Chapter 26: Adventurer’s Guild

After experiencing the classic pattern of raising someone up (though that was probably just my own overinflated ego) only to be let down, we entered the store and sat at a table for three. The waitress and the other women in the shop were looking at us. It was probably 80% at Stevie and 20% at me. Still, I could feel their gazes on me too. It felt a little nice.

The two of them ordered pudding, so I went along with it. When it arrived, it really was pudding—pretty much the same as the one from my previous life.

"Isn’t this the kind that needs fresh milk?" I asked.

Both of them widened their eyes in surprise. Lily said,

"You know that well! Even though you haven’t eaten it yet!"

I’m used to being surprised at, but there’s a big difference between being surprised because someone thinks I’m an idiot versus being surprised because they think I’m smart. This kind of surprise feels good. (Just don’t dig too deep into where I learned it, okay?)

Ever since we sat down, the girls around us had mostly stopped talking and were staying quiet. In other words, they were listening to our conversation. Some were even blatantly staring at us. I felt like I might get killed by their glares.

Stevie, who didn’t care about any of that at all, grinned and said,

"Well then, Lord Robby, how do you think they make this yellow color?"

It was an obvious question meant to make fun of me, assuming I didn’t know.

"That’s obviously from eggs. It’s yellow, so of course it is."

Lily and Stevie looked at each other. *Come on, isn’t that taking the mocking too far?* Ignoring the two who were left stunned, I took a bite.

"Mmm, it’s sweet and delicious. The amount of sugar is just right."

I was happy that the taste was almost the same as in my previous life. But when Stevie heard my comment, his jaw nearly dropped in shock.

"Stevie, if you don’t eat it quickly, I’ll finish it myself, okay?"

When I said it a bit childishly, Stevie hurriedly started eating again. I could hear whispers around us like "That person’s name is Stevie," "He’s really handsome," but I ignored them.

Stevie finished in no time and looked like he wanted seconds, but I ignored that too. *You think this is going on the entertainment expenses anyway, so you’d eat as much as you want!*

"Milk is good and all, but the milk used for this has to be fresh, right? Are there any ranches near the royal capital?"

When I asked the two, Stevie looked blank as if he had no idea what I was talking about, but Lily answered,

"You really know a lot. The milk used here is brought in from a ranch a little further away. They transport it inside magic bags to keep it fresh. That’s why it’s expensive."

*There it is! Magic bags!!* I need to ask more about this. *Hey, Stevie!!* Stop scraping the edge of the empty container with your spoon just because the pudding’s gone! And stop making that face like you want to lick it!

"Does everyone have a magic bag?"

Lily answered this too,

"Many people have small ones, but it’s rare for someone to have one big enough to fit a barrel of milk. And even among magic bags, ones that can stop time inside are especially valuable. Could it be that you have one, Lord Robby?"

"No, I don’t. Mr. Jones hasn’t taught me about them yet."

"I see. It’s said that the more magic power you have, the bigger the magic bag you can make. So it would be nice if you have a large amount of magic power, Lord Robby."

*Geez, Stevie, don’t make that starving puppy face just because the pudding’s gone!!*

"I hope so. Well, shall we leave the shop soon?"

When I stood up, the girls around us gave us resentful looks. It was pitiful that Stevie didn’t notice at all. After all, Stevie probably didn’t think of himself as someone girls would squeal over. In his mind, he probably still saw himself as a maid.

The moment we left the store, Stevie immediately asked,

"What should we do for lunch? What would you like to eat?"

He seemed a bit too eager. Time for a little punishment.

"I think I’ll head back soon. I was planning to eat lunch at the inner palace?"

"Geh!!"

Stevie looked openly disappointed. In contrast, Lily said,

"Lord Robby, I already told them you would be eating lunch outside, so they probably didn’t prepare anything at the inner palace."

Light returned to Stevie’s eyes.

"Then let’s eat outside. It’s still early for lunch, but I’d like to try something I wouldn’t normally eat at the inner palace. I want to try commoner food."

"Lord Robby, few commoners eat lunch, so most places that serve lunch are rather expensive. Even if we say ’commoner,’ they’re mostly targeting wealthier customers."

"Isn’t there a normal cafeteria for regular commoners?"

"There is. They open early in the morning for people to eat before work. Most of those places prioritize quantity over quality because you can’t work all day on an empty stomach. They’re open in the morning, but they’re closed right now. They should open again in the evening."

"I see. But what do commoners do during the day if they get hungry?"

"They buy something from street stalls or eat what they brought from home."

"I see. That’s pretty well thought out."

"It’s the wisdom of the common people."

While listening to my conversation with Lily, Stevie’s expression kept changing rapidly between joy and disappointment. He looked let down when we talked about commoner places, but brightened up when we mentioned more expensive ones aimed at the wealthy.

"In that case, Lily, you choose a place and take us there today. Next time, let’s have a bento made for us."

"Understood."

Lily answered clearly, as if she already had somewhere in mind, while Stevie was trying to find out from her which shop it was. *If I want to get high marks from Stevie, it looks like the best way is to lure him with food.*

"Before lunch, where would you like to go?"

When Lily asked, I replied,

"I want to go to the Adventurer’s Guild?"

"What is that?"

The two of them asked in perfect unison.

---

When I said I wanted to go to the Adventurer’s Guild—a staple in isekai novels—they both asked me what that was. Once again, I was being looked at like an idiot.

"Excuse me, but what exactly is an Adventurer’s Guild?" Lily asked.

*This is bad.* They’re going to think I’m stupid again. No, they probably already do.

"The Adventurer’s Guild is something I read about in a novel. It’s an organization that arranges monster subjugation quests and merchant caravan escorts for adventurers. Doesn’t our country have one? Of course, during a big monster outbreak like this one, the country itself takes the lead in extermination. But when monsters appear individually or in situations the country can’t handle, the guild gathers adventurers to deal with them."

Lily and Stevie looked at each other and whispered quietly.

"Lily, do you know anything about that?"

"It’s the first time I’ve heard of it."

"He’s talking about weird stuff again."

"Stevie, watch your mouth. I won’t take you along next time! ...But indeed, our country doesn’t have any such organization. If it was in a book, perhaps it exists in a larger nation."

"I see. But Lord Robby was famous for being an idiot... When did he even read books?" Stevie muttered.

His way of speaking was so awful it almost brought tears to my eyes. Just because you’re whispering doesn’t mean I can’t hear you!

I pretended not to hear them calling me an idiot and continued asking questions.

"Then how do they handle merchant caravan escorts? The highways aren’t exactly safe, right? Even without monsters, there must be bandits."

"I don’t know about that. Large trading companies probably have their own guards," Lily replied. It seemed she didn’t know much about that either.

"In that case, I’d like to go to a bookstore. Do you know any?"

""Eh? A bookstore!?""

Both Lily and Stevie looked shocked again. How many times have they made that face since this morning? I’m already tired of seeing it. Stevie’s eyes were basically saying, "This idiot wants to read books?"

"Is a bookstore really that surprising?"

Lily composed herself and answered,

"They do exist, but books are extremely expensive—items that only enthusiasts collect. Only high-ranking nobles or very wealthy commoners buy them. You’ll usually find them in shops that deal in jewelry and luxury goods."

"I see."

Stevie was whispering to Lily, "Lord Robby really doesn’t know anything, huh?" I feel like I’m about to develop a new skill called "Eavesdropping."

"I heard that the Kingdom of Mainz to the west has something called a library. Students who studied abroad there might have visited one."

"I see. Then I can’t go today. I didn’t plan to buy books anyway—I just wanted to see what kinds of books they have."

Stevie whispered again in a low voice,

"Lily, he said he wants to buy books. Hey, he wants to buy books!"

"Be quiet, he can hear you (Yes, I can hear you)! He must have a book he wants to read. Maybe a picture book?"

"Yeah, probably. But he doesn’t even know how much they cost!"

"Right? If he wants to buy books, the money we brought today probably won’t be enough. Let’s make him give up on that idea."

After their secret discussion (which I could hear perfectly) ended, Lily turned to me and said,

"That would be for the best. It’s difficult to say this, but (then don’t say it)... because books are so expensive, I don’t think any of the princes have ever purchased one themselves. If you really want one, it would be better to ask a high-ranking noble you know."

I see. So something like asking Countess Rosette would be the way.

With both the Adventurer’s Guild and the bookstore off the table, I had nowhere to go. While I was thinking about what to do, Stevie cheerfully said,

"Lord Robby, the bars and brothels aren’t open yet, you know."

"What the hell are you suggesting!?"

When I replied strongly, Lily added,

"I’ve heard that some princes in the past have gone to such places."

"Eh? Even princes who were only 10 or 11 years old?"

""Yes!""

They answered in perfect unison.

"Amazing. There were some really bold ones. I’m nowhere near their level..."

Kids drinking alcohol and visiting brothels—what incredible people. I was genuinely moved and trembling with emotion. However—

"Lord Robby is pretty impressive too, right~?" Stevie said, instantly cooling my admiration.

"What exactly is ’pretty impressive’ about me?"

"We’ve been together since morning, but you’ve been so serious and normal that I’m honestly quite surprised. From the rumors I heard before, I thought you’d be much more wild and unpredictable. But you’re surprisingly ordinary... Maybe you’re actually much more decent than the other princes? Some princes apparently take maids straight into inns the moment they leave the palace. They say the change of environment makes it feel fresh. Generally speaking, many princes tend to go wild once they’re outside the palace walls, so Lord Robby is..."

Lily quickly covered Stevie’s mouth with her hand.

"I-I’m terribly sorry, Lord Robby! Stevie is truly an idiot. He has a bad habit of closing the distance when he takes a liking to someone. If you’re offended, I’ll make him apologize properly and replace him for next time, so please forgive us for today."

"Ah, it’s fine. As long as you don’t say things that put me down too much. That was meant to be a compliment in Stevie’s own way, right?"

Stevie nodded vigorously, and Lily said,

"I’m really sorry. I’ll lecture him thoroughly later."

"By the way, where would you actually like to go?"

When Lily asked again, I replied,

"Then could you take me somewhere with few people and be my sparring partner? Preferably a place that isn’t too conspicuous."

"Understood. I’ll guide you there."

In the end, because Lily was with us, it was decided I would do some training. I’ll have her teach me various things again.

(Incidentally, there is a Commerce Guild. It’s basically a trade association. Now that I think about it, I remember learning in world history class that guilds existed in medieval Germany. In Japan, the "za" of the rakuichi-rakuza system were something similar. Even if there’s no Adventurer’s Guild, there must be something equivalent. Due to supply and demand, even if it doesn’t exist in the royal capital, there are probably similar organizations in places where magical beasts appear. I bet things like Silver Wolf pelts, fangs, and Orc meat are being traded somewhere.)