LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 32
In front of me, Roberto and the others are eating.
After preparing the bedding and food, I returned to where Roberto and the others were resting. I told them, “I’ve set up the tent in a place where we should be able to secure safety,” and then led them to the beach.
This area is far enough from the forest and has a good view, making it difficult to be caught off guard by monsters.
(Eve, how’s Kaiser doing?)
With D-rank monsters nearby, I couldn’t afford to rest too easily. My first priority was to eliminate them, so I sent Kaiser out.
I had told Kaiser to bring any high-rank monsters he defeated to Eve.
‘Kaiser has already taken down four D-rank monsters!’ Eve reported cheerfully.
Eve was in a good mood. She had already created a cold storage area where she was storing the monsters Kaiser had killed. Once we return to town and finish skinning them, she would be able to extract the magic cores. Since Eve had mentioned before that D-rank magic cores weren’t enough to satisfy her, she seemed to be eagerly awaiting the more valuable ones.
(That aside, the exam is nothing like what they described.)
Normally, D-rank monsters are enemies that would require multiple adventurers or explorers of the same rank to fight. This is true for individual monsters, but if there are more than five, the difficulty would rise to C-rank level, and if there are more than ten, it would be comparable to B-rank difficulty.
Even considering how tough the academy’s exams are, this situation is just too unnatural.
There’s no way ordinary exam candidates could get through this.
‘Thanks to that, we’ve managed to collect a large amount of prey, though.’ Eve chimed in.
I couldn’t complain about that since I was benefiting from it as well. By thinning out the monsters lurking in the forest, I could secure safety while also making some money. The materials from the D-rank monsters would sell for a decent price. If that happens, I’d be able to buy various things and improve the equipment in The World.
(…But I’ll save that discussion for later.)
I stopped my conversation with Eve when Roberto approached.
“Seriously, impressive work. I didn’t expect you to handle everything from gathering food to setting up the tent in such a short time.”
Looking around the camp, Roberto gave me an appreciative look.
“Well, it’s nothing. Now that I’ve taken on the responsibility, I’ll do whatever I can,” I said, trying to be polite, but Roberto furrowed his brow.
“Erik, please stop with the formal speech. It’s hard to talk to you like that when you’re the leader.”
He said that, but considering he’s the third son of a noble family, if a commoner like me spoke too casually, wouldn’t I risk making the entire family angry?
I hesitantly mentioned this, and…
“No, what kind of view do you have of nobility?” Roberto looked at me as if I were being unreasonable.
“I was joking. You’re right, so I’ll stop using formal speech,” I said, feeling a little awkward.
“You can call me just Roberto. It’s fine for everyone else too.”
“Alright, Roberto,” I replied, accepting his request, though he didn’t look like he would back down.
“By the way, the fruit and vegetables you gathered, Erik… they’re the best I’ve had so far. I’d even like to take some home to let my family try them.”
‘Heh heh heh. I knew it,’ Eve said, sounding pleased with herself.
At Roberto’s praise, Eve seemed quite pleased.
“I’ve picked all that was nearby. If I find more, I’ll secure it.”
If Roberto liked them that much, it might be a good idea to think of him as a future customer. I considered this as I planned to think about it further when we returned to town.
“Hey, Erik,” Roberto said, suddenly looking serious.
Then—
“Please accept this.”
He handed me a pendant with a green jewel embedded in it.
“This? Why?”
“I plan to pay you for your help after the exam ends, including for the potions and the protection. But, aside from that, I want you to accept this.”
“Looking at it, this seems pretty valuable, doesn’t it?”
The gem, shining in the sunlight, had an almost hypnotic feel to it.
“Yeah. It’s a charm my parents gave me for my 15th birthday. It’s said to bring good luck to whoever holds it.”
“I can’t accept something like this. Even without it, I’ll keep my promise. Or is it that you don’t trust me?”
I could understand why Roberto was desperate. If I abandoned them, they’d have no choice but to quit the exam…
But Roberto answered my words.
“Of course I trust you. You’re the kind of guy who would help someone without expecting anything in return. I’ve only known one person like that in my life.”
He smiled as he said this.
“Ugh… I don’t really feel like I’m being praised here…” I muttered.
“I’m not praising you. Anyway, it’s my way of thanking you. Please don’t hold back and accept it.”
“…Well, if that’s the case.”
After hearing that, it felt too rude to refuse. With some reluctance, I accepted the pendant from Roberto.