Following the scent of the sea carried by the wind, we passed through the forest and returned to the main road.
We leisurely continued along the path, and upon reaching a small hill, the three of us—two people and a cat—let out a cheer at the sight before us.
Between the gaps in the red-brown brick-roofed buildings, the blue sea peeked through. We had finally arrived at a quaint port town.
“Is that the sea? It’s so beautifully blue!”
Sheila, who was born in the deep forest, flushed with excitement. She had never seen the sea—or even a lake—so it was no surprise she was so thrilled.
Kote, the cat fairy, was also seeing the sea for the first time, though he wasn’t as noisy about it as Sheila.
(Well, he’s a cat. He’s not too fond of water…)
He had been fine with baths ever since he was a kitten, but it seemed that he wasn’t particularly fond of water.
“Nyaa.”
“Hmm? Is it fish? Yeah, once we get a place to stay, we’ll hit the market and get some.”
Though he wasn’t interested in water play, Kote seemed quite curious about seafood.
“Fish! I want to try it! Sea fish! I wonder what it tastes like…”
“There are more types than river fish, so hopefully, we’ll find one you like.”
“Yes! I’m looking forward to it!”
Sheila, who was smiling happily, had transformed into a much less noticeable appearance thanks to the magic tool I lent her.
Her once dazzling silver hair had turned into a subtle flaxen shade, and her clear aquamarine eyes were now a brownish hue.
Just by changing her clothing color, her whole impression as a young girl had drastically shifted. The pale skin, which had been too white for an adventurer, now looked healthily sun-kissed thanks to the magic tool.
With the addition of some freckles drawn using an eyebrow pencil from a convenience store, she now looked like a completely different person.
If someone were to closely observe, they could tell that she had a well-proportioned face, but thanks to the recognition-blocking magic tool she was also using, no one was paying her any special attention.
Even if someone from Sheila’s hometown were to show up, they wouldn’t recognize her.
“Well, shall we go?”
“Yes!”
We crossed over the hill, aiming for the seaside town.
Both of us planned to stay there as adventurers. Though we were lightly equipped, we were properly armed.
In order to avoid revealing that we had a large storage skill, I carried a backpack I bought from a general store, and with a feeling of excitement, we made our way toward the town.
We had already registered with the Adventurer’s Guild, so our tags were properly hanging around our necks.
Kote, who was elegantly lounging on top of the backpack, was also registered as a familiar. For the time being, we planned to earn a living as adventurers near the sea.
Chapter Break
The name of the town was Olivete.
The main industries were orchards and fishing, and though it wasn’t a large town, it appeared to be fairly prosperous.
The stone buildings had red-brown brick roofs, giving the town a charming feel.
The main street had a commercial guild, but there was no adventurer’s guild building.
“In this town, there are few jobs for adventurers, so the commercial guild has set up a branch office instead,” explained the cheerful receptionist at the commercial guild.
I never expected that there would be no adventurer’s guild here.
“So, it’s so peaceful here that there’s no need for beast subjugations?”
“Yes, this town is near the sea, so it’s more like the domain of sea monsters. If you don’t go out into the open sea, there aren’t any big monsters around, so skilled fishermen can handle them.”
“Seriously…”
Even small monsters are vicious creatures that attack humans when they see them.
For fishermen who aren’t adventurers to defeat them—that was impressive.
“That’s amazing, fishermen are so tough!”
“Yeah… I guess adventurers wouldn’t make much money here.”
While Sheila marveled at this, I let out a sigh.
The receptionist quickly shook her head.
“No, there are a few adventurers here. There are regular requests for land-based subjugations.”
“Regularly?”
“Yes. There are monsters that come to target the orchards.”
The town of Olivete grew oranges and olives.
Monsters from the Deer or Boar families would target the oranges and olives, respectively.
“Olives, huh. That sounds interesting.”
“Hehe. If you’re interested, you can find some in the shop at the back.”
It seemed that the shop sold local specialties. We decided to visit it later.
“How about gathering requests?”
“Herbs don’t grow very well around here. Most of the gathering requests are focused on sea products.”
“…Sea products gathering requests?”
That was an unexpected answer, and I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Chapter Break
“Gathering sea treasures sounds fun!”
“Yeah, I never imagined that gathering shellfish or catching fish would be part of an adventurer’s job…”
The regular gathering requests included collecting edible shellfish and catching fish that hid in rocky areas.
Apparently, the rocks where these shellfish lived were inhabited by Sahagin, so adventurers had to deal with them.
After leaving the commercial guild, our steps naturally became lighter as we headed toward the inn she had told us about.
“I saw a catalog of the shellfish and fish we’re supposed to gather. It looks like we can catch oysters and abalones. I’m definitely taking that request.”
“Oysters… abalones? Are they delicious?”
“They might be an acquired taste, but both are considered delicacies.”
“Delicacies⁉︎ So, they’re delicious…!”
“We’ll eat the ones we catch ourselves, too. Sashimi would be good, but I think grilling them with butter might make it easier for you to eat, Sheila.”
“I’m looking forward to it!”
We’d be getting seafood, and not just any seafood—oysters and abalones!
I had already gotten some olive pickles and olive oil at the shop, and making homemade oyster oil would be fun too.
