Side Story: Kind People
It hadn't been long since Gravel and Iris defeated their first request target, Dire Wolf. In that short time, a new routine had formed: waking up in the morning, walking to the guild building, scanning the request board, picking a request, and starting the day.
The request Gravel took today was to gather Brunt flowers. According to the receptionist, Brunt flowers were small plants with white petals that grew wild in the nearby forest. Boiling the petals in water and mixing them with feed for livestock like cows, sheep, and pigs helped prevent and eliminate parasites, leading to a recent surge in demand. Since Brunt flowers only bloomed at night and closed up during the day, the receptionist recommended gathering them after sunset.
"Well, since we've got time until the sun sets… I saw a shop last time we passed by. Wanna check it out together?"
"Yes, Lord Gravel."
Iris replied with a nod, following him.
A short while later, the two were seated in a tavern called Belfog. After ordering two cups of tea with unfamiliar names, Gravel glanced around, taking in the shop's decorations and the other patrons. His eyes fell on the title of a book Iris had pulled out to read: The Basics of Esteta Language.
"Hm? Iris, you bought a book on Esteta?" Gravel asked.
"Yes… I thought it'd be good to learn it…" Iris replied softly.
"Wait, so you didn't know Esteta before? But back at the guild, it seemed like you were talking with others just fine?" Gravel's eyes widened in surprise.
"I just memorized the pronunciation of simple responses or greetings by listening to you and repeating them."
"What? You've been getting by on intuition alone? Is that even possible because you're so quiet normally?" Gravel marveled.
Since arriving in this world, Gravel had never struggled with speaking, reading, or writing, so he hadn't realized Iris was facing such challenges.
"Sorry, Iris. I should've paid more attention to this."
"No, it's fine. I wanted to learn it because I felt like I wasn't being helpful enough here. I thought you might need to send me off to handle something on my own someday…" Iris replied, flustered by his apology.
"So, how's the book? Is it easy to learn from?" Gravel asked, changing the subject.
"It's quite simple. Especially compared to the common language of the Vuul continent, reading and writing seem easier to pick up,"
Iris said, showing him the book and pointing to the section on vowels and consonants.
"Hm… looks like it. Since the letters are written as they sound, it seems straightforward. And honestly, living here, you'll pick it up naturally over time."
'Now that I think about it, even though my Grand World Online Sorcerer's passive skill, Communicate, is always active, would learning Esteta myself mean I wouldn't need the skill? But how do you relearn something you already know? Unless… there's some other reason I know Esteta, but that's unlikely…'
"Lord Gravel?" Iris's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking… I'll help you with your Esteta studies. It'll be faster than learning from a book alone."
"Thank you. You're always so kind."
"By the way, when you bought that book, did you see any books in other languages?"
"Well… since I didn't know Estetan, I bought this one based on someone's recommendation…"
"Oh, right, of course. That was a silly question. Still, that's impressive. You bought the book, but someone must've taught you the basic pronunciation, right?" Gravel said.
"That was easier than I expected."
"Hm?"
"The bookstore owner and some other customers there taught me each letter slowly, one by one." she explained.
"Oh… yeah, that makes sense…" Gravel said, nodding.
In this world, even buying bread got Iris a loaf twice the usual size, and ordering the same dish at a tavern got Iris a portion far larger than what others received. Once again, the overwhelming power of Iris's beauty, which had drawn kindness from countless people even in Grand World Online.
Side Story: Kind People – End
At the Adventurers' Guild, Gravel, Iris, and Rude arrived. As they walked toward the guild's main entrance, their gazes were drawn to four massive wagons parked in front of the building. Three of them were typical cargo wagons pulled by two horses, commonly seen in Froikton. But the fourth was different—pulled by six horses and loaded with a chaotic pile of items: a massive metal harpoon at least 4 cubits(2 meters) long, strangely shaped metal parts, wooden cogwheels, and thick ropes.
The trio passed by the workers unloading the wagons and entered the guild's reception area and waiting room.
On the first floor of the Adventurers' Guild, beyond the reception desk where requests were posted and accepted, there was a small diner. It served meals for adventurers who rented rooms in the guild building. With its affordable prices and tasty food, it was a favorite among impatient adventurers who didn't want to waste time walking to a tavern, those preparing for a request with tight budgets, or lucky ones who'd struck it rich with unexpected treasure and wanted to share their joy with a sack of gold coins. The diner was beloved by all kinds of adventurers for all sorts of reasons.
As the trio headed toward the reception desk, Rude's voice stopped them near the diner's tables.
"What's this, Barild? You started without me? Oh? Uncle Hilrit's here too? No requests today?" Rude called out.
"Gahaha! You idiot, it's a rare chance for drake cuisine! No way I'd take a request on a day like this!" Hilrit replied, wiping beer foam from his beard and pointing with his beer mug at the dish he was eating.
"Whoa! Drake meat, huh? Never had it before, but it looks delicious! What's that soup? Is that drake meat too?"
"It's Pakalleve, a tripe soup made from drake innards. Try it—it's sweet yet savory, and you won't regret it!" Hilrit said enthusiastically.
"Sweet, if it's your recommendation, I'm sold! Iris, what'll you have—huh? Where'd those two go?" Rude turned around, realizing Gravel and Iris had vanished while he was chatting with Hilrit.
"They went to the reception desk to register for the hunting party's request." Barild explained from the next table.
"Oh… my anticipated meal with Iris…" Rud sighed dramatically.
Meanwhile, Gravel and Iris approached the relatively quiet reception desk. It was the afternoon, and there were no other adventurers consulting about requests. The receptionist spotted Gravel first, stood up, and hurried over to greet him.
"Gravel, we were just looking for you. It's about the drake hunting party's request…"
"Oh, that's why we're here. Rude told us they're looking for adventurers who can use healing and enhancement magic." Gravel said with a slight smile.
"Huh—? Oh, uh… here are the details." the receptionist stammered, caught off guard by Gravel's casual knowledge of the request. Flustered, they quickly unrolled a parchment and handed it to Gravel.
"It includes the advance payment, the reward upon successful hunt, additional bonuses, and payment conditions."
"The reward's pretty high. It says if I'm asked to join the hunt in special circumstances, I'll get triple the completion reward?" Gravel noted, reading the document.
"That'd means we're facing annihilation. We value our lives more than money." a man said from behind. He had short, unkempt hair and wore a mix of leather armor and scale armor crafted from large scales on his shoulders and arms.
Noticing Gravel's gaze on his shoulder armor, the man added.
"Oh, this? It's a hunter's badge of sorts. We make it from the scales of our first drake kill—a memento of the first hunt."
He extended a hand. "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Clau, from the Lamir Drake Hunting Party."
"Lamir's newbie, you mean. Last hunt, he was crying, 'Ugh, what if I can't walk again, brother? Sob, I'll walk, right?'" another man said, clapping Clau's shoulder as he passed by. He was tall, with neatly trimmed dark brown hair and beard, his appearance far more polished than the typical drake hunter.
"Brother Wellen! I really couldn't feel my legs that time!" Clau protested, his face and ears turning red as he shouted after Wellen, who was already heading toward a distant table.
"Haha, I'm Gravel, taking on this hunting party's request. This is Iris." Gravel introduced, chuckling.
"Whoa, you can do enhancement magic too? What about healing?" Clau asked.
"Hm… based on this document, I can handle speed enhancement, group healing, weapon enhancement, and protection magic/" Gravel said, pointing to the relevant sections.
"Phew, our boss is gonna shell out big time. I heard the drake we're hunting this time is no ordinary size. Wellen, the guy who just passed by, was part of the scouting team that spotted it. They said it's over 15 cubits(7.5 meters) tall—a real monster," Clau said.
Gravel, now familiar with the cubit unit, pictured a colossal beast over 7 meters tall.
"(Drakes… I remember them as wingless, dragon-like monsters. Is it the same in this world?) Are drakes usually that big?" Gravel asked.
"Huh? Nah, even the biggest ones are usually around 10 cubits(5 meters). I've never heard of a 15-cubit drake before. Normally, they're 6 to 7 cubits(3 to 3.5 meters)." Clau said, gesturing with his arms to compare sizes.
"So that's why you're hiring adventurers with support magic this time?" Gravel asked.
"Pretty much. Plus, we can't hire just anyone. Money's part of it, but during a hunt, you gotta be careful about targeting specific parts like scales or eyes. One wrong move, and you could lose dozens or even hundreds of gold coins. We don't usually hire adventurers, but this time's special." Clau explained.
"I see…" Gravel nodded.
"With a skilled mage like you, Gravel, this hunt might be too easy." Clau said with a grin.
"This is my first time joining a large-scale hunt like this." Gravel replied, bowing lightly.
Clau returned the bow, assuming it was the greeting custom of the black-haired people from the East, as most in Froikton did when meeting Gravel and Iris.
"Well, we leave in two days, so we'll meet again then. See ya, Gravel,."Clau said, waving casually before heading toward Wellen's table.