“Hey, Alesia-chan, Iriya -san hasn’t come back yet, has she?”
The one speaking was Laures, a member of the D-rank adventurer party, Tree of Isashim. A blue-haired archer.
The moment I set up my stall, she appeared out of nowhere and sighed. She really is fond of Iriya -san… Or rather, it feels like she likes all women. I saw her chatting with the ladies running other stalls too, but only those who seemed older than her. The members of Isashim seem to be around 20 or just under.
“Of course, she hasn’t returned yet. She mentioned heading from the Elven Forest to Dolgo, remember?”
“Laures, give it up already! We’re leaving now!”
“…Don’t bother Alesia too much,” said Ruehlov, the most mature-looking heavy-armored swordsman, as the rest of the group, ready for their journey, arrived. There was also Leni, a healer far more reliable than the party leader, and Esume, the mage, holding a wooden staff today. Ruehlov looked slightly tanned, perhaps from their last mission.
“Off to work, everyone?” I asked.
“That’s right, Alesia-chan. We’ve taken on a subjugation request. We’ll be back in a few days,” Leni replied.
“Don’t go gathering materials alone—it’s dangerous,” said Leon, the red-haired leader of the group, concerned.
“Looks like the town guard took care of the griffon in the cave after all. Some adventurers were sent along as part of the request too,” Laures added, though she sounded a bit disappointed. Both she and Leon had wanted to take it on themselves.
Honestly, considering how many griffons there seemed to be, it’s probably better that they didn’t go.
I promised to reserve some of Iriya -san’s intermediate potions for them and saw them off. My little sister Kiara was sad to see them go, but work is work.
The stall was doing well. Business comes first!
A while later, after making a few good sales, I was taking a short break when someone approached me.
“Good day. No trouble since that last incident?”
It was Sir Sieghart, the handsome knight and captain of the town guard. His sharp features, golden-brown hair, and emerald-green eyes were striking.
“Everything’s fine. Thank you for your concern!” I said, bowing.
“Hello! I’m Kiara, Alesia’s sister. Thanks to you, we’ve been doing great business!”
Sir Sieghart smiled warmly at both of us.
Kiara, what kind of timing is that? How embarrassing.
“Then I suppose I’ll buy something too. This potion here…”
“Oh, that was made by Iriya -san, who was with us the other day. She also crafted these magic-infused amulets.”
“I see. She’s quite skilled at creating magical items,” he said, examining each item intently.
“She’s amazing at magic too! And as for the demon she was with—Belial—he’s so elegant, strong, and incredible!”
“Yeah, Belial-san’s fire spell the other day was amazing!”
Sir Sieghart listened to our chatter with a gentle smile, eventually purchasing some of Iriya -san’s items.
“By the way, do you know where she went?” he asked while receiving his items.
“She went to the Elven Forest and mentioned wanting to visit the magic workshop in Dolgo.”
“So, she won’t be back for a while.”
“Not sure! She’s traveling by wyvern, so she might be quick…”
“A wyvern!?”
Even the captain of the guard was shocked. Well, it’s not every day you hear about a woman riding a wyvern!
“Yep, she’s riding a wyvern! She’s so elegant yet so cool!”
“And Iriya -oneechan even took down a Dark Wolf so easily,” Kiara chimed in.
Sir Sieghart nodded thoughtfully, thanked us, and left.
Afterward, a merchant named Binal came by. Apparently, Sir Sieghart had been asking him about Iriya -san and Belial-san too.
“I didn’t see it myself, but there was a scuffle here recently, right? It’s only natural the captain would be curious,” he said while browsing the items on display.
“Even Esume-san seemed really intrigued by Iriya -san’s magic,” I mentioned.
“Figures. Enchanting items so effortlessly and showing that kind of magic skill… She must be impressive,” Binal said, carefully examining an amulet.
Later, a bearded dwarf craftsman approached.
“Hey there, lass. You Alesia?”
“Yes, I am… Do you know me?”
“Yup! A guy named Clemens Binal told me there’s a talented magic item maker at a cute lass’s stall,” he said with a grin.
“Oh, that’s Iriya -san. But she’s away right now.”
“Ah, figures. When’s she back?”
Everyone’s asking about Iriya -san today. I should’ve gotten a clearer timeline, but she’s off to places I’ve never been.
“She’s heading to the Elven Forest and the Radislav Magic Workshop, so she might be a few more days.”
“That’s risky, you know. Some adventurers were saying there was a big bandit raid recently!”
“Really!? That sounds scary…”
Apparently, the bandits had taken someone who’d made a contract with a demon, which led to their hideout being completely destroyed.
…Wait. Was that Iriya -san?
