To register as a member of the Merchant Guild, an admission fee and an annual membership fee were required.
The admission fee was one gold coin, and the annual fee was six silver coins.
In Japanese yen, the total amounted to 160,000 yen, but whether that was expensive or cheap, I couldn’t tell.
Still, I was grateful to have obtained the Merchant Guild membership card.
With this card, I could use it as identification, and I was exempt from paying the toll tax when entering or leaving the city.
It also allowed me to officially call myself a traveling merchant and even set up a stall in the city market.
“There’s no screening or anything? It’s so easy, it’s almost unsettling.”
At least they checked if I was a criminal.
At both the Adventurer’s Guild and the Merchant Guild, wanted posters of criminals were displayed at the reception counter. Staff would also ask, “Have you ever committed a crime?”
Apparently, the crystal orb on hand was a magical tool that could discern whether your statement was true or not.
As I admired it, they proudly told me it was a magic item from a dungeon.
This world truly had some fascinating items.
“A lie detector, huh? I’ll have to be more careful about what I say from now on…”
I had no intention of committing crimes, but I wasn’t exactly the type to let myself get beaten up without a fight. If I were attacked, I’d definitely fight back.
For now, I resolved to at least refrain from starting any conflicts. Self-defense was important.
Also, I decided to avoid lying as much as possible.
Now that I had the membership card I wanted, my next task was to help Shella get cleaned up and ready.
After being hit with a purification spell called Clean without any say in the matter, Shella was now sparkling.
Her silver hair, which hadn’t been washed in days, now shone with a halo of light, and her dirt-stained face gleamed like polished porcelain.
Her worn-out clothes still looked tired, but even just cleaning them made a huge difference.
The person herself seemed uncomfortable, keeping her hood firmly pulled up.
“Feels refreshing, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh… It does feel refreshing, but I still feel uneasy…”
“You’ll get used to it. Staying dirty can make you prone to illnesses. If an adventurer gets bedridden, debts will pile up in no time.”
“Ugh… I know that, but I’m just scared of men…”
“Scared of men? Then traveling with me must be—”
“Oh, but Tohma -san is fine! You don’t feel like a man to me!”
I was about to apologize awkwardly, but she cut me off with a firm denial. I couldn’t quite understand it.
Was it because of this feminine face I got from my mother?
Or maybe it was my ridiculously handsome High Elf face, courtesy of the mischievous god Kesaran Pasaran!
“…I see. Well, as long as you’re okay with me, that’s fine. Anyway, you don’t like standing out, do you? In that case, take this.”
I handed Shella a ring I’d found in a dungeon.
The simple silver ring was a magical tool with a special skill.
Adorned with a small magic stone, it activated when infused with magical energy, creating an effect that diverted people’s attention.
“Slide this onto your finger and flow magic into it. …Yes, like that. Now the skill Recognition Inhibition is active. Even if someone looks directly at you, they won’t consciously notice you.”
“They won’t notice me? I’ll be invisible?”
“Not quite. You’ll still be visible, but their recognition will blur. Unless it’s a high-level adventurer or magician, no one will pay attention to your appearance.”
Shella’s face lit up.
She must have struggled a lot in the past.
She lovingly stroked the ring, then looked up with concern.
“Is it really okay for me to borrow such an amazing magical tool?”
“It’s fine. You can still interact with people while wearing it, so it’s actually more convenient this way.”
I didn’t want troublesome men gathering around her for her looks rather than the products.
Besides, I still had three more of those rings in stock. They weren’t particularly rare drops in the Great Forest dungeon.
“In that case, I’ll borrow it! Thank you so much!”
“Alright. Next stop is the clothing store. Time to buy a uniform for our new employee.”
“Huh? H-Hold on…”
Even with our short time together, I was starting to get a feel for how to handle Shella.
She was timid but kind-hearted and earnest, with little resistance to being pushed around.
If I talked to her in quick succession without waiting for answers and then walked off, she’d scramble to follow me.
All I had to do was hand a few silver coins to a female store clerk and leave Shella in her care.
The middle-aged clerk, cheerful and accommodating, listened to my requests with a smile and took Shella to the back of the store.
◆◇◆
“Are you sure it’s okay to get so much…?”
“It’s fine. It’s part of the job perks.”
“Job perks…?”
“Uh… kind of like a bonus for employees. It looks good on you.”
“Th-Thank you.”
Her shy smile and slightly flushed cheeks were endearing.
She still looked apologetic but clutched the clothes I’d bought her tightly, grinning happily.
The clothes included a uniform for working as a market vendor—a neat outfit resembling a traditional townswoman’s dress.
The design was reminiscent of German folk costumes, charming and modest.
It consisted of a white blouse with short sleeves, a corset-like bodice with front lacing, and a long, pale-green skirt with a white apron attached.
Unlike the mini-skirts of beer girls at Germany’s Oktoberfest, this outfit was less revealing and suited Shella perfectly.
In addition, I bought sturdy and practical clothing for adventuring, a set of comfortable loungewear that could double as pajamas, and several changes of undergarments.
The purchases totaled about three silver coins at a thrift shop—reasonable enough.
In this world, commoners typically wore second-hand or homemade clothing.
(I would’ve liked to buy her brand-new clothes, but she’d probably feel too guilty to accept anything so expensive.)
Since I was already shopping, I picked up a few outfits for myself.
I avoided second-hand clothes and chose brand-new ones.
I wasn’t as much of a neat freak as Akimi, but I preferred new items over vintage ones.
Afterward, we strolled through the market, browsing shops and stalls.
For dinner, we decided to eat at the food stalls.
There were stalls selling soup, bread, and grilled meat skewers.
“What do you feel like eating, Shella?”
“I want meat!”
“Got it.”
I was slightly taken aback by the way the delicate, innocent-looking girl enthusiastically declared, “Meat!” with her clear blue eyes sparkling.
But this world’s meat was delicious, so it wasn’t too surprising.
I bought about ten skewers of boar meat and three servings of soup, then headed to the plaza in the center of the town.
We sat on a wooden bench, and I placed the skewers on a large plate taken from my Item Box.
Ketsue eagerly climbed down from my shoulder and sat neatly in front of the plate.
“Alright, let’s eat. Shella, don’t hold back. If it’s not enough, I’ll go buy more.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Nyaa!”
“Mmm! It’s been so long since I’ve had meat—it’s delicious!”
Shella immediately sank her teeth into the skewered meat, narrowing her eyes in happiness.
Though she had eaten quite a lot during the day, she must have been really hungry, as she quickly devoured three skewers.
I was a bit surprised since I was still chewing on my first skewer, but I decided to go and buy some more for her.
“Here, eat this. I’ll go buy more.”
“But, this is yours, Tohma …”
“I’ll buy more, don’t worry. Can you take the meat off Ketsue’s skewer for him?”
“Of course!”
Ketsue, the cat-like fairy called a Cait Sith, was dexterous enough to use his front paws to eat the skewered meat, but if he did that in front of people, it would reveal that he wasn’t an ordinary cat.
Shella diligently removed the meat from the skewer, and Ketsue leisurely ate it.
He didn’t seem very enthusiastic about it—probably because, like me, he found the flavor lacking.
The skewered meat from the stall had only a faint salty taste.
There were no herbs, pepper, or other spices to mask the gamey flavor, which made it unappetizing for someone like us who was used to more complex flavors—in short, it was bland.
“Boar meat is supposed to be fatty and flavorful, though…”
I need to add some spices.
The soup was even worse.
It was a watery broth with a few root vegetables, mushrooms, and what looked like dried meat floating in it, completely devoid of seasoning.
The soup relied entirely on the saltiness of the dried meat and the mushrooms for flavor—it didn’t even have any added salt.
“I can’t drink this. It’s too much. I’ll definitely have to add spices and consommé.”
I bought another twenty skewers of meat and stored them in my Item Box.
If there were any leftovers, we could eat them for tomorrow’s lunch.
When I returned to the bench, the large plate was already empty.
Ketsue was still gnawing on his first skewer with a vacant expression.
Meanwhile, Shella, who had devoured eight skewers, cheered as I brought out more meat.
(She’s still eating? She’s got quite an appetite.)
I couldn’t help but wonder where all that food was going in her slim figure.
Still, I couldn’t dislike someone who ate well, so I happily served her more meat.
“Wait a second. Let me add a little something to make it taste better.”
I discreetly took out some Crazy Salt and sprinkled it on the skewers.
I also added a bit of powdered consommé to the soup.
“This should taste a bit better now.”
“Huh? It was already good, though.”
“Just eat. Ketsue, this should be better for you too.”
“Nyaa!”
Ketsue perked up his tail and eagerly began munching on the skewers.
Seeing him, Shella hurriedly reached for the food too.
With the addition of the Japanese-made seasoning—a blend of salt, herbs, and pepper—the previously mediocre boar meat was transformed into something far more flavorful.
“W-What is this? It tastes completely different! Delicious meat just became even more delicious!”
“Right?”
“And the soup! What was just a drink to warm my Tohma is now like a feast fit for the gods… it’s so delicious…”
That’s a bit much.
I couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback as Shella, blushing with delight, wiggled in her seat while savoring her meal.
I tried the boar meat for myself—it was… decent.
Better than before, but after having tasted the meat of high-level dungeon monsters, this was rather ordinary.
Still, seeing the thin girl tearfully enjoying her meal and calling it delicious stirred my sympathy.
(While I’m looking after her, I’ll make sure she gets plenty of good food and puts on some weight.)
Watching the frail girl more closely, I silently vowed to myself once again.
