Lina and I were searching for the location of the Adventurers' Guild.
Along the way, many people came and went—housewives carrying groceries, children playing in groups, and a few couples out on a date.
Eventually, we saw a group of adventurers walk into a large building with a huge sign hanging above the entrance. I looked up, and the sign had the words "Adventurers' Guild" written in massive characters.
(Is the sign that big because they're afraid people won't find it? …Well, I guess that makes sense.)
The building itself didn't have any special decorations. It just looked slightly bigger than an ordinary house, and the door was larger too. If we didn't look up, we probably would've walked right past it.
"Karen, I think this is the place."
"It… looks so plain."
Peeking inside from the doorway, I could see many adventurers sitting on long benches chatting. Others were standing at the counter, and one man stormed out with an annoyed expression. Scary.
But I couldn't be afraid. We came here to become adventurers. I had to stay strong.
"Let's go in."
"…M-Mm."
Lina's voice trembled a little, her expression tense with fear. All the more reason for me not to back down. I needed to protect her.
I gathered my courage and walked straight toward the counter, Lina following close behind me.
The receptionist was a woman, and as we approached, she greeted us in a gentle voice.
"How may I help you?"
"Do you buy monsters here?"
Better to ask first—if the guild didn't buy monsters, I'd be completely embarrassed.
"Yes. The guild purchases monsters. Depending on the type of monster, they're classified as usable or unusable materials, and the price varies accordingly."
Thank goodness—they did buy monsters. But… usable and unusable?
"What do you mean by usable and unusable?"
"Usable monster are those whose bodies can be used as materials for equipment. Unusable ones cannot be used that way, so we only retrieve their magic core. If the monster hasn't been dismantled, we charge a dismantling fee."
So that's what it meant. But I had no idea whether these two monsters counted as usable. If they were, the price should be higher.
"I see. We'd like to sell some monsters—and also register as adventurers."
"Certainly. Where are your monsters?"
I took the Sugrith Tiger and the unknown small tiger out of my storage hole and placed them on the ground nearby.
"Right here."
The receptionist looked toward the monsters and froze, her mouth opening and closing like she had forgotten how to speak. Then she finally managed to make a sound.
"Th-These monsters—where did you make them appear from!?"
Her voice suddenly shot up in volume, and immediately chatter erupted all across the guild.
"Hey! Why did monsters suddenly appear over there?"
"I think I saw a black hole just now. What was that?"
"The white-haired girl behind him is so cute!"
Most were discussing how the monsters appeared… and the last guy who said Lina was cute—yes, you're correct, but you're now on my blacklist.
Looks like I had to explain again. Might as well spread the knowledge of Storage Magic. Otherwise, everywhere we go will be like this.
"I took the monsters out using Storage Magic. Storage Magic is a non-elemental magic—everyone can use it."
I purposely said it loudly enough for everyone to hear. Then I turned around and casually pointed at a woman who was sitting nearby.
"You, the big sister over there—would you like to learn Storage Magic? If you use it when shopping, you don't have to hold everything in your hands. Just store it in the spell and buy as much as you want."
Everyone stared at me blankly, even Lina. The silence was painfully awkward.
Big sister, please respond. I look like an idiot right now!
Finally, the woman stood up.
"Of course I want to! I always have to give up and go home early because my hands are full."
Great, I got a response! Time for the next person. I pointed at a man this time.
"And you, big brother over there. Haven't you ever camped outdoors because a request was too far away, and struggled with food?"
"Of course! I always end up eating simple meals. I want good food in the wild too!"
The man jumped to his feet, slamming the table three or four times as he spoke excitedly.
"Then you don't have to worry anymore. Storage Magic will solve your problem. Time doesn't flow inside Storage Magic. If you place a hot bowl of food inside before departing, it'll still be hot and fresh when you take it out during your travels."
A muscular man approached me, trembling as he spoke.
"Little brother… even when sleeping in the forest… can I eat food… like the ones sold in shops?"
"Of course. Even if many days pass outside, it will taste exactly the same as when you stored it."
"""Ooohhh!!! FRESH FOOD!!!"""
Everyone erupted in excitement, discussing what meals they should bring for their next quests. Were they usually eating terrible food or something?
Either way, my plan succeeded. If everyone learned Storage Magic, then I wouldn't need to explain it over and over again in other towns. News would spread naturally.
But speaking nonstop and loudly was exhausting. I took a cup out of my Storage Hole and held it toward Lina.
"Lina, my mouth is dry. I talked too much."
Still stunned, Lina took a moment before responding and poured water into my cup.
"…Ah… Mm…"
"What's wrong? Is it because it's your first time seeing me speak so loudly?"
I teased her one bit. I knew she wasn't shocked because of my volume; it was… something else. Lina looked embarrassed when she finally admitted it.
"No… it's because of the pose you were making while talking…"
I took a long sip to soothe my parched throat and explained.
"I was nervous about speaking loudly and messing up, so I posed like that to calm myself."
The pose I struck earlier was pointing at someone with one hand while placing the other hand on my face—trying to look cool.
Honestly, I was dying of embarrassment, but embarrassment beat out nervousness, so I could keep talking.
By the second person, my mindset turned into: If I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassed one is someone else.
And the victim was Lina.
While everyone was still feverishly discussing their meals, there was suddenly a loud bang.
A muscular man emerged from behind the counter.
"Shut up! What is all this noise!?"
The entire guild instantly went silent and turned toward him. Who is he?