Instead of five gold coins, I got a virtue. While I got 5 gold coins instead of virtue, Haruka and the others who went to the bookstore didn't seem to have much success.

　There were a few books on demons, but not the ones we needed, and the books on dungeons had been sold just a few days ago.

　I thought, "What bad timing," but when I asked about it, I found out that dungeon-related books are actually hot sellers, and they sell out sooner than expected when they come in.

　The reason for this is that adventurers in this town, after improving their skills to a certain degree, either move their home base to Kerg or travel a bit farther to a town with dungeons.

　Adventurers who can afford it buy books to learn more about the dungeon.

　They are expensive, and not everyone can afford them, but if you are an adventurer who travels across the Kerug to a town with a dungeon, you should be able to earn that kind of money.

　If you don't, it's reckless to enter the dungeon.

　Fortunately, the adventurer who left Rafan this time seemed to be a cautious adventurer.

　Fortunately, the adventurer who left Rafan this time seemed to be a cautious adventurer, which is what prevented us from going in this time.

　However, it seems that they did not completely miss out on anything. All three of them bought several books for both hobby and practical use.

　We have grown up to be able to buy books with our own pocket money.

　　　　The next day, we ran to Sahlstadt.

　The next day, we ran to Sahlstat and went straight to the bookstore.

　Because of our previous experience, we didn't feel like eating here, so we planned to finish our business by noon and go upstream to have a barbecue for lunch.

Hello. I'm looking for a book about demons and a book about dungeons. ......

Wait a minute.

　The shopkeeper, who was approached by Haruka, immediately stood up and started to pick up books from the bookshelf behind him.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I think it's a great idea.

　...... No, it's possible that the stock hasn't moved enough for him to remember.

　For now, I'll leave the negotiations to Haruka, and Yuki and I will rummage through the wagon sales.

　Even if there are no second loach, there might be some small fish that can be eaten.

　We choose a book with a relatively intact binding and look inside. ...... It's a bit delicate.

　I don't care about the personal histories of noblemen whose names I don't even know.

　I guess they made it for bragging rights, but ...... what's the point?

　The rest of the books are just as likely to end up on the shelf. It's not going to work out that way.

Yuki, do you have anything good?

"Well, there are no good books. There are no decent books that are worth a lot of money, but there are some that are worth a lot of money.

　In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more than just a book.

　I see. If it's a book and has value, why would it be here?

　We're dealing with a professional book dealer.

　It's not that they couldn't judge the value of the book, it's just that they decided that a bargain like the last one would not sell here even if they knew it had value to some people.

　Following Yuki's lead, I checked out the raggedy books, and indeed, some of them seemed to have some significance.

　However, if I'm not careful, important parts may be left out, so it's dangerous to judge a book by reading it only at the beginning.

　This is probably a case of taking out only the necessary parts and selling off the rest, right?　This is a bit malicious (?). A little malicious(?).

"Did anything happen to you?
Well, a little, I guess.

　Haruka and his staff have finished checking the books, and there are two books and eight books on the counter.

　The two books are about dungeons and demons that you might be willing to buy, while the eight books are ones that Haruka and his team have decided are not worth it, at least not for us right now.

　On the other hand, we picked up seven books.

　The seven books we picked up are ones that we judged to have some value, though it's not easy to describe them as "books".

　Each book is 1,800 rares, for a total of 12,600 rares.

　Normally, it would be unthinkable to pay 12,600 rares, or more than 120,000 Japanese yen, for this, but we can only think of it as a difference in prices.

　If you're looking for the best of the best, you're going to have to go with the best.

I'm not sure what to make of that.　I'm sure you'll be pleased with the results. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you. ...... How about 33 gold coins for these two books and that?

　Is that cheap?　In the event that you're not sure of the price of the book you've chosen, we don't say anything about it and look at Haruka, who was the main negotiator.

I'm sure you're right. ...... Yeah. Good. And.
I'm sorry.

　After some thought, Haruka nodded and paid for the book.
　We left the store and headed upriver, out of town.

　Our destination was the same fishing spot as last time, but on the way, we stopped at a large riverbank and started to prepare for the barbecue.

　The basic preparations were done before we left home, so all we had to do was to gather some stones, make a hearth, throw in some firewood, and wait for the fire to start.

So, how much did you get off the price?

"Well, three thousand six hundred rares. This one, 'What is a Dungeon', is 13,000 rares. This one, "A Study of Demons," was 11,000 rares.

　As we poked at the still-burning firewood with sticks, we talked about what had just happened, tea in hand.

　Yuki was reading a piece of paper as soon as she could, so she must have found something that caught her interest.

"It's a little cheaper than the demon encyclopedia I have now, isn't it?

　I believe Toya said something about 20 gold coins.
　Compared to that, "A Study of Monsters" is thinner, but also about half the price.

These were more like academic papers. In terms of practicality, it's a bit ......

So they discounted it because it was hard to sell.

"Yes. I think you can get some knowledge, but it's not as useful as a demon encyclopedia.

Well, I still think there's a point to appraisal.

　If the [appraisal] skill reflects one's own knowledge, it would certainly be useful to deepen one's knowledge by reading papers.

"What about 'What is a Dungeon'?

"This is more of a discussion of dungeons than a general knowledge of them. It seems to be more about why they exist. It's probably not a 'fact' but a 'prediction' or a 'guess'.



　Dungeons have not been well researched and are currently in a state of flux.

　What is generally known about dungeons is merely what is empirically thought to be 'probably correct'.

　The book I bought this time seems to be one such theory, but since it is sold in the form of a book, the author must have a certain amount of money, and if he has money, there is a high possibility that the contents of his research can be trusted to some extent.

　There is also a possibility that it is just a rich aristocrat who has no time to write about his fantasies, but since there is no publisher, we have to accept this as a risk.

What about Yuki and the others?　It looked like a bunch of dirty papers.

"Ours was just a reference, I guess. Pharmacy, alchemy, all sorts of stuff, you can look through it in your spare time.

"I see, got it.

　We waited for a while, each reading a book as we saw fit, and when the wood had reached a fire, we stopped reading and set up the grill. We set up the grill and tuck into the grilled meat.

　In addition to salt and pepper, there was also a modified yakiniku sauce - the one Yuki had made based on the inspiration sauce - and it was delicious as usual.

　It was a pity that there was no rice.


　After lunch, we quickly moved to the fishing grounds and started fishing to secure food.
　There's not much to say about this.

　We have been here many times before, but it seems that the fish around here are not slack, and we can catch them easily. We are very grateful for that.

　The purpose of coming here is to catch fish, not for sport fishing. I hope you will continue to be naive.

　It had been four days since I started to secure fish and shrimps like this.

　The temperature rose from the morning, and by noon, it was very hard to keep a line in the water.

　We all wore straw hats, but that was not enough to stop the sun from burning ......, but it was still a little hard.

　I guess it means that summer is approaching in earnest.

"Hey, Haruka, isn't this weather nice?

　When I said this while looking up at the sky, Haruka also looked up at the sky and put down her fishing rod, having already secured enough.

"Yeah, right. Well then, let's call it a day and play!
"I've been waiting for you!

　"I've been waiting for you!" shouted Toya happily.

　It was not difficult to catch fish here, so in a sense it had become a task, and he must have been bored.

　If it were more difficult, it might be more interesting to play games with the fish, but for those of us who want to eat ...... fish, that would be a hassle.

I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea.
"You two, don't peek.
"No peeking!

　We're going to change our clothes.

I'll leave you to it.

　The women moved to a tent that was somewhat cramped, but could fit three people, and began to change into their swimsuits while talking amicably.

　Some distance away from them, Toya and I also changed into our swimsuits.

　There was no one watching us, and since we were men, we didn't pay any attention to it.

　Normally, playing in the water in a place like this would be dangerous for ordinary people, but considering our [Searching for Enemies] skills and the strength of the enemies we encountered, it was no problem.

　We haven't encountered any demons in the past four days, and even if they do appear, with three wizards, we can destroy them without using weapons.

　Even without armor, the attacks of goblins are not much of a problem.

　In the beginning, even goblins posed a certain threat. ...... This is the result of hard work.

But straw hats ...... don't look good on elves.
Is that so?　I don't know.

　The only thing I'm wearing right now is a straw hat and a trunks-type swimsuit.

　I'm sorry to say this, but I think it's a bit unbalanced for a beautiful elf.

　Incidentally, Toya is also dressed in the same way, but his outfit is much more appropriate.

You look ...... good, don't you?

　He has a well-built, inverted triangle body and a straw hat.
　You look more at home on the beach or in the fields in the middle of summer than you do as a warrior.

I'm sure you'll agree.　Look at this physical beauty!

　"Hmmm! He's not a muscle fetishist.

　I don't think this guy had a muscle fetish. .......

　I'm sure you'll be proud of the results of your nearly a year of hard work and training.

　I don't have that much muscle, probably because of the difference in our species.

　I'm generally toned, and my abs have a hint of a six-pack, but I'm not as muscular as Toya.

　Well, he's well-balanced, so he's fine in my opinion.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

　Just then, a voice called out from behind us.