This Hero Is Too Curious! 38 Prologue: To Mulbik!

It has been 4 days since the goblin cave incident. I formed a permanent party with the people I had worked with that day. We've all spent some time recovering from the goblin debacle so in the meantime, I've been taking care of preparing for the next adventure. How am I preparing? First I need to have my broadsword fixed. I broke it during my encounter with the hobgoblin and while my adamant.i.te dagger is reliable it lacks the range I need for consistent combat.

I had dropped off my broadsword at a certain smithy 4 days ago, so it should be finished by now. While I'm happy to receive my sword again, I'm not very happy about what I have to do to get it…

The front door opened to the smithy and the familiar wave of heat and the cacophony of metal on metal greeted me. The familiar sight of instruments of violence filled my vision as every shelf on every row was filled with various items that were intended to either end your adversaries life or to prolong your own.

"Be with you in just a second~! ♥" A familiar voice called out to me.

I held back my instinct to run. The source of the voice that I could not see was a ghastly figure that I had been unfortunately acquainted with during a certain unfortunate mix up at a jail.

The sound of metal hitting metal ceased as I heard a large figure begin to walk out of the forge room. After a moment, a man with a hunched back, a large protruding eye, and an indescribable but unforgettable face emerged.

"Oh my~! ♥ It's the cutie! ♥ How can I help you today, cutie?"

As always, he greeted me with his remarks which bordered on s.e.xual hara.s.sment. I held back my instinctual desire to run as I met his gaze. This man is named Tunne and he is the operator of this smithy.

"Sword." I said as tersely as possible. I don't want to get into a conversation with this man right now. The only reason I am here in the first place is because this man gives me an undefined discount that he calls the "cutie cut-off discount."

"How cold~! But that's what I like~ about~ you~! ♥"

Instead of responding, I simply grumbled.

"...Hmm... Fine! Your sword is ready. Honestly, I don't know how you broke it in a single day!"

Finally, something I wanted to hear. I perked up and could feel myself enter a better mood.

"How much do I owe you, Tunne?"

"Well… Considering you brought back the majority of the pieces and the material that the sword is made of… I would say 50 juns! This is including my cutie cut-off discount of course!"

Without skipping a beat, I reached into my money pouch and pulled out 50 juns. Considering the 900 that the sword itself cost, 50 juns to reforge it is a steal.

"Ah~! Mr. Moneybags!" Tunne said as he took the 50 juns from my hand.

"Your sword is in the back. I'll go get it for you. You stay right~ here~ cutie~! ♥"

Despite my obvious look of contempt, Tunne turned around and went back into the forge room. I stood around and looked at the various items on the walls. Swords made of material from iron to silver, suits of armor, tools like tongs and hammers, and a somewhat peculiar item. Multiple strings that are connected together by strange finger sized rings are put together in what appear to be some type of wire tool.

After a short while, Tunne returned to the main room, my newly reforged sword in tow.

"Here you go cutie~! I even oiled it up for you! ♥"

I reluctantly took the broadsword from Tunne. Despite the things he was alluding to, this sword's quality is undeniable. It's only thanks to this tool and the armor I am wearing that I'm still alive in the first place.

Despite wanting to leave this store as quickly as possible, I couldn't help but wonder what the item I had been looking at was.

"Hey Tunne, what is this thing? It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen before."

"Ah! That's a special order item that I made. A certain adventurer requested this. The strings are made of steel and thanks to its size it's easy to hide."

"Who would need something like this?"

"I'm sorry cutie but that's smith to buyer confidentiality that you're treading on! I can't tell you… not unless you give me a kiss!"

I immediately began to walk out of the smithy.

"Ah, wait! Don't go~!"

Tunne grabbed me by the arm. Unlike before, however, his grip felt much weaker and I easily broke out of it.

"Oh my~. You must have leveled up. How impressive! ♥"

Even I am surprised by this sudden increase in strength. Unlike my 7 month endeavor of exercising, the difference in my strength now compared to how I was just 4 days ago is obvious. Now I wonder how my other physical abilities have been affected. I'll test them out later.

"Since you leveled up that means you must have gone into some big combat! That explains the broken sword. How is the armor?"

"The armor works like a charm. Honestly this is probably the only reason that I'm still alive."

"Thank you for the compliment cutie~!"

I held back my disgust. This man keeps finding new ways to disturb me.

Despite how I feel, this man's creations are definitely high quality. The armor he made for me cus.h.i.+oned me enough from the hobgoblins attack as to where I was able to stay conscious.

"Hmm… You have a cuira.s.s, but wouldn't you want some leg armor as well? With my cutie cut-off discount I can get you a nice set of leg armor for cheap!"

Come to think of it, that one goblin was able to cut my leg because I had no defensive equipment on. Leg armor may actually not be a bad idea.

"What is the armor made of?"

"I knew you'd want it! You're a smart, strong, cutie after all~! ♥"

"Leg armor. Tell me."

"How cold~! Though that's what I like about you… The armor is a mix of steel plating and leather. It'll defend you while not hampering your mobility at all."

"How much is it?"

"Hmm… For you, cutie, I'd charge 200 juns."

That's more than the cuira.s.s cost, but at the same time, leg armor would protect my lower half. Having metal parts to protect my legs would be a big help. With metal, they'd certainly prevent me from getting cut by swords. I need to weigh my options.

"These come with foot guards?"

"Hmm… For you, cutie, I'll throw them in for free! However, I'll only do that if you give me a kiss on the cheek!"

"So how much do the foot guards cost?"

"Guh! ...Fine. 50 more juns."

"Deal."

"Alright! It's time to measure~ you~! ♥"

Tunne came towards me with a tape measure while licking his lips. Something about this scene is oddly familiar...

"And done! I'll go get it for you, cutie~! ♥"

I simply grumbled after our incredibly long measuring session. Despite my discomfort, I know that this will be worth it once I get my armor.

After hearing the sound of someone fervently rummaging through storage, I heard a loud "Ah-ha!" from the side room. After a moment, Tunne emerged while carrying a set of leg armor.

"Here you go! Feel free to change here."

"No thanks!" I said as I took the leg armor and left the shop.

I'm fairly certain I heard Tunne say "Fooey" when I escaped his clutches.

"Alright… where to now?" I asked myself as I began walking the streets of Ruks.

The time of day is currently 8 in the morning. People have begun to wander around the city and go about their daily tasks. Mothers are out shopping, children are window shopping, and adventurers are shopping for supplies just as I am.

As I was investigating several shops, a familiar voice called out to me.

"Ah! Kenji-san! Thank goodness!"

"Erana! Good morning, what's wrong?"

"I um… got lost…" Erana said while fidgeting and looking towards the ground.

"Got lost? How? There are street signs all over the place!"

"I-I'm still not very used to cities… I usually depend on Kany to guide me around town but since she's still asleep I thought I could try going out and shopping by myself for once…"

Is this how Reese felt when she found me in the wagon all that time ago? I can't help but give a disappointed smile at Erana.

"W-Well… I'll help you out. What were you shopping for?"

"Really? Thank you, Kenji-san! I wanted to get a dagger like you have. I learned a new spell since I leveled up so I might be able to use a weapon now…"

"A dagger, huh? I… know a place."

"Really? Take me there! Let's go!"

"W-Wait… I'm not sure…"

"Huh? Why aren't you sure? Is this place expensive? Is it exclusive?"

"No it's not that… it's just…"

How do I put this? A part of me wants to keep Erana as far away from Tunne as possible. I doubt Tunne will do anything too inappropriate to her, but a part of me still wants to avoid that problem all together.

"Is something wrong, Kenji-san?"

"N-No, it's nothing. Follow me."

"Alright!"

With that, I went back the way I came with Erana following closely behind me. After a few minutes of backtracking, I had made it back to Tunnes shop just as another customer had left.

"Ah, cutie! You're back! ♥" Tunne announced to me from the counter. It seems like he is taking a bit of time off of the forge.

"Cutie?"

"I-It's not what you think!"

"Oh my, what's this? You brought a friend?"

This was a bad idea. I'll apologize as soon as possible. I don't mind getting in a dogeza if that's what it takes."

"h.e.l.lo! My name is Erana. I would like to purchase a dagger!" Erana declared happily.

"Daggers are over there." Tunne lazily pointed to his right.

Erana simply smiled and walked over to the shelves on the left.

"Wasn't that a bit harsh, Tunne?"

"Sorry cutie but she doesn't interest me."

Shocked by Tunne's dismissal of Erana, I simply turned around and walked over to Erana.

"Wow Kenji-san. There are so many different types of daggers!"

"Yeah there are. There's a lot of different metals so daggers can be made of all different types. My dagger is made of adamant.i.te."

"Smith-san, do you have any adamant.i.te daggers?" Erana shouted to the front.

"Nope." Tunne tersely replied.

"You don't need an adamant.i.te dagger, Erana. You should aim for something like steel."

"Steel? Alright, I'll follow your recommendation. Smith-san! How much is a steel dagger?"

"100 juns."

"You can't give her the discount on my behalf?"

"100 juns."

"Discount?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Alright. 100 juns then!"

"Thanks. See you later."

Erana seems to not have been able to read the mood and happily stepped out of the store with her new steel dagger in tow.

"Bye cutie! Come back again some time! ♥"

"Ugh." I replied as I left the shop. I'm glad I'm going to be leaving the city for a little while. The farther I get from Tunne the better.

"Thank you Kenji-san. I'll be able to help you all in combat now!"

"Your healing already did just fine. Though I'm curious about what your new spell is."

"It's a secret! I'll show you all the next time we're in a battle."

"But I want to know now."

"I-It's a secret! I won't tell you!"

I approached Erana and put my hand on her shoulder.

"I. Want. To. Know."

"K-Kenji-san, please stop!"

I only just realized what I was doing. I released Erana immediately.

"Sorry I just want to know. It could be useful for a plan so I don't like how you're keeping it a secret."

"W-Well that's fine. I can give you a hint though!"

I immediately got close to Erana once again.

"Um… It's a spell that prevents an enemy from moving."

"I see…"

A spell that prevents an enemy from moving? Judging by how she wanted a dagger then it's probable that the spell prevents the enemy from attacking while it's movement is impeded. Since she's a druid, it's possible that it could turn the ground beneath the enemy into quicksand… No that's not what it would be. The creature's arms would still be free… Perhaps it's-

"Kenji-san, are you alright?"

I was brought back into reality. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts again. I can theorize later.

"Sorry, Erana. I was just thinking to myself. Let's head back to the guild hall."

"Alright." Erana said. With that, we began to walk back to the guild hall to meet up with the rest of our party.

"You sure do think a lot, Kenji-san. What do you think about?"

That's a loaded question.

"...A lot of things."

That's probably the best answer.

"Like what?"

And that's probably the response that I should have expected.

"Things like how to apply my skills and equipment in combat, how the environment factors into my actions, how best to respond to people asking me questions. Things of that nature." I listed out.

Erana stopped and stared at me. I'm not really sure how to respond to her ogling. After a moment, Erana spoke.

"I never think of anything like that! All I think about is how to use my abilities in combat…" Erana looked towards the ground in a disheartened manner. I feel like this is my fault, so it's my job to cheer her up.

"W-Well, I've been told I'm too tense! Don't worry about it."

"Really? I suppose that makes sense. Kenji-san is a bit weird anyway so I suppose you're right."

Hey, that's not a nice thing to say.

After a few minutes of walking around town, we arrived at the 4 story tall landmark. The adventurers guild.

"Thank goodness. Thank you for guiding me here, Kenji-san."

"Don't worry about it. I just led you here so it's no big deal."

We entered the guild hall and witnessed an argument between our other two party members.

"That's not how that works! You can't dodge air!"

"I bet I can! I'm a level 4 rogue while you're just a level 3 wizard!"

"But it's AIR! How do you dodge air?"

"With a lot of backflips."

"Kany, Tael, what's the argument?"

"Kenji! Tell this idiot that you can't dodge air!"

"Onii-san! Tell this jun store magician that with a high enough dexterity stat you can dodge just about anything!"

"Jun store magician? I'll show you a jun store magician you loli kleptomaniac!"

"L-Loli kleptomaniac? I'll have you know that I'm 17 so I am absolutely not a loli!"

Erana grabbed Kany by the shoulders as I grabbed Tael. This has become a daily occurrence.

"Calm down you two."

Instead of saying anything, Kany and Tael both grumbled in tandem.

"Kany, since you're so energetic I take it that you've finished healing?"

"Yeah. That cleric finished their work today. I'm back to 100% so I can get back to work."

Kany had sustained major damage in the battle with the hobgoblin. Like myself, Kany required the a.s.sistance of a cleric to heal her more major injuries since Erana isn't skilled enough to heal major wounds yet.

"That's good. I'd hate to have to leave you caged up in here."

As a reply to my subtle jab, Kany simply stuck her tongue out at me.

We all sat down at our table at the guild hall. After a moment, a woman with white feathery wings and a tired yet energetic demeanor approached our table.

"What do you want?"

"I'll have-" Tael began.

"I have a boyfriend." Yimmie cut him off.

"We'll all have the breakfast portion please, Yimmie-san."

"Got it."

"H-Hey! What the h.e.l.l man! Why did she cut me off but not you?"

Since I genuinely didn't know, I simply shrugged.

"Whatever... What's our plan for today, Kenji?"

"Our plan is that we need to stock up on any remaining supplies we need before we head to Mulbik. A certain individual here doesn't have any supplies for multiple days of travel so we need to stock up."

"Guh!" Tael exclaimed. It seems like he understood why we're being held up now.

"F-Fine. I understand. Kenji, let's go shopping after breakfast!"

"Fine with me. It seems like I'm helping everyone shop though. Also I'm not paying for you this time."

"I-I didn't expect you to! Thanks to the payment from the goblin nest, I have 600 juns to spend!"

"Good because I'm not paying for you."

As a response to this, Tael broke out in a cold sweat and brought me in close.

"N-Not even a little bit?"

"Nope."

Tael stared at me with puppy dog eyes, but I refused to budge. After he had determined that I wouldn't relent, Tael acceded to my statement.

"...Fine. How much can supplies cost anyways?"

Erana and Kany both chuckled in response to this. After a few minutes, Yimmie returned to our table with 4 plates of a.s.sorted items including sausages, fried tumun, and oats.

"Here you go."

"Thanks Yimmie-san. Before you go, I have a question to ask."

"Hm? What is it?"

Yimmie is looking at me expectantly. From what she told me yesterday, she's probably the best person to ask.

"How long does it take to get to Mulbik?"

Yimmie's eyes immediately lost their l.u.s.tre as her mood s.h.i.+fted from energetic to casual.

"On foot it will take you a full day and one night. You can take a carriage which only takes around 8 hours."

"How much does a carriage cost?"

"30 juns per person."

"Hey Kenji, I don't mind walking. No, I'm not saying this because I don't like spending money."

I moved my disappointed eyes from Tael back to Yimmie.

"Thank you, Yimmie-san. I appreciate it."

"Alright. I'll see you later Kenji-san!"

With that, Yimmie turned around and went to another table to take their order.

"I'm looking forward to camping with everyone, even if it's only for a single night."

"I'm looking forward to having someone that's capable of keeping watch without falling asleep."

"Hey I'm right here man."

I simply looked away in response as Kany and Erana lightly chuckled.