Water Magician

Editor: Tseirp

“Is this really the place…?”

“The directions said it was here, right?”

Ryo and Abel had returned to the mainland and, after asking around in town, arrived at the location they were told housed the ‘Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Society’.

In front of them was indeed the building of the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Society.

However…

“It’s not that big… is it?”

“Is the economy bad here or something?”

What stood before them was an ordinary house.

Compared to the Crystal Palace in the royal capital or the Adventurers’ Guild in Rune, it was shockingly small.

“Well, Rune is the largest city in the frontier after all.”

Abel probably felt the same way as Ryo.

Which is why he added that remark.

“What should we do? I did say I wanted to take a quick peek, but it feels awkward for us, not being affiliated with them, to just walk in…”

“They’ll definitely call out to us…”

Both of them imagined the Adventurers’ Guild back in the kingdom.

The large, bustling kind with lots of people, like in the royal capital or Rune.

In that kind of guild, they thought they could slip in unnoticed for a brief tour, but…

“But if we don’t go in now, after all the trouble Abel went through to get directions from the townspeople, it’d feel disrespectful.”

“Hey, don’t make it sound like I threatened them to get the info…”

“…Shall we go in?”

“Sure.”

With Ryo’s question, Abel made the decision.

Well, after all, making decisions was a king’s job.

The two opened the door and stepped inside.

“A cafe?”

That was Ryo’s first impression as soon as they entered.

It wasn’t a modern cafe.

But more like an old-fashioned Japanese coffee shop.

Wooden floors, wooden walls, wooden ceiling beams.

The place was run by an elderly couple, and naturally, all the tables and chairs were wooden too.

There was a counter at the back.

The kind of place you’d imagine wouldn’t compromise on coffee and serves great Neapolitan spaghetti… but it turns out their ginger pork set meal is the most popular dish. Even during weekday lunches, businessmen in suits would come for a quick meal… that kind of coffee shop.

Of course, all of this was just Ryo’s imagination.

Inside the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Society, the atmosphere resembled that of such a coffee shop.

But there were no customers enjoying Neapolitan spaghetti or gobbling down a ginger pork set meal.

And there was no smell of coffee either.

In fact, no one was even sitting on the chairs.

“Welcome.”

From behind the counter, a lone old woman, or rather, an elderly lady—yes, it was fitting to call her that—spoke to them.

She looked to be in her 80s at least.

She appeared to be the only person present.

“Excuse me. We heard that this was the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Society.”

Abel asked politely.

“That’s right, this is the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Society.”

The elderly lady answered, a bit gruffly.

Perhaps she had been an adventurer in her youth.

“Are you travelers?”

Even without asking, it was obvious that Ryo and Abel weren’t from the Free City.

“Oh, yes.”

Abel answered but hesitated slightly.

It was clear they weren’t adventurers coming to take on a quest.

And they certainly weren’t affiliated with this place…

“There aren’t many adventurers in this Free City. The city is peaceful, and no monsters appear on land. There are no tyrannical nobles or kings who issue unreasonable orders. The only powerful people are the merchants, and they all have their own private forces. They never need to post requests in this society. That’s why the few adventurers who start here soon leave for the Grand Duchy or the Federation. Especially now, with the Federation in civil war. All sides want as many rogue types like adventurers as they can get.”

The elderly lady said, her face showing a hint of sadness.

Ryo and Abel exchanged glances.

They hadn’t come to hear such a sorrowful tale.

They had just wanted to catch a glimpse of adventurers working hard, even in a foreign land.

But it seemed that adventurers didn’t have much opportunity to shine in this Free City.

“Actually, earlier, we saw some people who looked like adventurers on Diplomatic Island…”

“Oh, yes. A few groups are working under contracts with the embassies of various countries. They’re practically exclusive to those clients. And they rarely come here anymore.”

No matter how they turned it, the conversation seemed to lead to a sad conclusion.

At that moment, the door burst open.

“President! We’re done!”

The ones who entered were a group of three.

Two men, or rather two boys, and one girl.

None of them seemed to be older than eighteen.

“Mara! I’ve told you to open the door more carefully!”

“Ah, sorry…”

The elderly lady, whom they had called the president scolded him, and the boy called Mara apologized.

While the other two shook their heads slightly, covering their faces with their hands.

It was only then that the trio noticed Ryo and Abel, the earlier customers.

They bowed their heads and then sat at a table away from the counter, where they began whispering to each other.

Though their voices didn’t carry to the counter, it was obvious they were talking about Ryo and Abel.

They kept glancing over at them.

“Are those adventurers too?”

“Yes. They registered about six months ago. There aren’t many quests available here, so they’re still ninth-ranked. It seems they just finished their most recent request, but there’s nothing lined up for them right now. If they can complete one more job, they’ll advance to eighth rank. Once they do, I can start giving them hunting jobs outside the city… but who knows when that’ll be.”

With a small sigh, the elderly lady responded to Abel’s question.

“Does it start from rank nine, with rank one being the highest?”

Ryo asked, curious.

“Well, yes. There’s a special rank above rank one, but… you don’t hear about those much around here. Even in the vast Eastern countries, you’d only find them in a place like ‘Darwei’.”

“Darwei?”

“You don’t know Darwei? Where in the world are you two from…?”

“We’re from the Suje Kingdom in the archipelago region.”

Ryo answered. He wasn’t lying, but he carefully left out certain important details, making the president widen her eyes in surprise.

After a moment’s thought, Ryo gave a small nod and asked.

“Excuse me, would it be possible for us to request a job?”

“Of course, but… you’re travelers, aren’t you? There’s no guarantee that you’ll get results within the deadline. Also, payment is required in advance. The Mutual Aid Society collects the full fee, including the reward, and then pays the adventurers. You can receive the report directly from them, or the Society can prepare a written summary for you…”

“I see. And how much would the total cost, including the reward, be?”

“That depends on the request. After hearing the details, I determine the rank and number of adventurers needed, and then calculate the cost. For instance, a rank nine job would be 10,000 denari per adventurer as a base fee. For longer assignments, there’s an additional cost. The fee increases by 10,000 denari with each higher rank.”

“So, if I hired those three, the base fee would be 30,000 denari, with additional costs depending on how many days it takes?”

“Exactly. If there are extra expenses, those will be added on too.”

Denari is the currency of this free city.

Based on Ryo’s recent experience eating around the city, he’d come to recognize that one denari is roughly equivalent to one yen.

“Yes, there will be expenses. Let’s go ahead and pay in advance.”

“Ryo?”

Ryo said quietly, nodding with a plan in mind.

Abel asked, noticing Ryo’s thoughtful demeanor.

“Don’t worry, Abel, you won’t have to pay for anything.”

“I wasn’t worried about that…”

“This is to make sure we don’t face any life-threatening danger in the future.”

“A job that serious, for those kids?”

Abel said, surprised.

The president had mentioned that the adventurers had only been doing this for half a year.

Were they really capable of taking on a job that could ensure Ryo and Abel’s safety?

“H-Hey, Ryo…”

Of course, Abel trusted Ryo.

They often bickered, but deep down, Abel believed in him completely.

He knew Ryo wasn’t the type of person who would sacrifice others for his own gain.

Still…

“I want them to gather information on the dining spots around the free city.”

“Huh?”

“Dining spots?”

Ryo requested with a smile on his face, Abel blurted out in confusion, and the president asked suspiciously.

Having spent decades working with the Mutual Aid Society since her days as an active adventurer, the president had never heard of such a request before.

It was understandable that she was skeptical.

“Yes. I want information on the names, locations, and types of food they serve… Nothing too high-end, though… maybe places where lunch is 1,500 denari or less per person. As for other details…”

As Ryo started to list the information he wanted, the president hurriedly began taking notes.

Realizing that this was indeed a legitimate request.

Meanwhile, Abel was still frozen in disbelief.

It seems that when people are truly blindsided by an unexpected situation, they tend to freeze up.

Ryo continued detailing the information he wanted, while the president took notes and occasionally asked for clarification… finally, they discussed expenses.

“If they have to eat at the places, they’ll need money for that. I’ll pay the necessary expenses upfront. Could you handle distributing the funds as needed?”

“Understood.”

“The deadline is in one week. As I mentioned, ten locations should be sufficient… is that manageable?”

“Given the time and the documentation process, it should be feasible.”

The finer details were settled between Ryo and the president.

Abel, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation, stayed quiet until the end.

“Ah, doesn’t doing a good deed make you feel refreshed?”

Ryo said cheerfully as they walked toward their inn, “Freedom Breeze Inn”, after leaving the Mutual Aid Society.

Abel had been silent in the guild and remained so outside.

“It’s rare to see you so quiet, Abel.”

“Well… I mean, I’m just speechless.”

“Hmm?”

Ryo tilted his head, confused.

“I’ve never heard of a job to investigate restaurants before. It’s such an unexpected idea, I’m just surprised.”

“Ah, I see. Well, the idea isn’t originally mine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In my homeland, there’s this tire manufacturer… um, a company that makes wheels for carriages… I suppose?”

“A company that only makes wheels? That’s something I’ve never heard of… they must make really impressive wheels.”

“Well… it’s a bit different, but close enough.”

Ryo responded, realizing how off his explanation was but choosing to continue rather than backtrack.

“That company published books about good places to eat. There were rumors that their inspectors kept their jobs secret from even their families. They’d visit restaurants with their families. Acting like regular customers to check how the food and service were.”

“That’s pretty thorough.”

“Exactly. They’d evaluate everything—the food they serve to regular customers, the quality of the food, and the service. They used stars to rate the places. If a restaurant lost a star compared to previous years…well, it could cause a lot of trouble.”

“That’s probably a huge deal for the chefs.”

Abel nodded solemnly, picturing the disappointed face of a chef who had lost a star.

“I just thought of it because I knew about that kind of book.”

“I see… But to think that it actually turned into a business.”

“Right? It’s pretty amazing. Originally, they included information about inns and such for people traveling by automo… carriages. So, the books themselves didn’t make much profit, but they boosted sales for their main business… wheels.”

“Even when a method seems roundabout… sometimes, that turns out to be the right approach.”

Abel nodded thoughtfully.

It wasn’t clear whether he was thinking about national affairs or his swordsmanship…

“The book sales make up only about one percent of the company’s overall revenue, but everyone has heard of it. Some people don’t even know the company makes wheels. But after a hundred years of building that reputation, you can’t underestimate it.”

“Interesting.”

Abel nodded again, understanding the weight of Ryo’s words.

“Those three were Mara, Nikos, and Rosa, right? Their party name was ‘Tiger’s Fang’… quite a bold name. The two boys, the swordsman and dual-wielder, probably represent the fangs on either side. And the healer girl, Rosa, might be the brains behind it all.”

Ryo mused about the three adventurers introduced at the guild.

Ryo, viewing them as junior adventurers, hoped they’d do well.

“Party names only get registered from rank eight, right? So it’s a self-given name. Well, I don’t mind it—shows their enthusiasm.”

Abel said with a smile.

He had always been good at looking after younger adventurers during his active days.

“They’re childhood friends, apparently… I wonder how that will play out?”

“What are you getting at?”

Ryo said, grinning mischievously, hinting at something.

Abel asked, confused by Ryo’s teasing tone.

“There’s a possibility that, in the future, Mara and Nikos might engage in a bloody battle over Rosa.”

“Why would they…?”

“Because love often outweighs friendship.”

Ryo said with a playful grin, ignoring Abel’s exasperation.

“If one of them loses in love, they’ll leave in despair, wandering far and wide. And with their heart broken, they’ll devote themselves to the path of the sword, eventually being known as the Sword God…! “

“Yeah, sure. But that story lacks a twist, so it probably wouldn’t sell.”

“Ugh… it seems that surpassing ‘The Starving Swordsman Abel’ will be difficult after all.”

It’s not easy to create back-to-back hits.

Of course, no one really knew yet whether ‘The Starving Swordsman Abel’—the first book in the series… was even a hit.

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