v2 Chapter 7: The Journey Continues

The journey continued. When they stayed in a town, they didn’t hunt, so they traveled a little farther by carriage. Once they found an inn that could stable the horses and carriage—

"Guess I’m with the master healer again."

Leon grumbled.

The master healer, looking serious, responded,

"My disciples would sacrifice their sleep just to listen to my teachings. Usually, young apprentices are eager to share a room with me. Leon, you lack ambition."

"Well, I’m not a healer."

"Honestly, I’d rather share a room with Shou, but I’m settling for Leon."

"Same here."

They could have just gotten their own rooms, but despite all their bickering, they still ended up rooming together.

This part of Deep Forest was close to the northern town, so healers regularly came here for training. Their healing skills were top-tier. The master healer visited the local church just in case, but everything was running smoothly.

Meanwhile, the hunters took their game to the guild to settle their daily earnings. Monster meat wasn’t as valuable as magic stones, but since Shou hated wasting food, they made sure to bring it in. While the official reason for escorting the master healer was protection, in reality, it was more for prestige—or more bluntly, just to keep things lively. But this also meant they could continue hunting along the way, bringing in a decent income.

Shou also went to sell the magic stones she had collected from slimes.

"Oh, you’re an apprentice healer, right? That’s an impressive amount for someone your age."

"Yep! I’m traveling with the master healer, and there were plenty of slimes along the roads. I got a big haul."

"Travelers don’t usually bother hunting them, so that helps us a lot. Thanks."

"Of course!"

Just like in the northern forest, she earned quite a bit of money. And with that money, she immediately ran to the town’s sweets shop.

During dinner at the inn, Leon asked Shou something that had been on his mind.

"Hey, Shou, I’ve always wondered—"

Shou tilted her head.

"You’ve been saving quite a bit of money in the guild, right? Why don’t you use that to buy snacks? You always spend the money you earn that day, but never touch your savings."

Leon was observant.

"Once I put money in savings, I consider it gone. If I want something, I buy it with the money I earned that day."

"Isn’t it all the same money in the end?"

"It is, but thinking this way helps me save naturally."

Dred gave an impressed nod.

"Well, if you’re a skilled hunter, you probably end up with more money than you can spend."

Shou pointed out.

Leon scratched his head.

"Yeah, but every time I go to the Rock Caverns in the summer and see a good sword, I end up buying it. I spend a fair amount."

Falco casually muttered,

"You spend plenty on women too."

"Hey, you were the same, Falco!"

"If spending a little money keeps them happy, it’s an easy deal."

Disgusting.

Shou instinctively shot them a cold glare.

Sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, the two men flinched.

Then they noticed Shou’s stare.

"N-No, wait! That was before I became your guardian! And besides, I was mostly talking about Leon!"

"Hold on, it wasn’t just me, right, Falco? And isn’t it normal for single men to enjoy, uh… relationships? Shou, wait!"

As the two scrambled to explain themselves, Shou simply smiled sweetly.

"It’s time for kids to go back to their rooms. I’ll be in mine, enjoying some sweets."

And with that, she left.

"Ahh… my reputation just took a hit."

"Leon, it couldn’t get any lower."

"This is your fault for bringing it up!"

Lyla, watching them bicker, smirked.

"Falco, you haven’t grown up at all. You should know better than to talk about those things around a kid."

Then, she glanced between Falco and Leon.

"And for the record, no woman—past or present—wants to hear about your old flames."

Both of them slumped their heads.

Dred, still calmly drinking, chimed in.

"Shou wasn’t actually mad or disappointed. She probably just wanted to go eat snacks."

And that was true.

Meanwhile, the master healer, watching all of this, simply sipped his drink in amusement.

Shou sighed at the antics of the so-called adults and returned to her room.

She spread out the day’s haul on her bed.

Candies, baked treats, a small apple.

And a rare butter cake.

Since this area was closer to the Plains, dairy products were more available.

But livestock farming wasn’t too common because feeding them required grains that could otherwise be eaten by people—and attracting too many animals could also draw in dangerous monsters.

Still, the shopkeeper had mentioned that butter was becoming easier to find lately.

Even so, the cake had been expensive.

But since she had earned plenty that day, she splurged.

Shou was excited to go get Haru.

But… she also felt uncertain.

Three years, in an unfamiliar land, with no adults who truly cared for her.

Shou tried to imagine that, but she couldn’t.

Falco had cherished and protected her from the moment they met.

If she had been in Haru’s position, she would have probably survived on her 28 years of Earth experience.

So even though she knew Haru was injured, she didn’t know how to help her.

But one thing was certain—any Japanese person would be happy with sweets.

So she had picked out treats she herself would love, hoping Haru would enjoy them too.

The door swung open.

It was Falco.

"Lining up your snacks?"

"Yep. I was thinking about what Haru might like."

"If she’s anything like you, she’ll love all of it."

"I hope so."

Shou put most of the snacks away, leaving the butter cake.

"This is a new cake I found in town. Want to try it?"

"Sure. I’ll make some tea to go with it."

Falco’s words made Shou suddenly remember—

"Oh! I bought tea too. It’s from the south."

"Tea is tea no matter where it’s from."

"Not true! The climate affects the taste. Let’s try it and see."

As they chatted and ate their late-night snacks, Shou thought about tomorrow’s journey.

If the cake turned out to be good, she’d let Lyla try it too.

She was sure she’d like it.