Who Says I’m Not a Legitimate Adventurer?

There were many practical items placed here that she had never once seen in the magical textbooks at the academy.

Just as she was wandering around aimlessly, a pair of silver bracelets in the corner of a shelf caught her attention.

They were a pair of exquisitely hand-polished rings. Their surfaces lacked those flashy gemstone decorations, bearing only an extremely simple circle of vine patterns carved into them.

This kind of restrained design matched Cecilia’s aesthetic perfectly.

With her solid alchemical knowledge, she could tell at a glance that this pair of bracelets was an alchemical tool made from a conductive metal.

However, because the rune circuits on them had been deliberately concealed, she could not figure out what kind of function the item possessed for the time being.

Just as she bent down, preparing to examine them more closely, a crisp female voice came from beside her.

“This is a Resonance Bracelet.”

Cecilia turned her head and saw a girl wearing a coarse cloth dress with several freckles on her face standing beside her.

Judging from the girl’s facial features, she was probably the shop owner’s daughter.

“Keeping watch in the wilderness is a very dangerous task.”

The freckled girl pointed at the pair of bracelets and patiently explained.

“If the person responsible for standing watch encounters a dangerous magical beast around the camp, or notices something suspicious.”

“Then they only need to inject a tiny bit of mana into the bracelet they’re wearing. The teammate wearing the matching bracelet, no matter how deeply asleep they are, will immediately be woken up by the vibration from their bracelet.”

“How is it? Isn’t it creative?”

“A very interesting tool.”

Cecilia smiled and gave it extremely high praise.

“Thank you for the compliment!”

Hearing that evaluation, the girl immediately revealed a brilliant smile.

“You’re actually the first person to say that the alchemical tools my dad makes are interesting.”

Just as the two girls were softly chatting, the shop owner and Lance happened to walk over after finishing their selections.

Lance’s hearing was sharp, and he had heard every word of their conversation without missing a single sentence.

Cecilia liked this bracelet?

He walked to the shelf, his gaze resting on the pair of silver bracelets for several seconds.

“Boss, help me pack one pair of these Resonance Bracelets.”

Lance made the decision directly.

“This tool really is practical.”

“Because if you get ambushed in the dark, whether you shout loudly or cast a signal spell, both could attract concentrated attacks from nearby enemies in advance.”

“This bracelet can avoid that kind of situation.”

After speaking about the bracelets, Lance turned and continued checking the supply list with the shop owner.

“And I’ll take all the basic tools I mentioned earlier.”

“As for camping equipment, get me the largest thickened waterproof oilcloth you have, and two of the best cold-resistant sleeping pads.”

“Eh? Only… waterproof cloth?”

The girl failed to control her emotions and let out a brief cry of surprise on the spot.

This was a little different from what she had imagined yesterday.

“Mm. For us, in the forest, tents restrict our vision and hearing.”

“They’re not only heavy, but they also make you completely unaware of the dangers around you.”

“Once magical beasts get close, you won’t even have room to counterattack.”

Lance patiently explained.

“With oilcloth and ropes, you can quickly build a semi-open shelter. It blocks wind and rain while still letting us stay alert to our surroundings.”

“In the wilderness, staying vigilant is far more important than temporary comfort.”

After all, this would also be his first time planning to spend the night inside the dangerous Copper Creek Forest.

He had to approach it with the utmost caution.

To guarantee absolute safety, he had even prepared himself to stay awake for several consecutive nights and personally handle the entire night watch.

“Alrighty then.”

The shop owner agreed readily.

“I’ll go pack everything up for you right now.”

The shop owner moved very efficiently and quickly organized all the wilderness equipment into neat bundles.

Lance stepped forward and lifted them slightly. The weight and size were both within a reasonable range and would not affect his mobility. After reorganizing them later, they would probably become even more compact.

After paying the full amount in coins.

Lance carried the bundles one-handed and slowly walked outside with the still-dazed girl.

Beside the market was the clear little stream that split Graystone Town into two halves.

The two of them slowly walked back along the quiet path by the stream.

At that moment, it was the beautiful hour of sunset.

The orange-red evening glow dyed the entire sky in dazzling colors.

The townsfolk who had worked all day were strolling by the stream in groups of twos and threes.

Several mischievous children were barefoot in the shallow water, splashing each other and laughing crisply.

The entire town was filled with a peaceful and leisurely atmosphere of everyday life.

“Cecilia.”

Lance, walking ahead, suddenly stopped and softly called out.

“Yes.”

The girl quickly sped up and moved close beside Lance.

“Hold out your hand.”

Hearing those words, Cecilia did not hesitate in the slightest and obediently extended a fair little hand.

Lance freed his right hand and gently placed the silver Resonance Bracelet with vine patterns—the one he had bought at the general store earlier—into the girl’s soft palm.

“When we enter the forest in a couple of days, if anything unexpected happens, the two of us can use this to warn each other.”

“Let’s go.”

Lance tightened his grip on the supply bag again.

“If we don’t hurry, it’ll be completely dark soon.”

After saying that, he strode forward once more.

Meanwhile, Cecilia remained standing there blankly, staring at the silver bracelet quietly resting in her palm.

This seemed to be the very first gift Senior had specifically bought for her since they met, right?

Even though its primary function was for wilderness warnings.

A gift was still a gift!

The girl’s heart instantly became as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.

Happily, she raised the bracelet into the air and carefully examined it under the final traces of the evening glow on the horizon.

Under the soft sunset light, the silver vine patterns shimmered with an exceptionally beautiful cold glow.

“Cecilia, hurry up and catch up.”

Just as she was staring at it in fascination, Lance’s urging voice came from ahead.

“Ah? Oh! Coming!”

The sudden shout startled the girl, and her wrist subconsciously trembled.

The smooth silver bracelet slipped directly from her fingertips and bounced toward the pebble-covered ground.

“My bracelet!”

Panicked, Cecilia completely forgot to watch where she was stepping. She immediately lunged forward with both hands, trying to catch the precious gift that was falling downward.

But as a mage who had long lacked physical exercise, her terrible bodily coordination was fully displayed at this moment.

She failed to catch the bracelet.

Her left foot directly tripped over her right foot, causing her entire body to lose balance as she fell onto the road.

Hearing the commotion, Lance quickly threw down the bundles and rushed back.

“Are you alright?”

Lance crouched down and looked at the girl sprawled on the ground, a trace of concern in his tone.

Cecilia slowly raised her head.

Several specks of dust stained that originally delicate and fair face, and her beautiful red eyes were already brimming with tears, making her look pitifully teary-eyed.

“It hurts…”

The girl sniffled, looking so aggrieved that she truly seemed easy to bully.

Lance sighed and reached out to help Cecilia slowly move to a flat stone step nearby to sit down.

Afterward, Lance crouched down and extremely gently removed the leather boot from the girl’s right foot.

He extended his fingers and pressed a few times against her ankle, which had already begun swelling slightly red.

“Luckily the bone isn’t injured. It’s just a sprained ligament.”

Lance let out a sigh of relief and made his judgment.

“When we get back, remember to apply the medicine I put in the side pouch of your backpack earlier.”

“Tomorrow, stay in the manor and rest properly for the whole day. Don’t walk around carelessly.”

As Lance spoke, he helped her put the leather boot back on.

“As long as you rest for a day, you should completely recover by the day after tomorrow.”

After finishing all of that.

Lance stood up and gathered all the large and small bundles he had thrown onto the ground earlier.

He hung all the lightweight supplies with straps across his chest.

Finally, he turned his back toward Cecilia and crouched down in front of her.

“Come on.”

Lance’s voice sounded extremely dependable to Cecilia.

“You can’t put pressure on your foot right now, so I’ll carry you back.”

“Mm.”

Looking at the broad back before her, Cecilia’s cheeks instantly turned burning hot, and she felt somewhat embarrassed.

But the moment she thought about being able to press herself this close to Senior.

That desire in her heart directly overcame her sense of shame.

Cecilia extended her two slender arms and slowly wrapped them around Lance’s neck.

Then, she completely draped her soft and lightweight body onto Lance’s sturdy back.

And at that very instant.

The desire to touch the other person that she had felt while shopping today was finally satisfied.

Cecilia only felt an extremely intense tingling numbness suddenly surge up her spine.

It made her unable to stop herself from letting out an extremely sweet and soft moan. Then she tightly wrapped both arms around Senior’s neck and completely buried her face into that rough cloak.

“What’s wrong? Did I touch the injury?”

Feeling the abnormal spasm from the girl on his back, Lance turned his head in utter confusion and asked.

But before Cecilia could even answer.

The next second.

A notification box suddenly popped up on Lance’s retina without any warning.

【You have made contact with a Demi-Human Race Half-Elf. Half-Elf Research Progress +5】

【Biological Research Level Increased: LV2 → LV3】

【Successfully Unlocked Special Research Trait: Source of Pleasure (Half-Elf)】