WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Dionysus
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Wizard's Memoir ◈
Chapter 16: Work
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Etran kept looking around.
They looked like a country bumpkin who had come to the capital and been dazzled by the busy city, but the truth was quite the opposite. To someone born in the royal capital who had graduated from Storm-Seed, the northern city of Northern Ridge was a filthy, chaotic place.
“Wow... This is incredible.”
It was rather like a sheltered young gentleman who had only attended royal banquets and noble salons finding himself at a tavern party where everyone was drinking themselves senseless.
Far more people sold their goods from makeshift street stalls, calling out to passersby, than from proper shops. Some had even thrown together bars from barrels and a few wooden planks to sell cheap moonshine.
Naturally, this left little room for anyone to pass. Through those narrow spaces, residents, peddlers, adventurers, dogs, pigs, geese, sewer rats, and more flowed together like water.
In size, it couldn't compare to the royal capital's central market or Storm-Seed's shopping district. But for better or worse, its restless energy and furnace-like heat surpassed them both.
“Watch out for pickpockets. There are nasty little brats who only target outsiders.”
At Olivia's warning, Etran hurriedly checked their money pouch. Their entire fortune of 993 dena was safely inside.
“They're not stupid enough to target adventurers carrying swords. Would you want to mess with someone who chases monsters around and slices off their ears?”
Dahlia offered this information from experience. Nobody bothered asking which side of the exchange that experience came from.
Even among Northern Ridge's streets, shaped by haphazard extensions and rebuilding, some original buildings remained. One was a wooden building in the center of the market, old enough for its history to be obvious at a glance.
It stood an impressive three stories tall. The third floor seemed to be a private home, with a washing line stretching across the street to another rooftop. The noisy first and second floors appeared to be a tavern.
“This is the Guild's northern branch.”
Doubling as a drinking establishment was an Adventurers' Guild tradition.
Partly, this was because taverns had served as bases when something resembling the Guild was first organized. It was also a way to cover operating costs. With adventurers providing a steady stream of customers, sales were quite good. Keeping them from mixing with ordinary citizens and causing trouble was a welcome bonus.
“Let me introduce you to the branch head.”
The alchemist entered first, followed by Olivia's party. A few eyes turned toward them, then quickly returned to their own business. Adventurers from elsewhere were nothing unusual here.
“Johann? You're back alrea... Oh! What happened to your arm?”
An employee who recognized the alchemist made a fuss. It was an understandable reaction to someone who had left smiling only a few days earlier returning with half of them missing. It also suggested that the alchemist had a fair amount of skill and a good reputation.
“Is the branch head here?”
“In the storeroom, checking stock... Did you come alone? Where are the others?”
The alchemist shook their head with a bitter expression. As a Guild employee, the server understood at once. It wasn't frequent, but it happened from time to time.
“I have an important favor to ask, and some people to introduce. Could you ask the branch head to spare us a little time?”
“Of course. Make yourselves comfortable for a moment. John! See to the guests!”
The alchemist and the party ordered beer and milk from a young server, then sat down in a corner. With a moment to relax, they could observe the other adventurers.
Most of the small groups gathered around the tables were parties. Warriors equipped with swords, shields, and armor, and archers carrying crossbows or longbows, made up the majority. About one group in three had a wizard wearing a magic ring.
There was also a dwarf who looked like a halfling stretched sideways with a beard plastered on, and an elf so thin for their height that they resembled a stick of firewood.
‘A magic staff...’
Etran focused on the elf.
The elf looked about Etran's age, but elves lived the longest of all the long-lived races. Their actual age would be several times greater, perhaps even dozens of times greater.
As proof, the elf was cradling an old-fashioned magic staff while sipping wine. Even at Storm-Seed University, only very old Wizards used those.
“...What about the sacred relic?”
“They say it wasn't there.”
A whispered conversation reached Etran's ears. It wasn't a term used in everyday conversation, so they found themselves listening.
“Was it really a demon?”
“What other race stands eight feet tall and has horns on its head?”
If Etran could hear it, the others could too. Sure enough, everyone leaned closer, unable to hide their curiosity. Perhaps they had been too obvious, because the party whispering at the next table cleared their throats and fell silent. Apparently, they intended to continue somewhere more private.
“It was the Hero's sacred relic, wasn't it?”
“It seems they still haven't found it.”
Considering that the Guild was putting all its efforts into the search, it was taking a long time. Etran wondered what all those supposedly great adventurers were doing.
Their drinks were half gone when a crash! came from the storeroom behind the bar. The tavern keeper, who was also the branch head, made a noisy entrance.
“How does all this junk keep piling up? I can barely tell whether I'm running a tavern or a general store anymore. Hey, Johann!”
Despite the rough manner of speech, the voice was high and sharp. The alchemist removed their hat in greeting.
“This is the person in charge here. They may look like they have plenty of problems, and they do. Still, once you get to know them, you should be able to put them to good use.”
“You know I've got sharp ears, right? I can hear every word!”
That was no lie. Their slender ears twitched up and down.
At first glance, the proprietor looked like an elf, but compared with the real elf sitting at the bar, their ears drooped and weren't long enough. Their face was rounder too, and their build was as large as a human's. It was rude to say so, but the difference was particularly noticeable around the chest. No elf could possibly have a figure that voluptuous.
All these features led to one conclusion. The proprietor was of mixed human and elf ancestry, something very rare even in a kingdom with so many different races.
“New faces, aren't they? What about your old friends? Did you get tired of each other and split up?”
“That's what I wanted to ask you about.”
The alchemist set out a dented helmet, a broken bow, and a pair of worn gloves. The tavern keeper scratched their cheek and muttered.
“I told you, the junk keeps piling up.”
Only then did Etran understand what the junk was. These were belongings whose owners' families couldn't be found, or had refused to accept them. This time, however, the party leader knew where the others had come from, and dena would be sent along with the items. They should reach their destinations safely.
“What about the job at the mine?”
“These people took care of it.”
“The one your party failed at? They must be good.”
The proprietor studied Olivia's party. A warrior, a seeker, a wizard, and a crossbow wielder made a well-balanced group. If they had the skills to match, the branch had no reason to treat them poorly.
“I'll give you the two rooms at the end of the second floor. My husband and I live on the third floor, so don't go up there. If you need anything, tell Jenny over there, one of our employees. I doubt it'll happen, but if you don't like the food or the service, try the north gate. There are plenty of inns around there. As long as you've got dena, you can find somewhere nice.”
Perhaps it came from years of experience, but the proprietor delivered just the information they needed. Olivia, however, was a little more industrious than most.
“What about information that could earn us some of that dena?”
“You want to work as soon as you arrive? Hmm...”
The tavern keeper rubbed their smooth chin in thought. It didn't take long.
“The sacred relic is the big topic right now.”
“As expected...”
“They keep pestering us from the royal capital. They've even sent orders to arrest any demon we find, no questions asked.”
“Orders?”
“Yes. It's going too far. They may not be one of the Alliance races, but they're not monsters like goblins either. Arresting them without question... I thought they'd lost their minds.”
“If it is the Hero's sacred relic, it is understandable.”
The elf wizard had joined the conversation. The tavern keeper turned with an uncomfortable look.
“Mom.”
“Huh?”
The elf looked about Etran's age, barely sixteen or seventeen, which made that quite a title. Apart from Olivia's party, nobody seemed surprised. They were apparently used to it.
“She's an elf. An elf.”
Understanding it in their heads didn't mean they could immediately accept it in their hearts. Regardless, the elf mother brought her staff down with a clack!
“I find it stranger that humans are so unconcerned. Without the Hero, what do you intend to do when the Demon King awakens?”
“Nobody believes in that Demon King business anymore.”
“Have you already forgotten the terrible disaster of a mere seven hundred and twenty years ago?”
“Wouldn't it be more worrying if we still remembered something from that long ago...?”
Etran thought back to history lessons. A little over seven hundred years ago would have been around the fall of the ancient kingdom. Of course, it was hard to name an exact date, since the kingdom had already been losing territory to other races and barbarian tribes before then.
“The sacred relic must be found.”
“Bring her some more wine!”
The tavern keeper shuddered and called for a server. Apart from the elf's appearance, it was like watching someone deal with a senile old woman. The elf wizard shot the proprietor a displeased look, but didn't refuse the offered wine. Being an elf, she apparently liked fruit(?).
“That job's too big for us to get involved in... Is there anything else? A dungeon that hasn't been cleared yet, for instance.”
“A gold mine or a silver mine!”
The tavern keeper rested their chin on one hand again. With headquarters in the royal capital putting on so much pressure, they wanted to send as many adventurers as possible to hunt demons. But they couldn't force anyone. As always, adventurers were free.
“A new dungeon was discovered in Elf Garden, but... Dungeons there range from burial chambers you can explore in half a day to underground tunnels that take a full three months. I don't know if it'll still be uncleared. More information should arrive in the next few days. Want to wait? I can introduce you to some well-paid jobs in the meantime.”
Adventurers didn't spend all their time looking for dungeons. Quite a few of the parties here made their living taking commissions. By Olivia's standards, they weren't “real” adventurers.
“If that's all, never mind. We'll take a day or two off.”
“So you're dungeon specialists too?”
That was what people called adventurers who rarely did anything other than explore dungeons. For some reason, it was also used to mean highly skilled adventurers.
Everyone finished their drinks and stood up. Food and lodging came out of the party's shared funds, so nobody needed to open their own purse.
Etran had been slightly unhappy about putting half their earnings into the shared funds, but after traveling this way for a while, it wasn't bad. They hadn't spent a single coin yet, so their pouch was still bulging.
“Are we taking two days off?”
“We'll rest until we get some information.”
They also intended to ask whether any new dungeons had been found outside Elf Garden. News often arrived late from remote places like the mining village in Star Valley.
“Then this is where I leave you.”
The alchemist put on their hat. Etran wasn't the only one who looked sorry to part. Even the cool-headed Rolf showed some regret. Had the alchemist been whole and healthy, they would have invited Johann to become their fifth party member.
“There's a shop I've had my eye on for some time. If the price is right, I intend to turn it into a workshop and go into business.”
“Are you going to become a healer?”
“That will probably be my main line of work. Though I'll also have to deal with foolish youngsters looking for love potions.”
It was the sort of joke alchemists shared among themselves, so it wasn't especially funny. Still, everyone laughed politely. The former adventurer and future healer said goodbye, much lighter in both body and spirit.
“The shop will be called Johannes. It means blessing and mercy. If you visit later, I'll give you a discount.”
“So it won't be free...”
Dahlia smacked their lips in disappointment. Apart from that, it was a very heartwarming farewell. They had found a new land, a new city, and a new friend.
Now all they needed was some new work.
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