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.

Well, perhaps it was slightly larger than a typical house, but still, at most, it was the size of two.

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.

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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