The Otherworld Antique Bookstore is a Life-Risk Chapter 6

 

Chapter 6: Reunion

 

The next day, as I walked with Bergana, eager to start my work at the main store, I spotted familiar faces in the crowd. It was Al's group of rookie adventurers, talking with another group of four adventurers.

I chose to walk past without interfering, but Bergana seemed intrigued and suggested we observe for a while. We blended into the crowd and listened to their conversation.

"Dungeons are too early for you guys. They're much more dangerous than the outside. Rookies should start with extermination requests outside first," one of the older adventurers advised.

"Is that so?" Al asked.

"Extermination requests are also recommended for quickly raising your rank. Come with us as helpers this time. We'll split the reward and teach you the ropes of extermination. You look too risky to leave alone," the man offered.

"Really? That's great!" Al's group exclaimed.

The deal seemed settled, and Al's group began moving with the other adventurers.

"So that's how adventurers support each other," I remarked, impressed.

Bergana, however, started heading back the way we came.

"Bergana, what's wrong? Aren't we going to the main store?" I asked.

"Change of plans. We're going to the Adventurers' Guild. Let's study how merchants hire adventurers today," she replied.

At the Adventurers' Guild, Bergana spoke with the receptionist and handed over several gold coins. The professional-smiling receptionist looked surprised and rushed out from behind the counter, calling out to adventurers in the guild.

In no time, four adventurers lined up before us.

"Berga, what's going on?" I asked.

"It was urgent, so I had them gather people with an exceptional reward. The request is to investigate a goblin cave that's already been cleared, along with escorting us there and back," she explained.

"Already cleared?"

"Yes, empty caves need regular checks in case something new moves in. The danger level is low, making it suitable for low-rank adventurers."

The four F-rank solo adventurers hastily gathered introduced themselves: Gamou, a half-ogre man, and three beast-women - Rita of the black wolf tribe, Rita of the white wolf tribe, and Lulu of the rabbit tribe.

"I'm Berga the merchant, and this is our new employee, Yuki. Today, I want to show Yuki a bit about adventurers' work. I'm counting on you," Bergana said.

At this point, I was carefree and didn't notice Bergana's grim expression.

 

* * *

 

We passed through the city walls and entered the northern forest. Our destination was a small cave in the shallow part of the forest, less than half a day's round trip. It was my second time outside the city, but with our armed group, I felt no danger.

Instead, I felt excited. Everything I saw was new to me - unfamiliar flowers and trees.

Bergana stopped, and the black wolf Rita at the front raised her hand slightly, signaling us to halt.

"I smell goblins," Rita said.

"Just one. Can you catch it?" Bergana asked.

"Understood."

The two Ritas disappeared into the bushes and returned shortly with a small, green creature about the size of a child, tied up.

"Yuki, this is a goblin. Come here," Bergana called.

I approached the creature pinned to the ground. It was my first time seeing a hostile monster, but more than that...

"Ugh, what's this awful smell?" I exclaimed.

"That's the goblin's smell, mostly from its loincloth. Remember it," Bergana advised.

Then, Bergana stabbed the goblin in the back with a knife, delivering a fatal blow. Blood flowed from its chest, staining the ground.

Overwhelmed by the stench, far worse than before, I turned away and vomited.

"Aren't you all affected?" I asked the others.

"We've been hunting goblins since childhood. We're not used to the smell, but we can tolerate it," Lulu, the rabbit-eared woman, explained.

Steeling myself, I approached the goblin's corpse again, only to vomit once more.

About two-thirds of the way to our destination, we crossed paths with the group of four adventurers from earlier. I recognized them as the ones who had invited Al's group. They were carrying bags with three brand-new swords visible.

"Wait," I called out.

"Huh?" They turned, looking puzzled.

I tried to question them about Al's group, but Bergana covered my mouth.

"Don't mind us, it's our business. Yuki, don't shout in the forest," she scolded.

The four men walked away.

"Why?" I asked.

"If they knew you were acquainted with those rookie adventurers, they might attack us. Our hired adventurers might not be skilled enough to prevent casualties on our side. That's why I stopped you," Bergana explained.

"What about Al and the others?"

"I'm not sure. Three new short swords and leather armors would cost about 40 silver coins. They clearly targeted the rookies' equipment. If they're lucky, they might still be alive."

"Then we should hurry."

"Can I ask the white and black wolf tribe members to go ahead? The destination is the cave up ahead," Bergana instructed.

The two Ritas disappeared into the forest at Bergana's request.

When we reached the cave, the Ritas were waiting at the entrance, but our worst fears were confirmed. Al's decapitated body lay at the cave entrance, while the two girls were found dead inside, tied up and showing signs of assault.

"How cruel. Why would they do this? Aren't they fellow adventurers?" I cried.

"It's true that adventurers live day-to-day, risking their lives. But most deaths aren't from monster battles. They're killed by bandits disguised as travelers or malicious colleagues. Humans pretending to be friendly are often more dangerous than openly hostile monsters," Bergana explained.

"For just 40 silver coins..." I muttered. In this world, one gold coin is worth about 100,000 yen, and one silver coin is worth about 1,000 yen.

"I apologize, Yuki, but the original reward for this cave investigation request is only 3 silver coins, regardless of the number of people. 40 silver coins is a month's salary for a typical merchant family. It's a large sum for us. Free access to two women and loot worth 40 silver coins is more than enough reason for thief-like individuals to kill," Lulu explained.

"Couldn't Bergana have seen through their intentions? If we had stopped Al's group back in town..." I lamented.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't certain then. Some genuinely want to guide rookies, so I couldn't definitively label them as evil. I became suspicious after asking the guild receptionist about their request. That group hadn't accepted any extermination requests. That's why I hurriedly took precautions. Unfortunately, it turned into the worst possible learning experience for you," Bergana apologized.

"Can't we bring them to justice?" I asked.

"It would have been possible if any of the victims had survived to testify. Or if they had accepted the request through the guild, the guild would investigate the circumstances of the three deaths and collect their equipment as mementos. Neither applies in this case," Bergana explained.

"This is unforgivable. I can't accept this," I cried.

"Berga, we've collected the three guild cards. We'll submit them to the guild when reporting the request completion and explain what happened. What should we do with the bodies?" Lulu asked.

"If we leave them, they'll either become monster food or rise as zombies. Let's bury them here," Bergana decided.

"Understood."

At Bergana's instruction, the adventurers began digging a hole a short distance from the cave. I continued crying in front of the three bodies, remembering my recent interaction with Al's group. Although our meeting had started badly, I had felt we could have become good friends.

The return journey to town was uneventful, but I cried the whole way.

At the city gates, Bergana signed the request forms for Lulu and the others, and we parted ways. They would return to the guild to receive their reward and report about Al's group.

"We've decided to form a party, the four of us," Lulu said. "We've all been working solo until now, but today's events made us realize the importance of finding trustworthy companions. We've also decided to only accept job requests through the guild unless they come from highly trusted sources. The incident with the excessive reward was also educational. Thank you very much."

The four adventurers bowed to Bergana in unison before leaving.

"It's just your imagination. I'm not such a good person," Bergana muttered, but she looked a bit embarrassed.

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