CH 73

Tavern Rumors

So there was no tradition of solo wyvern slaying in Rokuidol.

Not only that, but the reason that the other Adventurers didn’t intervene was merely because they didn’t want to bother me while I was defending the woman I love.

Now, this was very bad. During times like these, the thing to do was report, contact, and consult your superiors.

“Father Zenrima. I have to talk to you about something.”

“Ah, Ajifu. I thought you might come.”

He gestured for me to sit down. He was the priest who supported this Rokuidol church, after all. And so he was quick to understand.

“You do not have to worry, we shall have a proper wedding for you in this church.”

“That’s not it!”

Don’t rush to conclusions! It was a good thing I came immediately!

And then I explained it to him as I had to Lutma.

“Hmm. In other words, the Adventurers saw you protecting Lutma, and then misunderstood.”

“Yes. Of course, it is partially my fault for saying things that could be misconstrued.”

“I see. And so this thing that you are trying to get, it absolutely requires you to leave this town?”

“One of the two things might be impossible to acquire, no matter where I go. But I still want to try. Though, I am very sorry for the inconvenience it will cause all of you, who I owe a great debt to.”

“I see…”

Father Zenrima folded his arms and closed his eyes.

Ultimately, he was understanding, and accepted my will.

That being said, I could not depart immediately.

I had to tell everyone in the church, make adjustments to the workload and schedule, and give them time to prepare.

Also, my armor and prosthetic leg were in a terrible state. I could not go on a journey with my equipment like this.

While the prosthetic leg I was wearing now was a spare, Lettelotte had made me a leg after much trial and error. And I wanted to see what that effort would lead to next.

And so I decided to start making preparations for the journey on the following day.

—

At the same time, in the town tavern.

“Ah? You’re awfully early today.”

The owner said, as I entered my drinking spot after being freed from my work at the mines. It was no wonder. The sun was still high in the sky.

Normally, we would still be working. The transportation days were especially busy.

“Aye, due to sand worms appearing in the desert, the transportation of iron ore was canceled. However, we did get to see something very interesting in the mines. I can’t wait to talk about it.”

“If you’re going to do that here, then you better start by ordering some drinks. Also, since it’s so early, we only have food from yesterday.”

Said the owner. Hehe. Thankfully, I had brought some food with me.

“Don’t worry about it. I have something rather special with me. But more importantly, come and sit down after you’ve brought me a drink.”

“What? If you tell me something stupid, then I’m going to drink extra on your tab.”

“Oh! In that case, if it’s an interesting story, do I get one on the house?”

“That confident, eh? Well, why not then? I’ll take that bet.”

She put down the drinks and a little food on the table, and then took a seat and leaned on her elbow. Yes. This would be good.

“Well, the story is…about a priest warrior with a prosthetic leg, risking his own life to protect a woman from a vicious wyvern that suddenly appeared in the mines.”

“Tsk. That does sound quite interesting. But surely you are making up the part about him being a priest warrior with a prosthetic leg?”

“No, no. It is the truth. Apparently, you can meet him at the church. And so, after all of the strongest left to hunt the sand worm…”

I earned my free drink after that. However, at the same time, in other taverns around Rokuidol, the bored miners spread the story as well.

And so everyone knew it in no time, and there was no chance of winning a second drink. Still, it felt nice to be able to talk about the same story.

—

The day after I defeated the wyvern, I was running around busily.

I had to send my broken armor to be repaired, my swords to be mended, and there were other things I had to get done. Of course, I had contacted the church. I would not make the same mistake twice.

Still, one thing changed as I made my way around the town. Many people would stop to talk to me.

“I heard all about it! Congratulations!”

“I was touched by your story. Here, have some free meat skewers!”

“If only my husband would do that for me!”

I could tell that they had been hearing rumors. Still, it only happened yesterday. How had it spread so quickly, even to people who weren’t Adventurers?

Well, I had an obvious prosthetic leg, and was carrying a sword while wearing priest garb, so I suppose it was obvious. But I kept getting approached by strangers.

There was no television in this world, and so I had underestimated the speed at which information could spread. I suppose I would have to change that perception.

“Ajifu, I want you to make a request for promotion to C-Rank.”

The Guild Master said this to me, as I visited the guild in order to collect the money for selling the wyvern.

In order to be promoted to C-Rank, you need to complete thirty quests and have a recommendation from the Guild Master. I had passed thirty quests a while ago, but had not submitted the request for promotion.

“No, even if I did rise to C-Rank, I would not be able to do any of those quests. Especially since I’m solo.”

“That is fine, since you accept guild quests from the church. You have a good reputation, and if you are not promoted, then it becomes difficult to promote others of the same rank.”

Well, it wasn’t as if I would not be able to accept D-Rank quests anymore if I was promoted. It just didn’t count in your completion rate.

“I plan on leaving this town soon. So I don’t think that you have to worry about that.”

“What? Is that so? However, I am thinking about recording this wyvern business as an emergency quest. And so if you are C-Rank, then you will receive a C-Rank reward.”

“Please make me C-Rank.”

In the end, I accepted his suggestion, and my Adventurers plate turned from gold to platinum.

As for the wyvern materials, I was paid thirty-two gold for them. And the reward for the emergency guild quest added fifteen gold to that.

And though I had to spend quite a lot on repairing all my gear, it was enough money that I no longer cared.

With that money, I took my broken prosthetic leg and visited Lettelotte’s workshop.

“I heard all about it, Ajifu. Well done, well done.”

Hmm, that smirk. It was just like Ms. Pemeri yesterday. Even though beastkin and dwarves looked completely different.

Lettelotte wasn’t even an Adventurer, and had heard about it the next day. It really spread quickly.

“If you mean the story about me protecting someone I was in love with, that is just a misunderstanding.”

“Really? Is that so? Ah, how very boring.”

Hey, you don’t have to look so disappointed.

“Still, it was thanks to your leg that I was able to defeat the wyvern. Even though I ended up breaking it, you did an amazing job.”

I said as I showed her the broken leg. She petted it happily.

“It answered its master’s demands. That is what a good tool does.”

She said with the kindest eyes, so that I didn’t want to say anything and ruin the mood.

“However, I cannot fix this. Even if I repaired the shape, the spring would not work.”

Lettelotte said, switching gears.

“Aye, I know. And so I wanted to ask you to craft the third generation.”

“Leave it to me. I will make something better than this one.”

Lettelotte said, and there was a strong light in her eyes. I had high expectations for this third one.

“You really have become a great prosthetic crafter.”

“Like I said, I make magic tools!!”

And then she kicked me out of her workshop. Feeling bashful, eh?