it turns into an argument.”

“Hmm…”

“Even you would be more willing to do something if asked while getting offered liquor in exchange than getting asked with nothing but words, right?”

“Ah, just now I totally got it. You sure are a great girl.”

He stroked my head around.

“So, what are you gonna ask me for that liquor bottle?”

“…Don’t drink any liquor until you take the antidote. Somehow, I hate it.”

“…… Gotcha, I won’t promise you with absolute certainty, but I’ll refrain.”

I finally got him to say this, eh?